'It's me this time?'
Cale started to frown.
"Human! What is it?"
He heard Raon's voice next to him, but he could not pay any attention to it.
The World Tree had said that the God of Death cherishes heroes but is willing to sacrifice a few to save the masses. She then said that it was Cale this time.
That was why Cale asked in a slightly lower tone.
"Are you saying the God of Death is aiming for me?"
"Gasp!"
He could hear Adite gasp.
"Gasp!"
Raon gasped before quickly starting to ramble.
"Human! Did she say the God of Death wants to mess with you? I won't let him get away with it! I will destroy everything!"
In this place with the World Tree…
Although Tasha and the other Dark Elves did not get the World Tree's permission to enter… Choi Han who came with Cale and Raon slowly started to speak.
"…I am someone who is not afraid of anything anymore."
Cale flinched at Choi Han's calm but extremely vicious statement, however, he stopped paying attention to them as he heard the World Tree's voice.
Cale still had his eyes closed as he was listening to the World Tree. That was why he did not see the vicious glare on Choi Han's face nor the burning gaze in Raon's eyes.
Adite who was watching them gulped and clasped her hands together.
Cale who had his eyes closed started to hear someone laugh at that moment.
– Hahahaha.
The World Tree started to speak as if Cale was a cute little boy.
– Didn't I tell you? The God of Death is someone who is experienced in making deals. I'm saying you are the person he is trying to make a deal with this time.
"Ah."
Cale let out a sigh of relief.
'I thought she meant that I was the one to be sacrificed to save the many.'
His expression relaxed as he thought that he was shocked for no reason.
– Of course, you may die if the deal goes wrong.
'What? Is this World Tree trying to mess with my mind?'
Cale started to frown. The World Tree did not care and continued to speak.
– The power of the God of Death inside your pocket should be a medium used to make a deal with him.
"…It is not a deal."
The God of Death's letter in Cale's pocket had said that it was, 'an opportunity for a decision.'
The opportunity to decide whether to live here or to go back. The God of Death had made it sound like goodwill rather than a deal.
A deal is something where both sides trade things.
However, the God of Death had told Cale to decide without saying he was going to take anything from Cale.
Cale continued to think. He heard the World Tree's voice again.
– Cale Henituse. Do not fully trust the God of Death. Even in the past, the God of Death, ugh!
Boom!
Cale felt the tree start to shake violently.
'What the…?'
He almost opened his eyes in shock.
– Do not open your eyes!
However, he kept them tightly closed after hearing the World Tree's shout.
"World Tree-nim! Your branch-!"
Cale heard Adite's scream-like shout before hearing a dull 'boom!' Based on what Adite had just said, he presumed a branch had fallen off like last time.
– They are punishing me like this because I was trying to say something I shouldn't say.
The World Tree mumbled to herself with bitterness.
The World Tree was able to look at the flow of the world. However, there were things that she should not discuss, and she said that a portion of the flow during the 'darkness' in ancient times was not visible.
– Anyway, I can't tell you about the past, but… Cale, nothing in the world is free. There are no coincidences either.
Cale made sure to remember the World Tree's words.
Kim Rok Soo's birthday.
The time that was slowly ticking away toward that day… The opportunity from the God of Death was approaching.
However, that was not an opportunity.
'It could be a deal.'
Cale recorded the word, 'deal,' in his mind. An odd smile appeared on his face at the same time.
'I guess that means there is something he wants from me.'
The God of Death wanted something from him.
Wouldn't that be why he wanted to make a deal?
'It's worth a shot.'
Cale was not planning on moving according to the God of Death's will at all.
– Ah, and to tell you one more thing… Mm.
The World Tree hesitated before continuing to speak in a bright tone.
– This shouldn't be something that makes me lose a branch. That makes sense, since a lot of people should know about this.
The bright tone soon became serious.
– Gods cannot interfere with the happenings of the world. They cannot change nor modify the fate people were born with. However, methods for them to make such modifications do exist.
"…What are those methods?"
– It is different per god. And it is not something I can tell you even if I knew. They might destroy all of my branches for something like that.
"I see."
– But I can tell you something about it.
Cale focused all of his attention on the World Tree.
– The gods plant eyes for them to observe the world.
– What could those eyes be?
Cale suddenly thought about Saint Jack and the excommunicated priestess Cage.
They were people who served different gods. Were they the gods' eyes?
– The God of Death's eyes are in your body as well. Ah, it is similar to a location tracking device.
"Are you saying a god messed with my body?"
Cale subconsciously asked in shock.
That comment shocked Choi Han and Raon as well and made them become more vicious, but Cale had no way of knowing about that.
– …I cannot tell you anything more about it. But I'm sure a smart guy like you can figure it out. By the way, it is not that clock.
'It's not the God of Death's letter? Then where else could the god's eyes be? She said it was a location tracking device, so it should mean that the God of Death is able to tell where I am at any moment.'
Cale started to think about the past two-plus some years.
The images of the past quickly flew by like in a movie.
"Ah."
Cale found it.
He found what could be the God of Death's eyes.
There were two times the God of Death's aura had entered his body.
That was the thing that made the God of Death and his temple famous, as well as the reason many people visited the temple.
"…The vow."
The vow of death.
Many people looked for priests of the God of Death to make vows of death to solidify their trust in each other.
Cale had made a vow of death with the crazy priestess Cage and Taylor. He then later made a vow with Choi Han at a temple of the God of Death.
'Did the God of Death know my location since then?'
Cale got the chills.
"Is it the vow?"
– …I cannot answer.
It was a careful answer to a careful question.
However, that was enough. She would have answered that it was not the eyes if that was the case. She answered that she could not answer because he was right.
The World Tree's voice and demeanor were enough for him to tell.
Cale decided he needed to meet with priestess Cage once he returned to the Roan Kingdom. He thought he should meet her before November.
'Something is suspicious.'
It was suspicious the more he thought about it.
Why did the God of Death bring Choi Jung Gun and Choi Han to this world?
He had a pretty good idea about the reason, but he needed to find out for sure.
"Thank you, you've been extremely helpful."
Cale thanked the World Tree once he organized some of his thoughts. Forget the White Star, he would have been smacked in the back by the God of Death if he didn't have this conversation with the World Tree.
'Why do things keep popping up like this these days?'
The Demon World was one thing and now the God of Death… There were so many problems.
– It was nothing. By the way, Alberu Crossman was fated to exist in the Roan Kingdom.
"…Excuse me?"
Why was she suddenly talking about the crown prince?
– I cannot tell you anything else about it.
"…I see. Anyway, thank you for your help."
– Cale. Do you think I will only help you out?
'Hmm? Now what is she talking about?'
The World Tree whispered as Cale slightly started to frown.
– I need your help.
The World Tree needed his help?
Cale debated for a moment before deciding to hear her out.
"What is it?"
– Do you remember the Ten Finger Mountains?
The Ten Finger Mountains.
That was a mountain range with ten peaks in the Roan Kingdom's northwest region, the place where Cale earned the Fire of Destruction and the location of Elf healer Pendrick's Elf Village.
"Yes, ma'am. I remember it."
– Do you remember what happened there as well?
Cale recalled his memories of the past. It instantly pulled up a moment.
Right after they first fought against the Dragon half-blood at the Caro Kingdom… Ancient Dragon Eruhaben had come looking for him while saying that his lair was destroyed.
Cale recalled the conversation he had with Eruhaben through the video communication device prior to Eruhaben showing up.
'You know the Ten Finger Mountains, right? The place with the Elf Village.'
'… Yes, I do.'
'You protected their branch of the World Tree.'
'Yes?'
'That was robbed a few days ago.'
Cale and his group had fought against the magic spearman and the tamer, and their victory was able to protect the World Tree's branch from Arm.
However, it was stolen at a later point.
Once an Elf Village loses its branch of the World Tree, the Elf Village that is hidden by an illusion spell will be revealed and the village made of trees will be destroyed.
'I went to the Elf Village because of that and my lair was destroyed when I got back. Hoho, they think they can do whatever they want because I won't make it past another year.'
'… Was it done by Arm?'
'The Elf Village was definitely Arm, but I can't be sure about my lair.'
Cale thought up to that point and stopped pulling up records.
The thing that had happened at the Ten Finger Mountains' Elf Village.
That was talking about Arm taking the branch of the World Tree.
'…Do you have something to ask me to do regarding that issue?'
– I found out why Arm was aiming for the branches of the World Tree.
The World Tree's voice sounded angry.
– Those bastards are trying to create a new World Tree.
The World Tree.
The World Tree of this world was not something that needed to be protected at all costs like it is in most fantasy novels.
It was just something that repeated life and death in a set location for a long time and became the pillar for the Elementals of nature to live peacefully.
It was the same for the Elves as well.
Furthermore, she earned the power to investigate the flow of the world after living for such a long time, and she could peek into the past and future because of it.
'This alone makes her amazing.'
The World Tree was amazing, and her powers were immense. She was also important to the Elves and Elementals.
'They want to create a new World Tree?'
The World Tree continued to speak.
– It looks like they stole my branch to conduct experiments to create a new World Tree. I don't know their reasons for trying to do such a thing, but I've felt something hindering me every time I investigated the flow of the world these days.
It wasn't something like the darkness of ancient times that had hindered her vision.
– It was a power like my own. However, it didn't have a conscience like me, and it was being controlled.
Cale could not hold back anymore and asked.
"Is it possible to create a new World Tree?"
– How would I know?
"Excuse me?"
Cale became at a loss for words after hearing the World Tree ask back. However, the World Tree was extremely angry such that she could not even rest properly.
– Anyway, I was able to locate where this similar power originated from to hinder me.
"…Where is it?"
Cale felt someone walk toward him at that moment.
Chhh.
He heard that person open something.
– Open your eyes.
Cale removed his hand from the World Tree and opened his eyes.
Adite was standing next to him with an open map. She was pointing to a spot.
"It is here."
"Ha!"
Cale let out a gasp.
The spot Adite was pointing at…
That was the Eastern continent's Molden Kingdom.
"The World Tree-nim says that this is where the fake World Tree is being created."
She was pointing exactly at the Molden Kingdom's capital. The central region of the Molden Kingdom.
That was where Illusionist Elisneh the First, the monarch of the Molden Kingdom, lived.
Cale started to speak.
"I guess the Illusionist is growing the World Tree."
Cale turned his head.
The Illusionist.
Cale could see Choi Han focusing on the map after hearing that world. Choi Han was forced to relieve his terrible past and was almost controlled by the Illusionist.
Cale slowly turned away from Choi Han whose gaze was becoming even more vicious.
Adite shared the World Tree's will at that moment.
"Please destroy the new World Tree. The World Tree-nim and our Elf Village will use everything we have to support you."
"…Everything?"
Cale asked without thinking and Adite slowly took a pouch out of her sleeve.
"…As for money, this is everything we have in the village. We raked in every single coin we have."
It was a money pouch.
The Elves who don't care about money or materialistic things had searched through the entire village for the first time to gather anything that might be of value.
"It is something I prepared as I know Cale-nim well. In addition, any supplies you might need or troops for battle… Our village and the Elves of both the Western and Eastern continents will help."
All Elves were ready and waiting to help with this issue related to the World Tree.
Adite sounded proud of herself as she said that, and Cale took the money pouch for now.
There was no reason to reject something like this.
He grabbed the heavy money pouch with excitement and hugged it as he asked.
"But if all Elves can help, is there a need for me to help? I feel like the Elves of the two continents should be able to take care of most things?"
Cale could see Adite's expression become serious as he asked in confusion.
"You see…"
She started to mumble with a sad expression.
"We already failed once."
'Hmm? They failed?'
"Hey, Adite! When did you fail? Even I, the great and mighty dragon, did not know about it!"
'I know, right?'
As Raon mentioned, this was the first time Cale was hearing about this.