Ismera hugged me and began to sob uncontrollably.
It's a bit funny to think this in such a situation, but today is truly a remarkable day.
An elf bowing her head, an elf begging desperately, an elf expressing gratitude and apologies, an elf kneeling down, an elf performing a dogeza, an elf revealing her true feelings, an elf crying her eyes out.
To witness all these rare sights at once—any one of which would be difficult to see in a lifetime.
I wanted to make a joke about it, but Ismera was crying so bitterly that I decided to just gently pat her back instead.
After crying for quite some time, Ismera finally sniffled and pulled away.
"Are you done crying now?"
"Yes. I feel much better..."
"Then get up. Let's head back."
As I tried to support Ismera and help her up, she suddenly grabbed my hand firmly.
"What is it?"
"Mister, would you... like to take a bath with me?!"
"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
When I stared at her blankly, Ismera gazed back at me before suddenly recoiling in shock.
"Did I just say...?"
"You asked me to take a bath with you."
"Eek?!"
She jerked her hand away as if mine were burning hot iron and scrambled backward on her knees.
After retreating quite a distance, Ismera looked at me with a dumbfounded expression and shook her head vigorously.
"I must be crazy... Have I lost my mind..."
"Considering your usual self, you do seem a bit crazy."
"I'm sorry... I was too caught up in my emotions..."
"It's fine. Stop apologizing already. My ears are getting sore."
I smiled, approached her, and helped her to her feet.
"What exactly does bathing together mean to elves anyway? Nierta gave me some serious warnings about it."
"Nierta did? What kind of warnings...?"
"She told me several times to absolutely refuse if any elf asked to bathe with me, to be careful. Said it was all for your sake."
"For my sake...?"
Ismera tilted her head in confusion.
"I don't really know either. Oh, by the way, do you know what the Oath of the World Tree is?"
"The Oath of the World Tree?"
I told her the related story.
When other elves were flirting with me, Nierta had driven them all away with a stern attitude, asking if they had forgotten the Oath of the World Tree.
Then she continued to warn me to be careful around other elves, saying it was for Ismera's sake.
"I asked, but she wouldn't tell me, and Linus didn't seem to know either. I'm curious."
There was no answer, so I looked over to see Ismera hanging her head.
"If it's some kind of clan secret, you don't have to tell me."
But Ismera wasn't refusing to answer.
More precisely, she was speaking, but muttering so quietly I could barely hear.
"The Oath of the World Tree... Nierta, for my sake..."
"What did you say?"
Then Ismera stopped muttering and slowly raised her head.
Her mouth was half-open as she stared into space.
"Are you okay? You look like your soul has left your body."
"Mister..."
Ismera turned her head toward me stiffly, like a broken doll.
"There's somewhere we need to go. Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
Ismera didn't answer but grabbed my wrist and started running.
The place Ismera took me to was deep inside the Great Forest.
Suddenly, an enormously large tree appeared in my view with an overwhelming presence.
Its circumference was so vast it seemed like an entire apartment building could fit inside—truly an absurd size.
This was the World Tree of Tiraelen. The one the elves were willing to die protecting.
Although only the base remained after it had completely burned down ten years ago, it was still truly magnificent.
"Why are we here all of a sudden?"
"Shh."
After looking around carefully, Ismera pulled me toward the lower part of the World Tree.
There was a long vertical crack in the base, wide enough for two carriages to enter side by side.
"Whoa! What is this?!"
I exclaimed in surprise as we entered the World Tree.
There was a forest inside.
Illuminated by moonlight streaming through the open ceiling of the tree trunk, it was a forest.
Trees similar to those outside grew densely, and I could hear the calls of mysterious night birds.
A forest within a tree. A world within a world.
"This is your World Tree. Why did we come here?"
"There's a pond. We'll wash there."
While I was admiring the scenery, Ismera grabbed my wrist.
"Wait a minute. Is this really okay? An outsider bathing inside the elves' World Tree seems like... I don't know, sacrilege."
"It's fine. It's to fulfill the Oath of the World Tree."
"Hmm, I feel like I've become part of something here. Shouldn't you first tell me what this Oath of the World Tree is?"
"Ah, you're right."
Ismera realized her mistake and released my wrist with an expression of sudden realization.
"I'm sorry, Mister. I was so nervous that I acted without thinking."
"It's okay. Just explain."
"The Oath of the World Tree literally means an oath made to the World Tree. Humans have a custom of swearing by the river of the underworld, right? It's something like that."
"Then it's extremely serious? What exactly did you swear?"
However, instead of answering immediately, Ismera blushed and hesitated.
"The Oath of the World Tree must never be broken. It's a kind of deal or contract. If you break the oath, it's nullified, and that becomes irreversible."
Then, instead of giving me the answer I wanted, she suddenly started saying something else.
"I get it. With the words 'World Tree' and 'oath' together, it's obviously something of great importance. So what did you swear to the World Tree, and why are Nierta and the other elves so sensitive about it?"
"You'll help me keep the Oath of the World Tree, right?"
Unlike her usual cool demeanor, Ismera kept saying only what she wanted to say, as if she were deaf.
"Well, yes. Of course I'll help."
"Then..."
Having received my confirmation, Ismera looked around and said:
"Let's wash first..."
"What does bathing have to do with the Oath of the World Tree?"
"It does...!"
"Well, if you say so, I guess it must..."
Perhaps this is some kind of ritual cleansing before performing a ceremony related to the World Tree.
Led by Ismera's hand, we went deeper into the forest within the World Tree.
What could this oath she made possibly be...
We stopped at a small pond.
Seeing the pond reminded me of the small pond near where I first found Ismera unconscious.
It was when I was desperately trying to evacuate the elves from the burning Great Forest after dealing with the special forces that had invaded.
After somehow persuading and intimidating the stubborn old pointy-eared folks who were determined to die with the Great Forest, a small elf child came running to us, crying.
She said her friend had disappeared while they were fleeing and begged us to find her.
The child who asked for our help was Nierta, and the missing friend was Ismera.
After leaving the elves with Linus, I came to this area and found Ismera collapsed from smoke inhalation.
Back then, Ismera was small and light enough to carry under my arm...
Lost in memories of the past, I only belatedly realized that Ismera was saying something.
Ismera was speaking with her hands raised above her head, as if making an offering to the forest, to the World Tree.
"World Tree. I have come to fulfill the oath I made ten years ago!"
Amazingly, the forest emitted a soft green light in response.
"World Tree! May I fulfill the oath I made ten years ago?"
As if answering, the forest glowed and then dimmed.
What is this... It's truly amazing.
It looks almost... divine.
So this is the World Tree that each elf clan possesses...
I understand why they were willing to risk their lives to protect it.
"The World Tree has granted permission. Now please wash yourself. I have some preparations to make."
With those words, Ismera went off to the side, turned her back to me, and crouched down.
Glancing over to see what she was doing, I saw her rummaging through the small crossbody bag she usually carries.
She seemed to be taking something out.
What Ismera pulled out was a small book.
"Let's see, where could it be..."
Ismera muttered while eagerly turning the pages.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for information on how to handle a situation like this."
Now I could see that what Ismera held wasn't a book but a notebook.
I had glimpsed it briefly when we were preparing for the competition—it was like a personal memo where Ismera wrote down important things she shouldn't forget.
It was densely filled with notes on academy administration, theoretical subjects, and so on. When I first saw it, I thought you could probably find almost anything in there, like an encyclopedia.
"Mister. Please wash yourself. We don't have much time."
"Okay. Got it."
I took off all my clothes and entered the pond to wash. Perhaps because it's an elven forest, the water feels especially cool and clean.
"Ismera. What do I do next?"
I asked while sitting in the water after finishing my bath, but Ismera didn't answer.
She kept turning pages and sighing repeatedly, as if she couldn't find what she was looking for.
"What should I do..."
Ismera began anxiously biting her nails in confusion.
This was a behavior I'd occasionally seen when we were preparing for the competition—she tends to act this way when she feels she hasn't prepared thoroughly enough.
"What are you looking for? And do I need to stay here like this? You should tell me something."
At that, Ismera suddenly looked up.
"Ah, I have a good idea. I'll go outside for a moment."
"Suddenly...?"
"I'm going to seek advice from the Elder. She's also my mother. She'll have sufficient wisdom about this."
"Wait, Ismera! You made me wash and now what are you trying to ask about?!"
I rushed out of the water to block her path, and Ismera screamed, covering her face with both hands and turning away.
"Listen. Tell me exactly what this Oath of the World Tree is. Otherwise, I'll run through the Great Forest just like this."
"Ah..."
Ismera hesitated before finally revealing everything.
"I swore to the World Tree... that if I ever met the person who saved me and my clan again, I would offer everything to them..."
"What? Everything?"
"For example..."
Ismera's face turned bright red.
"Things like the purity I've been preserving until now..."