Transmigrating as an Extra Third-Rate Villain

Walking back to the Elven clearing, I used the rare moment of peace to catch my breath and recover.

Although it hadn't seemed like it as I casually walked through his mana cage, it had taken a lot of corruption and energy as I had to strengthen the barriers of the shadow cage to the max.

"...guess I'm back to one arrow."

Seeing the familiar path leading to the World Tree, I quickened to a jog while occasionally scanning my surroundings for any more outlying demons.

Fortunately, there were none around, so after a couple more minutes of jogging, the entrance to the clearing was in sight.

No guards were at the entrance, and it was eerily quiet despite the clearing housing thousands of elves.

Unable to peer through the entrance walls, I went through the entrance and immediately used my eyes to scan the entire clearing... but nothing was there.

Looking through the windows of some huts, I could spot some frantic-looking elves shuffling about and staying quiet the best they could, but there was no one outside the huts.

Looking inside one of the windows, I made eye contact with one of the children before he immediately stepped back and hurried out of sight with a terrified expression.

Oh right... I'm still wearing a mask...that's why, isn't it!?

No demons. No Lily, No main cast members, and no elven fighters were visible.

All that stood in front of me were the abandoned streets and areas of the Elven realm. In the entire clearing, which was as big as the capital city of the human realm, it was just me who stood outside in the empty streets.

Complete silence enveloped the city, and besides the lack of people outside, nothing was out of the ordinary.

There were no damaged buildings, no signs of any fights, and finally, no dead bodies.

My one fight with the demon from earlier did a shit ton more damage than this!

Sighing as I realized that my rush was for nothing and I had put myself in danger for no reason, I strolled towards the trunk of the looming figure of the World Tree, which stood in the center of the clearing.

Peeking inside the shops and food stands scattered around the clearing, I was surprised to see that all the goods were still there despite the lack of people.

"Don't mind if I do!"

Grabbing the elves' local specialty snack, which resembled a snowcone from my world, I continued, slowing my pace every time I took a bite of the snow cone.

The cold, refreshing ice mixed with the sweet and tangy syrup made the treat so delicious that I even stopped for a second to relish its flavor.

With a simple cover made of tree bark, the ice from the snow cone piled up on my head as I held the bottom of the cover at chest level.

As my tongue turned a dark blue from the syrup, I felt the hot temperate's effects wash away, leaving some coldness in its place instead.

Seeing the massive and wide trunk of the World Tree come closer, I took a step back, figuratively and not physically, to reanalyze the situation.

The elves of the realm must have been in a rush as they left all their products and goods in the open.

The only question was then: What were they rushing to get away from?

Looking around the empty, silent clearing, I couldn't see any concerns or latent dangers waiting.

However, I didn't doubt that a battle was taking place right now.

Lily, the elven army, and the main cast members were all gone, so some fight or event had to occur.

The Elven queen must have also alerted all these Elven citizens to hide in their houses; they wouldn't just run there and hide without specific orders.

Or maybe the main cast and the Queen were all coincidentally out on vacation at the same time!? So now, I can enjoy life and forget about saving the World Tree!

"...yeah in my dreams...What would these stupid characters do with me!?"

Reaching the base of the World Tree, I once again scanned my environment, this time finding an abnormality.

Visible to only my eyes, I could see the roots of the World Tree shaking and rumbling every so slightly... as if people were fighting and attacking inside it.

Confirming my theory, I placed my hand on one of the roots, marking its exact spot and coordinating with my eyes.

A second later, when I reexamined my hand's location, I sighed as I looked down and saw that my hand had indeed changed locations due to the vibrations of the roots.

The Elven Queen and main cast must have allowed the demons to infiltrate the World Tree to prevent the outside clearing from being destroyed.

Then, inside the World Tree right now, they must defend the spirit inside the tree from the attackers.

All my questions were answered now... yet I still had a problem.

Staring at the root in front of me, which shook violently for a second before returning to normal, I placed my hand on it before removing it and placing it again and again.

"...how exactly do I get inside this damn tree...?"

Recalling how Albert, the Elven prince, had previously used the spirits to unlock the Elf mansion, I had somewhat of an idea.

But where exactly was I going to get a spirit from?

"Hey bro, I need to borrow your spirit."

"...why?"

"To save the world, you actually need to trust me, dude!"

"Next time you're trying to steal or kidnap something, think of a better excuse, man... this is just sad..."

"..."

Feeling a sudden pressure exertion on my shoulder, I immediately snapped out of my thoughts and tilted my head.

The black cat stood on my right shoulder, licking its paws, once again oblivious to the events happening right now.

Staring up, I could see the branch of the World Tree that the cat had jumped off as it had left some scratch marks.

"...that's at least 25 meters..."

Looking at the black cat, who was now licking its fur, and at the World Tree, a sudden thought came to my mind.

Don't animals count as spirits...?

Both have a conscience despite not being humans, and they both have wills and desires.

Feeling the roots tremble even more, I stared at the cat on my right shoulder for a second.

"You must forgive me... whatever existence you are..."