Elder Bardi spoke in a low, trembling voice.
"My granddaughter, Ra… Railen…"
The elder could not bring himself to continue, and I could not bring myself to speak as I struggled to hold back my grief. He slowly closed his eyes, nodded, and stroked my shoulder as he spoke.
"You have returned home after so long, yet I am giving you bad news first."
I stared blankly at Elder Bardi and spoke without realizing it.
"Could it be that the Supply Unit's area of operation was changed, or…"
Unaware of what was going through my mind, Elder Bardi gazed at the cloudless sky and let out a deep sigh.
"The Supply Unit members found her too late… They said they wove a coffin from flowers and held a funeral for her."
He handed me a ring woven from blades of grass.
The grass ring I had given Railen when we were children had faded from how long she had worn it, and it was stained with blood. The sight of it did not merely tear my heart apart. It left my chest numb.
I steadied my breathing as much as I could, forced a bright smile, and slipped the ring Elder Bardi offered me into my inner pocket with a trembling hand.
"You have grown so thin. Railen used to say that you were the most handsome man in the world…"
The moment the name of the woman I loved left his lips once more, the elder's eyes reddened. I smiled brightly and spoke to Elder Bardi.
"You also look very tired, Elder. Thank you for protecting the World Tree…"
"You have endured a great deal every time you served in foreign lands."
"It is nothing."
…….
Elder Bardi and I said nothing to each other for a while. He patted my shoulder once more and spoke.
"I must go through Subspace now and bring back the other members."
"I am sorry for taking up your time."
"Not at all. King Hellorn will give a speech tonight, so once it is over, eat plenty of the food from home that you have missed and get some proper rest."
I rose and bowed silently to the elder. Elder Bardi nodded, summoned a Subspace with mana, and headed somewhere else. I stared blankly at his back before trudging away wherever my feet carried me.
The temple I had not seen in so long.
The houses clustered together atop the trees.
The gardens blooming brilliantly all around.
The swing made of grass where Railen and I had played as children of the same age.
The training ground where my seniors in the Guardian Unit trained every day until the dirt beneath their feet was ground into fine sand.
And beside it, the makeshift training ground used to cultivate members of the Special Operations Unit.
STEP, STEP.
As I walked slowly, taking in my surroundings, Lake Ellar soon came into view. Flowers of every color and the trees surrounding the lake danced beautifully in the wind, as though oblivious to my heart.
TRUDGE. TRUDGE.
I slowly walked toward the lake. Countless varieties of flowers were in full bloom around it, but a single white dandelion caught my eye.
WHOOSH.
At that moment, the dandelion seeds scattered into the sky and flew over my head.
Dandelions were Railen's favorite flowers…
In the spring when we were twenty, shortly before we underwent the Spirit-Summoning Ritual together, I had once asked her why she liked dandelions most when they were so common.
She had cupped the round dandelion puff carefully in both hands and shyly answered that she liked them because they were common yet hardy, and though they were hardy, they became gentle when they scattered in the wind.
As she crouched there gazing at the dandelion with a pure white smile, her hair streamed in the wind.
When countless dandelion seeds rode the wind into the sky, wandered through the air, then slowly danced back down, white snow began to fall in the radiant spring.
That delicate scattering shook my heart with fierce intensity.
TRUDGE, TRUDGE.
I sank onto both knees and carefully cupped the dandelion she had loved in both hands.
The Dragon bastards roamed outside the World Tree killing the Spirits, so the number of people able to summon a Spirit during the Spirit-Summoning Ritual at their Coming-of-Age Ceremony at twenty continued to dwindle. In my generation, only six people had summoned a Spirit. Even among them, His Highness was now the only one still alive.
Like the others, Railen and I had failed to summon a Spirit during the Spirit-Summoning Ritual.
Heartbroken that she had failed to summon one, she had wanted to join the Guardian Unit and protect the kingdom like her father and mother. But without a Spirit's power, she had no choice but to choose between the Covert Operations Unit and the Supply Unit.
She chose the Supply Unit.
She said she liked brave people who protected the kingdom, so I underwent Ranger training and joined the Special Operations Unit, whose members were selected through training alone.
Perhaps that was where everything began to go wrong.
I joined the Special Operations Unit while undergoing Ranger training because I wanted to impress her…
When the senior member of the Special Operations Unit who possessed a Spirit's power turned two hundred and twenty-two, retired, and transferred to the Guardian Unit, I became the Special Operations Unit Leader.
Twenty-four years ago, during my third year as the leader.
The leaders and deputy leaders of the Covert Operations Unit, the Supply Unit, and the Special Operations Unit all gathered in Ellar Kingdom for a regular meeting.
There, I met her again after she had become the Deputy Supply Unit Leader.
Twenty-four years ago, I had prayed every day to see Railen again after hearing about the regular meeting. Perhaps the heavens were moved and gave me a gift.
Although we had not seen each other in so long, there had been more tenderness between us than awkwardness. I had wanted to confess my feelings to her in front of this lake, but she learned that day that her parents had died during a mission, so I could not say a word.
But if we endured for only thirty-one more years, Railen and I would both turn two hundred and twenty-two, retire, and return to Ellar. I had intended to shut my eyes and endure for just thirty-one more years…
Now the reason I had to endure was gone.
I.
I had spent longer liking her than loving her.
I had spent longer wanting to see her than liking her.
And.
Perhaps, from now on…
I would spend longer yearning for her than I had spent wanting to see her.
The dandelion I had cupped gently in my hands scattered its white seeds into the wind and flew away. After watching the drifting seeds, I fumbled through my inner pocket and gazed at the bookmark made from a single dandelion.
This was the dandelion she had held so carefully when she was twenty…
It no longer carried any fragrance.
Before I realized it, my vision had blurred.
It was not as though I did not understand.
Everything I had held back until now was finally bursting free.
Once the tears began, they poured out beyond my power to stop them.
Like dandelion seeds scattering wordlessly in the wind.
***
TAP TAP.
SHAKE, SHAKE.
When I slowly lifted my head, the sun was beginning to set.
'Did I fall asleep?'
"Brother! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?"
I tilted my head back from where I sat.
"Nileri?"
"It has been a long time, Brother. Your looks are still something else, are they not?"
Nileri walked over and held out his hand. When I took it, he grunted with effort as he pulled me to my feet.
Unlike the lively, mischievous Nileri I had seen twenty-four years ago, he now wore only a faint smile. I looked him up and down and spoke.
"You seem to have filled out somewhat."
"Hahaha! You look exactly the same, Brother! As expected, you’re the second-most handsome man of our generation."
SNORT.
I laughed despite myself at the absurdity of it.
"And Norqui is first?"
"Of course! Everyone is equal before Brother Norqui. Well… Ah, now you are the third-most handsome man of our generation."
SNORT.
"Who is it besides Norqui?"
"His Highness, of course! Isn’t he our future?"
Hahahahaha.
Hahahaha.
"Nileri, His Highness may be of the same generation as us, but is there not a considerable age difference?"
"What?? Have you spent so long in Human society that you have started calculating generations the way Humans divide them? We’re Elves, remember~?"
Nileri and I looked at each other and laughed. Then Nileri stopped laughing and spoke to me with a forlorn expression.
"I don’t know how to begin… About Sister Railen, I truly…"
"Enough."
"Still… Both you and Sister Railen had only thirty years left until retirement…"
"I’m fine. I’m in the Special Operations Unit, so I am accustomed to death."
"Is the work in the Special Operations Unit manageable?"
"Well… I live a busier life than you do with that insane musical of yours."
"Brother!! It has artistic merit, you know?"
"What artistic merit…."
"And I earned quite a lot of gold coins thanks to that musical."
"Ah~ I know. I respect your tastes."
The mood had been held together by forced smiles, but I spoke coldly.
"Did you hear about the traitors when you returned?"
"Yes…"
"Did they discover which bastard revealed Railen's location?"
"According to the investigation conducted by the Covert Operations Unit, she was not killed by a Dragon."
"She may have been weak without a Spirit's power, but she was still stronger than Humans and could contend evenly with those who had received a Dragon's Blessing. Moreover, even the Humans from the Magic Tower who use magic wield weaker magic than we do, do they not?"
Nileri watched my expression and spoke slowly.
"It was difficult to bring myself to tell you this, Brother…"
"Tell me."
"Sister Railen's ears had been cut off."
For a moment, my chest throbbed as though it were being torn apart all over again.
For an Elf to die with their ears cut off meant they could not hear Lady Hairi's voice when they returned to nature. Was that not the most humiliating death of all?
Humans could not possibly know our culture, so it could not have been a Human who dared subject the woman I loved to such a disgraceful death. Dragons knew the culture of the Elves, but if one of those bastards had killed her, its distinctive, viscous mana would certainly have remained. There was no way the Covert Operations Unit would have failed to detect it.
Ignoring the pain around my eyes, as though the blood vessels within them were bursting, I muttered.
"Those sons of bitches who sold out the kingdom! What about the Investigation Unit? Railen must have exchanged information with them."
"They say they were not traitors."
"They were not traitors? Are you certain?"
"You know that His Highness received the power of a First-Generation Spirit, correct?"
"Yes. I heard."
Nileri seemed lost in thought. He sighed before answering.
"They say His Highness used the Spirit's power to look through the entire past of every member of the Guardian Unit and the Investigation Unit."
"So that was how he could be certain when he killed the traitors in the Guardian Unit and the Investigation Unit."
Nileri hid his sorrow and forced a bright expression.
"His Highness is looking for the Supply Unit Leader and the Special Operations Unit Leader. King Hellorn will also give his speech before the banquet, so let us hurry."
Nileri and I walked in silence until we reached the crowd gathered around the World Tree.
MURMUR, MURMUR.
Loud, cheerful voices filled the area near the World Tree altar where I had arrived that morning.
Had there ever been a day when so many people gathered together so warmly in Ellar Kingdom? I gave awkward smiles and silent bows to everyone who greeted me, returning each greeting in turn.
At that moment, Elder Philn called out in a booming voice from atop the altar.
"Now, the Spirit King enters!"
STEP, STEP.
King Hellorn, who protected us Elves and the World Tree, walked onto the altar with dignity and grace.
THUD.
Elder Philn lowered himself onto one knee and led the greeting.
"May Nature bless you!"
Everyone gathered below the altar, including me, lowered themselves onto one knee and shouted.
"May Nature bless you!"
King Hellorn's robes billowed as he cried out.
[O Spirits, O Mother of Nature! May you comfort them.]
White and blue delphiniums slowly bloomed in the air around King Hellorn. The flowers swayed gracefully above us before drifting down onto our heads.
FLUTTER.
FLUTTER.
As blue petals and white delphinium petals touched my head, my heart grew peaceful and warm. Tears slipped from my eyes before I realized it at the king's heartfelt consolation.
King Hellorn called out to everyone in a warm, gentle voice.
"More than tens of thousands of words, I simply wished to let all of you know that I am grateful. Every one of you is a flower cherished by the Mother of Nature."
"Blessings upon Ellar Kingdom!"
"May Nature bless you!"
"Blessings upon Ellar Kingdom!"
I looked at King Hellorn and roared at the top of my lungs, pouring all the grief, hardship, and piercing longing that had built within me into my voice.
"May Nature bless you!!"