NOVEL WEB Chapter 1410: Yggdrasil's Gratitude
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"Worry not, my child. I am not troubled at all by their manners. Never did I care about such formalities to begin with. Now lift your head and face me, you're my precious child, not a servant."
"A-Ah…"
Elfriedden felt flustered as he lifted his head, facing Yggdrasil herself, as tears poured from his eyes.
"I never thought you would be revived, Mother Yggdrasil… I am so happy to finally be able to speak with you, and gaze upon your beauty."
"I never imagined I would be practically revived either, my dear son, but here we are. It could have never been possible without their help."
She looked at us with a gentle smile.
"Thank you for what you've done… from defeating Mammon who was pretending to be the King of Elves, to saving the last Elves from their terrible fates, and even vanquishing Fafnir, a monster whose power went beyond anything I ever faced, and of course… thank you for reviving me. Your heroic act of kindness has shown me that this world, despite the crisis it is facing, still has hope. You're all Legendary Heroes at this very moment, and we, the people of this continent, will forever be grateful to you, and all your descendants and your families."
My friends gasped in disbelief, no one could even say a word as they were amazed, shocked by her divine presence beyond measure. Yggdrasil was not only bright looking, but her power was the real deal. She was definitely stronger than my friends, although she was never stronger than Fafnir, hence her defeat, and as a result, she's not stronger than me either…
But I shouldn't be really thinking about that.
"Thank you for your kind words," I said, smiling. "I hope we can count on you as an ally from now on. The world is still in peril. Although this continent might be safe for now, the demons continue their large-scale invasion at the north of the central continent."
"I am well aware of this world's peril…" Yggdrasil closed her eyes and nodded. "You will naturally have all my support, but it will take some time for me to fully regain my strength… However, I will continue purifying this continent and once it's fully healed, I might regain it all or perhaps become even stronger. You didn't just revive me; you gave me new power entirely. Merging with the wood of that girl, Erika was her name? Has completely rejuvenated my entire wooden structure, my roots and even my sap is now overflowing with youth."
"Y-Yes, I am Erika…" Erika nodded. "Well, I am honored I could be of help… Heheh…" She giggled nervously.
"I see you're all nervous, please don't be, we are speaking as equals now. I will be forever in your debt," Yggdrasil smiled motherly. "If there is anything you would want to ask me, go ahead. I will do everything in my power to help."
"Then…" I spoke first. "Could you help me speak with the elves, tell them of our victory, your revival, and also about the territory I will be taking? Also, probably tell them that the surviving lizardmen shouldn't be octracized, they'll be under my wing now."
"B-Blake! Can't you speak a bit less formal with her?! She's a goddess!" Elfriedden panicked as he heard me speaking so directly, as if ordering her. "And what do you mean with the surviving lizardmen?! We should quickly get rid of all of them!"
But…
"Of course, I have no problems with that," she nodded, glancing at Elfriedden. "My child, I know your resentment against the lizardmen runs deep, but their leader is dead, and most of their population is gone. Those that survived were mostly mothers and children, or whatever eggs were left. Those that sought chaos, killed and destroyed are now gone. Lizardmen are smart like humans, but their minds are easier to influence and manipulate as they grow much faster than us, and therefore, gather less wisdom and experience in life before reaching adulthood. They need someone to guide them into a new path."
"W-Wha…?! But Goddess Yggdrasil, the lizardmen were the ones that almost killed you, and killed everyone…! Every single one of them should-"
"That's enough."
"Eh?!"
Elfriedden felt an immense pressure over his entire body, it was from her.
"You will not bring your hatred into my palace. Lizardmen as a race are pure as humans and elves, individuals or groups do not define an entire species. Everyone in this world is born innocent and free of sins. I value all life, and lizardmen, just like elves, were born in these lands since the most ancient times. I remember their tribes taking care of me before Fafnir was born. They loved nature, and even lived alongside your kind… but such ancient times are probably now forgotten, aren't they? Please, for me, have patience. And believe in them."
"…"
Elfriedden remained in silence for a moment, contemplating what he just heard, before nodding and standing up once more.
"Yes… I understand Mother Yggdrasil. I will… trust your words, as our divinity, mother, and guardian. It is true that lizardmen were once our friends… I remember reading about that, hearing from Rosen… perhaps resentment has clouded my mind."
He really changed quickly, huh? Maybe I should use Yggdrasil to convince him of something every time he starts acting stubborn or begins to complain annoyingly.
"Now, before you depart, I must tell you something…" sighed Yggdrasil, glancing at… Eric? "Could you please come to my side, you?"
"M-Me?" Eric looked around. "W-Why me?"
"You might not know this, but you're related to Fafnir, son," Yggdrasil said. "I can feel it within your blood."
"To Fafnir?!" Eric gasped. "Me of all people?! W-What?!"
Eric didn't even know what to say or even how to react…
But yes, she's not wrong.
I remember something I read, a book by Eric from his ancestor, from an expedition to this continent.
An expedition where he visited Yggdrasil, the elves, and even the lizardmen tribe protecting the great tree hundreds of years ago.
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