The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

62 – Night in the Hideout where the World Tree Grows

In Wolfgang’s hand, the letter that Yulia had been reading was unfolded.

He slowly scanned Dominic’s handwriting, lost in thought.

He never thought that behind Dominic’s always cheerful and carefree demeanor, there would be such a story.

While he had suspected that there might be some reason for the mad necromancer wandering around the outskirts of the Ratvii Desert, considering he could be useful in capturing demons, Wolfgang had never bothered to inquire about the detailed stories of his comrades.

He considered it fortunate that he could hear a fellow’s story like this, even if it was under these circumstances.

“I’m sorry. Dominic had asked me about you, but I completely forgot.”

Upon unexpectedly learning about the existence of her father, Yulia seemed to need time to accept the truth.

Witnessing Yulia in such a state, Wolfgang felt a surge of guilt. Even if it could be understood right after the war, he had had more than enough time in the past ten years to search for her.

Yet, Dominic’s bequest had been completely forgotten, and he had only focused on his own well-being.

“For now, stay here for a while. Did he mention Allen?”

“Yes. He did.”

“Raeli, show Yulia and Allen to the rooms. I’ll go out for a moment to get some fresh air.”

“Yes, sir. Allen, Yulia, please follow me.”

Following Raeli’s guidance, Yulia and Allen were assigned their respective rooms. Thanks to the cabin expansion that Wolfgang and Raeli had undertaken to alleviate their boredom, there were three more rooms available.

Wolfgang went outside to the backyard, looking up at the sky while feeling the cold night air.

“Asking for Haganess to be captured…”

It had been ten years since he had cut ties with the outside world. Wolfgang neither knew nor cared about how the world was turning. Hearing bits of Yulia’s story, it seemed that the Haganess sect was currently facing conflicts with Terosa, both physically and ideologically.

The revelation of Casey’s death would have likely led Tendrial, known for killing Casey, to be shunned by Terosa. Afterward, surviving by somehow selling drugs and trying to rebuild the forest.

It was not too difficult to speculate.

Elementalists would probably be claiming to have successfully unified the eastern regions according to the plan, or perhaps failing and dying in the process. Or maybe they were still in the process of achieving that grand goal.

In the end, Terosa, now devoid of members of the Decree, was almost certainly falling apart, unable to achieve any of its originally planned objectives.

“It’s a mess.”

Despite the outside turmoil being quite noisy and chaotic, how peaceful it was here.

The sudden arrival of Allen and Yulia did add tension to their retired lives, but the tranquility was not disappearing from Wolfgang’s sight at this moment.

“Well… when did that tree grow so big?”

In Wolfgang’s line of sight stood a world tree, reaching the height of an adult male, its blue leaves rustling in the wind.

***

“This can’t be happening.”

In the past few days, Tendrial felt a strange mix of surprise and fear due to the changes occurring in his body.

This sensation, which he thought he would never feel again.

The longing for the elves was something everyone felt.

It was extremely subtle, but undeniably, it was the essence of life emanating from the World Tree.

A grace-like, almost divine energy.

Could it be the longed-for revival of the World Tree that every elf dreamed of?

From that thought, Tendrial began to harbor doubts.

The sensed energy was undoubtedly transmitting the same feeling as in the past.

However, how could the already burnt-out World Tree come back to life?

Even if legendary druids from ancient times were to return from the beyond, it would be an impossible feat.

Thus, Tendrial considered this current energy to be some kind of trap.

Deceitful humans, endlessly cunning, could easily play such tricks.

Luring the other with a near-perfect fake is nothing short of a basic tactic for humans.

Regardless of the principle behind it, in Tendrial’s view, the intention was to lure the forest out with the fake energy of the World Tree created by humans, a logical inference in many ways.

Nevertheless, it was an incredibly difficult energy to truly ignore.

If there was at least one more elf around at a time like this, it would have been convenient in many ways.

That way, it might have been possible to trace this energy being felt simultaneously and ascertain its authenticity.

“This can’t be happening.”

Tendrial shook his head from side to side, trying to clear his mind.

“…But what if it is the real World Tree?”

Even if it were a 1 percent chance, it was still a possibility.

Moreover, the current drug business in the forest was progressing without major setbacks, and Terosa was engulfed in turmoil due to conflicts with the clergy and internal rebellions erupting almost daily, far from being stable.

Even if it was their trap, could they engage in a proper battle or confrontation?

Moreover, at the present moment, Tendrial had no immediate reason to intervene for the ultimate goal of eliminating humans.

“Should I investigate once?”

Tendrial took out battle gear that had not seen daylight for a long time.

***

– Creak.

Yulia cautiously opened the door.

“Alen.”

“Miss. May I come in?”

“Please, come in.”

Entering the room, Alan sat beside Yulia with a worried expression.

“You mentioned that you have no memories of your biological family, right?”

“Yes. Even with this evidence, nothing comes to mind.”

Yulia continued, fidgeting with her hands.

“But strangely, tears keep flowing. I miss my parents, who left no memories behind, and a part of my heart aches continuously.”

“I don’t know what to say…”

“I was finally planning to meet Wolfgang and fulfill my father’s revenge, restoring the order to the organization, but it’s all so sudden.”

Transparent tears rolled down Yulia’s eyes.

Yulia had run for a goal over the long decade, enduring any hardships to achieve it.

Finally meeting Wolfgang, the only person who could fulfill that purpose, she found herself caught off guard by the unexpected story of her biological parents.

Alan, too, was equally perplexed.

Having endured countless hardships in seeking revenge against Hagnes, who had taken away his life, he had faced many challenges to come here with Yulia, the only family left in the world.

He had considered the possibility of Wolfgang refusing.

Before he could mention it, however, Wolfgang spoke about Yulia’s biological father.

The shocking contents he heard here were unimaginable, but the vivid testimony and letters left no doubt that they were not fabricated.

The undeniable truth left them with no alternative thoughts.

“Miss… for now, rest well tonight. I don’t know how long it’s been since you slept in such a well-prepared place. Do you remember the last bed we slept on?”

Recalling something at Alan’s words, Yulia chuckled.

“I woke up screaming from a dream of falling off a cliff…”

“But the bed you were sleeping on broke.”

“Yes, that’s right. Alan, who was sleeping on the floor, was so startled that he even pulled out a knife.”

“That’s right. So, even if you have a bad dream today, there won’t be a catastrophic event of the bed collapsing. Isn’t that nice?”

“Yes, it is. It’s truly a good day.”

Feeling somewhat relieved, Yulia smiled at Alan.

“Thank you, Alan.”

“What for? Thanks to you, I’ve come to such a wonderful place and had a good night’s sleep.”

Relieved by Yulia’s demeanor, Alan stood up and bid her goodnight.

“Now, I should get some sleep too. The day has been too challenging.”

“Yes. Allen will talk to you tomorrow morning.”

“Okay. Miss. Have a good rest.”

Allen returned to his room and lay down on the comfortable bed.

“I should see an increased chance of convincing Wolfgang.”

He couldn’t give up on revenge against Hagen, but Julia’s well-being was his priority.

Once she had calmed down, Allen planned to share a new plan that had come to his mind.

Until then, he decided to rest in a cozy room with a soft bed.