episode_0120

The greening using the power of the world tree was truly outstanding. The plants that had spread out thanks to the energy of the World Tree along with the misty rain that lasted for two weeks instantly restored the land that had been devastated by Viola for the past 300 years to lush nature.

“Wow….”

When I flew over the sky on Arjen’s back and looked down, I saw that the situation had changed to a level that was truly miraculous. Although the original home of humans, including Eletrove, had not been restored, it seemed like it was only a matter of time.

“This might be enough.”

“Really? So now are we going to be together again for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes. From now on, we will be together forever.”

Until now, he had lived with Arzen under the vague idea that he would be able to return to Earth someday, but his mindset changed after he was forced to return to Earth due to Akasha.

I realized that the one year or so I spent with Arjen was more precious and beautiful than the rest of my life, which had lasted for over 20 years.

I was sad that I still couldn’t see my family, but I left a letter so they wouldn’t worry. Of course, one wonders what use a letter like that would have, but it was enough to give her faith that her son was not dead or missing and was living well somewhere far away, so maybe that was enough.

As I thought about this and that, the flight ended and Arjen and I landed on the ground. Wayne was there to meet me, but the maid uniform still didn’t suit me.

“What was the view from above?”

“Yes. At first glance, there was little difference from before. There are still more ruins, but if this trend continues, I think the area where Eletrobe was will be restored within a year.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“If there is one thing I am worried about, it is whether there will be a setback… Even if the plants are revived like this, will they be able to safely return to the previous ecosystem? When the World Tree runs out of power, it may become ruins again…”

Wayne responded to my concerns as if it was no big deal.

“You don’t worry about anything. Does the green land look so funny?”

“Now that I think about it, there was a word like that, right? What on earth is green land?”

If you think about it just by hearing the name, it means that it is a land that looks green with grass and trees growing thickly, but if that were all it was, Wayne wouldn’t have said something like that.

Green land. These are the words Kaela proclaimed as she slammed the wooden ax into the ground, and the first time I heard them was from the free elf Kalmond. I vaguely remembered the story of how the elves cursed those who did not believe in Prinia and kicked them out of the Green Land.

“The green land is, in other words, the land touched by Prinia’s breath. It is a tradition passed down among elves that the land itself is full of life, so all living things can live well.”

After hearing just one word, I could roughly understand what the green land meant.

“It means changing the soil itself.”

It may sound obvious, but not all plants grow well just because there is soil. Without nutrients or microorganisms in the soil, it would be no different from planting corn in the desert.

“Now that I think about it, this could spread into another problem?”

“What is it again?”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I heard Wayne’s words suddenly begin to build up signs of an event happening.

“Well, this area has been barren for over 300 years. Moreover, it was originally a fertile agricultural land. I wondered if humans were being greedy now that the land was restored thanks to this incident.”

“Uh… um… I guess so.”

Listening to the story, no matter how easy the land was for growing crops, it didn’t seem like it could compare to green land. It was said that the devastation of the Eletrobe area was enough to slow down human development, so there was no way they wouldn’t target this place, which was now a more fertile land than before.

“It was originally within the reach of Viola’s power, so wouldn’t it be okay if Arzen threatened it?”

Arjen, who was quietly listening to our story next to me, tackled me.

“No… no matter how greedy the dragons are, I think it’s too unconscionable to impose an access ban just to take over that much land, right?”

Since the dragon’s mouth can be heard complaining of conscience, from other people’s perspective, this means that it is no different from a child’s behavior.

“Besides… In the past, when Eugene disappeared, you went crazy and went on a rampage… If you go on a rampage again, what you’ve done so far will become a meaningless reversal of the truth.”

In the end, it is inevitable that humans will cultivate this land. In that case, I hope that at least things proceed without any disturbance, but as a human being, I cannot help but notice that humans are greedy.

“…Is Verfia still alive and well?”

Verfia was the name of the country that had the land of Eletrov as its territory. I asked because I thought it might have been destroyed since 360 years had passed, but as expected, Wayne’s head shook from side to side.

“Losing Eletrobe was a big blow.”

I asked if it was possible, but when I heard that it was truly destroyed, there was no answer. This means that no one currently has ownership of this insanely nutritious land.

While we were wondering whether or not there would be noise even if Berfia existed as a country, this fact had a rather fatal effect. To be extreme, war could have broken out. Unfortunately, there are currently no heroes, humanity’s decisive battle weapons and suppressors.

‘This hurts my head quite a bit…’

Rather than just quickly restoring it, I should have thought about it a little before moving on. As territorial disputes are a frequent cause of war, it is already difficult to hand over them smoothly once the country that originally owned it has collapsed.

“Ah… I don’t know! Let’s think about the complicated stuff later and just do what we planned in advance.”

The most obvious and irresponsible solution when faced with a problem. I cast Postpone and spoke to Arjen.

“Arjen, are you ready?”

“Eck? Let’s leave right now?”

“Yes. It’s still quite late.”

In fact, it was a lot late, not a lot. Since I knew Prinia’s personality well, there was no reason to rush the greening, but the reason it was moving so quickly was all because of Stella.

The problem was that we didn’t know a single thing about her other than that she was receiving the faith of humans. Without knowing what she actually looks like or what her personality is, she has already been forming a precarious relationship with Arjen for nearly 300 years due to the issue of Wayne.

Since nothing much has happened in 300 years, we cannot be complacent and think that everything will be okay. Isn’t the way the world works that problems that are going to explode are bound to explode?

“Ah… Today, there was a position I wanted to experiment with by borrowing Wayne’s body…”

“Ugh….”

Arjen’s complaints made me sigh. It was a sigh that came from two things: relief at having avoided the scary experience he had experienced tonight, and Arjen’s indifference in thinking of using Wayne, who was with him even in a dispute with Stella, for such a purpose.

“Good. Let’s go.”

“Let’s go quickly and come back. I want to try it quickly.”

What on earth are you planning to do that makes you fuss like that? I’m scared at this point. This meeting made me think about returning Wayne to Stella.

Regardless of my anxiety, Arjen’s body, carrying me on his back, quickly flew toward the south. It wasn’t an easy flight just because I’d been there once, but after talking about various things with Arjen, I felt like I could get there quickly.

“It’s spectacular every time I see it….”

The endless cliff waterfall in the open ocean that suddenly appeared, as if showing the end of a flat Earth, was enough to make me feel awe at any time.

“Hmm… I understand for sure now.”

As expected, this forest, whose air quality was different from the general atmosphere, had a scent that was somehow similar to that around Argen’s Lair. Of course, this land where the fine roots of the World Tree are located is also a green land, so it would have a similar feeling.

“This is not a land that welcomes uninvited guests. What business does a dragon have here?”

Before I could land on the ground and take a step, a high elf appeared and spoke to me in a wary voice. It was a female elf with short khaki hair.

As someone who had expected to be greeted with ‘It’s been a while,’ it was an unexpected response. Will 360 be the time when even the elves change their lives?

“I think I said this last time… It’s not me who has business, it’s this cutie.”

“No, I told you that last time too. Don’t use the word ‘cute’ to others because it’s embarrassing.”

“I’ve never done that before?”

“Uh, really…? Then it starts now.”

As we were engaged in an untimely skit, the high elf cautiously asked if he felt something out of place in our conversation.

“Last time…? Have you ever been here before?”

“Yes, whatever. I came here about 360 years ago.”

The high elf’s attitude changed drastically at my answer.

“360 years… Then…! Excuse me!”

“Oh, do you know me?”

“Of course. I didn’t know much at the time because I was young…”

It appears that the water has not been completely changed. It was a conflict that could have been resolved by taking out the World Tree’s bow and showing it, but I felt at ease knowing that the other side recognized it first.

“Welcome to the green land, Titania!”

Oh, that’s right. The elves had a strange title for me.