“What is this?”
“Ludwig von Wermannstein’s work. An understanding of Magic Artillery.”
“······?”
I handed a bundle of papers to the blank-faced Erica and Aintz.
When Ludwig was in the army, he wrote several papers on magical tactics, and this was one of them.
“There’s a chance the enemy might launch a large-scale siege operation while I’m not around. If you read and familiarize yourselves with that paper carefully, you’ll know how to respond efficiently.”
Ludwig was, in modern terms, a genius who established artillery tactics.
While most could only think of direct attacks or setting traps for magic usage in war, he developed original artillery techniques that drastically improved range and accuracy.
He elevated it from haphazard shots to striking targets from unseen locations.
“You’re giving this to us now?”
“You’ll learn it quickly. With your extraordinary minds, you’ll understand and execute it in just 30 minutes. It’s only a bit of combining Flame Magic with Calculation Magic.”
“Heh, heh. Right. If it’s just a paper this thick, I’ll get it in no time. I’m a genius after all…”
“······.”
Suddenly, I thought Erica was quite easy to handle.
Looking over, Aintz was already fluttering through the papers while concentrating.
Given Aintz’s vast amount of mana, he could certainly be strong enough just by shooting directly.
He proved that on the day we won our first victory.
But that would waste firepower as well.
If Aintz learned and wielded Magic Artillery, it would allow for flame rains on the enemy without any wasted power.
It wouldn’t be too much to say he could handle the roles of dozens of magicians alone.
“Trie, you—”
“I know. I’ll protect the two of them, right?”
“Exactly.”
Trie seemed somewhat displeased for not joining the Great Forest trip.
Well, having Trie, an all-weather, versatile weapon, with us would be reassuring.
But that’s exactly why we had to leave her behind.
If something happened, it was likely to unfold where Iris and I wouldn’t be.
“Then let’s get going. Iris.”
“I’ll stick by your side even without being told.”
“······.”
Iris smiled and followed closely.
Thanks to being drenched in the rain, her impression as a saint was particularly strong today.
She looked like someone I’d have to confess to if I knelt before her.
Soon, Taylor was leading a black horse our way.
Even while coming, he seemed to be trying to twist his direction and resist…
No matter when I see him, that horse sure is a troublesome one.
*Hee-haw…!*
“Ahaha! That tickles!”
But as soon as the beast laid eyes on Iris, its expression changed entirely, and it walked up straight, licking the hand she stretched out.
Looking at it like this, it was incredibly obedient.
Was it really the same horse that tossed me during our riding practice?
“Huh? Hehehe…!”
“That’s enough now.”
Just as it was about to lift its head and lick Iris’s cheek, I grabbed its head and turned it to the side.
I couldn’t let the saintess’s outfit be messed up, after all.
That was the only reason.
It gave me a glare, then snorted loudly.
That little brat…
“Wishing you good fortune.”
“Good fortune? It’d be better if we never have to draw our swords.”
“I misspoke. I hope you both return safely, I will pray to Aigis.”
I shared a handshake with Pelaine.
Noticing the Imperial Knight Commander Cain and several knights had come to send us off, I figured they were all here to see off Iris, not me.
If it were just me, only Pelaine and college friends would have been here.
Hiding my bitter smile, I mounted my horse.
The horse, seemingly dissatisfied, snorted again but didn’t refuse my touch.
I pulled Iris by the hand and sat her behind me.
“Open the back gate!”
With Pelaine’s command, the back gate slowly opened.
At that moment, I patted the horse’s neck.
It galloped eagerly ahead, rushing through the gate onto the vast plains.
Once we left the castle, enemy encampments began to appear here and there.
Tall blue flags and spearheads.
As I surveyed, I couldn’t help but feel a bit tense.
Soon, a group of cavalry that seemed to be on reconnaissance followed at a slight distance.
“I’ll speed up. Hold on tight.”
“Yes… Aah?!”
We accelerated to maximum speed right away.
If the enemy attacked, speed would make it easier to react.
Iris seemed startled by the sudden speed, clutching my waist tightly.
By the way, I hadn’t realized due to the thick nun’s outfit, but she felt bigger than I expected.
“This is too fast!”
“This speed is just right.”
“Ugh…!”
It seemed like she was already getting nauseous, unable to lift her head as her cheek rubbed against my back.
With her in the back, lack of visibility likely contributed to her motion sickness.
I remained alert, scanning the surroundings.
I sensed enemies watching us from various locations, yet none attacked.
That was to be expected.
I was a messenger delivering the Emperor’s will to the Great Forest, and the one behind me was the saintess, the representative of Aigis.
Unless they went mad, they wouldn’t dare lay a hand on either of us from Lorraine’s perspective.
Before long, we reached a place thick with enormous trees.
In the meantime, I entered a massive road, reducing my speed slightly.
No one would chase us this far anyway.
“Huh. I feel a little better now.”
From here onwards, we had entered the Great Forest’s territory.
I could relax a bit more than on the plains.
Looking up at the sky, sunlight poured through the sparse leaves.
While the rest of the Great Forest was completely covered, leaving it dark even during the day, this road was specially cleared to connect to the city.
We could go straight there, but…
“This is strange.”
“What is it?”
“It’s too quiet.”
There were only us on the road.
Not a single person or horse passed by.
Of course, the Great Forest itself interacted very little with outsiders, so it wasn’t particularly strange.
But the sight of a messenger and a saintess getting this treatment was troubling.
I didn’t expect a welcoming parade.
At least I thought people would come out from the council to greet us.
“This might make negotiations a bit harder, huh?”
“That’s for sure.”
It already seemed like they were clearly showing their attitude.
They were indicating they had no intention of talking to us.
But I couldn’t give up just yet.
We had to make them want to engage in conversation somehow.
We had to drag them kicking and screaming to the negotiating table.
“Schlus. Have you ever visited the Great Forest?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“In that case, you can look forward to it.”
“What should I be looking forward to?”
“Hehe. You’ll see.”
Iris let out a cryptic chuckle.
Though I had briefly described the Great Forest’s city as a strange city fused with nature, I never expected anything noteworthy.
Just as I was pondering Iris’s words, passing through large leaves—
“Whoa…!”
Suddenly, my field of vision expanded.
After squeezing through thick trees, we entered an open space.
Looking up, the ceiling was entirely blocked by tree trunks and leaves.
But the fruits scattered throughout emitted light instead of the sun, illuminating the entire city.
As I slowly lowered my gaze, I could see where all the trunks and leaves converged.
A gigantic tree, with a base diameter that could easily be several kilometers.
“Yggdrasil…?”
“Yes, that’s right. That is the World Tree, Yggdrasil.”
The heart of the Great Forest.
The source of life that upholds the ceiling.
The World Tree.
All were referring to Yggdrasil.
Originally, in the story, it was just a name with little description.
The novel ended before the main characters got to see it.
But seeing Yggdrasil in its reborn form in this world gave me a renewed sense of emotion.
A giant tree that shielded people from harsh cold, heat, or mana, providing clear, fresh water and light.
Yggdrasil truly embodied the title “Source of Life.”
Staring at its vastness, I had one question in mind.
“I wonder how much firewood that would yield if we cut it down?”
“Please, Schlus…”
Iris slapped her forehead and sighed.
But hey, it’s a valid curiosity!
If we could harvest it all and supply the continent, people struggling from the cold every winter wouldn’t need to worry for the next hundred years.
I started the horse moving again toward Yggdrasil.
While passing by, I observed the city, which had quite a peculiar shape.
Interspersed trees had circular houses stuck to them like peas.
They resembled multi-level buildings compared to human cities.
Furthermore, what was even more unusual was the network of bridges connecting the trees high in the air, which a lot of subhumans utilized over the ground.
Given the city’s shape, despite having a similar area to the institution, the population was almost double due to the prolific breeding of subhumans.
As I continued to explore the city, we soon reached the base of the World Tree.
“Halt! Reveal your identities!”
“······.”
Subhuman soldiers blocked our path with their spears.
Their reaction felt pretty blunt.
They must have known we were coming.
I dismounted and approached them.
“Schlus Hainkel. Direct knight of the Freya Empire, and this is the saintess, Iris von Flechette.”
“I apologize for the intrusion. Please enter. We will take care of your horses.”
I took Iris’s hand to help her down and handed the horses over to the soldiers.
As we walked a bit further, the horse suddenly began neighing and making a fuss.
“It’s alright. I’ll be back in no time, so just wait a moment.”
I gently patted its head.
It must have understood, for it calmed down and was led away by the soldiers toward the stables.
That horse’s intelligence was not to be taken lightly.
“Shall we have a meal first?”
“If possible, I’d prefer to have the meeting first. Is the council of the Great Forest ready?”
“Haha. As you know, the council isn’t made up of just one person. It will take a bit for them to gather, so for now, let’s have a meal—”
“I’ll wait in the meeting room. Please guide us there.”
“Y-yes… understood.”
The soldier started sweating profusely as he began leading us inside the building.
While it’s customary to offer a meal and show us around when a messenger arrives, we really didn’t have much time.
We would have to rush those old men of the council, whether it seemed rude or not.
*This quest better pop up soon.*
I began to feel anxious.
The quest should appear now.
With only 49 coins on hand.
Since the elixir costs 50 coins, it would be troublesome if the quest didn’t show up before negotiations began.
Even if it does show, it would be problematic if it’s a quest I can’t clear until negotiations end.
“This is the meeting room.”
“······.”
The door swung open, revealing a neat room.
At that moment, a translucent window appeared in front of me.
[Quest: Awaken the Priestess of the Great Forest, Sibylla.]
[Difficulty: ★★★★☆]
[Reward: 5 Shop Coins]
Finally, the quest appeared.
But…
*Damn it.*
That quest required an elixir.
