The Paladin Owns the Relic

167 – Ancient Forest (27)

“…What happened?”

“I was hurt before I came.”

Rakkkum carefully laid Arpina down.

“I heard that Arpina took the initiative to evacuate the citizens. The vigilante led by Eve took to the front line belatedly… I heard that she was already injured.”

“No. sh*t…Then why…”

I wiped my face.

“Why is a priest who can’t even fight stand on the front lines…”

“Wasn’t she that kind of person?”

“I’ll turn.”

Alpina exhaled heavily. I looked at the penetrating wound emanating from her abdomen.

Ambiguous. Can’t be cured A different situation from that elf before.

What is inside Alpina’s body is not just dormant holy power. Her holy power and dangerously dangerous demonic energy settled in her body.

If I intervene here, it will definitely explode.

If that happens, Arpina will naturally disappear, and Marira. You can’t accept Magi with her body with her stigmata.

There was only one way to heal her wounds.

“…As if it were a porridge or a meal, I now have a reason to pass through the ancient forest.”

Arpina is a necessary force. Furthermore, if she died in this situation, the church would hold me accountable.

I made an impression. I don’t understand why she stepped forward when she had no strength in the first place.

“Come on, Zahard…”

She held my hand. Her looming consciousness was full of excited breath.

But she said nonetheless. She whispered in a dying voice.

“I-I…It’s okay…”

“It’s not okay.”

I knew it would be like this.

This is exactly what it looks like. The end of a human who doesn’t care about himself and only cares about others who don’t care.

I sighed. You can just take care of yourself, so why bother with others?

“Take a break. Arpina.”

“Come on, Zaha…”

“Don’t worry. Because you won’t die.”

Time, which was not there, became more urgent.

There was only one thing I had to do.

Go to the fairy forest on behalf of Count Blaken, open a trade route with the fairy, and save Arpina.

“……”

I didn’t feel good for some reason. Still, I had to work.

Let’s go.

Because nothing will change just by standing still.

. . .

“Saint! Numerous patients occur in large cities…!”

“Like last time, help…!”

Did you leave it to me?

“I am busy.”

Decline the request and go forward. First, I found Basmov, the lord of the castle.

He was tidying up the mess in the big city. He dismantled the fallen tree spirits and hurriedly extinguished the flames that had risen throughout the city.

Thousands of casualties. The entire castle, including Basmorph, was caught off guard by the massive attack.

Is this the right time to throw it away?

Basmov raised his head. The tired complexion suddenly changed.

“You returned safely. Saint.”

“Your Excellency.”

“The research sample was received. But… as you can see, things aren’t so good.”

He took me and took me to one of the spires in the city.

The situation in the city seen from above was even more dire. Collapsed buildings piled up on the horizon all over the endless city.

“All the vines that climbed the walls were removed. The mages are clinging to it and preventing it from expanding further.”

No good words came out.

“Couldn’t you have stopped it before it spread completely?”

“Enemy penetration does not come from the walls. It came from within. Have you encountered that ‘monster’?”

“If it’s a monster…”

“A tall knight as if wearing thick wooden armor. He was literally a monster worthy of being called a knight of the forest. When he appeared, dozens of soldiers were slaughtered at once. Immediately after being swept away, vines and roots spread around him.”

“……”

“It seemed like he was looking for something. Rather than killing people, I focused on stirring up the whole city.”

“What was stolen?”

“Nothing was stolen.”

“Yes?”

It’s strange. Didn’t take anything, but returned?

There’s no way the opponent who entered the castle because he was aiming for something just threw him out…?

“Isn’t the treasure house robbed?”

“Garnet’s treasure house is protected by numerous magics. Even a monster like that will take time to break through. And in the first place, the monster didn’t even come near the treasure house.”

“Then… you really didn’t take anything?”

“Even if it was stolen, it means it wasn’t that important.”

I think something went wrong.

At first, he nodded. I took out the thing I found for him.

“Your Excellency.”

“What is it?”

“One of my party is injured. A very valuable colleague. I intend to take her immediately to her fairy forest.”

“What…? Did you hear that the Fairy Forest is currently under attack by the Ancient Forest? Are you going to break through that force?”

“Only there can I heal my party.”

Basmov’s expression hardened.

“…Are you going to go to the enemy camp in this situation?”

“Yes.”

“If you leave, what will be left here? What are they going to do?”

“From the beginning, my purpose was to advance to the fairy forest.”

“…It’s not that I don’t understand that feeling… But right now… I need a lot of strength…!”

Basmorph, about to give a tantrum, wiped his face.

A moment of silence.

Basmorph leaned against the spire. I looked askance.

“I…”

Pauses while talking. Then open your mouth again.

Determination mingled with a deep sigh.

“…I guess I was wrong. Fatigue piled up. My head doesn’t roll properly. Yes…The saint has already done enough. What you want more here is greed.”

“……”

“Looking at what you said to me, you must be very urgent. If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll help. But I can’t lend a lot of troops.”

“The troops are fine.”

“Then…what do you want?”

“I don’t want anything. Dismissal. I just came to say that I am leaving.”

“…I see.”

The owner of the garnet quietly peeped at the setting sun.

“I will open the gate. Saint. I hope that your future will be filled with only blessings.”

“……”

“Thank you.”

Basmov laughed bitterly.

”I will not forget that I helped Garnet even for a moment. This debt… Will be paid someday.”

. . .

I found Count Blaken. But he was nowhere to be found. Even when he asked the expedition, all he could hear was that he had suddenly disappeared.

“Where did you take it?”

“To hide in a situation like this.”

“I don’t even know what you’re thinking in the first place…”

“It is an absurd act to be called a leader.”

No body was ever found. The place where the expedition was stationed was a place where there was not much damage in the first place.

“…Ha.”

Eve, who joined late, was full of dust. He gulped down a sip of water to see if his throat hurt.

Behind her, numerous vigilantes were busily moving.

“You didn’t use brainwashing, did you?”

“They wanted to stand up for themselves. What I whispered to you was nothing but ‘courage’.”

Eve spat out bloody water. She seemed to have been shouting for a while, her voice partly broken.

“President…Arpina…”

“I know.”

“Have you been treated?”

“I have to go to the fairy forest. It cannot be cured here.”

“……”

A child came running. Suddenly, it clung to my leg.

Glittering eyes. It’s a boy. A small body that seemed to be ten years younger than me whispered to me.

“Saint.”

“…Why?”

“My older sister told me. The Holy Son whispered courage so that everyone could move.”

Eve averted her gaze. I stroked the boy’s head.

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“It’s dangerous here, so stay over there.”

“Saint. You know I… This…”

The child passed something. I accepted that.

Two small flowers.

The child placed one more on top of it. Two white and blue flowers were placed side by side in my hand.

“The blue one belongs to the saint. The white one…That sister’s.”

Eve whispered.

“Arpina…I mean.”

“You know. Saint.”

The boy smiled broadly.

Thank you for saving me. I wanted to say thank you the other day…But I couldn’t. So, the saint has two flowers!”

“……”

I silently stroked the boy’s head. He held the flower tightly.

“Thank you.”

“Ehehehe.”

The child’s parents popped out from behind the brightly smiling child.

“Oops! What’s wrong with the kid! Sin, sorry. Saint. I’m still a kid…”

“It’s okay.”

The child immediately walked away. I lightly shook his hand.

Eve hesitated.

“Is Arpina’s condition…very serious?”

“It’s serious. I plan to leave as soon as the sun rises.”

“……”

“Will Eve be here?”

“No. Of course I will follow. But…”

Eve looked away.

“…The wizards are blocking it, but the creeping range of the vines seems to be increasing. As fast as a month… Within that time, the entire inner sanctuary might turn into an ancient forest.”

“This is serious.”

“The important thing is that there is nowhere to run. Everything is blocked. All around the castle is an ancient forest, and if left as it is, everyone inside will die. Only a few parts of this large metropolis were eroded, and the casualties were in the thousands.”

“……”

“Of course…I know it’s something we can’t do anything about…but…”

Eve sighed.

“It bothers me.”

I didn’t say anything. I followed the boy’s back with my eyes.

It’s just a third party anyway. It wasn’t even that connected in the first place.

It is insensitive.

You should think so.

I am too busy taking care of my own people. If I had to choose, it would be right to choose Arpina.

“…Relax. Eve.”

“What about the teacher?”

“I need to find out more about Blaken. Since I came this far, I have to work first.”

“Take a break too, baby.”

Camilla walked with the sound of trampling on the ground. Not alone. There was someone in her hand.

A human man who has been clinging to him as if he were being subdued. Checking his face, I asked shyly.

Why is Blaken here even though I couldn’t find him?

“…Did you kidnap the expedition leader?”

“Your words are quite interesting, would you like to listen to them?”

The cloth tying Blaken’s mouth fell off. The sly count’s eyes flashed.

“Dare to the nobles of the empire! Even if you are an apostle of the Serpent Church, you will not be able to just pass by!”

“I don’t think that’s what I asked you to say.”

Camilla pressed her foot against Blaken’s head. She sighed as she looked down at her well-managed fingers.

“The tip of his fingernail is damaged. I don’t like it. Baby do you remember The whole time we were chasing the expedition, the monsters had entered a ferocious state.”

“…Do you know?”

“Do you know what these guys are hiding in the wagon?”

“What is it?”

“The reason why the ancient forest invaded the castle is because of these guys.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“These guys brought it as a gift for the elves… Ha. No ruler. It’s a pig Speak with your own mouth.”

A trampled Blaken struggled over his body. For some reason, the breath I exhaled was very hot.

“Everyone, I can’t get out of here right away…!”

“Count Blaken.”

I sat down in front of him. He slowly raised his holy power.

“What is the gift from the delegation?”

“That, that’s…!”

Blaken narrowed his eyes.

“No big deal! In the first place, it’s not something the Sun God could interfere with…!”

“You want to be stepped on more?”

“Uh… Ugh… That, that’s… That’s why…”

Blakken whispered.

“The tears of Yggdrasil…”

“…What?”

“Should I tell you until the end?”

Camilla trampled on Blaken’s waist. Blaken made a pig-picking sound.

“You shouldn’t omit the part where the spirits took away the tears of Yggdrasil that the envoy was holding.”

“Ugogok?!”

…Tears of Yggdrasil?

Is this the same thing Flora took?

“…What is this?”

…Yes.

That makes sense.

It’s easy to understand why the monsters were naturally dragged along and why they gave off that f*cking light.

Tears of Yggdrasil are the highest grade fruit. He was enough to turn the eyes of most witches.

But the forest queen was aiming for that? Why?

Since Flora must have already used it, it shouldn’t be used again, right? And in the first place, couldn’t it be used only for raising the next great seedling to transfer the spirit of the World Tree?

“…No sh*t. No way.”

Inferences pop up in my head. But I rejected it.

This is nonsense. Okay. It is nonsense. Wasn’t that always the same in countless scenarios in the game?

The world tree is one.

Saplings that lead to the next generation are also one.

Yggdrasil’s Tears, which can help seedlings grow, can only be used once.

But the fact that he took it away…

“Two saplings… f*ck… two?”

“You have reached the result too. Baby I don’t know what…”

Camilla said. There wasn’t even a hint of soft laughter in his words.

“Something is going wrong right now. The law of the world itself.”