## Chapter 1128 – Elven Forest

After finishing the meal, I followed Saintel for a while, looking around the village.

No, should I even call it a village?

It was just a place in the forest, but it was a regular city. Sure, there were a lot of eco-friendly and nature-harmonizing designs, but there were also high-rise buildings, leisure facilities, and pretty much everything you’d expect.

Apparently, if you go over there, you’ll even find plains used as farmland. It’s not just a jungle all the way through. You need plains to do farming, after all.

Well, aside from some racial differences, it seemed like people lived pretty much the same everywhere.

Everyone pursues comfort and convenience.
The Elven city gave off that kind of vibe.

“Damn.”

I was taking in all this cultural shock while looking around the village.

—Kugugugu.

“Wow, damn. What’s that bastard now?”

I heard a noise and went to check it out, and there was construction going on. But damn. This was no ordinary construction.

—Kugugugugu.

I kid you not, some crazy monster was doing the hauling work.

“That is a Wood Golem.”
“Wood Golem?”

It was a monster made entirely of wood.

Literally a tree monster.

But this one looked brutally vicious, a completely different beast from those weak Stump bastards with axes stuck in their heads. It had limbs made of twisted wood, and green light was blazing from its eyes.

It was big and tall.
A walking piece of heavy equipment, basically.

And right now, that thing was moving massive amounts of lumber as if it were committing fratricide.

—Kuooh.

Even more, the ones assisting it and doing odd jobs weren’t Elves, but Dryads. And some tiny spirit-like things were flitting around, carrying buckets and stuff.

What innovative construction.

“Wood Golems are used for construction and as combat monsters. We artificially cultivate them and then create them through various magical processes. They are the pride of our Elven Forest. A considerable amount of technology goes into them.”

So, rather than artificially made mechanical golems, they were closer to living monsters?

“…Do Elves use things like that a lot?”
“They’re quite expensive, but it’s not like we don’t use them. Most construction companies own a few of those Wood Golems.”

They even have construction companies?

Damn, if the Elves put their minds to it, humans wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Why are they so well-off?”

But that was the truth.

In the first place, Elves are smart, have great physical abilities, and live three or four times longer than humans, so there was no reason for them to be living like idiots. It was only natural that they possessed superior technology to humans.

And well, even when the world was in ruins after the Idol War, the Elven capital, where the World Tree was located, didn’t suffer much damage.

Of course, there would be such a big difference.

It seemed clear that if these Elves started a war, humans wouldn’t be able to handle it. Even if there were quite a few minor kingdoms beyond the Karga Kingdom, and even the Dwarf Kingdom, it would be tough.

Was there really a need for a race like this to ally with us?

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“My goodness.”

Of course, besides that, there were also a lot of bizarre monstrosities… no, livestock that I hadn’t seen in the kingdom. The Elven livestock farms are said to be operated in a semi-factory style, and the meat produced there is delivered nearby.

Of course, the livestock farms were a bit far away, so I couldn’t actually see them, but I did see the well-maintained roads.

“There’s a reason I’m showing you all this, human.”

Saintel stayed by my side, guiding me and speaking.

“When the human returns, they will tell others what they have seen here. Then they will know about us Elves and realize the necessity of an alliance.”
“Did you receive such an order?”
“Yes. I was told to treat you well and show you our culture.”
“I just came as a quick service… no, a delivery guy.”

I think she doesn’t know, but I didn’t come here as a representative risking the fate of the kingdom. I just came because I had a leaf.

“The World Tree’s leaf would never be handed over to a simple delivery person. The leaf of the World Tree is like a sacred object. And there’s a reason why such an order was given.”
“Is that so?”

If that’s the case.

“An alliance is necessary. But that’s not something I should be talking about. It’s a matter to be discussed with our queen.”
“You’re right.”

But it’s not a problem for me to discuss either.

“Hey, Saintel. But if you show off how good your technology is like this, wouldn’t it make humans more wary? Isn’t that what most intelligent races would think?”
“Hahaha. We don’t care about things like that.”

Saintel laughed, scratching her head at my question.

“You’re full of confidence.”
“Don’t you think we have to be?”
“Damn it.”

She’s got a point.

“Anyway, let’s rest today and leave early tomorrow. We need to go as quickly as possible.”
“Hmm… Serphna told me that you are faster and can run longer than an Elven Unicorn. Is that true?”
“Those things are no match for me.”
“Incredible stamina… good confidence. Then I will move at top speed from tomorrow.”
“Great.”

I wish tomorrow would come quickly.

After finishing the city tour, I turned to head back to the accommodation.

But then I suddenly had a thought.

“Ah, Saintel. By the way, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Do you happen to know anything about Alraunes?”
“Alraunes?”

This was what I was curious about.

Elves would definitely know.

“Alraunes. There’s a legend that there are very strong plant-type monsters. I was reminded of it when I saw you Elves commanding the monsters of the forest.”
“Hmm.”

Saintel stopped walking.

Then she stared at my face and slowly opened her mouth.

“…Don’t be surprised, human. Alraunes are not legendary monsters.”
“Wh, what did you say!!!! Kyaaaaaaaaak!!!!!!”

I lightly jumped about 8 meters high on the spot, rotated about fifteen times, and landed.

“Y, you are excessively surprised. It is the first time I have seen a human so surprised today.”
“It’s a story worth being surprised about.”

Of course, I wasn’t actually surprised.
I was just pretending to be surprised.

“Alraunes do exist. And they are very powerful monsters.”
“…Could it be?”
“Of course, there is no such being within the Elven Forest. If a proper Alraune were here, we would have to risk our lives and wage war.”

They are highly regarded, just as I heard.

“What? So you’re saying there aren’t any?”
“Not now.”

Saintel looked up at the sky and continued.

“But I heard there used to be one in the past. There was said to be an Alraune nesting in the east. It is presumed to have died during the Great War, but Alraunes did exist back then.”
“Died?”
“Yes. We know it died. But Alraunes are beings that always revive someday when they die. We Elves are preparing for that.”

They were preparing?

“Are they that dangerous?”
“A proper Alraune is as dangerous as a dragon. We even operate a separate Alraune extermination unit. Of course, it has become nominal now, but we are continuing the unit’s lineage so that we can prepare if one appears.”

Aria.

I’m glad she didn’t come here.

“Anyway, we fought a lot with Alraunes before the Great War. Our ancestors fought with them.”
“…”

It seemed that there were many battles between Alraunes and Elves in the era before the Idol War.

“Alraunes are not legendary beings, so they will definitely appear someday. We have been taught that way. But well, I haven’t seen one myself. Perhaps even the elders have never actually seen an Alraune. But maybe the ancestors or parents of the elders might have seen one.”
“That’s an interesting story.”
“We live longer than humans, so there are times when we know things that humans consider legends.”

If I had the chance, I would like to get my hands on books about Alraunes researched by the Elves.

“But how strong are Alraunes specifically?”
“Well, an Alraune that hasn’t properly established its power isn’t that difficult to deal with. But if it has completely created its own kingdom… it’s dangerous. It enhances Dryads with pheromones to create elite warriors and enslaves all sorts of forest monsters. It even enslaves the forest itself.”

As I knew, Alraunes are beings that use the forest for ultimate defense and SimCity. The more land they have, the stronger they become. And if it gets really big, it’s dragon-level.

“That’s an interesting story. Thanks for telling me.”
“You can ask more if you have any questions.”
“Not today.”

Then I returned to the accommodation and rested.

* * *

The next day, we departed early in the morning.

Originally, an Elven unit was scheduled to escort us, but at Saintel’s command to go quickly, they were all dismissed. From now on, only me, the diplomat, and Saintel would move together.

—Papapapat.

The reason for moving like this was simple.

I and Saintel were the only ones who could match the speed of the Elven Unicorn that diplomat Serphna was riding.

She ran well, as expected of a guardian warrior.

“I didn’t know you could be this fast, human.”
“Tell me if you’re tired.”
“I think I’ll get tired first.”

After running together and figuring things out, Saintel was a weaker Elf than me.

But the fact that she was close to this `Kim Kat` was very admirable and amazing.

If the Elven guardian warriors had about the same combat power as Saintel, it could be said that they were a truly terrifying group of assassins.

“I’m just curious, but how many guardian warriors are there in total?”
“That is confidential information.”
“Understood.”

Anyway, I talked to Saintel while running.

She jokingly explained a few things about confidential matters, but she quipped that she couldn’t divulge any military-related information, such as the Elven military system and unit locations.

But she said a few things anyway.

“You two have become very close.”
“He’s a human who is quite easy to talk to, Serphna. I think he’s a decent human.”
“I think so too.”

I thought Elves were all personality-flawed, but Saintel had a pretty good personality. So, there weren’t any particular troubles throughout the three of us moving together. The Elven cities we passed by were all good too.

“Saintel. You said that all Elves believe in the same World Tree religion.”
“That’s right.”
“Then do they really all live that way? Are there no criminals or heretics?”
“There is no country without criminals or heretics, human.”
“Suddenly speaking the truth.”

That’s true.

“It’s not like there are no criminals or heretics just because they are Elves. It must be the same for humans.”
“Hmm.”
“Those traitorous Elves often desert the Elven Forest and live in human kingdoms.”
“What? So are all the Elves outside like that?”
“Not all of them. There are also Elves who simply have slightly unique personalities and go outside.”
“I see.”

Understood.

Anyway, I traversed the Elven Forest at high speed, following Saintel’s guidance.

* * *

“This damn…”

Like that.

I arrived at Aion, the capital of the Elven Forest.

“Why are these bastards so well-off?”

This place was damn awesome.

The capital of the Karga Kingdom. That place was also very flashy, dazzling, and full of white high-rise buildings. But this place was also as prosperous as that.

But the direction was a bit different. While the kingdom’s capital was densely packed with buildings, the Elven city had some space. There were a lot of wide plazas and gardens with white stone flooring.

There were also many beautiful Elven pedestrians, and commerce and industry were thriving.

“As I already explained, the area near the World Tree suffered almost no damage even during the Great War. Of course, most of the Elven Forest was destroyed, but as long as the World Tree is intact, the Elves can recover at any time.”

Did they maintain that ancient civilization from then on?

It’s not like they can use all those technologies just because they were left alone. But the most important thing would be that the World Tree was intact. This was the difference between Elves and humans. Unlike the human kingdoms that started anew from scratch after the Idol War, the Elves had the World Tree as a center.

Anyway, this is the outskirts.

If you go deeper into the center, there are almost no buildings from there, and there are temples and military units.

From there, it’s called the sacred area of the World Tree.

“Well, anyway, thanks for guiding me this far. Now I just need to go and have an audience with the World Tree and the Queen?”
“I guess so. But there is an admission procedure before that, so you will have to wait a bit.”
“I can’t help it.”

Since I arrived earlier than expected anyway, it didn’t really matter.

“Hmm.”

But the Elven Queen.
I wonder what she looks like.

“Ah, and. I’m just saying this in case.”
“What?”
“Our Queen is quite beautiful. You should be careful not to have your heart stolen.”

This bastard’s coming on strong.

But no matter how pretty she is.
She probably won’t be as beautiful as my women.

“There’s no need to worry about that.”
“What? Are you a homosexual?”
“You son of a bitch.”
“Son of a bitch?”
“No. You started the nonsense first. I got angry for a moment. I’m sorry.”
“Hmm… I see you’re not a homosexual. It’s understandable to take it as an insult. I apologize too.”
“No. I’m more sorry. I suddenly cursed after being guided well. Don’t take it to heart.”
“I understand.”

I followed Saintel.