But he quickly turned his gaze back to Claire and kept exchanging information.
The setting was Luxion’s main body… inside a spaceship.
Claire was smiling.
«Hmm? Not going to help? You really need to clear up this misunderstanding.»
«We’ll sort out the misunderstanding in no time. In that case, let’s give Master a taste of a real life‑or‑death situation. Creatures need a certain amount of stimulus, after all.»
For Leon, who tends to avoid seeking excitement in life, Luxion decided that this level of crisis was worth experiencing.
«Still, I wonder why you failed. Are you two actually trying, or just playing around? I’m starting to suspect the latter.»
Claire was exasperated by Luxion and the others, who were dithering in the face of a world‑ending crisis.
«How about just burning the
«Master forbids it. Besides, if the Sacred Tree disappears, the Republic will collapse instantly. It won’t just be the Republic; neighboring nations would feel the impact too.»
«Plant a sapling and we’ll have a happy ending, right?»
«A sapling can’t supply the same amount of energy as the Sacred Tree.»
«…So, either way, the Republic is doomed, isn’t it?»
«Master just doesn’t want to take responsibility. If he could leave the Sacred Tree as it is, he’d rather do that.»
If the Alzel Republic stopped selling magic stones, many countries would be in trouble.
The
Leon didn’t refrain from burning the Sacred Tree out of kindness alone.
He wasn’t confident he could just ignore the horrible reality awaiting the Alzel Republic if he were the one to torch it.
Because he wields the power of Luxion, he worries about the messy «help‑someone‑else» side effect.
It’s just easier not to burn it.
More importantly, the infinite energy the Sacred Tree provides is what sustains the people of Alzel.
If they lose it, the people suffer.
The Six Great Nobles can’t keep the current regime alive without it.
And, given their past behavior, the Six Great Nobles have already earned too much resentment from neighboring states.
Alzel’s continent could be drenched in blood.
If the Kingdom got its preparations in order, it would likely march in with glee.
There are too many problems for Leon to want to burn the Sacred Tree.
«The Master was chosen as the guardian of the sapling, right?»
«It’s key that he’s *not* the guardian of the Sacred Tree. That puts him under a different jurisdiction from the Six Great Nobles, so they can’t interfere with each other. He also can’t act as a higher‑up. We don’t need that level of performance. I’ve got Master on my side, after all.»
Claire asked the next question.
«So? Did you figure out the true nature of the Sacred Tree? You followed that guy Pierre on purpose to investigate, didn’t you?»
Annoying.
Luxion nodded, as if confirming that feeling.
«Thanks to that, we were able to dig up a lot of details.
They only knew the game’s surface.
What lay beneath was unknown to both of them.
The system where higher‑ups receive the Sacred Tree’s blessings.
Why did the clan bearing the priestess’s crest lose to the Fevel and Laut families?
Even the very start of the game’s story felt odd.
Yet Marie and Leria just shrugged it off with a «that’s how it is» attitude.
They wondered if Pierre had pulled some kind of deceitful ambush.
«What’s the result? I’ve got a rough guess already.»
Luxion was intrigued by Claire’s prediction.
«Let’s hear your side first.»
«We didn’t get any rejection response. It’s hard to believe that plant just appeared spontaneously. If someone made it, it must be the
Luxion nodded.
«I’m thinking the same. I suspect the Old Humanity, hidden away, created the Sacred Tree. Or perhaps the tree mutated partway through.»
It might not have been a deliberate creation; it could have just happened.
Luxion’s theory: «For *them*—for the Sacred Tree—the
It’s impossible to expect a plant to understand human reasoning.
Luxion thought the priestess might have been the go‑between.
Claire agreed.
«The strong protectors become guardians, and the priestess was set up for communication. I wonder what the Sacred Tree thinks now that there’s no top‑level being?»
«It’s already grown huge. Even without guardians or priestesses, the Six Great Nobles are protecting themselves. They probably just abandoned it because they no longer felt the need. Yeah, before we showed up—»
This time, Leon and Luxion were pushing the Sacred Tree right to the brink.
The tree might show some reaction.
But…
«While investigating Pierre, I realized something. The Six Great Nobles noticed the Sacred Tree’s power was changing because the priestess was gone. Pierre used the oath to the Sacred Tree as evidence. With the priestess missing, the tree might look like it’s gone berserk to outsiders.»
Pierre’s actions were abnormal even by Alzel standards.
He single‑handedly challenged
Getting the Sacred Tree to legitimize that was just too far‑fetched.
Everything’s turning into chaos.
It’s not only foreigners who are in trouble.
The Six Great Nobles are in the same boat, forced to suspect each other.
«…The reason the Six Great Nobles wanted a sapling was probably to have a backup, just like Master.»
«If they had a sapling, they’d know the Sacred Tree wouldn’t interfere.»
Luxion’s conclusion: «The Seven Great Nobles shrank down to Six, and Marie said they were slacking off. That’s not the whole story. The priestess’s clan was defeated, the Sacred Tree’s power mutated… For the Six Great Nobles, the scarier thing than outside enemies is their own kin. They’re all watching each other. So they desperately wanted a sapling as a countermeasure against their own.»
Claire let out a frustrated sigh.
«Geez, Marie‑chan and the others just act like ‘that’s how games work,’ which is annoying. I want them to think of a real reason!»
Pierre’s recent mess actually exposed a lot about the inner workings of the Alzel Republic.
And Luxion had something else on his mind.
«…I still haven’t pinpointed why the priestess’s clan fell. My guess is the Sacred Tree’s mutation started before the clan was wiped out.»
Claire agreed.
«That sounds natural. But then, what exactly happened to the priestess’s clan?»
No conclusion yet.
But Luxion thought the answer would become clear soon as he watched Leon’s footage.
«Why aren’t you coming, Luxion!?»
«Leon, just explain it already! What’s the woman behind you and the baby crib in the room for? You’re not… a child, are you—»
«No, that’s not it! It’s for Noel—my dog’s care! See, when he bends his back it hurts, so I needed this tool!»
«Leon‑san, I’m really angry! Like, really angry!»
«It’s not that. This is different! First, calm down! There are witnesses. I’m innocent! The one I cared for, Noel, is a dog—»
In the video, hidden behind Leon’s back, his older sister‑like figure Noel whispered, «Ah, I—Leon‑san helped me. He saved me!»
«Sis! Not now! Please, forgive me!»
«No, let me speak. You two just showed up out of nowhere. Leon‑san is genuinely kind and reliable. He’s not someone to blame!»
«…You two seem pretty close. It looks like you really were taking care of her.»
«The story about Noel‑chan was a lie, huh? I was worried the whole time…»
Leon shouted.
«Luxiooooon! You did it on purpose! You’re not coming on purpose! If you don’t hurry, things will get irreversible—»
Seeing Leon in distress, Claire was flustered.
«…Help him quickly.»
«Is he still okay? Even if we explain the situation, those two won’t calm down. Let them vent for a while, then persuade them when they’re tired—that’s the most effective. Still, this puts us back in a worse spot than before. Classic Master move, I guess.»
…Even if we tell the truth, will those two ever forgive Leon? It’s an undeniable fact that he lived with a woman.
If they’re going to be angry, Luxion thought, let them stay angry.
Leon had only come to check on the Alzel Republic, but he’d unwittingly plunged himself into the middle of the chaos.
He was now right in the thick of the battlefield.
«This is the part I’m looking forward to.»
Luxion said that, and Claire just rolled her eyes.