Chapter 64

"Hmm."

"Why are you sighing? Worried about something?"

"Yeah! I know! That's why it's cool in the summer. Oh, Mom said that a long, long time ago, the Queen couldn't use ice magic! She must have studied hard to learn it."

"......I see."

In the past, she couldn't use it.

Carpe smiled bitterly. It seemed his suspicions were confirmed.

-What are you being bitter about? Just follow the scenario.

'Because I can predict the ending. It won't be a happy one for the elves.'

-But it's not a bad ending either...... Anyway, it's a bit of a delicate situation.

As Carpe gently stroked Jenia's head, he asked.

"Do you like the Queen?"

"Yeah, I really do. When I got lost in the forest, the Queen saved me! But it turned out she was also lost and wandering, so in the end, Syraeus saved us both!"

"Really? When was that?"

"Um, about 40 years ago?"

"......40 years?"

Carpe's hand, which had been stroking Jenia's head, stopped.

"Jenia, how old are you?"

"Me? I'm 56."

"......You're a big sister. I'm sorry."

He had dared to stroke the head of a woman more than twice his age. How disrespectful.

'But, thinking about it, elves live roughly ten times as long as humans, so in human years, she's about 5 or 6......'

-What kind of Einstein moment is this? Time is relative? 56 is just 56, what does human age have to do with it?

'......You're right. I was just thinking out loud.'

-And anyway, she's an NPC. What does her age matter? Just don't get too immersed. Start preparing.

'You're right.'

He had been playing the game diligently all this time.

Quests, grinding, collecting...... He had leveled up as tightly as possible, and now it was time to reap the rewards.

"Quest window."

Ding.

[The fruit of Ludram will be fully ripe in 1 hour and 37 seconds.]

And at the 37-second mark, it would be exactly 1 hour until the fruit was fully ripe.

[Scenario Event - Fragment's Assault is underway!]

Ding! Ding!

"Emergency! Emergency! Monsters are attacking!"

"Hurry! Gather the children in one place and protect them thoroughly!"

"O Ludram, bless us!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

He could feel it. The army of monsters was charging towards them.

It was the appearance of the monster army controlled by Sebingje.

* * *

"Load your bows! Stand by!"

"Load your bows! Stand by!"

Following Commander Kroze's orders, the elf archers nocked their arrows.

There were about 200 of them. Considering the village's population was less than 500, they had gathered all the fighting forces they could.

"Hmm."

But in contrast, the monster army beyond the palisade seemed to number over 1,000.

From small sap-sucking bugs to goblins, orcs, and even a rare troll.

Kroze clicked her tongue at the sight.

"More than I thought. You've been hiding well."

Despite the diligent extermination efforts over the years, there were still this many left.

It seemed Sebingje's fragment had gathered all the wild monsters in the forest.

And at the center of that monster army.

A blue mantis, as if carved from ice, was staring intently.

Its gaze was fixed on the red fruit hanging from the World Tree.

"......This monster! How dare it!"

Kroze, angered by the blatant stare, wanted to charge out immediately but couldn't.

The World Tree's blessing only extended to the palisade.

If she went beyond it, she would be susceptible to Sebingje's mind control.

"Stay calm, Kroze."

"......I apologize, Your Majesty. I showed a poor face."

"Don't be hasty. We only need to defend. No matter what the monster does, we just need to stop it from passing through here."

Altear said this and then looked around.

Among the elves readying their bows and spells, two figures stood out.

The descendant of the Mage King and Tina.

They were watching the monsters' movements with serious expressions.

With a slight smile, Altear was about to approach them when——

"Keeeek!!"

Sebingje's fragment screamed in a tearing voice.

As Sebingje's signal fell, the monsters, who had been standing idly, began to show ferocity in their eyes.

"Roooar!"

"Kroooak!"

The monsters roared and charged towards the palisade.

Kroze reacted immediately.

"Defend at all costs! For the village, for your families, for the sacred tree...... Fire!"

"Defend!"

"O Ludram, bless us!"

Following her signal, the elves released their arrows.

Thus, the battle began.

* * *

"Defend! Don't let a single one through!"

"Fire!"

The palisade was tall and massive, more like a wooden wall than a fence.

This made the battle naturally take on the form of a siege.

The elves were using magic and arrows to fend off the monsters climbing the palisade, trying their best to hold them back.

"Archers, aim for the flying ones first. Mages, cast Grease on the palisade!"

Kroze shouted orders while quickly surveying the battlefield.

'Why isn't it moving?'

The monsters kept charging, but Sebingje's fragment, the strongest force, remained in place.

It just stared at the World Tree's fruit with its triangular eyes.

"Ugh!"

Kroze, enraged by this, imbued her arrow with wind magic.

It wouldn't work, but at least firing an arrow would make her feel better.

Ping!

The wind arrow tore through the air at a terrifying speed.

"......What?!"

Kroze's eyes widened in disbelief.

The arrow she had fired in frustration had pierced Sebingje's fragment directly.

Clang!

Sebingje, or rather the ice statue in Sebingje's form, shattered and scattered in the wind.

"Trick?! Oh, Your Majesty! ......What?"

Kroze hurriedly looked for Altear but could only let out another stunned exclamation.

Altear was nowhere to be found on the battlefield.

Neither was the descendant of the Mage King or Tina.

"What's going on?!"

Only Kroze's bewildered voice echoed across the battlefield.

* * *

"Hmm."

Altear, who had secretly left the battlefield, had arrived in front of the World Tree.

She stroked the World Tree with a complex expression and muttered.

"......Today is the last day."

She had come here alone, away from the other elves, for a reason.

The battle about to unfold was something the other elves must not see.

Altear had immediately noticed.

The Sebingje fragment among the monsters was a fake made of ice.

Feint to the east, strike to the west.

A shallow plan to draw attention with mind-controlled monsters and secretly approach the World Tree.

She glared at the sky and spoke.

"Reveal yourself."

"Kukuk. You're different from the others. Queen of the elves."

Altear's words made the Sebingje fragment, which had blended into the surroundings with Ultimate Camouflage, reveal itself.

And Carpe and Tina, who had been hiding behind a rock, also appeared.

"......Huh?"

"......What? Did you call us? We followed when you said 'reveal yourself.'"

"I also thought so, my lord."

"Ugh! Why are you here! Get behind me......"

[These fools!]

At that moment——

[Perpetual Frost!]

Thinking that they were playing around in front of him, Sebingje, in a fit of rage, unleashed his strongest skill.

Crack!

As the wave of ice was about to engulf them——

"Hmph!"

Altear extended her hands. A wall of fire rose and clashed fiercely with the Perpetual Frost.

Boom!

The collision of fire and ice created steam.

Surprisingly, she had blocked a 9-star skill alone.

She seemed to have taken some damage, but it wasn't severe.

She frowned and grumbled.

"Ugh. Still a brute force. Fortunately, it's weakened. Otherwise, we would have been frozen. Carpe, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But......"

Carpe's gaze, drawn by the intense heat, fell on her arms.

Surprisingly, her arms had transformed into large, flaming wings, like those of a phoenix.

It was a power that didn't seem to belong to an elf.

"......You're not surprised. When did you figure it out?"

"I was certain two days ago. When you entered the World Tree, I followed you."

"......I see. You must have noticed when I transformed into Sebingje. Then you couldn't help but figure it out."

Actually, he hadn't fully grasped it even after seeing that.

He only confirmed it when he checked the sarcophagus.

Instead of the Mage King's relic, which should have been inside, he found the 'real' Altear, barely breathing and in a coma.

What? Could Sebingje have sealed and impersonated Alteer?

At first, that thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.

There was no relic.

The relic was designed to stop functioning if someone other than the Mage King's descendant tried to take it.

If it had been Sebingje's fragment, the relic would have been destroyed long ago.

But the Mage King's relic quest was still progressing, meaning the relic was intact.

So why was the relic missing?

The conclusion was clear.

The relic itself had the will to move.

Just like the situation before him.

The Mage King's second relic.

A homunculus based on a doppelganger.

The mirage.

That was the true identity of the elf queen, Altear.

"Thinking about it, there were quite a few hints."

'Apologies, my lord. The elf forest has an effect that disrupts mana, making it difficult for magical beings like homunculi to orient themselves.'

That was what Tina had said when they first entered the elf forest, and it was why Altear had to be directionally challenged.

There were other signs too, like her suddenly using ice magic she couldn't before.

And the once lazy queen suddenly becoming diligent after the incident 800 years ago.

She had been impersonating the elf queen for 800 years for some reason.

"But why did you transform into Sebingje on top of the sarcophagus?"

"That's...... I'll tell you later. For now, let's deal with the enemy in front of us."

Even though his skill had been blocked, Sebingje's fragment didn't seem to care.

[Hand over the fruit. Then I'll retreat peacefully.]

"Absolutely not."

[Then death is your only fate!]

A grating sound echoed in their heads.

Clearly displeased that his attack had been blocked, the fragment was emitting a menacing aura.

Carpe involuntarily swallowed, overwhelmed by the menacing aura.

'Can we really win this?'

The command he had infused into the queen's body after defeating the fanatic priest.

It felt similar to facing that guy.

The overwhelming power difference was about to crush his will.

"My lord, there's no need to worry."

"Huh?"

"Just like when I defeated the fanatic priest when we first met, Mirage still retains its power."

"Right. As Tina says. Master...... Watch from there."

Whoosh!

A fierce wind began to swirl around her.

"The power of the Mage King's puppet!"

Mirage was enveloped in a bright light.

A doppelganger is essentially a copy monster.

It replicates the appearance and memories of its target, using the same skills and causing confusion in the party.

Mirage also had this basic ability.

However, as one of the seven masterpieces called the Mage King's puppets, it had a special ability that other doppelgangers lacked.

The ability to transform into the entity the target fears the most.

Sssss.

The beautiful elf queen Altear's form gradually faded, and a new figure emerged.

Taller, and instead of the flowing queen's dress, she wore a thick robe.

A young man with short blue hair.

[You!!]

Seeing Altear's transformed appearance, Sebingje's fragment shouted in excitement.

It couldn't help it.

The figure before it was the human who had first instilled the fear of death in it.

The Mage King.

Dretsch Arkham.

The first emperor of the Arkham Empire, who had pushed Sebingje's fragment to the brink of death 800 years ago.

He grinned and said,

"Let's put an end to this tiresome grudge. You monster."