The elves were never a particularly numerous race, but due to this catastrophe, nearly half of them lost their lives.
With the sacred tree, Yggdral, completely burned down, the ancient Elven Kingdom of Arboness was effectively destroyed.
However, thanks to Elder Eloise’s composed demeanor, the elves gradually regained stability, and by sunrise, they had begun to place their hopes in me.
Once the flames that had consumed the sacred tree had died down and the elves managed to prevent them from spreading further into the grassy fields, Elder Eloise approached me with a request.
“Young human, you said your name was Alvis, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Could you show me that sword of light once more?”
“That won’t be difficult.”
I borrowed an iron sword from the elves to replace my own, which had—once again—been completely shattered, and activated the lightsaber.
I didn’t have much mana left, but maintaining the form of the sword without swinging it was still possible.
As soon as I summoned the lightsaber, the elder elves, including Eloise, let out expressions of admiration.
“Oh… Ooooh…!”
“There’s no doubt about it!”
“This warm, embracing aura of light… This is undoubtedly the power of Lady Lunia!”
While the older elves reacted this way, the younger elves, including Elfin, tilted their heads in confusion.
Elfin, who had been traveling with me for some time, immediately dismissed the notion.
“The power of Lady Lunia? But only Holy Knights possess that! I’ve been traveling with Alvis for months, and I’ve never felt anything remotely like the goddess’s power from him…”
Elder Eloise gave his granddaughter a wrinkled smile and explained.
“That’s because you’re still too young. The older we elves get, the more attuned we become to the goddess’s power. Elves like me, who have lived nearly a thousand years, can tell at a glance whether someone wields true divine power or just an imitation created through magic. That’s why an elven elder is always present at the Holy Knight’s appointment ceremony. The only reason I wasn’t there this time was because I was too ill to attend, so another took my place. But humans don’t understand the significance of an elven elder’s presence at the ceremony, so it went unnoticed.”
“T-Then… are you saying Bryden isn’t a Holy Knight?”
“That’s right.”
“…!”
Elfin’s eyes trembled at the confirmation from an elder who had lived for nearly a thousand years.
The other young elves, as well as Ravi and Lenis, were equally shocked.
“No way…”
“I haven’t seen this Bryden use his power firsthand, but after seeing the sword of light this young man, Alvis, has summoned, I’m certain. This sword carries the undeniable presence of the goddess. There is only one being in this world who can possess her power. In other words, Alvis is the true Holy Knight. I heard that the sacred sword did not glow during the appointment ceremony… Now I understand why.”
“We only considered discussing countermeasures with the other nations because the sacred sword failed to shine… but we never even thought that Bryden might not be the Holy Knight at all. So that means… Alvis is the real one? But why? I mean, I admit he’s strong, but…”
“There’s no doubt that he is the Holy Knight. However, even I don’t know why. This has never happened in my lifetime. What could the goddess be thinking, bestowing her power not upon the officially appointed Holy Knight but upon someone entirely different? No matter how much we pray, the goddess remains silent—even to the priests. In the end, all we can do is speculate.”
Hearing her grandfather’s words, Elfin scrutinized me from head to toe.
Seeing her reaction, I decided to tease her a little.
“Why do you look like that? You seem like you’re thinking, ‘There’s no way someone like you should be a Holy Knight!'”
“W-When did I ever say that?! I wasn’t thinking that at all!”
In the past, she would have started with a loud “Of course!” and then gone on a long rant about how I was a worthless piece of human trash.
But without even realizing it, Elfin’s attitude toward me had softened considerably.
I shifted my gaze to Elder Eloise and gave him a slight bow.
“Thank you for telling me, Elder. However, I think there may have been a misunderstanding about me being a Holy Knight. I don’t have particularly strong faith in the goddess. And if I were a Holy Knight, possessing her power, I should have been able to hear her voice at least once—but that has never happened. More importantly, isn’t a Holy Knight supposed to be someone noble, virtuous, and skilled in both martial and scholarly arts? But I, well… You weren’t there to see me back at the academy, but I was far from that kind of person.”
Elfin suddenly turned red, probably remembering the time I had accidentally stripped off her underwear in front of everyone.
She kept glancing at me with a conflicted expression, looking away and then back again, as if her face was saying,
“There’s no way someone like you is a Holy Knight! But… I can’t deny that you saved us…”
Elder Eloise simply looked at me for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“Do you truly believe that?”
“…Pardon?”
“My granddaughter, who sensed that something was wrong here, sent you a letter saying she was going to quit traveling with you. Judging by the timing, you must have come here the moment you received it. And despite knowing full well what would happen if you got swallowed by that mist, you stepped into this place with your own two feet and saved those who were still alive.”
Well… That was only because of the effect of a shard I had absorbed before, which made me nearly immune to the mist’s curse and bleeding.
But I decided not to mention that.
“I heard that when my people tried to reject the help of an outsider, you rebuked them, telling them to focus on surviving first. You secured a safe place within the mist for us, left behind someone who could heal others while neglecting your own injuries, and then went right back into the mist to rescue even more people. Thanks to you, my granddaughter survived as well. If you hadn’t been here, how many of us would still be alive now? No… Perhaps our entire race would have been wiped out.”
At those words, all the elves turned toward me and quietly bowed their heads in gratitude.
“Someone who puts others before himself, who doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own well-being to save lives—such actions are the very definition of nobility. You claim that your conduct was poor at the academy? I may not have seen it myself, but everyone makes mistakes in their youth. What truly matters is the person you are now. And right now, you embody the virtues that align with the goddess’s will. Perhaps that is why she chose you as her apostle.”
I remained silent, letting Elder Eloise’s words sink in.
Until now, I had dismissed all the talk about my abilities being connected to the goddess as nonsense.
But now, I couldn’t ignore it so easily.
It wasn’t just anyone making the claim—this was an elven elder, renowned for his wisdom and insight.
And even I had begun to suspect, after my battle with Vector, that my abilities weren’t just some ordinary light-based illusion.
I had never considered that it could actually be the goddess’s power.
But if the elves—one of the races most closely linked to the goddess—were saying it with such certainty, then it must be true.
But why me? No matter how I looked at it, Bryden was a much better candidate for the Holy Knight than I was.
He was noble, upright, and practically the main character of a heroic tale.
Meanwhile, I was just… a delinquent.
Still, no matter how much I thought about it, I wasn’t going to find an answer.
It wasn’t like I could hear the goddess’s voice.
For now, the elves believed Elder Eloise’s words and saw me as the true Holy Knight.
At the very least, that would make it easier to guide them moving forward.
Standing before thousands of surviving elves, I delivered a speech.
Since there was no need to scold them as harshly as before, I reverted to my usual respectful tone.
“Elves, though the Sacred Tree has burned to the ground, Arboness has not perished. Arboness is not a place—it is you. Each and every one of you is proof that Arboness still endures. Open your hearts, lower your walls, and integrate into the human world. Yes, there are plenty of wretched humans out there, but all of you possess the strength and skills to protect yourselves.”
A sigh of discontent spread through the elves as they truly grasped the reality that they would have to live among humans.
“The knowledge, skills, and experience you possess—even sharing a fraction of it will make human society welcome you with open arms. Don’t cling only to what has been lost. Look at what remains and focus on the days ahead. Arboness is not gone. If you successfully integrate into human society, you can even spread Arboness’s culture and influence the world beyond.”
I could still see hesitation on their faces, so I added one more thing.
“If you truly cannot bear to live among humans, then rebuild the empty forest. Wherever you stand, that is Arboness.”
Tears streamed down their faces, but their eyes now carried determination.
“Arboness is not a place… I think I understand now.”
“Yes, even Lady Elfin lived outside for three years and returned even stronger after receiving training.”
“I refuse to let them say that Arboness is gone. I… I’ll take my family and move to the city.”
“I can’t live in a human city, but I will reclaim the empty forest and rebuild. But this time… I will ensure we stay connected. I will welcome humans, the Bani tribe, and other cultures into our new home.”
“I want to see a human city. I’ve never stepped outside the Sacred Tree before, so now that things have come to this, I might as well start a new life. And I’ll make sure the world knows that we have not perished.”
“That will be enough.”
Determination, too, was contagious.
One by one, their resolve spread from dozens to hundreds, then to thousands.
The elves stopped weeping and instead bowed their heads in silence before the charred remains of the Sacred Tree.
Then, they set off on their chosen paths, vowing to maintain contact and exchange with one another.
Those who chose to live in the forest departed westward.
Those who decided to live in the cities traveled with our group toward Aldebaran.
After several days of marching, we finally arrived in the city of Aldebaran, within the Kingdom of Pratea.
And what we saw was—
“…What the hell is this?”
Before us stood a city in ruins.