Ch.3030. Druid Gathering (2)

As I mentioned earlier, the Great Forest where the Druid Gathering is located boasts a terrifying environment that has nearly transformed into an independent otherworld.

Thanks to the dense magical energy and high concentration of mystical forces, powerful mid-tier magical beasts swarm throughout, and at least six high-tier creatures—each capable of single-handedly destroying a nation—make their home here.

Add to this the natural traps like acidic gas swamps scattered throughout the forest, various man-eating plants, and all manner of bizarre insects with strange ecologies and abilities, and you have variables that cannot be ignored.

It’s no wonder this Great Forest is commonly referred to in the outside world as “hell manifested on earth” or the “green hell”—and not without reason.

Therefore, as I needed to enter this forest directly to find the Druid Gathering… I instead felt the incredibly dense mystical energy of this great wilderness and thought:

For someone like me, a druid, this environment actually makes it easier to move around undetected.

Druids can slightly modify the mechanism by which they harmonize with nature’s mysteries and use it in various ways. A prime example is the ability to conceal oneself within nature by utilizing the characteristic of “harmonization.”

This technique, which my mother used when she first encountered me, is actually closer to a shortcut than true magic, and surprisingly has many limitations that make it not particularly helpful in ordinary situations.

Concealment through mystical harmonization becomes impossible the moment one draws power from nature’s mysteries for combat, and the concealment itself becomes less effective if not used in areas rich with natural mystical energy.

But perhaps because of these limitations, this concealment ability becomes almost perfect in environments with transcendentally dense mystical energy—to the point where one could walk directly in front of others without being perceived.

Due to the nature of this concealment technique, which treats oneself as a natural element from a mystical perspective, the more sensitive the senses of magical beasts, the more difficult it becomes for them to detect me.

In other words, this green jungle could be seen almost as a tool designed to identify mid-tier druids capable of using natural concealment.

“…It’s quiet.”

So, after entering the forest with my form concealed through harmonization with nature, how much time had passed?

With Astra reverse-summoned, I was traversing the terrible wilderness of the Great Forest alone, feeling a slight chill from the eerie silence.

Despite the powerful life signatures flaunting their presence all around me, the fact that all living beings were holding their breath sent shivers down my spine, even for someone like me who understood well how this world’s nature operated.

THOOM! THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!

“…?!!”

This atmosphere changed when I happened to witness a giant turtle magical beast moving with thunderous sounds—a high-tier magical beast carrying a forested hill on its back. All my senses immediately went on high alert.

Even though I knew I couldn’t be discovered while concealed within the forest’s nature, this first encounter with an unfriendly high-tier magical beast since my birth was quite an impressive experience, wasn’t it?

Especially considering that the distance between me and that turtle beast—known as a Behemoth—was at least a kilometer.

Anyway, after that impressive experience, as I continued traversing the Great Forest… I quite accidentally discovered a tree placed in an artificial arrangement that didn’t match the surrounding environment.

In this Great Forest filled with trees easily exceeding 10 meters in height, an olive tree barely reaching 4 meters created a striking sense of incongruity.

“…Is this it?”

As I approached the olive tree and carefully observed it, I discovered magical secret codes engraved on it, encoded in a form that only druids could recognize.

Recalling the entry method to the Druid Gathering that my mother had told me about, I slowly decoded the cipher.

The code, which intricately mixed Elven script with human script (the continental common language), was impossible to decipher even for elves unless they were druids. It was essentially a cipher that combined druidic magic with systematized magical theory, similar to what ordinary magicians use.

One had to decode the cipher almost intuitively using both wild instinct and celestial astrology, and then inscribe the answer using principles of nature magic…

“…It opened.”

The olive tree split naturally into two halves, forming a “path” between them that invited me inside.

And then…

“Oh! Welcome, young kindred!”

“You must have had a difficult journey to find us!”

“We sincerely welcome our fellow druid!”

“…?”

Those who greeted me as I entered through the “door” were dozens of druids who seemed to have been waiting for my arrival, standing around the entrance and calling out to me.

From druids with snow-white beards giving off the air of wise elders, to those who appeared young but whose magical maturity indicated they were at least 200 years old, and even some who had reached the high-tier realm—not quite at my master’s level, but close—all caught my eye.

Each was at least mid-tier, with a few rare high-tier druids mixed in… While I stood frozen at this unexpected sight:

“Come now! Step back, old-timers! Our new kindred is startled and confused!”

A female druid who not only possessed remarkably mature druidic magic but also exuded a distinctive charisma befitting a leader—despite her youthful appearance—approached me naturally and spoke.

“Fellow druid, I must apologize first. The old ones remaining at the gathering are so used to seeing each other that they were simply excited to welcome you, a new druid.”

“…It’s fine. I understand there was no ill intent.”

“That’s good then. Now, kindred, we sincerely welcome you to our gathering!”

There was no falsehood in the female druid’s words.

The druid before me apologized sincerely, and her demeanor awakened the Confucian instinct dormant within me—the spirit of respecting elders.

And as all eyes in this corner of the forest focused on me, the female druid proudly introduced herself:

“My name is Drona Malkaden. I currently serve as the 74th Wild Assembly Leader and General Assembly Leader of the Druid Gathering! Now then, young druid, might you tell us your name and who your master is?”

“Gregory Aleinos…?”

The moment I mentioned the name Aleinos, the atmosphere of the gathering suddenly shifted from festive excitement to a chilling coldness.

The younger druids began sweating profusely, looking at me with terror-filled eyes.

The reaction of the older, more mature druids wasn’t much different—they were visibly flustered.

In this atmosphere, the assembly leader who had introduced herself as Drona Malkaden asked me with a trembling voice:

“A-Aleinos…? Could you possibly be… Dalia Aleinos’s…?”

“She is my master and adoptive mother. But why…?”

I let my question trail off, but in truth, I could roughly guess the situation from the increasingly cooling atmosphere with every word I spoke.

“Mother, what exactly did you do…!”

The suspicion I had harbored since Lord Drew had subtly trembled upon hearing my introduction was now almost confirmed by the druids’ reactions.

Undoubtedly, my mother had quite a reputation from her past actions… While likely not for anything evil, it was clearly enough to make the druids suspicious.

After pondering what my mother might have done, I very carefully opened my mouth:

“Um… Did my mother perhaps…?”

“…No, no. That’s our issue, you need not concern yourself with it. So, Gregory was it? You’re here for official druid registration, I assume?”

“Ah, yes. Since I’m a druid specialized in wild magic, I came to register while also embarking on a journey to gather animal companions.”

“Wild magic, you say?”

Assembly Leader Drona’s attempt to be considerate was momentary. Upon hearing my words, she addressed me with an excited voice:

“Excellent, this works out perfectly! A newcomer appearing in our Wild Assembly!”

Noticing that this was clearly an attempt to soften my somewhat intimidating image, I awkwardly smiled along with her intention, and then…

“Ah, right. I almost forgot. Here’s a gift for the gathering as a token of goodwill.”

I carefully produced my secret weapon for improving relations with the gathering—a bottle of brandy from Lord Drew’s domain.

The elderly druids, who rarely left their rooms and thus lived disconnected from civilization, immediately cast aside their fear upon seeing the brandy I brought.

With visible excitement, they accepted that small bottle.