Liya had already guessed that among the elves, the one who wanted to see her had to be Vinia.
The elves rarely came looking for her on their own, let alone directly visiting her doorstep.
If something came up, they usually preferred to find Leon first and have him relay the message.
By now, Leon had become a respected instructor among the elves.
After all, the Clavenna family did not raise freeloaders.
The elves were no exception.
And the only person who would make the elves come looking for her directly could only be Vinia.
Vinia turned slightly. When she saw Liya, deep worry showed in her eyes.
"Miss Liya, the matter still hasn't been fully resolved."
Her gaze returned to the divine tree glowing with golden light.
With the elves' assistance, the divine tree had absorbed a great amount of natural energy and recovered part of its vitality.
But it was still far from regaining the brilliance it once possessed.
At this moment, nourished by the power of nature, the divine tree had gradually stabilized. The signs of collapse had already stopped.
Yet golden light still flowed along the thick trunk, and the cracks left across the bark remained clearly visible.
The sunlight was still dazzling, the golden trunk shining brightly.
Countless flourishing branches stretched into the sky, dyeing even the originally clear blue heavens in a layer of gold.
The divine tree stood silently atop the hill, continuously scattering shimmering golden leaves across the land.
One golden leaf drifted into Liya's palm, but the flash of gold quickly faded away.
She raised her head and looked toward the divine tree towering high into the sky.
Vinia turned back toward her again and looked at Liya, whose eyes reflected endless gold.
"I originally hoped you could invite Lord Viktor back. I thought perhaps he might have a solution."
This divine tree was different from the one in the Elven Forest, but it was still the elves' home all the same.
Viktor had once brought a burned divine tree back to life. Surely he could solve the problem of this one as well.
But who could have expected that Viktor had been inside the divine tree the whole time, and had even emerged carrying Cocotte in his arms?
At this moment, Vinia's mind was in complete chaos.
Why had Cocotte become so close with Lord Viktor?
Then another thought surfaced, and she began worrying whether the divine tree's condition had something to do with Viktor.
Meanwhile, Cocotte lazily leaned against Viktor's chest and spoke in a sluggish tone, "Why look for Viktor? Isn't looking for me enough?"
Vinia smiled faintly and glanced at the Cocotte in Viktor's arms.
"You?"
Feeling the obvious doubt coming from Vinia, Cocotte got a little annoyed.
Truthfully, she was nervous too, but she had already bragged about it, so now she had no choice but to go through with it.
"Viktor, I can't move, so you better hold onto me."
Cocotte whispered softly to Viktor in a voice as quiet as a mosquito.
She had no idea whether Viktor could even hear her, but saying it out loud eased her nerves a little.
Green energy surged as the natural power within her body began to flow out from her chest.
It spread along both arms and expanded outward, forming a magic ring blooming with branches and green leaves.
At the same time, beneath Viktor's feet, an enormous and intricate magic formation emerged.
The refined patterns intertwined like flourishing branches, linking together layer upon layer.
Specks of light slowly appeared from within the formation, illuminating the land for miles around.
When the light faded, the surrounding earth appeared unchanged.
Vinia looked around, one eyebrow raised as she fought back a laugh while looking at Cocotte.
But in the next second, as if deliberately slapping her in the face, the ground suddenly trembled lightly.
"W-What's happening?"
Feeling the vibration beneath her feet, Vinia looked confused.
Suddenly, green light spread across the earth, and countless tender saplings burst through the soil.
The elves looked at the newborn sprouts everywhere before them, joy instantly spreading across their faces.
Light shimmered in their eyes, overflowing with hope and anticipation.
Standing nearby, Zora stared blankly at the newborn forest that had appeared in the blink of an eye, greenery filling her vision.
She blinked, then pinched her own arm.
"Hiss... that hurts."
'Wait, this was actually real?'
But this was only the beginning.
ROOOAAARRR!!!
Along with the soaring surge of green energy, a dragon-like roar echoed throughout the newborn forest.
Countless leaves rippled under the sound waves, stirring up a violent storm.
Zora's long hair was blown wildly behind her. She clutched her clothes and covered her ears, crouching down in fright.
'What... what was that sound?'
When the roar finally subsided, she slowly lifted her head and looked toward the sky.
The moment she saw the glowing golden divine tree and the figure beside it, Zora's eyes widened.
Her brain completely shut down, and her vision blurred.
'Holy shit, a dragon!?'
A gigantic dragon woven from chaotic lightning circled through the heavens.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and freezing winds roared.
The entire world seemed swallowed by a dim and oppressive shadow.
Looking at the dragon that had suddenly appeared, Zora felt her body trembling...
In just half a day since arriving in Breston, everything she had seen had already shocked her beyond belief.
'Guns. Fifth-tier mages. Bearfolk. Elves...'
'And now there was a dragon too!?'
This was her first time visiting the Empire, but just what kind of terrifyingly mysterious family was the Clavenna family!?
At that moment, Cocotte, still lying in Viktor's arms, parted her lips slightly and began chanting an ancient elven incantation, "May the will of nature grant me strength..."
"May the love of all living beings grant me mercy..."
"I shall return life once more to the earth!"
"And raise hope into the clear sky, shining across all lands."
[Fifth-Tier Magic: Prosperous Morning Star that Calls Forth Nature's Wish]
The instant her words fell, accompanied by the dragon's furious roar, the giant dragon shot into the sky.
Its body transformed into streams of glowing green energy that surged toward the heavens.
Then, as though it had become an enormous star, it came crashing down toward the earth.
The massive living star carried dense natural magic as it blanketed the land. Its long emerald tail traced a brilliant arc through the sky, filling the entire world with radiant light.
The instant the star touched the ground, it shattered apart.
The terrifying magic that followed the light completely erupted, and a colossal wave thousands of meters high swept through the forest, surging across all things.
Explosive winds rolled over the grasslands, and the delicate saplings grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Tree trunks twisted upward, branches burst forth, and the neatly packed trees covered the entire grassland in the blink of an eye.
Towering leaves blocked out the sunlight above, while rays filtered through the gaps, scattering fragmented patches of light across the grass like shattered glass.
The wind brushed across the elves' cheeks, and light seemed to shine within their eyes.
Looking at the flourishing forest before them, it was as though they could finally see hope for the future.
Zora stood frozen in place, speechless with shock.
The wind flowing through the forest left her refreshed and clear-headed, warmth from nature wrapping around her.
Winter was nearly here, yet this forest felt like the heart of spring itself.
Warmth drove away the cold, and vibrant life replaced dead silence.
While she remained dazed, she suddenly felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder.
Her trembling body steadied slightly. Turning her head, she realized Liya had walked up beside her.
"Uh, Miss Liya?"
"You saw all that?"
A faint smile appeared on Liya's face. Other than joy, there wasn't much shock in her eyes.
As if she had long since gotten used to scenes like this.
Zora nodded stiffly.
Ever since seeing that dragon, her brain had practically stopped functioning properly.
But the moment a contract densely covered in black text and a pen appeared in front of her, she instantly snapped awake.
"What's this?"
Liya curled her lips upward slightly, narrowing her eyes into a smile as she tilted her head and said casually, "A confidentiality agreement, and our cooperation contract. Sign it."
Her tone was light, but to Zora, it sounded unbearably heavy.
"If you don't sign... I honestly don't know what might happen."
The moment those words fell, Zora shuddered violently and hurriedly grabbed the pen to sign her name.
She definitely didn't want to arrive in the Empire one day and then have different parts of her body show up across various countries the next.
Vinia stared blankly at the thriving forest, green reflected throughout her eyes.
Without realizing it, the corners of her lips slowly lifted.
She froze there, as if trapped in deep thought.
Meanwhile, the divine tree stretching beyond the clouds still radiated golden brilliance.
Under the midday sun, golden light flickered softly, illuminating everything in dazzling splendor.
Vinia suddenly snapped back to her senses, opening her mouth in utter disbelief.
She had never imagined Cocotte's strength could be this terrifying.
Staring at Cocotte's face, Vinia even began stammering, "Y-You... although I don't know how you did it, the divine tree still doesn't seem to have..."
"Huh?"
After casting such an enormous spell, Cocotte was exhausted beyond words. She sprawled in Viktor's arms without moving at all.
'Sleepy.'
A gentle breeze brushed through her hair, lifting her green strands into the air.
Even newly bloomed flowers weren't as soft as her long hair.
Hearing Vinia's words, Cocotte struggled to lift her head and looked at her with overwhelming fatigue.
"The divine tree... never died."
Vinia froze at the answer. Looking at the deep and terrifying natural energy pouring from Cocotte's body, she stood there dumbstruck.
She suddenly realized where the divine tree's completely drained energy had gone.
Fusing all the energy of a divine tree into an elf's body should have been impossible.
Even if Cocotte was already a fifth-tier mage, her body should never have been capable of enduring all of that.
But Vinia didn't know that Viktor had already made certain modifications to the divine tree.
The Heart of the Yard Divine Tree, fused with the powers of the Chaos Dragon King and the Storm Dragon King, had perfectly merged with Cocotte's body.
As a result, the heart of the Yard Divine Tree naturally became Cocotte's power.
Through this method, Viktor had allowed Cocotte to complete her "Return to Nature," ensuring she would never again be affected by nature itself.
Because the current Cocotte was already a part of nature.
In the name of Yard.
Suddenly, natural magic burst from Cocotte's body like a raging flood.
It gathered into a bright river and flowed into the divine tree.
The ribbon-like stream of spiritual power spiraled upward around the golden divine tree, all the way to the crown above the clouds.
It was as though some invisible force gently lifted Cocotte's body.
She drifted free from Viktor's embrace.
Floating in midair, the green garments on her body swayed softly in the wind.
An indescribable transcendent aura instantly spread in all directions.
Emerald halos drifted around her body, while a vast robe stretching endlessly like a thousand-mile expanse draped itself over her shoulders.
The river of magic entwined around the divine tree transformed into the hem of her robe, swaying gently.
"Because I..."
"Am the divine tree itself."