CHAPTER 83
083 The Royal Palace's Underground
Rona's eyes darted back and forth, lost. She was genuinely flustered. What kind of reaction was she supposed to show?
'He came to see the Queen?'
The one who said that was Jinwoo, a human, not a High Elf or even an Elf at all. If such a person were to utter the Queen's name, there was only one thing a devout High Elf and loyal knight of the kingdom should do.
Kill him and take his soul, or at the very least, cut out his tongue, sever his tendons, and throw him in prison.
But Rona didn't want to do any of that to Jinwoo, and because of that, she was at a loss for how to respond.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Uh... have you, by any chance, said this to any other Elves?"
"No. You're the first."
Phew. Rona let out a sigh of immense relief and clutched her chest.
"That's a relief, then. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything, so you mustn't tell anyone else either, Jinwoo. Got it?"
"There are no other Elves for me to talk to besides you. And there was no need to."
It would be meaningless to tell other Elves who couldn't enter the Royal Palace anyway. Rona knew that's what he meant, but for some reason, she felt a little pleased.
Knowing he wasn't an unreasonable person, she tried to persuade him with words.
"Jinwoo. I don't know if you're aware, but in our kingdom, that is a very serious crime. The Royal Palace is off-limits to anyone but recognized Elves, and the White Tower where the Queen resides is the most forbidden of forbidden places, with only a handful of people permitted entry!"
"I heard about that. Permu was upset because she had no one to talk to."
"H-Her Majesty said such a thing... No, that's not the point!"
Jinwoo's will seemed firm. Rona was at a complete loss as to how to convince him.
If she left him alone, he seemed ready to try and scale the palace walls by himself. If he did that, he'd be caught in an instant and executed on the spot.
She thought she had to persuade him to give up. She was glad she was the first to find out, before any other Elf.
But Jinwoo shook his head and tried to persuade her in return.
"Rona. Have you been to the 3rd Floor recently?"
"Recently? I passed through on my way to the 5th Floor, but that was a while ago."
"A while back, all the entrances to the 3rd Floor were sealed. You can't get in or out."
"Really?"
Rona's eyes went wide. Judging by her reaction, she truly didn't know. It made sense, since she said she had just returned from the 5th Floor not long ago.
"A lot of people from our world are trapped on the 3rd Floor, so we're trying to figure out what happened. I came here for information, too."
"But what does that have to do with the Queen?"
"The God of the Moonlight Forest, one of the gods of the 3rd Floor, is the World Tree."
"...What?"
Rona asked back with the most stupefied voice she had ever uttered. It seemed she couldn't quite comprehend what she had just heard.
She knew that the God of the Moonlight Forest favored Elves. It was famous that the god didn't grant contribution points to humans or dwarves, only to Elves.
But she had never thought it could be the World Tree. No, perhaps she had unconsciously considered it once. But she had immediately dismissed the thought.
The Mother World Tree was the one and only god in their world, the ancestor who watched over all Elves.
To equate such a being with a Gate's god without any specific doctrine or proof was a matter that could easily lead to idolatry.
It was a situation where, because she was so devout, she couldn't recognize the truth—even if a suspicion arose, she would immediately reject it.
"I actually met Permu on the 3rd Floor through the blessing of the God of the Moonlight Forest. If you doubt me, go to the 3rd Floor later and check the contribution points. My contribution to the Moonlight Forest is something like 100 or 200 million."
"200 million!? Is that even a possible number? When I was active on the 3rd Floor, 30 million was about the limit!?"
"A lot of things happened. Anyway, to get information about the sealed 3rd Floor, I need to meet the World Tree. And in this world, the only one who can do that is Permu."
Despite being flustered several times, Rona followed the flow of the conversation well. She now understood exactly why Jinwoo was looking for the Queen.
"I-I understand your story, but that doesn't mean I can let you into the Royal Palace..."
"I'm not asking you to let me in through the front gate. Isn't there a side path or a back route?"
"Well. Hmm..."
She crossed her arms and pondered. The Royal Palace was governed by stifling rules, but that didn't mean it was a completely flawless place.
If one looked, there were surely plenty of gaps, and infiltration wouldn't be impossible. And if she, a Royal Knight, were to cooperate, it would be even more feasible.
'Wait. What am I thinking!'
She snapped back to her senses with a start. For her, the sword that protects the Queen and guards the Royal Palace, to be contemplating a side route into the palace...
That alone was disloyalty, an unforgivable act of sacrilege.
'No matter how suffocating the palace is, I'm not someone who would think like this...'
It was true that she was often sick of the palace's etiquette and the rigid behavior of the High Elves. But no matter how much she disliked it, she would never think of guiding an outside human through a side route into the palace.
Yet, when she listened to Jinwoo, for some reason, she found herself listening to his voice. Even when he wasn't speaking, she would suddenly find herself following his figure. It had been that way since they first met.
"I... I can't help you."
"I understand. You have your position to consider."
Jinwoo didn't blame her for refusing. He had thought it was a possibility when he brought it up, and it wasn't something he could force on her.
"If any other knight had heard what you just said, they would have drawn their sword immediately. It's a blasphemous thing to say, and it wouldn't be strange to be beheaded on the spot. If not beheaded, you would at least be arrested and taken to prison."
"Prison?"
"Yes. There's a prison for criminals. In the Royal Palace's underground."
There was a peculiar accent in her words, as if she were deliberately emphasizing 'the Royal Palace's underground'.
"That's as far as I can..."
Rona trailed off as she spoke. That alone was more than enough to be grateful for. It meant she was giving him a way to infiltrate the Royal Palace, even if it was as a criminal.
'The underground prison.'
He didn't know what the Elven royal prison looked like. He'd have to be prepared for any unexpected situations that might arise.
Viiing...
At the mention of the word 'prison', the Ego Sword hummed softly. The sound was faint, but he could feel the vibration of the blade.
'What's wrong?'
He asked what was the matter, but no answer came from the Ego Sword.

The Elves of Velen Village arrived at the Elea territory. They set up tents and made camp outside the giant twin trees that served as the territory's walls.
The villagers weren't accepted into the territory itself. The land they were permitted was a little further away.
They were only waiting here temporarily to proceed to their designated land with soldiers after receiving the lord's permission.
Rona and the village chief left to go inside the territory for that purpose, and Jinwoo watched them from a distance.
After a short while, the chief returned with armed soldiers and began talking with the village elders.
There must be a lot to discuss when so many Elves were relocating.
"Jinwoo, where are you going again?"
Jinwoo lowered his binoculars and looked at Mari beside him. While the adults were busy, she had come to find him alone.
"I'll be back."
He said, picking a leaf from Mari's hair. Mari pouted with disappointment, but she didn't throw a tantrum like before.
Thanks to the recent events, Mari had learned to be a little more mindful of the adults.
'She's even had to leave her birthplace.'
He felt sorry for her, but there was nothing Jinwoo could do. It wasn't like he could stay and protect the village forever; everyone had made the best choice they could.
"Mari. I think your mother is looking for you. You should go back."
"..."
In the distance, Mari's mother could be seen looking around and calling for someone. She must be looking for Mari, who had snuck away to see Jinwoo.
"Listen to your mother after you move, and I'll visit you later."
"You promise you'll come?"
"I promise."
He crouched down, made a firm promise with Mari, and sent the child back to the villagers. After one last check to make sure she had returned safely to her mother's arms, Jinwoo moved away from that spot and went deeper into the forest.
Once the handover to the lord's territory was complete, the lord's soldiers would take over escorting the villagers. Rona, who had been on a brief errand, would finish her task and be free.
Their plan was to meet in the forest after that and go to the Royal Palace together.
'How long will it take?'
It seemed like she would be back soon since all that was left was the handover, but Rona had said she had other business in this territory. If she was going to wrap that up as well, it might take longer than he thought.
'Looks like the sun is starting to set.'
He couldn't just wait indefinitely, so he needed to find a place to sleep. Unable to enter the Elven territory, Jinwoo had to camp out in the forest one way or another.
The sun hadn't completely set yet, but sunset came quickly in the forest. In a little while, it would be completely dark.
He could just lay out a sleeping bag on any patch of ground if he had to, but it was better to have a roof over his head. A cave or a large hollow in a tree.
As he was looking for a suitable spot, darkness began to fall. Just then.
'...Wolves?'
He felt a Blue Flame flash past in front of him.
It wasn't just one. The movement of a pack of wolves was clearly visible through their Blue Flames.
There was no reason to provoke them and shed blood unnecessarily. Jinwoo hid his presence and concealed himself to avoid agitating the wolf pack.
Fortunately, the wolves didn't seem interested in him. They already had their sights set on prey.
'Looks like it's surrounded.'
Seeing the widely spread-out wolf pack, it seemed they were chasing a single target. Jinwoo moved a little closer and confirmed the prey's Blue Flame as well.
If it had been an ordinary flame, it would have been another beast or monster. But what was being chased was a flame that blossomed like a flower.
'An Elf.'
The one being hunted was an Elf. When he got close enough to see with his naked eye, he saw an Elf running away, panting for breath.
"Hah, hah, get away!"
He was swinging a small sword, but it looked like the blade wasn't even properly sharpened. It was no different from a blunt stick.
Furthermore, its reach was short, because it was an item made for a child.
The one being chased was a young boy.
'...Do I have some kind of connection with kids?'
First Mari, then the World Tree, and now this child. He didn't know why he kept running into kids like this.
He couldn't just leave him be. He toyed with the hilt of his sword and watched, but the child was fighting better than he'd expected.
"Go away! I don't taste good!"
He swung the staff-like sword here and there with surprising discipline for a child. It looked like he had been systematically trained from a younger age.
Looking closely, his attire was also unusual. It was dirty with dust and torn in places now, but it seemed to have originally been quite high-quality clothing.
"Ah!"
Just then, the boy, who had been swinging his sword while running, was cornered. A sheer cliff blocked his path; it seemed the wolves had cleverly herded him there.
There was a small cave-like opening in the cliff, but from the boy's expression, it seemed that was a dead end too.
Pale-faced, the boy put his back to the cliff and somehow managed to aim his sword. The wolves closed in on him slowly, unhurriedly.
There was no way the boy could escape on his own.
"Well, I found a place to sleep."
With those words, Jinwoo swung his sword. A sharp blade of energy cut through the obstructing trees and shot toward the wolf pack.