◈ Episode 446 Rescue Operation (3)
“Are you going down?”
Robert laughed as if he had heard a funny joke.
“Elf forests are hard to approach, no matter how outskirts they are. There are those who intensively guard the outskirts of the forest. You can’t land, so even if you stop in mid-air, you’ll need to maintain an altitude of at least 300m.”
In fact, even 300m was extremely low.
I really had to concede as much as possible to get that figure out.
“Besides, what about the equipment in the luggage compartment?”
Robert recalled the equipment that filled the luggage compartment.
Both are positive, but all of them are important artifacts.
It takes a professional manpower to move an object of that size, and even takes a lot of time.
But to move it from the forest as it is, you have to drop it down as it is, but are you saying you’re crazy and throw the artifact from high? How much is it all for?
“You don’t have to worry about that. He just has to do what he has to do.”
“… … under. this is true It’s hard to say anything. Seeing you speak so confidently, it seems like there is another way.”
Robert was about to say something, but then scratched the back of his head and shook his head.
“Aye. No matter how much I try to convince them, it doesn’t seem like it will work. All right. Let’s do it in units. But don’t you regret it?”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if each other’s work was done faster?”
“That’s right, but.”
Hans, who was listening to the story from the side, asked nervously.
“older brother. Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to go in slowly from the outside, but I’m not going to go all the way into the forest and just jump down. Of course, that would drastically reduce the time, but it would be extremely dangerous.”
Elves who communicate with the forest are said to be able to detect at once an intruder entering the forest.
Vegetation groups that have obtained the information deliver the information in real time to the wood network through deeply rooted roots.
No matter how far the eyes of the elves go, if that place is a forest, the location and identity of this side will be immediately exposed.
“That’s fine. Because your eyes can fool you.”
Rudger said that while glancing at Bellaluna.
“A few seconds is enough.”
“… … ok I see.”
Even Hans couldn’t say anything more about Ludger’s confident attitude.
Hans also felt the need to shorten the time in his heart.
You never know what will happen the moment the Leafre family uses Sedina to take full control of the World Tree.
‘It’s the second coming of the tribal war that ended at least 100 years ago.’
It had to be stopped no matter what.
Robert went back to the flight room to grab the steering wheel, and the rest of the party discussed what to do next.
The important thing was to make plans after arriving in the forest.
It was Vierano who spoke first.
“It will probably be difficult to access the kingdom right away. The Leafre family will be keeping a close eye on all movements to and from the kingdom.”
“Is it difficult to use the power of the Dentis family?”
“To be honest, yes. We, the Dentis family, are one of seven families, but three of them are the weakest. In addition, since it is neither moderate nor radical, it is neutral, so it is difficult to move because it is checked by both sides.”
“First of all, I need to know about the other elves.”
Vierano immediately summoned the water spirit.
Water droplets formed thin and long in the air and drew a map.
In an instant, a three-dimensional map drawn with water appeared in the center of the party.
A tall tree in the center of the map caught my attention.
That was the world tree.
“Lenar-Tirone is a large kingdom that surrounds the World Tree for a long time with the World Tree at its center.”
The World Tree stood tall enough to pierce the sky.
Its extent was difficult to guess.
The Serendel Castle was a huge marble-shaped structure attached to the World Tree.
“The current Leafre family is closest to this World Tree and has virtually the highest authority. And the most loyal servant of House Leafre, the Shade Warden, also belongs to it.”
“Where is the Dentis family located on this map?”
Vierano smiled bitterly and pointed to one side of the map.
It was a very small part.
“The Dentis family is in charge of the outside of the forest. As a result, the proportion within the forest is extremely small.”
Even the location was located in the outermost part of the kingdom.
In fact, compared to the other seven roots, the Dentis family had to be seen as quite lacking in their three.
The only thing that was similar was one of the families that maintained the same neutrality.
“And between the World Tree and the outside world, there are a total of three families commonly referred to as the wood department. They all belong to the moderate faction.”
Radix in charge of the kingdom’s defense.
A crown that oversees the network of forests.
Flohim, who has dominated the entire forest.
Vierano called them the Three Nobles.
“And the last place left is the outskirts of the forest. This is Burke, the frontline guardian to prevent invasion of foreign enemies along with our Dentis family. It is the one who maintains neutrality like us.”
“The elven kingdom is also quite politically complex.”
It was Alex’s honest impression after hearing Vierano’s explanation.
Radical “Refre” and “Shade Warden”.
Moderates 「Radix」, 「Crown」, 「Flohim」.
And neutral “Dentis” and “Burke”.
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Among them, Leafre was the best existing family with the most authority on the World Tree, and the other three moderate nobles joined hands to prevent such arbitrariness of Leafre.
However, even if he intertwined with the three nobles to keep Leafre in check, a good picture was not drawn.
Those who instigated the murder of Sedina’s mother were moderates.
If they learn Sedina’s identity, and that she’s now been kidnapped by Shadewarden’s pursuers.
I will try to get rid of it at all costs.
In the end, the only things that can be trusted are the Dentis family, managed by Vierano, and the Burke family, who remain neutral even in this situation.
“Elves are not such an orphaned race as is popularly known. There must have been times when it was like that in the past. But over the years, elves have changed.”
“Hmm. Then, even if you reach the forest in this state, isn’t it practically impossible to go all the way inside the castle?”
“I guess so. The Leafre family will also notice something suspicious if I try to come to the kingdom.”
“Since it’s vacation after a long time, can’t you use the excuse that you’ve been back to your hometown for the first time in a while?”
“During Seorn’s vacation, I also returned to the forest many times, but even then, I always stayed in my family’s land outside the forest and never went to the capital. I knew for sure that I wouldn’t be able to see anything good. Now that I think about it, I should have at least revealed my face.”
Vierano laughed self-deprecatingly.
said Rudger.
“Besides, the one who was kidnapped this time is a student of Seorn. Considering where Vierano belongs to, the Leafre family will never meet you.”
Rudgar also decided that Alex’s opinion was impossible.
“Then is there no way to enter the royal castle?”
“Oh, I guess.”
At that time, it was Bellaluna who raised her hand and spoke.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Bellaluna.
I wouldn’t expect much in this dire situation, but Bella Luna would occasionally say outrageous things.
Surprisingly, Bellaluna did not disappoint those expectations and worries this time too.
“Because I know the underground passage leading to the royal castle.”
“yes… … ?”
The sound of Vierano asking what he was talking about echoed.
Only his voice rang because the other three were so ridiculous that they kept their mouths shut.
“An underground passage. Is there such a secret place in the capital of Serendel? Or if you’re talking about the underground aqueduct… … .”
“Oh, no. Not Renard-Tirone. So, you have to look at it a little lower.”
“What if it’s a little lower?”
“An underground cavity where the World Tree is rooted.”
Hans impatiently asked.
“An underground joint? Didn’t you misunderstand that you were in the capital and said the wrong thing?”
“Mu, of course there are things like that in the basement of the capital, but they are also under the real world tree.”
“No, rather, something like that beneath the living world tree… … .”
“… … There may be.”
It was Vierano who interrupted Hans’s words.
At first, he was more surprised than anyone else by Bellaluna’s words, but soon something flashed through his mind.
“The World Tree is a huge tree. How much water do you think that giant tree needs to live?”
“that… … .”
“People usually say that trees absorb water and nutrients from the soil. But in fact, trees extract the most water from bedrock. Its roots are deep and wide. A normal giant tree is the same, but how big is the World Tree?”
Perhaps beneath the roots of the World Tree, there is a large, naturally formed underground cavity.
“That’s why you tried to grow the world tree in the capital’s underground cavity.”
Rudgar also nodded in agreement.
The huge underground cavity that existed beneath the capital was originally an artificially created space to grow the World Tree.
At first, I thought it was to grow secretly underground, but it wasn’t.
It was made accordingly because it was an environment necessary for the growth of the World Tree.
“I think I saw it in an old book. It is said that the root of the world tree is a taboo place that no one should enter without permission. It’s a very dangerous place, more than something you shouldn’t touch. I was just dismissing it as an absurd rumor or legend, but I didn’t expect it to be true… … .”
“Gee, it really is.”
“How did Ms. Bellaluna find out about that?”
“that… … I found out while secretly hacking the World Tree. If you run away there, no one will come after you.”
“… … .”
Seeing Bellaluna calmly saying that she found out because she had committed a crime, Vierano was confused whether to criticize or praise this.
Vierano decided to accept it as a good thing in the current situation.
“But is there direct access to the World Tree through such a huge underground cavity? It won’t be easy to find your way among the intricately intertwined roots. Besides, the scale will not be trivial.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I still remember the core route. I was wondering if there might be something to sneak up on later. lol.”
“that… … .”
“Is there anything you want to say?”
“… … no. no.”
Vierano thought he had a righteous and upright personality.
To the extent that he doesn’t hesitate to give a sharp admonishment to a student if he steps down the wrong path.
But the moment he saw Bellaluna, Vierano felt breathless.
That’s what I can’t do
They were distorted like chaos from birth, so they didn’t know the normal way of thinking, and they were the first kind I had never met in my life.
An instinctive conviction that no matter what he said, that elf could never be reformed.
I couldn’t help but look at Rudger.
-What the hell, how do you take that child?
-… … .
Rudger avoided that gaze.
Then Alex asked a question.
“By the way, can you climb up to the main body of the World Tree by climbing underground roots? The ground must be blocking it in the middle.”
“Three, if it’s as big as the world tree, there’s a gap where several people can pass. You can easily find it by accessing the World Tree in real time and checking the route.”
“Hoo. So, does that mean there is a chance to get right into the center of the castle?”
“You can’t blindly trust that. It’s been a few years since Bellaluna has been away from the kingdom. In the meantime, we cannot rule out the possibility that the elves in the kingdom noticed the loophole and set up defenses.”
Hans’ objection was also correct.
“For now, it would be right to leave it open as one of the possibilities.”
Just as Rudger was muttering, announcements reverberated throughout the cabin.
[iced coffee. Captain here. You will arrive at your destination soon. Ladies and gentlemen, we hope that you will not forget your luggage. Please note that items left behind will not be delivered.]
Alex burst into laughter as if he was having fun.
“He’s an interesting gentleman.”
“… … I guess we’ll have to finish talking about the operation once we reach our family.”
Looking out the window, I saw the sky stained with pitch-black darkness.
The sky was dotted with colorful stars.
It was a jewel-like light that could not be seen in the soot-filled Ladervelk.
“It is said to be dark, but it is a night full of stars with few clouds. At this rate, the guards on the outskirts of the forest might find out.”
“You won’t have to worry about that.”
It was Rudger who eased Vierano’s worries.
The reason was immediately clear.
[iced coffee. The aircraft will shake for a while, so please hold on to the handle.]
As soon as the announcement sounded, the airship vibrated.
One of the features of the specially made airship was revealed here.
Chi profit.
White steam sprayed around the airship.
It turned into a cloud and swallowed the airship’s huge body as if it were holding it in its arms.
“This… … .”
“The camouflage and stealth of this Zeppelin airship.”
The cloud-encrusted airship crossed the border of the forest and reached above it.
In broad daylight, it would be a bit obvious, but in the middle of the night, even the eyes of the elves could be fooled.
In this way, the airship was able to come over a much longer distance than the previously set destination.
There was a risk of being wrong if we went further than this, so the airship stopped at the right line.
The place that could be called the deep part of the forest was more dense and bigger than the outer periphery.
It was impossible to go all the way there without being noticed.
[This is where I can go.]
“Enough.”
Saying that, Rudger got up and headed for the Airship’s doorway.
“Miss Rudger. Instead of now… … .”
The moment Vierano asked what he was going to do, Ludger opened the door wide.
A cool breeze blew inside.
Rudger turned his head back and said, in a situation where he would fall hundreds of meters down with just one step.
“let’s go.”
“I’m going. no way… … .”
“Didn’t you tell me? When you arrive at your destination, you will get off on your own.”
Rudger said, arranging his windblown hair with his fingertips.
Vierano was speechless.
Does that mean that you get off on your own?
