“What is it?”
When I asked slowly, Yvon and Nori exchanged glances.
It must be a summons from the Emperor.
As I guessed and waited for my subordinates to speak, Nori said,
“His Majesty calls for you.”
“I see. And he did not say why?”
“No.”
“I’ll go at once.”
I tapped Nori’s shoulder and gave a faint smile.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
It was probably because of the spreading contamination.
The rate had accelerated lately. Even Kysis’s division, which had become proficient in purification, was struggling. This wasn’t something that could be overlooked, but unfortunately, the royal family was too distracted to give it proper attention.
Because the struggle for the throne between the eldest son and daughter had intensified.
It all began when the Emperor was gravely wounded by a contaminated monster.
The blessing of the World Tree granted us eternal youth, but not immortality.
Even nobles, knights, and magicians who received the blessing still fell ill, and when they were grievously wounded, they did not easily recover.
Sometimes, they died.
The Emperor’s wound, too, was not something that could truly heal.
He had survived this long only because I, Rei, Kyle, and the other children of the World Tree took turns absorbing nutrients and transferring them to him.
Among the citizens of the Empire, grim rumors were already spreading.
Ah.
I suppose I should transfer some nutrients while I’m there to receive orders.
As I thought about it and walked, Nori and Yvon followed me.
“Commander.”
“What is it?”
“Is your wound all right?”
I looked at Nori’s consistently straight gaze and smiled faintly.
“What wound? The shoulder wound?”
“Yes.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“Are you really going to leave that baron alone?”
Yvon looked down at the floor with a sullen expression.
“They say he’s been spreading rumors about you, Commander.”
Well, would it really matter if I left him be?
A few weeks ago, I’d gotten into trouble with a border noble.
He wasn’t known for a good reputation to begin with, and he tried to execute my knights.
It seemed he was venting his frustration on those below him. He made up a ridiculous excuse and sent necromancers to attack a group of newly appointed knights.
That was when I was wounded—trying to save the recruits without drawing my sword.
Being a Swordmaster and the Knight Commander meant I couldn’t act rashly.
To avoid being accused of drawing my sword against a noble, I intervened unarmed—but while focusing on a frightened recruit, my shoulder was cut. It wasn’t a serious wound, but the subordinates who saw it got so worked up that calming them down took quite an effort.
Yvon, who had been directly caught in the baron’s rampage, still seemed unable to suppress his anger.
“Don’t worry too much. We won anyway.”
“You should’ve at least demanded treatment expenses.”
“I told you, it’s nearly healed. I’ll be using the sword again soon.”
“What?”
Nori, who had been silently following behind me, suddenly raised his voice.
This short-haired archer had a remarkably straightforward mind.
I’d once saved him when he was a mercenary who got tangled up with a noble, and I guess he made some sort of vow on his own then. Ever since that day, he had clung to me like a fledgling following its mother bird. I thought I’d freed him after saving him from execution, but when he showed up at the capital and asked to join the knight order, I was stunned.
He still kept the short hair from his mercenary days, and now he frowned and questioned me.
“You haven’t fully recovered yet.”
“This much is fine.”
“It’s not fine. You shouldn’t work until you’ve completely healed.”
Kyle used to call Nori “your gum-stick.”
Rei called him “your chick.” Because Nori was blonde.
A fine archer, but so stubborn that Kyle often grumbled, “He’s too difficult to take along.”
I smiled as I looked at Nori, who had a look that said he might actually hit me if I swung my sword before full recovery.
“Just escort me to the castle first. You said it was an urgent summons.”
“...Yes, sir. Please go and return safely.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Nori reluctantly answered, and Yvon stopped walking and saluted politely.
I waved my hand at them and walked on.
A cool breeze brushed my cheek.
The wind was still this clear and refreshing.
When I breathed in the scent of flowers and soil carried by the wind, it almost felt like nothing was wrong with the world.
Maybe that was why people still couldn’t grasp the true severity of the situation.
Drawing in the cold air, I walked toward the place where the Emperor awaited.
Thinking about the decaying roots of the World Tree.
***
“Sir Hildebert.”
At the hoarse voice, I turned my head.
A man with dark circles under his eyes was slowly walking toward me.
He was the source of the voice.
I gave a wry smile at the sight of the man clearly overworked yet again.
You.
The Emperor’s advisor.
He had been appointed when the rebellion broke out, and since that day, he had been worked without rest, endlessly ground down.
Each time I visited the palace, I witnessed him becoming even more cynical than before.
Behind You was Deltei, who sighed and shook her head as she approached.
The Saint, her once-curly red hair tied back into a single strand.
She stopped behind You and let out a deep sigh.
“You’re here because of a summons?”
“Yes.”
You asked, and I replied politely.
I still couldn’t quite figure out what went on in this advisor’s head.
“You seem as busy as ever.”
“The contamination has spread greatly.”
You muttered in a voice that sounded as if he genuinely wished the whole world would just collapse.
“With the World Tree sick, the world’s temperature rises, monsters spawn from the contamination, and other strange phenomena keep appearing. The world is going to end.”
“Oh dear.”
“Still, don’t be surprised if I blow it all up before that happens.”
You mumbled, clutching a stack of papers to his chest.
“I hope it all just ends.”
Poor thing.
I smiled bitterly and patted his shoulder.
Before he was appointed advisor, I’d heard he had been trained as a spy of considerable skill—exceptional at infiltration.
Perhaps because of his slender, light frame, he had a talent for concealment.
But it was his intellect that became his curse.
The Emperor was not known to treat people gently.
Deltei, standing behind him, sighed as well.
“I wish morning would never come.”
“Oh, that bad?”
“I can’t stand the sight of the World Tree’s branches anymore!”
The Saint groaned in frustration.
“I have to go purify again tomorrow!”
“With Sir Kysis?”
“With Sir Kyle.”
“Well, that’s not so bad, is it?”
Surprisingly, Deltei still had a soft spot for Kyle.
The problem was, that was exactly why she still hadn’t grown close to him.
Rei and I had become good friends with her through countless purification missions.
It now even felt awkward to speak formally to her.
But she and Kyle still spoke to each other in rigidly polite tones...
Deltei blushed slightly and nodded.
“He’s my only solace.”
“I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Will you be doing the transfer today?”
At You’s question, I turned my head.
Looking into his deeply sunken eyes, I nodded slowly.
Their expressions darkened. Both of them knew that whenever I used the special technique of a child of the World Tree, I suffered seizures. Deltei had discovered it long ago; You had found out more recently.
Ever since then, neither of them had approved of my “absorption” and “transfer.”
Between Kyle and Rei, I already had enough people lecturing me.
Ah.
I must never let Nori find out.
This seizure—it should’ve improved by now, but it hadn’t.
“Don’t overdo it,” You said, his hollow eyes scanning me.
His black hair, falling to his shoulders, brushed over his pale neck.
“You must already be busy enough as Knight Commander. There are other children of the World Tree besides you.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
“Sir Kyle and Rei arrived in the capital this morning,” Deltei added in her unchangingly elegant voice.
She covered her mouth with her white priest’s sleeve and looked at me.
“It’s something they could handle too. If you don’t want to, just tell the head maid.”
I smiled silently and nodded.
After thanking them for their concern, I parted with the pair.
I continued down the hall.
A grand, wide corridor—people passing by stopped to bow as I crossed through the palace.
There were now more familiar faces than unfamiliar ones.
Accepting their greetings, I quickened my pace.
The Emperor, who never showed emotion, did not like to be kept waiting.
He remained a being terrifyingly devoid of expression.
Even gravely wounded, his inner thoughts were unfathomable.
I walked without stopping toward where he lay.
***
The transfer was done.
And I received my orders:
to find Kysis, who had not returned to the capital for over ten years, and go with him to the place where the World Tree stood.
After pledging obedience and kissing the ring on his hand,
I left the Emperor’s chamber—and threw up several times in the bathroom.
Then I sat on a bench in the garden, leaning forward, trying to rest.
“Hilde.”
A voice fell above the back of my head.
A familiar voice I hadn’t heard in months.
“You did the transfer, didn’t you?”
I lifted my head.
Even before doing so, I already knew who had come. But it felt better to look with my own eyes.
I smiled as I saw Kyle and Rei looking down at me with stern faces.
Many things had changed since the first time we met, but not their essence.
Old friends.
Now, there was no one in the Empire who didn’t know their names.
Even those beyond the borders had heard of them.
Kyle, once a conquered man, had defied his birth and become the youngest Knight Commander.
And Rei, not to be outdone, had earned the title of youngest Swordmaster.
Just as Deltei had said, they had arrived in the capital this morning.
I answered Rei’s question calmly.
“Just finished.”
“Still having seizures?” Kyle asked, his brow twitching.
His displeasure was barely concealed.
“I thought you were getting better. Don’t tell me °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° you left that shoulder wound untreated because you didn’t want to absorb.”
“Correct.”
I replied boldly, and Kyle let out a dry laugh.
Rei closed his eyes and sighed.
After exhaling a long breath, he frowned and scolded me.
“Hilde. His Majesty doesn’t take those things into account.”
“Right. He’s not in a position to care about things like that.”
“They send the children of the World Tree to the roughest places because we can absorb.”
My friend grumbled.
“And because we can absorb, they don’t even bother assigning us proper healers.”
