WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 578: Beasts Are Born from the World Tree

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They say there is no grave without a story, and the Great Witch's story was quite tragic as well. A brief act of kindness had come back to poison her and burn the World Tree. It was enough to break anyone.

"So that's what happened."

'Druids burned the World Tree. I never had the chance to consider the Great Witch's circumstances...'

The regressor nodded as she mulled over the Great Witch's words.

"Everyone has their own reasons and circumstances."

"...I know. Even so, I can't agree with the Great Witch the way you do. If all she wanted was to burn the World Tree, she could just leave it to die."

"So it's fine if the World Tree falls?"

"What does it matter? The World Tree dying is better than the world ending. We can live without one tree."

It was fine if the World Tree died? I couldn't tell whether that was simple-minded or radical.

"But the Great Witch won't stop there. She'll definitely do something worse. We need to stop her from bringing down the World Tree."

"How? You're still helplessly captured."

"Ugh..."

Now aware of her condition, the regressor tried to move her arms. They still would not move, and even that attempt caused her terrible pain.

"It'll be difficult for me to do anything... but this might still be our chance. This is the Tree of Corruption, the dead king of trees that bears fruits of sin. There should be a clue here."

"A clue?"

"The Rider of Plague and the Green Death. The Great Witch must have made them here."

"What are those, you idiot? Tell me something I know."

I had never heard of either the Rider of Plague or the Green Death. How could it be a historical event if only you knew about it?

"A terrible plague swept through the Empire. People's skin rotted black as they died, oozing pus and reeking of decay. It had a survival rate of twenty percent, and even survivors suffered severe aftereffects. It spread so quickly that it came to be called the Rider of Plague."

Huh? She was telling me this? And wait, a plague? Startled, I asked.

"Was that a plague the Great Witch made?"

"No."

"What?"

"The Great Witch didn't create that plague. Well, she was the root cause, since she spread it through several villages and stirred up fear. Still, it was merely an especially frightening and terrible disease. The Rider of Plague was an ordinary plague."

Calling it an ordinary plague sounded strange, but all kinds of plagues actually ran rampant through the jungles of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand. The population density was so low that it did not stand out. If the Kingdom's flu spread through the middle of the Empire, it would be a plague.

"What the Great Witch made was something else."

"The Green Death?"

"Yes. A disease that kills plants and insects instead of people. Once infected, they rot from the inside and eventually die without fail. It is the end of all vegetation."

So it was a disease that killed the World Tree. Her goal was clear. Nobody could hold a grudge against trees, so the person who made a disease to kill plants had to be the Great Witch.

"Once people finally realized insects spread disease, they used the Green Death carelessly without knowing it was poison. To exterminate insects."

There was no point in Valpurgis or the Great Witch holding back what they said. Their plan had already come to pass, only to become a future that no longer existed through the regressor's regression.

"Is that one of your prophecies, Mr. Shei?"

"Let's call it that. I'm tired of making excuses at this point."

"People's true feelings only come out once you strip away a little."

"W-what are you stripping?"

"Masks. I'm talking about masks."

It was fortunate the regressor said it first. I had read Valpurgis's thoughts and noticed it to some extent too. Pretending not to know was really difficult.

"Even if it's practically confirmed that you're the Holy Maiden, Mr. Shei, what if someone hears you talking like that?"

"This isn't the room we were originally in, and the Great Witch just left. This is the only time there might not be anyone watching us. If we're still being watched even now... then there's nothing we can do about it."

"Not bad. Good job."

"I'm not happy at all to be praised by you."

"You can finally think a little. You've improved a lot. Keep it up."

"I didn't mean you should criticize me instead!"

What was I supposed to do with her? She really was hopeless. Sighing, I summarized what the regressor had said.

"So, somewhere in this tree, there should be a clue about what you mentioned, Mr. Shei."

The regressor spoke with grim resolve.

"Yeah. We need to find it."

"..."

"Why?"

Why? You could barely hold yourself upright right now, so I'd have to take care of everything.

"Sigh. Fine. I'll play along. Where do you want to go?"

"First, let's inspect this whole tree. We don't even know what's where."

"The whole tree? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?"

"...No. Let's go."

She'd find out what the problem was soon enough.

The World Tree. The largest tree in the world, reaching 870 meters in height even without its roots. Its base, built to support that immense size, was closer to a hill than a tree, while its deep-spreading roots held a radius of ten kilometers firmly in place. It drank from several flowing rivers and covered the world with its leaves.

No earthquakes, floods, or forest fires occurred within the World Tree's domain. It held crumbling ground together, drank overflowing water, and extinguished most flames with its breath.

"...How are we getting down?"

That was why the regressor's question was so incredibly presumptuous. Now that Skywarbler and Jizan had both been taken from her and she could not use either arm, one slip would kill her. The days when she flew through the sky on the wind were long gone.

"Going down is easier than climbing up, so we'll start from above and work our way down slowly."

"What about when we have to climb back up?"

"Nevida will bring us up. If not, we'll just walk out."

"...Right. Nothing wrong with that. Let's go."

The Root Tree had small mushroom footholds along its trunk for people to travel on. The regressor waved her unmoving arms and stood from her wheelchair.

"You're trying to walk when you can't even move your arms?"

"What? Do you think I'll fall out of the tree just because I can't move my arms?"

"Yes."

A gust swept through at that moment. The regressor tilted and slid beyond the mushroom foothold. Just as expected. I grabbed her before she could fall.

"Phew, aaah!"

"See? You can't do it."

They say tall trees never have a windless day. The Root Tree, which was practically another World Tree, was almost surrounded by storms. We were nearly a kilometer above solid ground. No one who could not move both arms could endure the turbulent currents of wind that broke and twisted around the lone, protruding branches.

"Ugh, wait. I can keep my balance with energy circulation."

"The Root Tree inherited the World Tree. Its trunk and leaves are filled with vital energy. Even Shei at her peak would have trouble pushing inner energy through the World Tree's vital energy."

"What about you?"

"I can use the Demon God's power."

I lifted a foot slightly. Beggar's ticks had grown around my shoes, holding them in place so they would not slip. The Root Tree was the Demon God itself. It was highly cooperative with the Demon God's power I used.

The regressor brightened.

"Oh? Then do that for my feet too."

"What? You want me to read every unconscious step you take and grow grass to match your stride, while also watching where I'm stepping?"

"But we don't have another option, do we? It's not like we can fly."

"Sigh."

"Huh?"

After letting out a short sigh, I picked up the regressor at once. Her arms were tied in front of her so they would not move, so I could not carry her on my back. I had only just reattached those arms. It would be a disaster if they were crushed and shifted out of place, so I had no choice but to hold her like luggage with both hands.

I couldn't push her wheelchair, and I couldn't let her fall either. There was no other way. The regressor understood that much and did not say anything.

"Uh, um..."

"Ugh, you're heavy. It would've been easier if your arms were still off."

"What are you talking about? I'm plenty light already!"

The regressor glared at me sulkily. Still, since she could not move her arms, she stayed still, which made her easier to carry. Leaning against the World Tree's trunk, I walked down the mushroom stairs.

"The Root Tree has countless branches spreading out from the huge trunk that leads to the layer of the Lords of All Creation. Even if we had all the time in the world, it would take more than a year to visit every branch."

"We won't have to. First, we'll get a rough look at what's out there from afar, then head for anything important. I'll use the Seven-Colored Eyes."

The regressor's eyes turned violet. The Purple Eye among the Seven-Colored Eyes, the eye that could see far away. She examined the countless branches stretching into the distance, turning only her head to stare at fruit far away.

"Meat fruit is hanging from the nearest branch."

"Meat fruit? Can you tell what kind of meat it is?"

"I can't see it clearly... Turn me a little."

"You're already facing where you can see."

"My field of view narrows when I look far away. Hurry up."

"You're ordering me around because you don't have to move yourself."

Grumbling, I adjusted our direction. After staring at the branch for around ten seconds, the regressor spotted the silhouette of an animal within the fruit.

"Monkeys. From the nearest ones to the farthest. The details differ, but they all look like monkeys."

"They're all meat fruit?"

"Yeah. It looks like everything growing from that branch is meat fruit. This branch must bear monkeys."

"Then what about over there?"

I tilted the regressor toward a branch visible a little below the one bearing monkeys. She complained as her view suddenly changed.

"Don't turn me so fast. When the Purple Eye is open, moving my view quickly makes me dizzy."

"Are you going to open and close your eyes every time? Just close them while I turn you."

"Tell me before you turn me!"

The regressor grumbled, then looked at a branch where relatively small fruit hung like grapes.

"Mice and rabbits. There are an incredible number of them. There must be that many different kinds of mice. They're hanging between the leaves."

"None of them are alive and moving, right?"

"Yeah. But it wouldn't be strange if they woke up right now. Their forms as Root Tree creatures already seem complete."

"If they're mice and rabbits, I suppose they aren't for eating."

"You never know. Maybe someone found a tasty rabbit."

That was only the nearest branch. Further below, far more numerous branches bore fruit of every size. Some were so small that even the Purple Eye could barely see them, while others were large enough to make the World Tree's branches sway.

Even after we walked down for quite a while, all we saw were meat fruit hanging from countless spreading branches.

"You think all of those are animals too, right?"

"I guess so. They're all animals. The ones I see now are cows."

"Since we've reached cows, should we take a short break?"

"We haven't gone down very far."

"I carried you all the way down here. At this rate, my arms will fall off too."

"Ah, right."

The regressor agreed at once when I mentioned that I was carrying her. She became much more obedient. Was it because she had grown weaker?

Adjusting my grip on her, I said, "Hold on tight. I'll jump straight from here to where the cow fruit is."

"Jump? How?"

"Like this?"

I supported the regressor with one hand for a moment, then took out a card with the other. Spade 9, the Root Tree. The Root Tree, Nevida's power and the sum of all its knowledge, reacted to my Demon God. When I struck the World Tree's trunk with the palm holding the card, tough, long vines burst from beneath the bark.

A skilled magician could tie a rope with one hand. I used the vine to bind the regressor and myself tightly together, then nodded with satisfaction.

"Good. It's sturdy."

"...What's good about it? One wrong move and we'll fall."

'Well, even if we fall, Hughes will be able to handle it.'

Huh? It was a little burdensome when she trusted me that much. I could handle a fall, but not while carrying someone whose arms were paralyzed too.

Feeling slightly uneasy, I wrapped the regressor once more, then leaped straight down from the mushroom foothold.

I was confident in this sort of technique, and while the regressor's body was currently inconvenient, she had experienced plenty of dangerous situations. We drew a smooth arc and headed straight for the branch where the cow fruit grew. After landing on the relatively flat branch, I ran across it, let out the breath I had been holding, and set the regressor down.

"Aaagh. My arms, my arms feel like they're going to fall off."

"What? You weren't that heavy."

"Beast forelegs aren't designed to carry heavy things. You try lifting someone."

"I'll do it once my arms are healed."

"Ugh, my muscles hurt. I don't even have the strength to rub my arms."

"I'll rub those too once my arms are healed."

"Thanks ever so much... Ah, I'm all better now."

The Demon God really was convenient.

While we rested, I used the Root Tree to summon furniture made of plants. A bamboo pipe that poured out clear water rose up, along with wooden chairs and a table. The regressor naturally sat down in a chair.

"I'm getting a little hungry too, so I'll go catch a cow. No, I suppose picking one is more accurate here."

I headed toward a huge cow fruit nearby. Unlike before, the fruit containing an entire cow was so large and heavy that it rested in thick flower petals shaped like a giant nest. I approached with my card to pick the cow fruit.

Then, beside the cow, a human silhouette stirred inside it.

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