Great Hero (1)
Amidst the pitch-black backdrop, there appeared a beautiful woman with ashen hair fluttering gently.
Possessing impeccable beauty, she was Mirianne, the Great Mage—one of the five heroes who once faced the Chaos Dragon.
Upon seeing that familiar face again, Frederick's cheeks flushed, yet he was overco with joy.
["Mirianne!"]
Frederick, too, maintained a human form within this black space.
Thanks to that, he could express his joy with his face, but his expression quickly hardened.
The face of his reunited comrade did not appear quite right.
"Is that the great mage who once fought alongside you?"
Silia, too, had heard the na Mirianne.
After all, whenever she opened any book, that na would always appear.
Like Frederick, she had remained as a lingering thought, perated within the World Tree.
However, unlike the relatively normal-looking Frederick, she seed off in so way.
"Why does she look like a zombie to ?"
Just as Louis said, Mirianne's stunningly beautiful face now looked little different from a corpse.
Of course, considering she had lived centuries ago, there was no problem if she was actually a corpse, but the disparity with Frederick's current state was stark.
"But, looking closely, she looks a lot like elder sister, right?"
"Why the sudden complint?"
"No, really, she looks just like her."
At that mont, Mirianne—who had seed lifeless—turned her gaze toward them.
["Be careful! Sothing feels off!"]
At Frederick's warning shout, an intense murderous aura emanated from Mirianne.
Sensing that presence, Louis reflexively leapt to the side.
And right where Louis had stood, a chain shot up from the ground.
"This is the sa as when I first t you, right?"
It was similar to when Frederick, at first sight of Louis, had attacked him, mistaking him for the Chaos Dragon.
Was it normal for a lingering thought to still wield such power?
Or was it because, as heroes, even as lingering thoughts, they still could manifest such monstrous power?
["Enough talk, just dodge!"]
In that instant, the chain that had sprung up moved like a serpent, seeking to ensnare Louis.
At the sa ti, another chain shot up and bound Frederick.
"Mister, is there so way to snap her out of it?"
["I've never ended up like that myself, so I don't know in detail, but... best answer is probably to just beat so sense into her."]
"Not much rcy for an old comrade, huh?"
["Is this the ti to be sentintal? Hurry and beat her up and set
free!"]
Usually, in these kinds of situations, the story would go, 'He's the comrade I once fought with! Go easy on him!'—and because of such pointless requests, the protagonist would hold back and get beaten.
In that sense, Frederick was truly deserving of the title of ancient hero.
"Then I'll help out too!"
Silia also swung her sword at the rising chains to assist Louis.
As for why Mirianne had ended up this way, she did not know, but all she could do was follow Frederick's orders and beat her up.
Yet, the group had forgotten one important thing.
"Huh?"
The chain that Silia struck didn't budge an inch.
That's right—they had completely forgotten that they could no longer use aura.
"Ah, right. We're just normal people now!"
In the end, Silia was helplessly seized by the chains.
The mont Silia, like Frederick, was bound—
["......!!"]
Suddenly, the chains binding them weakened.
Gradually loosening, the chains finally released their grip on the two.
["Uh...?"]
At that, life returned to the dead look in Mirianne's eyes.
Sohow, those eyes were now fixed intently on Silia.
["Mirianne... Did you co to your senses?"]
["Fre... derick..."]
At Frederick's call, Mirianne opened her mouth.
["Yes, I..."]
Finally, her mind fully cleared, Mirianne spoke with a proper voice.
["Yes! Until now, I've... Kuuueegh!!"]
In the middle of speaking, —thwack!— a sound rang out.
Thanks to Louis landing a solid punch, Mirianne's proper voice turned into a cry of pain.
"Huh?"
Only then did Louis belatedly realize Mirianne's condition.
"Was it wrong to hit her?"
. . .
Even before Louis punched her, for so reason Mirianne had already regained her senses.
Thus, Louis cautiously apologized to Mirianne.
"I'm sorry."
["No, I'm the one who should apologize. After rotting away inside this corpse tree for centuries, it seems I lost my mind."]
In addition to her remarkable looks, Mirianne had quite a nice voice.
Hearing her proper voice again after so long, Frederick was deeply relieved.
["Mirianne."]
["Ah..."]
The mont Mirianne saw Frederick, her expression changed.
As she slowly approached, Frederick spread his arms to embrace her.
["It's been so long...."]
["You son of a bitch!!"]
Mirianne sent a flying knee straight into Frederick's face, his arms still wide open.
Taken by surprise, Louis and Silia's mouths dropped open.
["Mirianne...! Are you still not in your right mind...?"]
["While I was absorbed into the World Tree... you dared to et another woman?"]
["What? How did you..."]
["Did you think I wouldn't know? Once you rge with the World Tree, you can watch over the whole continent. Of course it was nothing to monitor your every move."]
["......"]
Neither Louis nor Silia could understand what the two were talking about.
All they could tell was that Frederick now wore a thoroughly terrified expression.
["You have a child with , you bastard... And you couldn't control your lust, so you got involved with another woman?"]
["No—that's just—"]
["I told you. I saw everything!"]
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!—
In a manner unbefitting of her Great Mage title, Mirianne pumled Frederick's face with her fists.
Louis realized that even a beautiful person, when truly enraged, could look like a monster.
"Shouldn't we stop her?"
Perhaps she was still not in her right mind. Louis voiced his worry to Silia.
"Leave them. He deserves it."
However, understanding the context of their conversation, Silia decided to let things be.
If a husband did that, of course the wife would lose her rationality.
["What the hell gives you the nerve to show up before
again? Weren't you supposed to seal the demon realm seed under the academy?"]
["You were watching that too, huh."]
Perhaps because she had vented her anger with enough punches, Mirianne was now willing to talk.
In any case, as a thought-form she couldn't feel pain, so it was pointless.
["Don't tell
you abandoned that crucial mission? If you did, the entire area—including the academy—would have beco the demon realm, you know..."]
["If it's that, it's already taken care of."]
["What?"]
At his words, Mirianne's eyes went wide.
["What do you an?"]
["Didn't you see through the World Tree? The demon realm seed no longer exists. These friends took care of everything."]
Frederick gestured to the standing Louis and Silia.
As Mirianne looked at them, unable to grasp the situation, she had to listen to Frederick's lengthy explanation.
["So... That boy with the Chaos Dragon's power destroyed the demon realm seed that had turned into a Great Devil, and resolved everything. Thanks to that, you're now free. That's what you an."]
["Really."]
["Are you kidding? Why did the Chaos Dragon we sacrificed so much to destroy reappear—and now he's an ally? Is this a novel you're writing? Or, did your overactive libido finally rot your brain?"]
Hearing their conversation, Louis and Silia had their doubts.
Were these truly the people revered in the textbooks as heroes?
Expecting a dignity befitting heroes, they now felt deeply betrayed.
["Even though he possesses the Chaos Dragon's power, he's not an enemy. Don't worry."]
["The monster that almost destroyed the continent is now our ally?"]
Was there ever a more backward situation? Mirianne added a sigh to her comnt.
["I'll trust you, just this once. Even though you're trash, we all fought together, trusting you back then."]
["Thank you. But why did you lose your mind? And what's wrong with the World Tree's state?"]
["Haa..."]
Mirianne sighed deeply, looking despondent at the questions.
["Shouldn't have trusted those bastards."]
["Who?"]
["The church and those elves. The sa ones who used to flatter us and make a fuss about following us."]
"By any chance, is this church from the past the sa as today's Holy Church?"
At Louis' question, Mirianne nodded and began to explain.
Because of the Chaos Dragon that caused the great cataclysm, the continent was engulfed in fear.
Of those, the ones who suffered most were the church and the elf people.
["It just so happened that their settlents were near where the Chaos Dragon appeared. Naturally, their suffering was the greatest."]
Even after the five heroes defeated the Chaos Dragon, their nightmares did not fade easily.
The surviving heroes pitied and cared for them, and they, in turn, revered those heroes as gods.
"I read about those exploits in books. It's just what I read."
["At least that part hasn't been distorted. But what cos next, you probably don't know."]
The real problem ca after that.
After the Chaos Dragon disappeared and the heroes retired one by one, a major problem occurred with the World Tree.
They had borrowed too much of the World Tree's power to defeat that beast.
"When you say borrowed its power, do you an...?"
["That's right. It was to create the blueprint for the artifact you now possess."]
In order to exterminate the Chaos Dragon, they had to borrow the power of the World Tree, also known as the Tree of Wisdom.
Thanks to its imnse wisdom, the blueprint was created, and the weapons the heroes used were also born from it.
["Thanks to that, the World Tree was on the verge of withering. You all know what happens if the World Tree withers, right?"]
Because the World Tree was called the source of life, there was a legend that the world would perish if it withered.
In reality, as it began to wither, monsters beca more ferocious and the demon realm more active.
["To prevent that, I beca one with the World Tree. It was to revive the World Tree, even if only a little. However..."]
There was no need.
After rging with the tree, she found out firsthand that the World Tree was not so tree that governed all life.
It was simply a gigantic tree possessing strong magic power—nothing more, nothing less.
["The church and the elves realized this fact too late. But if that truth were known, the World Tree they worshipped would have no aning left. So they sought to exalt it further."]
The Great Mage's rging made the World Tree even greater—spreading this slogan, they continued their missionary work.
The church expanded its influence, eventually establishing itself as a kingdom, the country now called the Holy Nation.
"So you an they used the World Tree and Lady Mirianne as tools to expand their power?"
When Silia looked appalled at that, Mirianne gave a wry smile.
["It's still too soon to be shocked."]
"What do you an?"
["The real problem erupted after the demonkin war."]
Naturally, the Holy Nation was involved in that war.
Compared to the Imperial Court, though, the Holy Nation suffered fewer casualties—but only because it had maximized the World Tree's power.
["To ensure their own safety, they amplified the World Tree's power to the limit. Thanks to that, the Holy Nation was barely damaged by the monsters' attacks, but the World Tree ended up in its current state as the price."]
That was how it turned into a dead tree.
Nonetheless, in the public's eyes, the World Tree was supposed to be the immortal tree.
The Holy Nation and the elves used that to deceive the entire world.
["They kept experinting, insisting that the World Tree could not be allowed to die. But all they could do was make it 'appear' not dead, and as a side effect, I lost my mind."]
From the mont she rged with the World Tree up to now, Mirianne had witnessed everything related to it—for centuries, at that.
["It's amazing I managed to stay sane until now."]
["So... It was all for nothing?"]
In truth, the World Tree was not sothing that had to be revived at all costs.
The Holy Nation knew this, but kept it secret for the sake of their faith.
Maybe that's why no one could easily enter this elf village—to hide the truth.
"So the dead tree was kept functioning by force?"
["That's right."]
Louis stuck out his tongue at that bizarre truth.
"This is full-on necromancy."
["Do you know what was sacrificed to maintain that dead thing?"]
With a hollow smile, Mirianne replied,
["People, of course."]
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I'm not surprised the elves and the church are corrupt...
【????????(??????)】
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