* * *

Chaeyi looked up, and before him towered an enormous tree of such scale that he felt as insignificant as dust.

‘Hmm?’

He took a step back, feeling overwhelmed by its sheer presence, when a solemn, resonant voice filled the air.

-So, it was you.

The voice came from the tree itself.

‘What…? A talking tree?’

Chaeyi was baffled.

Was it a monster?

But he had never heard of a “talking tree monster” before.

Then he remembered—this was a dream.

The bizarre nature of the encounter made sense… or so he thought.

-This is no mere dream, child.

The tree refuted his thought, and Chaeyi’s eyes widened in shock.

Could it read his mind?

The tree seemed to laugh softly.

What exactly was it?

Was it just a figment of his dream, or something else intruding from outside?

The tree answered his question.

-I am the one who blooms with the flame of life and embraces all. To the elves, I am known as the World Tree.

“…The World Tree.”

-And I have come to meet you, taking advantage of this dream as you drew near my roots.

Chaeyi was stunned.

The World Tree had sought him out in a dream.

Could there be anything more unreal?

He had considered the possibility of something reaching into his dreams, but he never expected it to actually happen.

Struggling to process this, a question rose in his mind.

“Why did you want to meet me?”

Looking back, the World Tree had spoken as if it already knew him.

But how? And from when?

Chaeyi had no memory of meeting or seeing it before.

Perhaps it even knew he was an outsider, drawn into this world.

But the World Tree didn’t answer; it simply chuckled and spoke again.

-Beloved child of the gods. If you wish for a world without conflict, do so without hesitation. Your wish will surely come to pass…. It was a joy to finally meet you, even if only briefly.

The gods?

The sense of mystery grew, and then suddenly, everything went white.

The light was so intense that Chaeyi squeezed his eyes shut, only to open them again to find himself… awake, looking at the morning sunlight.

“……”

Chaeyi blinked, then slowly sat up.

Around him, only the soft sounds of someone shifting in sleep or breathing could be heard; it was still early, and everyone was still asleep.

Leonard, too, was asleep—at least until he sensed Chaeyi’s movements and opened his eyes.

“Chaeyi…”

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you? Go back to sleep.”

As Chaeyi gently patted his head, Leonard, clearly exhausted, murmured a sleepy response and closed his eyes again.

Smiling, Chaeyi stood up and quietly left the house.

The cool morning air filled his lungs, washing away the last dregs of drowsiness.

He strolled slowly through the yard, eventually stopping in front of the roots of the World Tree.

Seeing in reality what had only just appeared in his dreams left him with a peculiar feeling.

The dream’s vividness lingered in his mind—it was no ordinary dream, that much was clear.

“If that’s what you want… then go ahead.”

Chaeyi had always wished to bridge the deep divide between himself and the elves peacefully, without conflict.

He especially wanted to avoid situations that would force Leonard to go to extremes.

The World Tree must have sensed these desires, hence the message in his dream.

As he thought about it, he felt an unfamiliar surge of courage.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”

If things went wrong, Silviet would be by his side, so a small risk might be worth it.

Having steeled his resolve, Chaeyi attended the strategy meeting that afternoon.

This meeting had been called to discuss preparations for the inevitable assault by the elves, who had finished regrouping after their initial warning.

Silviet, too, was planning to join them in a surprise maneuver.

“We don’t know how many elves wearing the laurel wreath will appear. But it’s certain that their entire force will join the next assault. It’s always been that way.”

“The elves are quite set in their ways.”

“It could happen within a few days, or perhaps a month at most. During that time, we’ll need to complete our preparations. Non-combatants, including the dwarves, should be evacuated beforehand… Chaeyi, you should go with the non-combatants. Once it’s time, you can call in the dragon from there. We’ll signal you by sending up a flare….”

As Delion explained, Chaeyi suddenly raised his hand.

“Excuse me. I have something to say about that.”

The others turned to him, but Chaeyi continued without hesitation.

“Would you let me handle this operation? Completely.”

“What?”

Clemant’s eyes widened, surprised by Chaeyi’s unexpected proposal.

Some of the knights, including Selion, were equally baffled, though they didn’t outwardly show it.

“Are you saying you want to rewrite the entire operation? Or do you mean you want to be on the front line?”

“Both. I apologize for suggesting changes to our current plans, but I want to try something that could prevent any fighting at all.”

Delion listened in silence, frowning slightly as he realized Chaeyi’s intent.

Leonard, too, felt uneasy about the idea of sending Chaeyi into the fray.

“Chaeyi.”

Before Leonard could speak, Chaeyi reached out and touched the back of Leonard’s hand, as if to say,

Trust me.

Leonard fell silent, a hesitant expression on his face.

“What exactly do you intend to do?”

“I plan to negotiate with them, using myself as bait. Silviet will be with me, and if the negotiation fails, we’ll call it off—there won’t be any unnecessary risks.”

“…Bait, you say.”

Delion went quiet, considering Chaeyi’s calm confidence.

“No. I can’t allow it.”

Delion was firmer than Chaeyi had anticipated, but Chaeyi quickly countered.

“Are you really that hesitant to send me to the front line? I understand that not using Silviet in a surprise strike could seem like a missed opportunity, but we’ll still have more than enough power to face them directly.”

“Yes, we will. But I’m saying no because it’s you—because your safety might be at risk.”

Chaeyi was taken aback.

That Delion would be so straightforward in expressing concern was a surprise.

“…I’m not being reckless. I’ve noticed the elves seem hesitant to harm me. I don’t know why, and it’s not certain, but it’s worth trying if it could lead to a resolution without casualties.”

“Hmm. Hesitant to harm you?”

“When they had the chance, they only stared at me in shock instead of attacking. If that elf hadn’t hesitated, I would have died right then.”

Leonard, who had been quietly listening, turned pensive, recalling that moment.

Though he didn’t like to dwell on it, he knew well that if the elf hadn’t hesitated, he might not have reached Chaeyi in time.

“……”

Delion sat, thoughtfully absorbing Chaeyi’s words. An elf showing mercy was an odd notion, indeed.

“Could it be you’re… someone special?” Clemant teased, laughing lightly. He seemed more amused than convinced by the idea, but Chaeyi paid no mind.

Delion sighed, studying Chaeyi’s unwavering gaze.

He could understand why Leonard always seemed to yield to Chaeyi.

“Fine.”

At last, Delion gave his approval, drawing surprised looks from the others.

He added a condition, however.

“But I have one condition.”

“Name it.”

“We won’t be far. If the elves show any signs of treachery during negotiations, we’ll act without hesitation, and you won’t interfere. Also, we’ll summon Silviet only at the last minute. If the elves sense the dragon’s presence, they may come prepared.”

“Understood.”

Chaeyi nodded with a quiet smile.

He’d been worried they wouldn’t trust a beta like him to manage this, but somehow, he had convinced them.

Later, Leonard, still visibly concerned, kept fretting over the plan, and Chaeyi did his best to reassure him.

Time passed…

Once their preparations were complete and everyone was in top form…

“The elves are approaching!”

“How many?”

“I… I can’t count… there are too many of them!”

Masked and fully armed, a vast army of elves finally appeared.

* * *