In the backyard of the Clavenna estate, the divine tree towering above endless greenery began visibly collapsing.
Its emerald leaves were gradually replaced by withered yellow ones that scattered across the blue sky like drifting stains of autumn decay.
Beneath the blanket of dying leaves, the tangled branches stretching into the clouds also began to shrivel.
Energy flowed through the interior of the spirit tree, gathering continuously toward its core.
The dense web-like branches sagged one after another, lowering their once-proud forms before snapping and crumbling apart.
Even the massive trunk began to cave inward, natural energy surging across its surface.
Yet the bark fell away piece by piece like collapsing rubble, sinking into the hill below and exposing the dry, pale wood beneath to the elves staring through the rain of dead leaves.
The elves kneeling before the divine tree in prayer all froze at the sight before them.
Their eyes widened, bodies leaning back slightly as they stared in disbelief.
'The divine tree… is withering?'
In the past thousand years, although the divine tree had once been burned down, it had never withered before.
In their memories, the divine tree was eternal and indestructible.
The elves watched the dying leaves drift past them, watched the dead branches and shriveled bark continue to fall, and their vision blurred.
It felt as though only the hill where the divine tree stood had been touched early by autumn and winter.
More and more bark piled up before them, and the elves felt utterly powerless.
One by one, they lowered their heads, eyes vacant as tears streamed endlessly down their faces.
But what use was crying?
All they could do was helplessly watch the divine tree march toward destruction.
Even if the tree before them was not the true Yade Divine Tree, even if the real one still stood within the Forest of Elves...
The divine tree in the Clavenna estate garden was still the pillar of their spirits.
It was still the divine tree they worshipped.
The elves fell silent as storms of dead leaves and brittle branches howled around them.
Then suddenly, a faint green glow flashed through the corners of their empty eyes.
Space began to distort, slowly tearing apart to either side. Under the power of the void, a portal appeared out of thin air.
Ripples spread across the glowing green magic, and a robe woven from leaves emerged first from within it.
Vinia held a slender wooden staff in her hand. The slightly curved top of the staff formed a circular ring.
With light footsteps, she slowly walked out of the portal.
The moment the dazed elves saw Vinia, light returned to their hollow eyes, as though they had found hope.
They hurriedly turned and respectfully called out to her, "High Priestess."
Ever since Cocotte had created a bridge between Clavenna and the Forest of Elves, allowing free travel between the two worlds...
The High Priestess had frequently appeared in the human world.
The moment she arrived, she saw the elves kneeling all over the ground before the divine tree.
The emotional state of her people seemed terrible.
After nodding to the elves, she looked around, trying to understand what had happened.
Suddenly, a yellowed leaf landed on her shoulder, causing Vinia to freeze slightly.
She gently pinched the leaf between her fingers, and it crumbled into ash-like dust in her hand.
A terrible premonition rose in her heart. Trembling slightly, Vinia slowly turned around.
One glance nearly shattered her composure.
Her eyes widened as she pointed shakily at the enormous divine tree shedding bark and branches. Even her lips trembled.
'What… what is going on?'
She had lived for so long, yet she had never once seen a divine tree wither.
No wonder the elves were in such terrible spirits. Now her mood had become terrible too.
Something huge had happened.
Alarm bells exploded in Vinia's mind, and her ears shot upright.
For something like this to happen to the divine tree, there was only one possibility.
It had run out of natural energy.
She immediately cried out anxiously to the elves in a trembling voice, "What are you all standing around for? Go find someone!"
The elves looked at one another blankly, utterly lost.
Who exactly were they supposed to find?
Having lived in comfort and peace for far too long, the elves hadn't used their brains in ages.
Now, when faced with a crisis, they couldn't even remember who they were supposed to seek out for help.
Since the High Priestess said to find someone… then who should they find?
'Oh right!'
'The Lady of Clavenna!'
Realizing this, the elves rushed en masse toward the Clavenna estate.
———
At that moment, two young girls were walking through the buildings of the Clavenna estate.
Zora followed behind Liya, touring the old ancestral mansion of the Clavenna family.
An exquisitely hollowed antique vase stood atop a display platform. Zora carefully examined its craftsmanship and couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.
'What a beautiful vase.'
Zora circled around it, studying it from every angle, while Liya watched her with a smile.
"This is an antique vase gifted by Duke Levi. Not bad, right?"
Ever since Duke Levi's daughter, Erica, became a third-rank mage... The Du Cloy family frequently sent all kinds of rare antiques and valuable treasures to the Clavenna estate.
Liya knew all of this was thanks to Viktor.
So she accepted them without any guilt.
The moment Zora heard the name Duke Levi, she wasn't surprised anymore.
The empire's Duke Levi also cooperated with the Merchant Guild.
Many of the antiques sold by the guild were supplied by him.
No one knew where exactly that duke managed to find so many treasures.
Seeing Zora sink into thought, Liya suggested, "Miss Zora, why don't you stay for lunch at the Clavenna estate?"
"In the afternoon, we can visit the firearms factory in Brighton."
Zora's interest in the vase was instantly replaced by the mention of the firearms factory. She immediately looked up at Liya and hurriedly replied, "Of course! I have plenty of time!"
Now that topic definitely kept her awake.
Suddenly, the estate began to shake violently.
Feeling the tremors, Liya and Zora quickly looked around for the source.
The windows rattled loudly from the vibrations, and the two hurriedly steadied the surrounding vases to keep the expensive items from falling and shattering.
Then the doors were suddenly shoved open to either side, and a crowd of elves flooded into the estate, stumbling and collapsing across the floor.
"Miss Liya, Miss Liya…"
"Something happened! Something terrible happened!"
The elves raised their watery eyes toward Liya, their gazes full of sorrow and grievance.
Looking at the helpless elves, Liya couldn't help feeling puzzled as she hurried over.
"Don't panic. One at a time."
"What exactly happened?"
The elves, who normally lived leisurely lives only needing to generate natural energy, now looked utterly frantic.
Even Liya began to panic, afraid that something truly serious had happened.
At that moment, Zora also walked over beside Liya.
The instant she saw the elves with their long pointed ears scattered across the floor, her eyes widened.
The words burst out before she could stop herself, "Your family actually captures elves!?"
———
Liya followed behind the anxious elves with a grave expression.
She knew Viktor had taken Cocotte to the divine tree.
But now, according to the elves, something terrible had happened there.
Then what about Viktor? Was Viktor in danger too?
The moment Liya heard the news, it felt as though boiling water had been poured over her heart. She urgently urged the elves to move faster.
Behind them, Zora jogged desperately to keep up while staring at Liya's back, feeling increasingly embarrassed.
Halfway there, she thought things through a bit.
Capturing elves was simply too absurd.
Anyone with half a brain knew offending or angering elves never ended well.
Then she remembered the elf Viktor had carried before, supposedly the Elf Queen.
After that, the appearance of elves within the Clavenna household no longer seemed strange.
But just what had happened to make even Liya this anxious?
While she was still thinking, the enormous divine tree suddenly entered her sight.
Zora unconsciously stopped walking and slowly raised her head, staring blankly ahead.
"My god…"
Her mouth hung open, and she nearly lost the ability to speak.
Before her stood countless elves with their backs turned toward her.
Their hands were clasped together, arms folded close as they faced the enormous divine tree with closed eyes, as though praying.
Glowing green energy surged from their bodies, rising into the sky and gathering around the divine tree.
Nourished by these powers of nature, the shattered, collapsing divine tree seemed to don a miraculous radiance.
Sunlight shone down as the tangled golden branches and trunk became wrapped in light.
Bathed in gold, the divine tree now pulsed with waves of glowing green.
The sprawling golden roots became translucent, yet still plunged deep into the hill, overturning the soil.
Under the heavenly light, the golden divine tree swayed gently.
Vinia wore a solemn expression as she raised her wooden staff above her head and chanted a prayerful incantation.
Green light burst from the staff, illuminating the base of the divine tree.
Orderly prayers echoed through the backyard, while the faint glow above Vinia's head gradually flickered and merged into the elven divine tree.
When the prayer ended, Vinia opened her eyes and looked at the divine tree slowly regaining vitality.
She could sense that, for some unknown reason, the energy inside the divine tree had been completely drained.
"This… how is this possible…"
"Hehe, nothing's impossible, right?"
A somewhat playful voice sounded out.
Vinia froze in disbelief. She knew that voice far too well.
She hurriedly looked toward the source.
At some point, Viktor had appeared near the divine tree.
Cocotte was in his arms.
She looked utterly drained, one arm hanging limply at her side.
Slumped in Viktor's embrace like a useless ragdoll.
Yet the expression on her face looked extremely smug.
Seeing Cocotte again after so long, Vinia stared in shock.
"You…"
Cocotte lifted her eyes. The golden light radiating from the divine tree seemed to wrap around her.
Smiling brightly at Vinia, she asked expectantly, "Hm? Did you notice anything different about me?"
Vinia blurted out, "How are you actually awake at this hour today?"
"..."
Originally, Cocotte had wanted to say she had slept for half a month and nearly slept herself to death.
But Vinia clearly didn't know about that.
After thinking about it, Cocotte decided not to say anything after all.
Not because she didn't want people to worry.
She just felt she'd get laughed at mercilessly.
So she shut her mouth and said nothing.
At that moment, Zora stood upon the grass illuminated by golden light, her eyes filled with shimmering brilliance.
The scene before her left her speechless, her thoughts in complete chaos. Waves crashed violently in her heart.
'What exactly… had happened here?'
Subconsciously, Zora searched for Liya, only to realize Liya had already walked toward the divine tree.
Passing through the layers of elves, she arrived before Vinia.
"So… the problem's been solved?"