Chapter 209 - 208 : Mystery solved
Astarte stood a few steps away from Arthur and the World Tree, her silhouette framed by moonlight, which highlighted her beautiful figure, as if she were not a Demon King but a goddess herself.
The gentle night breeze stirred her long, beautiful hair, while the pale silver glow of the moon painted soft highlights across her elegant features. Even the undead lurking in the distance remained unnaturally still, as though unwilling to disturb the solemn moment.
She spoke without looking at him at first, her eyes fixed on the distant sky.
"Around a few years ago," Astarte said slowly, "the one who sent those holy knights and I clashed."
Her voice carried a faint weight.
"It was a grueling, difficult battle," Astarte continued. "Even for someone like me. But I didn’t lose to that man... even as he used absurd powers one after another."
She remembered it.
Days of combat.
Spells, authority, divine light against death.
"After fighting and clashing for several days," Astarte said, "our battle ended in a draw."
She turned her gaze to the World Tree, her eyes reflecting its fractured light.
"I was badly injured," Astarte added. "Very badly."
Arthur watched her quietly.
Astarte lifted her head.
"That was when I met him," Astarte said. "The previous King of Elvania. The ruler of the elves."
She paused before naming him.
"Zephr Lysindra Lunaris," Astarte said. "Ruler of the elves. Protector of the World Tree."
At that time, she hadn’t been untouchable.
"I was in a very weakened state," Astarte admitted. "Even now, I still think that if I had fought him then, it would have been a fifty-fifty chance."
She smiled faintly.
"Win or lose."
Arthur blinked.
’So even she can be cornered...’ Arthur thought.
"I think he knew that too," Astarte said. "But what baffled me at the time was this—"
She turned fully toward Arthur.
"Instead of killing me, a Demon Lord known as one of the most evil beings in the world," Astarte said, "he proposed a deal."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
"So what was the deal?" Arthur asked.
Astarte folded her arms.
"It was simple," Astarte said. "At that time, the Holy Empire was also attacking the elves regularly, claiming that the World Tree had been bestowed upon them by their goddess and that the elves were using its blessings to perform high-level dark arts."
She shrugged.
"A war was already raging between Elvania and the Church," Astarte added.
"The terms Zephr proposed to me," Astarte said, "were these: I would protect the World Tree and Elvania from the Church until his daughter took over the throne."
She paused briefly.
"And in return," Astarte continued, "he would let me use the World Tree’s power as much as I wanted... to heal myself completely."
Arthur’s eyes widened.
Now everything clicked.
Why Astarte was here.
Why the undead guarded the forest.
Why the World Tree was blackened but still standing.
’She’s their shield,’ Arthur thought. ’And their parasite.’
Astarte’s lips curled into a small smile.
"The wounds I sustained in that battle were not normal," Astarte said. "I was already planning to use the tree to heal myself."
She looked up at its branches.
"But when that opportunity came, and given my condition, I gladly accepted the deal with the elven king," Astarte said.
Arthur frowned.
"But why did he do that?" Arthur asked. "Now, because you corrupted the tree, the elves have already lost the blessings of the World Tree."
He remembered the elves he’d seen.
Weak.
Struggling.
"I’ve seen it myself," Arthur said. "They’ve grown weak as hell."
He gestured toward the trunk.
"I get that he wanted to protect his people," Arthur said, "but the World Tree isn’t something any king would willingly corrupt. No one would intentionally create a weakness for their own race... unless—"
His gaze drifted toward the World Tree.
He didn’t finish the sentence.
’Unless this tree... isn’t the one he truly cared about,’ Arthur thought.
Astarte gave a cold smile.
"You really are a smart one, aren’t you?" Astarte said. "Let me make it easier for you."
She lifted her hand and traced a line through the air, as if outlining the tree.
"The elven monarch was a very clever man," Astarte said. "At the time, he almost deceived me."
Arthur’s brows furrowed.
"What do you mean by that, my lady?" Arthur asked.
Astarte looked at the World Tree.
"The World Tree you’re seeing right now," Astarte said, "has already lost its true essence."
She tapped the bark lightly.
"Its spirit," Astarte clarified. "You could even call it its soul, if that’s easier for you."
She turned to Arthur.
"This tree has only around thirty percent of its original power left," Astarte said.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed further.
’So this is just a shell...’ Arthur thought.
"That shrewd elf, Zephr," Astarte said, "was clever, even by my standards."
Arthur swallowed.
"So do you know where the true essence of the World Tree is?" Arthur asked. "Its true spirit?"
Astarte’s expression flattened, almost bored.
"Who knows?" Astarte said. "And who cares?"
She shrugged.
"The remaining thirty percent was more than enough for me to heal myself," Astarte said. "So I never bothered to find out."
Arthur exhaled.
’Of course...’ he thought. ’As long as it serves her purpose, she doesn’t care where the rest went.’
"What happened to the King and Queen of Elvania?" Arthur asked.
"The last time I met Zephr," Astarte said, "he told me he was going to the Holy Empire..."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, remembering.
"To find a peaceful solution regarding the World Tree," Astarte said. "But he and his wife never came back."
She looked toward the distant horizon.
"I simply kept my end of the deal," Astarte said.
Arthur’s thoughts darkened.
’So they were assassinated there...’ Arthur thought. ’Or something even worse.’
Astarte continued.
"I’ve also heard that the new Queen of Elvania," Astarte said, "is the daughter of the previous monarch. Zephr’s child."
She clapped her hands together lightly.
"So now," Astarte said, "the contract I formed with Zephr has come to an end."
Her eyes glinted.
"Now I can leave this place."