Episode. 32 Gardening (3)
After that, I visited Adele a few more times.
Every time that happened, the elves greeted me politely, and Adele greeted me with a big smile.
But today was different than usual.
“My mother said that today, the prison body will be moved.”
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“okay?”
Seeing Adele lying on top of the green magic circle, Tassar approached and explained.
The frame of the garden is complete, so it’s getting ready.
I had come to tell you the good news, but the timing was off.
Well, Adele would figure it out right away anyway.
Looking at her, I suddenly shifted my gaze to the elves.
The faces of all of them, who caught my eye, were all pale, as if they had suffered so much from the magic circle.
Although it was a little sad… … .
“The South World Tree, Margarten, has awakened.”
pop-.
At those words, the elves hardened their faces, not paying attention to the fact that the magic circle on their fingertips was dispersing like a mirage.
and.
“How many… … .”
A voice sounded like it would break right next to me.
It was Tasar, the leader of the northern elves.
“How many are alive? Brothers of the South.”
In the distant past, the elves were torn between the northern and southern continents.
It wasn’t just the gardeners in the north who had to spend years of endurance just watching the withering world tree.
Unfortunately, the gardener in the south also couldn’t escape Youngrak.
“About eighty.”
I thought of the elves I had seen with divine eyes.
Its appearance, which had lost all of its original freshness, was no different from the first time I visited Adelgarten.
At my words, Tassar and the elves lowered their heads.
It seemed that he was worried about the elves in the south, as if he had remembered those days of hard work.
My taste is very bitter to be in a gloomy atmosphere.
Knowing that the fall of the elves was caused by the absence of God, I even felt a sense of guilt.
“Horsi, please take care of Margarten-nim and her people.”
Soaked in sorrow, I couldn’t tell whether it was a request or a prayer.
The appetite that was already bitter became even more bitter.
◈ ◈ ◈
Elves hate humans.
No, I hate all the different races living on this continent.
Greedy, selfish, barbaric.
I despised those who were only looking for their own comfort.
Humans coveted the fruit of the World Tree.
The orc wanted to make the green and fresh garden his home.
The dwarfs regarded the World Tree as firewood that would burn forever.
one.
The greedy human army couldn’t reach the fruit.
An orc who did not know restraint and manners, could never settle down in the forest.
The selfish dwarf’s ax blade did not reach the World Tree.
In the history of the elves, which have been written for thousands of years, there has never been a time when large and small fights have ceased.
invasion and exploitation.
The elves were always on the receiving end, and on the defensive side.
To those who just wanted to protect their territory, other races were no different from those of the demon realm.
Nonetheless, they guarded the garden.
Holding on to the withering world tree, carrying the lifeless garden on its back.
Until it finally withers and is forgotten on the continent.
『We are the watchmen who keep.』
Tassar recalled the tradition passed down from his ancestors.
“No one will invade this place.”
『The watchmen will protect this place even in death.』
Let the divine power of the World Tree fall asleep in the terrible drought.
In the withering garden, Ta’sar’s ancestors said so.
Thick tears seemed to flow down his dry cheeks.
“We are tending gardeners.”
While watching the garden preparation work, Richard’s eyes turned to Tassar.
Tassar muttered to himself while drawing a magic circle, perhaps not feeling the gaze.
“The place where the great mother dwells is the sanctuary.”
“The gardeners will take care of this place even after they die.”
It’s not just a murmur.
It was the determination of the karma that a tribe shouldered, and it was an expression of desire.
The atmosphere in the room changed as the legend flowed from the chieftain’s mouth.
The elves’ expressions hardened in an instant.
Confidence also stood out in the sparkling eyes.
Just by listening to it, the disturbed mind is settled, and breathing becomes calm.
The change that happened unconsciously was like seeing a believer facing the light of faith.
“her.”
Richard, who leaned his back against the wall, let out a blank laugh.
The gardeners, who were worn out and their survival was in jeopardy, were holding on to the tradition until they reached this situation.
Jiying, Jiying-
The elves, recalling their karma and flames, worked hard again.
The speed at which the colorful magic circles were drawn increased even more.
“Saint.”
Jiying, Tassar, who had a magic circle hanging from his fingertips, opened his mouth. Then, as if in confession, he spoke with difficulty.
“We hate humans. For a long time, they could not hide their greed.”
The primary emotions contained in it were the exact opposite of the lore of the tradition that he had recited a moment ago.
The old grudge against other races, that was the main reason why the elves made it their business and passion to protect their territory.
Hate it, hate it, hate it again.
A few words can’t express it.
“I still wanted to ask.”
Richard was well aware of the elves’ gruesome history.
That’s why, even more, I didn’t understand.
This is a castle built by humans and guarded by humans.
But why do they carelessly give up their gardens?
No matter how much they obeyed the will of the World Tree, it was even abnormal to see them building a garden day and night without any resistance.
“Even if I fought alongside the humans here a few times, that grudge would not have cooled.”
The fan goal is too deep for that.
What’s more, it was red blood, the corpse of his own people, that filled that bone.
“For a very long time, many of my own people had to suffer from low greed. Even if we stand on the same battlefield a hundred or a thousand times, this hatred will not disappear.”
“Then why are you here?”
“It is my mother’s will.”
Richard clicked his tongue inwardly.
The elves turned their eyes away from their inner thoughts, saying that they were just following them.
The blackened inside was clearly visible.
It’s really ironic.
The fact that the elves, who love peace and nature, went through so many wars, and even now they are building gardens in human castles, saying they hate humans.
How would it feel to hand over the garden that had been protected from other tribes from the time of our distant ancestors to the present?
Richard did not dare to understand their feelings.
“If you guys had objected, Adele would have given up too.”
“It is possible to dissuade someone out of concern, but it is impossible to rebel against mother’s will.”
“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”
“… … This is the only answer we can give.”
Jiying, Tassar, who had let the magic circle flow on the floor, started drawing the magic circle again.
It was like looking at a machine.
Killing emotions, just following orders.
Richard, who had been quietly watching the elves like that, quietly turned around.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Even if you live for hundreds of years, you can’t seem to escape the agony.”
I lay down on the sofa and recalled the conversation from earlier.
What is Tassar’s expression that humans say he hates?
Not befitting the position of chief, he had a confused expression with all sorts of emotions mixed together.
Today’s conversation cemented my conviction.
Elves and other races don’t get along deeply.
Although they could hold hands for a while if necessary, building a sincere bond seemed impossible.
For elves who value community, history is no different from yesterday. The ancestor’s grudge was his own grudge.
The resentment piled up and piled up until it opened the gates of a great war, so the hatred would never disappear easily.
And it’s not necessarily limited to the race of elves.
Among the four races living and renting on the continent, there was no race that did not have an affinity for each other.
They treated each other as uncomfortable neighbors.
A complex intertwined relationship.
But it wasn’t much of a problem.
Because the solution was simple.
The tribes living in this land have already united once.
The Holy Demon War, which only me and the World Tree remember, was the proof of that era.
It was a long time ago than the old grudge between each race, but I was confident to go back to that time once again.
“Horgyo will be all the links.”
Tok, tok-
I tapped on the armrest of the sofa.
After that, I used Shinan.
Regardless of all the connections, first I had to look at Margarten, who had just woken up.
The viewpoint soared over the sky, and in an instant, the forest was visible.
Shinan illuminated the area beyond the strict barrier of the southern garden.
“Ahhh!”
“Mother is awake!”
The elves knelt down and looked at the huge tree.
Thick tears flowed down his parched cheeks.
cheap-.
The branch of the World Tree embraced them.
The tips of the bony branches trembled.
“Tsk.”
Standing with arms crossed on the side of the garden, Alan clicked his tongue.
I couldn’t stop muttering what I was so dissatisfied with.
Following Alan’s gaze, there was a glass that was rolling around beside the world tree.
The faith he had poured into the cup had already been consumed by Margarten.
Soon I could see what was causing Alan’s heartache.
“It’s my light… … It’s mine… … !”
It seems that the faith in the glass that Margarten sucked was very regrettable.
The profound sense of regret and loss in his eyes was the exact opposite of how he was standing in front of a god.
It even seemed sad.
why is he like that
It was prepared for Margarten from the beginning.
“Damn the tree child. I know what that light is!”
I looked at Alan, who was grinding his teeth, then looked away.
Margarten and the elves were still busy enjoying the joy of reunion.
The elves in Rio Castle would be happy to see this.
They felt a great sense of guilt that the light only came to them.
I remembered Tassar’s request to please take care of my people.
I spoke before them.
You will only walk the path of prosperity in the future.
You can’t change the years that have passed, but you can enrich the future to come.
That future would be a world where elves and humans would treat each other as believers even when they met.
‘Well then… … .’
In any case, with this, the stage of the Southern Continent was ready.
Now that Alan and the elves, the lead actors, had also gathered, it was time to proceed.
‘Revelation.’
A glass that rolled across the floor.
Godhead flowed into that cramped cup.