“Lady Krone, if I humbly may, could I tell you a story of my past?” the knight asked.
“Of course. I’d like to hear it,” Krone replied.
“It’s a story from many years ago, before I was tasked with a mission within Lord Arshay’s castle.”
“Do you mean within the Demon Lord’s former territory, when the former royal capital was still standing?”
As she quickly added on the bit of the royal capital, Marco looked visibly happy and cheerfully continued, “You see, I actually already had a master in mind.”
“Do you not mean Lord Arshay?”
“Perhaps in a broader sense, one could see it as such. I served Ishtarica. However, I actually had a different master in mind.”
Krone nodded along, but noticed that armor reminded her of Dill. While the young knight served Ishtarica as one of Silverd’s subjects, he was Ein’s knight above all else. Silverd might have been at the top, but Dill’s loyalty lay with someone else.
“Well, what happened to your master?” Krone asked.
“Something happened and it meant I could no longer leave the royal capital,” Marco replied, a touch depressed. “And so, I could no longer tag along with them. A friend told me that he’d spent his final moment with the person he loved. After that exchange, I was left with a handful of words that kept me waiting in the Demon Castle.”
“And what were those words?”
Marco gazed up at the sky as he dug through his memories. “‘If I were to be reincarnated, I would like to a be a Demon Lord that can win against them.’”
Those were the final words his master had said before he left this world. And so, Marco vowed to forever wait in the Demon Castle until that moment arrived.
“A Demon Castle is the right place to wait for a Demon Lord,” Krone remarked.
“Precisely,” Marco said. “The beasts had caused my memories to fade, but I was able to maintain the tenacity that lay deep within my soul. I’d also received a similar command from my captain, and so I continued to wait for that fateful moment to arrive.”
He ended his story. The two stopped in front of the manor of Grand Duke August, though it was more difficult to find remnants of its former splendor. Luckily, the estate sat on the very edge of the World Tree’s trunk. However, the land had been swallowed whole by the tree’s gluttonous roots. Grand Duke Harley was a noble of the highest caliber, while the former duke, Graff, had helped his household flourish unlike anything before. The estate now was a pitiful husk of its former self, and not a shred of its former glory could be seen.
However, one part of the estate remained—the very garden that had changed Krone’s fate forever.
“This is as far as I can go,” Marco said.
“Thank you,” Krone replied. “I’m not quite sure what I can do, but I’ll try to speak with Ein.”
And so, the two parted ways, and Krone walked along the uneven floor to approach Ein’s roots.
“Where should I speak to him?” she wondered.
Should I touch the thick roots that are spread through this area? Krone thought. Or should I lean against the trunk of the tree? Maybe I should climb it a little. Unfortunately, no solution came to mind. Still confused, she walked along when she heard the voices of girls above her head.
“Amazing! Awesome!”
“It’s such a rare creature! So unusual! Amazing!”
“Huh?” Krone said.
Two orbs of light flew about and descended upon her. When Krone peered inside, she could see small humanoids within the light.
“I’m the older sister!” the orb said.
“The older sister?” Krone parroted.
“Yep! I’m her older sister!”
“And I’m the younger sister! Our mama asked us to come here, so we flew all the way to the World Tree!”
I mean, yeah, I could’ve guessed as much that you’re the younger one. Krone wearily gazed at them, befuddled by their appearance. Who are they? What kind of species are they? And who’s their mama? No one was around to answer her questions, and Krone decided to ignore the mysterious orbs and press forward. When she noticed that they followed her, she gave a strained smile.
“Why do you have a magic stone outside of your body?” one asked.
“Come on! Let’s get it out! Out it comes!” the other said.
“Ack! H-Hey!” Krone cried. “Don’t do that!”
The older sister sneaked into Krone’s clothes and took out the small leather bag. “Hey, why are you still alive? I just took the stone out of your body, didn’t I?”
“You’re a strange creature!”
Krone sighed. “I’m a human. Stop talking nonsense and give that back!”
This reply displeased the two orbs of light. They stomped in the air angrily and violently returned the bag.
“You’re a liar!”
“You’re a strange creature and a liar! You’re a liar like the World Tree!”
Krone gasped when she heard the tree spirits mention the tree. “Do you know where Ein—I mean, the World Tree is?”
No one could miss the colossal tree, but she was specifically referring to the location in which Ein was trapped inside. Her presumptions were soon proven correct.
“Yup! That liar’s sleeping over there!”
“Over here! Come on!”
Krone hastily chased after the flying lights. She ducked past some branches and jumped over the vines before she finally was guided to the spot. There was a large hole between the trunk and the roots, resembling a small cave.
“We’re gonna go play!” one of the tree spirits said.
“The World Tree’s sleeping! Don’t wake him up!” the other called.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Krone replied, familiar with this location. “Oh Ein, I didn’t think that you’d be here.”
This was where he’d first met her, and they had a lovely nighttime tea party with Olivia. The seats out on the terrace had fused with the trunk of the World Tree of Gluttony, but she could see Ein seated on one of the chairs, fast asleep. The roots that grew out of his sides stretched over to the World Tree’s trunk. The terrace was covered entirely by roots and vines as glistening fruit hung overhead. It was as if they were in something of a hidden base with a breathtaking, mystical view. As she sat next to her beloved, she noticed dozens of star crystals rolling around her feet. She smiled as she gazed at him.
“Ein,” she called out.
She brushed away the hair on his forehead and placed her hand over his. She sandwiched the lucky charm in between them and vehemently prayed for his return. A pale-blue veil surrounded them.
“Why don’t we continue from where we left off that night?”
She recalled what she’d seen from the castle’s balcony and looked up at the night sky, praying that she could somehow be of use to him. The sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars, and Krone’s beauty was unlike anything else.