Chapter 65:
Chapter 65:
Chapter 65:
The wooden room was neat, and a refreshing fragrance filled the air.
It could be said that the structure was not a building made of wood, but rather that the wood itself became the building.
“… That sorceress woman from earlier. Who is she, really?”
Sentinel Urcil, who had guided the group to the room, asked Lisriel.
Lisriel responded with an awkward expression.
“I don’t really know her either. She was an acquaintance of Philip Oswald, my friend, so I couldn’t just ask about her.”
Sentinel Urcil didn’t seem to think she was lying, but there was an uncomfortable atmosphere. Lisriel let out a small sigh. It seemed that her favorable impression might have slightly diminished after this incident.
“Is there any problem?”
Castler Morrela, who had been observing the situation, asked. Urcil shook her head.
“No, it’s nothing. It’s just that grandma seemed a bit… uncomfortable. I never thought she would have any connection with a living human mage.”
Amidst the uncomfortable atmosphere, Janice and Lua were busy gauging the adults’ reactions.
However, Philip soon returned with Privia and the elder back to the group.
“Urcil, I told you to treat the guests with utmost care. Why are you still making the guests uncomfortable here?”
Seeing that the group was not resting properly, the elder scolded Urcil urgently. She seemed extremely afraid that Privia’s mood might have worsened.
Since the guardian dragon Alves was currently in a state of slumber, there was no one else who could restrain Privia.
“… I’m sorry.”
“I will take care of the guests, so you guide these two near the World Tree. They want to meet the divine being residing there.”
Urcil was taken aback by the Elder Elf’s words.
“Yes? Humans in that place?”
The Elder Elf touched her forehead as if feeling dizzy and waved her hand impatiently.
“Don’t be stubborn, and move quickly.”
However, the Elder Elf’s cared for her granddaughter Urcil. She summoned the wind spirit and conveyed some advice to Urcil.
‘Be especially cautious around that mage, as she is a dragon. Don’t defy her intentions. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem too intimidating, so she won’t harm you. If you act rigidly and frustrate her with rules or something…’
Finally, Urcil’s questions were all answered.
‘… A dragon?’
She lightly shivered and turned her trembling gaze towards Privia.
“What are you looking at? Guide us already.”
When Privia grumbled, Urcil was surprised and shook her head rapidly like a wet cat.
“Oh, no. I’ll guide you right away.”
She, too, froze like a new recruit.
“What’s going on?”
Lisriel smirked. The elves seemed more polite and disciplined, but she couldn’t have imagined a dragon among the group she had traveled with so far.
“Should we take Lua too?”
Philip suggested to Privia.
“Take the child? Is there a special reason?”
‘I want to give her some experience points.’
About to respond, Philip hesitated and whispered in Privia’s ear.
“I want to give her as much experience as possible.”
“Well, do as you please.”
“Did you hear that, Lua? Come here.”
When Philip gestured, Lua, who had been sitting in a corner with Janice, sprang up and clung to Philip’s side as if she were bouncing. Janice was left alone unexpectedly, and became teary-eyed. “Instructor, what about me?”
“Janice, you…”
After a moment’s hesitation, Philip gestured for her to come over as well. Since Janice seemed like she might become close friends with Lua and her soulmate, it wouldn’t hurt to have them act together in advance.
Janice also quickly got up and attached herself to Lua’s side. Seeing this, Castler Morrela and Cynthia Morrela burst into laughter.
“Was that her original personality?”
“No, I’ve never seen her like this before. Honey.”
The Janice Morrela they knew wasn’t someone who would act so affably towards a noble youth she had only met a few months ago.
Especially Cynthia Morrela felt a relative sense of disappointment as she recalled the efforts she had made to become closer to her.
Soon, Philip, Privia, and the two girls headed towards the heart of the Elphenia Forest, where the tall World Tree stood.
Lua tilted her head towards the elven scout leader who walked awkwardly like a toy soldier, and smirked.
“Instructor, where is the elven sister hurt?”
“… Why don’t you ask her directly?”
Philip wad unsure of how to respond, and Lua approached Urcil right beside her.
“Elven sister.”
Urcil was surprised and responded, “Yes?”
“Um… are you feeling unwell?”
“No, not at all. Thank you for your concern.”
With a question filled with concern and worry, Urcil gave an awkward smile and tilted her head. After smirking again, Lua asked her a second question.
“Then, are you feeling tired?”
Janice, who happened to be taking a sip of water, heard the question and spat out a splutter of laughter. Philip, who was walking ahead, felt his lower back getting damp and turned around.
“Sorry, Instructor .”
“… It’s alright.”
A bit of dampness on his clothes wasn’t a big deal, and understanding Janice’s feelings to some extent, Philip reassured her before shifting his gaze to Urcil.
He was curious about what she would say in response. However, she didn’t answer but pointed in a certain direction.
“Ah, right over there. Our elves call that place the ‘Orchard.’ It’s where you can pick the fruits of the World Tree. Though, in recent years, due to the divine being settling here, we haven’t been able to do that at all.”
When referring to a divine being, it usually meant powerful creatures like unicorns, centaurs, or pure-blooded merfolk. But even long-lived creatures that had accumulated strength in both soul and body were often called divine beings.
Even from a distance, Philip could clearly see the divine being.
Guarding the fruits at the end of the World Tree’s branches, a massive wolf stood nearby. It was a wolf with alluring silver fur.
“A wolf divine being, really? How did you manage to discover this?”
Privia looked at Philip with curiosity.
“I know this divine being. They might not recognize me, though.”
Even with Philip’s answer, Privia’s curiosity deepened. Philip approached the massive wolf divine being confidently. The wolf, seemingly about 3 meters tall, sensed the presence of the group and stood up from its resting position.
“Who dares disturb my slumber?”
At the low growl, Lua and Janice let out small screams and huddled together, while gasps left their mouths.
Philip raised his hand to get the wolf’s attention.
“We mean no harm.”
The Wolf scraped the ground with its forepaw, eyeing Philip.
“A small human, it seems. Why is a human here? Isn’t this the realm of the elves?”
“That doesn’t seem to be a problem you need to worry about. Why are you here acting like this? It seemed like you were blocking access to the fruits of the World Tree.”
“… Arrogant human. You need to learn some manners. How dare you, a pitiful human, interfere in my affairs?”
Philip could only smirk at the Wolf’s aggressive stance.
“… Mountains, forests, and fields. Why is a divine being responsible for protecting them acting like this here?”
Privia looked a bit surprised and glanced at Philip.
“Kid, are you also sensing it? What’s growing here?”
Philip nodded.
“Of course. Can’t you see it? The golden fruit hanging at the end of that branch. It’s obvious even without looking. You want to monopolize it, don’t you? It’s the ‘Golden Apple.'”
The fruits of the World Tree contained a mysterious power. They could heal people, remove toxins, and contain a considerable amount of mana themselves. If a skilled practitioner learned the proper techniques, they could increase their aura through the World Tree’s fruits.
But the knowledge of something special among those fruits was only known to a select few scholars.
The so-called ‘Golden Apple.’
The fruit with an enticing aroma that even with just a single bite, it could grant immortality.
Philip was already aware of the existence of that fruit. It had been an extremely rare item even in the original game.
‘Eating that would gradually reconstruct the body.’
An item with a total of four uses, it significantly accelerates the growth of the chosen students, and the likelihood of awakening special abilities also increases noticeably.
“Me, Lua, Tania, and… Janice. Feeding it to Janice should do it.”
Powerful and exceptional items were abundant in this world, but items that directly aided growth were rare. Moreover, since the ‘Golden Apple’ was a fruit that the World Tree chose to bear at will, it was uncertain when it would appear again.
‘That’s mine.’
He had no intention of leaving such a precious item for even a divine being. He approached the Wolf even closer.
“Don’t come any closer. I warn you.”
“What will you do if I get closer? Will you attack me and become a corpse?”
“Do you think killing a pathetic creature like you will turn me into a corpse? Even if I were to devour an entire village, that wouldn’t happen.”
Privia, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up.
“Foolish and inadequate. A being who has lived for over a thousand years has become blind with desire and can’t even read causality properly. Do you think something will change just because a divine being like you eats it?”
With a disdainful expression, she opened her mouth and uttered a dragon’s words.
[Fool. Withdraw immediately.]
Then, Philip touched his forehead with a severe headache.
The language of dragons was highly concise and abstract. It wasn’t phonetic or symbolic writing, more resembling a complex code.
It was beyond human intelligence to interpret and even attempting to understand it required a level of mental power beyond human capability.
‘But why can I hear this?’
However, Philip could hear the dragon’s words. He didn’t know how or why, but that fact was enough to astonish Privia.
[Did you hear the dragon’s words?]
“Ah… yes. I heard it. So please stop. My head feels like it’s splitting.”
Soon, blood trickled down from Philip’s nose. It felt as if someone was directly manipulating his brain. Surprised, Privia fell silent.
“A dragon? A dragon? Would even a dragon, born as a complete being, desire this fruit?”
Privia’s direct intervention seemed to have little effect.
“… Looks like I wasn’t wrong.”
The Wolf’s expression filled with joy as it leaped high towards the golden fruit. It seemed poised to devour it in one bite.
Seeing this, Philip shouted in shock.
“No!”
———-
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