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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 216
Gripping the handle with both hands, I drove the sword even deeper into the ground.
With about half of the sword buried in the earth, a massive wave of energy spread out from Falling Blossom, radiating a force even stronger than before.
Naturally, the greater the power, the more spiritual energy it consumed…
But for me, the consumption of spiritual energy wasn’t particularly a problem.
“From here on, it’s a battle of time. Please make sure no one touches this sword.”
Rising slowly to my feet, I addressed them.
“All this sword can do is help the World Tree cleanse itself of its corruption. But the balance of power is extremely delicate. If it’s broken, the World Tree will wither and die in an instant…”
The elves swallowed hard.
“Do you understand?”
“The Demon Tree…”
“Yes. I don’t know its exact location, but it has definitely taken root somewhere in this great forest. If we don’t eliminate it, this will just keep happening again.”
There were no elves left who doubted me.
They had been skeptical when I purified the decayed root fragment, but now that they had seen part of the World Tree being cleansed and starting to regain its strength, there was no room left for hesitation.
The elves began to bustle with activity.
“What are you all doing?! Move, now!”
“Damn it! Gather the guards, quickly!”
“Prepare for a search! We must find and burn the seed of evil that dares defile the World Tree!”
Some of the elves rushed out in haste, while Ocelon let out a short breath.
“Thank goodness… truly, thank goodness…”
“We’re not at the stage where we can relax yet.”
“Even so, it’s a relief to see at least part of a solution. Young lord, I owe you a great debt.”
“Lord Ocelon, in that case, may I ask one favor?”
I inquired about Isna’s personal details—she had entered this elf forest.
“Hmmm… an outsider… After things got serious, we expelled all outsiders… but I’ll look into it just in case.”
Even now, I wasn’t certain.
Isna had definitely been here.
But where had she gone, and what had she done?
What was she thinking?
After many of the elves left, only a few remained deep at the roots—including myself.
I sat silently on the ground where the sword was embedded, arms folded, eyes closed.
For now, I needed to focus here.
“The World Tree is a powerful being. Even with treatment, it takes time.”
So someone had to remain stationed here for the time being.
I simply closed my eyes and monitored the situation.
A considerable amount of time had passed since I activated Falling Blossom.
Outside, the late night sky was dark and deep.
A large number of elf guards were scouring the forest in search of the Demon Tree.
At first glance, their intense reaction might seem excessive based solely on my words—but signs of the Demon Tree, previously unseen, had started appearing all over the forest.
Fortunately, it seemed the Demon Tree was still focusing on the World Tree and hadn’t sent out bait yet.
But when it began to run low on strength, it would surely release bait to feed.
Judging by the current circumstances, if the World Tree continued to regain strength, it might even be able to drive the Demon Tree out on its own.
The elf guards who had initially stood tense while protecting the roots seemed to be easing up a little as they observed the World Tree steadily stabilizing.
“Young lord, I brought you some food.”
Triana, smiling brightly, had brought me food served on a large leaf—gathered from the servants and maids of the Treeguard family.
“Oh, is this elven preserved food?”
“Yes. I made it myself a long time ago.”
“It’s delicious. If things go well, could you pack a few for me?”
At my request, she nodded cheerfully.
Luna had asked me to bring some elven food. I suppose this counts.
I tossed the snack-like preserved food into my mouth and stared quietly at the World Tree when she asked:
“That sword is really amazing. I never thought it could even heal the World Tree.”
“It’s a bit temperamental, but it’s capable.”
“Pffft. That sounds like how you’d describe a living child.”
“It’s not far off.”
She laughed brightly, amused for some reason.
“Then, will that sword listen to others?”
“Probably not.”
“It was so cool. The way it changed in response to your words…”
She chattered excitedly, saying it was one of the most fascinating things she’d ever seen.
Unable to endure the stillness, she went on to share stories from her childhood.
Triana was one of several candidates for acting as a vessel of the World Tree, and she spoke of everything she had gone through since being designated as a candidate at a young age.
As I sat quietly, adjusting my energy, I listened silently—partly because I was curious about elven life.
It’s not often I get to hear such things.
Despite the late hour, none of the people standing guard showed signs of fatigue.
They simply stood, tense, watching the gradually recovering World Tree, unwilling to miss even the smallest change as the viscous substances slowly faded.
Then it happened.
From the slowly receding slime-like substance, a strange ash—resembling volcanic residue—briefly spread and then dissipated.
“Young lord Leon! The corruption is growing!”
At the same time, the previously receding corruption began to rampage as if gaining strength.
The atmosphere was different than before.
“Y-young lord! What’s going on?! The corruption suddenly…!”
“The World Tree’s power is still recovering. If corruption is worsening despite that, it must mean the Demon Tree is growing stronger.”
In such cases, there was only one answer, so I asked to confirm.
“Lord Ocelon, have you heard from the elves sent to search for the Demon Tree?”
Ocelon tried to contact them using spirits, but his face turned pale.
“Some of the guards aren’t responding! I clearly told them to report the moment they found anything…”
Just then, even before his words ended, a root of the World Tree moved on its own and touched my hand.
“World Tree?!”
Light burst from the healthy root of the World Tree, resonating with me.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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And through that resonance, something poured into me.
Could it be the World Tree’s memory?
Within memories racing at tremendous speed, a hidden space revealed itself.
And then I saw it—a natural cavern squirming with violet tentacles.
And within that cave, a beautiful tree, pulsating with life.
A tree so beautiful and sacred-looking, yet I had seen it before.
Paradoxically, the most corrupted tree often wears the most beautiful appearance.
The World Tree is asking for my help.
It wants me to destroy the demonic tree.
But I have no obligation to fulfill the World Tree’s request out of loyalty.
Still, something was certainly bothering me.
The violet tentacles spreading out around the demonic tree.
Even just looking at them sent a sharp, disturbing chill through my entire body.
An instinctive revulsion screamed at me.
That—that is related to the Red Moon that once spoke to me.
The World Tree’s roots, which had shown me these memories, returned to their original place.
At the same time, a commotion erupted near the outer passage connected to the deep part of the roots where I stood.
“What’s going on?”
At Ocelon’s shout, an elf cautiously entered from outside with hurried steps to report.
“It’s… a horde of grotesque slimes is advancing throughout the forest. Their numbers seem overwhelming, so the elders have been urgently summoned…”
Slimes may sound weak, but not the higher-tier ones.
High-tier slimes can be extremely dangerous entities.
I’ve encountered various slime types in the Labyrinthos, and some, like the Lord Slime, were as large as mountains.
Of course, most of those enormous ones were likely hunted down after devouring everything in sight just to maintain their massive forms.
The first to react was the head of the Romila family.
He grabbed his bow and dashed outside faster than anyone else.
Ocelon followed suit, arming himself.
“You all stay here and guard Lord Leon. No matter what happens, do not allow him to be disturbed.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Lord, we’ll handle what’s happening outside. Please focus solely on treating the World Tree.”
“Understood.”
Having issued his commands to the elite elf guards, Ocelon grabbed his bow.
“Father!”
“Triana. You stay here as well.”
In an instant, only a few remained while most of the forces left.
Compared to just moments ago—when elves had been moving about busily—it was now strikingly quiet.
“What on earth is happening outside…?”
I couldn’t just say “wait and don’t worry.”
The demonic tree shown to me by the World Tree had grown significantly.
And now, a sudden slime invasion?
There were too many suspicious elements to make any assumptions.
The elves guarding this place stayed tense, weapons in hand, alert for any threat.
“Don’t worry. This is the deepest part of the World Tree. Unless all the defense lines of the Mother Forest fall, it’s impossible for anything to reach here.”
“In normal combat, variables always arise.”
After saying that, I slowly rose from my seat.
Then I pulled Triana toward me in an embrace and stretched out my hand.
BOOM!!!
At that moment, part of the ceiling collapsed, and a horrific, slimy substance began to pour down.
THUD!!
A shockwave of aura burst from my fingertips, stopping the slime from covering Triana, but some of it scattered and splattered across the walls of the cave.
Ssssss—
“Wh… What the hell!”
“Is that… a slime?!”
“It looks similar to a slime, but it’s a byproduct. Everyone, stay on alert and summon the spirits!”
The elves immediately went on guard, but no one could tell where that slimy substance had come from.
No—was it even a slime in the first place?
It felt like something even more vile.
Staying here idly no longer seemed the best option.
“Miss Triana, keep your eyes on that sword. The World Tree will continue to heal as long as it remains active. But if it’s interrupted and the sword loses its activation, the healing will stop.”
“L-Lord, you’re going…?”
“There’s something bothering me. I’ll lend a hand.”
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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