Chapter 582: The Day the World Tree Burned
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 582: The Day the World Tree Burned
What is a witch? They are commonly known as a wicked bunch who deal in potions and poisons, command beasts as familiars, and curse humans… but that is not the whole truth.
For most beasts, the female’s lifespan is longer than the male’s. The same is true for humans. While Tyr and the Great Witch skewing the average is one reason, even setting aside such special cases, women on average live longer.
An old woman who has lost her partner survives alone, spending the rest of her days raising small animals on the outskirts of her village. Her aged body holds no value, but the knowledge born from long experience is as precious as gold. The old woman uses this experience to help those in need as a midwife, an apothecary, and an advisor.
Their knowledge is passed down orally, gradually supplemented, and develops into a field of study.
Those who carry on this progress are the witches.
More than anyone, witches are those who commune deeply with life and death.
[That's ridiculous. How can realizing that life is no big deal be an enlightenment? Something unimportant could never become a Divine!]
The Great Witch’s indignation at having failed to become a Divine was so palpable it was transmitted even through the parrot. The parrot channeled her words in a lament.
[I created life. If anyone has the right to be a Divine, shouldn't it be me?]
“You created life?”
[Yes.]
Now that was quite surprising. It was no wonder she felt it was unfair she hadn’t become a Divine.
“Just to be sure, this isn't some wordplay where you claim to have 'created life' just by giving birth, right? By that logic, every mother would be a candidate for a Divine.”
[What are you saying to an unmarried maiden? Besides, vampires can't even have children!]
“Then where is this life you claim to have created?”
[You saw it earlier. The meat fruit.]
The meat fruit. She must be talking about the fruit that grows meat, which I saw in the room earlier.
“You made that?”
[Yes. That was my masterpiece, destined to become the new hope of Manguo.]
Sensing the conversation would be a long one, the parrot wet its throat in advance. After drinking its fill of water, the parrot began its story.
[The Great Forest is a blessed land, but it is not an easy place to live. This earth, blessed by the World Tree, is so overflowing with life that it's actually difficult for humans to inhabit. The trees are dense, the flatlands are scarce, and it’s hard to farm or raise livestock. Not to mention, dangerous beasts that prey on livestock—and even humans—lurk at every turn.]
The power of humanity lay in using tools to shape the environment to their advantage. A jungle teeming with all manner of plants and animals was therefore ill-suited for building a civilization.
[Manguo was a brilliant and great nation, but its population was pitifully small for its vast size. What we lacked most of all was food. It’s a land where even farming is difficult, so hunting was our only source of sustenance.]
“Hunting isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
Small animals offered little meat, and large ones were dangerous. It wasn’t uncommon for a group of able-bodied men who went out hunting with high spirits to be wiped out.
[Exactly. And how could you consume such cute creatures for a single meal?]
“…Is that the problem?”
[If that's not the problem, then what is? They say it’s the way of the world to eat and be eaten, but for a life that has struggled to survive for years to be devoured and vanish in an instant… it's just too fleeting and sad.]
“So you created the meat fruit?”
[It wasn't just because I was sad. I, Hexia Agartha, am the woman who will become the empress of Manguo. I can't abandon all my people just because I feel sorry for the animals, can I? My disciples and my subjects are also those I raise.]
Her words about ‘raising’ her people might seem harsh… but there have been plenty of rulers who sacrificed their subjects for their pets. Compared to them, the Great Witch was rather fair, I suppose.
[The tree that bears meat fruit was to be improved and spread throughout Manguo. The amount of fertilizer needed to produce one meat fruit was only 4% of the feed an actual animal would consume. It didn't require pastures, either. A spot with good sunlight and clean, flowing water was enough. It produces no waste and there’s no risk of it running away. It was truly a great seed that would become the hope of Manguo.]
“A tree that bears meat? That’s incredible. It’s something that could revolutionize the human diet. Where did it all go?”
[It burned down.]
The Great Witch’s reply was curt. It seemed she didn’t want to talk about it. I had a rough idea of what happened and asked.
“Someone set it on fire, I take it. Was it the druids of the Great Forest you mentioned before?”
[Yes.]
Just by observing the parrot, I could guess her personality to some extent. The Great Witch would ramble on about things she wanted to talk about, but she would refrain from even mentioning things she disliked. There was something of a child, or perhaps a simple beast, in her.
[The only drawback of the meat-growing tree is that it's too perfect. All sorts of pests and beasts covet its nutrient-rich fruit. Without a human touch, it dies quickly. So we decided to first grow the meat trees in the shade of the World Tree.]
“Why the World Tree?”
[The World Tree possesses immense spiritual energy. Not even insects or beasts will approach it. We grew the meat trees between the roots of the World Tree, in that land full of its grace.]
Between the roots of the World Tree… certainly no beasts, bugs, or other trees would be there… Huh?
“Hm? But trees wouldn’t grow well near the World Tree, would they? Its branches and leaves would block the sunlight.”
[You catch on quick, don't you? That's right. So we borrowed a bit of the World Tree's grace.]
“You what?”
[We had the meat trees suck the spiritual energy from the World Tree.]
She considered the World Tree sacred, yet she had no qualms about using its grace. A picture was beginning to form in my mind.
For the people of the Great Forest, every moment was a struggle. The reason why black magic, anathemas, and curses still thrived in the lands of Manguo was because the environment was not forgiving enough for them to be picky about their means of survival.
In comparison, the Great Forest of the northern Metasequoias was relatively peaceful. The cool forest was beautiful and tranquil, inspiring awe in many. In that forest, humans were the usurpers, cutting down trees and trampling the grass to expand their domain.
The ones who had protected the forest from such humans were the druids of the Great Forest. They were a group with a fanatical love for their World Tree and a belief that nature must be preserved.
“…Don’t tell me the druids of the Great Forest saw that scene?”
[They did. Those damn druids must have nothing better to do, because whenever they have some time, they make a pilgrimage between the two World Trees. Those outsiders came and saw our World Tree, and they kept meddling as if it were theirs, saying we shouldn't commit such blasphemy!]
The parrot shrieked, its feathers bristling all over its body.
[I could let it slide for a day or two, but they wouldn't stop interfering. They even tried to uproot the meat trees! I should have killed them all then. It was my mistake to just banish them! I won't make that mistake again!]
“Did they set the World Tree on fire?”
[It would have been better if they had!]
So they didn’t? Then again, it was unlikely a druid would burn a World Tree. Wait, then why did it burn and fall?
[They incited the barbarian tribes in the hinterlands, who hadn't accepted Manguo's rule, to start a rebellion!]
“Wow. They went that far?”
[It was an unexpected attack. They used their status as druid pilgrims to deceive the border guards and infiltrate. While the traitors attacked my mother and her retainers, they burned all the meat fruit!]
And the meat-bearing trees were nestled between the roots of the World Tree. The carelessly set fire had traveled up the roots and spread to the World Tree itself.
[The flames spread uncontrollably! The column of fire that climbed its trunk dyed the blessed ginkgo tree in the autumn colors of flame! Carried by the wind the fire created, embers scattered across the entire jungle! The leaves of the World Tree, which covered the jungle, became embers of disaster that burned this entire land!]
“So that’s how the World Tree burned and fell.”
[Manguo burned until the fire died out. The palace, the cities, the people—all turned to ash in an instant. Everything vanished in the autumn when the leaves should have been falling. My mother, who was desperately trying to put out the fire, was killed by the traitors. Those hideous bastards were jealous of her!]
“I see. My condolences.”
[I don't need them. You're not the one who should be praying for her peace.]
My words offered no comfort at all. The Great Witch’s parrot rejected my sentiment and spoke with hatred.
[The Metasequoia of the Great Forest. I will console the spirits of my burned country and my mother with their World Tree.]
The Great Witch’s wish seemed likely to spread into a great fire. Since I wasn’t reading her thoughts, I couldn’t empathize with her at the moment. I gave the parrot some warm encouragement.
“Good luck. I'll be praying you succeed in destroying the World Tree and fulfilling your wish.”
“Hey! You can’t do that!” the Regressor protested, appalled.
“You said it was other druids who set fire to the World Tree! If you want revenge, take it on them, why go after an innocent tree?”
[Do you take me for a fool? You think I can't make such a simple distinction?]
The Regressor’s question was a natural one, but the Great Witch had clearly heard it countless times. The parrot tilted its head and replied.
[Of course I hunted them all down and killed them. One by one, I unleashed my hounds. I caught them all before they could escape this jungle.]
The event that led to the Great Witch being called the Great Witch was the long, tenacious hunt that followed the burning of the World Tree. Countless druids and barbarian tribes were swept away and vanished in that bloodbath. While it may have been the burning World Tree that brought down the brilliant Manguo, it was the enraged Great Witch who trampled even the new sprouts that might have grown.
[Killing them all wasn't enough, but I had a question, so I kept them alive and dragged them before me. I put my teeth to their necks and asked them why they set fire to the World Tree. And do you know what they said?]
The parrot let out a small sigh and spoke in a tone of disbelief.
[They said they never intended to burn the World Tree. That it was an accident. An unfortunate, accident.]
But the World Tree had burned, along with Manguo. To someone who had lost everything, those words were no comfort at all.
[Then what about the World Tree that burned down? If it was an accident and no one will take responsibility, does that mean I can set fire to the world as I please? It means I can kill their World Tree, right?]
“No!”
[The reason why not… you can tell that to the ones who get angry after I kill their World Tree. Your words will probably drive them mad.]
She was absolutely right. The Regressor’s words, born of pure goodwill, had a special talent for driving people mad.
Of course, the Regressor wasn’t the type to pick and choose whose sanity she tested.
“Your goal isn't to destroy the World Tree! It's the despair and chaos that will come from its collapse that you want!”
[Yes. Isn't that the same thing?]
“It's different! Even if the World Tree withers and dies as you intend, if they don't suffer enough, you'll just do something even more extreme!”
[Perhaps. But nothing more extreme will happen. According to my plan, they will suffer plenty.]
The Great Witch answered coolly, conveying her emotions through the parrot.
[Because they will kill the World Tree with their own hands….]
“My lady Great Witch. You have said too much.”
Walpurgis, who had been waiting outside the door, quickly stepped in to restrain the parrot. Overcome with emotion and about to spill everything she knew, the parrot came to its senses and covered its beak with a wing.
[Ah, have I?]
“Yes. If you say any more, there will be no point in having kept it a secret.”
[…I suppose so.]
Walpurgis expertly held up a perch. The parrot landed on it naturally, shivered, and began to preen its feathers with its beak.
[Kyak. It was a pleasure meeting you, King of Humans. We’ve gotten to know what we needed to know about each other, haven’t we?]
“It was a pleasure for me as well. I hope we can one day open our hearts and meet face to face.”
[Huh? Th-that's a bit… The King of Humans is a little intimidating.]
“The feeling is mutual with the Great Witch.”
I had to meet her in person if I was going to read her mind and grant her wish.
Before leaving on its perch, the parrot fluttered as if it had just remembered something.
[Oh, right! You there, woman. I’m not particularly curious, but would you mind telling me where you found my mother’s mask?]
“…The graveyard of elephants.”
[Hm? There? Why was it there?]
The graveyard of elephants. The place where all the elephants of the southeast go before they die. The final destination for the colossi that trample the world. In some ways, it was a land more dangerous than the mountains of tigers. An enraged elephant is more fearsome than a tiger.
[No, it must be because it was there that no one has found it until now. Because without Agartha’s Mask, it's a land where no beast other than an elephant can set foot. I'll have to check it out sometime. Thank you!]
The parrot gave a brisk flap of its wings and went outside.