Chapter 140:New Sprout

“Really, it’s all burned down…”

Tene muttered, sitting on a field a little away from the still noisy scene.

Her gaze reached the place where the World Tree stood, a giant tree that had stood firm just a few hours ago.

The giant tree, which wouldn’t even get a scratch from a simple axe swing, had become ashes, and all the blue leaves had been burned away, and even now, the ashes of the burned World Tree were slowly falling from the sky like snow.

The Elves, who had always smiled while relying on such a World Tree, couldn’t hold back their resentment and sat down, shedding tears, and those who had waved their hands at her were contorting their faces and vehemently protesting.

Even though the distance was quite far, their cries and shouts mixed with rage were clearly audible.

“…Would the situation have been different if I could use magic?”

Tene felt gloomy in such a situation.

When she first possessed this world, Tene felt like she had become the protagonist.

That’s because her body was a Dragon.

Not just any Dragon, but Tenebrix Nox, the strongest and most ferocious.

The strongest being whose footsteps split the earth and whose shouts blew away forests.

So Tene thought she could do anything if she set her mind to it.

But it wasn’t.

After being possessed by a dragon and becoming the strongest creature, Tene became a petty criminal who scared people and robbed carriages to avoid starving to death.

Even after being taken in by the Evergarden family, she didn’t do much despite being a powerful Dragon.

She was treated like a guest, eating, sleeping, and eating her fill every day, and sleeping in.

Every time, Tene spent a lazy life, wondering if she was allowed to be like this.

After that, the only time the Dragon’s help was needed was as an airplane.

In fact, Tene grumbled every time she was treated like a vehicle, but it didn’t feel that bad.

When she flew freely in the sky carrying the Evergarden family, she could feel that she was a Dragon.

But in the end, that was it.

Helping Felix at the academy, being subjected to magic experiments, sharing scales, and today’s events.

All of these things needed a ‘Dragon’, not ‘Tene’.

Still, it was okay.

In the end, it was something she was needed for, and she didn’t feel any aversion to helping people, so she had no complaints because of her kind heart.

…Still, being treated like a magic experiment table felt a bit bad.

Even if Tene had a bad heart, no one could stop her, but Tene didn’t.

She could be criticized for being weak even though she became a Dragon, but what could she do since that was Tene?

In the first place, it was doubtful if there was anyone who could criticize a Dragon.

But today, Tene felt her helplessness to the bone.

“…Even though I’m a Dragon, I didn’t do anything.”

Dariann entered the fire scene with her, but strictly speaking, it was Dariann who saved people.

Her help was there, but it was Dariann’s cool-headed judgment and timely commands.

If she had been alone without Dariann, Tene would never have been able to save all the people trapped in the World Tree.

In addition, when an obstacle blocked the exit when saving the last survivor, Tene couldn’t do anything.

Tene had very strong power.

However, she only had strong power.

Tene didn’t know how to handle power as sharply and precisely as Dariann, and she couldn’t use magic like Felix.

She wasn’t as bold as Rosaria, and she didn’t know as much as Freya.

All of this was due to her laziness.

When Dariann and Rosaria trained every day, Tene was asleep, when Felix researched magic, she only watched, and when Freya showed excellent intelligence and action for the territory, she couldn’t step in.

Tene, who wasn’t as experienced as Estel and was just a simple high schooler inside.

Because she was a Dragon, because she was the strongest.

As a result of living lazily intoxicated by that power, Tene became a half-baked Dragon who couldn’t even handle her own power properly.

If she had trained her body like Dariann or Rosaria, she might have been able to clear the obstacles neatly instead of Dariann.

If she had researched magic like Felix, she might have been able to put out the fire on the World Tree faster.

If she had accumulated knowledge like Freya, she might have been able to prevent the World Tree from burning down in advance.

But she couldn’t, and Tene just sat on the grass gloomily, only looking at the burned World Tree.

“I’m a Dragon… I’m the strongest…..”

Tene, who had been telling the Evergarden family every day that she was the strongest Dragon, was depressed by the fact that she couldn’t do anything when it was important, and muttered with a tearful face.

“I want to accomplish something too… Not something someone told me to do… With my own power.”

Even though she was a Dragon who could achieve anything, Tene’s wish was very simple.

Tene only felt frustrated with herself, but she didn’t know.

Because she, Tenebrix Nox, possessed the Evergarden family, the Evergarden family could exist.

But without knowing such a fact, she just looked like a cute girl muttering with a tearful face.

At that time.

-Zing

….Huh?”

Instantly, Tene reflexively raised her head.

An electric signal brushed her head.

Tene had felt this sensation before.

“This feeling… It’s the feeling I felt before the World Tree burned down…?”

But it was similar to the feeling at that time, but something was different.

If the feeling at that time was like an emergency signal warning of an impending crisis, this time—

“…Someone is calling me?”

Before she knew it, Tene had stood up from where she was sitting.

Unlike then, the tingling sensation didn’t end in a single burst, but constantly lingered in her head.

The sensation was like someone desperately calling her, and Tene’s body was moving without her even realizing it.

Tene moved her feet, getting hit by the ashes falling from the sky between the warm sunlight.

So we should attack the Empire right now… Dragon-nim?”

“It’s Dragon-nim.”

“Tenebrix Nox-nim…”

“Black Dragon…”

“….Huh?”

As Tene’s mind returned while she was walking blankly, her eyes saw the eyes of the Elves staring blankly at her.

Before Tene realized it, she had arrived in front of the burned World Tree.

Those who were in despair, those who were shouting that they should start a war, all those who had desperately rescued the Elves from the burned World Tree, immediately looked at her reverently when they found the great being, Tenebrix Nox.

Tene, who was already a great Dragon and had saved the Elves, had already become someone who should be revered among the Elves, beyond gratitude and respect.

“What brings you here…”

“Someone, someone was calling me.”

“…Yes?”

When someone cautiously opened their mouth to Tene, who had suddenly appeared among the Elves, Tene answered about the signal ringing in her head.

“Tene…nim? Are you okay-“

Thump-

“Tene-nim!?”

The moment someone asked a question to Tene, who was just standing in place and muttering something, Tene kicked the ground and flew into the air.

Tene, who jumped up and down, flew over the heads of the countless gathered Elves, finished her leap, and landed on the ground.

The place where she landed was near the roots of the World Tree, which now only had ashes left.

“It’s here. Someone is looking for me here.”

Thud-thud-

“What is Tene-nim doing now?”

“Uh… It looks like she’s digging in the ground?”

The Elves, who looked at Tene, who suddenly appeared and then started digging in the ground, tilted their heads and looked at her with eyes that

said, ‘Why is she doing that?’

But Tene just kept repeating the words, ‘Someone is calling me,’ and was busy digging in the ground.

Even though her whole body and hands were covered in dirt from digging in the ground mixed with white ash, Tene didn’t stop.

Finally.

Halt―

“You… No, were you… calling me?”

Tene, who had dug a hole so deep that her body was no longer visible, found something and stopped digging.

Then, as if carefully scooping up sand so as not to collapse the flag of a sandcastle, Tene lightly brushed off the dirt, and it appeared before her eyes.

A small sprout with a fresh green color.

A small sprout that was very thin and seemed like it would break easily with a light touch.

However, the strong presence felt from the sprout was the same as the sensation that was constantly ringing in Tene’s head.

“Why… did you look for me?”

-Because your help is needed.

“What kind of help?”

-Help to protect me and my children.

“…Can I do it?”

-If you wish.

The sprout, which revealed its presence without hesitation even though it had been buried under heavy soil until now, continued the conversation

with words coming from her head.

“…I’ll help. How can I help?”

-Just touch my sprout.

“Will that be enough?”

-It will be enough.

Could she, who had been in despair until just now, do it?

What if she doesn’t help?

Even at the sprout’s words, Tene hesitated, trembling as she reached out her hand to the sprout, remembering her failure at the fire scene.

-Only you can do it.

“…Ah.”

-You can also break my sprout.

“Th, that can’t be!”

-Therefore, it is something that only you can do.

“… Really, can I be of help?”

-Of course.

The sprout, as if noticing Tene’s heart, gave her a confident answer, saying that it was something that only Tene could do.

“….I’ll try. I’ll try.”

Tene, who noticed that the sprout’s heart was sincere, regained her composure and made a determined expression.

Swish-

Then, Tene carefully reached out her finger and stroked the sprout’s leaves.

‘It’s soft, and… I don’t know why… but this feeling is familiar.’

Even though it was just a sprout of a weed on the surface, Tene felt a very familiar energy from the sprout.

Yes, like… the giant tree that was here until recently—

-I express my gratitude. Stranger from a distant world, you.

“Yes? How did you know that?”

At that time, Tene received a shock that was as if she had been hit hard on the head with a hammer at the sprout’s words that followed.

The moment she was startled and hurriedly asked about the answer.

-Twitch.

“….Uh.”

The land of the Great Forest shook.

The land of the Great Forest, where the remains of the World Tree, which had been completely burned and now only had roots left, was undulating.