Power of Runes Chapter 171: Serena’s Emotions

Serena had never been able to connect or communicate with the World Tree before. That ability simply didn’t exist for her—at least, not until that moment when Ash had cut off half of the veins connecting the demonic heart to the roots.

It was then that she heard a voice, ancient and warm, like sunlight filtered through leaves.

For the first time, the World Tree reached out to her.

Through that unexpected contact, she was granted powers far beyond what she had ever imagined—powers that signified her as a true Queen of Elves.

It was a title of immense weight, not just ceremonial, but one that now had substance, backed by strength and will.

By fully receiving the World Tree’s blessing, she gained a multitude of skills. Her entire being was strengthened. Even her Rank rose instantly, leaping from Expert Rank to Master Rank in a matter of moments.

Though the rank meant little to her compared to the World Tree’s presence, as long as she remained close to it, she knew that she would never lack strength.

Among the new abilities she awakened, there was one that stood out the most. A skill that allowed her to detect all forms of deceit and deception, revealing only the unfiltered truth.

It was a skill more valuable than raw power—an ability made for someone destined to lead a people. A Queen must be able to judge not only words, but intentions.

So when Ash had leaned close and whispered those chilling words about killing her...

She instinctively knew.

It was true that if she exposed his identity to others, he would not hesitate to eliminate her. That much was sincere. But the part where he claimed he was still "considering" whether to kill her—

That was a lie.

He had no intention of killing her. Not even for a second.

Her heart began to pound against her chest.

Even though he had just threatened her life, she didn’t feel fear. She should have been trembling, but she wasn’t. Instead, there was something else building inside her—a strange, warm sensation that she couldn’t quite name.

She placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her heart, but it only thudded louder.

She didn’t have a name for the feeling yet.

But she could no longer pretend it wasn’t there.

***

Ash had originally planned to teleport directly to Solareth’s location, but before the spell could fully activate, his mana collapsed mid-transfer, and he ended up reappearing inside the Royal Library instead.

His core was nearly empty now, and he found himself caught in a critical dilemma.

His current mana reserves were nearly empty, and based on his experiences, he knew it would take around half an hour just to fully refill one of his cores.

Ash clenched his fists, frustrated.

In reality, he didn’t want to contact Solareth for help. He had already relied on him many times, and doing so again left a bitter taste in his mouth. But the reality was harsh—there was no better option available to him right now.

There were other ways he had thought of to get rid of the Demonic Heart, but none of them were reliable.

One of the more reckless ideas was to throw the sealed heart into deep space and let it drift forever, completely isolated from the world. But that plan had a fatal flaw.

Ash wasn’t willing to take that chance. The unknowns were too many, and his trust in luck was nonexistent.

But there was one option he hadn’t fully considered yet—Solareth himself.

Being a unicorn, Solareth was a creature of absolute purity. That very nature should, at least theoretically, allow him to suppress the demonic influence of the heart.

Ash didn’t know if it would work perfectly, but compared to launching it into the outer space and praying it vanished forever, Solareth was clearly the better choice.

A sudden realization sparked in his mind.

The Anchor function of his skill was designed exactly for emergencies like this. Teleporting to a set anchor didn’t consume mana. It was a one-time use method, where the anchor would vanish after the jump, but in a situation where his core was nearly dry, it was a lifeline.

Ash had set three anchors previously—one in the Dragon Continent’s hidden Library.

The second anchor was inside the Dragon Treasury.

The third anchor, he had handed over to Serena, for emergencies.

As soon as the thought formed, Ash activated the treasury anchor without hesitation.

His body disappeared once again, leaving behind the quiet stillness of the Royal library.

***

[Solareth’s POV]

"Hohohoho... how very interesting," Solareth chuckled softly, his voice laced with amused curiosity as he gazed down at the small egg submerged in Ash’s blood.

"It’s drinking the blood greedily. Good, very good."

A glint of satisfaction sparkled in his ancient eyes.

"After all, his blood really is the best elixir for beings like us, isn’t that right, Eric?" he asked with a side glance toward the toddler, who had now grown slightly larger than before.

Eric, who was also lapping up the rich crimson blood with delight, nodded eagerly and replied in an innocent tone, "Yes, Daddy!"

Solareth smiled at him but said nothing more. His gaze drifted back to the egg, his expression quietly thoughtful.

Just then, his calm expression suddenly sharpened. In a single fluid motion, his right hand shifted, taking on the form of a gleaming blade.

A burst of violent killing intent surged through the air as his body moved at unimaginable speed.

He had sensed something.

And within an instant, his blade like hand covered in mana stopped just short of slicing the neck of the figure that had appeared without warning.

A thin line of blood traced down Ash’s skin from the shallow cut, barely touching the surface—but enough to show how close it had come.

"You should really consider contacting me before appearing out of nowhere, kid," Solareth said, his voice now filled with cold disapproval, sharp and firm like frozen steel.

Ash raised both of his hands along with the sealed heart, laughing lightly to ease the tension. He removed his mask with one hand and replied calmly, "It’s an emergency."

The words barely left his mouth before Solareth’s gaze shifted toward the strange orb tightly clutched in Ash’s hand—a ball completely wrapped in glowing white chains and sealed with a heavy lock.

His interest piqued immediately, and he was about to question him further when—

"FOOOOOD!!!"

Eric screamed with joy as he threw himself toward Ash like a missile. His small body moved with surprising speed, eyes fixed on Ash like he was the tastiest dessert in the world.

Ash panicked. Without hesitation, he tossed the sealed demonic heart toward Solareth and immediately braced himself, catching the toddler in his arms just in time.

The entire exchange, from near-death to a toddler’s sudden hug, happened so fast that it barely even took a full heartbeat to unfold.

After some effort, Ash finally managed to calm Eric down. The toddler was full of energy and had grown surprisingly attached, but once his excitement settled, Ash got the chance to sit and explain everything to Solareth in full detail.

He recounted everything that had happened. From the demonic corruption spreading through the World Tree, to the real reason why the elves refused to help, even when asked.

He also explained why he had come here so suddenly and why he had no choice but to ask for help again, even if he didn’t want to.

Solareth listened quietly, his expression still and unreadable. He did not interrupt a single word, but Ash could feel the heavy change in atmosphere. That usual cheerful smile Solareth often wore was nowhere to be seen.

Once Ash finished speaking, a deep silence settled between them, until finally, Solareth spoke.

"So you are saying that because of this sealed heart, the World Tree had been in a dormant state all this time... and that is the reason they refused to respond to my request to heal my daughter?"

Ash nodded slightly and replied in a calm tone, "Yes."

His voice was quiet, but firm. He did not shy away from answering, even though he could feel how tense the air had become.

Solareth’s expression darkened even more as he fell into deep thought. Then, after a brief pause, he asked another question, his voice much colder now.

"Doesn’t that mean the demons wanted my daughter to die so badly... that they even dared to corrupt the World Tree itself just to make sure she wouldn’t survive?"

It was a heavy question, and one that Ash had not expected. But from another perspective, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Ash thought to himself, keeping his expression neutral.

But in the end, that was only a guess. There was no solid proof behind it. And so, Ash chose not to say anything more.

"I see..." Solareth muttered after a while, his tone sharper than before. His voice held quiet rage, and it was clear that he had made a decision.

"Leave this heart to me. You can go back now."

Ash blinked in surprise. "What?"

He had come here hoping for some help, yes, but he had not expected Solareth to take the entire burden on himself. He had already relied on him enough in the past. Asking more felt selfish.

But when Ash looked into Solareth’s eyes, any protest he might have had died in his throat.

He saw it clearly. Those eyes were not uncertain. They did not carry the look of someone forced into responsibility. They were the eyes of someone furious—someone who had just been handed the reason behind his daughter’s pain and helplessness.

There was no hesitation in Solareth now. Nothing Ash said would change his mind.

Ash let out a quiet sigh.

***