Chapter 165-166

Chapter 165 – Shocked!

"Wha-what is this?!"

Alyssa shouted when she saw the iron carriage that was moving by itself.

"It's a carriage that runs by burning coal…is what I heard."

Rienna answered without much confidence.

To be honest, I too was not sure about the principles behind it. But Mappa had created it so effortlessly.

Alyssa took her time inspecting the iron carriage and the tracks it ran on.

"So this part here with the chimney is what replaces the horses… We do not have many horses in our country. But if we had something like this…"

They could not grow grass to feed horses in that climate. It wasn't just horses, but any kind of livestock would be difficult.

In a way, Sheorl was similar, as we had very limited amounts of land to grow our crops.

Pastures…we didn't have anything like that on Sheorl. Perhaps I should make one.

I was thinking about such things when Alyssa suddenly shook her head with an apologetic expression.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Huh? Ah."

It wasn't just food that they needed.

However, she felt bad about relying on us for anything else.

"Don't worry about it, Alyssa. We also want to help with as much as we can. Besides, we have a lot of iron. Of course, I don't know if we can actually make it…until I ask Mappa."

While Mappa had a lot of monster apprentices, I was worried if they could work without him.

Even when it came to the construction of this railway, he had often come to inspect their work.

Mappa…I hoped that he was alright.

Before I knew it, my mind was filled with thoughts of Mappa. In spite of appearances, he was still a child…

Well, this was Mappa.

Surely he was just wandering around somewhere.

Besides, Fule and the Kobold brothers were searching for him now.

Ashton and Haines should be able to find his scent.

"Lord Heal? Lord Heal. We've reached the surface."

"Huh? Oh, ah, Rienna. Well, Alyssa. We arrived…"

Alyssa remained in the carriage with her jaw open wide.

"Th-that tree is like a mountain…"

"It's big, isn't it? We were surprised when we first saw it as well. This is the World Tree…"

"World Tree!? The mythical tree!?"

Rienna and I looked at one another.

I hadn't known about this plant known as the World Tree before. No one in Sanfaris knew about it.

However, Demon King Elto did.

According to her, they were once very common on the Elto continent.

"You know about the World Trees, Alyssa?"

Alyssa nodded with a serious expression.

"Ah, yes. The center of our world…the holy place, used to be under such a tree."

"In other words…you mean…"

Rienna realized it immediately.

That tower that we had come out of after walking through the gate…

"Yes. That tower was once a World Tree…or so it is said. It died a long time ago."

Alyssa muttered as she stared up at the World Tree.

That tower was a World Tree…while it had the size of one, I still had questions regarding that.

Rienna also seemed to think it was strange, and immediately asked about it.

"But, Miss Alyssa. That tower looked like it was made of stone materials."

"That was done after the royals fled into the holy place. For defensive purposes, the dead tree was surrounded in stone and made into a tower."

"I see… But why did it die in the first place?"

"It was over a thousand years ago. When Arancia was at the height of its glory. Our ancestors expanded their lands farther away from the World Tree's reach. And they were able to grow vast fields and more crops than they could ever need without the blessing of the World Tree. And so it became more of a symbol of their faith."

Eventually, the World Tree became something that people no longer needed.

Alyssa continued.

"It was then that the authority of the royal family reached its peak. However, at that point, the king was no longer at the top."

"I see…"

I understood what she meant. However, Rienna looked quite puzzled.

It was the same in Sanfaris. The king was the god's representative on the surface, and was tasked with uniting the people.

Even in other countries, it was necessary to convince the people that the king's position was something granted to them by god.

In other words, even though the king is at the top of the country, the people just saw them as servants of the gods.

In the past, clergymen had been imprisoned for saying such things. Clergymen had been trying to increase their voice in political spaces for a while now.

When the authority of the king was weakening, it was convenient to use the names of the gods.

However, when the power of the king was strong, they could turn into something very dangerous and end up threatening their own authority.

Alyssa had a sad expression as she opened her mouth.

"The king set fire to the World Tree, which was said to be impossible to burn… To show the world that he was the master of nature."

While he did not deny the gods, he wanted everything that could be seen to be his.

"That…how terrible."

Rienna said, and Alyssa nodded.

"However, it didn't hurt anyone at the time. No one starved when the World Tree was gone. But a hundred years later, Arancia entered a long age of civil war. It was then that people first started to publicly object to what had happened. And now…"

So it was the king's pride that created this situation.

Perhaps if that World Tree was still alive, it could have saved them from this current disaster.

Alyssa looked at me with a worried face.

"Perhaps you…have nothing to worry about. But…"

"Yes. I'll remember what you said. Nature does not easily return to what it once was. Perhaps I'll have Baris teach it to the others in school."

"Let's do that."

Rienna and I nodded somberly.

"…In any case, Alyssa. We should talk about food now. How about we discuss it under the World Tree while eating?"

"D-do you mean it? N-no…I am in a position to lead the others… I cannot eat here without them!"

She said this in a strong voice as if trying to persuade herself.

However, Rienna patted her on the shoulder.

"Please don't say that. You won't be able to think properly if you don't eat. Besides, we just discovered the right amount of honey to put into the tea!"

Alyssa's mouth opened dumbly.

"H-honey… Oh, but I really couldn't…"

She protested, but Rienna was already pulling her towards the table underneath the World Tree.

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Chapter 166 – Raise Hell!

"It-it's delicious! H-how can anything be so sweet!"

Alyssa couldn't help but exclaim as she sat beneath the World Tree. She had a blissful, dumb expression on her face as she drained her cup of tea and honey.

After that, she continued to eat the grilled fish and fruits.

Rienna looked at her worriedly.

"Uh, Miss Alyssa. You might choke if you go too fast."

"I'm fine! How could I possibly choke on something so delicious…ggffaa!"

"Really, Miss Alyssa…"

Alyssa bowed her head apologetically as Rienna patted her on the back.

"So-sorry… But this is such a surprise. Not only is this place beautiful, but there is so much food."

"It's all because of the blessing of the World Tree. I don't know why, but the number of fish has increased after we planted it… And some of the fish are huge."

"I hear that fish eat bugs and dead leaves. Perhaps it's the leaves of the World Tree that attract them to this place."

Alyssa was probably right. Of course, that didn't really explain the Leviathan and Devil Hoppers.

However, Alyssa immediately looked like she realized something.

"Planted?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. We were able to make the World Tree grow so big by using something called a Sun Stone."

After hearing this, Alyssa was quiet for a moment as if her mind had stopped working.

"Lord Heal. I might look like a fool to you, but even I will not believe something like that!"

Well, it was one thing to believe in the existence of World Trees, and quite another to believe that it grew so rapidly…

If she wouldn't believe me, then I would have to show it to her some time…

"It-it's not a lie… In any case, you see how we can catch a lot of fish now? We'll have our sorcerers fish for a while. And increase the number of fishing boats."

"I am grateful. I'll send you some workers to help."

"Sheorl's population is quite small, so that would help… Ah, here's Baris."

I turned around to see Baris greet us with a bow.

"This is Baris. He is Sheorl's…Prime Minister."

"I am Alyssa. You are…Sir Baris?"

Baris smiled as Alyssa stood up. He looked a lot like a devil, and she was clearly a little intimidated by him.

"Hohoho. In spite of my appearance, I am really an old man with a crooked back. Please don't be frightened."

"Baris. The reason that Alyssa is…"

"I was able to hear your conversation from afar."

"Wi-with magic?"

"Yes. The wind carried the sounds…I was taught this by someone from the ancient empire. After all, it's my job as Prime Minister to understand what you intend to do, and act in advance."

"I-I see…"

There was something frightening about Baris's growth as a magic user.

But he ignored my reaction and continued.

"First, I will use magic to catch fish, and the slimes will use the iron carriage to carry it underground. As for how much we can send right now, that is up to the princess."

Rienna nodded at this.

"Including the fish we have preserved, we should be able to send ten thousand fish. I'll have the slimes transport them immediately."

"And I'll go and unload some iron at the smithy. So I can have them make new weapons and armor."

Mappa's apprentices were quite skilled… However, I still wished that Mappa was there as well.

Upon hearing this, Alyssa bowed her head.

"I cannot thank you enough. We will also send people to help with transportation. And if there is anything else we can do, please let us know. Well, I must return now and prepare the mushrooms to send."

Alyssa said as she stood up. But Rienna called to her.

"Why don't you eat a little more first?"

Alyssa looked towards the kitchen with ravenous eyes, but then she shook her head.

"I wish that I could…but the others are starving. I cannot spend so much time here. Besides, I've eaten so much already."

Alyssa then turned to me.

"Now, it's my turn to give you a tour of our city. You will come with me, Lord Heal?"

"Yes. I'll go as soon as I've delivered the iron."

And like that, we returned to the underground.

However, something was happening by the entrance of Arancia.

The Golem, Goblin and Kobold guards were holding their shields up.

And so I asked one of the Goblins.

"What happened here?"

"L-Lord Heal! People in golden armor suddenly appeared and got into a fight with the General! We were told to stop anyone who tries to get past us!"

"Erevan!?"

I raised my voice, and Alyssa replied.

"I-it might be the royal guards from the holy place! We must go at once!"

And so we entered the gate and came out into Arancia.

Erevan and the Golems were standing right in front of the gate.

As they held their weapons, the soldiers on the other side pointed spears at them.

They did look just like the soldiers we had seen at the holy place. They had high quality, golden armor.

"Erevan!"

"Chief? Don't worry, I haven't killed any! Argh!"

As a few soldiers attacked him, Erevan smacked them with the blunt side of his axe, and they went flying into the air.

There were already about ten soldiers writhing on the ground at his feet.

They look like they had all tasted his axe as well, and their armor was cracked.

However, there were over a hundred soldiers in all. And I could see some of them fighting the Golems a short distance away.

And then I heard a voice cry out.

It was one of the guardians of the gate, Ogus.

"Princess Alyssa! I'm so sorry! When I made the report to His Majesty, Grand Duke Bilene ordered for his soldiers to come and investigate! I tried to stop him!"

Then Erevan opened his mouth.

"Well, they spoke of arresting monsters as soon as they arrived. And so we just fought back. Besides, we couldn't allow armed men to come through the gate without your permission, Chief."

Erevan said as he knocked another soldier off of his feet.

It seemed like he hadn't moved a single step since coming here. It was clear that it was the people from the holy place that had attacked first.

Had they wanted to negotiate with us, they would have sent a servant.

Sending this many armed soldiers meant they had wanted to take control of Sheorl by force…

Alyssa immediately started shouting.

"All of you! They are not our enemies! They are here to help Arancia!"

However, a soldier replied with a cold voice.

"Your Highness. We were ordered to bring you back with us. Please return to the holy place."

"Are those my father's words?"

"No, they are the words of Grand Duke Bilene."

"Then I will not obey! My role is to help build a cooperative relationship with them!"

"Then we will just arrest you… Take her!"

And just like that, the soldiers all fell upon us all at once.