Ch.115Chapter 115

The World Tree had been waiting for Wendigo to let down his guard from the moment it detected the overflowing nutrients and mysteries abandoned in this land, and when it finally sensed the time had come, it greedily absorbed…

‘Why on earth is there such an enormous amount of mystery???’

…or at least, that wasn’t its intention. The World Tree was just as bewildered as anyone.

The World Tree did absorb the mystery, but it wasn’t a monster that indiscriminately sucked up everything its roots touched.

If it had engaged in such behavior, wouldn’t the elves have considered it a calamity to be subjugated rather than a deity to be worshipped?

“Urgh…”

The World Tree retched as it absorbed the mystery erupting from the ground like a volcanic eruption.

She wanted to stop absorbing immediately, but once the mystery began surging, she couldn’t resist it.

An overwhelming density of mystery was rushing in to fill the newly created empty space.

Despite living for thousands of years, she had never encountered such pure yet violent amounts of mystery.

The World Tree steadied her dizzy head and glared at Wendigo.

Though unintentional, her explosive growth had brought her to a state sufficient to exercise her powers.

The World Tree used her power to scrutinize Wendigo… and was shocked to the point of disbelieving her own eyes.

It wasn’t because of the mystery dormant in Wendigo’s body. Certainly, his body was an astonishingly condensed collection of mystery, but the World Tree’s gaze was directed toward the ground beneath his feet.

‘Just how far does this connection extend?’

Beneath Wendigo’s feet… or more precisely, all the mystery existing in the surrounding area was as still as a massive block of ice.

She had suspected from the beginning that Wendigo was a being similar to herself, but this was clearly strange.

Mystery was supposed to be as free as the wind, constantly circulating throughout the world, yet this phenomenon would be impossible without Wendigo’s perfect control.

The World Tree stared intently at Wendigo and formed a hypothesis.

‘…Could he possibly be a being that has existed even longer than I have?’

There was no other explanation. Perhaps it wasn’t just the surrounding area, but the entire forest that…

“Urgh!”

The World Tree groaned as she struggled to endure another surge of mystery. The growing pains from her forced growth were more intense than expected…

Wendigo tapped the World Tree’s back with his claw and chided her.

“You should have controlled your greed. I heard you even devoured a Djin… you’re more greedy than I thought.”

“……”

The World Tree glared at Wendigo. She was so dumbfounded that her face, normally incapable of expressions, actually managed a slight frown.

To think she was in this state because of him!

The World Tree felt the emotion of anger for the first time in a long while.

* * *

The World Tree continued to grow and increase in size, but it didn’t commit the atrocity(?) of devouring the forest.

After absorbing a sufficient amount of mystery, the World Tree eventually succeeded in establishing a proper balance with the mystery dormant in this land.

Only then did the World Tree compose herself and confront Wendigo about it…

Wendigo responded to the World Tree with a disgruntled expression.

“So… you’re saying the mystery dormant in this land is connected to me?”

“Yes. It’s truly enormous mystery. In all my time, I’ve never encountered such a brutally vast amount of mystery.”

The World Tree’s expression remained blank, but she crossed her arms and glared at him to convey her feelings.

Wendigo was taken aback.

The World Tree’s words were true, meaning he was indeed connected to the mystery in this land…

‘…No, thinking about it, it’s not that strange.’

Wendigo quickly regained his composure. Though initially surprised, once he accepted the World Tree’s words as truth, many things became clear.

It made sense that he couldn’t leave the forest if he was intimately connected to it.

If the mystery of this vast forest was subordinate to him, it somewhat explained the limitless mystery he possessed.

However…

“Can a Djin occupy such a vast territory?”

Wendigo asked the World Tree with puzzlement. From what he’d heard, this seemed beyond what a Djin should be capable of.

The World Tree shook her head at Wendigo’s question.

“While Djin are born from nature, they aren’t beings capable of handling nature as vast as your forest. Surely… you don’t think you’re a Djin, do you?”

“……”

Wendigo realized that the World Tree’s expressions were more varied than he’d thought.

In the eyes looking at him, he could sense a contemptuous gaze, like someone looking at a foolish younger sibling.

“Djin aren’t living creatures but rather phenomena caused by mystery. As evidence, they have no physical bodies, and their very existence consumes mystery.”

Djin could create bodies and manifest appearances as needed, but strictly speaking, those weren’t proper physical bodies.

Their bodies lacked most elements necessary for living organisms.

As proof, most desires that existed in Djin were emotional aspects, far removed from the primal desires of living beings.

“Unlike Djin, we have physical bodies. But don’t think we’re a type of Beast. We are also immortal beings like Djin.”

“Do Beasts have lifespans too?”

“Most Beasts are killed before reaching their natural end, so it’s not well-known, but Beasts definitely have lifespans. Though from a mortal’s perspective, it might seem the same.”

The World Tree answered while recalling a turtle that had lived for 2,000 years before breathing its last.

It was a case of an already long-lived animal becoming a Beast, but even that creature couldn’t live forever.

Even if a Beast’s lifespan was abnormally long, it was destined to eventually breathe its last and return to nature.

“We are neither Djin nor Beast. If anything… we could be called avatars of nature.”

“Avatars?”

“Yes. As evidence, we have a very intimate relationship with nature.”

The World Tree had fundamentally lived in symbiosis with nature. This wasn’t for reasons of efficiency or ethics, but a kind of instinct.

A powerful, irresistible instinct that made her act in ways that made nature more abundant and healthy.

“Even when I don’t want to, I make the land where I’ve rooted healthier, and sometimes I pursue symbiosis to the point where I find it stifling.”

“And you’re saying all this is because of a close relationship with nature? But I don’t have any such peculiarities.”

Wendigo expressed doubt about the World Tree’s claim.

While he couldn’t leave the forest and felt mild aversion when visiting villages within it, Wendigo wasn’t a being who enriched nature like the World Tree.

The most he’d done to help the forest was to cut down enemies he encountered and turn them into fertilizer…

To Wendigo’s question, the World Tree pointed to herself and answered.

“One piece of evidence would be me. Why did you accept me?”

“That’s…?”

As Wendigo tried to recall the reason, he realized something strange.

Thinking about it, there wasn’t a clear definitive reason why he should have allowed the World Tree to take root in this land.

While the World Tree’s existence was special and offered many benefits, accepting without criticism was certainly unusual.

“…So you’re saying I unconsciously accepted the unknown risks because it would enrich the forest.”

“If you look, you’ll probably find quite a few pieces of evidence you haven’t told me about.”

“Yes. At least I acknowledge that this land and I have a close relationship.”

Wendigo didn’t care much about getting closer to uncovering his own existence.

He hadn’t strongly believed he was a Djin to begin with, and honestly, not knowing hadn’t been a major problem for living.

Above all, it was easy to predict that the relationship between himself and the forest was unusual, given that he was bound to this forest.

On the other hand…

“Back to the main point, you said the mystery dormant in this land is enormous, but how much is there? I’ve been quite wasteful with mystery so far.”

This dormant mystery was quite concerning.

It was essentially an announcement that the mystery which had seemed infinite until now was actually finite, so how could he not be concerned?

The World Tree also seemed to take this matter quite seriously, as her already minimal expression turned grave…

“Did you just say you’ve been wasting mystery?”

“Embarrassingly, I can’t deny the truth.”

“That can’t be right…”

“?”

Wendigo was confused by the unexpected statement. The World Tree placed her hand on her roots with puzzlement and concentrated to assess the mystery dormant in this land.

After checking the area through roots that extended deep into the ground, the World Tree stood up, approached Wendigo, and…

“…What are you doing?”

The World Tree began feeling Wendigo’s body without saying a word. Naturally, Wendigo was bewildered at suddenly being groped(?).

To Wendigo’s question, the World Tree calmly replied.

“I’m checking if there’s something wrong with your body that prevents you from knowing how ridiculously abundant the mystery in this land is.”

“…I am perfectly healthy.”

Wendigo, suddenly labeled ignorant, grumbled as he pushed the World Tree away.

Having confirmed there was nothing wrong with his body, the World Tree searched her memories to deduce the most likely reason.

After reviewing thousands of years of memories, the World Tree raised her gaze to look at Wendigo’s head.

She pointed at Wendigo’s head and said.

“It seems your head is the problem.”

“…Have you gone mad from consuming too much mystery? If so, I can split your head open for you.”

“Ah, I apologize. I meant your skull head is the issue.”

“Most people think so.”

Wendigo’s head, resembling a deer skull, was the only part of his body that had a form detached from life.

Wendigo responded as if it were nothing, but the World Tree didn’t see it that way.

“The mystery in this land is immeasurable. Enough for hundreds of Djin to be born, and for Beasts to thrive to the point where humans wouldn’t dare set foot here.”

“Are you saying this land forcibly accumulates mystery?”

“There have been similar cases. Though not on such a vast scale.”

Long ago, in a forgotten age, a Summoner from the far west came to Elvenheim.

The Summoner, who had crossed two continents from the distant west, asked the World Tree for a favor and planted a sapling in exchange for sap, branches, and leaves.

Though a wanderer without a proper dwelling, the Summoner couldn’t overcome loneliness and often talked about summoning…

“He wasn’t evil, but he couldn’t be called good either. He tried to create a Djin that surpassed other Djin by putting them in jars and forcing them to compete for survival.”

“Putting Djin in jars? Could jars withstand the power of Djin?”

“They weren’t ordinary jars. Being highly skilled, he received much attention from the gods and sealed the jars with special items.”

The Summoner’s experiment ultimately failed. The final Djin absorbed the mystery of other Djin and gained great power but couldn’t transcend its existence.

Listening to the story, Wendigo scratched his head with a disgruntled expression.

“From the context, it sounds like my head served as a kind of capstone. Is that right?”

“The possibility is slim, but that’s what I think. Though I question whether such a powerful being could exist in the world.”

‘I feel like I’m evolving as I get closer to my identity, like some Pelketmon.’

Starting as an ordinary Djin, then becoming a mutant Djin, and now an avatar of the forest.

And now the possibility that the skull on his head might belong to a being more powerful than an ordinary monster or Beast…

“So that’s why I’m saying this.”

“?”

When the World Tree indicated she had more to say, Wendigo looked at her with puzzlement.

They had discussed his identity and how abundant the mystery was, so what more could there be to talk about?

Given the serious conversation they’d just had, Wendigo prepared to listen attentively with a sense of tension.

What could possibly be the conclusion of this conversation…

“I’d like you to admit that you forcibly injected mystery into me, rather than me absorbing it.”

“…What?”

Wendigo’s mind went blank at this completely unexpected accusation. Regardless, the World Tree continued.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in such pain. Even in my childhood, I don’t recall being in such agony.”

“……”

“Of course, I don’t intend to hold it against you. But since this might cause problems in our relationship, we need to clarify the issue…”

Wendigo sighed, feeling foolish for having been so serious.

Who could have guessed she would make such a serious face just to say something like that?

…And who could have known that words spoken with such an expression would have such an impact?

“Your Highness!”

“?”

Wendigo turned around at the voice. There stood Dario and Elhemina, glaring at him with contempt and anger.

“Oh my, my, my! And you criticized me for being interested in women!”

…And as a bonus, Freya was smiling mischievously with a playful expression.

Wendigo didn’t understand their reactions at first, but he quickly figured out why.

Dario berated Wendigo with eyes tinged with betrayal.

“I really, really didn’t expect this from Your Highness! I believed you were at least a good person!”

“I can’t deny that the World Tree is the most beautiful, pure, and sensual being in this world, but how could you do such a thing?!”

“Huh?!”

Wendigo was shocked when he realized why they were angry amid the confusing context of the conversation.

How could they possibly think he had violated the World Tree from what they’d heard!

Wendigo glared at Freya in disbelief. Freya giggled, flew over, and chattered beside the World Tree.

“Wendigo was really bad, wasn’t he? No matter how pretty you are, forcing yourself on someone is wrong, don’t you think?”

“I’m not sure what appearance has to do with it. But it does seem he forced it on me…”

‘I’m sure we were having a proper conversation just now.’

Wendigo looked at the World Tree, who was innocently(?) answering Freya’s question, with disbelief.

She seemed to have been trying to explain things clearly until just now, so why was she suddenly cutting out chunks of explanation?

Wendigo pondered how to explain to them quickly to end this confusion.

“…It would be faster to just knock them both out and explain later.”

“What do you mean… gack!?”

“Kuhek?!”

Wendigo’s decision, having reached the peak of fatigue, was sharper and more precise than ever.

With a single gesture from Wendigo, roots shot up from the ground like snakes and coiled around their necks. They lost consciousness from suffocation before they could even grasp the situation.

Freya watched this scene, sweating profusely and rolling her eyes as she tried to find an escape route, but…

Whirrrr!

“Kyaaa! D-darling, I don’t really like this kind of play?!”

Tree roots that suddenly appeared grabbed both of Freya’s legs and pulled her toward Wendigo.

Hanging upside down, Freya waved at Wendigo with an awkward smile.

When Wendigo glared at her without any reaction, Freya moved her hands around and spewed excuses.

“I-I was just joking because you two looked so serious! I was just trying to lighten the mood with a cute little prank!”

“So you left me looking like a piece of trash who rapes women.”

“Ah, hahaha… I guess that doesn’t work, huh?”

“Obviously not.”

THWACK!!!

Wendigo’s intense forehead flick struck Freya’s head. The sound was so loud that even the forest birds were startled and flew into the sky.

Naturally, Freya’s body wasn’t sturdy enough to maintain consciousness after such a flick. After all, how sturdy could a body made for traveling rather than combat be?

Freya went limp, drooling from her mouth. Watching this, Wendigo clicked his tongue.

“How could I possibly embrace a woman with this body.”

“Since it’s a living body, it should be possible? When I felt your body, your tool was a bit large, but that doesn’t mean there’s no way…”

THWACK!!!

Wendigo’s forehead flick struck the World Tree’s forehead. Unfortunately, the World Tree was sturdier than Freya and didn’t lose consciousness.

The World Tree fell from the impact but, having a body that couldn’t feel pain, merely blinked and got up.

“Why suddenly…?”

“Learn to speak properly next time. Otherwise, I’ll uproot you.”

“!?”

The World Tree seemed shocked and looked at Wendigo with resentful eyes.

Wendigo felt a slight guilt at that gaze but quickly overcame it.

Honestly, he had wanted to hit the World Tree at least once.