I had a dream.
A happy dream.
A dream where all missions have ended, and I'm together with my companions.
Visiting the elf village where Elaine lives, having a beer with Ein among the boisterous dwarves.
The gallant figure of Melissa teaching knights, the image of Saintess Elena praying in a huge temple flashes by.
And me, wandering the beautiful Astria continent with them.
My image living as a girl of the Astria continent, receiving all their affection, not with the strange memories engraved in my soul.
If everything had flowed normally, how would I have lived here?
If I still had the holy sword, wouldn't I have done something like being an adventurer? Or maybe the emperors of the Alpharion Empire and Betarion Empire would have given me a position. Looking at it that way, would wealth and honor follow even if I don't desire them?
And among their figures, there's a red-haired beauty.
I smiled.
"Wow, it's unnies."
Someone who always looks at me with loving eyes.
Someone who makes my heart tickle.
The gaze looking at me along with Elaine.
The warm eyes of two people.
If Chris unnie was with me in the old days too, I think I would have lived really happily.
Of course, even now.
Elaine is in front of my eyes, and Chris is here.
The affection of two people, similar but in slightly different directions.
If I live receiving these, I can be happy.
In this world, the Astria continent.
"I have to leave."
Along with Elaine's cruel words.
My happy dream was suddenly dragged down to reality.
I was engulfed in doubt.
Why?
"Why... Why?"
Elaine's face wavers. No, is it my eyes that are wavering?
Why are you making that expression?
Why? We finally met.
"That's providence. The dead must return to the cycle of reincarnation. The old reincarnates and makes way for the new. ...But because we couldn't do that."
Does she mean a new priestess wasn't born?
Elaine raised her eyes and looked at the green spheres circling around.
"They have borne the burden for far too long. The World Tree priestesses, now spirits. For a thousand years, they've watched over the elves in this distorted world without returning to the cycle of reincarnation."
And lowering her gaze, she looked at my face.
"At the same time, they've spent too much power protecting the World Tree from the influence of the Tree of the Abyss. The power for us to exist in this world as spirits has now reached its limit."
She stroked my head quietly with a regretful expression.
"But thanks to Rain, thanks to you who remembered and came back even after leaving this world, they can now lay down their burden."
I don't want this.
"With this, World Tree priestesses will be born again, live, and new spirits with new connections will take their place here. It's returning to the original cycle. ...Me too."
I desperately shook my head.
"Don't go. Okay? I only have Sister Elaine now. I, I worked hard, right? We just met again, ugh."
My vision blurs.
No. I can't see her face.
"Rain, Rain. A kind and timid, but at the same time strong child. Rain, the hero who loves this world."
Elaine's hand caressing my face. Its sensation is gradually fading.
No.
"Now, don't you have a world you should live in? Don't you have someone who cherishes you? With Chris, you'll be able to easily block the new threats facing this world too."
Elaine's gaze turned to my side. I looked to the side too.
"Rain shouldn't be bound here. You shouldn't be caught in the past. For your sake too, I must return to the cycle. If I'm here, Rain won't accept a new life. You might live forever trapped in the past, obsessing over this place."
Chris's face looking at me with tears in her eyes came into view.
"Rain..."
"You just need to watch over this world from there. We just need to be remembered."
I don't want this.
Woong.
The green light emanating from Elaine's body intensified.
And that light seeped into my belt.
"It's my remaining spirit power. I hope it helps Rain's path ahead even a little."
Swish.
My arms desperately hugging Elaine's body passed through her.
My hands wandered through empty air.
Elaine's body started floating.
She smiled brightly.
"Rain, please smile. Rain is prettiest when smiling. You'll grant my request, right?"
I forcibly pulled up the corners of my mouth and tried to make a smile.
"This isn't goodbye."
In my blurry vision filled with tears.
"Please live there. Please live happily."
So that Elaine doesn't see me sad at the end.
"Seulbi."
Green light.
The green light emitted by the spirits.
The World Tree was completely enveloped in it.
Rain.
Seulbi.
Kind child.
Strong hero.
Person who loves this world.
This isn't goodbye.
We can meet in a different form.
As long as Rain watches over this place.
As long as you love this world.
The mass of green light filling my vision.
Embracing me one by one and disappearing.
In those warm lights.
I cried out loud.
* * *
When you come out of the center of the World Tree, you can see the entire elven kingdom at a glance.
The stem of the World Tree itself was like a hill.
"Wow."
I let out an exclamation.
Leaves bloomed from the branches of the World Tree that regained vitality. They emitted a gentle green light, fluttered in all directions, towards where the elves live, and flew further away on the wind.
"Rain, look there."
At the edge of the elven kingdom, the boundary between severe cold and blue-green.
The blue-green color of vegetation with life energy was gradually expanding its range.
"It's returning to how it was."
As if in a dream, I watched the elves' forest slowly recovering its environment.
Swish.
A warm sensation was felt in my hand.
A hand slightly larger than mine, firmly grasping my tiny hand.
"..."
I looked up at Chris, who had a pouty expression and looked like she was about to cry.
"Why are you crying, unnie?"
"Sniff, I don't know."
Chris kept wiping her eyes.
I gently pulled my hand away and turned around sharply to look at the beautiful forest.
"Unnie, I'm hungry. Let's log out and eat."
"Rain...!"
Because I turned around, her expression wasn't visible, but I could feel a tone of emotion in Chris's voice.
"Are you hungry? What should we eat? Do we have side dishes left... Should we go grocery shopping? Hmm, should I order chicken for you?"
"Chicken? I'd like that. Today I want to go to the store and eat rather than delivery."
I turned around again with my hands behind my back, looked at Chris and smiled brightly. And filled with anticipation for chicken, the food of the gods, I bounced a few times in place. Chris laughed out loud seeing my reaction.
While we were chatting like that for a moment, we could see a familiar-faced elf quickly moving up and down, climbing the stem of the World Tree.
"Uncle Palman!"
"Hmph, why did you come?"
I waved my hand and greeted him happily. Chris snorted.
Tap.
He lightly flew his body and stood on the stem where we were standing.
Palman looked at me and opened his eyes wide for a moment.
"Hero. ...Your face has changed a lot."
"Huh?"
I raised my hand and touched my face.
What is he saying? It seems the same as usual to me.
I grabbed Chris's sleeve and lowered her head. And I brought my face close to hers.
"Unnie, is there something on my face?"
"Uwa-ah...! Ra-Rain! Too close!"
I looked puzzled at Chris who swallowed hard and closed her eyes tightly, twisting her body this way and that, then turned my gaze to Palman.
"By the way, what's the matter?"
"There's a joyous occasion at home. I'd like you to join us."
Tap tap tap.
Palman's house was very close to the World Tree.
As we approached his house covered in cozy-feeling leaves between the gaps of the giant World Tree's roots, a strange crying sound was heard.
Waah! Waah!
"Ohh."
"It's a baby's cry."
Chris whispered in my ear.
When we entered his house with Palman, on the bed.
"Oh my, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from my husband. Little adventurer."
A female elf with bright green hair was holding a bundle with an exhausted but happy expression.
She bowed her head towards me.
"I'm Palman's wife. Thank you for saving the elves, adventurers from the stars."
"A-ahem. It's nothing."
Chris cleared her throat and turned her head.
I approached Palman's wife.
And I looked into the bundle she was holding in her arms.
A baby.
An elven baby with long ears was in her arms.
I was engulfed in a strange feeling.
This world.
The Astria continent that revealed itself before my eyes in the form of a game.
Even in such a world, life is still being born.
I couldn't help but smile seeing the baby elf.
The hair color of the baby elf with fluffy down-like hair was.
Pure white, like snowflakes.
"Hehe, isn't she cute? She's our princess."
From behind me looking at the baby with Palman's wife, Palman's voice was heard.
"The World Tree priestess whose lineage was cut off for a thousand years. A white-haired princess was born as our child."
I turned my head and looked at Palman.
The male elf who couldn't become a priestess.
He was smiling.
What appeared on his face was pride, emotion.
And, a father's expression.
"Elves have a custom of entrusting the name of their first child to their benefactor."
Palman's wife handed her child to me.
"Would you name our child?"
"Goo-goo!"
I looked at that child who smiled happily in my arms.
-Little Rain? Big Rain? Kuheheh.
-Eek, just Rain please.
-Ein, don't tease our Rain.
-Ow, Big Rain! Don't take Little Rain away!
-That's right! We were first!
-Haah... Melissa, Elena. You're giving me a headache. Let's leave it to Rain's will after she grows up?
-Wh-what are you saying!
-A-ahem! Someone might think we're trying to do something to Little Rain after raising her!
The memory of noisy companions.
In it, I recalled her who always looked at me with a benevolent smile.
Now I'm the big Rain.
I called out the name of that child in my arms.
"Elaine."