The Insolent Bugs: World Tree Yggdrasil Awakens
A few days had passed since the Martial God Festival ended. A visitor arrived for me and Riel. Not exactly a “visitor,” perhaps—the personage before us was far too noble to fit that simple label.
“Long time no see, everyone,” the visitor announced.
We had been summoned to the academy president’s office the moment word arrived. Standing before us was none other than Princess Yuril.
Beside her loomed her ever-present escort, Knight Captain Meryl Milliano.
Riel and I dropped into perfect bows without hesitation.
“Yes, it is an honor to see you again, Your Highness.”
The room held the three of us—Riel and me, who had just arrived, Princess Yuril, and her guard, Meryl. And at the desk sat the academy president herself.
The middle-aged woman who had always carried herself with such effortless poise now wore an unmistakable mask of tension, her shoulders rigid despite the relaxed smile she had worn for years.
“Not to speak out of turn, but His Majesty the King wishes to see both of you. I came personally to deliver the summons.”
“…What? The princess herself—”
“Fufu. Honestly, I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you two for some time now.”
The playful lilt that usually softened her voice had vanished, replaced by a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She glanced out the window at the academy grounds beyond and continued.
“Gransen Academy, as always. It truly deserves the reputation as the kingdom’s finest institution.”
“Ha… ha ha… We are honored, Your Highness.”
The president managed an awkward chuckle at the praise.
Yet the princess was not finished.
“That said, we will need to pay even closer attention to the students’ safety from now on.”
“Ha ha… of course that goes without saying!”
A recent intrusion into the dormitory. The incident in the Aurom dormitory reserved for high-ranking nobles had prompted whispers of every description.
It had been no ordinary break-in, of course—only a rare artifact had been involved. The president had, that very day, emptied her personal coffers to install the highest-grade security spells throughout every dorm. Next year, when royal students would attend, her efforts had been nothing short of frantic.
One could almost believe the Church had been drained to the last copper.
The students were safer for it, so perhaps the worry was unnecessary…
“A carriage awaits outside. Shall we continue our discussion there?”
“Understood.”
Following the president, whose face had turned ashen with lingering unease, we left the academy grounds.
“First, Princess Riel. Our search for your family is still ongoing.”
From inside the carriage, the first topic Princess Yuril raised was the Ignis dukedom.
“We have found nothing on the duchess or Prince Andrew. We are still searching for the duke himself.”
“You know which direction His Grace has gone?”
The princess nodded.
“He is moving steadily northward.”
“Northward…?”
“Yes. That is why the search party is moving with all haste.”
In Pallazinia, northward meant the frozen lands of my own homeland—the land of monsters, impossible terrain, and bitter cold.
Hearing that the duke had gone there, Riel’s face darkened at once.
“It’s fine! The Duke Ignis is a top-tier mage—there’s no way anything could happen to him!”
The words were meant to comfort her, yet I knew they rang hollow. Even a master mage could not be counted on to face the horrors of those lands in the state I had seen him in from Yuril’s report.
“Still… thank you.”
The relief in Riel’s voice was genuine enough that she offered a faint smile.
“We have expanded our search network by increasing the number of searchers and distributing a handful of locating devices—along with artifacts that protect against mental disruption.”
“Artifacts?”
“Yes. Tools that help locate people… and shield the mind from certain afflictions.”
Mental afflictions.
I had only a moment to wonder why before the tale Riel had told me in my hometown came rushing back.
“The Fairy’s Prank.”
“Precisely. The same devices that protect against both mental magic and certain hallucinogens.”
The artifacts were expensive—several times the price of most enchanted items—yet they had been issued to every searcher.
Royalty really did live differently.
“And Kyou, from my sister…”
“Huh? From Princess Aine?”
Oh no.
A dire premonition coiled in my stomach.
“Yes. The message was… ‘The Martial God Festival results have been received. Prepare for this winter’s special training.’”
“…”
Oh dear.
I was doomed.
Iris-senpai was a monster, but Aine was a true calamity.
She had dragged me off to the frozen mountains, tossed me into a monster-infested cave, sealed the entrance, and left me to my fate more than once.
I could not remember how many times I had nearly died, how many times I had cursed her name. The memory of that final, secret rescue was recent, yet the punishment I had endured afterward still stung.
“Still… Your Majesty wishes to see us. Do you know why?”
“I… I believe it has something to do with the posters the Church spread.”
“Posters?”
What in the world was that?
Had such things existed?
Riel made a small “ah” sound. I turned to her.
“You know… that strange phrase on the bulletin board the evening of the second day of the Martial God Festival.”
“…The one that looked like a horribly written novel prologue?”
“Yes, exactly that.”
What was it?
What did that have to do with us?
“The Church appears to view the ‘Maiden’ and the ‘Demon’ there as two separate entities.”
“…”
The words left my mouth in pure bewilderment.
That sudden revival of a long-dead Demon King was already absurd, yet this was worse.
And if the red Maiden was Riel…
“Then the silver hero…”
“It’s Allen.”
“…”
It was settled.
The Church had become my enemy.
Too stunned to speak, I could only sigh. Riel continued.
“On the day they captured that person, they told me to come with them.”
“I see. The tale would suit Allen perfectly.”
“Indeed… I thought it ridiculous at the time. I never imagined it came from the Church.”
“Fufu…”
A soft laugh escaped me. I glanced at Princess Yuril, who was covering her mouth to hide her own chuckle.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, it’s fine…”
“After the Church’s announcement, I told my father as well. I told him that Riel and Kyou were already a relationship overflowing with chaos—this was simply too ridiculous to be true.”
“Yes, yes…?”
Riel shouted in surprise at the words, far louder than the situation warranted.
Perhaps she was still feeling the sting of the earlier reassurance.
“I… that is… not to that extent yet… uhehe…”
…Hmph.
Was this the right time to confess?
No, I was thinking too much.
“Fufu.”
Princess Yuril simply smiled, eyes sparkling with mischief.
If those strange writings had truly been authored by the Church, then the reason they had attacked me and Riel became clear.
Yet even granting that, I still could not fathom why they would go to such lengths—especially when they already held the broken remains of the Demon King as bait.
Perhaps the king would have more answers.
The carriage kept rolling.
Alicia had joined up with Prince Andrew and his mother, the duchess, and was hurrying them onward.
At least the duchess had recovered enough strength, but the radiant being had appeared, urging them to leave at once.
The sounds of distant monster roars reached them. Alicia guided the pair out of the cave.
Andrew was still too weak to walk far, so Alicia carried the duchess while Andrew followed behind, clutching the jewel I had given him.
The going was slow, yet they had to move quickly.
Something suddenly seized them in the darkness.
Alicia felt the monsters’ attention lock onto Andrew.
‘Could it be…’
From every experience she had endured, she knew that a jewel of this sort would not draw the eye of enemies unless she willed it to.
If that were the case…
“Prince Andrew, move this way—”
She seized his hand and pulled him toward her.
But the situation twisted away from her plan.
“Another one!”
“Three humans!”
“Capture them! Capture them all!”
Voices echoed between the monsters.
Before she could react, Alicia’s mind spun.
Three bodies pressed together. Then suddenly five appeared.
If only two had been visible before, perhaps the jewel had hidden the others.
In that case, there was no other choice.
“Prince Andrew, I’m sorry, but I need you to carry the duchess.”
She passed the duchess into his arms.
Andrew nodded, accepted the weight, and began moving.
“Thank you, Alicia.”
“Please do not worry about me. I will reach the destination no matter what.”
Fortunately, Andrew had taken the jewel and stepped forward.
The monsters faltered, confused, scanning their surroundings.
“What? They’re gone!”
“Disappeared suddenly! What is this?!”
“It’s strange! It’s strange!”
“…!”
Alicia’s ears caught the voices.
Though she could not see them, the laughter of fairies was unmistakable.
Watching the retreating pair, she closed her eyes.
According to legend, fairies possessed no strength for direct combat.
Their gifts were illusions, confusion, madness.
They lured monsters and sent them into battle.
In the Sacred Realm of the World Tree itself.
“I have never worshipped beings like them… and I certainly won’t hold back now.”
Alicia slowly drew the holy power within her.
“Hey! A priest!”
“Why would a priest do such a thing?!”
“Bad person! Bad person!”
The fairies chattered as they watched Alicia raise her power.
If they wanted to complain, then complain they would.
She was about to charge when—
“Ah—!”
The holy power filling her body vanished in an instant.
The power the priest invoked by borrowing from the World Tree…
“Ah…”
So that was it.
The World Tree’s power had been stolen by Saint Belia and now belonged to her.
Did Belia witness this?
If she severed the power Alicia was wielding…
“The World Tree’s power! It’s gone!”
“She’s powerless! The bad person is powerless!”
“Hehehe! Destroy her! Destroy her!”
While Alicia stood stunned, the fairies laughed and unleashed the monsters.
The mocking voices sounded as though Belia herself were laughing from afar.
KRAAAAAK—!
The beasts lunged under the fairies’ command.
Their claws and fangs came close enough to tear into Alicia.
BOOM—!
A loud crash rang out between the monster and Alicia.
Dirt and dust exploded around them, filling the air.
“Uwaah!”
“It’s noisy! What now?!”
Scrape, scrape… scratch, scratch…
The horrible sounds of monsters clawing at their own throats echoed from the clouds of dust.
Yet no other noise followed.
The dust settled.
“…Hah. A bunch of arrogant little worms.”
Alicia stood amid the crushed monsters.
The half-crushed beast let out a weak, bubbling wail.
She raised her arm. A heavy iron hammer chained to her floated upward.
“Arrogant, mocking vermin. I shall send you to the side of the World Tree.”
Alicia spun the hammer in a wide arc and declared the verdict with a flourish.
She had only just realized, much later, that the phrase she had used—spoken by battle priests before combat—had become a fossilized cliché because the World Tree Yggdrasil was truly dead.