Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Damage Control
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Vile Breeds' scheme had ultimately succeeded.
Countless supplies were lost, and the core of the mission, the Branch of the World Tree, had been corrupted.
"...Haha."
Pernyan stared blankly at the Branch of the World Tree, a quarter of which had turned black.
Was it over?
Failure, just like that?
Just then, Aria strode forward, forcefully tore apart the remains of the box, and pulled out the Branch of the World Tree.
Then, she summoned a blade of wind.
*Fwoosh—!*
The Branch of the World Tree quivered. A faint scratch appeared where the blade had passed.
"What do you think you're doing!"
*Fwoosh—!*
"I asked what you're doing!"
"Senior, you said this is Sir Hyde, right? Please ask him to cut this for me."
"You want to cut the Branch of the World Tree?"
"Cutting off the corrupted part is the best option. It's the only way to save what's left."
"Save it... you say?"
"Don't underestimate the life force of the Mother Tree. Even if this is just an offshoot, not the main body."
At Aria's assertion, Pernyan glanced at Hyde.
Hyde drew his sword. A sharply honed red aura descended upon the offshoot of the World Tree.
*Clang—!*
"This thing is quite sturdy...!"
"Cut it anyway. You must cut it! Every second counts!"
Pernyan shouted urgently, noticing the black corruption on the sapling spreading ever so slightly.
If they hesitated, the healthy parts would be lost as well.
Once, twice, three times, four times.
After dozens of strikes, the corrupted part of the offshoot was finally severed.
*Sizzzle—* The branch that fell to the floor gave off a pungent smoke.
Pernyan looked at the Branch of the World Tree, which now seemed excessively pruned, and asked.
"Is it okay?"
"The offshoot of the Mother Tree just screamed."
"Screaming means it's alive, then."
He let out a sigh of relief.
"...That was a close call."
He didn't even want to imagine the fallout if the Branch of the World Tree had been completely corrupted and the mission had failed, or how great the financial losses would have been.
"Hyde, are you all right?"
"I am fine. Are you alright, Young Master?"
"Perfectly fine."
He had used a considerable amount of mana to control the golem to its limits, but that was all.
Normally, controlling a golem consumed as much mental energy as it did mana, but for some reason, he was fine this time.
'Perhaps I've grown accustomed to the headaches.'
Indeed, the headaches after controlling a golem were nothing compared to the aftereffects of reading the future.
"By the way, can't we do something about that?"
"About what, and how?"
"Having such a blatantly severed part is like admitting something went wrong along the way."
"It will slowly recover if we plant it... but that's not what you want, is it? There is a way, but it's one you'll really hate, Senior."
"It costs a lot of money?"
Aria nodded.
"Elixirs speed up its regeneration."
"...What a ridiculously demanding thing."
"It's rude to speak of the Mother Tree's offshoot that way."
"She's your Mother Tree, not mine."
"That's true."
This time, she readily agreed.
"So, how are you going to carry this? The box is shattered."
"Don't worry. I had a few extra boxes prepared just in case."
Not knowing the extent of the Vile Breeds' machinations, he had made every possible preparation.
He hadn't expected things to unfold quite like this, but he at least had a spare box for the Branch of the World Tree.
"That's a relief, at least."
"Yes, at least there's that."
For now, cleanup was the priority.
"Let's go up. We need to assess the damage and get things under control."
"Yes. I'll lift you up."
"Wait."
Just before stepping onto the spirit's wind, Pernyan's gaze fell upon the severed branch on the ground.
"Why are you suddenly picking that up?"
"It's still an offshoot of the World Tree, isn't it?"
Even if it was corrupted, its fundamental nature hadn't vanished.
'Who knows. I might be able to get it purified by making a request to the Dragon God Cult.'
With such massive losses, he had to recoup them somehow.
"Then why are you taking those chunks of what used to be a demonic beast?"
"They might be worth some money."
"Those hideous and disgusting things?"
"An object's value depends on the person."
Pernyan took out a container from his subspace, placed the two pieces of the World Tree's branch and the chunks of the demonic beast inside separately, and finally ascended to the surface.
***
Up above, it was utter chaos.
The sudden collapse of the ground had swallowed half the campsite.
Pernyan had created a foothold immediately after the collapse to minimize the damage, but there was still significant material loss and a large number of injured.
The one silver lining was that there were no fatalities. It was truly a stroke of luck.
"Tend to the wounded and salvage the supplies. We're moving the campsite."
"Yes, sir!"
Fortunately, the rain had stopped, but night was falling.
The only consolation was that the members of the merchant group who had come to their senses before Pernyan resurfaced were already in the process of cleaning up.
"I'm relieved you are safe."
"What's the status of the injured?"
"Of the 100 guards, 21 have minor injuries and 12 have serious injuries. Of the 100 workers, 53 minor, 27 serious. Of the 50 elves, 18 have minor injuries. Thanks to the foreman's quick response, there were no fatalities."
"And the wagons?"
"Eight out of ten fell. Five of them are completely destroyed, and their goods are lost. The other three wagons are relatively intact, but many of the goods are lost, so we're checking them one by one."
A dry laugh escaped him, knowing just how immense the losses were. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but it had.
Money, my blood-like money. His heart ached.
"Hyde, send a message. You know what to write."
"Yes, of course."
"Tell them to come as quickly as possible. We can't have any delays in the schedule."
"They've been following us secretly from nearby, so it shouldn't take long."
They were split into numerous small groups to avoid detection, so it would take some time to gather them, but it wouldn't be too long.
"What do you mean?"
Aria, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head.
"Did you anticipate this? Even the demonic beast?"
"I've encountered the Vile Breeds before. I made preparations for this trip, just in case."
Those preparations went beyond simply increasing the number of guards and escort ships.
It was about procuring an identical set of goods. A contingency in case the wagons were destroyed and the supplies were lost.
"So, you're saying..."
"Identical supplies and the same number of guards and workers will arrive as soon as possible. Then we'll just swap everything out and continue the trade mission."
Fortunately, the elves only have minor injuries.
"...When exactly did you start planning this? If nothing had happened, wouldn't it have just been a loss?"
"They are all valuable goods that will sell well anywhere. It's not a loss."
He had gotten the hint from the Prophecy Book.
He couldn't tell if this was the original future or if it had changed due to his intervention. But at least for the sake of his family, this was the right answer.
Pernyan met Aria's gaze.
"So, Aria. You should remember this too."
"Today, for us..."
Nothing.
"Nothing happened."
It had to be that way.
That was the correct answer.
Aria didn't respond immediately. She just stared blankly at her reflection in Pernyan's eyes.
Then, she smiled brightly.
"Why should I do that? The damage to the Branch of the World Tree and the problems with the promised supplies and trade mission are clearly Fallenberg's fault, aren't they?"
"So?"
"We, on the other hand, would profit immensely just by collecting the compensation for failure."
Right, that was why. Why this incident had to be kept secret.
To minimize losses and prevent any tarnish on the merchant group's honor and credibility.
"It's never easy, is it?"
He'd hoped the camaraderie from fighting together might get him a free pass.
Pernyan let out a short sigh.
"An invitation to the Yacht Club."
"It's a little small, but I'll be satisfied with that for now!"
After all, we did build some camaraderie fighting together.
"Nothing went wrong with the trade mission. Right?"
"Right. That's it."
Pernyan nodded.
***
Exactly four days later, the trade mission, with its injured members swapped for healthy ones and its supplies replenished to their original state, set out once more.
There had been no problems with the mission. They were merely delayed a bit by the rain.
"It truly happened just as you predicted, Young Master."
"The Vile Breeds would never miss an opportunity like this."
"I will ensure the men are tight-lipped."
"Me too. I have to earn my keep."
Still, there was no need to rush the journey. He had scheduled it with plenty of buffer time to account for such incidents.
"Don't let your guard down until the very end. This might not be a one-time thing."
Especially at sea.
Given their previous antics at sea, he could not afford to be complacent.
"Did you get a good recording with the orb?"
"It was hanging around my neck, so it's quite shaky, but not so much that you can't recognize the demonic beast."
"Good. Make a copy and send it to my father."
"Yes, sir."
The evidence was piling up. But it wasn't enough yet. He planned to gather more, more definitive proof, and then unleash it all at once when the timing was right.
"Unleash what?"
"It's not related to the trade mission, so don't worry about it and get going."
"But it's about the Vile Breeds. We fought them together, after all."
"That sense of solidarity fails to appear when it's needed and only shows up when it's useless."
After that day's incident, the trade mission proceeded without any further trouble and arrived safely in Kaide. However, Pernyan did not set sail immediately.
Even though the preparations had been long completed, he waited because of the Branch of the World Tree.
"There, it should grow well now."
They dug a hole, placed a few elixirs inside, and then planted the Branch of the World Tree.
Nourished by the elixirs and cared for by the dedicated Aria, the branch regained its original form with each passing day.
"...Just how much is this tree worth?"
"The Mother Tree cannot be measured in money. She is worth more than that."
"The elixirs it consumed can all be measured in money."
But since it was still far cheaper than the penalty for a failed mission, he had no choice but to swallow his bitter tears.
"But does it normally grow this fast just by giving it elixirs?"
"Of course not. This isn't growth, it's restoration. They're completely different."
True, if it shot up just from a few elixirs, it wouldn't be the World Tree. It would be a monster.
When the Branch of the World Tree finally regained its original form, they loaded the people and cargo onto three ships and set sail.
They were accompanied by an excessive escort of no less than ten warships.
"I really don't like the sea. It's such a vile and terrible place. I should have known from that repulsive blue color."
However, contrary to his worries, there were no major problems at sea.
Except for the fact that all the elves were reduced to pulp, spewing out every ounce of moisture in their bodies like dried squid.
"So this is why elves rarely venture out to sea."
"Elves and the sea don't quite get along... *bleeghh*... it's true."
"And you still want an invitation to the Yacht Club?"
"That's a separate issue!"
Pernyan took a step back. The droplets that flew further were blocked by his defensive barrier.
"You're splattering vomit. Don't be so unsightly."
"Who are you... *bleeghh*! ...calling unsightly!"
"You're a pitiful sight. You'll have to go back soon after we arrive at the academy."
"I'm not going back... *uurp*! I'd rather go to hell than get on a ship twice in a row!"
The faces of the 50 elves turned deathly pale.
"Ah, speaking of which, Aria. I have a request for you."
"A... request?"
Aria asked back with eyes like a dead fish. Pernyan frowned at the vomit clinging to the corner of her mouth.
"No, never mind. We'll talk after we disembark."
A few days later, the trade mission's fleet docked at the academy's port.
'So far, so good.'
Was this the original flow of the Prophecy Book, or had Pernyan changed the future?
Only time would tell.