Ch.124Chapter 124 – I Have Something I Must Do

Players of Erasto Chronicle learn through the game’s characters that the world is in crisis.

As a player of Erasto Chronicle myself, I knew this world was in crisis.

‘But I had no idea the crisis was this serious!’

To think that the roots of the World Tree are gradually drying up.

What kind of tree is the World Tree?

Since coming to this world, I’ve learned that most of the mana in this world is buried in the ground.

You know, like those things that often appear in creative works.

The so-called “spirit veins” or “earth veins.”

In this world too, mana flows in such forms.

Anyway, mana buried in the ground cannot be extracted by ordinary methods.

Scholars speculate that when it clumps together over a long period, it becomes a mana stone…

In any case, the World Tree draws up mana flowing beneath the ground and releases it into the atmosphere.

Also, the concentration of mana in the atmosphere always maintains a constant level, which is also due to the power of the World Tree.

The magic that people in this world currently use is calibrated to the atmospheric mana concentration created by the World Tree.

So the roots of the World Tree act as a kind of pump.

They continuously draw up mana to prevent the atmospheric mana from drying up.

Therefore, the news that the World Tree’s roots are drying up is indeed a crisis for the people of this world.

If the World Tree’s roots completely dry up, the concentration of mana in the atmosphere will thin.

When atmospheric mana becomes thin and reaches a sparse stage, sealing magic formations around the world will no longer function properly.

As the sealing formations weaken, evil beings sealed by magic will be released again.

From that point on, the entire world will return to an age of chaos and destruction.

‘This is no time to be leisurely enjoying a festival!’

I realized the situation was extremely serious.

The only fortunate thing was that there were about two years left before the World Tree’s roots completely dried up.

Within these remaining two years, we must somehow prevent the World Tree’s roots from drying up.

Otherwise… an era as harsh and terrible as the full revival of the Demon God would begin.

‘But with the festival right in front of me, I only have one body to focus on things other than the festival.’

It comes down to setting priorities.

After mentally prioritizing what I needed to do, I looked at Shureka.

Her sapphire-like eyes had been watching me continuously.

“Lady Shureka. I understand the situation well. However, I have urgent matters to attend to… would it be alright if I take care of those first before taking action?”

“Urgent matters…?”

“I’ve scheduled a demonstration at the Glesius Academy festival to show my abilities to people. Since it was arranged in advance, canceling it would cause considerable disappointment.”

I conveyed my situation to Shureka as directly and concisely as possible.

I felt that further explanation was unnecessary.

“You want to keep your promise.”

“That’s right.”

“I understand. I’ll be staying at the lodging Regina prepared for me for the time being. So, when you’ve finished your business and are ready to depart for the World Tree, could you let Regina know?”

“I will.”

Although Shureka had a small pocket of tolerance, perhaps due to her long life experience, she wasn’t rude to me.

If she had been one of those difficult and arrogant elves that often appear in creative works—

The so-called “stuck-up elves”—things would have become troublesome in various ways.

But from what she had shown me so far, she was closer to being an elf than a stuck-up elf.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

With those words, Shureka literally vanished like the wind.

At one moment, a gust of wind swirled around her, enveloping her in leaves and flower petals, and when the gust disappeared, she was gone.

Truly befitting of the High Elf Grand Elder and a natural 6-star heroine.

After Shureka left, I also got up from my seat.

Although not all booths were open yet, I suddenly felt like joining the students and doing something.

‘Well then… shall I go?’

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

2:30 PM.

Female students from the Magic Department were busily moving around inside a booth with a sign that read “Wizard’s Pastry Shop.”

The girls gathered at this booth all had one thing in common.

They all loved desserts and enjoyed making them.

In particular, unlike others, they were mages who could use magic, so they were interested in combining magic with pastry-making.

“Alright. Is everyone prepared?”

The person in charge of this booth, which would operate for five days starting today, was Bernie, a third-year student from the Magic Department.

She became responsible for this booth because of her firm determination.

Students at Glesius Academy typically study at the academy for four years.

In their fourth year, the final year at the academy, they begin in-depth studies related to their career paths.

Of course, some students determine their direction from their third year, but most, like Bernie, establish their direction in their fourth year.

Therefore, today was her only officially permitted deviation.

Under the pretext of the festival, she could freely showcase what she had wanted to do all along.

This was true not only for Bernie but for all the female students gathered here.

They were all dessert enthusiasts who had even made desserts by hand for this occasion.

However, what they would show people today wasn’t just ordinary desserts.

“Today, we will present the world’s first ‘Magic Desserts.'”

Magic Desserts.

These were special desserts created using magic that couldn’t be made through conventional methods.

“I believe everyone has worked hard for this day. The magic desserts we’ll present today will be showcased in the name of the ‘Dessert Research Society.'”

All the students gathered nodded in unison at Bernie’s words.

Though they differed in rank and status, they were united by their love for desserts.

Within this space, there was no distinction between nobles and commoners—only a focus on desserts.

“Comrades! What is our goal?”

“To make delicious desserts!”

“Comrades! What is our ideal?”

“For magic desserts to become widely known!”

“What have we done for today?”

“We’ve diligently made desserts, analyzed them, and practiced magic every day!”

“Good! Let’s get ready! Thirty minutes until opening!”

“Thirty minutes until opening!”

With Bernie’s call, the students moved in perfect coordination to their respective positions.

Among them, first-year students Mina and Elena were assigned to serving rather than dessert production.

While their enthusiasm was acknowledged, today was about showcasing what they had honed over time.

So rather than involving the still inexperienced duo in production, they were assigned to serving, which seemed more suitable for them.

“Hey, Elena. Do you think I can do well?”

“Don’t worry, Mina. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Elena looked around the booth.

Under Bernie’s direction, the seating for nobles and commoners had been separated in advance.

This was not just for the nobles but for both nobles and commoners.

Although this was within the academy, it would be open to outsiders for five days.

So it was better to completely separate nobles and commoners to avoid friction between them.

“Whew, I saw earlier that there were so many people…”

“I know. With so many people, there will be many orders. I wonder if the magical tools will hold up.”

While Mina worried about the number of visitors, Elena was concerned about something else.

All the tools they used for dessert production were modified magical devices.

They were specifically modified to suit the desserts they were making.

Of course, they had thoroughly tested them yesterday and confirmed they worked well, but anxiety remained.

For example, what if the magical tools stopped working because they weren’t designed for prolonged use?

That would seriously disrupt the dessert production process.

“I hope the magical tools for dessert production hold up…”

Elena was hoping that the magical tools wouldn’t break down and would endure.

But despite her earnest wishes, as soon as business started, the modified magical tools began to cause problems.

“Huh? Why isn’t this turning?”

“The dough isn’t fully baked! The output of the magical tool is decreasing!”

“This is bad. Using magic might keep it going for an hour or two…”

The magical tools in the booth were causing problems, disrupting dessert production.

They tried to manage the situation somehow, but it only became increasingly difficult to handle.

“Elena, Mina. Is something wrong?”

And just then, Patos visited the booth where Mina and Elena were.