Level 1 Strongest Sage ~

“Woods of Yggdrasil?...”

If Yggdrasil was here, then this place must be Alheim. However, I didn’t know any forest like this.

Alheim was supposed to be surrounded with wide grasslands, with pleasant breeze passing through them.

I don’t remember any eerie forest like this.

Even Yggdrasil itself felt evil for some reason.

“What, you even lost your memory about this forest?”

“Memory… Ahm, may I know who wiped my memory?”

“It’s Yggdrasil. Think of it as a miracle that you’re still alive despite losing your memories.”

Yggdrasil stole the memories of elves?

Was there such a thing?

“Dairon…Mr. Dairon.”

“Dairon is fine. What is it?”

“G-Got it. Then, Dairon. Why are you here?”

“It’s probably the same as you. I came here to get the fruit of Yggdrasil.”

“Fruit of Yggdrasil?”

“My son Sairos is afflicted by [Vimris Disease]. I led my subordinates to this place in order to find the cure.”

Vimris disease is an illness exclusive to elves, and those who catch it die within a few months of getting the disease.

This was the only disease that could make the elves, who lived for thousands of years and were highly resistant against illnesses and curses, succumb to death.

However, Vimris Disease had already been eradicated by the time our era came. All the elves had possessed antibodies against the disease.

“The patriarch of Clindair folks caught Vimris, didn’t he. You probably came here to get the Yggdrasil fruit to make the cure.”

I see…

Alright, let’s go with that background story.

According to Dairon, his comrades also came here. Unfortunately, the monsters of the Woods of Yggdrasil attacked them, and Dairon was the sole survivor, apparently.

Upon closer look, he also had a lot of wounds here and there.

“Dairon. You already lost all your friends. You won’t give up on the fruit of Yggdrasil?”

“Of course! My son will be the future light of the elven tribe. I had to save him no matter what it takes!! Besides… I don't want to waste the lives of my subordinates who followed me.”

His eyes were blazing with determination.

He didn’t have the slightest desire to run away, despite being all alone.

“...I understand. I don’t have my memories, but allow me to help you get the fruit of Yggdrasil.”

If I get myself killed here by the monsters of the forest, I could return back to my former world, but Leaffa’s dad — my father-in-law, if you will, was about to die, so I decided to help Dairon.

“I see… Then, let me rely on your power and luck, having survived this far despite having amnesia, Ernol.”

“Yes.”

Afterward, Dairon and I headed towards Yggdrasil. I asked him a lot of things about the elves and Yggdrasil, using amnesia as an excuse.

The Yggdrasil of this era was an existence that didn’t allow people to approach it. However, Sylph, the personification of Yggdrasil, was a just Spirit King who befriended humans.

If Sylph was there, I would be able to negotiate with her so that we could get the fruit of Yggdrasil, but she was still in the middle of being reborn.

During the period of a hundred years until Sylph was reborn, with elves as start, all races of people weren’t able to approach Yggdrasil.

However, it was said that it was only during this period that Vimris disease, which was fatal to the elves, began.

“Your memory will get stolen if you approach Yggdrasil, is that it?”

“Yeah. You won’t even know what you are doing, or why you’re here, before you get attacked by monsters. Those who got it worse even forget all they knew about combats, so they can’t even retaliate before being slain by the monsters.”

Y-Yggdrasil’s that terrible!?

Was it that kind of dangerous tree!?

It’s growing like normal in my backyard…

Oh, I also gave one to Miu.

Should I get it back?

“If your memory’s going to be wiped off, then how will you search for the fruit?”

“Yggdrasil issues something like a trial for those who wish to obtain the fruit. Those who passed will get the fruit, but — “

“If they fail, they’ll lose their memory…is that it?”

“That’s right. You probably failed once, too.”

Oh…

So Yggdrasil’s doing something like Sphinx, huh.

“Even so, you’re still lucky. You lost your memory, so that means you managed to climb up to Yggdrasil.”

Ahh, I see.

Dairon lost his comrades in this forest.

For the elves of this era, Yggdrasil wasn’t something they could go to at ease, and barely reaching that tree was already a major struggle for them.

I supposedly made it all the way to Yggdrasil.

Well, I could just go with the amnesia pretense to say that I didn’t remember what the trial was.

“Very well. I don’t remember anything about the Trial of Yggdrasil, but I believe I can fight alongside you.”

Even if Evil God’s curse made me transmigrate, I could still remember the sword skills I learned during my time as the Guardian Hero.

I could even recall all the techniques taught by Tina perfectly.

Moreover, this elf’s body seemed to have been forged well, and a sword made of mithril, the material favored by elves, hung on my waist.

That’s why I was confident I could fight.

The problem was the kind of trial that Yggdrasil would make us do.

I cannot let Dairon lose his memory.

He’s Leaffa’s grandpa, after all.

I had to clear this trial no matter what in order to save Sairos, my father-in-law.

Aside from that, there’s also another reason why I needed to protect Dairon.

He was a very important person for the elves, after all.

Just what kind of test would that Trial of Yggdrasil be?

Dairon and I made our way through the forest while I contemplated those thoughts.

　──＊＊＊──

“Ernol, you’re really strong.”

The closer we were to Yggdrasil, the more powerful the monsters who attacked us were, and there were more of them. However, they didn’t pose any problem for Dairon and I.

“You too, Dairon. You’re the strongest elf I’ve ever known.”

Well, not as strong as Sairon, though.

Then, it’s probably —

“Dairon, you told me that all of your comrades had been annihilated, but that isn’t the case, is it? You didn’t bring anyone with you in the first place, right?”

There’s no way such a powerful guy like him would let his entire team get massacred without saving them.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah, so you saw through me… Yeah. I came here on my own.”

…As expected.

“Sorry. I got the feeling that you would help me if I told you I couldn’t give up because my comrades died. I apologize for lying to you.”

“It’s fine. I also have some things I cannot say to you.”

“I see… Is that related to your strength, Ernol?”

“Well, that’s right.”

It seemed that he didn’t doubt the matter about my amnesia.

“Is it alright for me to assume that you will continue helping me in getting Yggdrasil’s fruit?”

“Yes, I don’t have any problems with that.”

“Thanks. It’s a change of topic, but will you be willing to work for me if we successfully got the Fruit of Yggdrasil? I maybe like this, but I’m still the chief of our tribe. We can also provide enough compensation to Clindair, and in the first place —”

“Do you plan to unify the entirety of the elven race?”

“H-How did you know that!?”

Sairos was the first elven king who united all the elven tribes that had been scattered all throughout the land. He established the Kingdom of Alheim underneath Yggdrasil.

Even the little children in Alheim knew his name, because it was recorded in the elven history records.

I also took a princess of Alheim as my wife, so I studied the history of her kingdom to some extent.

“I wonder why? However, I believe that if it is you, Dairon, then it is truly possible.”

Actually, rather than possible, I was positive he could, given that I already knew he would accomplish it.

“If we successfully obtained the Fruit of Yggdrasil, I will ask one favor from you.”

I had to die and break this curse and return to my former era.

The current me couldn’t rely on my gut feeling or intuition.

And yet, I got the feeling that everything will somehow work out, and Dairon promised to help me later on.