TPITT - Chapter 168

“Yes. Since it is a land of demons, there is no choice but to hunt prey..."

I was confirmed dead by Helione's reply that I was sorry. I was so shocked that I staggered, holding my hand to my forehead.

“Demon meat... I’m eating demon meat... Eating the flesh of a demon stored in the demon’s intestines so deliciously... Aaaah..."

Could this be punishment for bathing Rosenite in troll blood and leaving her unattended? All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

At that time, Michael worriedly held me in his arms and comforted me.

“Your Highness, please come to your senses.”

“Hey, Michael..."

“Consider that you have eaten some nutritious food that is good for your stamina.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

As expected, Michael was clearly my mental stabilizer. Thinking about my father happily drinking Nepenthes juice made me feel a little better.

“Yeah. If it tastes good, that’s fine. What’s the difference between that and an animal? It doesn’t have any intelligence.”

I soon made a full recovery.

“It's a flavorful sausage, that's for sure. We'll add it to Dandelion's specialties as planned. If the people don't like it, we'll call it virility sausage instead of specialty sausage. After all, in Yellow City, if it's good for virility, they'll buy it every once in a while. Huh, speaking of food, I'm hungry.”

After ending the argument over raw materials, I returned to where the Knights were.

Now it was time to hold a strategy meeting to discuss securing full-scale food supplies.

“I think there are over 500 demons in the lake. Will it be okay if more gather here?”

“Since there is a limit to the manpower available to prepare the meat, it would be better to catch it in moderation.”

Helione and Michael had different concerns. That's when I stepped in.

“I’m here. Just cast a preservation spell. Have you forgotten that I’m a life magic specialist?”

“Is that the magic of life?”

Helione and the intermediate homunculus looked at me with astonishment.

They had expressions like, "What are you talking about when you annihilated an army of monsters by yourself yesterday?"

I, feeling embarrassed, coughed in vain.

I said to lighten the mood.

“The fighting power and the preservation method are sufficient. There is nothing to worry about. There is no such thing, so let’s prepare. It’s a hunt but think of it as a subjugation war. We need to drive out the evil spirits of the lake before we can investigate.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then let’s go into battle with safety as our top priority!”

Michael and the Knights of Punishment bowed to me and immediately stormed the lakeside. Soon, a dazzling sword and cries of the demons were mixed together.

During the battle, five intermediate homunculus stayed by me and Helione's side and occasionally dealt with the demons that ran away and came towards us.

The main ingredients of Dandelion's stamina sausages were orcs, ogres, and centaurs.

Punishment was mainly focused on those three. In particular, the orcs were able to secure large numbers thanks to their herd lifestyle.

The lake had become a giant slaughterhouse, and the pungent smell of blood filled the air.

Unpolluted, clean blood smelled like delicious food to demons and beasts.

Not only the demons who were drinking water nearby, but even the monsters deep in the forest gathered to enjoy the feast.

However, the opponent they had to fight over food was the Knights Templar.

After a while, with the demon's blood on top of the demon's blood, the forest stopped attracting them.

The hunt was finally over. While the prey was being sorted by type, I and Helione worked out a method of transportation.

“There are too many. We can’t even imagine it with the number of people here.”

“I think we’ll have to call someone from the village and bring a cart.”

“That would be good.”

It would have to be escorted back and forth, in case of demonic attacks. I left fifty thousand of the Punishments and entrusted them all to Helione.

While waiting for Helione to call for transport personnel, I, who was left at the lake, had work to do.

“Everyone, continue your classification work. I’ll go investigate the lake.”

I approached the lake, holding in my hand a freshly cut branch of purple zelkova.

I put the branch in the clear lake water and recited a spell.

Michael, who was performing, asked.

“What kind of magic is it?”

“Aging magic. And since we’re the only ones around, feel free to talk.”

“Thank you for your permission.”

Aging magic was also a magic that shortened the time it took for change to occur.

Not long after placing the order, visible results were achieved.

The leaves, which had resembled pieces of obsidian, have regained their original color and turned into ordinary needle leaves.

“It definitely has a purifying effect.”

“It’s amazing. It’s not just suppressing the turbid energy, it’s purifying it.”

I gathered my thoughts.

“It was strange that the residents of Dandelion were not affected by the turbid air, even though both the demons and the plants were affected by it. But the lake’s purifying power explains it all.”

“If you think about the stocks of the Dandelion residents, the answer comes out.”

“Yes. Thanks to eating the purified meat of the demons, the residents also got rid of the turbid air.”

During the conversation, Michael had a question.

“But to purify the evil energy of the demon dragon, wouldn’t you need at least some level of divine power? But the divine power would have been lost.”

“Aside from divine power, there is one more thing that has the power of purification.”

I thought of the well in the village of Magic Stone Mine that had been contaminated with the poison of Josen Sanchez.

At that time, the master of potion alchemy, Raman said something. I told it to Michael exactly as it was.

“A branch of the World Tree will do.”

A name that has been passed down as a legend has come out. No one could help but be surprised by the possibility of the existence of a miraculous artifact comparable to the Philosopher's Stone.

“The World Tree is at the bottom of this lake? Is that true?”

“I think it’s quite possible.”

I looked into the lake water, sparkling emerald green.

It was clear enough to be used as a mirror, but I couldn't tell how deep it was.

“I guess I’ll have to check out the bottom. Do you want to go together?”

“What is obvious.”

Then Michael narrowed his eyes as if to say, “Are you really going to leave me behind?” I let out a small laugh.

I had to lighten my body because I was going into the water. Michael took off his uniform coat and handed it over to the Knights Templar.

We stepped onto the lake's surface using floating magic. When they reached the center, I cast a spell on me and Michael. It was a breathing spell.

Michael laughed lowly.

“Why are you laughing, Michael?”

“It reminds me of old times.”

“Huh? Ah..."

It was clear that he was talking about the incident when he killed the Hundred Years Nepenthes at Lake Melud. It was as if we were talking about our book.

Was it in the lake the place of our first kiss? I  blushed slightly and held Michael's hand tightly.

“Let’s go in.”

We got into the water from the tip of our feet. The two bodies slowly sank into the deep lake as if tied to an anchor.

A beautiful water shadow rippled overhead. As the light on the ground faded away, the water was getting darker and darker. I quickly recited a spell and found a magic spell that could be used as a lantern in my hand.

“There is no devil.”

I was able to speak underwater because I used breathing magic to keep air in my mouth and nose.

“Eve.”

"Yes?"

“There is something over there.”

Michael's good eyesight found what we were aiming for. Where his finger pointed, countless ivory-colored branches, as beautiful as coral, were intertwined.

There was a place where they gathered together.

It looked like a forest of nomads, but of course, it wasn't a forest. The branches all extended from one giant pillar.

"Oh my God."

The beanstalk that was said to reach the sky in the fairy tale is like this big? It was even stranger to be unable to identify this enormous tree.

“The World Tree... really existed.”

Michael's admiration soon turned to sighs. The giant tree was so beautiful that it could have been mistaken for a forest of white coral, even in its leafless state. Unfortunately, it was broken in the middle as if struck by lightning.

“Even after death, it still had an influence on the lake.”

“There is a possibility that it is still alive.”

The World Tree is a symbol of healing, growth, and purification. I pinned my hopes on its tenacious life force.

From then on, I searched for leaves, traces of life, on the world tree.

I looked around thoroughly. Rather than focusing on the branches that made up the dense forest, I looked mainly at the small branches that circled the huge pillars.

While I was exploring, curious fish swam around me.

The fish, with fins like chiffon lace and scales like jewels, were very mysterious and beautiful.

“Wow, it’s pretty.”

“I would believe it if you said it was the spirit that guards the World Tree.”

I and Michael forgot what we were doing and was absorbed in the fish for a long time.

But as time goes by, the two people's eyes who see the fish change dramatically. Michael and I spoke one by one, our eyes flashing with cold, sharp gleams.

“You’re really fat. You’ve gained a lot of weight.”

“I’m excited. If I do it right, I might be able to add fish to Dandelion’s food ingredients.”

But as time went on, the way we looked at the fish changed. We spoke to each other, our eyes cold and piercing.

''Uh?"

Shhh!

Indeed, the fish living in the land of the dragon were not to be looked down upon. They had mouths that were wider than their bodies.

Sharp teeth were revealed, proving that these fish were predators and not spirits.

“Whoa!”

"Eve!"

In an emergency, my most reliable defense was not the silver-clad Arachne, but Michael himself.

Michael quickly activated Aegis in a hemispherical shape and covered it with sword energy.

All the fish in the area floated to the surface, turning into grilled fish, along with the white light.

A powerful attack was always followed by a physical reaction. A huge current of water was created in the opposite direction, and our bodies began to be pushed away.

The giant World Tree was standing nearby. Michael held me in his arms to prevent me from colliding with it.

Soon, Michael's back was resting against the World Tree.

Michael stroked my back, who was held tightly in his arms.

“It’s okay now that everything has been taken care of.”

“Hey, I was surprised when you suddenly rushed in.”

“Now I see that there is blood coming from your fingertips. It seems that they came rushing in after smelling the blood.”

“Oh, I think I got scratched while examining the branch. It stung a little.”

Then I expressed her gratitude and tried to pull myself out of Michael's arms, but for some reason, Michael didn't release the arm around my shoulder.

“Michael?

I looked up with a look of wonder. In my sight was Michael's smiling face.

“Eve.”

"Yes?"

“You even pushed me against the wall, so is this really the end?”

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