Chapter 139:From Head to Toe

As Dariann carried out the last survivor, the flames that seemed to burn forever gradually began to subside.

Felix, at the forefront, and other Elves skilled in magic, joined forces to suppress the fire as best they could, managing to prevent the worst-case scenario.

“How is the World Tree?”

“Fortunately, the World Tree’s roots extend throughout the Great Forest, so it is safe.”

As the situation was somewhat resolved, Estel returned to her office and received a report from the Council of Elders regarding the World Tree’s condition.

Being the World Tree, not just a simple tree, its roots were distributed very widely and deeply. Unless the entire root system was burned or uprooted, it could always grow back to its original form.

“However… it seems it will take some time for the World Tree to regain its former appearance.”

“How long will it take?”

“At the very least, I would estimate 200 years.”

“200 years, 200 years…”

However, Estel could only sigh.

From an Elf’s perspective, 200 years was a short time, but for the Evergarden County, which was preparing to supply Elixirs in earnest, it was as good as losing their business.

However, the problem did not end there.

“Princess, the Elves’ public sentiment towards the Empire has completely turned against it.”

“I suppose it would.”

This was because the Elves felt extreme aversion to selling Elixirs made from the World Tree Leaf to the human realm.

As Estel said, it was understandable since the Princess who burned the World Tree had colluded with the Empire’s heir.

Although it was the Princess who burned it, the justification that humans had burned the World Tree was created, making the Empire a more hateful existence to the Elves than the enemy of their parents.

“We are trying to calm them down somehow, but… if this continues, a war may break out. We have already suppressed several Elves who rushed out to punish the Empire.”

“Ugh…”

Some were so enraged that they grabbed a bow and arrow and rushed to assassinate the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Even the Evergarden family could not tolerate selling Elixirs made from the World Tree Leaf that the Empire had burned to the Empire.

“Please leave for now. Come back when you have important news.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Estel held her head, feeling a headache coming on as she received the report, and dismissed the Council of Elders.

Thus, only the Evergarden family, excluding Dariann, who was in the treatment room due to the aftermath of the rescue operation, remained in the office.

Even after the Council of Elders left the room, the dark atmosphere made it difficult for anyone to speak, and a heavy silence lingered.

“…What’s done is done. We must quickly come up with a plan.”

Nevertheless, Estel, showing the most elder-like demeanor in this place (despite looking the youngest), spoke first.

“Asir. What is the current amount of Elixirs that can be produced?”

“With the remaining World Tree Leaf and the Elixirs that have been produced, we can handle the reserved amount.”

“However, if we think about the future, the stock will be completely depleted in less than half a year at most.”

Fortunately, they had started producing Elixirs as soon as Asir’s control ended, so they could sufficiently handle the amount reserved before the sale, but the next problem was what to do afterwards.

“It’s not enough. The stored amount is far from enough.”

Once they started selling, the entire Empire would want Evergarden’s Elixirs, but the current stored World Tree Leaf would be exhausted in a few months.

Moreover, in the production of Elixirs, only 1⁄4 of a World Tree Leaf was needed to make one box of Elixirs, so they did not focus on securing the quantity of raw materials while Asir, the troublemaker, was being suppressed.

As long as the World Tree was there, they could make as many as they wanted, whether it was dozens, hundreds, or thousands of bottles, so there was no need to pick a lot in advance and store them, as the freshness would decrease.

However, with the World Tree gone, that choice became a bad move, sharply stabbing the Evergarden County.

“…Anyway, the problem is how to persuade the Elves.”

“If the damage to the World Tree had been small, we might have been able to make the 2nd Princess and the Crown Prince our enemies and continue trading smoothly, but in the current situation, it may be impossible.”

“First, we must somehow deliver the reserved amount, and then use the remaining time to try to turn the Elves’ hearts around.”

“We should have prepared for this kind of situation, but maybe we were too relaxed.”

“Don’t worry! This grandpa survived when the ship I boarded to smuggle myself into Japan capsized when I was sixteen! Even if the sky falls, there’s always a way out, so don’t worry too much.”

“That was New Year’s in January. I remember hiding in a supply warehouse without heating, crunching on raw potatoes to survive. The guy who helped me smuggle myself in back then was a Korean-Japanese named Yamaguchi—”

“I’ve heard that story twenty-five times, including this one, Grandpa.”

Thus, the Evergarden family racked their brains to solve the problem that had struck again.

“I’m sure, it was like that…”

However, Felix, who had been lost in thought since the Council of Elders came in and had not participated in the conversation, began to mutter to himself.

Even after suppressing the fire, Felix kept feeling like he was missing something.

It was the first time he had seen the World Tree burning so fiercely, but he had seen a similar scene somewhere before.

And then.

Suddenly-

“…That’s it!”

“Wah!? You scared me!”

Felix suddenly jumped up from his seat and shouted, startling Rosaria, who was sitting next to him, spacing out.

“[Twilight Starlight] Chapter 7, Episode 27! The episode where the World Tree is revived in the Great Forest, which has been devastated by the Demon’s attack in the intensifying war with the Demons!”

Felix, remembering seeing the scene in the original work, clapped his hands and smiled as if shouting Eureka.

“There was a scene in the original work where they immediately revived the recovering World Tree by injecting pure and powerful Magical Power!”

“Is that true?”

“If that’s true, we might be able to calm the Elves’ public sentiment as well as secure the materials!”

“There was such a method? You should have said so sooner!”

Those who had turned pale suddenly brightened up and shouted, pushing their faces towards Felix.

“So, what’s the method?”

“In the original work, they refined and injected all the Magic Stones that the Empire possessed.”

“Magic Stones? How much do we need?”

“Um… I think it was expressed in units of dozens of tons.”

“…Tons?”

However, the family members froze as soon as they heard the unit that came out of Felix’s mouth as he explained the method.

“We can’t even afford that if we sell our territory! How can we get tons of Magic Stones?!”

The situation in the original work was a decision that had to be made because if they could not regenerate the World Tree, there would be no means to act as a breakwater in the war with the Demons.

In a situation where humans and Elves would all be destroyed if they lost the war, there was no point in saving their assets if they were going to die anyway, so not only the Empire but also the Dwarves desperately gathered the remaining Magic Stones and proceeded.

However, there was no way the Evergarden County could handle Magic Stones on a national scale, so even if there was a method, it was as good as not being able to execute it.

“Wait, listen to me until the end.”

But Felix continued to tell the story.

“The key here is not ‘Magic Stones’. It’s ‘powerful and pure Magical Power’. We need to focus on that.”

“Of course, it’s Magical Power that even thousands of humans can’t handle, so the original work used a large amount of Magic Stones, but… we have

it, don’t we?”

“What do you mean—ah.”

“Powerful and pure Magical Power’.”

“I see?”

What was needed was not ‘Magic Stones’.

What was needed was ‘powerful and pure Magical Power’.

The Evergarden family had no means to obtain Magic Stones that could create that much Magical Power.

However, even without that much Magic Stones, they had the conditions to emit that much Magical Power.

From being treated like an airplane to being treated like an experimental subject, and even her scales were versatile.

There was nothing to throw away from head to toe.

Everyone in that place remembered her, who was not in this place now.

“Tene, where is she now?”

The deus ex machina of the fantasy world was right here in the Great Forest.