The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 211

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 211

Afterward, I called over an elven maid who was wandering the halls.

She was a somewhat clumsy elf who had settled here after I rescued her from the Tyvel estate.

"You called for me, young master?"

"I'm going to meet some of your kin. Would you like to come along?"

"My kin? Gasp! Young master, you didn't… you didn't capture my kin, did you?!"

"Not me. Some slavers were trying to take them, and I rescued them. Among them, there happened to be a high elf."

At my explanation, she widened her eyes before nodding.

With a gesture, I opened a rift in the air and stepped through with her.

On the other side, I found the elves facing Luna.

"You’re here?"

"Yeah. Have they calmed down a bit?"

"For now."

At the same time, the elven maid murmured in astonishment.

"My goodness… Lady of Trigard?"

"You know her?"

"Well… common elves like me have at least seen the high-ranking families from a distance."

The three elves on the other side were equally shocked to see another elf.

"Our kin?! I can't believe there are kin here…!"

Their gaze, almost accusingly wondering if the maid had been captured, prompted her to quickly explain.

"The young master and the head of this house rescued me from captivity. I chose to stay to repay their kindness."

"I see…"

Only then did some of the misunderstanding seem to clear, and they began to calm down.

"Thank you for saving us. I am Triana Bel Trigard from the Mother’s Forest."

Hearing the elf girl's introduction, I narrowed my eyes.

Trigard?

I had heard of them.

The "Mother’s Forest" — the elves' homeland.

Several noble families ruled over it, and Trigard was one of them.

In human terms, she would be the daughter of a high-ranking noble from a significant kingdom.

"How did someone like you end up captured by slavers? Where were your guards?"

The two male elves next to Triana didn’t seem particularly skilled in combat.

"Well... it's a bit of a long story…"

At those words, I instinctively felt the looming hassle.

"I see. Well, that's enough for now. You must be hungry. We’ll arrange a meal for you and give you access to Cascadia’s mana gate. Will that be sufficient?"

Let’s deal with this quickly.

Of course, I would allow the elven maid some time to chat with her long-lost kin.

But my instincts were screaming.

This girl would bring trouble.

Unfortunately, it seemed the elves weren’t planning to just leave.

"Count Cascadia, would it be possible for us to stay here for a while?"

Hearing the male elf formally request this of Melissa, she narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Lady Triana is exhausted... after everything that’s happened."

"You’re asking to stay here temporarily?"

"Yes. And we are willing to pay for the favor."

"You don’t seem to have much to offer right now."

"True, but... on behalf of House Trigard, we can promise sufficient compensation later."

Melissa wasn’t some naive humanitarian.

But she also had no reason to kick out a noble from the elves' homeland who had just escaped from slavers.

"Where are your guards, anyway? It’s a bit suspicious, you know."

"That’s... well..."

"Still. I can’t completely ignore your request. For now, please rest. There are spare rooms on the second floor. Let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you for your kindness, Countess."

I hadn’t heard any news of civil war breaking out in the elven homeland.

Which meant whatever this was... it was more complicated and deeper than it seemed.

Holding Arsha in my arms, I followed Melissa and Luna out, saying to the elven maid,

"You stay here and catch up with your kin for a bit."

"Thank you for your kindness, young master."

The elven maid bowed deeply to me.

As soon as we returned to the mansion, Melissa went to interrogate the slavers.

Naturally, they weren’t eager to talk.

But when I silently stared at them, they began to sweat and eventually broke down.

"W-we… We weren’t actually targeting Cascadia…"

"Because of money?"

"Hehehe, yes, that's right."

The man shifted his eyes around, spouting excuses.

Apparently, they had been hired to capture her specifically.

They succeeded in capturing her and were planning to sell her off to complete the contract.

But she attempted to escape... leading to the current situation.

Melissa and I both let out short sighs.

We could see where this was heading.

The slaver nervously glanced at us.

Regardless, they were still illegal slavers.

"Um… Countess, what’s going to happen to us…?"

"What do you mean? You know elf trafficking is strictly illegal under kingdom law, right?"

"Come on, have a heart… Here, a little something for your trouble—"

He tried to hand something over to Melissa, but she coldly slapped his hand away.

"Now you're adding bribery to your charges."

"W-wait!"

"Arrest all of them and send them to the royal authorities."

"Yes, ma'am!"

At her command, the knights moved at once.

* * *

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Triana, daughter of the prestigious Trigard family of the Mother’s Forest, let out a heavy sigh as she gazed up at the dark night sky.

"My lady, why are you still awake?"

"Thinking about the future... makes it hard to sleep. Are you all right?"

"Yes. Honestly, the healing ability of that woman was truly miraculous. How about you, my lady?"

"I feel the same. It's as if my wounds never existed. As if being captured by slavers was all just a bad dream..."

"My lady... I’m sorry. I failed to protect you."

"No, it’s my fault. My incompetence caused you all trouble."

"Everything will be alright. I’ll search for anyone who might be able to help us."

"That’s true, but... if we waste any more time, the World Tree..."

At Triana’s darkened expression, the male elf also made a grim face.

"Milady."

"Ah... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that out loud..."

She spoke softly, then once again gazed beyond the terrace into the forest.

At that moment, something caught her eye.

"Is that... Lord Leon Cascadia?"

"It seems so. I wonder where he’s going at this late hour..."

What they saw was Leon, walking somewhere with Luna.

With a light step and humming a cheerful tune, Leon moved deeper into the forest.

Seeing this, the high elf girl, Triana, silently jumped down from the terrace and began to follow him without making a sound.

"Milady..."

"I have something to say to him."

"Something to say?"

"Yes. I didn’t get the chance to mention it earlier, but... did you see the sword he wielded when the trackers attacked us?"

At her words, the guard elf's eyes widened in surprise.

"That’s right. That strange sword..."

Leaving one escort behind, the two of them carefully trailed Leon, keeping their presence hidden.

Leon and Luna, seemingly unaware of their followers, continued walking into the deeper woods.

And then—

When they reached a certain point, they witnessed an unexpected sight.

Leon snapped his fingers.

"This is a mess, huh?"

Snap!

Whoosh!

Until that moment, the forest had seemed perfectly ordinary.

But the instant Leon snapped his fingers, a hidden, massive tree revealed itself.

Its height was a staggering 100 meters.

Trees of that size could occasionally be seen, but this was different.

Normally, this type of tree would only grow a few meters tall, maybe ten at most.

It was clear that something unnatural was at work here.

Moreover, the surrounding vegetation looked visibly unhealthy.

"It used to make the surroundings even more lush. But now, in just a day, the balance is completely ruined."

"After the power of decay disappeared, this thing started leeching energy from around it to maintain itself. It's only natural unless it's a special tree like the World Tree."

After all, just being a big tree doesn’t automatically mean it has special powers.

Leon reached into the air, and space itself cracked at his touch, shards falling away as he pulled something out.

It was the same claymore that Triana had seen before — the one radiating that strange power.

[Bloom.]

As Leon's cold voice echoed, the claymore resonated with a deep hum and began to change.

Simultaneously, green, whip-like vines sprang up from the ground and coiled tightly around the giant tree.

Immediately, the unnaturally massive tree began to wither.

"A tree that's grown beyond its own control is better off becoming nourishment."

In no time, the giant tree dried up completely, losing all signs of life.

At the same time, from the parched earth, new shoots and branches began to spring up, spreading outward in all directions.

It felt like the concentrated energy was being redistributed more evenly across the land.

Leon, having quickly dealt with the tree, sheathed his sword.

"Do you enjoy nighttime strolls?"

He didn’t even turn his head, but the two elves instinctively knew he was addressing them.

They cautiously revealed themselves and approached Leon.

"What... was that tree?"

"Just something I ended up growing by accident."

"Was that... the power of your sword?"

Triana asked hesitantly.

There was a longing in her eyes.

"Hmm... Why don’t we go inside and talk? I’m staying in the lodge’s basement tonight anyway."

At Leon's invitation, Triana nodded cautiously.

At first glance, Leon’s lodge looked like an old, run-down building, but inside it was cozy and clean.

It was the perfect place to enjoy a quiet vacation.

Sitting awkwardly on the sofa in front of the fireplace, the two elves stared silently at the warm coffee and snacks Leon handed them.

Meanwhile, Luna sat quietly in a rocking chair nearby, holding an artifact in her hand, eyes closed in serene silence — as if she had no interest in the two elves at all.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]