On the outskirts of the elven village, a small hut was set up.
　The small terrace of the shabby hut offered a view of the open sky beyond the trees. Living in the deeply forested forests of Gellaria, one would have to climb to the top of the trees to be able to see the open sky.
　On the outskirts of the village, Olivier had chosen a spot where he could see the great trees rising up to the sky, and he had built his residence at the edge of the village.
　This is because he thought that if he was this close to the world tree, even without Olivier's magic, the pampered Lulu could come and go freely.

''Besides, I wouldn't feel comfortable in a room that's too big,''

　I didn't really like sitting in the village's conference room, which was awfully stuffy, scattered with designs and in a condescending position. That, and the fact that those chairs were a bit big and my feet didn't touch the floor was also a problem.
　As I was thinking about whether I'd turn that into a round table eventually, or something like that, the small, cozy window in the corner of the room was tapped with a bang.
　As far as I can recall, there is only one drunken person who comes to visit me through the window instead of the front door when the moon is up. When the window, which accepted the moonlight, was opened, a girl drifting in the air invaded Olivier's house without an ounce of reservation.

'-- Olivier, Lulu, I'm hungry, I'm hungry.
　As soon as she was in the room, the wobbly floating girl said brusquely.

'Don't plants just need water and sunlight?'
　In response, Olivier asks a playful question, which I don't know how many times already.

Mmmm, Lulu's favorite food, soft meat. Otherwise, her belly wouldn't be full.
　I still wonder if spirits have five senses, but this mysterious creature that sniffs and grumbles and grumbles its stomach definitely seems to have them.

This smell - today, it's stew. Lulu is the meat, and Olivier is the beans again?

I don't like the smell of animals.

Like it or not, you'll never grow up, okay?

It's my constitution. That's why I can grow up.
　Lulu was looking at Olivier, who was a little girl by all accounts, as if he was priced out of the picture.

'Thousands of years more, Lulu doesn't know how many more years she'll need... haha...'

'Hey, stop with the guttural sighs!　Don't make fun of my hopeful future.
　Lulu mended her expression as if she was realizing something, and then opened her little mouth as it was.

''Well, good luck....''

　After saying that, Lulu gingerly took a seat and devoured the stew on her own.
　Leaving Olivier in a state of melancholy, even mild-mannered Olivier couldn't help but hold Lulu's hand as she began to eat the meal she had prepared.

''Hey, wash your hands before you eat!　And make sure you say "Thank you".

Is that where you get mad?

　Lulu's eating hand stops with a snap.
　Lulu became more or less expressive and obsessive when satisfying her primal needs, so it was unusual for such a Lulu to interrupt her meal.
　But as Olivier, he didn't mean to sound so crazy.

''You don't need stranger words like don't eat your food without permission or refrain from eating it when you're at my house, right?
　Lulu pondered something, with just a hint of confusion on her face.
　Then, she floated a small water ball in the hollow and stuck her hand in it, and immediately dumped it into the watering hole, which she no longer needed.

''Mu........I'll take it.

'Yes, well done. Then I'll eat it now. I have to get big, you know.

"In a thousand years, I hope.

'Watch and see, one of these days I'm going to look back at Lulu with my grown-up charm.
　Saying that, Olivier stretched out his chest, which was not there.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

You're going to be able to eat it, and Lulu will enjoy it. No problem.

What does that mean...?

"Of course, in a s*xual sense,
　Lulu licks lustily at the flesh stuck into the fork.

''I knew it wouldn't have to be big................''
　Olivier couldn't help but look into the predator's eyes as he assessed his prey.

'Even if it is as it is, it is what it is.

'Lulu, let's have separate bedrooms from today, I'm afraid for my safety.

Mm, Olivier, I'm boring.

You're not fooling around, and you should eat it already.

Mmm.

　Olivier rested her mind on the comfort of such a trivial conversation.
　She believed that this kind of everyday life would continue for a long time to come.




◆




　The night had fallen completely, and the village was quiet asleep.
　It is the same serene night as usual.
　Lulu, who is sitting on the small bunk with Olivier, gazes inorganically at Olivier, who is sleeping peacefully, and occasionally touches his hair.

''Hmm........''

　It was Lulu's daily routine to watch Olivier sleep peacefully, with little desire for sleep.
　That's probably why.
　It was Lulu who first noticed the abnormality in the village.

''H----!

　It was as if time had stopped and I forgot to breathe.
　A horrific wave of magical power seemed to rise into the sky, and a thin seven-colored light rudely entered and illuminated the night.
　The light rushed through for just a moment.
　Lulu, who could be said to be the World Tree itself, could feel the unopened door behind herself pulsing as it growled and pulsed right beside her.

''Lulu--?!''

　Sensing something unusual, Olivier jumped up and was about to ask Lulu what the hell was going on. I'm sure there is no one who knows more about this forest than her.
　But Lulu didn't have time to answer Olivier's question.

''What........is this.......moving......why..... ...What the hell...

　An eerie magical force crawling up my spine filled the forest around the door. Olivier's voice, calling out desperately to her, was also somewhat distant.
　You can feel a wave of magic power that carries a faint shade of darkness up close through the great tree.
　A terrifyingly evil negative magical power. That alone is enough to understand that the person is not a favored one.
　It was as if a sharp blade was being thrust at his throat. Lulu, the spirit of the great tree, feels a strong sense of irresistible death.
　The one who would be on the other side of the door - is that much of an existence.

''....................''

What?

Run away, Lulu will buy you time.
　Lulu only had one person to worry about. In any case, Lulu, the spirit of the great tree that had grown roots, couldn't escape, so there was nothing she could do but buy a little time. So, he hoped that Olivier would be able to survive.
　Olivier stops Lulu's hand as she tries to run out of the house as if it were an immediate action once she decided to do so.

'Wait!　This feeling is coming from the door - what's going on?　Tell me!　I'll fight you too!

A door moved, a space connected. Someone's coming from the other side. Enemy!　Absolute enemy!　So--
　Olivier's voice was laced with Lulu, who was now shouting more than I've ever seen her shout.

'---- Then we'll fight together.

Wait!

There's no time for that. Spirit magic - spirit weapons - wind.

　A deep green wind covered the body. The armor of light lifted the small Olivier's body to the sky.
　Lulu's hand, which was stacked as it was, was withdrawn.
　It broke through the window without even bothering to open it and flew into the sky, leaving pieces of broken glass flying around.

''Wait!　Lulu can't win........Olivier can't win either.......

Still, I will fight. I'm the leader of my village.

'No!　--If Olivier is dead, it's no good!

Lulu - I'm sorry, that was half of what happened earlier - I'm not going to abandon Lulu. So I'm going to fight. In fact, this is the truth. You see, when I think about it this way, there's no reason to run away. From birth to death, we are the same. Isn't that right, Lulu?

'Olivier, but ... but ... but ...'
　I pulled Lulu's hand and dove through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the world tree and went directly behind the great tree.
　In the opposite direction of the village, there is a door that has not moved since the beginning of time.
　Even after getting that close, Lulu was still not ready for it.
　Olivier said to Lulu, "Hey, Lulu.

Hey, Lulu. Do you remember?　The day we first met--
　Olivier speaks softly, as if to remind the child.

'I remember. When I was only a small child and had to decay in a forest full of fire and pollution, you and the brave master saved me from everything. That's why I'm here now, and the elven village is here. It was you who brought me back to life when I was supposed to be dead, Lulu. So I'm with you from birth to death. And when we fight, we are together, right?
　Looking into Olivier's gleaming eyes, Lulu sulks and mutters.

'Olivier's, the unknowable.'

Yeah, I know.

If you die, I will never forgive you.

So we have to win this thing.

　From the branches of a large tree, I looked down at the ground below.
　The entrance to the old ruin-like structure could be seen from here as well.
　The seal that had been applied to prevent entry was easily dissipated, unable to withstand the overload of magic power that had just flooded in from within.

　From the entrance of the ruins, which looked like the gates of hell, an illusion of ominousness drifted up from the entrance of the ruins, as if ominousness was drifting with color. In the next moment, the top of the ancient stone ruins exploded.

　With a terrific explosion, the crushed clods of earth turned into dust and filled the surrounding area.
　Behind such a cloud of dust, a circular door that emitted a thin seven-colored light.
　It's a complex and bizarre single door that doesn't even know what or where it is connected to. A strangely graphic mechanical circuitry is shining under the spell. It was probably a magical device, a tool that could be activated by pouring magic power into it, but it was the legacy of a super-ancient civilization that demanded an enormous amount of magic power, so much so that even Lulu's or Olivier's magic power would not be able to function.
　I've never seen a being other than a brave person handle that door that demanded a dragon class magic power. That's why they hadn't anticipated the situation where it would be used from the other side.

''H--!　It's coming....

　Lulu's voice echoed through the tense air.
　Lush lights dotted the shining doorway that seemed to release microscopic particles, and then disappeared.
　From the depths of the fantastic landscape--

"Well, well, well, well, well, well, they've taken all my magic power. But it was a surprisingly simple job...


　--The disaster has been revealed.




◆




　Something standing in front of him was laughing.
　However, due to the creepy mask it wore, the expression underneath was not as if it could be heard. The clown's mask, which was only represented in black and white, was decorated with scars and tears around its eyes. At first glance, the mask appeared to be crying, but one only had to look at the mouth to realize that was a mistake. Its eerily angled lips were the very definition of a wickedly smiling demon.

"Oh my goodness, two lovely young ladies - that's quite auspicious for a lowly creature, are you ready for the welcome party?

　Olivier gave her a look that was a mixture of alarm and hostility.
　Then he laughed in a neutral tone of voice that could not be described as female or male.

I'm sure you're not alone. Well, well, well, well, well, well... I guess that's a very brave thing to do, you don't want to foolishly stand in front of me, do you? Very well, very well, very pleasant. After all, you are the first sacrifice, that's my reward for opening the gates, isn't it?

　It laughed.
　The mask hides its true face behind the mask and laughs with tears in its eyes.
　It laughed in a condescending way, pretending to be elegant, but in fact it was cruel and cruel.

'Oh, what a good day it is!　Our God!　I'm thankful for the luck of this day!　--Now let's create the beginning of the end!

　When Olivier saw this, he understood in an instant.
　There was no point in exchanging words with something that was right in front of him.
　He was convinced that the madness that it wore was something that no human could possibly understand.

Gather round.

　So Olivier threw his voice at her. To all the spirits that exist in this place.
　Pure magic power flooded the surroundings.
　Drawn by such magical power, spirits manifested one after another, and the brightly colored light overwhelmed the darkness and lit up the night world.

　Olivier's race skill (origin skill) as an old ear chief (Ender Elf) - Spirit Garden - allows him to bring all the spirits in a certain area under his control, regardless of their attributes.
　The sheer number of spirits' wills can take a brain-burning toll, but Olivier is able to communicate with them with absolute intent.

Spirit Magic: The Sword of the Four Great Spirits (Elemental Sword)

　Olivier raised his hand toward the sky.
　A mass of light mixed with four colors transformed into a single sword that pierced the heavens and produced a slash that split everything apart.

''Oh dear, oh dear...''

　The next moment, the layer of air was sharply cut off. Without a single movement, the spirit's sword cut through the entire earth.

　The air that has been ripped apart creates a wild air current, and clods of dirt are flying around in the sky in a heap from the broken up earth.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　But--.

　Would you like me to play with you, sir?

　There is not a single scar on the mask that stands behind the dust.

''Oh dear, there's no need to be downhearted, is there?　Your strike, which shaved some of the barrier to reason, was more or less as delightful as it could have been!　Yes, yes, it was exciting. It's funny, funny, I can't help but laugh at the way the weak trudge about in vain.

　The echoing, laughing voice.
　A maddening, laughing voice.
　It laughed, condescendingly, without taking Olivier's full strength in its teeth. Daring to receive it head-on without even evading it must have been to break Olivier's fighting spirit.
　At least, the earlier attack was all-out. It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get a new job.

　However, the result of this is that it only reaffirmed the reality that we all knew was coming.
　A full, satisfied despair blossomed in the back of my mind.

"Hee--

　Olivier couldn't help but spill out at the madness crawling up his body.
　The creepy laughter produced fear. He couldn't help but spill it out when he knew there was no way to face such fear.
　I felt awful and pathetic for myself.
　I was ashamed of myself for letting my weakness out, even though I was the one who said I would fight.
　Just then, I felt a warm touch on my right hand.

"Don't fight without permission, alone. We will fight together, Olivier, I said to Lulu.

　A faint light shines in the dark recesses of my mind.
　My anxiety has not disappeared.
　But I felt a sense of hope filling my heart, which had been on the verge of giving up.

'I'm sorry, Lulu--thanks.

Well, I'll kick your ass.

　The crazy laughter stopped with a bang, perhaps because of the two of them.

''Oh?　What's that?　It's boring. Two trash, even if they get together, they are just trash. It's a face that thinks that friendship, dearness, and fraternity - the things that don't exist - can help you... It's awful and unpleasant.

'I've never given a d*mn about your feelings in the first place. That was a warning. I didn't get a chance to ask you about it, but could you please go home quietly?　This place means a lot to us.

Oh, my goodness. What's that?　What's that?　What's that?　You're ordering me around?　A lower life form giving me orders?　Fufufufufufufufufufu--You make me laugh so much, don't you?

Well, then - keep on smiling - Lulu!

　Under Olivier's magic, Lulu unleashed an attack from the earth.
　Stinging like thorns, the roots of the giant tree with its overwhelming mass were wielded like a whip. A deadly weapon that couldn't even be touched just for the sake of touching it, struck with a force approaching the speed of sound.

　But the whips of the multiple large trees were in that time of blinking - they had exploded with a sound of impact.
　It was a wild attack.
　But the masked enemy didn't make a single movement.
　Instead, a large man appeared right beside it before I knew it, wielding a huge battle axe with unstoppable divine speed.

''Oh dear. It was ordered by the king of the world to keep things as quiet as possible.