Before long, a giant tree rose from beneath the flower field. It was the damn tree that pierced Diego’s abdomen.
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-clink.
As the tree rose, I heard the sound of glass shattering. There must have been a barrier.
It was like a barrier made by that tree. Now I understand why the three men didn’t hear me.
“What the hell?! Margaret!”
“Margaret, are you okay?!”
“Lady Floné! What is that tree?”
Kayden, Enoch, and Ruzef shouted frantically. I sat down, dumbfounded, staring at the tree in front of me. Diego had disappeared from sight, and there was nothing but a giant tree in front of me.
“T-that thing took Sir Diego. He said he was threatened. He said they were trying to use him as bait to extort my mana… What should I do? Sir Diego is not dead, is he?”
I urgently grabbed Enoch by the collar. At my words, the three men glanced toward the tree.
Enoch put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to my feet, stroking my hair as if to calm me.
“Sir Diego will be safe. We can save him.”
“There wasn’t a tree like that before,” muttered Kayden in confusion.
Just then, the flashlight containing the fireflies emitted an enormous beam of light. In an instant, the surroundings were as bright as daylight.
At the edge of my brightened field of vision, I could see a huge tree, glowing white, more clearly than before.
I stared at it for a moment, then gasped in surprise as I realized something was embedded in the tree.
‘…what is that?!’
What looked like human faces were embedded in the tree.
It was grotesque and eerie. I shuddered with a sense of dread that coursed through my body.
Then, the grotesque faces slowly turned around. I swallowed nervously and stared at them.
Dozens of faces turned to stare back at me.
“Huh!” Ruzef slumped down.
“It was them, the ones that surrounded us the day Sir Diego disappeared!” said Ruzef with a shudder.
It was like a tree made of hundreds of thousands of ghosts.
[Found it-]
A huge, disparate resonance rumbled and echoed through the cave. It was a strange sound, as if dozens of voices had joined together.
It was horrifyingly repulsive, almost goosebump-inducing.
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“What the hell?”
Kayden drew his dagger. Enoch did the same, drawing his sword.
The tree trunk that had pierced Diego’s abdomen seemed to be unwilling to move closer to us because of the light emitted by the fireflies.
I thought the flashlight was for using fireflies to illuminate only light. For some reason, ‘Alea’ was written on it. I never thought it would have been modified to be usable in this way.
Since Jenas told me to find the mother of monsters and gave me this flashlight, did he expect all of this?
‘Could it be the mother of monsters?’
No matter how I think about it, the only thing that can show off such power is the mother of monsters.
[Mana-]
That voice was clearly coming from that tree. Moreover, the ‘mana’ that the tree kept saying was clearly referring to mine.
“You must smell delicious, Meg, different from the others.”
That’s what Jenas said.
I realized that the tree in front of me must be the mother of monsters, but it was so different from my expectations that I was puzzled. I had expected it to be a monster, like the final boss.
“I don’t know what the heck that thing is. From the aura it gives off, it doesn’t look like a simple ghost, it looks like a mass of vengeful spirits,” muttered Enoch as he looked at the tree.
Enoch’s theory made the most sense. It was possible that the test subjects who had been unjustly killed on the island had become spirits. Like those skeletons in the bunker.
I stared blankly at the spirits. Why did they have to take Diego? Ruzef was also there at the time, but why did they leave him alone?
‘Is Diego still alive?’
I don’t know where they took him. His stomach looked like it had been completely pierced.
Please be alive.
Kayden, who was still assessing the situation, pointed to the flashlight in my hand and asked, “Doesn’t it seem like they can’t get close because of those bugs?”
“Yes, but I think we still need to find out what they want……”
At that moment, the tree trunk, which had been moving like a dance, stopped.
[Bad people-]
A strange resonance echoes through the cave once more.
“Bad people? Why all of sudden?’
Just as I was wondering, I heard the tree’s strange voice once again.
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[We have to kill them-]
The eerie voice echoed.
[Kill- kill- kill- kill- kill- kill-]
I covered my ears. It’s because my ears hurt like they were going to tear.
“Aahhh! Stop it!”
My shrieking cry stopped the voice coming from the tree.
“Margaret, are you okay?”
“Are you okay?”
Enoch and Kayden asked me. I nodded with difficulty and got up from my seat. At that time, I caught a glimpse of something between the tree trunk emitting pure white light.
“Wait, isn’t that Sir Diego?”
The three men turned their heads in the direction I pointed.
Diego was floating in the air with his whole body tied tightly to a tree trunk.
“I think so,” replied Enoch in a troubled tone.
I looked back at Kayden and asked, “Sir Diego isn’t going to die, is he?”
Kayden frowned and replied, “He just needs to breathe. I can save him if he breathes, so let’s hurry.”
“Is that the mother of monsters?” asked Ruzef, glancing back at the tree.
“I suppose so,” replied Enoch.
“Then shouldn’t we burn it down?”
At Ruzef’s words, everyone turned to Eunji.
Eunji, who was snooping in front of the flashlight that had fallen on the ground, raised his head. He tilted his head with an innocent face as if he didn’t know why he was suddenly the center of attention.
Ruzef shuddered as he glared at the tree. I followed suit and looked back at Diego, who was still stuck between the tree trunks.
“I’m afraid Sir Diego might get hurt.”
I don’t know if it understood our conversation, but the tree suddenly answered.
[I won’t lose-]
“That damn tree……” Kayden exclaimed in annoyance.
That’s most likely the mother of monsters, but it’s more like it has evolved to this point from the spirits of its victims.
How distressed they must have been.
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Of course, that doesn’t excuse them from attacking Diego and trying to extort my mana.
[Bad people-]
The spirits that made up the tree let out voices again. The sight was quite terrifying.
[Those who killed us-]
I covered my ears again, otherwise it felt like the voices would tear my ears off.
[Kill them all-]
Enoch raised his hands and covered both my ears.
By the way, I don’t think that those spirits were referring to us. Who exactly do they want to kill?
“They said ‘Them all’, I’m guessing there is some kind of organization, could it be Jenas’s?”
“It could be, seeing as they covet your mana so badly. But what do they have to do with Sir Diego, and why won’t they just let him go?” Kayden expressed his doubts.
[This bastard’s blood-!! Is filthy-!!!]
Suddenly, the tree roared, shaking the body of Diego that it had bound with its trunk.
[I must kill him! Mana- Give me mana-!]
Then a white tree trunk lunged at me with aggression.
The momentum was so strong that the fireflies inside the flashlight burst out of it and quickly scattered and fled.
-thwack!
Kayden and Enoch cut down the tree trunk with their respective dagger and sword, while Eunji frantically breathed fire with an angry face.
I left the use of force to them while I put my thoughts together with Ruzef, trying to find a way to save Diego.
“Do you think that tree will calm down if I give it my mana?”
“Didn’t you hear? It seems to be ready to kill Sir Diego right away after you gave it your mana.”
That’s right. I looked at the tree again. Enoch, Kayden, and Eunji were fighting a fierce battle against the tree.
I remembered a moment ago that the tree had pointed to Diego and said something like filthy blood.
Maybe it had something to do with Diego’s family.
Just as Kayden was brought here because he is from the Rohade family, everyone might have had their own reason for being selected as a sacrifice besides their mana.
“By the way, if it’s the mother of monsters, why does it look like it was created by gathering human spirits?” asked Ruzef.
“I know… I think there were other test subjects on this island, and those are their spirits. There was something similar in the bunker.”
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“They were in the bunker too?!”
“Yeah. There were some skeletons in there, and they were all wearing combat uniforms from the Battle of Romalizan.”
“What?! If it’s the battle uniforms from the Battle of Romalizan…… they must be priests and wizards.”
Ruzef’s complexion turned blue.
“I believe that tree is an accumulation of spirits, and they have the power to make monsters evolve stronger……”
The spirits of the test subjects fuel the evolution of the monsters? It is a somewhat bizarre phenomenon.
Could it be that those who died from the experiment wanted to kill Jenas and destroy this island?
If that spirit tree has a great deal of power of its own, and it wants my mana as well……
“Oh, Meg. Do you want me to tell you how to survive on this island? There is something in the eastern part of the North Island that’s like the mother of monsters. If you get rid of that, the monsters will probably stop evolving.”
The question is whether I can really believe what Jenas said.
“The energy it gives off is unusual. If they are spirits who have a lot of grudge against the experiment, they will definitely want to destroy this island. That’s probably the purpose of the tree to make monsters evolve.”
“You have a point.”
“Maybe they want my mana because they want greater power. Wouldn’t destroying that spirit tree cause a rift in this island?”
“Then we need to get rid of that all the more, but how do we destroy it……”
Ruzef’s voice trailed off as he frowned and looked back at the tree.
After a long moment of silence, Ruzef spoke to me in an uncharacteristically low and serious voice.
“Young lady, do you believe in God?”
“No, I don’t.”
Did I answer too bluntly? But Ruzef didn’t seem to mind.
“There are many spirits, even in the Empire. They’re everywhere, wherever humans live. There is even a separate department in the Holy See that is in charge of managing them.”
I understood at once what Ruzef was saying. There was a group or organization that played such a role in the place where I lived before.
“A combination of powerful spirits, a vessel of divine power, and stormy weather like today should be able to appease and trap that mass of vengeful spirits.”
“What is a vessel of divine power?”
“I am a priest.”
“…so?”
“I will become a vessel and seal all those spirits in my body.”
Before long, a giant tree rose from beneath the flower field. It was the damn tree that pierced Diego’s abdomen.
Sponsored Content
-clink.
As the tree rose, I heard the sound of glass shattering. There must have been a barrier.
It was like a barrier made by that tree. Now I understand why the three men didn’t hear me.
“What the hell?! Margaret!”
“Margaret, are you okay?!”
“Lady Floné! What is that tree?”
Kayden, Enoch, and Ruzef shouted frantically. I sat down, dumbfounded, staring at the tree in front of me. Diego had disappeared from sight, and there was nothing but a giant tree in front of me.
“T-that thing took Sir Diego. He said he was threatened. He said they were trying to use him as bait to extort my mana… What should I do? Sir Diego is not dead, is he?”
I urgently grabbed Enoch by the collar. At my words, the three men glanced toward the tree.
Enoch put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to my feet, stroking my hair as if to calm me.
“Sir Diego will be safe. We can save him.”
“There wasn’t a tree like that before,” muttered Kayden in confusion.
Just then, the flashlight containing the fireflies emitted an enormous beam of light. In an instant, the surroundings were as bright as daylight.
At the edge of my brightened field of vision, I could see a huge tree, glowing white, more clearly than before.
I stared at it for a moment, then gasped in surprise as I realized something was embedded in the tree.
‘…what is that?!’
What looked like human faces were embedded in the tree.
It was grotesque and eerie. I shuddered with a sense of dread that coursed through my body.
Then, the grotesque faces slowly turned around. I swallowed nervously and stared at them.
Dozens of faces turned to stare back at me.
“Huh!” Ruzef slumped down.
“It was them, the ones that surrounded us the day Sir Diego disappeared!” said Ruzef with a shudder.
It was like a tree made of hundreds of thousands of ghosts.
[Found it-]
A huge, disparate resonance rumbled and echoed through the cave. It was a strange sound, as if dozens of voices had joined together.
It was horrifyingly repulsive, almost goosebump-inducing.
Sponsored Content
“What the hell?”
Kayden drew his dagger. Enoch did the same, drawing his sword.
The tree trunk that had pierced Diego’s abdomen seemed to be unwilling to move closer to us because of the light emitted by the fireflies.
I thought the flashlight was for using fireflies to illuminate only light. For some reason, ‘Alea’ was written on it. I never thought it would have been modified to be usable in this way.
Since Jenas told me to find the mother of monsters and gave me this flashlight, did he expect all of this?
‘Could it be the mother of monsters?’
No matter how I think about it, the only thing that can show off such power is the mother of monsters.
[Mana-]
That voice was clearly coming from that tree. Moreover, the ‘mana’ that the tree kept saying was clearly referring to mine.
“You must smell delicious, Meg, different from the others.”
That’s what Jenas said.
I realized that the tree in front of me must be the mother of monsters, but it was so different from my expectations that I was puzzled. I had expected it to be a monster, like the final boss.
“I don’t know what the heck that thing is. From the aura it gives off, it doesn’t look like a simple ghost, it looks like a mass of vengeful spirits,” muttered Enoch as he looked at the tree.
Enoch’s theory made the most sense. It was possible that the test subjects who had been unjustly killed on the island had become spirits. Like those skeletons in the bunker.
I stared blankly at the spirits. Why did they have to take Diego? Ruzef was also there at the time, but why did they leave him alone?
‘Is Diego still alive?’
I don’t know where they took him. His stomach looked like it had been completely pierced.
Please be alive.
Kayden, who was still assessing the situation, pointed to the flashlight in my hand and asked, “Doesn’t it seem like they can’t get close because of those bugs?”
“Yes, but I think we still need to find out what they want……”
At that moment, the tree trunk, which had been moving like a dance, stopped.
[Bad people-]
A strange resonance echoes through the cave once more.
“Bad people? Why all of sudden?’
Just as I was wondering, I heard the tree’s strange voice once again.
Sponsored Content
[We have to kill them-]
The eerie voice echoed.
[Kill- kill- kill- kill- kill- kill-]
I covered my ears. It’s because my ears hurt like they were going to tear.
“Aahhh! Stop it!”
My shrieking cry stopped the voice coming from the tree.
“Margaret, are you okay?”
“Are you okay?”
Enoch and Kayden asked me. I nodded with difficulty and got up from my seat. At that time, I caught a glimpse of something between the tree trunk emitting pure white light.
“Wait, isn’t that Sir Diego?”
The three men turned their heads in the direction I pointed.
Diego was floating in the air with his whole body tied tightly to a tree trunk.
“I think so,” replied Enoch in a troubled tone.
I looked back at Kayden and asked, “Sir Diego isn’t going to die, is he?”
Kayden frowned and replied, “He just needs to breathe. I can save him if he breathes, so let’s hurry.”
“Is that the mother of monsters?” asked Ruzef, glancing back at the tree.
“I suppose so,” replied Enoch.
“Then shouldn’t we burn it down?”
At Ruzef’s words, everyone turned to Eunji.
Eunji, who was snooping in front of the flashlight that had fallen on the ground, raised his head. He tilted his head with an innocent face as if he didn’t know why he was suddenly the center of attention.
Ruzef shuddered as he glared at the tree. I followed suit and looked back at Diego, who was still stuck between the tree trunks.
“I’m afraid Sir Diego might get hurt.”
I don’t know if it understood our conversation, but the tree suddenly answered.
[I won’t lose-]
“That damn tree……” Kayden exclaimed in annoyance.
That’s most likely the mother of monsters, but it’s more like it has evolved to this point from the spirits of its victims.
How distressed they must have been.
Sponsored Content
Of course, that doesn’t excuse them from attacking Diego and trying to extort my mana.
[Bad people-]
The spirits that made up the tree let out voices again. The sight was quite terrifying.
[Those who killed us-]
I covered my ears again, otherwise it felt like the voices would tear my ears off.
[Kill them all-]
Enoch raised his hands and covered both my ears.
By the way, I don’t think that those spirits were referring to us. Who exactly do they want to kill?
“They said ‘Them all’, I’m guessing there is some kind of organization, could it be Jenas’s?”
“It could be, seeing as they covet your mana so badly. But what do they have to do with Sir Diego, and why won’t they just let him go?” Kayden expressed his doubts.
[This bastard’s blood-!! Is filthy-!!!]
Suddenly, the tree roared, shaking the body of Diego that it had bound with its trunk.
[I must kill him! Mana- Give me mana-!]
Then a white tree trunk lunged at me with aggression.
The momentum was so strong that the fireflies inside the flashlight burst out of it and quickly scattered and fled.
-thwack!
Kayden and Enoch cut down the tree trunk with their respective dagger and sword, while Eunji frantically breathed fire with an angry face.
I left the use of force to them while I put my thoughts together with Ruzef, trying to find a way to save Diego.
“Do you think that tree will calm down if I give it my mana?”
“Didn’t you hear? It seems to be ready to kill Sir Diego right away after you gave it your mana.”
That’s right. I looked at the tree again. Enoch, Kayden, and Eunji were fighting a fierce battle against the tree.
I remembered a moment ago that the tree had pointed to Diego and said something like filthy blood.
Maybe it had something to do with Diego’s family.
Just as Kayden was brought here because he is from the Rohade family, everyone might have had their own reason for being selected as a sacrifice besides their mana.
“By the way, if it’s the mother of monsters, why does it look like it was created by gathering human spirits?” asked Ruzef.
“I know… I think there were other test subjects on this island, and those are their spirits. There was something similar in the bunker.”
Sponsored Content
“They were in the bunker too?!”
“Yeah. There were some skeletons in there, and they were all wearing combat uniforms from the Battle of Romalizan.”
“What?! If it’s the battle uniforms from the Battle of Romalizan…… they must be priests and wizards.”
Ruzef’s complexion turned blue.
“I believe that tree is an accumulation of spirits, and they have the power to make monsters evolve stronger……”
The spirits of the test subjects fuel the evolution of the monsters? It is a somewhat bizarre phenomenon.
Could it be that those who died from the experiment wanted to kill Jenas and destroy this island?
If that spirit tree has a great deal of power of its own, and it wants my mana as well……
“Oh, Meg. Do you want me to tell you how to survive on this island? There is something in the eastern part of the North Island that’s like the mother of monsters. If you get rid of that, the monsters will probably stop evolving.”
The question is whether I can really believe what Jenas said.
“The energy it gives off is unusual. If they are spirits who have a lot of grudge against the experiment, they will definitely want to destroy this island. That’s probably the purpose of the tree to make monsters evolve.”
“You have a point.”
“Maybe they want my mana because they want greater power. Wouldn’t destroying that spirit tree cause a rift in this island?”
“Then we need to get rid of that all the more, but how do we destroy it……”
Ruzef’s voice trailed off as he frowned and looked back at the tree.
After a long moment of silence, Ruzef spoke to me in an uncharacteristically low and serious voice.
“Young lady, do you believe in God?”
“No, I don’t.”
Did I answer too bluntly? But Ruzef didn’t seem to mind.
“There are many spirits, even in the Empire. They’re everywhere, wherever humans live. There is even a separate department in the Holy See that is in charge of managing them.”
I understood at once what Ruzef was saying. There was a group or organization that played such a role in the place where I lived before.
“A combination of powerful spirits, a vessel of divine power, and stormy weather like today should be able to appease and trap that mass of vengeful spirits.”
“What is a vessel of divine power?”
“I am a priest.”
“…so?”
“I will become a vessel and seal all those spirits in my body.”
