Chapter 225 – The Last Forest (Seven)

The World Tree was bewildered.

This was an absolute space where it held dominion over everything.

Visitors could exert no influence whatsoever, nor could they leave at will.

But how?

How had he exerted physical force?

As the World Tree struggled with confusion and questions, it suddenly felt a growing sense of familiarity with the boy.

Surely, it had met the boy sometime in the past and experienced a similar situation…

“Afraid those left behind will grieve, so you’ll meet death while incurring their hatred?”

At the voice, it raised its head to see the boy holding a book, trudging closer step by step.

Thud.

The boy stopped before it.

“That’s irresponsible talk.”

—……

“I’ve also had someone precious die. It was less than a year ago. They were like a parent to me. Until the very last moment before death, they worried about me more than themselves.”

—……

“I became unable to erase that person from my memory. I probably won’t forget for the rest of my life. So, after that day, do you think I’ve lived in agony, tormented by sorrow and longing?”

—……

“Not at all. Quite the opposite. I recalled the words they left behind and tirelessly pushed upstream along the Elton River. There were times I felt sorrow and longing, but they never became shackles. Instead, they became the driving force that made me move my body even harder. If not for that person, I would have taken root in the mud pit called Sector 50 and never escaped.”

Without a single falter in his breath, long sentences and emotions poured out like a river.

Though a boy unskilled in emotions and relationships, in this situation, he seemed capable of giving clearer advice than anyone.

“Who says those left behind will live submerged in sorrow for the rest of their lives? Even in the same situation, everyone deals with emotions differently. So, help. Do your best for those around you until the very end. So that those beings remember you fondly. So that the you in their memories can have a positive influence on their remaining lives.”

—It’s over…

“You say you won’t help because you trust the child. That’s not trust, it’s indifference and neglect. What kind of irresponsible parent in the world does that? In a parent’s eyes, a child is always a child no matter how much they grow.”

The boy, who had been pondering for a moment, added.

“Or so my friend said.”

—……

A long silence flowed.

The World Tree’s form, a silhouette of light, showed no change.

But the World Tree’s emotions enveloping the space were continuously shifting.

“Do you understand what I mean?”

—My thoughts are a little…

Swish.

—I understand.

The World Tree, which answered immediately as the boy picked up the book, sank into thought for a moment.

—In a parent’s eyes, a child is always a child no matter how much they grow…

It was true.

Every life in the forest, no matter how old they grew, appeared only as children in its eyes.

Gwendel.

When that young child hid even younger sprouts in the labyrinth, it couldn’t help but hesitate greatly.

Should it break the silence and reprimand?

Or should it pretend not to see and let it pass?

Although it ultimately chose the latter, a lingering sense of unease and regret remained.

After a long contemplation, the World Tree spoke as if having made a decision in its heart.

—To take responsibility for the children until the end… I see. I understand what you mean. But the fact is, I cannot help the children in danger now. I am dying. I don’t have much strength left. Far from exerting influence over the entire forest as before, I’m barely managing to block the black raindrops. My silence to the elves’ calls wasn’t just out of petulance. It’s because conversation consumes no small amount of energy.

“I’ll lend my strength.”

Ray put his hand into his pocket and after a moment pulled out a green gem.

—How on earth are you doing that?

“I just imagined it, and it was in my hand.”

—Hoo… Anyway, the Life Stone is a method the other children have already tried. No matter how much Mana is infused, my lifespan itself is running out…?

The end of its thought became a question.

Because the light emanating from the green gem was on a different trajectory from when the elves handled it.

The World Tree intuited.

With that level of Mana.

Perhaps, once more.

—It might be possible…

Slowly rising, the World Tree clasped the pulsating lump of life force held by the boy.

Kugugugu!

As the World Tree’s spirit focused entirely on the gem, the room began to collapse.

A vision beginning to turn white.

Within it, the World Tree the boy last observed was in the form of a small sprout.

A faint thought echoed.

—I remember now. It was you.

The boy who opened his eyes found himself standing with his palm against the labyrinth wall.

‘It remembered me…?’

He was puzzled by the World Tree’s last words, but had no time to think deeply.

Uuuuuung──!

Green Mana originating from the gem within his body was racing towards the wall.

He quickly assessed the situation.

‘The output is weak.’

The boy immediately raised his curiosity to the maximum.

How beautiful a sight would the sky with a rainbow be?

What lies atop the Sky Island?

Where exactly is the City of Wizards located?

What kind of face does Curiosa have behind her mask?

If Kelly were disassembled, what principles would be discovered for how it works?

Why does Veronica insist she’s bare-faced when she’s wearing light makeup?

…And, above all.

‘What does this entire world look like?’

Uuuuuung──!

The Mana output increased.

The stream of Mana erupting from the green gem became a river from a brook.

But it still felt far insufficient to invigorate the vitality of a giant tree like the World Tree.

‘This won’t do.’

Next, he raised his sense of belonging.

The mansion in Sector 37.

A place to return to.

The warmth held by the children.

Friends from whom he could receive help, like Veronica, Ayla, Ain, Curiosa, Jang, Kelly, Lacria…

‘Feels like I forgot someone.’

Well, it probably wasn’t an important issue.

Anyway, the sense of belonging the boy thought of was an emotion similar to trust and stability.

But the sentiment felt in the Last Forest was slightly different.

Belonging was a concept far superior to stability or trust.

The lifeforms in the forest, which he had observed intently while drawing, lived within a vast organic cycle.

Plants were eaten by herbivores.

Herbivores were eaten by carnivores.

And animal corpses returned to the earth, becoming nutrients, sprouting seeds…

Each life in the forest was like a cog in a clock that wouldn’t turn if one was missing, tightly interlocked with each other.

The animals and plants were the forest itself.

The individual was the whole.

However, the forest’s flora and fauna imbued with Green Mana seemed unaware that they belonged to such a vast flow.

They simply lived naturally.

Therefore, the boy speculated.

Perhaps Green Mana signified not an emotion, but a certain attitude or perception.

He closed his eyes and thought.

‘…I too am part of the flow.’

It was at that moment that the Mana points constructing the 4th Ring explosively accelerated.

Simultaneously, the gem’s output strengthened.

Uuuuuuung───!

The river became a sea.

The surging waves of Green Mana used the boy’s body as a stepping stone to cross over to the World Tree.

The boy attempted Sensory Synchronization.

Whether Familiar Magic’s Sensory Synchronization worked on trees, or what theory and formula to use.

Such miscellaneous questions did not currently exist.

Only the boy’s imagination and will preceded, and the elements moved their bodies accordingly.

And the next moment.

……!

The boy could contemplate the forest.

It wasn’t seeing.

Nor was it hearing.

Nor was it smelling.

Yet he could see the forest, hear the cries of animals, and smell the scent of grass.

It was an indescribable sensation, experienced for the first time in his life.

But the surprise was brief.

The boy focused on the Homunculi committing slaughter throughout the forest.

The Homunculi had no self-awareness.

How they were born.

What they lived for.

They had no right to know such things.

Their role was simply to move as commanded and occasionally be faithful to the emotions that surged up, heart-burstingly intense.

Grrind!

They clenched their teeth so hard that red blood flowed over their lips.

The current emotion was rage and hatred.

It felt as if their bodies would explode if they didn’t pour out the inner flames.

And fortunately, suitable targets for that were plentiful all around.

Squeak─!

Keeek! Screech!

They swung their swords towards the animals.

Whoosh!

They set fire to every place they could see.

The crimson-stained world was quite beautiful, but this was still far from enough.

They instinctively understood that they could only be satisfied once they erased all the green scenery spread before their eyes from the world.

“Kheuheu! Good! A splendid sight…!”

“Burn! Burn more…!”

As they tried to advance to the next area with insane laughter, they momentarily halted at their unmoving feet.

Vines rising from the ground were gripping their ankles.

The moment they reached out to tear them away.

Swish!

The vines climbing up their legs enveloped their entire bodies.

They struggled to break free after strengthening their physical strength with Magic, but the vines were unyielding like iron chains.

They only tightened around their entire bodies with increasing pressure.

Breathing became difficult.

Bones began to crack.

“……?”

“……!”

The moment they realized they couldn’t escape, an emotion originally not permitted surged within the Homunculi’s Vessels.

Black Mana, that was fear.

Crunch!

The vines covered even their faces.

Through their gradually obscured vision, the Homunculi saw.

Plop.

A raindrop.

Plop! Plop plop!

Rain was falling on the forest.

The elves engaged in battle in the village couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of vines rising from the ground instantly subduing the enemies.

Plop!

Feeling puzzled by the raindrop that fell on her face, one raised her head.

“Rain…?”

“It’s raining…?”

Swoooosh───

The droplets falling one by two soon became a fierce downpour.

“My goodness, it’s raining…!”

“And such clear rain at that…!”

The elves, getting wet in the rain, couldn’t hide their deep excitement and joy.

Beside Veronica, who wore a somewhat confused expression, Grine explained.

“Originally, rain doesn’t fall in the Last Forest. The World Tree blocks all the Black Rain falling from the sky. Sometimes when relatively clean rain falls, it twists the leaves to let the raindrops pass… but clear rain has such low precipitation it’s not very meaningful.”

Grine extended a finger to feel the sensation of the falling raindrops.

“So, the role of watering the forest’s vegetation has been taken up by the elves. By condensing vapor with Magic to create water. But with the current numbers, there are limits, and the forest’s vegetation was gradually drying up… but with this level of precipitation…”

“Originally, supplying water to the forest was the World Tree’s role.”

The person who joined the conversation was Gant.

“The World Tree…?”

“Yes. The World Tree standing behind us now, you could say the mother of the forest.”

Gant met Veronica’s gaze briefly, then raised his head above the fierce downpour.

High up in the distant sky, the World Tree’s branches and leaves were visible.

“According to records, that’s how it was. When the World Tree’s vitality was vigorous, it directly made rain fall. Like a Wizard does, drawing atmospheric moisture beneath its branches and dropping water droplets. I think it’s like that now. Seeing how Atmospheric Mana is being sucked upwards.”

“Ah, that means…!”

“It means the World Tree has broken its silence. And probably, using the Mana contained in the Life Stone…”

Rustle.*

Then a sound came from behind.

Where everyone’s gaze turned.

A figure was emerging from the hole in the World Tree’s trunk.