Chapter 44

The plan of the corrupted beings ultimately succeeded.

Massive amounts of resources were lost, and the branch of the World Tree—the key element—ended up contaminated.

“…Hahaha.”

Fernan looked helplessly at the branch, now blackened across a quarter of its length.

Was it over? Had they failed just like that?

Then Aria approached decisively, tore away the remains of the box, and pulled out the branch of the World Tree.

Next, she summoned a blade of wind.

Shhhk!

The branch trembled. A faint nick appeared where the blade passed.

“WHAT the hell are you doing?!”

Shhhk!

“I asked you what you’re doing!”

“Senior, this is Hyde, right? Tell him to cut this, please.”

“You want to cut the branch of the World Tree?”

“The contaminated part must be removed. It’s the only way to save what’s left.”

“Save it… you say?”

“Don’t underestimate the vitality of the Mother Tree. Even if this is just one of her extensions.”

At Aria’s assertion, Fernan signaled Hyde.

Hyde unsheathed his sword. A sharp red aura descended directly on the fragment of the Tree.

Clang!

“This… is harder than it looks.”

“But cut it! You must! Every second counts!”

Fernan shouted as the black stain slowly spread. If they stood idle, they’d lose the healthy part too.

Once, twice, three, four times.

After dozens of cuts, they finally managed to sever the contaminated portion.

Crackle!

The severed branch on the ground began to emit thick, foul-smelling smoke.

Fernan looked at the mutilated branch, which now seemed overly pruned, and asked:

“Is it okay like this?”

“A moment ago, the extension of the Mother Tree screamed.”

“That means it’s still alive.”

He sighed in relief.

“…That just took ten years off my life.”

If the branch had been completely contaminated and the request failed, he didn’t even want to imagine the consequences or losses.

“Hyde, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. And you, young master?”

“I’m whole.”

He had used up a lot of mana controlling the golems to the limit, but it wasn’t serious.

Normally, controlling a golem consumes as much mana as mental stamina, but for some reason this time he felt fine.

‘Maybe I’ve already gotten used to the headaches?’

After all, the pain after controlling a golem didn’t compare to the pain left by the visions of the future.

“Can’t that be fixed?”

“What? How would you fix it?”

“That clearly cut part. It’s like admitting there was a problem.”

“It could recover slowly if we planted it… but I doubt that’s what you want. There’s a way, but I know you won’t like it.”

“Is it very expensive?”

Aria nodded.

“If we give it an elixir, it’ll regenerate faster.”

“…What a devilishly expensive thing.”

“Saying that to an extension of the Mother Tree is disrespectful.”

“She’s your Mother Tree. Not mine.”

“Well, that’s true too.”

She accepted it without arguing.

“So how do you plan to store it now? The box is in pieces.”

“Don’t worry. I had spare boxes prepared just in case.”

He didn’t know how dirty the corrupted beings might play, so he prepared as best he could. He hadn’t expected things to explode like this, but at least he had an extra box.

“Well, thank goodness.”

“Yes… thank goodness.”

First, everything had to be sorted out.

“Let’s go up. We need to assess the damage and organize everything.”

“Yes. I’ll fly it up.”

“Wait.”

Just before ascending with the spirit wind, Fernan looked at one of the fallen branches.

“Why are you picking it up suddenly?”

“After all, it’s still part of the World Tree.”

As contaminated as it was, its essence hadn’t disappeared.

‘Who knows. Maybe the Dragon Cult can purify it.’

The losses were enormous, so he had to salvage what he could.

“And what about those lumps of flesh that were the monsters?”

“They might be worth something.”

“Those horrible, disgusting things?”

“The value of a thing depends on who sees it.”

He took a container from the subspace and stored both the severed branch and the monster remains.

Then, finally, he returned to the surface.

***

Above was a complete disaster.

The sudden collapse of the ground swallowed half the camp.

Fernan had created platforms immediately afterward to minimize the damage, but there were still many injuries and material losses.

The only stroke of luck was that no one died. A true miracle.

“Gather the injured and supplies and move the camp.”

“Yes, sir!”

Fortunately, the rain had stopped, though night was already falling.

At least some members of the trade group had come to their senses before Fernan emerged and had started organizing things.

“Glad to see you’re okay.”

“What about the injured?”

“Of the 100 guards, 21 with minor injuries and 12 serious. Of the 100 workers, 53 with minor injuries and 27 serious. And of the 50 elves, 18 minor injuries. Thanks to your intervention, no one died.”

“And the carriages?”

“Out of 10, 8 fell. 5 were completely destroyed along with their cargo. The other 3 are in better condition, but we need to check for losses.”

Fernan let out a bitter laugh. He knew how much everything cost. He had a bad feeling, but for it to actually happen…

My money… my dear and precious money. It hurt his soul.

“Hyde, send a message. You know what to say.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Tell them to come as soon as possible. We can’t alter the schedule.”

“They’ve been following from nearby in secret, they won’t be long.”

Since they had split into many small groups to remain undetected, gathering them would take time, but not much.

“What does that mean?”

Aria, who had been quietly listening nearby, tilted her head.

“Did you already know something like this would happen? That they’d be monsters?”

“I’d already run into those corrupted bastards before. Just in case, I prepared for all this.”

And that preparation wasn’t limited to reinforcing the number of guards and escorts.

He had duplicated the resources. It was a measure in case the carriages were destroyed and supplies lost.

“So… that means…”

“Reinforcements will arrive with exactly the same resources, the same number of guards and workers, as soon as possible. We’ll just swap everything and continue the expedition like nothing happened.”

Luckily, the elves only had minor injuries.

“How long ago did you plan all this? If nothing happened, it’d be a waste, right?”

“All of this has value. It can be sold anywhere. So it’s not a loss.”

The clue had come from the book of prophecies.

He didn’t know if this was what was destined to happen or if he had altered the future with his intervention.

But for his family, at least, it was the right move.

“So listen well, Aria.”

Fernan looked her in the eyes.

“Today, for us…”

Nothing happened.

“Absolutely nothing happened.”

It had to be that way. That was the only correct answer.

Aria didn’t respond immediately. She only looked at her reflection in Fernan’s eyes.

Then, she smiled.

“And why should I do that? The World Tree’s branch was damaged, the resources compromised, and the shipment too. That’s all the Pellenbergs’ fault, isn’t it?”

“And?”

“We, on the other hand, if we claim compensation for the failure, come out ahead.”

Exactly. That’s why the incident had to be buried. To minimize losses and protect the honor and reputation of the guild.

“With you, it’s never the easy way.”

He thought that, because of the bond they forged fighting together, maybe he could convince her. But no.

Fernan sighed.

“The Yacht Club invitation.”

“That’s a bit small, but for now I’ll take it!”

As she said, they had fought together. That counted.

“Nothing happened during the expedition. Right?”

“Exactly. That’s right.”

Fernan nodded.

***

The wounded were replaced by new members, the resources replenished, and the expedition set out again as if nothing had happened, exactly four days later.

There were no problems. Just a small delay due to the rain.

“Just as the young master predicted.”

“Those corrupted bastards weren’t going to pass up an opportunity like this.”

“We’ll make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut.”

“Same here. I was paid, so I’ll do my part.”

There was no need to rush the pace. They had built plenty of leeway into the schedule.

“Don’t let your guard down. This might not be over.”

Especially at sea.

They had already faced a disaster at sea before, so they couldn’t afford to be complacent.

“Did you record everything properly with the recording orb?”

“It was hanging from my neck, so it moved a lot, but you can make out the monsters.”

“Perfect. Make copies and send one to my father.”

“Understood.”

The evidence kept piling up. But it still wasn’t enough. When he had more—and it was conclusive—he planned to reveal everything at the right moment.

“What is it?”

“It’s not about the expedition, so stay out of it.”

“But it has to do with the corrupted. And we fought together.”

“And just when that bond could be useful, it disappears. Only shows up when it’s not needed.”

After that day, the expedition reached Kaid without further issues.

But Fernan didn’t set sail immediately. Even though everything was ready, he paused because of the World Tree branch.

“Now it’ll grow properly.”

He dug a hole, placed several elixirs inside, and planted the branch.

By absorbing the elixirs and receiving Aria’s direct care, the branch began to recover its original form day by day.

“…How much the hell does this tree cost?”

“The Mother Tree is priceless. It’s beyond the value of money.”

“But the elixirs do cost.”

Even so, it was cheaper than paying a penalty for failing the delivery. He just had to swallow his tears.

“And just with the elixirs it grows like this?”

“Of course not. This isn’t growth. It’s recovery. Not the same thing.”

True. If all it took was pouring elixirs on it to make it grow, it wouldn’t be the World Tree. It would be a monster.

Once the branch fully regained its form, they boarded three ships with people and cargo. The escort was excessive—ten warships.

“I don’t like the sea. It’s truly horrible and disgusting. Ever since I saw how blue it was, I knew it was a bad sign.”

But despite her fears, there were no major problems.

Except the elves ended up wrecked, vomiting their souls out like dried squid.

“Is that why elves hardly ever go to sea?”

“Elves… don’t get along with the sea… Ueeegghk… Too long…!”

“And you still wanted an invitation to the Yacht Club?”

“That’s different!”

Fernan stepped back. The drops of vomit splattered against a barrier.

“You’re splashing, that’s disgusting.”

“Who’s disgusting… Uuueeghk!?”

“What a pity. When we get to the academy, you’ll have to go back right away.”

“I’m not going back… Ueeghk… I’d rather go to hell than get on another boat.”

The faces of the 50 elves were pale as death.

“Oh, by the way, Aria. I want to ask you something.”

“A… request?”

Aria responded with dead fish eyes. Fernan frowned at the vomit on the corner of her mouth.

“No, forget it. I’ll tell you when we get off the ship.”

And so, a few days later, the expedition arrived at the academy’s port.

‘So far, everything’s going well.’

Was this the original course of the prophecy? Or had Fernan managed to change the future?

Only time would tell.