Chapter 357: The Ideal Kingdom
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 357: The Ideal Kingdom
"The things growing on the trees... are meat!"
Liya’s voice was as sweet and melodious as ever, but when her soft cry rang through the silent woods, Muen felt the warm light filtering through the canopy suddenly turn cold.
"Meat... Don't tell me..."
Muen’s mind flashed back to certain sanity-shattering works from his previous life. Meat growing on trees—could it be...
"Humans?"
"No, no, no! It’s just normal meat. Mutton!"
Liya shook her head frantically, seemingly terrified by Muen’s train of thought.
It was only then that Muen caught the gamey, musky scent mingling with the smell of blood.
It really did seem to be just mutton.
But even if it was mutton, how could it grow from a tree?
Then there was the river of milk flowing before them.
"It’s not just mutton, either. I found different fruits on different trees. When you cut them open, there’s pork, beef—all sorts of kinds! Oh, and there’s this..."
Liya pulled out a plant that looked like a pitcher plant. She tilted it slightly, and a thick, pale yellow liquid poured out.
"This is full of honey. Pure, natural honey!"
"Honey?"
Muen murmured instinctively.
"Meat growing on trees... a river of milk... and honey everywhere..."
Wait. Why does that sound so familiar?
Muen suddenly jolted.
“A land flowing with milk and honey, where sheep and pigs grow in the fields, a pure land devoid of hunger and pain...”
"The words in those ancient texts... they weren't flowery metaphors? They were literal descriptions?"
Muen was stunned.
The scene before him perfectly matched the descriptions of the legendary "Lost Homeland, the Golden Kingdom" found in the ancient texts mentioned in the Church’s pamphlets.
Muen had always assumed it was just hyperbolic praise. After all, it was human nature to romanticize and exaggerate the mysterious.
But he never expected it to be goddamn real.
This was completely unscientific...
Wait. In a world where girls could have children with other girls through magic, was he really going to complain about science?
He had long heard of the power and wonder of ancient magic; perhaps this truly was the result of some spell...
"Just to be safe, let me ask..."
Muen rubbed his chin and looked at Liya with a grave expression. "If it were the power of the Goddess, could she achieve something like this?"
"The Goddess..."
Liya looked at the bleeding fruit in her hand and thought for a moment before nodding firmly. "If it were the Goddess, then yes, she could.
"After all, the fact that humanity has progressed this far and reached such a massive population is largely thanks to the Goddess’s grace!"
"Is that so?"
Muen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Even though Muen wasn't a believer in the Church of Human Life, he had heard that the Church had developed and improved many high-quality crops. This had saved countless lives and served as the foundation for the population explosion on the continent a century ago.
He had assumed it was some kind of magic, but it was actually the Goddess’s grace?
—Then again, she was the Goddess of Life. It made sense.
Though, even with the Goddess’s grace, it hadn't been enough to completely eliminate hunger from the world.
Muen thought of this past winter in Belland. Even with the new Lower District Magistrate working with the Royalist Faction and the Duke’s Estate, they couldn't prevent people from starving to death during that long winter.
Though the numbers were significantly lower than in previous years.
On the bright side, the fact that Ariel could eat free black bread was also thanks to those efforts.
"Wait... 'no hunger'..."
Muen recalled the second half of the description from the ancient texts.
"Could it be that Cantville was actually founded by a group of the Goddess’s believers? Did they use her grace to create a realm absolutely free of hunger?"
That would explain the lack of farmland.
In a place where delicious food grew everywhere, why would anyone need to plant crops?
"Mm... it’s possible. But a blessing capable of altering biological structures to this extent would require a massive amount of faith," Liya said, her brow furrowed in deep thought.
Suddenly, a spark of realization lit up her eyes. She turned to look into the distance.
"Right! That barrier!"
"The barrier?"
"Yes! If the Goddess’s grace was only applied to a specific, enclosed area, the faith required might not be as astronomical as we thought."
"So... that’s why Cantville isolated itself?"
Muen understood instantly.
Transforming a country was a completely different concept from transforming an entire world. To make the whole world look like this, the Goddess of Life would likely have to descend in person.
But if it were just a group of believers gathering together to use the Goddess’s power to create a secluded utopia—a land of plenty, free from strife and hunger, celebrated as the Golden Kingdom... as Liya said, it was theoretically possible.
Perhaps this was the origin of Cantville?
"An ideal kingdom without hunger or pain... huh?"
Muen looked up at the azure sky.
The sky was clear and transparent, not at all like a ruin buried deep underground. The clouds were white, drifting into various shapes. There was no sun, but soft light filtered through the leaves, and a gentle breeze blew past. It was incredibly pleasant.
Everything matched Muen’s first impression upon entering this place...
It was beautiful.
...
But.
Could such a perfect place truly exist?
If everything had gone according to plan, why was this village abandoned? Why had this Golden Kingdom become a "Lost Homeland" buried beneath the earth?
"The mysteries just keep piling up."
Muen rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Still, having a potential explanation gave him a modicum of peace. Otherwise, this eerie scene of milk rivers and meat trees would have made him suspect he’d stumbled into another trap set by some "Lord Evil God."
He half-expected some monstrosity to crawl out of a corner and give him a "hug of love."
Honestly, he was exhausted. He really hoped that wasn't the case.
"Muen, what should we do next?"
Seeing Muen lost in thought, Liya suddenly spoke up.
"Ah, sorry. I was overthinking. Anyway, let’s scout the surrounding area first and then keep moving. As for these things, we probably shouldn't eat them..."
"I didn't mean that."
"Eh?"
"I meant..."
Liya had already discarded the meat-fruit and the honey-filled pitcher plant. She twined her fingers together, looking at Muen bashfully.
"The river is full of milk now. It looks like you won't be able to wash up..."
"..."
Muen blinked and scratched his head.
Right. He couldn't wash with water now. What was he supposed to do?
"It—it’s okay."
A luxurious glow of Holy Light, capable of purifying all filth, surged from Liya’s hands. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she took a step toward him.
"Don't move, Muen. Just leave it to me. I'll help you!"