Chapter 888 – Protection of Roots

000

A passageway made up of tree branches filled with pink flower petals that flow down like human hair.

Every time I walk down the street, I never get used to this feeling of moving into a place other than human territory.

Even as Cleon thinks so, he barely follows Bahamut, who guides him and moves forward with his short legs.

When the sound of tree branches shaking every time the wind blew stimulated my ears, it felt like even the sound of that bell would be swallowed up by the sound.

For Herti, the sound of Bahamut’s bell was her eyes and a guidepost, so she would not have been able to pass through this place on her own.

Should I say that I am fortunate to have Cleon by my side? Maybe he even predicted when Cleon would be at the temple.

Either way, thinking that he was a smart cat and not an ordinary cat, the two carefully followed the little guide and barely managed to get out of the passage that seemed like an otherworldly space.

Then what caught my eye was the innermost part of the temple, which I had seen many times before, which was Tokoyo’s residence and place for ceremonies.

In other words, it was the main temple of the Asteris Temple.

However, there was something a little different from the image in Cleon’s memory, which he had seen many times before, in that the roots of the tree that seemed to have sprouted from the ground were poking out, as if swallowing up various parts of the main temple, and wrapped around the entire building. It was.

＂This is…!＂

Cleon himself could not help but be surprised, and although Herti could not see anything with her eyes, she seemed to have sensed something from the sound of Cleon gasping and the strong magic of the earth that she could feel, as she placed her hand on her chest and clenched her fist. It was.

“What happened to the parish?”

“I don’t know. But… No matter where you look, it doesn’t seem to be an ordinary thing. I’m worried about Kuon and Tokoyo, let’s go inside!”

As Cleon said this, he approached the main hall and, as usual, placed his hand on the sliding door and tried to open it.

Pajik! And, sparks flew out and Cleon’s hand felt intense pain.

＂Ugh…!＂

Cleon could sense that the roots of the trees surrounding the entire main temple were forming a strong barrier just by their presence, as if they were denying his entry.

Yes, since this is where Tokoyo, the great priestess, lives, it would have been possible to set up a barrier to protect herself, but even so, she would not have been such an indiscriminate person who refused entry and accompanied it with strong physical rejection. .

First, let’s give our voice to Kuon.

In the middle of her consciousness, as she was entering a state of selflessness, she was worried that her own voice would reach her, but she quietly closed her eyes and carefully searched for her presence, allowing her own voice to be heard.

[Quon! Are you okay?! What on earth happened?]

However, one’s own voice flows in, reflects, and is heard again by oneself.

Cleon knew well that this was simply a phenomenon that occurred because the barrier magically blocked Cleon’s voice.

In other words, there is no way to contact the inside from the outside.

＂There is no way to get inside…?＂

Sighing, Cleon placed his hand on the sword hanging on his waist.

If it is a barrier of this size, you can use the remaining magic power and slash to create a gap and squeeze through it.

It would have been possible to lift the barrier itself by cutting down the roots of the tree along the barrier itself, but Cleon’s intuition refused to use that method.

There are two types of barriers.

One to confine what exists inside, and one to protect what exists within.

Both exist to block the outside and the inside, but to put it in simpler terms, the nature of the barrier is different.

The former blocks ‘what goes out from the inside’, and the latter blocks ‘what comes in from the outside’.

Of course, it would be possible to spread the barrier to deny both sides, but in that case, the blocking power of the barrier would be significantly weakened, so restricting traffic to one side was a common way to develop a barrier.

No matter how you look at the barrier spread across the main hall, blocking Cleon, it was meant to protect the latter – that is, what was inside.

Moreover, if you follow the stem of the magic power of the earth that can be felt from this root, it leads to the ‘sacred tree’ that extends towards the sky from the inside of the temple.

In other words, the story goes that this root is part of the root of a sacred tree, and that it spreads its roots towards the shamans who were praying and performing rituals for them, spreading a barrier –

It ended up being a story about how the sacred tree had set up such a powerful barrier to protect them.

That is why, even after putting his hand on the sword, Cleon had no choice but to worry about whether he should draw it and swing it.

If he had damaged this barrier, there was a possibility that the object that the sacred tree was blocking to protect them could break into the barrier.

Cleon’s hand doesn’t move easily. At that time.

＂Hey-ong.＂

Once again, Bahamut’s cries were heard.

The guy moved to the feet of Sanga Herty, tapped her feet, touched her with his front paw, and then walked back towards the entrance of the Main Hall, that is, towards where Cleon was standing.

Then, as if Herti was accustomed to being led by Bahamut, she carefully walked forward and came to the entrance of the main temple, right behind Cleon.

When Bahamut cries once again in front of the barrier, Cleon looks at him and Herti alternately, then warns her.

“Herti, be careful, there is a strong barrier right now at the entrance to the main hall, so you can’t go inside.”

＂Is that so…? But Bahamut… Told me to move forward…”

＂Haa…?＂

Cleon was momentarily taken aback by her words, but Herti cautiously extended her hand forward as if she believed in Bahamut.

She had passed through this place several times to visit Tokoyo, so she remembered that there was a door here.

Then, unlike Cleon, her hand reached the door where the barrier was spread without any problem.

A sliding door that swings to the side without causing any rejection or sparks.

“The barrier… Doesn’t react to Herty?”

“I think so. But if I go in alone, I can’t properly check the situation inside…”

As Herti said, Cleon thought for a moment about what to do, and then suddenly, he looked down at his hands.

There, the dragon ring that I had kept in case something unexpected happened, had four different types of jewels sparkling.

And, looking at Herty once again, Cleon took her breath away.

This is because I have an idea as to why the sacred tree allowed Herti to pass through the barrier.

And what turned that guess into certainty was that Bahamut crossed the threshold of the barrier without any problems.

He and Herti are two identical beings, alter egos that separated from one being and inherited the power of the dragon.

What the two had in common was that they had the presence of the Earth Dragon Gaius wrapped around their entire bodies.

This barrier was close to a barrier that rejected everything except the ‘Earth Dragon Gaius’, and therefore caused a strong rejection reaction in Cleon.

If so.

Cleon took a deep breath and focused his mind on the dragon ring.

Even within this artifact, which was becoming a kind of magic singularity with four huge magic sources swirling around, it was Gaius’ pumpkin that Cleon stretched out the thread of magic from.

Drawing magic power directly from the jewel had an effect on Cleon’s own body and mind, as was confirmed in his previous affair with Letios, so he limited himself to borrowing that power whenever possible.

Right now, this was the only way Cleon could think of.

Her magic power flowing from Gaius’ jewel surrounds Cleon’s entire body.

Then, just as then, a slight change occurred in his body, and something like thick, yellow-brown scales grew on the skin of his face.

Dragonian – After transforming into a dragon-like form, Cleon finally succeeded in coating his entire body with her magic.

The magic organ was throbbing as if it was about to explode – In other words, taking a deep breath to calm his heart, Cleon stretched out his hand towards the threshold where the barrier was spread.

Reflexively, he flinched his hand a little when going through the door, but unlike before, he made sure his body went through it without any strong rejection.

＂… Mr. Cleon?＂

When Herti asks Cleon, who seems to have become a little quiet, if he is okay, Cleon replies ‘Ahh’.

“Somehow… I think I can pass the barrier too.”

“Is that so? I’m glad… But why was I able to pass the barrier? Bahamut too.”

＂… That is…＂

Since he couldn’t talk about Gaius, Cleon was speechless because he couldn’t explain.

However, a voice came from inside, as if trying to save Cleon.

[Dragon responder, and… Female dragon girl… Inside.]

The voice that seemed to call them was a voice that flowed directly into their minds, as if there was a barrier preventing it from flowing outward.

Herti slightly flinched and shrugged her shoulders, perhaps because she was not used to the sensation, but since the conversation through the mind was so familiar to Cleon, she took a step forward.

And, just as she did when she passed through the path of flower trees, she holds her hand.

“… Let’s go, let’s check what happened inside.”

“… Yes. But that voice just now-“

“It’s probably the voice of a sacred tree. Originally, the voice would only be heard by Kuon and Tokoyo…”

At that time, Cleon could see that Herti’s hands were shaking slightly.

She is the leader of a huge company, but that doesn’t mean her senses are somehow distorted.

She was a girl with ordinary emotions who felt fearful of things beyond her understanding.

Normally, I would try to hide it as much as possible so as not to be discovered by others.

“It’s okay, Hertie. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

＂…! Yes…!”

In response to Cleon’s answer, Herti squeezed his hand tightly.

Thanks to this, the trembling in her hands disappeared.

Squeak, squeal.

Every time the two people take a step, the old wooden floor of the main hall lets out a scream-like sound, announcing their location.

Thanks to this structure, it would be possible to know about an uninvited intruder just by hearing the sound, but from inside, there was no sign of anyone who could hear the sound and come out to meet the two people.

It was a bit hard to believe that this place, which seemed to naturally induce tension with its naughty atmosphere, was actually the residence of Tokoyo, whom she had visited several times before.

But in reality, every time I take a step forward, I feel the magic pressure of the sacred tree becoming stronger.

It was like a warning to Cleon that there was a ‘big presence’ in front of him.

Cleon’s steps do not head towards Tokoyo’s office, but towards the ceremony location where the two were conducting the ceremony.

When I stood in front of that door, the magical pressure I could feel inside was considerable, and I was told that there was something inside that was comparable to the thought form of the evil dragon I had previously encountered in the temple’s basement – no, something even greater.

＂Huh…＂

And, it wasn’t just Herty who didn’t normally use magic that felt it, as she let out a slightly painful sigh.

Even if she were an ordinary person, it was natural for her to breathe difficult in a place with such intense magical pressure, so Cleon placed a small barrier over her body to protect her from that magical pressure even a little.

Of course, using Gaius’ magical power.

“… How are you feeling? Is it easier to breathe?”

＂Shh… Yes. Thank you.”

Even though she couldn’t see it, Herty could tell that Cleon had done something for her, so she nodded.

Then, Cleon, who thought he was ready to go inside, carefully opened the door leading to the ceremony site.

Then, at the same time, an intense light pouring from inside blocked Cleon’s vision.

＂Ugh…!＂

It was so intense that I had to raise one hand to shade my eyes, and it was shining so intensely that it seemed like another sun was floating inside.

And, as Cleon gradually gets used to the light, what catches his eye is-

On the ground, Kuon and Tokoyo continue to be conscious in a trance state.

There seemed to be no emotion in their eyes, and a group of lights seemed to be floating around them as they continued to move their feet, assisting their movement.

The tips of her hair were shining with an emerald color, showing the same reaction as Lila, whose magic power was activated to its maximum potential.

It can be seen that there is no problem with the consciousness itself.

And- in the middle of those two people.

There she was, right in the middle of her gin spread out for her ceremony.

A woman in lotus position, floating in the air with her eyes closed.

The problem is that its size is so huge that it can be considered a giant.

If it’s that much when sitting, wouldn’t 15m be enough when standing?

She had a beautiful appearance and flowing green hair, and her body was dressed in clothes that seemed to be made of white and red silk.

If you look closely at the outfit, it looks like the shrine maiden uniforms that Kuon and Tokoyo are wearing have been made bigger and more flashy.

I knew this wasn’t the case, but even if I didn’t like it, what caught my eye was her body shape, which was considered even better than Kuon’s.

If her mythical Earth Mother really existed, she would look exactly like her.

However, the difference with Kuon is that there are three arms growing from her shoulders, one on the left and the other on the right.

In other words, the fact that she had six arms highlighted that she was truly not a human being.

[I was waiting for you to come.]

And, the voice heard from the entrance is heard once again.

Slowly, as she opens her eyes and looks this way, her all-seeing gaze passes through Cleon’s body.

[Earth Dragon’s Sensitizer… And, the Dark Dragon’s Girl.]

She was speaking to the two in a loving voice, like her mother’s.

[Thank you for the countless efforts you have made to protect this land. However, there is one problem… That has not yet been resolved. That problem is trying to ruin everything and bring disaster to this land.]

＂Are you talking about the purification of the spirit vein? ＂

Cleon cautiously asked back to her, perhaps the embodiment of her divine will.

Then she nods her head and answers Cleon’s question.

[Yes. Lastly… Once more, we need your strength.]

Cleon couldn’t help but break into a little cold sweat at her words.

This is because the reference includes not only Cleon, but also Herti, who stands by his side.