#213. World Tree (1)
—
Receiving the gem from Grine, Ray focused his mind.
Inside the gem.
Within the root-like, writhing threads of green mana, he could feel the pulse and stirring of something alive.
‘The primary component is the element of growth and expansion.’
The related emotions were a vine-like curiosity that spread out in all directions, and the bonds and sense of belonging that grew by leaning on one another for support.
Curiosity was originally an emotion that a boy naturally had in abundance.
Bonds and a sense of belonging were emotions he had also acquired to some extent through his friends—Philip, Veronica—and the separate annex he now called home.
Wooooong───!
The green mana within the gem resonated with the emotions Ray drew forth, and seeped into the surrounding land.
Then, an astonishing thing happened.
Sprouts began to push up from the snow-cleared earth, rapidly blossoming into flowers and growing into saplings.
Centered around the three of them, a small garden had formed.
Veronica spun around on the spot, marveling.
“Wow…! This is my first time seeing growth magic up close like this…! The books said it was just a supplemental life magic with poor efficiency…! But it feels like we just fast-forwarded through time…!”
Grine, who had been standing blankly beside her, muttered.
“With Lord Ray’s help, it really might be possible…”
Tears trickled down her cheeks.
A vivid violet mana sparkled like a small dot inside her vessel.
“Ah! Ah! Miss Grine, please don’t cry!”
“No, it’s alright. Don’t worry. These aren’t tears of sadness. My heart just swelled up all of a sudden. I told you before, didn’t I? When I left the Last Forest, I brought seeds of various plant species with me.”
Grine explained that while traveling the human world searching for a place to plant the World Tree, she had also scattered and planted seeds of other species wherever she could.
“But this is the first time I’ve seen the life contained within those seeds actually emerge into the world. I never stayed long enough in one place while searching for a candidate site for the new forest.”
Hearing this, Ray voiced a question.
“Can’t you use growth magic too, Grine?”
“I can. But unless it’s a type of vine inherently capable of rapid growth—which I mainly use for combat—I can’t make ordinary plants grow this fast. My ability to manipulate the mana of the Life Stone isn’t strong enough for that. Ah, thank you.”
Grine wiped away her tears with the handkerchief Veronica handed her.
After blowing her nose loudly, she added:
“And it’s not just me. Probably no elf in the Last Forest could handle the Life Stone’s mana as well as Lord Ray.”
“Are the elves just not skilled?”
“No. Rather, it’s that Lord Ray possesses an exceptionally superior ability. All elves are naturally born with high mana affinity.”
The atmosphere calmed somewhat.
Veronica, glancing around the garden, suddenly looked worried.
“But these flowers and trees… if we leave them as they are, won’t they eventually get hit by the Black Rain from the sky and wither away? Maybe… we should build a roof for them or something.”
Grine rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a seed.
“This little one will serve as the roof. That is, if it works.”
“A trial?”
“Yes. The World Tree isn’t like ordinary trees.”
As she magically dug a hole in the soil to plant the seed, Grine continued her explanation.
“The World Tree grows very slowly. As if trapped in a pocket of time, it grows at a glacial pace. But its lifespan is extremely long, and its growth has no limit. The World Tree in the Last Forest has stood there for over five thousand years. It’s big enough to cover an entire sector of humans.”
The seed floated above Grine’s palm and moved toward the hole.
As it descended, her voice grew somber.
“But the World Tree does not enjoy eternal life. No matter how long a life may be, it eventually reaches its end. The World Tree of the Last Forest is dying. Its strength is waning. Even with all the elves combining their mana into the Life Stone, we can’t stop its decline. It’s irreversible. The Life Stone’s mana can encourage growth, but it can’t fundamentally extend a being’s lifespan.”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
The boy and girl could not bring themselves to interrupt the woman’s words.
“The World Tree will eventually leave us. And the plants of the Last Forest, without their shelter, will wither and die under the Black Rain. It’s the fault of the elves who stayed stagnant in the forest. We should have prepared earlier. It’s not far off. In less than three hundred years, the absence of the World Tree will weigh heavily upon us.”
Ray, doubting his ears, interrupted Grine’s soliloquy.
“Hold on.”
“Yes?”
“Three hundred years?”
“Yes. The World Tree has less than three hundred years left.”
Ray was unusually flustered.
“That’s still three hundred years.”
“No. It’s only three hundred years.”
“Why *only* three hundred?”
“Because for an elf, three hundred years is too short to even encompass a full lifetime.”
…Am I the weird one?
Turning his head, Ray saw Veronica looking equally bewildered.
He suddenly recalled a past conversation with Grine:
*“I can help you with your work. But only after we achieve all our goals. I can’t guarantee how long it’ll take. Maybe a year, maybe two, maybe, at worst, several years.”*
*“Huh? That’s it? I can wait that long.”*
……
Apparently, elves’ sense of time was even vaster than he’d thought.
As if reading his thoughts, Grine spoke again.
“Even aside from the difference in sense of time between humans and elves, three hundred years is short by the World Tree’s standards too. Three hundred years is nowhere near enough time for it to grow to a size capable of forming a forest. At most—”
She glanced around the estate grounds before finishing:
“It could just about cover this entire place. That would be the limit. But if we have Lord Ray’s strength, I think the situation could change significantly.”
Just then, as the seed was about to settle into the hole—
“Wait! Could we transplant a sprouted seedling instead of a new seed?”
Veronica’s sudden shout.
The seed froze midair.
“That should be fine. It would actually be better, since we could save the World Tree seeds. There aren’t many, after all.”
“I thought it would be better to give our friend, whom we’ve been nurturing, a bigger home. Just a moment!”
Veronica dashed off to the annex and quickly returned carrying a small flowerpot.
The World Tree seedling, planted three months ago but still just a tiny sprout, was carefully transplanted into the soil.
Grine gazed quietly at the seedling.
“I noticed it before too, but the seedling’s health is extraordinary. As if it’s been basking under perfect sunlight all along.”
“I did put it by the window whenever I could to make sure it got plenty of sunlight.”
“No, it’s more than that… it’s as if a light source was right next to it all the time… hmm.”
Grine’s long ears twitched.
She pondered, but couldn’t solve the mystery.
Wooooong──!
The green mana from the gem poured onto the World Tree seedling like a waterfall.
At first, nothing happened.
But Veronica could tell from the subtle yet powerful mana flow that Ray was focusing with extreme intensity.
And then, all at once—
*Crack! Crackle!*
The seedling began to grow rapidly.
Its trunk shot up, thickening and stretching upward.
Branches spread in all directions, sprouting lush green leaves.
When the green mana infusion ceased—
“Waaah…!”
“Amazing!”
A massive tree now stood before them.
It was nearly as tall as the two-story mansion.
“As expected, my faith in Lord Ray wasn’t misplaced! To grow a World Tree this much in such a short time!”
“……”
In contrast to Grine, who was overcome with emotion and excitement, Ray felt a tinge of disappointment.
‘My head’s spinning. This is my limit for now. I thought I could grow it even more in one go. It’s definitely different from the other plants I grew earlier.’
Judging by Grine’s reaction, even this was an extraordinary feat.
But Ray was frustrated by the feeling that he hadn’t even drawn out half the power of the green gem.
…He needed a greater emotional resonance with green mana.
Ray immediately asked:
“Grine, you said elves have a strong sense of belonging, right?”
“Very strong. We prioritize the life of the community over individual life.”
“Where exactly is the Last Forest?”
“At the Last Place.”
“And where is that?”
“Near the end.”
Ray, wondering if he could win a fight against Grine, spotted something peculiar.
The World Tree’s leaves, swaying in the breeze, were translucent green, allowing light to pass through.
“The color of the leaves…”
“Oh, you mean that. World Tree leaves have the property of transmitting light. They absorb only the amount of sunlight they need, then amplify the rest and scatter it down to the plants beneath them. That’s why the Last Forest isn’t dark. On the contrary, it’s very bright.”
“……”
Ray suddenly became curious.
Just how enormous could a fully-grown World Tree become?
—
*
*
*
Curiosa’s work on the dimensional pathway continued day and night without pause.
Ray spent nearly all his time painting, and whenever his mental energy recovered, he injected green mana into the World Tree.
*Crack! Crackle!*
After its initial rapid growth, the World Tree’s rate of growth had slowed.
But Ray didn’t miss a single day of mana infusion.
Steadily expanding its territory, the World Tree had grown large enough to fully protect the garden beside the annex.
The Black Rain could not penetrate the transparent green leaves.
Moreover, the soil that had previously been contaminated gradually began to regain its natural color within a certain radius of the World Tree.
Then, a few days later—
“I finished it! I finally finished it! This is the triumph of mankind! A triumph, I say!”
The dimensional pathway was complete, and preparations for departure were swiftly made.
Ray spoke while looking at Jang.
“I’ll drive. You should stay behind and focus on learning the household duties with the servants.”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration.”
Ray then turned to Curiosa.
“You stay too, Curiosa. If any enemies show up, someone has to be able to respond immediately.”
“Hmph, I was planning to stay anyway. Who knows how much I’ll be worked like a mule if I get dragged along again.”
Ray did plan to call her if necessary.
But he didn’t bother saying it aloud.
There were three passengers on the bus:
Himself, Veronica, and Grine.
However, since the bus was permanently linked to the mansion, it was effectively as if the entire group was onboard.
“If anything happens, come straight through the pathway and let us know.”
“Just get out of here already. I don’t even want to see your face.”
Leaving the grumbling Curiosa behind, the bus exited the mansion’s gates.
And immediately, it had to stop.
A man was blocking the road not far ahead.
“R-Ray. There’s a weird guy standing in the way.”
“He’s holding something in his hand… Looks like a letter? In a red envelope?”
Unlike the two voicing their confusion, Ray had already sensed the man’s true identity.
An expressionless face. An awkward posture.
New clothes with no signs of wear.
And above all—
…An empty vessel, devoid of emotion.
“…A homunculus.”
Presumed to be one of the Doctor’s test subjects.
At that moment, the man opened his mouth and shouted loudly.
“Do not seek to know any further.”
Before anyone noticed, similar-looking men appeared from nearby alleys, repeating the phrase in flat, uninflected voices.
“Do not seek to know.”
“Do not seek to know.”
“Do not seek to know.”
“Do not seek to know.”
There were well over a dozen of them.
“Do not come any closer.”
“Do not approach.”
“Do not approach.”
“Do not approach.”
“Do not approach.”
Ray pressed the button to open the bus door.
*Pssshhh──*
“Do not leave this place.”
“Do not leave.”
“Do not leave.”
“Do not leave.”
“Do not leave.”
The moment Ray stepped outside—
─────.
Emotion suddenly bloomed across the once-empty vessels of the homunculi all at once.
Ray looked around at the encircling anger and malice with dry, unblinking eyes.
And at the end of his gaze—
“That’s from the Doctor, isn’t it?”
He said, looking at the man blocking the road.
The homunculi all fell silent at once.
A heavy stillness settled over the area.
Then—
*Tap— Tap—*
With awkward steps, the man approached and handed Ray the red envelope.
