Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Silent Woman (2)
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World Tree's branch.
"What the hell is this...?"
It was an incredibly bizarre item.
A mere piece of wood, yet sacred.
A bit thicker than my thigh, and its length was exactly that of my leg.
Honestly, this single branch felt more sacred than the sacred tree of an average village.
And even after several hours had passed, the leaves attached to the branch remained fresh and vibrant.
"This isn't an ordinary item either..."
It seemed like it was given to me to use well...
A suitable use came to mind, but it felt a little ambiguous.
As I hugged the wood and pondered, I felt Serena's gaze on me.
"Hm?"
Well, Serena was a high elf too, so this reaction was natural.
From her position, it was a piece that had fallen from the body of the god she served.
"...Want to take a look?"
Serena, who had been staring at the branch, shifted her gaze to me.
She shook her head.
Indeed, letting her look might be a bit irreverent...
"Geez..."
I smacked my lips and looked at the newly adorned World Tree.
Gold thread three times thicker than before.
And talismans inserted here and there in between.
I'd used up all my spiritual energy making those talismans since morning.
In other words, the World Tree was now in an extremely sturdy state.
Holy energy was overflowing alongside it, so no evil thing could stick its head in recklessly.
"That's not all."
A sacred village tree protected the village and brought good fortune.
With the World Tree in better condition, the elven forest would become much more prosperous.
I could tell just by looking at the states of the spirits attached to the World Tree.
They had the plump glow of souls who had lived well and eaten well before dying.
"I've stacked up a ton of merit again."
I figured my luck would be good for a while.
"The preparations should be done by now."
Parmon eyed me and Serena with dissatisfaction.
"Have you finished your goodbyes?"
"Yes. We wrapped up earlier."
"Heh heh, if it were me, I'd settle down here."
We had already finished preparing to leave.
As the old man said, living here would be comfortable.
All the elves were friendly toward me, and I could live decently here without working for the rest of my life.
That is, if I didn't continue as a shaman.
"I want to, but... I can't move the shrine."
The place where the shrine was located wasn't just any spot.
It was a site I'd personally divined.
It held great meaning for me.
"I see. Well then, let's get going. Have you met Irene?"
"Yes. She seemed really busy."
"That makes sense. The elves have formed a pursuit team as well."
Irene had been thoroughly furious.
She'd given me a brief farewell, saying she'd chase the necromancer's traces, and left leading the other elves.
"She's always had a personality like the wind. She'd be here one moment and gone the next, even back in the old days."
"Hmm..."
I started walking after Parmon.
"Rosel and I will be busy once we return too."
Closel had grumbled on and on about it already.
Saying that his retired later years were full of every hardship imaginable.
A necromancer had reappeared, and we'd been the first to encounter them, so it was unavoidable.
"I have something to ask you, by the way."
"Me?"
"A ton of monsters swarmed during this battle, right?"
"Yeah."
"Not a single orc among all those monsters. Do you think divination could reveal the reason?"
Come to think of it, every kind of monster had come swarming, but there didn't seem to be any orcs.
"..."
Orc brought something to mind.
The orc that had eaten my money and run off.
That guy had been carrying quite a bit of karma too.
Judging by the size of the merit debt I'd received then, he was definitely no small fry among orcs.
"It's a bit ambiguous..."
"Looks like you already have some idea."
This probably wasn't related to Gullak.
The direction he needed to head wasn't this way.
Considering the location of the cliff where I'd met Gullak, the direction he'd descended via merit debt was the complete opposite.
"It doesn't seem connected to what I know. I'll give it a try once I get back to the shrine."
The moment Parmon mentioned it, I got a vague feeling, which meant divination probably wouldn't yield anything.
As if the deities weren't paying it any mind.
"I'll leave it to you. I'll prepare a separate offering fee."
As we talked and walked, we came upon a clearing where elves were gathered.
Closel stood proudly in the center.
"With this one, we'll be back at the territory in an instant."
The old man's shoulders were heaving with pride over the warp magic circle.
"Gramps, what's with the flowers?"
Closel was holding a bouquet of yellow flowers.
To my question, the old man smiled and replied.
"For someone who likes flowers... They were blooming especially prettily."
It was a lonely tone unlike the old man.
I considered asking more, but the atmosphere didn't seem open to answers.
Closel spoke first.
"No deaths this time, right?"
"Yeah. Doesn't seem like anything will go wrong."
There'd been no nightmares this time, no ominous divinations.
If anything, I felt pleasantly surprised—it seemed we'd picked a good day.
As we headed toward the warp magic circle, Romanel approached me.
"Chris."
A small pouch was clutched in her hand.
"Payment for the request."
"Ah... right."
Come to think of it, she'd formally requested I protect the World Tree.
The thing the old men had mentioned was probably inside that pouch.
"I put in fruit from the World Tree. And other things you might need."
"Whoa...!!"
Exclamations of admiration burst from the old men.
"World Tree fruit...?"
Reading my puzzled expression, Closel hurriedly added an excited explanation.
"If a mage or knight eats it, they get a massive mana boost instantly. If you eat it, you'll never have to worry about getting sick your whole life."
That must've been why they'd fussed over my weak body.
Seeing Closel rave like it was some legendary fruit made it clear it was incredibly valuable.
Bearing fruit only once every five hundred years? Yeah, it might really be legendary...
Romanel placed the pouch in my hand.
"Huh...?"
Precious items always have owners.
They're connected by affinity.
The moment I took the pouch, I could feel it clearly.
This wasn't mine.
"I don't think I can accept this."
"It's for you, Chris, so no need to feel burdened."
She must've thought I was just being polite in refusing.
Romanel, with a gentle smile, let go of the pouch and stepped back from me.
"No, that's not it..."
"You're at it again. Let's go."
Parmon, as if seeing through my intentions, urged me on.
His gleaming eyes threatened that I shouldn't even dream of refusing.
"You know what the World Tree means to the elves, right? You deserve this fully."
"It's not that I don't want it... Se... Serena?"
Serena pushed my back.
Toward the warp magic circle.
"H-H-Hey... wait a sec!"
It happened in an instant, like I'd been kidnapped.
Mana was sucked into the magic circle, and light flashed.
"To Chris, the peace of the branch!"
Flash -
Shhh -
The scenery before my eyes changed in an instant.
A familiar sight.
My modest house.
And the cemetery elders visible, along with Headless and the ragtag ghosts.
They were staring at us in surprise.
We were back.
"Heh... you really..."
"Tsk tsk... No matter what we give you, you can't keep it? What a frustrating fellow."
"...Pardon?"
The two old men were looking at my hands.
The thick branch tucked under my arm and one empty hand.
The hand that had been holding the pouch just moments ago.
"...Knew it."
The pouch was already gone.
Of course, it was utterly impossible.
Even an offering fee topped out at 5 silver.
Getting the World Tree branch was gift enough.
More importantly...
"Why'd you follow me...?"
"Are you talking to me?"
"No, not you, Hans. Serena."
"..."
Serena had followed along without a word, slyly slipping in.
Was it okay for a high elf to leave the forest and come here?
Closel must've known Serena got on the warp magic circle...
"...Eh? You came too?"
Nod.
Closel was shamelessly pretending it was a mistake.
His sly expression was quite unpleasant.
"Haa..."
"We'll be off then."
"Already?"
The old men started moving.
"We need to head to the palace. This doesn't seem like an ordinary matter..."
"Can't be helped."
They could go, no issue, but I had a favor to ask Closel.
My house was small, with only two rooms.
The shrine and my bedroom.
Serena needed a place to stay.
"Gramps, about a place for Serena to stay..."
"Ahem... I'm busy, so..."
"I'm going to the palace with Rosel too."
"Gramps...?"
Parmon grabbed Hans and dragged him.
"Shouldn't you head to the church too?"
"No. Master is with Chris... Gahk...!"
Pull -
Hans's body went limp toward Parmon.
"Hans says he's going to the church too."
"I just saw you knock him out...?"
"Rosel, let's go. Every moment counts."
Lies.
The old men's faces didn't look busy at all.
If they were really in a hurry, they wouldn't drag Hans—they'd have flown off with magic.
The old men quickly distanced themselves, leaving only me and Serena here.
"...."
"...."
"...Wanna eat first?"
Nod.