Chapter 213 – World Tree (One)

Ray, having received the gem from Grine, focused his mind.

Inside the gem.

From the tangled, wriggling threads of green mana, like roots, he could feel a pulse and stirring akin to a living being.

‘The primary component is the element of growth and expansion.’

The associated emotion was a curiosity that spread like vines everywhere.

And a sense of bonding and belonging, growing by supporting each other.

Curiosity was an emotion the boy inherently possessed in abundance.

Bonding and a sense of belonging were also emotions he had acquired to some extent through friends like Philip and Veronica, and through the annex which was his nest.

Woooooong——!

The green mana of the gem, resonating with the emotions the boy drew forth, seeped into the surrounding earth.

Soon, something astonishing happened.

From the cleared, snowy ground, sprouts wriggled up, blossomed in an instant, and grew into saplings.

It was as if a small garden had formed centered around the three of them.

Veronica spun around in place, marveling.

“Wow…! This is the first time I’ve seen growth magic this close up…! The books said it’s not very efficient and is just a supplementary life magic…! But now, it was like time was fast-forwarded…!”

Grine, standing beside her with a dazed expression, muttered.

“With Ray-nim’s help, it might really be possible….”

A teardrop trickled down her cheek.

A vivid purple mana sparkled like a tiny dot within her vessel.

“Ah! Ah! Grine-nim, please don’t cry!”

“No. Don’t worry. I’m not crying because I’m sad. My heart just suddenly ached. As I mentioned before, when I left the Last Forest, I brought seeds of various plant species with me.”

Grine said that while traveling the human world in search of a place to sprout the World Tree, she also scattered and planted seeds of other plant species here and there.

“But this is the first time I’ve seen the life held within the seeds reveal itself to the outside world. Because I was searching for candidate sites for a new forest, I never had the chance to stay in one place long enough.”

Hearing Grine’s words, Ray expressed a question.

“Can’t you use growth magic too, Grine?”

“I can. But I can’t make ordinary species of vegetation grow this quickly, unlike the vine types I mainly use in combat, which inherently have fast growth rates. My ability to handle the mana of the Life Stone isn’t up to this level. Ah, thank you.”

Grine wiped her tears with the handkerchief Veronica handed her.

She blew her nose with a pfft sound, then soon added.

“And it’s probably not just me. Likely, no Elf in the Last Forest can handle the mana of the Life Stone as well as Ray-nim.”

“Are the Elves inexperienced?”

“No. It would be more accurate to say Ray-nim possesses an excessively outstanding ability. Elves are basically all born with a high mana affinity for mana.”

The atmosphere had calmed down somewhat.

Turning her head to examine the garden, Veronica, as if realizing something, spoke with a worried expression.

“But these flowers and trees… If left alone, won’t they eventually get hit by the black rain from the sky and wither and die…? Hmm, wouldn’t it be good to make something like a roof for them?”

Grine rummaged through her belongings and then brought out the Seed of the World Tree on her palm.

“This little one will serve as the roof. Though I’ll have to try it.”

“Try it?”

“Because the World Tree isn’t a tree with ordinary characteristics.”

Grine continued her explanation while using magic to dig up the soil, creating a space to plant the seed.

“The growth rate of the World Tree is extremely slow. It grows very slowly, as if trapped alone in a crevice of time. But its lifespan is incredibly long, and also, its growth limit isn’t fixed. It’s said that the World Tree in the Last Forest has been rooted in that spot since 5,000 years ago. Its size is large enough to cover a typical human Sector.”

The seed, floating up from her palm, headed towards the dug hole.

As the seed descended, Grine’s voice grew somewhat somber.

“But the World Tree doesn’t enjoy immortality. No matter how long a life, it eventually reaches its terminus. The World Tree of the Last Forest is dying. Its power is weakening. Even if all the Elves combine their strength and pour the mana of the Life Stone into it, it’s insufficient to stop the decline. It can’t be reversed. The mana of the Life Stone only encourages growth; it doesn’t extend the fundamental lifespan of the target itself.”

The atmosphere grew heavy and sank.

The boy and girl couldn’t interrupt the woman’s words.

“The World Tree will leave our side. The vegetation of the Last Forest, having lost its roof, will sicken and die under the black rain. It’s the fault of the Elves who stagnated in the forest. We should have started preparing for the future a bit earlier. It’s not far off. In less than 300 years, the empty space left by the World Tree will weigh heavily upon us.”

At that moment, Ray, doubting his ears, interrupted Grine’s monologue.

“Wait a moment.”

“Please speak.”

“300 years?”

“That’s right. The World Tree’s lifespan has less than 300 years left.”

Ray was uncharacteristically confused.

“That’s 300 years left.”

“It’s only 300 years left.”

“Why ‘only’ 300 years?”

“Because 300 years is a short time, not even enough to fully encompass an Elf’s lifetime.”

What’s this, am I the strange one?

Thinking that, he turned his head, but Veronica also had a bewildered look in her eyes.

Suddenly, a past conversation with Grine came to mind.

「I can help you with your task. But it will only be possible after we’ve achieved all our goals. I can’t guarantee how long it will take. It could be a year, two years, or in the worst case, several years.」

「Hmm? That’s all? Then I’ll wait a while.」

“…….”

It seemed the Elf’s sense of time was far more vast than imagined.

As if reading his thoughts, Grine spoke.

“Even setting aside the difference in time perception between humans and Elves, 300 years is a short time by the World Tree’s standards as well. 300 years is a hopelessly insufficient time to grow to a size capable of forming a forest. In that amount of time, probably…”

Grine, having turned her head to look around the mansion grounds for a moment, concluded.

“…a size large enough to generously cover this entire area. That would be the limit. But my thought is that with Ray-nim’s power, the situation could change sufficiently.”

It was the moment the seed was about to settle into the hole.

“By any chance! Instead of a seed, can we transplant an already grown sprout?”

Veronica’s shout.

The seed paused in mid-air.

“It shouldn’t matter. In fact, it would be good to save the World Tree’s seeds. They aren’t few in number, but you can’t say there are a lot either.”

“Hmm, since we’re planting it anyway, I thought it would be nice to gift a larger plot of land to the friend we’ve been raising. Just a moment!”

Veronica, who ran dododo to the annex, soon came out holding a small pot.

The World Tree, planted three months ago but still just a small sprout, was carefully transplanted into the ground.

Grine, gazing intently at the sprout, said.

“As I felt when I saw it last time, the sprout’s health is remarkably good. As if it had always basked in high-quality sunlight without the slightest deficiency.”

“I did place it by the window to get sunlight whenever I had the chance.”

“No. It’s something more than just that… as if a light source was right beside it… Hmm.”

Grine’s long ears twitched.

She pondered but couldn’t unravel the mystery.

Woooooong——!

The green mana from the gem poured down onto the World Tree sprout like a waterfall.

At first, nothing happened.

But Veronica, sensing the delicate and powerful flow of mana, could tell that Ray was exerting extreme concentration.

Then, at a certain moment.

Crrrreeeak!

The sprout began to grow rapidly.

In an instant, the stem grew upward, becoming long and thick.

Branches spreading in all directions and green leaves sprouting upon them.

After the infusion of green mana ceased.

“Wah…!”

“It’s amazing!”

A giant tree stood before their eyes.

Its height was almost equal to the two-story mansion.

“My expectations of Ray-nim were indeed not wrong! To be able to grow a World Tree to this extent in such a short time!”

“…….”

In contrast to Grine, who was excited beyond being moved, Ray felt a slight disappointment.

‘My head is dizzy. This is the limit for now. I thought I could grow it more at once. It’s definitely different from the other plants I grew earlier.’

Judging by Grine’s reaction, even this seemed to be a remarkable feat.

But the feeling that he hadn’t even drawn out half of half the power of the green gem left a great sense of dissatisfaction.

…He needed a greater emotion that could resonate with the green mana.

Ray immediately posed a question.

“Grine, you said Elves have a strong sense of belonging, right?”

“Very strong. Because we prioritize the life of the collective over the individual’s life.”

“Where is the Last Forest?”

“It’s in the last place.”

“Where is the last place?”

“Around the last.”

As Ray pondered whether he could win if he fought Grine, a peculiarity caught his eye.

The World Tree leaves, swaying in the wind, all had a transparent green hue, allowing the other side to be seen through them.

“The color of the leaves….”

“Ah, you mean that. The leaves of the World Tree have the property of transmitting light. They use only the amount they need and amplify the remaining sunlight, scattering it onto the vegetation beneath their domain. That’s why the Last Forest isn’t dark. On the contrary, it’s very bright.”

“…….”

Ray suddenly grew curious.

What would a World Tree grown even larger than this look like?

Curiosa’s work on the Spatial Path continued day and night.

Ray spent almost all his time each day drawing, and whenever his mental strength recovered, he infused the World Tree with green mana.

Creeeak! Crrrreeeak!

After the initial rapid growth, the World Tree’s growth rate slowed.

But Ray never missed a day of mana infusion.

And the World Tree, steadily expanding its domain, grew to a size sufficient to protect the garden beside the annex.

The black rain could not penetrate the transparent green leaves.

Furthermore, the previously contaminated soil within a certain radius of the World Tree gradually began to regain its clean color.

And a few more days later.

“It’s done! I did it! Finally! This is a human victory! A human victory, I say!”

The Spatial Path was completed, and preparations for the journey were swiftly made.

Ray spoke to Jang.

“I’ll do the driving. Jang, please stay behind and focus on learning the mansion duties with the other servants.”

“Yes, thank you for your consideration.”

Ray then spoke to Curiosa.

“Curiosa, you stay behind too. In case enemies appear, someone needs to be here to respond immediately.”

“Hmph, I was planning to stay even without you saying so. Who knows how much I’d be exploited if I got dragged along.”

He did plan to call her if needed.

Ray didn’t bother to mention it.

The bus passengers were three.

Himself, Veronica, and Grine.

However, since the bus and the mansion were constantly connected via the Spatial Path, it was practically no different from the entire group being on board.

“If anything happens, come through the Spatial Path immediately and let me know.”

“Just disappear already. I don’t even want to see your face.”

Leaving the grumbling Curiosa behind, the bus exited the mansion gate.

And immediately, it had to stop.

Because a man was blocking the road not far ahead.

“Ra, Ray. There’s a strange person blocking the way ahead?”

“He’s holding something in his hand. Something like a letter? In a red envelope?”

Unlike the two who expressed puzzlement, Ray had already intuited the other’s identity.

An expressionless face. An awkward posture.

New clothes without any signs of having been worn.

And, above all.

…A vessel devoid of emotion.

“…Homunculus.”

Presumed to be the Doctor’s experimental subjects.

At that moment, the man opened his mouth and spoke loudly.

“Do not inform any further.”

Men with similar impressions, who had appeared from the surrounding alleys, echoed the words in flat, monotonous voices.

“Do not inform.”

“Do not inform.”

“Do not inform.”

“Do not inform.”

Their numbers reached over a dozen.

“Do not approach any further.”

“Do not approach.”

“Do not approach.”

“Do not approach.”

“Do not approach.”

Ray pressed a button to open the bus door.

Psssssh——

“Do not leave this place.”

“Do not leave.”

“Do not leave.”

“Do not leave.”

“Do not leave.”

The moment Ray stepped outside.

─────.

Emotion bloomed simultaneously within the previously empty vessels of the Homunculi.

Ray looked around with a dry gaze at the anger and malice surrounding him on all sides.

At the end of it.

“That, it’s from the Doctor to me, right?”

He said, looking at the man blocking the way.

The Homunculi all stopped speaking at once.

Silence and stillness descended upon the area.

Soon.

Tap— tap—*

The man, walking over with awkward steps, handed Ray the letter in the red envelope.