WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 577: The Day the World Tree Burned

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What was a witch? Witches were known as a wicked group that dealt mainly in medicine and poison, kept beasts as familiars, and cursed humans... but that was not necessarily true.

Among most animals, females lived longer than males. Humans were no exception. Tyr and the Great Witch might have raised the average somewhat, but even excluding such exceptional cases, women survived longer on average.

An old woman who had lost her mate lived alone, raising small animals on the outskirts of a village for the rest of her life. Her aging body held no value, but the knowledge born from long experience was as precious as gold. Drawing on that experience, she helped those in need as a midwife, pharmacist, and adviser.

Their knowledge was passed down orally, gradually refined, and developed into a field of study.

Those who carried on that progress were witches.

Witches were people more deeply attuned to life and death than anyone else.

[That's ridiculous. How can realizing that life isn't a big deal count as enlightenment? Something unimportant couldn't become a Demon God!]

The Great Witch felt so wronged over failing to become a Demon God that I could sense her emotions even through the parrot. The parrot relayed her words in a complaining tone.

[I created life. Doesn't that make me more qualified to become a Demon God?]

"You created life?"

[Yep.]

That was quite surprising. She had every right to feel cheated about not becoming a Demon God.

"Just to be clear, you don't mean you created life by painfully giving birth, right? By that logic, every mother would be a Demon God candidate."

[What are you saying to a maiden who has never even married? Vampires can't have children in the first place!]

"Then where is this life you created?"

[You saw it earlier. The meat fruit.]

The meat fruit... Did she mean the fruit that bore meat I had seen in the previous room?

"You made that?"

[Yes. It was my masterwork, meant to become the new hope of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand.]

Seeing that this would be a long conversation, the parrot took a drink beforehand. Once it had finished, it began its story.

[The Great Jungle is blessed land, but it isn't easy to live in. This land blessed by the World Tree overflows with life force, which makes it difficult for humans to survive. The trees are dense, the plains are narrow, and both farming and raising livestock are hard. Dangerous beasts that hunt not only livestock but humans lurk everywhere.]

Humanity's strength lay in using tools to make the environment work in its favor. That was why a jungle filled with every kind of plant and beast was not suited to building civilization.

[The Kingdom of Ten Thousand was a brilliant and great nation, but its population was pitifully small compared to its vast territory. Food was the greatest shortage. Farming was difficult there, so hunting was the only source of food.]

"Hunting isn't as easy as it sounds."

Small animals did not provide enough food, while large animals were dangerous. It was common for robust young men who eagerly set out to hunt to be wiped out.

[That's right. How could you consume such cute creatures for nothing more than a single meal?]

"...That's the problem?"

[What else would be the problem? Eating and being eaten may be the way of the world, but isn't it terribly fleeting and sad for a life that has struggled to survive for years to be eaten and vanish in an instant?]

"Is that why you made the meat fruit?"

[It wasn't only because I was sad. I, Hexia Agartha, am the woman who will become the Queen of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand. I couldn't abandon all the people for the sake of beasts, could I? My disciples and my people are also those I raise.]

Calling people something she raised might have sounded harsh, but plenty of rulers had sacrificed their people for their own pets. Compared to them, the Great Witch was rather fair.

[The trees that bore meat fruit were to be improved and spread throughout the Kingdom of Ten Thousand. The amount of fertilizer needed to grow one meat fruit was four percent of the feed an actual animal consumed. They required no pasture, either. A place with good sunlight and clean flowing water was enough. They produced no waste and couldn't run away. They were truly great seeds that would become the hope of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand.]

"Trees that bear meat? That's incredible. They could revolutionize human diets. Where did they all go?"

[They burned.]

The Great Witch ended the matter there. She apparently did not want to discuss it. I had a rough idea of what had happened and asked.

"Someone set them on fire. Was it the druids of the Great Forest you mentioned before?"

[Yes.]

I could get a rough sense of the Great Witch's personality simply by observing the parrot. She kept babbling about what she wanted to say, but avoided even mentioning things she disliked. She had something of a child or a simple beast in her.

[The meat trees' only flaw was that they were too perfect. All kinds of beasts coveted their nutrient-rich fruit, which was vulnerable to diseases and pests. Without human hands to tend them, they died quickly. So we decided to first grow the meat trees beneath the World Tree's shade.]

"Why the World Tree?"

[The World Tree possesses enormous vital energy. Not even bugs or beasts approach it. We grew the meat trees between its roots, in soil overflowing with its grace.]

Between the World Tree's roots... There would certainly be no beasts, insects, or other trees there... Huh?

"Wait. Trees wouldn't grow well near the World Tree, would they? Its branches and leaves block the sunlight."

[You know a lot. That's right, so we borrowed a little of the World Tree's grace.]

"What?"

[We made the meat trees absorb the World Tree's vital energy.]

They considered the World Tree sacred, yet had no hesitation about using its grace. I could picture what had happened.

The people of the Great Jungle fought to survive every moment. The reason black magic, taboos, and sorcery still flourished in the Kingdom of Ten Thousand was that the environment was not gentle enough to let them choose how they survived.

In contrast, the Great Forest of the northern metasequoia was relatively peaceful. The cool forest was beautiful and tranquil, moving countless people. Within that forest, humans were usurpers who cut trees, trampled grass, and expanded their territory.

The druids of the Great Forest had protected the woods from such humans. They were a group with an obsessive love for the World Tree and a belief that nature had to be preserved.

"...Don't tell me the druids of the Great Forest saw that?"

[They did. Those druids seem to have nothing better to do, because whenever they have time, they make pilgrimages between the two World Trees. Those bastards from outside saw our World Tree and started meddling as though it belonged to them. They said such blasphemy must not be committed!]

The parrot flailed wildly, every feather on its body standing on end.

[Letting it slide was one thing for a day or two, but they interfered with every little thing and eventually tried to uproot the meat trees! I should have killed them all then. It was my fault for ending it with exile! I won't make that mistake again!]

"Did they set the World Tree on fire?"

[It would've been better if they had!]

So they had not. Then again, druids would not set a World Tree on fire. Huh? Then why had the World Tree burned and fallen?

[They incited remote barbarian tribes that refused to accept the Kingdom of Ten Thousand's rule and started a rebellion!]

"Wow. They went that far?"

[It was an unexpected attack. The druids used their status as pilgrims to deceive the guards and infiltrate the place. While the rebels attacked Mother and her retainers, the druids burned every meat fruit!]

And the meat trees had been between the World Tree's roots. The fire they carelessly set had traveled through the roots and spread to the World Tree.

[The flames spread beyond control! Fire climbed the trunk and dyed the blessed ginkgo tree in autumn leaves of flame! Riding winds created by the blaze, embers scattered throughout this entire jungle! The leaves of the World Tree that covered the jungle became sparks of disaster and burned this whole land!]

"So that's how the World Tree burned and fell."

[The Kingdom of Ten Thousand burned until the fire went out. Palaces, cities, and people turned to ashes in an instant. Everything vanished in the autumn when the leaves fell. Mother, who desperately tried to put out the fire, was killed by the traitors. Those ugly bastards were jealous of Mother!]

"That's terrible. May she rest in peace."

[Unnecessary. You aren't the one who should pray for her peace.]

That did not comfort her in the slightest. Rejecting even my sentiment, the Great Witch's parrot spoke with hatred.

[The metasequoia of the Great Forest. I will console the souls of my burned country and Mother with their World Tree.]

The Great Witch's wish seemed likely to grow into a great blaze. I could not empathize with her yet, since I was not reading her thoughts. Still, I warmly encouraged the parrot.

"Stay strong. I hope you bring down the World Tree and achieve your wish."

"Hey! You can't do that!"

The regressor immediately protested in alarm.

"You said different druids set the World Tree on fire! If you want revenge, take it out on them. Why are you taking it out on an innocent tree?"

[Do you take me for an idiot? Do you think I can't tell the difference?]

The regressor's question was natural, but the Great Witch had heard it countless times. The parrot tilted its head as it answered.

[Of course I caught and killed every one of them. One by one, by releasing the hunting dogs I raised. I caught them all before they could escape this jungle.]

The reason the Great Witch came to be called the Great Witch was the long, persistent hunt that followed the World Tree's burning. Countless druids and barbarian tribes vanished in that bloodshed. The blazing World Tree may have brought down the brilliant Kingdom of Ten Thousand, but it was the enraged Great Witch who crushed even the new sprouts that might have grown afterward.

[Even killing them all wouldn't have satisfied me, but I had something I wanted to know, so I kept them alive and dragged them before me. I pressed my teeth to their necks and asked why they set the World Tree on fire. Do you know what they said?]

The parrot gave a small sigh, then spoke as though dumbfounded.

[They said they had never intended to burn the World Tree. They called it an accident. An unfortunate accident.]

Yet the World Tree had burned together with the Kingdom of Ten Thousand. Those words offered no comfort to someone who had lost everything.

[Then what was the burned World Tree? If nobody has to take responsibility because it was an accident, does that mean people can set fires around the world as they please? Then I can kill the World Tree too, can't I?]

"No!"

[Give that reason to the people who become furious after I kill the World Tree. Your words seem like they would make those bastards explode.]

She was completely right. The regressor's words were all the more infuriating because they came from pure goodwill.

Of course, the regressor was not the sort to infuriate only certain people.

"Bringing down the World Tree isn't your real goal! What you want is the despair and chaos that will come from its fall!"

[Yes. Isn't that the same thing?]

"It's different! Even if the World Tree withers and dies as you intend, if they don't suffer enough, you'll do something even worse!"

[Maybe I will. But nothing worse will happen. If my plan works, they will suffer enough.]

The Great Witch answered cheerfully, her emotions coming through the parrot.

[Because they will kill the World Tree with their own hands....]

"Great Witch, you've said too much."

Walpurgis, who had been waiting outside the door, hurriedly stopped the parrot. Overwhelmed by emotion and about to reveal everything it knew, the parrot came to its senses and covered its mouth with a wing.

[Ah, did I?]

"Yes. If you say any more, there will be no reason to keep it secret."

[...I suppose not?]

Walpurgis skillfully raised the perch. The parrot naturally settled on it, shuddered, and began grooming its feathers with its beak.

[Eek. It was a pleasant meeting, King of Humanity. We learned what we needed to know about each other, right?]

"I enjoyed meeting you too. I hope we can open our hearts and meet face-to-face someday."

[Huh? Th-that might be a little much. The King of Humanity is a bit overwhelming.]

"The Great Witch is overwhelming to me too."

If we met in person, I could read her mind and grant her wish, after all.

Before leaving while perched there, the parrot fluttered as though it had just remembered something.

[Oh, right! You there, woman. I'm not terribly curious, but could you tell me where you found my mother's mask?]

"...The elephant graveyard."

[Huh? There? Why there?]

The elephant graveyard was where every elephant in the southeast went before it died. It was the final destination of the giant beasts that trampled the world. In some ways, it was land more dangerous than even the Mountain Lord's mountain. An enraged elephant was more frightening than a tiger.

[No, that must be why nobody found it until now. Without Agartha's mask, no beast other than elephants can set foot there. I should check it out someday. Thank you!]

The parrot swept its wings through the air and headed outside.

Footnotes:

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