Episode 49
-You didn't do it yourself, you were a knight. Yes, that's right. You can't make me laugh like this. The qualities of a clown can be said to be special!
The Demon King's laughter echoed in his head.
As always, it wasn't a very pleasant sound, but paradoxically, it seemed to calm me down.
The fact that he is smiling so comfortably means that the situation is not so hopeless. At least you won't be dissected by the elves who want to pull out the branches of the World Tree right away.
… After a certain amount of time, even that cannot be guaranteed.
When I counted the number of fruits in the basket, it seemed that there were more than thirty at a glance.
I couldn't get out or look outside, but it seemed to be able to breathe, so if I ate one a day, it would be a month. Even if I ate three, I could stay in it for ten days.
They are elves who have lived for so long, so they have no humanity. Is it an exaggeration to think that the number of fruits there also has its own meaning?
"It's meaningless to think about it right now."
I sighed and sorted out the situation.
In the middle of the rainforest. Among them, I was trapped on the tallest tree.
I couldn't just run away recklessly. If I tried to break the wooden wall with an explosion, it would be difficult for me to be unharmed, and I tried to attack the ice spirit, but to no avail.
It wasn't that I couldn't scratch it at all, but it seemed like it would take quite a while to break through the wall. And in the meantime, it seemed unlikely that the elves would leave the broken wall alone.
Even if I managed to break through the wall to avoid the eyes of the elves, it was a problem.
It was easy when it was led up by the elves, but if you jumped blindly, no matter how much your physical abilities were strengthened, it would be a height that would kill you.
"Something like flying magic...."
-It's not difficult to tell you, but if your magic level is at your level, the magic will be released before it hits the ground.
I have now mastered some magic theory. Considering the principle of how flying magic works, I could see that the Demon King's words were valid.
There are two main types of spells, commonly referred to as flying magic: one is to lift the body by manipulating the direction of gravity, and the other is to lift the body up with a continuous and powerful wind.
Naturally, the height of inefficiency.
'The old sorcerers whose magic is rotting are uselessly used to set the mood' was the teacher's perception of flying magic.
No matter how many trials I have passed, I have only been able to learn black magic in earnest for a few months.
Naturally, there was absurdly not enough magic to use such ineffective magic. Not to mention that the changes that came as a result of the second ordeal had not yet been felt.
"Huh..."
Now that I've been given free time, I'll have to do the things I've been putting off.
How to use the six arms you have learned so far, and what to do to further develop the power of the ice spirit. … After a few hours of checking the things I have and starting to gather mana.
“…?”
Suddenly, a crack in the tree opened.
It was such a small gap that I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been looking in that direction.
In the midst of bewilderment and joy, it was dark when I looked out through the gap. It was around noon when we arrived at the rainforest, so it was time for night.
"It's killing the scenery..."
It was a spectacle.
A rainforest with endless green trees. The river in the distance and the stars twinkling in the sky. Above all, the breeze blowing through the gaps was cool.
The beautiful scenery seemed to inspire itself and elevate the magical achievement....
“…!”
Something suddenly appeared in the way of view. It looked like a yellow dot on a white background, moved for a moment, and then turned towards me.
I took a step back on my own.
It was only after the gap in the tree widened a little wider that I realized it was someone's eye.
"Shhh."
It was a viruta.
She looked around as if she was wary of someone who was not there, and before she knew it, she walked in through a gap wide enough for people to pass through.
"What, what?"
It was embarrassing.
When I was suddenly locked up, it came in a few hours. And the embarrassment grew even more.
The Viruta came inside and knelt down.
“….”
“….”
The elves are taciturn.
That was something I fully realized through my past companionship. Still, in this situation, shouldn't I say something?
"Hey. Tell me something."
“… Be rude."
“…?”
"Please forgive me for being rude."
"Yes. You guys are a bit rude."
“…!”
"Okay, let's explain the situation now."
The biruta delivered it to me slowly but briefly, summarizing only the key points.
A clue to fulfill a long-standing long-standing wish rolled into my feet, so if it was natural, it was natural. It seems that opinions are quite divided among the elves apart from me.
There are those who aim for forced cooperation by kneading my mind, and there are also those who try to dissect me and separate the branches of the World Tree as I feared.
It seems that there are quite a few people who doubt the remarks of tree searchers, asking whether it is possible for humans to absorb branches in the first place.
And very few of them....
There were also those who regarded me as an agent of the World Tree and wanted to honor me, mainly by tree hunters such as Virutta.
"Please come back to our full form for us..."
“….”
Although each of them had a different direction of action, the impression I had of the elves through Viruta's words was the same.
'Fanatics.'
Even if the method is different, fanatics who dream of using me somehow to revive the World Tree. The elves' obsession with the World Tree seemed to be at all comparable to the Holy Knights' obsession with the cult.
If Viruta knelt in front of him, if he found out that I wasn't as interested in the resurrection of the World Tree as he was in the eyes, his attitude would change suddenly.
'I'm asking just in case, but reviving the World Tree...'
-It's impossible.
The Demon King affirmed.
-The World Tree is a tree that connects the worlds with its roots extending to the demon world and supporting the heavens with its branches. That's not just a word that shows how great the World Tree is. If it is not the demon world, the World Tree cannot take root. And now the demon world...
"It's ruined."
It has not yet been a year since the Hero's subjugation of the demon world ended.
The only creatures left in the demon world are maggots and swarms of flies that feed on corpses, and even the demon king, the master of the world, has died and his soul has been split.
So, according to the Demon King's words... It meant that in order for the elves to fulfill their wishes, they had to rebuild the demon world first before the resurrection of the World Tree.
That was truly ridiculous.
I don't know how the companions of this great hero were formed, but it was the elf queen who is said to have hated the demons the most among the companions of the first heroes recorded in history.
-Of course, just because the demon world is fine doesn't mean it's okay.
If that were the case, the World Tree would have been resurrected before the heroes of the time appeared.
'Then?'
-If you could use a part of the World Tree as a catalyst, you might have succeeded. And the only trace of the World Tree left in the world...
This is the branch I have absorbed.
'Just in case, I ask, when did you get your hands on the branches of the World Tree?'
-Let me see. I don't remember much.
The Demon King said with a shichimi, but in the end, it seemed that this guy's removal of the branches of the World Tree was the reason why the elves had been clinging to the resurrection of the World Tree for thousands of years.
"Hah...."
I sighed.
I didn't feel sorry for him. Apart from the help I received before, they locked me up and threatened my life.
I just realized anew that this guy who clung to me was really a guy who didn't really help the world, and I was worried about what to do in the future.
-What do you have to worry about? It's boring because I'm just looking at it. With such a beautiful prey in front of you, are you going to put up with it?
"What?"
The Demon King took a breath as if he was worried for a moment.
-Although the elves are not comparable to the people of the demon world, they are on the superior side of the Middle-earth. It looks pretty good for you who have no foundation.
No way, what the Demon King is saying now...
-Now that you've come this far, wouldn't it be better to take away the elves?
Elves are long-lived species that live for a long time. Although the number is small, considering the level of force possessed by individuals, it is almost comparable to that of a single country.
Reap such people? If I could, it would be quite reassuring.
"Come to me every day at this time from now on."
Even if the Viruta disappears right away, it is the same as being abandoned alone in this place where there is no connection.
Even if my ideas are irreverent, the ones who can help me are the tree searchers. I don't have any intention of turning into a World Tree and remaining in the rainforest forever, and I don't know if that's possible, but I need to show an attitude of trying to live up to expectations.
The head of the biruta, which had been slightly raised, turned back to the bottom.
The Demon King was just giggling and watching what I was saying. He didn't tell me what to say like Simone did.
Still, since I had that experience, I wouldn't have had any problems with acting. Maybe.
"I'll see how you draw conclusions about me. My conclusion about you will also come out then."
“… Yes."
The biruta escaped through the gap. The gap was closed again, but the narrow space remained like before, and I could look out.
The scenery is always beautiful. But when I looked at it, my heart was complicated.
"I screamed once..."
I relaxed and sat down on the floor.
"What is the reason why you said that?"
-That's simple. You can revive the World Tree.
“….”
That's right.
If I revive the World Tree, the elves who have achieved the Wish of a Lifetime will express their gratitude to me beyond the limit. I don't know if that's enough to be loyal.
Importantly.
"No, you crazy bastard."
-Hahaha!
The night passed with the laughing demon king.
The day passed, and it was night again.
Viruta did not return.
* * *
Somewhere in the rainforest. Next to the lake where the moonlight had set, the densely overgrown trees swayed.
"Uh-huh...!"
A dozen elves were wriggling with their mouths shut, their hands and feet tied, hanging from trees.
It was completely unbelievable that it was happening in the rainforest, which was the realm of the elves, and not anywhere else. However, the other elves watching it didn't care at all as if they were familiar with it, and focused on memorizing the spell.
The magic circle drawn on the floor glows and sways according to the spell. The hanging elves writhed in pain.
“… Tree searchers."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Above the voice reciting the spell, the sound of words echoed from all directions.
Slowly, someone walked forward.
"Thanks to this, we are close to the secret garden."
As he got closer to the magic circle, the voices that echoed around him faded.
"But."
Eventually, the person standing in the center of the magic circle raised his head and looked at the hanging elves.
"I was polluted while living with humans. Your life will be a pain just by breathing."
"Uh-huh...!"
"Do not be afraid. Is our death not eternal destruction?"
The voice chanting the spell was completely gone, but the light emitted by the magic circle gradually became stronger. Eventually, a light so bright that it was hard to open your eyes came out.
"Wait."
I frowned.
"I don't have one."
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