74 – Iridescent Hues and Darkness

“Where…to begin the tale…”

I waited in silence for the World Tree to speak,

holding back her words for now.

I couldn’t quite imagine what she was about to say,

but even from the atmosphere of her deliberation,

I sensed it was a tale of great import.

After agonizing for what felt like an age, she

finally began to open her mouth, slowly.

“How much…do you know about us?”

“…Are you referring to the spirits?”

“Yes, about me and my kin.”

It was a sudden and unexpected question,

but I started by telling her everything I knew.

That they were entities of pure energy.

That they were beings with their own will.

That they manifested through a spirit stone as a medium, and so on.

I told her everything that I knew,

The World Tree shook her head, a sneer playing on her lips.

“All of that is true…

Though it seems you’re missing the most crucial parts.”

As if she’d anticipated this,

she reacted calmly, extending a hand toward the heavens.

In her palm, a small sprite had already

begun to flit and flutter about,

and only after that sprite flew towards the sky,

did she speak again.

“Have you ever heard tell

of the place where we dwell?”

“You mean the Great Forest—”

“No, not that place.”

So saying, her gaze remained fixed on the direction

the young sprite had flown just moments ago,

a look of wistfulness and regret washing over her face,

as if she were dredging up an ancient memory.

“..So, you said you wanted a Spirit Stone?”

“Yes.”

“I already know for what purpose

you intend to use the Spirit Stone.”

“..Are you offended?”

“..Not particularly.

I am giving you this trial knowing your intent.”

“…”

“For I know a little of your circumstances as well.”

One could easily be offended that I would use

her childlike sprites as mere tools.

I offered her endless gratitude for her understanding,

and before I knew it, she stood before me.

Then, she reached out and stroked my head.

“It will be difficult.

Spirits are quite mischievous, you know.”

“Yes.”

“And…have you heard that this is a bargain…?”

Silvia had certainly mentioned it as well.

This was not a request, but a “bargain.”

“Yes.”

“..Then it is not for me to interfere.”

She sighed, and the hand that was stroking

my forehead stayed there, and with her other hand,

she covered it, drawing forth power.

“I, the Ancient Tree, bestow my blessing upon thee.

O, human who knows and shares the grace of the forest.

O, living being who heeds the voice of nature.

May the children of water grant a dewdrop at dawn.

May the children of earth guide his path.

May the children of fire grant the blessing of warmth.

May your companion respect your will, and

may a companion choose to be with thee.”

A beautiful voice that spread

through the air.

Each time the voice echoed,

the surrounding plants stirred,

and as I looked around,

tiny spirits were peeking out,

watching us.

“…?”

“Be still.

Those energies will gather and become a spirit stone.”

As her words ended,

a surge of energy rippled through me.

From green to blue, from blue to white,

the energy shimmered, changing every moment.

Finally, the energy turned black,

ceased to flicker, and clung tightly to my body,

absorbing something from within,

and something began to form in my hand.

“..What is this?”

“…?”

I did not know how to create a spirit stone,

so I remained silent,

but her reaction was strange.

As if she had witnessed something that should not be.

Her eyes remained fixed on my black energy,

and she even reached out a hand toward it,

“..Is it still alive?

This wicked thing…!”

“…Eh?”

The instant her hand touched my body,

I felt her drawing up power.

An immensely potent power, at that.

“W-Wait, why…?”

“S-Stay…still…!”

The moment her power permeated my body,

the black energies within me raged and thrashed.

For the second time today,

my consciousness slipped away again.

“If…you go there, they will tell you.

About…us.”

‘…?’

Into a chasm darker and

more bottomless than before.

≪Blessing enters the User’s body.≫

≪The current location is influencing the blessing’s adaptation.≫

*

The cacophony of hell had ended.

That’s what everyone thought.

Those who had been rampaging for some unknown reason

had all been successfully restrained.

The wounded were receiving swift treatment, and

somehow, the situation was being managed with surprising speed.

“Blegh, this ain’t too good either, boss.”

“aaa…aaargh!!!”

And it didn’t even take a minute for that belief to shatter.

“W-Wait a minute…!!”

“From now on, I reckon I should just

take a little taste at first…”

“Kkyaaagh!!”

Legs are torn to shreds.

Muscles are ripped away, and

bones, instead of breaking, are being wrenched out.

Already behind the boy,

bloodstains and chunks of flesh are scattered wildly.

And in the path he treads,

terror and despair take root.

But someone has to stop him.

And Sylvia,

she believed that role was hers.

“Hmm? Who might you be?”

“..Who are you.”

“I asked first, didn’t I?

At this rate, the questions will just keep circling!”

“..An Elven Princess,

so who are you..!”

Unable to contain the rising fury,

she glared, pointing in one direction.

“What.. what’s going on over there.”

“…?”

And that place was strewn with countless corpses,

no, mounds of meat.

Clumps of flesh were gathered in round heaps,

and something jutted out here and there between them.

A half-smashed human eyeball, perhaps.

Or strands of hair that hadn’t been ground.

Things like bone fragments, broken and jutting out sharp.

Such sights turned the stomachs of all who beheld them,

a revolting stench of blood so thick it could make even a vampire gag

vibrated in the air, but

the boy, the one who had created this carnage,

opened his mouth as if utterly unconcerned.

“Is there.. a problem with this?”

“….”

“Ah, well, the smell is a little strong..

For that, I am sorry.”

Everyone, at some point in their childhood, has

torn the wings off a dragonfly for amusement.

To an outside observer,

it was a scene of utter cruelty,

but we didn’t stop then.

Why was that?

It couldn’t have been because we didn’t know the value of life.

“Why… why are you doing this?!”

“…?”

“What have we ever done to you—”

“Ah, well..it’s all just happening at the same time, you see.”

“..What?”

“I desire a branch of the World Tree…

Surely you wouldn’t simply stand by and let me have it, would you?

So, I thought I’d combine business with pleasure.”

“….”

“Besides… isn’t this rather… amusing?”

Of course, it was amusing.

The sight of a fly, wings torn, writhing helplessly,

was a most delightful spectacle.

The way they clung to the hope of survival, even after being reduced to such a state,

wriggling pathetically onward… a truly laughable scene.

“…Just for that pathetic reason─”

“Ah, it wasn’t *only* for that reason.”

“…?”

“I was… envious, simply.”

“…What?”

Sylvia’s question vanished into the air,

as the boy’s entire demeanor shifted in an instant.

The flippant air and playful tone were utterly gone,

replaced by a crushing pressure that gripped the body.

“The way you smile, seemingly genuinely happy.

The way a mother cares for her child,

and a child cares for their mother, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The fact that you worry about *what* to eat, rather than *if* you’ll eat.

The way you complain, voicing trivial dissatisfactions at your work.

I couldn’t help but be envious, consumed by jealousy.

What… is there a problem with that?”

Perhaps it was a trick of the light.

Though his face was obscured by shadows,

his smile seemed vividly clear,

and against that darkness,

the gleam in his eyes seemed to burn even brighter.

“H-Heeek…”

“C-Calamity has descended─”

The Elves, who had remained peacefully rooted within the Great Forest,

lacking much experience in battle,

were mostly paralyzed by the horrifying scene unfolding before them,

and many turned tail and fled in terror.

“P-Position…the f-formation… *cough*.”

“Commander… you’re bleeding!”

Even the imperial soldiers, who were the most battle-hardened,

weren’t faring well.

Most of the imperial forces were

either restrained or wounded.

If anyone else saw this… no, even Jennison, were she to witness this,

she would recommend a swift retreat.

The disparity in power was undeniably clear.

And yet, Sylvia didn’t back down.

“Merely…”

“…?”

“Merely… that’s the reason?”

She was always quick to assess a situation,

but this time, she couldn’t easily yield.

To stand before the one who so mercilessly

slaughtered her kin, without a single motive,

and to think only of saving her own skin…

she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

No, she simply didn’t want to.

“Merely for that reason…

he butchered my people so cruelly?”

An aura like solidified fighting spirit

erupted from her,

and an icy chill emanated from her right hand.

Sparks crackled from her left.

“Hm? Nobody died, I tell ya.”

“…What?”

And those energies vanished in an instant.

She’d heard something far too shocking.

“Nobody died, not a soul.”

“…Then those people are?”

“Ah? Those people are alive too, I tell ya!”

Only after hearing that did she begin to see.

The round masses of meat in the back, shifting slightly.

Only then did she hear it.

Faint, but unmistakable… the beating of hearts.

“Definitely alive, I tell ya!”

“….”

“Their jaws are crushed so they can’t speak, and

“Even if my hands and feet are split and torn off,

leaving me unable to move properly!

Even if all my nerves are shredded and sliced,

turning me into a body that feels nothing,

Even if most of my brain is crushed,

turning me into a babbling simpleton,

I am still, undeniably, entirely alive!”

“….”

“I know my perception isn’t good… but I, at least,

do not treat human lives carelessly…!”

My body has been so brutally crushed,

I can no longer do anything with my own hands.

I can no longer hear the laughter or cries of children.

I can no longer hear the songs of the spirits.

I can no longer walk across that blue-green prairie with my own feet,

and the mouth that once exchanged blessings with friends can no longer be used.

Never again will I feel that cool, fresh breeze

on my skin.

Perhaps I may become unable to think at all,

and all my memories may be forgotten.

Even so, I am alive.

“..You.”

“…?”

“I will… absolutely not kill you…!”

And that, undeniably, backfired.

The conversation between the two ended there,

followed immediately by action.

A light brighter and more beautiful than any other,

and a clinging swamp of darkness.

Collided, against each other.