“…Truly spectacular.”
Following the guidance of the elf and leaving the forest shrouded in fog, the first thing that caught Iris and Aria’s eyes was a gigantic tree located at the heart of the forest, seeming to support the sky itself.
Its height reached so high that it appeared almost to pierce the heavens, with clouds draped around its branches like garments, evoking spontaneous exclamations from its viewers.
“Right. Is this the World Tree we have only heard about in stories?”
A sacred tree stretched out nine branches that balanced the world.
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter—the World Tree was a symbol proving the four goddesses of the seasons had blessed all life on earth. This divine concept was said to exist across all times and places—past, present, and future.
Beneath the roots of this colossal tree, whose circumference was beyond human measurement, a woman sat quietly, her eyes closed.
In a word, she was beautiful.
Long, pointed ears marked her as an elf, her waist-length, lustrous green hair complemented a face so striking it could rival the finest in her race, known for its beauty.
Her appearance captivated Iris; despite being a woman herself, she couldn’t help but admire her. A mysterious spiritual energy radiated from the woman’s entire being.
She was more than just a beauty. Known continent-wide for her exceptional archery skills—able to pierce targets several kilometers away even when blindfolded—she earned the title “Divine Archer.”
Among the most formidable on the continent, she carried countless blessings from the World Tree, making her a living history book with an ageless lifespan far beyond her species.
This woman, Kyrie el Denaris, was the guardian of the World Tree.
“Lane, you did well guiding them here. I will take it from here, so you may leave now,” Kyrie said, her angelic face serene.
At her words, the male elf quickly bowed, his face filled with reverent awe, “Thank you, Guardian. This is but my duty, so please spare me such praise.”
With these words, he bowed once more, then withdrew respectfully.
In Iris’s eyes, his deference to Kyrie resembled that of nobles toward an emperor.
“It’s been a while, Princess of the Empire, Iris el Devhart,” Kyrie greeted Iris with a warm smile once the male elf had departed, leaving only Kyrie, Iris, and Aria.
“It’s been a while. You speak as if we’ve met before, Kyrie el Denaris,” Iris replied in a nonchalant tone.
Kyrie’s smile remained. “I’m disappointed, Iris. Does that mean the year we spent together meant nothing to you? Do you view that time as worthless, denying the journey itself?”
Kyrie’s words caused Iris’s eyebrows to twitch slightly. Dismissing her memories with Kyrie was one thing, but to deny the cherished moments she shared with Cain was another.
“…No, I could never agree with that. The time I spent with him was one of the most beautiful in my life. You’re still as cunning as ever, Kyrie. Is it that living for so long has made your tongue as sharp as a serpent’s?”
Despite Iris’s sarcasm, Kyrie’s expression remained unchanged, her smile relaxed. “Well, think of it as a product of age. Anyway, Iris, you’re still so young—getting riled up over a little teasing.”
Iris scoffed, “Compared to you, who in this world wouldn’t be considered young?”
She paused, a slight frown crossing her face as something occurred to her. “Still, Kyrie, you’re far more tolerable than Ariel Thiers. You are just as cunning, but at least you don’t pretend to be oblivious and shy.”
“Ariel Thiers? What brings her name up?” Kyrie asked, mildly curious.
Iris’s expression turned sour—Ariel was a woman whose mere mention brought her irritation.
“That woman kept up her act in front of me until the end. Isn’t it truly detestable to lie so casually and then feign modesty while calling herself a saintess?”
“Ariel has always been rather sly. If anything, perhaps it’s because she’s still young. As I recall, Ariel is a year younger than you.”
Iris’s scowl deepened at Kyrie’s reference to her age. Considering Kyrie’s age far exceeded that of everyone in her expedition combined, such remarks were hard to tolerate.
“Perhaps it’s because you’re ‘too’ old that you have no hesitation in wagging your tongue. Has the person who could teach you tact been lying in a coffin for centuries?”
For the first time, Kyrie’s serene smile faltered. She hid it quickly, but no woman appreciated remarks about her age, especially before a rival.
“…Ha, you don’t hold back, do you? A mere child who’s lived barely thirty years dares to speak like that. Come to think of it, haven’t you started looking rather young lately? You look even younger than you did ten years ago—are you running wild because of that?”
“Why don’t you consider the notion that someone who’s been wrinkle-free after hundreds of years might just be a monster?”
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can now make payments in your local currency, the Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
For example: You will buy the product with the title “Flower Stealing Master” to sponsor a chapter for the novel. As far as I know, you can buy the same product multiple times, so you should be able to sponsor as many chapters you want. I hope it was easy to understand.
Introducing KN WN Bundle ($15) for those who prefer to read only KR webnovels. This bundle gives you access to all the advance chapters of the Korean Webnovels on Goblinslate immediately, and will stay ahead of the regular release for the month! Get it on Patreon!
That means, you get:
PTTV – Four Advance Chapters! ($10)
IPUAW – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MSAS – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MWD – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)