Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Heart of the Forest (1)
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Everything in the forest had burned away.
Beyond the mountains of ash piles, gaping cave entrances came into view.
They should have been hidden by dense foliage originally, but with every plant on the mountain incinerated, they were now fully exposed.
"No need for spirit guides after all."
Federback stood before the charred entrance to the cave.
A powerful surge of mana emanated from within.
It felt similar to the mithril vein discovered in the Beauvoir Mine, but slightly different.
This was because it wasn't a natural mithril vein—it was an artificial space created by high-ranking mages.
...Thwack!
Federback kicked away a half-burned spiderling.
"Conquering the dungeon just got a lot easier."
Behind him, Queenbits and the forest spirits wore expressions sourer than if they'd eaten shit.
Queenbits spoke in a dull tone.
"Of course it did. You burned down the entire mountain. The monsters inside are probably all steamed to death like they were in a pressure cooker. The traps must have malfunctioned from the heat too."
A dungeon was an artificial space crafted by high-ranking mages or high-level magical beasts.
Naturally, it was filled with all sorts of traps.
From natural pitfalls using monster nests to spears, swords, and arrows rigged with steel wires.
With all those traps destroyed by the forest fire, conquering the dungeon had become trivially easy.
Federback strode boldly into the dungeon.
The scorched earth floor crumbled under the heat, revealing a hellish ground wasp nest hidden beneath.
Of course, the heat and smoke from the fire had penetrated the dungeon, suffocating all the wasps to death.
Larvae could be seen crawling out of the hive, blanched white and dead.
Federback navigated around the honeycomb-riddled floor and pressed onward.
Clank—clang!
Long spear blades shot out from the walls and floor, but they jammed halfway, unable to extend fully.
The metal wires and locks connected to the traps had expanded from the heat, no longer fitting together properly.
Everything had been baked once by the heat and smoke, leaving no functional traps behind.
Federback continued deeper into the dungeon.
Boom—crash! Shatter!
A mud golem, baked hard as pottery and barely able to move, shattered into pieces from a single kick.
Soon, beyond some blackened logs, glittering objects came into view.
Piles of gold and silver coins, and jewels—so commonplace now that they barely registered.
Beside them lay weapons and ceremonial items from an ancient civilization, scattered about.
"These look about as old as the Meursault House relics."
Federback picked up a smoke-blackened helmet.
Atop it was an engraved emblem that appeared ancient.
Likely the remnant of some house or nation extinct for centuries, conservatively speaking.
"These will come in handy."
Federback nodded as he surveyed the nearby artifacts.
Most were enchanted items, but even without their magic, they were made of rare metals that could be melted down for weapons.
Then Queenbits asked,
"You're not as surprised as I expected."
"It happens pretty often."
"Hmm, really? Those guys don't seem to think so."
Federback turned at Queenbits's words.
There, Haundid and his subordinates were gasping in awe.
"F-Federback, sir! Look at this! It's a relic from the mythical invincible cavalry! The double-bladed spear the knights carried back then!"
"Behold this greatsword! It's speaking to me! It's calling out to me! Alright, from now on, your name is Inja Daesi!"
"There's even a shield left by the ancestral knights of the Meursault House! This crest is definitely...!"
They were hopping around, unable to contain their excitement.
But.
"Forget this junk. Open the secret door."
Federback had already lost interest in the dungeon's miscellaneous loot.
He stood facing the wall at the far end.
Queenbits sighed at the sight of him.
"I can't win against you. Just how much did you know before coming here...?"
Soon, Queenbits placed her hand on the wall at the cave's end.
Kreeee—!
A ripple of green waves shimmered, and the stone wall slid backward.
"Gasp!?"
Haundid and the soldiers' eyes widened.
Beyond lay a serene garden.
At its center stood a massive ancient tree entwined with pale green vines, beside a large lake.
Step—step—step—step—
Federback headed straight for the lake without hesitation.
Queenbits followed behind him, her face full of displeasure.
Soon.
Shoooooo...
The lake's waters parted to either side.
Federback stepped onto the small island in the center and faced the ancient tree there.
"So this is the heart of the forest."
The tree trunk split wide open to either side.
Within it glowed a single blue hexahedron.
Queenbits spoke in a tone of total resignation.
"Yeah. This is the forest's heart."
"As long as this lives, the forest can regenerate endlessly, right?"
"...You know your stuff."
"What happens if this gets taken outside?"
"The entire forest moves with it. You're just asking questions you already know the answers to, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
Federback gazed at the 'forest heart' emitting blue light.
As long as this stone existed, a forest would always form within dozens of kilometers.
And what plants grew there depended entirely on the 'forest spirits.'
'Lastly, forest spirits aren't on good terms with forest mages.'
Federback reached into the deep knothole in the center of the trunk.
...Crunch!
He seized the forest heart.
Thump—thump—thump—thump—
Pulses transmitted through his hand.
Shock, horror, anxiety, fear, unease.
Various emotions rippled through the vibrations.
'Humans need a forest too.'
Not a brutal nightmare-devouring disaster, but one brimming with lush fruits and fresh leaves.
Federback tightened his grip on the heart.
'Follow me. I'll put you to good use.'
Of course, a nightmare-devouring disaster had no right of refusal.
Rriip—crackle!
Federback yanked his hand out, ripping the heart free from the trunk.
Roots, vines, and stems snapped and tore away as the blue hexahedron was extracted.
"Kuh!?"
Queenbits, standing behind him, clutched her left chest and groaned, but Federback ignored her.
Thump—thump—thump—thump—
The forest heart throbbed wildly in his hand.
Whoosh—
Federback tossed it to Haundid.
"Uwah!?"
Haundid caught it deftly and looked at Federback, unsure what to do.
But Federback's expression was as calm as ever.
"That's it. Let's head back."
The subjugation was complete.
The Meursault territory would soon gain a forest.
Not a jungle teeming with monsters and carnivorous plants, but one rich with fruits and grains.
A few days later, Federback returned to Meursault Castle.
A guard at the gate, with keen eyesight, spotted Federback's face from the horizon.
"Fe—der—back—the Young Master is returning—!"
The gates were already in an uproar.
Hastily gathered welcoming crowds had come out several kilometers to greet him.
Meanwhile, Queenbits trailing behind Federback was quite tense.
Just watching her walk, one arm and leg rising together at times made it obvious.
"What's wrong?"
"I-It's been too long since I interacted with humans..."
"A few years."
"Over ten years."
As a quarter-elf, her lifespan was longer than a human's but shorter than a pure elf's.
Thus, her sense of ten years was similar to a human's.
Federback spoke in a dry tone.
"You're an invited guest. No need to worry about rough treatment."
"......"
Still, Queenbits couldn't hide her tension.
The Northern soldiers beside her chuckled heartily.
"Don't worry, Mage!"
"Northern men might be a bit rough and dumb, but we're plenty kind."
"If anyone disrespects Queenbits, we'll smash 'em!"
Enchanted by her beauty, they'd been showing off the whole way.
In any case, Federback entered the castle amid a hero's welcome.
Men, women, and children in the streets cheered for him.
Queenbits watched, wide-eyed in surprise.
"A Northern human village this lively? I thought it'd be gloomy and barren."
"It was, until recently."
"Changed? By who? How?"
"Me. I killed all the criminals committing corruption."
"......"
Queenbits shook her head knowingly.
"Rumors always have a reason. Now I see why they call you the Blood Lily Union."
She said this while eyeing the lilies rimming the central plaza in red.
Federback headed straight for the patriarch's chambers.
Soleil had already heard the cheers outside and knew of his return.
"I was just about to go out, son."
"You were handling paperwork."
"Trading company matters. Everything's going smoothly."
Soleil laughed heartily and clapped Federback's shoulder.
Perhaps from training with the secret swordsmanship manual Federback had given him, Soleil's aura was far stronger than before.
Federback nodded.
"I subjugated the nightmare-devouring disaster."
"I heard roughly from Haundid's messenger bird. You burned the whole forest, huh? Any results?"
"This woman's the result."
Soleil turned to Queenbits at Federback's words.
Queenbits bowed nervously.
"Queenbits Alfheim. I was... managing the disaster..."
The rest had already been reported by his subordinates.
Unwilling to say, 'My son burned down your house,' Soleil quickly changed the subject.
"Thanks for coming. So you're part-elf?"
"Y-Yes. My grandmother was an elf. She married a human."
Soleil nodded, eyeing Queenbits's green-gold hair and pointed ears.
"Make yourself at home. I'd be grateful if you could help with the trading company later."
"That's why I'm here."
Queenbits nodded in response.
Soleil turned to Federback.
"We need to arrange quarters for the mage. How about the tower with the garden in the annex?"
"I have a better spot in mind than that."
Federback pointed beyond the window to the castle walls.
"I'm planning a wooden house in that forest over there. Elves belong in the woods, after all."
"That forest over there? Since when was there a forest there?"
Soleil tilted his head.
The horizon Federback indicated held only barren wasteland and snowfields.
But.
"A forest will grow there soon."
Federback replied calmly, as always.
Thump—
While holding the 'forest heart' in his hand.