Chapter 357: 263.2

The Spirit Forest, located far away from the royal capital.
There is a job called 『World Tree Patrol』. The job is to patrol the main trunk and branches of the giant world tree for about ten days.
Of course, that’s not the end of the job, they have to also submit a report. A plain-looking high elf was doing the work alone.

『The amount of magic power that the world tree produces has been significantly reduced』

It was only natural for him to notice this first, as it was his job.

(There’s no mistaking it)

Comparing the previous data with the records he had compiled over the years, he was convinced.
He went to the Chairman’s office with the hastily prepared documents in hand to make a report, but unfortunately, the person he was looking for was not there.
When he asked who was in the room, he was told that he had gone to visit the clinic in the village.

「So she has regained her consciousness huh」

The patrolling high elf, holding a sheet of paper with a report in his hand, shouts in surprise.
She was the best water magician in the elven village. She had been caught in an accident while performing magic and was brought in in a serious condition.

(This might be a good timing)

The old high elf woman left the words 『World Enemy』 when she was carried on a stretcher to the clinic.
The World Enemy is an entity that harms the world tree, but it has never been confirmed until now. They appear only in fairy tales.

(But having said that, it’s also the first time there’s a significant decline in the world tree’s output)

Fairy tales often contain metaphorical expressions. It may help us in our search for causes and solutions.

「Thank you. I’ll be going then」

He thanked the hunched shouldered high elf for the information and left the office.

***

A healing center in the outskirts of the elven village. The chairman is in a room of a wooden church-like building.
On the bed in front of him is an old high elf woman lying on her side. On a chair beside the bed sat a high elf as thin as a dead tree, peeling apples with unsteady hands.
The commander of the elven knight order had also been hospitalized here, and since he had been able to walk with crutches, he had been frequenting her room.

「I synced up into Zaratan’s eyes, and I saw the world tree. It’s different from the one here. There’s no doubt about it」

The chairman puts his hand on his chin and frowned.
The 『other world tree』 and the 『guardian of the spirit lake who was thought to be heading there』. When these two things are clearly conveyed as actual facts, it still feels heavy even if you’ve prepared yourself for it.

「There was a giant demon beast that looked like a pile of needles the size of Zaratan, and it was gnawing away at the roots of the world tree」

Then, she suddenly got heated up and said, 『That was definitely the world enemy! The world will be in danger at this rate if we don’t do anything!』.
The magic that failed and caused the explosion was the magic of mental synchronization. Because of that she is still experiencing frequent severe headaches.

「It’s decided then. Let’s use the spirit cannon」

The Knight Commander said as he offered the old woman a small piece of apple on the end of his fork.

「The location is probably the deepest part of the Great Pit. Burn down the world’s enemy, along with the entire world tree. That’ll take care of everything」

The Great Pit is a huge mortar-shaped hole, up to a kilometer in diameter, that suddenly appeared in the southeastern part of Landbarn.
The world tree, ambrosia, and Zaratan. It is a place where B-class Knights were dispatched in the hope that it might have something to do with those things, but they were repelled by a Knight who seemed to be a survivor of the elven royal family.

「What are you going to do with the next world tree? And there’s Zaratan too there」

The chairman said back with a stern expression and a harsh tone. But the skinny old man raised one eyebrow as if looking at a fool and said.

「Since the contact has been broken, we should assume that Zaratan has gone. And if the world enemy comes our way, we have no way to counter it」

It will be too close to aim the spirit cannon at it.

「If some bugs appeared, burn down the whole tree. Isn’t that the best way? Plus, if that other world tree burns down, all of our problems will be solved」

The survivors of the elven royal family and the Empire controlled by them. Those at the center are probably near the world tree.
A single blow from the spirit cannon might be able to reduce them all to ashes.
It’s a reckless and irresponsible idea, but he was tempted to do it because it would make his life easier.

「….And what are you going to do if it turns out they’re not inside the great pit?」

It took the chairman his all to say that one sentence.

「What, we’ll just have to find them again and burn them. The spirit cannon can still fire. It’s not like we only have one shot」

We’re going to destroy the possibilities one by one. The knight commander continues while looking up and smiling brokenly. The chancellor’s face, staring at it, is even more stern than before.
『Spirit Cannon』 is the elves’ greatest offensive magic that uses the magic power of the world tree. It is very powerful, but the amount of magic it consumes is enormous.

(One shot would no doubt shorten the life of the world tree significantly)

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While he was silent, a knock was heard on the door.
The chairman looked at the old woman, confirmed her nod, and allowed the person behind the door to enter.

「Pardon my intrusion, I heard that you are here」

The one who showed up was a high elf with a plain expression
The fact that the patroller of the world tree had followed him here must have been a matter of urgency. The chairman regained his composure and offered a chair to the plain high elf.
The patrolling high elf sits down, holds up a sheet of paper, and begins his report.

「The amount of magic the world tree generates has been greatly reduced you say?」

The patrolling officer nodded at the chairman’s confirmation.
The graph pointed out by the palm of his hand had gone sideways for a long time, then dropped sharply.

「This is not an error or measurement mistake. In fact, the density of leaves at the end of the branches is also reduced!」

He said that the branches had become more prominent on the outskirts, though not directly above the elven village.
The chairman shook his head greatly in his mind and expressed his resentment to his great predecessors.

(What is the Magi Carta doing!?)

Magi Carta is a great magic that was created long ago by the elves through their combined efforts.
Its role is to lay down the rules set by the elves in this world that is lawless except for the natural order. The web of magic covers the entire world and is powered by the magic of the world tree.
If it were working normally, this kind of thing would not be happening. The chairman strongly believes so.

(It’s supposed to be a crystal of ancient wisdom that we still can’t decipher)

It was created by the best elven magicians at the time, but unfortunately much of the material has been lost.
The reason for this is that those who mistook the great achievements of their ancestors as their own and called themselves 『King』.
The night they were dragged off the throne for their stupidity. It was destroyed in the turmoil of the Bloodless Revolution.

(And now we have to suffer because of it)

The chairman, who was not even born then, is now of age. Feeling tired mentally and physically, he rubbed his brow and let out a deep breath.
Just then, the sound of someone running down the corridor echoed in the air.
Without knocking, the visitor opened the door of the ward and looked for the chairman with his eyes.

「This is a lady’s ward, you know!」

Frowning, the chairman looked at the tall plain high elf.
He is the head of the search team. He uses the magic of the world tree to release the wind spirits and gather information on a daily basis.

「A Griffon have appeared!」

Ignoring the chairman’s scolding, the head of the search group told him.
The impact of his words was so great that everyone in the room, including the chairman, the old woman, the knight commander, and the patrolling high elf, were rendered speechless for a while.

「A Griffon?」

The head of the search group nodded to the old woman, who asked again with terrified tone.
The old woman opened her eyes wide and shouted as she half-raised herself from the bed.

「That must be a lie! It should’ve gone extinct! No, we made them extinct!」

Griffons are powerful and dangerous spirit beasts, but that’s not the main reason why the high elves hate them.
The Griffon is a symbol of the elven royal family, and making a familiar contract with it is one of the conditions for succeeding to the throne. It was because it has such a special standing.

「I heard about it. I heard that the master will be the bait to lure it into a trap and capture it. And then they used the captured Griffon to lure and capture another one.」

To the elves, it’s more than just a spirit animal.
If someone succeeds in making it their familiar, there will surely be someone who will say, 『This Griffon has acknowledged this person as a king』.
For this reason, they are spirit beasts that those who have taken over the monarchy should not have.

「Yeah, it took a dozen years to wipe them out, and then there were no sightings for decades」

The unsociable looking head of the search group said. Statistically speaking, it is safe to assume that they no longer exist.
The knight commander asks while supporting the old woman who is huddled again holding her forehead.

「Where is it? Is it the Great Pit as I thought?」

At this, the head of the searching group shakes his head from side to side with a bitter expression.

「We don’t know. The wind spirits were confused, too. They were eaten one after another, and only a few came back」

A Griffon that controls the wind won’t allow a vulnerable wind spirit for exploration purposes to get away. It’s like a mosquito that can’t fly against the wind; it’s guided by wind magic and drawn into the mouth.

「…..World Tree, Ambrosia, Zaratan, World Enemy, and now Griffon」

The Chairman, sitting in his chair, looks down and mumbles. Suddenly, he clutches his stomach and kneels on the floor with a pained expression.

「Chairman!」

The patrolling high elf was surprised and sustained him, but the chairman was in agony and sweating profusely.
The pressure from the turbulent times had destroyed his stomach.

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