Chapter 153

The branch of the World Tree.

The special root of Itarium left by the First Emperor.

Mithril.

Adamantite.

And the forest spirit.

These five elements came together as one, producing an almost miraculous result.

They strengthened the bond between golem and spirit.

They reinforced the golem’s body even more.

They expanded the golem’s heart.

And they even granted him a new power.

That was the result.

The roots and branches spread, absorbing mana, restoring the damaged body.

— Kyu!

Roots and branches moved as if they were his own limbs.

Under Wooden’s will, the tendrils wrapped around Rahnas and the other monsters.

Clang!

Rahnas swung his sword. The magical blades cut the branches.

But more grew and regenerated than he could cut.

“Go, Wooden. You can use everything you’ve got.”

— Kyuu!

In an instant, the branches immobilized the monsters and covered Rahnas.

Having undergone a growth close to evolution, Wooden let out a jubilant roar at being able to use his full strength for the first time.

Wooden gripped his sword and lunged forward.

No, just as he was about to.

Craaaash—

The sound of something breaking was heard.

“W-What? The barrier…? Was Rahnas defeated? And that quickly?”

The corrupt one’s face turned pale. Half of the few remaining pages in his book were consumed.

“Impossible…!”

A desperate scream.

Immediately, an extreme chill fell, enough to freeze the entire cavern.

Thunk—

Something fell in front of the corrupt one. It was ice. A head. The frozen head of Rahnas, turned to a statue.

“A ridiculous barrier. It took some effort, but nothing impossible to break.”

Tap. The mage who had killed Rahnas descended.

“Professor!”

“Fernan Pellenberg, it seems we have much to talk about.”

Her gaze wasn’t on the corrupt one nor on Fernan, but on Wooden, now standing still in the middle.

“Damn it, how? What the hell are you?!”

“Rather, I’d like to ask you. How did you manage to fool my senses and kidnap Fernan?”

Even while fighting Rahnas, Rosalia’s senses covered the entire underground cavern.

Moreover, there were high-level knights and priests from the Dragon God Cult.

That he had managed to fool all of them and pull off a perfect abduction was incomprehensible to her.

“And you think I’d tell you?”

The corrupt one placed his palm on the few remaining pages of the book.

“That book is a grimoire, professor! We have to take it from him!”

“Grimoire?”

“Don’t make me laugh! Damn insects, how dare you lay your hands on this!”

A blade of wind flew toward Rosalia, but was stopped by a transparent ice wall.

Crack—

The corrupt one’s hand froze. The book flew from his fingers, but before it hit the ground, Rosalia caught it.

“Let go! Damn human, how dare you touch it!”

“Put a hundred people in front of you and all a hundred would say the same—you look filthier than I do.”

The cold that had frozen his hands rose and sealed his mouth.

Rosalia opened the book.

“……”

There was nothing written inside. No matter how many pages she turned, they were all blank.

“Fernan, is this really a grimoire? There’s nothing in it.”

“What? That can’t be…”

It was the same book the corrupt one had used as a magical catalyst. The same one that had glowed and released magical energy.

“You saw it yourself, professor, the moment you touched it, the book glowed.”

“True. And that’s why it’s even stranger.”

Why was it different now?

Rosalia melted the ice covering the corrupt one’s mouth.

“I said let go, damn—!”

“First.”

She cut him off.

“Make that filthy monster stop. Or I’ll break the book.”

“S-Stop, Rahnas. I told you to stop!”

The axe that was about to split Rosalia’s head halted.

“Interesting.”

And she didn’t miss that, the moment he gave the command, the book glowed again.

“A grimoire that shows nothing, that feels like nothing, but undoubtedly holds immense power.”

“Give it back now. If you break it, you’ll regret it.”

“In what way?”

“If you damage it, you’ll die. But if you give it to me now…”

“You’ll spare my life? What an honor, I don’t know if I can contain my excitement.”

Crash—

Rosalia broke the book.

“Nooo…!”

The torn book released a surge of magical energy.

But since there were barely any pages left, the eruption was intense but not massive.

The magic couldn’t surpass the ice and was trapped and frozen.

“Do you know what you’ve done?!”

The corrupt one broke the ice immobilizing him and threw a punch. But—

“I broke a book.”

Everything except his face froze again. His fist stopped mere centimeters from Rosalia’s nose.

“And I just froze an insolent corrupt one.”

“Shut up!”

He opened his mouth, exhaling concentrated magical energy.

────!

But it was cut by Rosalia’s staff and vanished.

The monsters, following their master’s will, tried to attack Rosalia from behind. But Wooden was faster.

His branches stopped them, and his sword decapitated several. Wooden clashed with Rahnas and rolled with him across the ground.

No one could touch Rosalia.

“Damn it! Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!”

The corrupt one’s body began to swell.

Immediately, walls of rock surrounded him, reinforced with ice on top.

However—

────!

The explosion was on another level. Everything was blown to pieces, leaving behind a massive crater.

All the monsters were wiped out. Only Fernan, who had stayed back from the start; Rosalia, who had layered barriers; and Wooden, whose nature made him incredibly resilient, remained standing.

“Are you alright, professor?”

“The book burned. The moment the corrupt one exploded, it vanished with him.”

What kind of book had it been?

“I didn’t feel any magical effect from it, yet it contained enormous energy.”

“It must have been an artifact created by the corrupt. And your body, professor?”

“Thanks to your quick reaction, it was easier.”

The rock wall had been raised by Fernan, aware that corrupt ones resorted to suicide.

“And you?”

“I’m fine, thanks to you.”

Wooden had borne the brunt of the battle. There were dangerous moments, but no serious injuries.

“And what happened above?”

“I don’t know. The moment I killed Rahnas, I came straight to find you.”

She brought a cigarette to her mouth. Fernan lit it for her.

“How did you arrive so quickly?”

“Did you think I’d lose?”

“Of course not. Though I didn’t expect you to defeat him so fast either.”

Not even someone like Rosalia, known as the next Archmage, could underestimate Rahnas. He wasn’t a simple enemy.

He didn’t doubt her victory, but hadn’t expected her to be able to help so soon.

“It was thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“More precisely, thanks to your gift. That box.”

There was only one box that Fernan had given Professor Rosalia—the one that had held the Saintbird’s egg for a thousand years.

“Don’t tell me…”

“The magic circles engraved on it surpassed anything I had imagined. I spent entire nights researching them and came to a small discovery.”

The fact that they were of the ice type made the finding all the more meaningful.

“Congratulations.”

“I owe being able to save you to it, so even though maybe you didn’t need it…”

Suddenly, her gaze stopped on Wooden, who was watching them motionless.

“Maybe you weren’t in danger after all. What the hell is that?”

— Kyuu!

The answer didn’t come from Fernan, but from Wooden’s own mouth.

***

The heart. He didn’t like it.

Wooden was upset.

For the first time, Fernan had lifted the restrictions. Freedom to go all out.

Finally, a chance to use the swordsmanship he had learned. And yes, he had used it, in part.

But just when he was about to reach the climax, an obstacle appeared.

Someone who froze his opponent and brought the situation to an end.

“…What the hell is that?”

He didn’t like it.

That’s why, when he was pointed out, he responded immediately. He had to show off his greatness to feel better.

— Kyuu Kyuu!

Golem! Greatness!

But the other person didn’t understand his words. It was Fernan who explained.

“…So it’s a golem that moves on its own. How the hell was it made to fight on equal footing with a Rahnas?”

— Kyuuu! Kyu!

Adamantite! Mithril! Supreme metals!

Wooden spoke of the minerals his master always mentioned.

— Kyuu!

Not equal! But superior!

And he declared his combat power. It wasn’t a lie—he had held the advantage almost the entire time.

“…Was that just a show of will? Can a golem do that? Wasn’t it an autogolem?”

— Kyuu, Kyuu!

Barely! Comparison! Insult!

Wooden had also heard of autogolems—simple puppets that only moved according to orders. Comparing him to them was an offense.

“You know about autogolems?”

“I know about Professor Harcon’s research. Since you met with him and talked about investment, I thought it was that, naturally…”

— Kyu, Kyu!

Wooden! Ego Golem! Incomparable!

Wooden pounded his chest with pride. Seeing the surprised face of his interlocutor eased his anger a little.

“…A spirit. And no less than a forest spirit. A spirit that enters a golem of its own will? I don’t know if I’m seeing this right.”

— Kyuu kyu! Kuing!

Good body! Temporary sacrifice!

Today it was clearer than ever—Fernan hadn’t lied.

Wooden was content knowing that, in two hundred years, that body would be his.

He shrank and returned to his normal form.

“…He shrank?”

Rosalia’s eyes opened wide again. Seeing her even drop what she had in her mouth struck Wooden as ridiculously funny.

— Kyuu? Kyuu!

Surprised? Just by this?

Ridiculous. What he’d shown was only a fraction of what this body could do.

He imagined with delight how her eyes would pop out if he showed her everything.

Ahem. With superiority puffing his chest, his anger had vanished.

“Isn’t that the pendant you started wearing one day?”

“That’s right.”

“And I didn’t even notice—having something like that in front of me. I still have a long way to go.”

Rosalia laughed bitterly.

“Mithril and adamantite… Only a Pellenberg could splurge like that. With that money, you should’ve invested more in my research.”

“I’ve already invested quite a bit, don’t you think?”

“Magical research is never enough. That’s why even the Dragon God Cult…”

The conversation continued, and Wooden, exhausted, hung back onto the necklace.

— Kyuu…

Sleepy.

After rebuilding his destroyed body, his core barely had any mana left. Sleep overcame him.

“…Aren’t you going to present it? A golem like that would turn the entire magical world upside down.”

— Kyuu…

Still, he was satisfied that at least she recognized the value of his body—as any good mage should.

With that sense of appreciation, Wooden closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.