RHFTY chapter 65

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“The rapid expansion has hastened the depletion of the World Tree Root’s lifespan in the Blessed Land. Upon confirming that only half of its lifespan remains, the Elves moved quicker than expected, declaring their intent to take control of the Blessed Land.”

“Once the Elves take it, we won’t be able to touch it again. If we lose access to the Blessed Land now, it will cause a significant disruption in the supply of materials, which will hit the economy hard.”

“What about other World Tree Roots?”

“They do exist. The World Tree has roots spread all over the world. We’ve identified a few. The issue is that they’re all across the sea.”

Oscar, looking troubled, responded to Chaeyi’s question. Leonard added further explanation.

“There are countries across the sea too, and the identified roots are already in their possession. They’re managing the lifespan of those roots as well, so they won’t lend them to the Empire.”

“I see.”

All known roots exist beyond the sea, and it made sense that those countries wouldn’t want to share their finite resources with others. But a new question arose.

“So, what happens when the existing roots reach the end of their lifespan and disappear? There must be cases of this happening in the past, over thousands of years.”

Do new roots grow in the same spot?

Or do they appear in completely different places? Leonard answered this question as well.

“Yes. The roots have a certain cycle from when they ‘appear, grow, and eventually return to the earth.’ So, if everything goes smoothly, a new root will sprout nearby when the current one has about half its lifespan left. But this time, the consumption was faster than expected.”

“There are no reports of a new root sprouting nearby yet. It’s estimated it will take at least another five years.”

Oscar finished speaking. Chaeyi gave a brief hum.

Five years at the minimum… Meaning they’d have to protect the Blessed Land at all costs until then.

As the round of questions and discussions ended, Delion opened his mouth to speak once more.

“In the end, it’s fundamentally our fault. But we can’t just hand over the Blessed Land as it is. That’s why the dwarves approached us first, asking for our help in bringing the elves to the negotiating table.”

“They’re refusing to talk, I see.”

Chaeyi sharply pointed out.

If the dwarves were asking for help, it meant the situation couldn’t be resolved by them alone.

It also implied that peaceful dialogue was unlikely.

Delion nodded.

“Right. They’re a belligerent race. They respect strength, so if we want to talk with them, winning a battle they initiate would be the most effective approach.”

“Unfortunately, we dwarves aren’t very skilled in combat… So, we’ve come to request help from the human Manifestors. Even now, our dwarves are being threatened by the elves. There are already over a dozen injured…”

Kukuf added, looking much more subdued compared to their last meeting.

He seemed worried and anxious. It was surprising; his muscular build was clearly meant for crafting, not fighting.

“There’s one more issue.”

Delion spoke up again.

It seemed the discussion was far from over.

“To stand against the organized elves, we need as many ‘trained dominant Alphas’ as possible. But our family only has two dominant Alphas — Leonard and myself.”

“Ah…”

“If we wanted to seek help on an imperial level, there is Her Majesty Matilda, the Empress of Astarius, who’s also a dominant Alpha. However, it’s a risky gamble to leave her position vacant for an extended time.”

That was true.

While they were entering an era of relative peace with fewer wars, there were still those lurking, waiting for an opportunity.

Leaving the empire’s key representative unguarded was a dangerous gamble.

Besides, Matilda served as a formidable shield as a dominant Alpha, so it was unlikely she could simply comply with a request for assistance.

The empire would provide support as much as possible, but it wouldn’t be enough.

“What about the other allied nations under the empire?”

“There are a few with dominant Alphas. Naturally, we’ll reach out to them. But even if they all join, it’s uncertain how things will turn out… There are so few dominant Alphas to begin with. If the elves come out in full force, who knows what will happen.”

It highlighted how formidable their opponents were.

High-ranking non-human races were indeed on a different level.

“That’s why I thought it might be better to get help from an outsider. That’s why we called you here.”

Chaeyi looked up.

The conversation had led to this moment — the reason why Chaeyi and Oscar had been summoned.

‘But what could I possibly do here?’

Even if he was strong, he was still just a Beta compared to the dominant Alphas, elves, and dragons.

‘…Oh.’

Then, something came to mind.

He suddenly realized why he had been called here.

As Chaeyi widened his eyes in understanding, Delion gave a sly smile.

“I heard that the dragon Lemuel shared the location of their nest with you. It’s shameless, but could you ask them on our behalf?”

The Lancaster brothers, observing this, looked surprised.

In their eyes, Delion had softened considerably compared to his past self.

“I’m asking you like this.”

Kukuf added with a desperate look.

Chaeyi gave a smile and replied.

“Alright. I’ll go ask.”

It wasn’t up to him whether they’d help or not, but there was no harm in asking.

Before heading to the Blessed Land to assist the dwarves, Chaeyi set off for the dragon’s nest with only Leonard and Enoch, who were familiar with Silviet.

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The journey to meet Silviet was as treacherous as expected.

It was a tough path, especially for humans without wings like dragons.

But they didn’t get as lost as they feared.

It felt like Chaeyi had walked this route many times before, with a vivid, almost painted image of the path in his mind.

It was thanks to the guidance that Lemuel had directly imprinted in his brain.

“Is it just beyond here?”

“Yes.”

Following Chaeyi’s lead, the group arrived at the edge of a cliff and looked up.

Enoch took a moment to catch his breath.

The high altitude made it harder to breathe, draining his stamina more than usual.

Chaeyi took a deep breath and patted Enoch on the shoulder.

“Hang in there. We’re almost there.”

“Yes…”

“You’re alright, Chae?”

Leonard approached, gently wrapping his arm around Chae’s waist.

Compared to the others, Leonard’s stamina and physical abilities were far superior — he wasn’t even out of breath or sweating.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Still, don’t push yourself too hard.”

Leonard pressed a quick kiss to Chaeyi’s forehead.

Throughout the journey, he took every chance he could to steal kisses.

Enoch, catching sight of this while trying to catch his breath, quickly turned away, pretending not to see. It was a familiar scene now.

Though it was sweet, Chaeyi felt embarrassed with Enoch around and cleared his throat.

“Let’s get moving again. We’re almost there, and once we arrive, we can rest properly.”

With that, Chaeyi encouraged Enoch to keep going as they carefully made their way along the narrow cliff path.

The trail wasn’t man-made, so it was narrow and dangerous in places.

Soon, they reached a point where low-hanging clouds obscured their vision.

As they passed through, the clouds parted to reveal the view beyond the cliff.

Several dragon nests, carved into the opposite cliffside, came into sight — the dragon lairs, or ‘layers.’

“We really made it… I can’t believe I’m actually seeing a dragon lair with my own eyes.”

Enoch, catching his breath, lifted his head and gazed wide-eyed at the entrances of the dragon lairs scattered across the opposite cliff.

Leonard, equally intrigued, carefully examined the surroundings.

Dragons, like elves, had a strong reclusive nature, so finding and approaching their hidden lair was no easy feat.

Chaeyi also took a moment to appreciate the mystical scene, partially obscured by the thin, drifting clouds.

But it was only for a moment.

“…?”

Suddenly, the flow of the air changed.

It happened in an instant.

For a moment, it sounded like the heavy flapping of wings slicing through the air.

Before Chaeyi could grasp what it was, the vigilant Knights who had never let their guard down reacted swiftly.

“Chaeyi!”

Leonard urgently pulled Chaeyi into his arms, lowering their bodies.

A massive shadow swept over them, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind that whistled past, making a chilling noise.

“…!”

Chaeyi, startled, glanced up to see the shadow gliding overhead.

It was a massive, fully-grown dragon with a crimson body, circling back in the sky and staring down at them.

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