## Chapter 20 – 20. Underground Dungeon
#20. Underground Dungeon
The ruins that appeared with the sudden earthquake resembled an ancient Greek temple.
Moreover, despite clearly being abandoned under the lake for quite some time, its exterior was so clean that one could believe it was newly built.
Iris and I carefully stepped onto the stone platform and headed towards the ruins.
The ruins, upon arrival, were just as eerily well-preserved as they appeared from a distance, exuding an unsettling atmosphere.
“The World Tree’s temple…”
Looking at the ruins, Iris murmured in a small voice.
“World Tree?”
“Yes, I’ve only seen it in ancient murals, but from the architectural style to the golden trees symbolizing the World Tree engraved on the outer walls and pillars, it’s clear. This is a temple built thousands of years ago to serve the World Tree.”
Stroking the outer walls of the temple and looking around, Iris, as expected, was observing her surroundings with the eyes of a curious scholar.
‘Should I increase the output a bit more?’
The basic magic that most mages learn, Light, simply has the effect of brightly illuminating the surroundings.
Like a small flashlight, roughly?
But if you slightly tamper with the part of the magic circle that controls the intensity of the light source…
Flash-
It can brightly illuminate a temple.
Not for long, though, maybe an hour at most? Since it’s a modified magic circle, it’s quite successful, except for the problem of significantly reduced efficiency.
“Wow! Hyunwoo, that’s the modified magic I taught you last time, isn’t it?”
“It’s just the basics.”
After patting Iris’s head, pleased with her disciple’s growth, we cautiously stepped inside the temple.
Thanks to the enhanced Light magic, the inside of the temple was very bright.
‘Next time I come, I should bring a high-performance magic generator and some lighting.’
We should at least live like people until we escape.
The inside of the temple was much more desolate than expected.
“Hyunwoo, there’s something over there.”
At the end of Iris’s fingertip, there was a small altar and a gaunt tree.
There was only a bit of dust piled on the altar, and no particular offerings were visible.
“Oh no…”
Iris’s worried voice was heard.
She was wiping away tears while stroking the tree behind the altar.
Whether it was because she was an elf, or because Iris was too kind.
“It is serious.”
The tree looked so lifeless that a tree in a wildfire area would look healthier.
“If only I could summon a dryad…”
While comforting the gloomy Iris, I examined the tree a bit more.
It was a bit bigger than the trees used for landscaping in apartments or parking lots. Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any particular features.
‘…Something’s off.’
A sense of unease.
Since entering the temple, my instincts were telling me that the source of the intense unease that was stabbing my whole body was this tree.
But even when I carefully flowed magic power into the tree, it didn’t show any particular reaction.
‘Could it be.’
I turned my head, wondering.
“Iris, would you try injecting magic power into this tree?”
“Me? Magic power…?”
“You never know? It’s a tree placed in the World Tree’s temple, the god of the elves, so maybe it’ll get healthier if it receives the Elf Queen’s magic power?”
“Hmm…”
It was just a vague guess, but it didn’t seem like there would be any particular problems.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Iris placed her hand on the tree.
Her unique green magic power shone, and that energy was transferred directly to the tree.
The tree seemed to shine for a moment, but then it became quiet as if nothing had happened.
‘…Is this not it?’
Honestly, I thought this suddenly appearing temple would be the key to escape.
‘Do I need to offer something on the altar?’
Since it’s the World Tree, should I bring fertilizer or tree nutrients from Earth?
“H, Hyunwoo!”
“?”
Turning my head at the urgent voice calling me, a change was occurring in the gaunt tree.
The tree, which was clearly dying, was now full of life. No, the tree, which was overflowing with life and full of fresh sprouts, was shining with a golden color.
It was truly the reincarnation of the golden tree.
“The effect is amazing.”
The change didn’t end there.
The tree, which had regained its vitality in an instant, stretched its branches throughout the temple. A golden light, even brighter than the light source of my Light magic, filled the inside of the temple.
The tree was at least three times bigger than when I first saw it.
“Iris, you could get a job as a gardener.”
“Huh? N, no! My magic power doesn’t have the effect of growing trees!”
“Then what’s that?”
“I wonder…?”
As it gradually increased in size, and the inside of the temple transformed into a botanical garden, I wondered if I had touched something wrong.
But.
[Child.]
“?!”
“Eek?!”
Such worries disappeared in an instant with the voice that seemed to strike directly into my head without passing through my eardrums.
I reflexively looked around, but there was only Iris and me here.
“Could it be.”
“W, World Tree…?”
As if in response, the golden tree emitted light once more.
[My child.]
“M, Mother…”
Iris, with large tears streaming down her face, approached the golden tree as if possessed.
At that sight, I grabbed Iris.
“Hyunwoo…?”
“Wait.”
I drew magic power from the circle.
If that tree was really the World Tree, there was something I had to ask.
“If you’re really the World Tree, there’s something I have to ask.”
Unrefined anger rose up my throat and was spat out in the form of words.
“Why did you imprison her? Why was she dethroned? You appointed her, so is it your decision to pull her down again?”
It’s been a full 200 years.
I would have to repeat my entire life ten times to reach 200 years.
For such a long time, Iris spent 200 years alone in this empty, dark, and damp place.
“Explain properly before I burn it down.”
Even so, Iris didn’t show any resentment towards the World Tree.
Why?
Because that’s religion, and that’s the mindset of a believer towards the existence of a god.
Of course, if Iris feels happiness from meeting the World Tree, I’m fine with it.
But I know.
Because of her personality, even if she has any complaints, she would never utter a single harsh word towards the World Tree and would keep it all inside, so I had no choice but to step in.
How much Iris must have wanted to ask why she was abandoned, for the past 200 years.
[…]
“A god, instead of apologizing as soon as they see their believer, tries to just gloss over it by clinging to their believer’s heart?”
“H, Hyunwoo…!”
A giant fireball bloomed on my palm.
“If you’re really a proper god, you should offer as much sincerity, apology, and explanation as you can to the believer who had to endure alone in this shitty place for 200 years because of you.”
Or else I’m going to burn every last branch and root of the tree.
Iris couldn’t say anything at the sight of Kang Hyunwoo’s unfamiliar appearance.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand his feelings, but to Iris, who had infinite affection for the gods, his words were too extreme.
Even so, Iris didn’t resent or become disappointed in Kang Hyunwoo.
Even the fragments of his intense anger were for her sake.
[Child.]
The World Tree broke the heavy silence and opened its mouth.
[Like he said, I must apologize to you.]
“M, Mother… You don’t have to say such things…”
[Even if there were circumstances, the pain you received does not disappear. There is no way for me to compensate for the suffering of the past 200 years you have sent, but I swear I will repay it someday.]
The tree branches reached out to Iris like human arms, and then hugged her tightly.
[I’m sorry, and I love you.]
At that short word, Iris quietly wiped away tears while being held by the World Tree, without saying anything.
***
In the sanctuary of the elven kingdom of Pelledia, a symbol of the World Tree is enshrined.
A symbol refers to a creature or object that has been the object of faith for a long time and has transformed to symbolize the god itself.
And the symbol of the World Tree was a giant tree that had lived for ten thousand years in the forest enshrined in the sanctuary.
[200 years ago, I lost the connection path with the symbol.]
“Lost?”
[Unfortunately, I don’t know the details either. I’ve only been wasting time for the past 200 years with the connection to the ground cut off.]
At the World Tree’s explanation, both Iris and I thought of the same thing.
“So… Iris being dethroned wasn’t something you were involved in?”
[Of course not. There is no one more suitable for the throne in the current Pelledia than this child. I guess it must be the machinations of those who tampered with the connection path between me and the symbol.]
‘…That’s a relief.’
I had half expected it since the World Tree spoke to us, but there’s a big difference between hearing it from the person themselves and not.
With this, Iris was able to gain the assurance that she had not been abandoned by the god she loved most, her mother.
“Sniff, sob…”
At the sight of Iris quietly wiping away tears, anger towards the culprits was piling up.
Revenge is Iris’s, but if she forgives them.
Then I’ll intervene.
“By the way, is it even possible to sever the connection between a god and a symbol…?”
I felt like it wasn’t right to keep using informal language even though I found out that the World Tree wasn’t involved in Iris’s dethronement and imprisonment.
Anyway, even breaking the barrier of the sanctuary maintained by the World Tree’s magic power requires a sacred object.
How could a mere elf do something even greater to the god’s symbol?
Of course, this isn’t a racially discriminatory statement. Iris is also an elf.
But, it feels like the scale of the work is too big for someone like a national prime minister to carry out.
[It is true that there is no precedent, but it cannot be said to be impossible. Perhaps there was the intervention of another deity.]
“Do you know who that intervening deity is?”
So I can find them later and kill them.
I don’t know if I can kill a god, but wouldn’t it be possible if I destroyed all of that guy’s temples in this world and killed the believers?
It’s not for nothing that they say a forgotten god is a dead god.
[…Unfortunately, I don’t know at the moment.]
Am I mistaken in feeling resentment in the World Tree’s calm voice?
[Since other children except for the royal family cannot hear my voice, it was impossible to investigate the incident. Moreover, this sanctuary is the only place within the forest where my voice does not reach the royal child, Iris.]
“Wait…? Then Resilia knew that and imprisoned Iris here?”
[It would be reasonable to assume that’s the case, given the circumstances.]
I feel like I’m starting to see the outline of the incident.
An elf who worships the World Tree as the only god colludes with another deity to usurp the throne, and even commits some kind of atrocity on the symbol of the race’s only god, severing the connection with the god.
Moreover, she knew about the special nature of this sanctuary that even the royal Iris didn’t know?
‘…I wonder if the country called Pelledia will even be left when I get out of here?’
[You don’t have to worry about that.]
‘? You read my mind… Ah, well, yeah.’
Can’t a god do that much?
I quickly understood.
[God and believer are always connected. The prayers that believers offer to God are bidirectional. Judging from the fact that the emotional state of the elves is not much different from before, the national affairs do not seem to be very chaotic.]
That was a fortunate thing.
It would be a bit embarrassing if it was a wasteland when I got out of here.
[Child, I’m sorry it’s so late.]
“No… It’s not like you wanted it to happen, Mother. I’m so happy just knowing that…”
After that, Iris spent a long time talking with the World Tree, as if she were acting spoiled towards her parents.
At that sight, I entered meditation to understand the 2nd Circle I had recently reached in more detail.
How much time had passed?
[Kang Hyunwoo.]
I opened my eyes at the World Tree’s call.
[You seem to want to get this child out of here.]
“Yes, since we’re on the topic, can you get us out of here?”
[That would be difficult. In my current state, I cannot interfere with the ground. I can have a conversation like this thanks to the existence of this temple and my fragment, but I cannot do anything more than that.]
I thought it would be easy, but there’s no way such a thing would happen in my life.
I didn’t really expect it either.
For some reason, I thought it would be like that.
[But, there is a way to get out of here.]
As the World Tree’s branches pointed to the altar, the altar began to move to the side with a rumbling sound.
[There is a dungeon in the deeper underground of this sanctuary.]
Where the altar disappeared, a circular staircase leading underground appeared.
[Bring my sacred object sealed in the lowest level of the dungeon. With that alone, you will not only be able to escape from here, but it will also be helpful to you in the trials ahead.]
