Kays Translations

Chapter 449: The Forest Spirit’s Blessing

“So you truly came, Julius—my bosom friend!”

Overcome with emotion, the pervert… no, the Forest Spirit embraced me. Even Lionel and Nero seemed unable to lay hands on a spirit and stood flustered, uncertain what to do. It was probably best for them to remain still.

“Please calm down. I believe this is the first time we have met… You are the Forest Spirit, correct?”

“That is correct. What, did the Spirit of the Lake not tell you? How inconsiderate.”

Was it acceptable for one spirit to complain about another like that? I did not understand the relationships among spirits well enough to comment.

At the very least, it was now clear that the Forest Spirit already knew about me.

“Do you dwell in this forest?”

“Not precisely. I dwell in every forest. This is merely one of them.”

I see. That was certainly fitting for the Forest Spirit—and an astonishingly broad domain. It also explained how the Forest Spirit knew that we had planted the World Tree seed here. Had planting it without permission been a mistake? The Forest Spirit did not appear angry, at least.

“Forest Spirit, allow me to introduce Margrave Draken, the Eastern Margrave, and Marquis Mulan, who govern this region.”

“It is an honor to meet you.”

Both nobles bowed humbly. Ordinarily, one might have questioned whether this truly was a spirit, yet neither of them did. Perhaps the overwhelming presence convinced them. Even so, I wished the Forest Spirit had appeared in a more dignified form. For some reason, all the spirits seemed fond of this appearance.

“Ah, the descendant of that one, is it? You look very much alike. Thank you for keeping the promise.”

“Promise?”

“What, you planted it without knowing? Long ago, I entrusted the World Tree seed to your ancestor and told your family to plant it when the seeds of calamity began to sprout in this land.”

“…I didn’t know that.”

When Margrave Draken admitted his ignorance honestly, the Forest Spirit laughed with delight.

“There is no need for concern. The promise was fulfilled because it was engraved upon your soul.”

The Forest Spirit nodded enthusiastically. I wondered what the Forest Spirit would think upon learning that Margrave Draken had planted the seed partly out of mischief. Oh—Margrave Draken was staring at me without expression. That probably meant, “Say nothing.” I gave a slight nod in return.

“I heard about this from the Spirit of the Lake, but I never imagined it would grow so much.”

The Forest Spirit gazed up at the tall, magnificent World Tree with deep emotion.

That said, it was not yet the immense World Tree described in legends. It stood only a little taller than the surrounding trees. When I imagined a World Tree, I pictured something as enormous as a mountain.

“I never thought I’d get to see the legendary World Tree. This will be a good story to tell.”

“I see, I see. How wonderful. Ordinarily, reaching this size would require a thousand years. It has grown remarkably well.”

A thousand years… and I did that in just a few minutes? Is the World Tree okay? It’s not damaged, is it?

I checked it with Appraisal. Yes, the tree was healthy. There appeared to be no problem.

“Julius, is everything okay?”

Ever cautious, Ijidol looked worriedly at the World Tree as he asked. The others were also staring upwards and murmuring, “A thousand years,” just as I had.

“It’s okay. It looks like there’s no problem. Still, just in case, I won’t give it any more plant nutrients.”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Ijidol was worried about the World Tree’s rapid growth. He truly was kind-hearted. I hoped spring would come for him soon as well.

Oh, right—what had happened to the mana stagnation? Just as I expected, it had vanished completely. Mutated monsters probably would not appear here again.

“Ah, Julius. I must thank you for raising the World Tree so splendidly—and for the dried fruits.”

“Ah, right.”

Apparently, the dried-fruit offerings were being shared among the spirits. I had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed left me with mixed feelings. It seemed as though I were luring spirits with food. Was that truly all right?

“Julius, I shall grant you my blessing.”

“Thank you very much.”

With a sharp crackle, a beam of light struck me, and a leaf-shaped mark appeared on the back of my hand. Wonderful. I now possessed four spirit blessings. Was this really acceptable for an ordinary person?

While forcing a smile as I looked at the mark, everyone gathered around.

“As expected of Julius-sama!”

“Let me see too! Wow, it’s really four!”

“Master, you never cease to amaze…”

“So this is a spirit’s blessing. It looks auspicious.”

“Julius-sama, may I see it as well?”

I ended up showing the mark to everyone. Merely thinking about the report I would have to write upon our return made my head ache. Still, all I could do was describe events exactly as they had occurred. This would ultimately save the eastern lands, so I probably would not be scolded.

After that, as expected, the attitudes of Margrave Draken and Marquis Mulan became more respectful. Yay.

Ever conscientious, Margrave Draken asked the Forest Spirit whether House Draken could harvest materials from the World Tree.

The Forest Spirit replied that there would be no problem as long as they did not harvest enough to make the tree wither. Margrave Draken then swore that House Draken would assume full responsibility for the tree’s management and shook hands with the Forest Spirit.

This meeting with the Forest Spirit will probably be recorded in the diaries of House Draken’s heads. I wonder whether they will describe the Forest Spirit exactly as the spirit appeared today. That is slightly worrying. House Mulan will probably preserve an account as well, and Leon may even write one himself.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter