Chapter 415 - Recognition (1)
Oldarc Ruin Arkenad founded the Mado nation, subjugated dragons, and after achieving countless feats, disappeared decades later.
There were many who sought to follow in his footsteps, but none succeeded.
The world said, the first Demon King had gone alone to face his approaching death, and was now taking eternal rest.
'I also once knew and believed it that way....'
But now, it is different.
Because Alpha and the Administrator told me that, at the time when the Demon King was said to have vanished, he had visited the golem research facility.
Of course, that too was about 469 years ago.
I cannot answer with confidence that the Demon King still lives. For Verden, who had only lived for 27 years, it was an unfathomable length of time.
'Still, what is certain is that the Demon King had some purpose back then.'
At the very least, it was definitely not to seek peaceful rest.
Step, step.
Verden moved his steps.
He approached the golem, its eye sockets irregularly flickering with magic power.
[Absorption... Transformation... Fusion....]
A mechanical voice brushed past his ears, as though it might vanish any moment, like the scream of a dying gasp... What exactly was this golem?
He intended to find out now.
"Alpha."
[Concise command, confirmed.]
The mini golem, Alpha, lit up its single eye.
The wave of magic power spread widely in a conical shape, probing into the golem's internals. It seemed to take time because of the vast amount of information, but no other problems arose.
[Scan complete.]
Alpha finished its analysis.
[Entity name 'Beta'. Initial activation, 513 years 3 months 15 days 19 hours 30 minutes and 13 seconds ago. Core defect due to overactivity. Frame damage rate 93%. All primary functions of the golem have been completely lost.]
The golem's core was shattered.
It was as if a human had suffered fatal wounds to both the heart and the head.
"If the core is ruined and the body almost destroyed... how is it still operating?"
[Special function identified. A flow of magic power generated throughout the interior of the frame is replacing the core's power source. That is what is sustaining operational time. Direct confirmation is recommended, Your Majesty Verden.]
Alpha, unusually, advised.
Verden cautiously stretched out his arm.
Through the green moss, he felt the chill of metal. With magic power imbued in
'These branch-like lines, just like veins, resemble mana circuits.'
And what flowed slowly inside them was the natural magic power brimming in the great forest...
'It's absorbing external magic in real time, using it as power.'
He had seen many design schematics in the golem research facility, but never one with such a structure. Could it be something newly crafted by the Demon King?
When Verden asked, Alpha denied it.
[No traces of artificial modification. Judged to have formed naturally from prolonged exposure to magic power.]
"I see. Then if this golem Beta's core were intact, what effect would it have produced?"
[No special reaction. Instead, 'semi-permanent power' would have been completed.]
***
Semi-permanent power.
A core that automatically charged with magic power without any external input.
In theory, so long as output was controlled, unless the core was damaged, a golem could be made to move eternally.
'The magic tower's infinite power source.'
As that thought arose, Verden questioned Alpha again.
"Alpha, explain the difference between that semi-permanent power and the small power source in the research facility."
[The main concept of semi-permanent power is 'absorption'. The main concept of the small power source sustaining the golem research facility is 'emission'.──The origins are opposite.]
In the past, Verden had, upon Alpha's advice, examined both power chambers closely while restoring the golem research facility.
In the first chamber, a magic circle, a degraded version of the magic tower's power source, was engraved across the entire space, transmitting magic power widely.
In the second chamber, a small power source was installed that operated the facility as a whole.
Upon seeing this, Verden connected the magic tower's power source with the Demon King, and had asked both the Administrator and Alpha for explanations.
'But nothing was uncovered.'
Neither Alpha nor the Administrator, the Demon King's clone, had any knowledge of the magic power emitted by the small power source.
So, the only conclusion left was speculation that it originated from the Demon King's own power...
Verden looked around.
The magic circle reflected on the walls from centuries past.
It was so eroded that it was nearly impossible to discern its original form.
By focusing his sight and interpreting what little he could, he confirmed that it acted as a channel for magic power.
[Absorption... Transformation... Fusion....]
And those were the same words the colossal golem kept muttering even now.
Verden fell into thought.
Based on the information gathered so far, he formed a hypothesis.
The Demon King sought to create a power source that stood in complete opposition to the small power source.
To do so, he had needed to use the colossal golem Beta and the magic circle to absorb, transform, and fuse the magic power of the great forest.
And if, as Serendia had mentioned, the Demon King had left the great forest 413 years ago after achieving his experimental purpose...
'Was Beta abandoned?'
That was the first thought.
Logically, once an item has served its use or lost its worth, the proper order is disposal.
To the Demon King, the golem of the great forest may have been just that.
Whooong.
He took out a memory golem from subspace.
Hovering in the air, it began recording images of the shattered magic circle.
Verden asked.
"Alpha, can Beta be repaired?"
[Frame restoration impossible. Core transplant... partially possible. For normal operation, a dedicated frame must be constructed. With only the current golem research facility, it is impossible. Both technical research and special materials are required.]
"So it can be saved."
[If moved as-is, probability of complete collapse is 88%. Core must be separated first.]
Verden turned his gaze sideways.
Serendia, who had been waiting at a distance, nodded.
Since the elf managing this place agreed with Alpha's solution, there was no reason to hesitate further.
Verden pressed his index and middle fingers together.
Magic power imbued with spatial properties slowly sliced the colossal golem's frame into a circle.
Thud.
As the rusted metal fell away, the ruined core hidden within the center was revealed.
[Beta's core, proceeding with separation.]
Alpha, perched on Verden's palm, stretched out its tiny arms.
A careful procedure.
In the end, without any mishap, the core was cleanly removed.
'...Extremely unstable.'
It looked like it would shatter with the slightest touch.
He immediately secured it by storing it in [Raindia]'s subspace.
Rumble...!
The body, its flow of magic power severed, collapsed in ruins.
Silence descended upon the Demon King's dwelling, where Beta's mutterings had faded.
Only after the task was finished did Serendia step forward.
"Thank you for your help, Asher."
"To say I helped is misleading. As the one who inherited the Demon King's legacy, it was something I was bound to do."
Verden narrowed his eyes.
"In that sense, let me ask. Serendia, why did you want to repair Beta?"
The present situation was not something of mere coincidence.
The invitation of Serendia, guide of the great forest.
Each link, like a chain, was steering Verden's actions. As though manipulating a puppet dangling on strings.
Aside from revealing the Demon King's dwelling, she owed him a plausible reason.
But Serendia's answer was completely unexpected.
"Because I pitied it."
"...What?"
"This golem... as Alpha said, the one named Beta was created out of necessity, unlike natural golems. Thus some might see it as a mere tool, but for us, it is not."
She stepped closer.
"To humans, magic power is strength, but to elves, magic power is life. From our perspective, a golem that moves through magic power is undoubtedly a living being. One that even bears the magic power of the great forest...."
"So it was just goodwill?"
"I became the Administrator of the World Tree 53 years ago. Even then, Beta was calling for the Demon King, and before that as well. Endlessly. Without ceasing."
Serendia caressed the remains of Beta with regret.
"Pitiful, and sorrowful."
"...."
"Asher, what do you think?"
Their gazes crossed.
Verden, staring into eyes reminiscent of the great forest, parted his lips.
"...What sort of being was the Demon King?"
"The old Administrator, the only elf to have lived over six centuries and who shared the era with Oldarc, said he was great, grand, and dangerous. But..."
Serendia furrowed her brow.
"To me, he is nothing more than a parent who abandoned his child."
It was a fierce emotion.
Verden could vaguely understand what kind of elf Serendia was.
That was as far as the conversation went. He judged that asking further would not yield the information he desired.
On the way back.
After a long silence, Alpha spoke.
[Your Majesty Verden. Have we been abandoned?]
Beta had been discarded after serving its use, and Alpha had been left neglected for a long time.
The meaning was the same for both.
"That will never happen again."
[Is that a promise?]
"Yes, I promise."
Verden had already kept one promise.
Only then, as if relieved, Alpha once more gazed around at the scenery of the great forest.
The red sunset shone upon Verden.
'What was the purpose of the first Demon King?'
The small power source, the semi-permanent power...
Was the Demon King truly connected to the background of how the magic tower's power source came to be?
And why did he create the golem research facility?
'And what is it that the World Tree desires, the one that has led me along the traces of the Demon King?'
He was filled with questions.
Verden wanted to uncover them all.
***
Life in the Forest of Life was tranquil.
Adrian sat atop a hill, deep in meditation, when Merquien led a group of elves past, saying, 'So that's a human? Inferior.'
As though watching an animal.
───Does he really want to get beaten?
───And can you even beat him?
Thus, Adrian drew his sword, and by mutual agreement clashed with Merquien.
A fierce duel of sword aura and arrows.
Regardless of their human disdain, to the elven citizens it was an astonishing spectacle.
But somehow, rumors spread oddly, that there was a human guest one could legally beat. As a result, strong elves gathered.
For reference, Karans was among them.
In the end, Adrian spent his days busiest of all, fighting in sparring matches every day.
Meanwhile, Isabella sought out secluded places with no one around, repeating trial and error with 6th-tier magic, and Alpha, as always, reveled in the world.
'...It seems everyone has adapted well to the environment of the great forest.'
Verden mostly stayed in the elves' mansion.
Rarely in the mood to study magical theory, he simply fell into thought.
He just let time pass in a daze.
Thus five days had passed since arriving in the Forest of Life.
"Please follow me, brother."
Karans led the way toward their destination.
He had said that the reward could only be given once the fruition began. From the sound of it, it seemed to refer to some sort of fruit.
'Lately, everything is unknown.'
For a mage who explored the unknown, it was an ideal life, yet lately it only felt stifling.
The light was fading. Darkness slowly encroached, and the deep forest greeted the outsider.
A straight, natural path.
On either side, guardian elves dressed like Karans stood in ranks.
"It feels like a ritual."
"Something like that, brother."
Karans pointed forward.
"Sister Serendia awaits. From here, you must go alone."
Even Alpha was no exception.
"We'll be waiting, my lord."
"Go safely, patriarch."
[Go safely, Your Majesty Verden.]
"Yes."
Verden nodded.
Leaving his companions behind, he walked between the guardian elves.
Before long, Serendia stood in the middle of the path to greet him.
Silence.
There were only the two of them here.
"What lies at the end of this path? Is it the World Tree?"
"There stands a tree called the 'Sprout of Lysandro'. It was planted by the elf first designated as Administrator of the World Tree, and it bears fruits that are always different and special each time."
"That must be the reward."
"Even to elves, it is a very precious fruit. However..."
Serendia slightly looked up at Verden.
"You desire more, a meeting with the Great Mother."
Was it so obvious outwardly?
Either way, it was not good to appear so before receiving a reward.
But just as he thought that, Serendia smiled.
"It is a very good attitude, Asher. No matter what, nothing could be more precious than a meeting with the Great Mother."
"...True."
"Here, take this."
She handed him a red fruit, perfectly round.
"This is said to be the blood of the Great Mother... though as you see, it is not real blood. It is one of the fruits borne upon the branches of the World Tree. With a single bite, you will be able to meet the Great Mother."
Serendia added.
"You may eat it now, or you may carry it to the Sprout of Lysandro and eat it there. Conversely, you may never taste it at all. Everything is your choice."
Choice.
A word the World Tree had repeated many times.
Now, there was no thought of hesitation.
Crunch.
Verden immediately bit into the World Tree's blood.
Respecting his decision, Serendia carefully stepped back two paces.
"Please give my regards to the Great Mother."
At that moment, his vision went dark.
When Verden opened his eyes again, Serendia and the shadowed forest path were gone.
Instead, there stretched endless plains and gentle hills, filling the world.
At the center stood a single colossal tree.
"...The World Tree?"
...!
The thought slipped out aloud.
Startled, Verden reflexively covered his mouth. At the same time, sensing an unfamiliar presence, he turned his gaze aside.
"Welcome, Verden, to the 'Primal Land' where I exist."
In the form of an elf he had seen at Gargant... the World Tree stood there.
"Here, the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness is faint. Unless you take care, your thoughts will leak out, so beware."
The warning came too late.
Exhaling deeply, Verden lowered the hand covering his face.
"You used the fruit right after receiving it from Serendia."
"I have many questions to ask."
"I know. But I am a being of observation. I can give you only the one help that has been decided, and there are limitations on the kinds of questions you may ask. Other than that one, I cannot provide you clear answers."
The World Tree looked down at Verden.
"For that reason, perhaps it is better not to ask. Nevertheless, if you still desire my answer... then speak."
Verden bore heavy questions, about the Demon King, about the World Tree.
But if he were to choose only the most important one, there was but a single choice.
"...Once, you told me this. That if I stood still in my place, you could give me a little push upon my back."
The duty of the World Tree.
"I wish to hear of that."
Verden asked of transcendence.
The gentle wind of the Primal Land stirred the vegetation of the world.
She smiled faintly.
"Enlightenment. For you alone, the method of surpassing the wall of awakening is very simple. You need only to perceive and acknowledge it."
The World Tree whispered softly.
"Verden, the fear that you bear."
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