My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 323 The King's Gift
"Okay, let's stop here."

"Fram, you can stop now."

"King Thranan's only guest was him."

"You and I, just wait outside."

Cecilia stopped in front of the palace entrance and reminded Flam to stop as well.

Then, Celia looked at Roland and smiled: "Don't be nervous, and don't worry about not finding your way."

"After you pass through the gate guarded by the guards, you will see King Thrann."

"Even for someone like me, the palace is a very mysterious place."

"The palace does not need any guards or servants. The only thing needed is these guards at the gate, who work in three shifts to prevent unauthorized people from entering the palace."

As she spoke, Celia laughed: "Alright, let's go in. I think King Thran has a lot to say to you."

Fram also said, "Roland, go and come back soon."

Roland nodded: "Hopefully, that king isn't a talkative one."

After this somewhat sarcastic remark, Roland entered the deep and mysterious palace gates.

It was another familiar spatial reaction from the teleportation array.

When Roland came to his senses, he found himself in a lush, green garden.

"I never imagined that after thousands of years, when we meet again... it will be like this."

The tall elven man turned around, his handsome appearance, youthful yet dignified, the laurel crown on his head, and the smooth white robe he wore all testified to his identity.

Thran, one of the three Elven kings.

The wise king who forged the two holy swords, Durandal and the Silent Sword.

Roland showed no surprise at what the other party said.

He already knew that he was a big shot in his past life.

To King Thrann's somewhat wistful greeting, Roland simply replied, "You know, I am not the person you know."

Upon hearing this, King Thrann, who was in the garden, fell silent.

After a long sigh, he looked at Roland and spoke slowly.

“I do know… I’ve known for a long time.”

"...I just find it a little hard to accept."

"I know that the person standing in front of me this time won't be the one I know."

"But I couldn't convince myself until I saw it with my own eyes."

"Well, this was his wish all along."

King Thranan shook his head with some regret, then continued, "I don't know how much of the plan you know now."

"So, I don't know how much I can tell you right now."

"Since the boundaries are unclear, I won't say any more."

"After all, I am just an insignificant link in the execution of the big plan."

"Only those who make the plans can grasp this balance."

With that, Thran waved his hand and summoned a high-backed chair woven from branches. He then created a stone table in front of the chair and softly called to Roland, "Please sit down."

"I invited you here this time, firstly to extinguish the last glimmer of hope in my heart."

"Secondly, it is to return to you some things that originally belonged to you."

"The Holy Sword Durandal... This holy sword was originally forged for you."

"It was only because humanity was powerless to resist the Demon King's army back then that I lent it out and made an agreement with that Knight King to reclaim the right to use the Holy Sword after the war ended."

"Now, the time is right... it's time to return it to you."

"And, you obtained this Sword of Silence ahead of time... In short, it will save you a lot of trouble."

"Finally, there's this one."

King Thranan then took out a small stone box.

A stone box, an unusual container.

But the mottled patterns on it and the overwhelming sense of history made Roland realize how ancient this thing was.

"A primordial runestone. Take it."

"I don't know its specific function."

"It is also impossible to interpret its meaning."

“But since it was something you once owned, I have no right to keep it.”

Roland was momentarily stunned as he looked at the holy sword and the primordial runestone placed on the stone table.

Goodness, even the system doesn't give out rewards this casually and generously...

The holy sword, which would normally require considerable effort to extract the location of Durandal from King Thrann and then go through a complex adventure to obtain, was simply placed on the stone table.

It even comes with a primordial runestone of unknown purpose.

Even if it's just returning lost items, it's clear that the Elf King, whose status and strength are equal to those of a god, wouldn't be short of his runestone and the holy sword he forged himself.

But... you summoned me from the mainland just to give me a gift?

Seeing Roland's complicated expression, King Thrann chuckled.

"Don't worry, there will be no extra costs or traps."

"We won't make any difficult requests."

"Like I said, I'm just one part of the plan."

"My responsibility is simply to safeguard the items."

"And these things are indeed inconvenient to hand over to others." "I never underestimate the greed of any intelligent being."

After King Thranan finished speaking, he stood up from his seat and laughed: "Take your things and come with me... Lord World Tree wishes for a quiet meeting."

"If you have any questions, go ask Him. To be honest, I may not know as much as you do."

"I believe that if your IQ is above normal, you should be able to guess some key information by now. You just lack sufficient evidence, which is why you are not confident enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, a grand, ancient gate appeared in the garden with a wave of the king's hand: "Please come in. I cannot listen in on the conversation that follows."

"After your conversation with Lord World Tree ends, you will return directly to the outside of the palace."

"However... if I were you, I would choose to chat with Lord World Tree for a while longer."

"Even if it's just chatting about everyday things, I will choose to prolong the conversation as much as possible."

"Although you are no longer the person I know, as an old friend of your former self, I suggest you listen to my opinion out of consideration for our past relationship."

Roland asked, "What benefits can one gain from communicating with the World Tree?"

"Improvement of mental strength? Stability of mind? Or protection of the soul?"

King Thranan shook his head slightly, revealing a subtle smile: "Neither... but in a sense, it does bring peace."

Roland: “?”

Holding the holy sword and the runestone, Roland walked through the door and found himself in a somewhat familiar place.

"Huh? Isn't this the World Tree Park outside the palace?"

"Why can't we see a single elf now?"

Roland instinctively turned around; logically, the Elven Palace should be right behind him.

But when he looked back, all he saw was a vast, boundless grassland.

【Son of man, do not be alarmed... You have merely entered my spiritual realm.】

Step forward and pause by the lake.

Afterwards, I will apologize to you, simply because you couldn't get the answer you wanted from me.

However, you will also gain more than you can imagine.

Roland followed the words of the World Tree and walked to the edge of the crystal-clear lake, then looked up at the giant tree.

"But you still had King Thranan arrange this conversation."

"Does he also want to hand something over to me?"

[Partially correct.]

I do have something to give you... but I also have some things I want to discuss with you.

"What exactly is the grand plan that King Thrann spoke of?"

"And what exactly am I responsible for?"

I'm sorry, but as I said before, you won't get the answer from me.

But as compensation... I can tell you a story from long ago.

Long, long ago, when the world had just been born, the three creator gods, sensing the dangers in the starry sky, chose to transform themselves into a part of maintaining the world.

One weaves the rules, another shapes life, and the third embodies the boundaries.

Rules shape our inner selves, life creates possibilities, and boundaries become our shield.

The three gods were powerless to resolve the crisis from beyond the heavens and could only leave their hopes to future generations.

[Hoping that beings surpassing them will one day be born in the world.]

They succeeded, but they also failed...

Those who came later indeed displayed unimaginable potential and strength, but they still could not withstand the dangers of the starry sky.

A great war nearly destroyed the entire world, and a flourishing civilization withered as a result.

Just as the world was about to be destroyed, a mortal stepped forward and offered his idea.

Since the world's inhabitants are powerless to deal with crises from beyond the heavens, why not utilize those extraterrestrial beings to resolve the crisis?

The gods granted his wish, but... no one could have imagined that this was the beginning of an even more terrible catastrophe.

Although the formidable enemy has been defeated, an even more terrifying foe has set its sights on us.

This is not the beginning of an end, but merely the end of a beginning.

The war will continue until the world is plunged into eternal darkness...

The World Tree's narration ended there. After a moment of silence, seeing that Roland did not ask any questions, it continued.

You are more composed than I imagined.

I thought you would ask some questions.

Roland laughed: "You seem disappointed?"

"A little." The World Tree admitted its disappointment: "This makes me feel very unfulfilled in my storytelling."

"Have you finished your story?" Roland asked.

Of course not.

But there's not much left.

Unfortunately, the rest... shouldn't be told by me.

The World Tree's voice rang out, and then it continued to summarize.

But I can tell you the ending of the story.

The desolate sea of ​​stars was rekindled with hope because of one person's sacrifice.

Even if it was just a tiny hope... his sacrifice gave us one last chance.

(End of this chapter)