The World Tree. It was the divine tree that governed the power of this world.
It was said to be the center of the Ley Lines that ran beneath the planet's surface, helping to circulate Mana Material throughout the world.
Being the center of the Ley Lines meant it was the place where the most Mana Material accumulated in the world. Powerful phantom beasts and monsters seeking power all flocked to it.
In ancient times, the Spiritfolk built a nation around the World Tree to protect it from those who would misuse it, and they used their superior magical technology to repel intruders. That was the predecessor of the present-day Yggdrasil, and since then, Ceren and the other Spiritfolk had carried on the role of guardians of the World Tree.
At the center of Yggdrasil lay a garden. In a beautiful square where sparkling spring water flowed, gazing up at the towering World Tree, Ceren—Ceren Yggdrasil Frestel, queen of the Spiritfolk of Yggdrasil—continued speaking.
"The power of Mana Material is not simply the enhancement of life. When humans, animals, or plants absorb large amounts of Mana Material, they inevitably undergo transformation. We Spiritfolk have relatively low capacity for absorbing Mana Material as a species, which makes us less susceptible to its influence. That is why we were able to approach the World Tree more closely than anyone else. Though, the effects of Mana Material aren't exactly zero for us."
"I see... So that serene magical power is the result of bathing in Mana Material for years on end," Lapis said rather coldly.
It seemed their rudeness wasn't limited to humans alone.
At the chilly words from someone of her own kind, Ceren furrowed her brows.
"This is simply a matter of aptitude. Among the Spiritfolk, those with particularly low aptitude for Mana Material absorption were chosen as guardians. Those with low absorption capacity and high magical talent—though, apparently, from this human's perspective, my power seemed insufficient—"
Ceren glanced this way. I never said that... I mean, who would reasonably assume that the purpose was to be devoured by a spirit?
Between Her Highness Princess Murina and now this, why couldn't the royals of this world just stay in their castles?
Looking away and pretending not to notice Ceren's gaze, Ceren turned back to Lapis and continued.
"Well, be that as it may. Lapis Fulgor. It seems you have something you want to say to me."
"Hmph. Then this is a good opportunity. Let me confirm what's been on my mind for a long time. ...Is there a reason why you preached faith in the World Tree while locking out most of your own kind from Yggdrasil and restricting access?"
Locked out most of their own kind...?
The voice was quiet, but it carried definite weight. I'd been thinking Lapis was overly concerned about the cursed stone, but it seemed there were various tensions among the Spiritfolk too.
In front of Elisa, who was spacing out as usual, Lapis continued.
"Maybe holed up in Yggdrasil, you don't know this, but we've long been the ones being oppressed. From what I heard, when the forest of Shero was burned and hundreds of our kind were massacred, you maintained your silence—correct?"
"...Lapis Fulgor, that was a long time ago. I was not yet born—but our ancestors understood that it would be a painful choice. Those who would go outside, and those who would remain inside—even so, we needed to be separated."
"............"
As Lapis fell silent, Ceren continued with a composed expression.
There was strong will in her voice. There was certainly a charisma befitting royalty.
"I am not asking you to forgive us. But I want you to understand. We did not abandon them. Shero Iris Frestel—no, the queens who scattered to the forests in various lands were all... my blood relatives. And the reason the former queen of Yggdrasil chose to send most of the Spiritfolk outside was—to preserve the species. She understood that there was great danger outside, but it was still safer than being left 'inside'—"
Safer than the outside world teeming with hostile races? What could that possibly mean?
It seemed to be the first time Lapis had heard this too, as she made no move to interrupt. She stared at Ceren with a stern expression, as if weighing the truth of her words.
"The ancestors of Shero, who were proud royals of the Spiritfolk, chose to protect their kind outside and parted ways with my ancestors. Even so, they were not abandoned. The people of Yggdrasil and you are still connected. That is why—though it's rarely used—we left a means of contact. Elisa Beck—"
At that point, Ceren's gaze turned toward Elisa, who stood rooted in place.
Even though she had supposedly brought what she'd been searching for all the way to Yggdrasil, Elisa remained in her own world as always. She didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow when her name was called suddenly.
When she'd found the cursed artifact, she'd shown at least a flicker of excitement, but the gap between her on and off states was extreme.
Seriously, why do you switch off around important people?
"Your actions this time served a greater cause. I understand. A wandering Spiritfolk—you are a descendant of those who lived in the forest governed by Shero, aren't you?"
"...?"
Elisa looked at Ceren with drowsy eyes and gave a small nod.
At least try to act properly at a time like this. She wasn't actually getting comfortable, was she?
"The indiscriminate curse that Shero unleashed can never be forgiven. However, there is sufficient room for sympathy. It was not her alone—there was responsibility on the part of the people of Yggdrasil, and on the human side as well. In any case, the order we gave has been fulfilled here. That she returned at this timing after being missing for so long—I feel it is destiny."
Ceren let out a sigh of deep emotion. So the reason she'd been searching for the cursed stone was an order from Yggdrasil.
Still, it was good that what Elisa had been searching for was found, but what about Luke's petrification?
Now that Shero had calmed down, it would be nice if the curse had been lifted along with it. What an inconsiderate curse.
"And now, human—no, Klye Andrich."
There, Ceren stared directly at me and spoke in a near-singing tone.
"I've heard the broad strokes. You found the cursed stone and brought it to Elisa. On behalf of the people of Yggdrasil, I thank you as well."
"Huh? No... I didn't really do anything."
Elisa and Klyus aside, why did every single Spiritfolk have eyes as beautiful as gemstones? Being stared at like that was incredibly unsettling.
Also, what kind of explanation had Elisa given Ceren? No matter how you looked at it, that whole incident was far more complicated than just "found a cursed stone and brought it to Elisa."
For now, I flashed a hard-boiled smile to cover up. Ceren cleared her throat softly and spoke with some difficulty.
"Normally, we would repay the new kin who helped Shero with all of Yggdrasil—but as I mentioned briefly along the way, Yggdrasil is currently facing a crisis. We have nothing to offer you."
"...Ah, I see..."
The blunt response escaped me before I could help it. I hadn't come seeking a reward, and obtaining the cursed stone had been accidental, but failing to achieve my goal was simply a problem.
I had no idea how much longer Luke had before he became a completely stone statue. If Ceren couldn't break the curse, I needed to find another solution.
For instance, what about visiting the headquarters of the Star Church? Anthem's healing magic was strong, but he wasn't necessarily the top expert in curse-breaking. The possibility of learning something wasn't zero.
Or maybe... if I peeled off the surface, would he get better?
As I furrowed my brow and tilted my head, Ceren's expression clouded over.
"...I truly, truly am grateful. If you wish, you may take anything that exists here in Yggdrasil."
"Ah, no, that's not what I—"
The Spiritfolk already had a strong sense of kinship, and if I made their queen bow her head like that, my entire relationship with Star's Holy Thunder could be ruined.
Just as I hurried to open my mouth, a sudden roar shook the air.
Ceren flinched, tensing up. The source of the sound—was Liliz.
Her face wore an irritated expression, and her toes were planted in the ground, wrapped in a Treasure Weapon.
She'd apparently kicked the ground with full force. She'd been listening quietly all this time, so what had gotten into her?
Ceren wasn't the only one startled. My heart was pounding from the sudden loud noise.
Liliz stood before Ceren, who was frozen with wide eyes, clicked her tongue, and spoke.
"You talk too much! You keep going on about irrelevant stuff—you're the queen of the Spiritfolk and you can't even figure out what Klye wants? Klye's getting grumpy, you know!"
...I'm not. I'm not grumpy at all! And I don't want anything. I'd already heard that she couldn't break the curse. Asking someone to do the impossible was absurd from the start.
Maybe Liliz had something else she wanted, but demanding anything from Yggdrasil in its current state was asking too much.
"Wait, Liliz, hold on—"
I stepped in to stop her, but Liliz was no longer listening to me.
Her decisiveness was both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.
Completely ignoring me, Liliz approached Ceren and grabbed her by the collar.
Then, with blazing eyes, she glared at Ceren from up close and spoke in a menacing voice.
"I don't care about your speeches! We're busy here, so just—take Klye to that dangerous Treasure Hall that's manifested inside the World Tree already, got it?!"
...I never said that.