Reincarnated Elf (??), Following the Mentor's Path
The girl lay on a small bed, breathing heavily, her vacant eyes staring blankly. Her shoulder-length golden hair clung damply to her neck, and she was soaked in sweat. Lips pale blue, she clutched a withered wooden twig in each hand, holding onto them as if they were precious. It seemed she had been bedridden due to illness for quite some time, and if help had arrived a bit later, it might have been too late.
"I'm Reese Klein, the top disciple of Lahab. Don't worry; I won't do anything bad. Just stay still," I reassured her.
Seemingly relieved by my words, the tension in the girl's body eased a bit.
"Advanced healing magic, Goddess's Breath: Twilight Doll," I incanted, summoning the healing goddess behind me. The goddess kissed the ailing girl, extracting the malevolent elements from her body. A faint green light enveloped the girl, gradually dissipating the illness.
Her previously labored breathing eased a bit. Witnessing the improvement, the older sister at the bedside, Kikka, looked at me with concern.
"Mister Reese, is Lulu getting better?"
"The goddess has absorbed all the bad things from your sister. If she rests a bit more, she'll recover. You did well bringing her here," I assured.
"Thank goodness," Kikka sighed, her shoulders relaxing. She collapsed onto the bed as if her energy had been depleted.
Approaching from behind, an elderly man who had been observing the treatment spoke.
"I never thought I'd come across elves twice in my lifetime. Thank you so much, Sir Reese. I won't forget this kindness as the village chief."
"I'm glad I happened to be passing by. If Kikka wasn't in the forest, I wouldn't have noticed anything about this place either."
My encounter with Kikka happened just a few hours ago.
In the years of wandering from one forest to another, even though we successfully repelled the Demon King's army, it would still take a considerable amount of time for the lingering miasma in the world to completely dissipate. In the meantime, while hunting down remnants of aggressive monsters, I devoted myself to mastering miasma magic at the level of the Demon King, using those miasmas.
"Edible... Can I eat this too?"
In the dangerous forest filled with monsters and miasma, there was a girl diligently picking up nuts—Kikka.
"I won't pry into what you're doing, but it's getting dark soon. It's the time when miasma and monsters start to come out. You should head back."
Reacting to my voice, the girl, with a slight shiver in her shoulders, turned around. As if she opened her mouth wide, she stared at my face.
The girl's face, already on the verge of tears, twisted even more when she recognized me.
"Lahab? Are you Lady Lahab...!?"
It seems humans, upon seeing an elf, tend to mistake them for Lahab. Despite not being that small and lacking twin tails.
"I'm sorry, but I..."
Before I could finish, the girl, in a tremendous hurry, ran towards me.
"Please! I have 'Tree Nuts'! Please save my little sister! Even if I wave the 'Wooden Twig,' she won't get better!"
The tearful girl held a handful of nuts, some edible and some not. It was easy to imagine that these were the things she earnestly gathered in the forest.
"Wooden twig?"
"A long, long time ago, Lady Lahab gave us this precious charm for our village. Don't you remember? But, even though she kindly gave us the 'wooden twig,' it's not helping us anymore!"
"Alright. Lahab is my mentor. I can't overlook something she entrusted. Guide me to your sister."
Over the past decade, I've come to realize something. Lahab, claiming to wander the world with her late husband's shadow, had undoubtedly left an indelible mark on people's hearts. If it was something Lahab protected, I, too, had to inherit it. It was just as I made this decision.
●●●
"Meeting Lady Lahab was about 50 years ago. I was still very young back then."
The elderly village chief spoke, gazing at the wooden twig Lulu held dearly. Fifty years ago, I was in a state of emptiness after losing Minoru. Meanwhile, Lahab continued her journey.
"At that time, Lady Lahaba was the one who saved me from a high fever. Not only did my fever completely recover, but she also handed over that small twig as a protective charm."
The twig was a branch of Yggdrasil, emitting a magical energy somewhat similar to the homeland's. Yggdrasil's Ancient Tree, a representation of all elves, continuously emitted life force eternally. Even a single branch could prevent mild illnesses and calamities, and items made from its wood wouldn't deteriorate even after 100 years.
"That twig had a mysterious power. Placed near the sick, the disease would miraculously disappear. Placed near the weak, they'd suddenly regain vitality after a few days. The twig Lady Lahab gave us truly became our guardian deity. ...Until a few years ago."
Over the decades spent with Minoru and the subsequent decades after his death, the branch we planted in our living area gradually increased its vitality.
"Even though it's a branch, I've never seen it wither to this extent. There's hardly any magic left. It's literally just a twig."
"Indeed, it lost its vitality a few years ago. Lady Lahab did mention, 'It may not last long.' Even though we were prepared for that moment, it has finally arrived."
"Lahab?"
To my question, the village chief nodded. He murmured, as if struggling to remember, while gazing up at the ceiling.
"Yes... Lady Lahab mentioned something like 'the lifespan of the homeland's trees is drawing near.'"
The lifespan of Yggdrasil's Ancient Tree...?
Even that ancient tree, a fixture since my birth, has a lifespan. As I looked at the Yggdrasil branch, now devoid of any power, a sense of melancholy washed over me.
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