Chapter 14: [SIDE] Meanwhile, In the Elven Kingdom (3)
About three months after Lydia left the giant tree.
Inside a splendid office within the royal palace.
Veronica stared grimly at a stack of documents.
They detailed temperature changes across the Elven Kingdom.
‘To think so many days of low temperatures would continue like this.’
Over the past three months, the temperature had dropped sharply.
Rain had also been scarce, and as a result, crop growth was worse than it had been in recorded memory.
‘At this rate, even the autumn harvest will be affected.’
As irritation built within her, the door opened and Gilbard entered.
“Hey! At least knock before coming in!”
She snapped, causing Gilbard to flinch and mutter, “Sorry.”
Ventilating her anger left her feeling slightly better, and when she asked what he wanted, he spread the documents he had brought across her desk.
“The scholars have been investigating temperature data from various regions and discovered something. According to them, the current conditions aren’t abnormal—it’s just that the past ten years were unusually warm.”
The papers he brought showed temperature comparisons spanning roughly thirty years across different regions, clearly indicating that the past decade had been exceptionally warm.
“And it’s not just that. River flooding and pest outbreaks are the same. The last ten years were unusually favorable, and things are simply returning to normal.”
Many were claiming that the blessings of the so-called “Priestess of Abundance” had faded, and requests were pouring in from all over the country for her to offer prayers.
Veronica clenched her back teeth hard.
Naturally, she had no such power.
This abundance existed only because her sister Lydia was confined within the magic spring.
As she thought that far, a realization struck her.
Could it be that her sister Lydia had done something within the magic spring?
She turned to Gilbard.
“You’re the one holding the key to the Silent Giant Tree, right?”
“Huh? Yeah. I definitely have it.”
“Have you been there recently?”
“No. I haven’t been since ten years ago.”
Gilbard’s expression suddenly changed.
“Could something have happened to Lydia?”
Veronica shook her head.
“They say elves sealed in there never suffer illness or injury.”
“…Then could she have escaped?”
Veronica glared at Gilbard in irritation.
“Even I couldn’t escape when I tried! There’s no way that scatterbrained woman could manage it!”
“…That’s true. Lydia was scatterbrained, and overly kind as well.”
Gilbard muttered in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
Veronica let out a sigh.
“If she hasn’t escaped and hasn’t died, then this is simply real abnormal weather. In that case… well, it can’t be helped.”
She rang a bell and summoned the chief apothecary.
A middle-aged elven man entered, looking visibly nervous.
“Um, what do you require?”
“Is there any of the fertilizer Lydia made ten years ago still left?”
“Y-Yes.”
“How much is there?”
“…If we use it to address the current poor harvest, probably about half a year’s worth.”
“Then distribute it as ‘the blessings of the Priestess of Abundance.’”
The chief apothecary fell silent.
Veronica fixed him with a sharp glare.
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m the one giving the order.”
“…Understood. I will carry it out as instructed.”
The chief apothecary bowed deeply and left, his face twisted with strain.
Veronica pondered the situation.
Past abnormal weather had always settled once the seasons changed.
Half a year should be enough.
“There’s no need to worry.”
She dismissed it lightly.
And then, several months later, she would learn that Lydia had escaped from the giant tree.