The Evolution of the World Tree

I checked the window that had appeared before me.

'Oh. I guess it's branches this time?'

Last time, I had to choose a part of the tree, but now it seemed fixed on branches, with only the abilities differing. I examined the list. The Branch of Purification... the Branch of Protection... and the Branch of Spirits.

'If it's the Branch of Purification...'

I assumed it had the ability to purify things like demonic energy or curses. That wasn't bad. Even though I had my sanctuary, as the village grew and the number of people I had to protect increased, there would surely be times when the sanctuary alone wouldn't be enough. 'Alright, I'll keep that in mind and move on.'

'Hmm. The Branch of Protection...'

Did this increase defense? Or maybe it generated a barrier. Either way, it seemed like it would be helpful for defending the village. 'This is also pretty good.'

Finally, the Branch of Spirits.

'I'm not really sure about this one.'

Did it boost the power of spirits? Or perhaps it allowed me to use spirit power through the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠branch? But I already had Spirit Power Enchantment for that. 'It's hard to tell what the last one does.'

I was deep in thought, analyzing the options, when a window popped up.

'Wait? Infinite Growth again?'

That's a huge win! Would the list expand even further? Just as I was staring at the window with high expectations, something happened.

'Huh?'

The list of available evolutions began to change slowly. Specifically, the third option. The Branch of Spirits was erased and replaced with new text.

'Branch of Elements?'

It had changed to the Branch of Elements. 'Elements...' I chewed on the word. Did it mean fire, water, wind, and earth? Could I imbue my branches with such power? 'Hmm...' It was tempting. Imbuing the branch with the element itself was different from Spirit Power Enchantment. Spirit power was just borrowing the spirits' strength, but this would make the branch itself a part of nature. Thinking about it that way, it was a very attractive option.

'But the Branch of Purification or the Branch of Protection are also decent...'

Especially the Branch of Protection. It would likely be a huge help in defending the village when the Demon King invaded. 'Ugh... this is a tough choice.'

After a long deliberation, I made my decision. 'Alright.' My heart leaned toward the third option. While the Branch of Elements was indeed attractive, I was more intrigued because Infinite Growth had upgraded it itself. I felt there must be a reason it had changed the list directly.

'Yes! Let's go with number 3!'

The moment I made up my mind, a light began to envelop my entire body. At the same time, my whole body felt lethargic.

'Wait... I know this feeling...'

It was exactly the same feeling I had when I ate the earthworm and grew significantly. To be precise, 'It's that feeling of being forced to sleep!'

Simultaneously, my vision began to darken. No... it wasn't time for me to sleep yet. I had to look after the elves who had arrived, play with Riri and Genie, and Khan and the others... well, they would probably manage fine on their own, but still. 'I shouldn't be sleeping...'

By the time I thought that, my consciousness simply flickered out.

"Waaaah!"

"Princess!"

"Saintess! Look over here!"

Cheers erupted from everywhere. All the imperial citizens had come out to the streets, looking at Aselia and Rillia with hopeful expressions. Aselia, who was leading on horseback, smiled faintly, and Rillia, who followed behind, laughed brightly and waved her hand.

The Princess's party was returning to the center of the capital. They were returning after announcing that they had found the Oracle's Chosen, receiving more spectacular celebrations and cheers than ever before. Flower petals were scattered, and laughter echoed everywhere. It was undoubtedly a measure taken by the Emperor to lift the gloomy atmosphere of the Empire. Only by spreading such news could the hope of the imperial citizens be restored.

That was when it happened. A woman suddenly jumped out from among ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the spectators.

"Stop her!"

"It's dangerous!"

Nearby soldiers, flustered, tried to restrain her, but the woman was relentless.

"W-wait, please let me see the Princess! Please!"

At the woman's wailing, Aselia stopped and dismounted from her horse, approaching the woman.

"What is the matter?"

"I am sorry to disturb you... P-Princess." The woman bowed her head and said, "I... I lost my only son and my beloved husband to demonic energy."

The woman continued, sobbing, "When I felt guilty for being the only one to survive, I heard the news of the Princess. That you had finally discovered the Oracle's Chosen..." Her voice was desperate. "Please... Princess. Please bring the Oracle's Chosen and avenge my husband and son...!"

The woman bowed her head again. "I beg of you!"

Seeing her, Aselia spoke quietly.

"...Pardon?"

The crowd had gone quiet. Only Aselia's voice rang out.

Her voice was infinitely firm and resolute. At Aselia's words, the woman's face brightened. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bowed repeatedly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

At the same time, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nearby imperial citizens burst into cheers.

"As expected of the Princess!"

"Princess!"

"Hero of the Empire!"

"Waaaah!"

The thunderous shouts poured out. Watching them, Rillia's expression stiffened slightly. As Aselia had said, they had decided to hold a triumphal ceremony to revive the stagnant Empire, but—

'Really... is this the right thing to do?'

They couldn't definitively conclude that the dragon egg was the Oracle's Chosen yet. Aselia was certain, but Rillia had no such conviction.

'Above all, those spirits.'

The spirits she had seen briefly kept bothering her. Of course, it was said that the World Tree had disappeared and the spirits had vanished, but she had heard that some remained. So, while meeting the spirits was a great coincidence, it wasn't impossible. However, there were strange points no matter how she thought about it. The fact that spirits, who usually didn't care about monsters, were with goblins. The fact that even though the World Tree was gone, the spirits looked incredibly healthy at a glance. The elves who had suddenly appeared despite being known to be extinct. And on top of that, the demons.

'It's strange.'

She felt like she was missing something. This didn't seem like a scale that could be explained by just a dragon egg.

'Is it really... not that the World Tree has returned?'

The giant tree that had protected the world. The World Tree. The name kept lingering in her mind.

'This won't do.' She gripped the reins tightly. 'I have to check again.' She decided that she would investigate the Pirel Forest separately, no matter what.

'Ugh...'

I felt my consciousness faintly returning. 'My body feels stiff...' And the moment I secured my vision, I was startled.

'What! Why am I so big?'

I had grown so tall it made me dizzy. It felt like I had become a massive tree. Maybe about the height of a 5-story apartment building. Perhaps that was why the air felt different, too. The moment I looked at the village while feeling the fresh breeze—

'Huh?'

I couldn't help but be surprised again. It wasn't just me that had changed while I was asleep. The village had also changed significantly.

The houses were the same, but a wide fence had been erected around the village. It was a fence made by weaving vine stems around wooden pillars. 'The goblins and the Totori... they've changed too?' The goblins, who always wore scraps of leather, were wearing neat clothes woven from leaves, and the Totori, who used to run around completely naked, were wearing hats or tops. The surprises didn't end there.

'They have tools!'

The young Totori and young goblins were holding wooden toy swords in their hands. The ends were blunt and neat, showing that care had been put into making them. And the adult goblins were holding hoes or shovels. It seemed they had been helping the adult Totori grow crops. Tools I hadn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seen before were visible everywhere. Water buckets carved from wood. Large desks. Even pouches woven from leaves and vines. Furthermore, flowers were planted all over the village. The overall atmosphere had brightened. I muttered softly.

'What happened here?'

The village had suddenly become incredibly prosperous. As I stared blankly in surprise, Riri and Genie flew over.

-You finally woke up!

-Are you awake...?

'Uh, yeah...' I was answering in a daze when Khan approached.

"Are you awake?"

'Yes. But the village seems to have changed a lot?'

At my words, Khan smiled gently.

"The elves helped with everything."

The elves? Ah. Well, elves were known for their dexterity, so they could make all sorts of things. But then Khan added casually.

"Oh, of course." He looked at me and continued, "The branches you left behind also played a big part."

I muttered, puzzled. 'Branches?' If he meant branches... could he be talking about the Branch of Elements I had chosen? Did that really help the village to this extent?