Arcana Online

As soon as I accepted the quest, she handed me a small pouch.

“I put everything you’ll need inside.”

She motioned for me to open it, so I checked inside, and an item list rose up before my eyes.

There were supreme magic stones, of course, along with all sorts of other items and even gold coins.

“That’s too much!”

“This is about saving the Demon Realm. Use it however you like.”

With that, she pointed toward the door.

She said there would be a guide waiting outside.

After I bowed and left the audience chamber, someone was indeed waiting for me.

Most of his face was covered in black scales, and his pupils were slit like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠snake’s.

“It’s been a while.”

When he smiled, his mouth split all the way to his ears, and his face looked exactly like something out of a horror movie.

It was the scammer I’d seen under the World Tree.

“That scammer from back then!”

“Scammer...”

I stared at him in bewilderment. Why was he here?

“You disappeared all of a sudden back then, so I was shocked. Why are you here?”

“The one there was my clone. It vanished in an instant, so I was rather taken aback myself.”

He said we should talk while we walked, then went ahead of me, and I dutifully followed along behind him.

“We were working to build a passage linking the World ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tree and the Demon Realm under the tree, but it all went up in smoke in an instant.”

He said that and looked at me.

“Really? Then why are you looking at me like that?”

I could feel it—like he was staring at a culprit.

“That’s because... No, never mind. If I die this time, that’s the end of it, so I’ll let it go. This way.”

He muttered to himself. What was he even talking about?

I wondered where we were going, but it was closer than I’d expected.

Just one kilometer from the castle.

A massive magic circle was drawn across the ground.

“All you have to do is plant the World Tree seed in the very center of the magic circle.”

“Got it.”

When I took the seed out of my inventory and planted it in the center of the circle, a brilliant light erupted and the magic circle activated.

A tiny sprout pushed up from the earth, then began growing at an astonishing speed.

“Congratulations! You are the first traveler to successfully germinate a World Tree!”

I gained 100,000 fame points.

“Congratulations! You are the first traveler to successfully grow a World Tree!”

I gained 100,000 fame points.

Once it reached a certain size, the World Tree stopped growing.

It was still far smaller than the one I’d seen in the Middle Realm.

Red alarm windows kept popping up, and if I just stood there, it felt like something terrible was going to happen.

While I was thinking about what to do, I took out every magic stone from the spatial pouch I’d just received and scattered them on the ground. Then an alarm window appeared.

As the magic stones scattered on the ground vanished one by one, the World Tree, which had stopped growing, began to swell larger and larger until it had grown to roughly the same size as the one I’d seen in the Middle Realm.

And the alarm that appeared next finally let me breathe again.

A green energy spread wide around the World Tree.

The pitch-black earth slowly began to take on a green tint, gradually purifying before my eyes.

While I was patting the World Tree and feeling relieved, the scammer approached me.

“You’ve done well. From now on, living things will be able to survive in the Demon Realm.”

“I’m glad. By the way, we still haven’t even introduced ourselves. My name is Yuna.”

“My name is Croseirn. I am the priest of the Demon Realm.”

If he was the priest of the Demon Realm, then who exactly was his god supposed to be?

“May I ask one impious question?”

“You’d be wise not to.”

Croseirn cut me off at once, then said he would take me back to the Demon King’s castle.

He told me I should report to the Demon King and receive my reward, but it wasn’t over yet.

Because right now, a blue window had appeared in front of my eyes.

“I don’t think I can do that.”

“Why not?”

I pointed toward the direction the window had appeared from, and when Croseirn turned to look that way, his face went pale.

Far off in the distance, black beings were swarming toward the World Tree.

“I’ll have the troops assembled at once!”

With that, he pulled a horn from his robes and blew it.

“Bwooooooo!”

At the sound of the horn, the Bond Dragons flying above the Demon King’s castle came pouring in all at once and began battling the black beings.

Before long, a huge force had also marched out from the castle.

I ended up watching the battle unfold firsthand, and while I stood near the World Tree, a whispering voice reached my ears.

[Mother. This place is dangerous.]

“Who’s there!?”

Startled, I looked around, and someone tapped my shoulder.

When I checked, it was a tree root...?

[Mother, it’s me.]

“The World Tree!?”

The World Tree was talking to me. Mother!? Is this what they mean by responsibility without pleasure!?

I had no idea how to describe the feeling of suddenly having a child overnight.

The World Tree whispered that this place was dangerous and told me to flee.

But I couldn’t run away.

“What kind of parent abandons their child and runs?”

[Mother...]

With a voice full of emotion, it gave off a dazzling light.

A vast green glow burst forth from the World Tree, enveloping the world, and the black beings began disappearing one by one.

“Ten days!?”

The black beings vanished completely, and the demonkin who had been staring around with dazed eyes suddenly erupted into cheers.

Watching all that, I reached out and stroked the World Tree’s roots, which had been protecting me, and it let out a delighted laugh because it tickled.

After laughing for a long while, the World Tree whispered softly to me.

[It’s all thanks to Mother.]

“I didn’t really do anything.”

[No, if not for Mother, I might never have been born at all.]

“I-is that so?”

I’ve always been weak to praise, so a smile began spreading across my face.

While I was talking with the World Tree, I heard footsteps approaching me.

When I turned my head, I saw the Demon King, Echidna, walking toward me.

“I came to thank you. Would it be all right if we spoke in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the castle?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“Then let us return to the castle together.”

She held out her hand to me, and when I took it, my vision blurred for an instant and I was moved back to the castle in the blink of an eye.

But the place was different.

It wasn’t the room where I’d first been received by the Demon King.

Following her down a dark staircase, I came to a massive iron door. Echidna removed the ring she had been wearing and slipped it into a tiny hole, and the iron door began to open.

It was a scene I’d never seen in my life.

The room was packed with gold, silver, and jewels, and all kinds of weapons were displayed inside glass cases.

“This is the gift I promised you. Choose whatever you want.”

Countless weapons and all manner of armor hung on the walls, and even Yongyong seemed fascinated as he looked this way and that.

Then Yongyong stared at one piece of armor hanging on the wall.

“Kkyuung!”

“Hm? You want me to pick that one?”

“Kkyuung!”

When I went closer to check, it looked like the traditional clothing worn in Japan.

It had four special abilities, three of which were sealed, but it was still more than good enough.

“I’ll take this one!”

“That’s a fine choice.”

I obtained the Shrine Maiden Robe of the Divine Dragon.

It was time to change out of the plain traveling clothes I’d worn since the beginning of the game.

As soon as I pressed the equip button in my inventory, the outfit changed in a flash of bright light.

The fluttering shrine maiden robe felt a little awkward, but the Demon King praised me, saying it suited me well.

“Clothes really do make the person.”

That was a compliment, right?