Chapter 302
Chapter 302
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 302
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Uses Magic (11)
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"Marronier."
It was around the time Lee Siheon had stepped out for his morning routine.
Leaving Sansu-yu behind, who was deep in slumber and letting out faint moans, Marronier entered the lab earlier than usual.
"Yes?"
The Sage, already waiting in the lab, asked her.
"How's the research going?"
"O-Of course! This is Eden... Even coming here once in a lifetime is a dream come true for any mage."
"If Blanche is happy, then so am I."
"S-Sage, honestly."
Marronier shyly ducked her head.
The Sage found her utterly adorable.
"Siheon really knows how to pick nicknames."
"Y-Yes?"
"Night Cat."
"Eek."
"Ah, should I teach you a cat transformation spell? Siheon might love it."
"No need!"
Marronier's face flushed beet red. Unlike with Siheon, she had no retort.
"...And things aren't like that with him anyway."
"Oh? Was I mistaken?"
"......It's not those kinds of feelings. Not really."
"Then, about turning into a cat."
"That... teach me later, please."
The Sage was an idol to Marronier—an absolute icon. She couldn't utter a word of refusal.
The Sage turned to examine the results of Marronier's research so far.
The most prized talent for any mage. Even in the Sage's eyes, the genius Marronier's work was impressive.
A National Tree with the class of mage. The pinnacle among France's 65 million Wood People.
"So."
The Sage asked again.
"Have you thought about what I mentioned last time?"
"......"
Marronier fell silent.
Silence settled over the lab, laced with the faint scent of potions.
Air chilled for mana stone preservation.
Marronier fiddled with the insulation switch on her lab coat and cautiously asked.
"You mean... me inheriting your position as Sage?"
"Yes."
"Why... offer that chance to me?"
"Many reasons. Events in the future, risks of betrayal. Whether one can uphold the contract with Sephiroth. After weighing all possibilities, I believe you're the most suitable."
Marronier would become the Sage's direct disciple.
Not immediately, but in a few years, she would assist Sephiroth and protect Eden.
"...Still thinking about it."
"May I hear why?"
There were no shortage of downsides.
Devoting one's life to magic research in Eden was the dream of every mage.
But that wasn't Marronier's dream.
"Well, achieving as a mage would be fulfilling... but being a National Tree is a huge burden too."
"I see. You want a peaceful life?"
Marronier nodded.
Her desires had always been the same.
An ordinary daily life. An ordinary job. Ordinary dating. Ordinary marriage.
A happy family filled with love, a husband, and children who resembled them both a little.
She couldn't give up that romantic vision of life.
"Being Sage doesn't block that kind of life."
"But don't you have to protect Eden?"
"You can still marry. I just haven't found my soulmate yet."
Marronier suspected no man in this world was worthy of the Sage.
She embodied such honor.
She had saved millions of children and civilians alone.
She had even stopped consecutive gate rampages, saving an entire nation.
The Sage had received endless gratitude from that government.
And inheriting that legacy? It was an overwhelming burden for Marronier.
"Then how about just learning magic from me?"
"...Isn't that too good a deal just for me?"
"If you like it, become the next Sage. I'll give you about five years."
It was a pivotal moment.
Even the Sage couldn't maintain life for centuries.
Preparing a successor for the future was the wise choice.
She planned to be fully ready before war broke out.
There were clear reasons for choosing Marronier, closely tied to Siheon.
And her talent was tempting too.
The Sage knew all the world's events and incidents up to now—her thoughts were practically prophecy.
Whether she always made the right choices? Even she questioned that.
But there was purpose in summoning Sansu-yu, Siheon, and Marronier together.
"...I won't refuse the chance to learn."
After much deliberation, Marronier finally nodded.
Her gaze drifted to the magic circle on the desk.
The spell she was developing this time.
With the Sage's guidance and help, it would be the masterpiece of her life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ There is a tree. A tree?
Yes. Not the World Tree... though. 'An intelligent tree.'
Considering it hadn't become a World Tree yet, it was similar to Merry's case.
I had no idea why Flower had a tree with them.
Maybe it was being exploited like the Healing World Tree.
'Can you send coordinates here?'
...One moment. If things go well, we might even snag an artifact. Ah, got it. Shall we head there now? 'No, hold up first.'
I halted Lucy and hid in an alley between nearby buildings.
Leaning against the wall in a relaxed seated position.
Slowly drawing up mana, I shared vision with Woodpecker Lucy.
One perk of spirit arts: sharing senses.
My own talent as a spirit user was abysmal, so borrowing Tree Footrest's power was inevitable. But with a high-grade spirit's help, this was a piece of cake.
-Zzzt.
Tree Footrest climbed onto my shoulder and infused mana, etching a brilliant blue pattern into my eyeball.
Soon, a voice reached my ear.
"All set."
[This should satisfy Lady Sistus. Good work.] "As many kids as possible... Ten should do it, right?"
[More than enough.] Adults in robes conversing with the tree.
The surroundings resembled an old church.
Not just robed figures—numerous others in believer garb stood guard beside the tree.
Things presumed to be tree roots dangled messily from the ceiling.
Sistus.
The name hit my ears, and my brow furrowed.
'Flower confirmed. But why do Flower have trees?'
Wood Person extermination. Dreaming of superior humans. What merit was a tree to them?
I figured at least one tree opposed the World Tree's divine regime.
The world was full of all sorts.
Plenty of oddballs too. Even a person of color eyeing a white supremacist group probably existed somewhere.
"...Mmph."
In the corner of my vision, kidnapped children came into view.
Gathered from other areas too—ten in total.
Tina was among them, struggling with her skinny arms to untie the ropes, to no avail.
Some kids were crying in terror.
"If Lady Kanna finds out about this... we're as good as dead."
[Even if the 'district' is her territory, she won't notice.] 'Kanna. Second petal, right.'
Rumor had it they even fought among themselves over differing opinions.
I listened a bit longer, then judged no more useful info was coming.
[Rest up. We'll meet Lady Sistus tomorrow. Cleanse your bodies for it.] 'Send.'
Understood. I immediately resummoned Woodpecker.
As Lucy returned to my grasp, I activated the artifact clutched in her talons.
Pulling the robe's hood down triggered spatial magic, lifting my body and teleporting me inside the church in an instant.
-Woooong!
The magic circle beneath my feet vibrated as I arrived inside the church.
Naturally, the gazes of the surrounding adults converged on me.
"Brother?"
A man eyed me warily upon seeing me.
The robe's color differed slightly, but the style was similar enough to pass as one of them.
I pocketed the artifact for now.
No telling if I'd need to return here.
"......"
Silent, I scanned the surroundings.
My eyes swept over the nearby robed men and women. The two birds on my shoulder puffed their chests and swiveled their heads just like me.
No one instantly comprehended the sudden intrusion.
But gradually, a man noticed something off and reached into his pocket.
The moment a blade emerged, my hand moved.
"Guh! An atta—"
His words cut short.
My grip crushed his face, grotesquely distorting it.
I hurled him at full force toward the other members.
-Thud!
They failed to brace, and he died on impact.
Lucy's follow-up magic shredded them.
"Wh-Who are you!"
"Intruder!"
A booming voice echoed from across the church.
The moment the commotion registered, priests armed with weapons surged from both sides.
Each one was slightly stronger than those I'd faced before.
Stronger than the priests from Lee Seonghan's academy raid, at least.
The tree wasn't visible yet.
Probably deep inside.
[Wh-What's all the noise?] At the tree's distant voice, I raised a hand to command Lucy.
Dozens of yellow swords burst from the air, stabbing viciously into the ground to halt the priests' advance.
Fifty. Sixty maybe.
Not a small force.
I tapped my bracelet, materializing a staff in my grasp.
Simultaneously awakening mana, I enveloped my body in it.
The feathers of Lucy and Eleonore on my shoulder blackened in tandem.
[M-Master, what now?] Eleonore, with little combat experience, spoke in a worried tone.
[Princess. Stay calm. Gather your mana.] [Lucy...] Assimilation with spirits went beyond mere sense-sharing.
I could wield the spirits' mana, and they mine.
My mana sensitivity naturally heightened as well.
Now, mana flows were visible to me like dust in the wind.
Who was casting spells.
How much mana each had. All plain as day.
The rest was easy.
I swung my hand.
-Crack!
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Yellow Swords (Dozens Summoned) Blocks advance / First blood drawn
The bright yellow swords, which had only blocked movement before, now tore into flesh for the first time.
Only then did the priests belatedly draw their swords and charge.
Slow enough to yawn at. Magic swept the lot away.
-Ssssh.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Wind Lotus infused with Demonic Qi Distorts space / Black lotus form
Wind Lotus brimmed with black demonic qi.
Normally just arrows of wind mana, but infused with qi, it warped the surrounding space.
The mana scattered like pitch-black leaves, forming drifting lotus shapes.
Why I named this spell Wind Lotus.
"......"
Facing death head-on. Fiercer resistant strikes poured in.
Before their sword tips could pierce me, I lowered my hand.
Wind Lotus burrowed between the priests.
All mana in the church became a black hole, devouring the space.
-KABOOM!
A flash of light first, then the delayed explosion.
Priests' corpses burst into bone shards and gore, scattering nearby.
It pelted the robes like hail.
[...Wha-what the...] Eleonore, shocked despite doing it herself, trailed off.
"You'll see plenty more."
[M-Master. I-I...] "Get used to it."
Stepping over the twisted flesh that no longer resembled corpses, I advanced.
Priests who escaped the magic trembled and fled.
No—ran away.
"U-Uwaaaak!"
Were Flower here any saner?
Compared to those I'd fought before, who feared no death—this was unusual.
Of course, magic flew at me relentlessly.
-Crunch!
Flesh-rending sounds from behind.
Guilt? A twinge, but nothing to dwell on.
Killing always soured the mood.
Lining them up by good or bad, calculating who lives and dies? Not my place, and I lacked the qualification.
Following the blood-streaked red carpet, passing through several doors, I spotted the children inside.
And before them, a single tree.
'Serviceberry tree.'
The name surfaced instantly.
[Who dares such recklessness?] A woman's voice echoed in my mind. I halted.
"Hunter."
[Why do this to us?] "Because you're Flower."
Clear answer.
I first sliced the kids' ropes with thin magic blades.
Panicked, they somehow judged me friendly and scurried my way.
-Slash!
Roots trailed after the children, but they were feeble, of course.
Not a World Tree trying magic.
[...Hah.] The tree muttered low, sensing things had gone awry.
[What a fucking moron ruining everything.] Good, no excuses.
"Why's a tree in Flower anyway?"
[No need to know. You'll die here.] Her aggressive tone made Tree Footrest on my shoulder screech.
[What? You tree slut in whore rags. How dare you to Master!] [...A spirit? Spirit arts user, eh. Foolish.] [Eeeeek!] The tree's words dragged on.
Vines blanketing the church ceiling and roots sprouting from the floor moved with individual will, slowly converging on me.
A tree with no escape—fighting was her only option.
[Die now!] -Shrieeeek!
Branches surged toward me.
Each laced with mana—individually potent.
Should I just blast the trunk?
As I pondered...
"What's the commotion?"
A little girl's voice came from a small door right beside me.
The tree's movements froze that instant.
My spell-casting arm halted too.
Snow-white hair.
Infant-like build.
A red, circular pattern spreading widely across the girl's face from her nose.
[La-Lady Si-Sistus...] Sistus.
Third petal. Flower cadre.
"...I told you to guard this place, and you botch it immediately."
She muttered in a flat tone, then looked at me.
Eyes devoid of emotion. A clone.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.