66 – Patience-6

“So, I’ve come to a situation where I have to deal with this…”

It ended up like this. A sigh came out as if the ground would go out.

Farseer smiled as he alternately looked at me and Nerwen, who were in trouble, wondering what was so funny.

“God… is it God?”

Celia pursed her lips.

“Yeah. Well, speaking of God, are you going to do anything? Just like you did back then in that town?”

“Ah… no…”

The atmosphere was not serious, so I shot her once, and she calmed down again.

It seems that he had taken off his eyepatch when we first met, but before he knew it, he was covering his eyes. However, I didn’t want to pay more attention to her.

“It wasn’t a god! It was just a tree! It was just a tree full of energy, slightly tainted with witchcraft!”

Nerwen tried to defend himself somehow, as if the apology was so resentful.

“What’s that about? The fact that you tried to cut down a tree they consider sacred doesn’t change.”

“That’s… not God…”

Seeing the quarrel, Farseer shook his head.

“For now, let’s go and see it. Don’t worry too much. We’ll be able to solve it.”

At least it was comforting. In fact, there was no way it couldn’t be solved.

The saintess and the archmage are here. If there was a god here who could bestow blessings stronger than those two, there was no way this village could live so trivially.

/////

The tree in question was still guarded by three or four village men.

They trembled at the sight of us, but didn’t seem to want to move easily.

Farseer and Celia were able to detect the movement of magic just by looking at it for a moment.

“Definitely not a sacred tree… but you’ve probably noticed.”

“Of course, I knew.”

The divine tree is truly a living being. In a bit of an extreme case, it is a being with intelligence enough to converse with the followers of that tree.

However, the energy hovering around the tree was subtle. It was just a tree.

“Even knowing that…”

“I gave you a chance to explain. And you, instead of explaining what you did, just said that humans are uncivilized and your actions were right.”

“I’m sorry…”

“If you have any regrets, say it now. There’s no reason to listen to you if it doesn’t help resolve the situation.”

Nerwen’s body trembled, but he didn’t want to ask why.

“It wasn’t anything special. It’s just… the previous battle, it was just that the arrows contained in the spirit were not enough. I used that tree a little to make up for it.”

“It must have been a tree being managed?”

The dolls hanging from the tips of the tree branches were a bit clumsy, but they probably contain at least a wish for good fortune.

“But, there is no god there! All these humans believe in a false god, or something that pretends to be a god!”

“therefore?”

“I just cleaned the trees a little and made arrows in a hurry! I didn’t even think of harming them, and I endured even when they ran into me with anger!”

“Whatever it was… Ha, no. It’s done.”

The difference in perception was too great. Come to think of it, it wasn’t her fault alone.

God didn’t exist in my world. At least, there was no means to publicly prove that it exists.

However, religion was protected, and of course I couldn’t help but have the concept in my head that ‘religious beliefs must be protected whether they exist or not.’

But for her living in this world, it was a slightly different story. The world tree existed, and the gods of the church did not directly reveal their voices, but were clearly revealing their existence with their divine power.

Considering that even Celia, who would cause a fight if it was heresy, didn’t change her expression, what was here was undoubtedly not God.

A place without God was truly a place without God to her, who could confirm the presence or influence of God with her eyes, smell, or energy. It was an obvious fact, and not worth considering or negotiating.

I could understand her a bit, but it didn’t help solve the problem anyway.

“Can you figure out the cause?”

“This is the Guardian Spirit’s side. First of all, the spell cast here isn’t fake, and it doesn’t seem to have malicious intent or a special purpose…”

The reality of what the villagers believed to be gods was separate. This tree is just a catalyst full of aura.

To Nerwen, it would be nothing more than a ‘miscellaneous curse’ that sucks the energy of trees, but at least it’s a spell that gives the villagers something close to blessing.

“…can you recover it?”

“The frame of the ritual was not broken, but the elf cut down the tree with all its might. The spirit energy is broken, and it will not recover unless something is done.”

“If this was a spell, wouldn’t it be over in an instant if you or Celia touched it?”

“Of course it’s possible. At most, it’s a spell that makes the child born without harm, slightly reduces pests and induces a bountiful harvest…”

It wasn’t a small thing if you looked at it one by one, but if you look at the level of magic, it was a subtle level of magic that had a little more influence than ‘I feel that way’. It was not enough compared to Farseer’s ability to bludgeon burning stones into the ground.

“It’s just a spell that’s vague and ambiguous, and its effect is vague. But, neither I nor Celia can replace it.”

“why?”

“If that happens, we’ll become spellcasters. At most, the effect will last for a few months and then disappear. The local guardian spirit doesn’t seem particularly hostile, and if this method works without sacrifice, it’s only right to let him continue.” I guess.”

However, that was a problem in itself.

Sometimes, fixing an existing object is more difficult than bringing in a new one. This was especially true if the fixer’s skill was several dozen orders of magnitude higher than the first one.

“It needs to be fixed…”

Numerous magic circles appeared and disappeared on Farseer’s palm. She flicked the pattern with her other hand and continued repairing it.

“It can be done. The branch is broken, so the spell cannot be reproduced in the same way right away, but if you replenish your aura for a while and continue this spell clumsily, it will be restored soon.”

It felt like he was groping for a tree with his fingers, but it was unusual. Magic circles and magical words filled with power were being drawn without a trace in an instant.

“Enerel. Have you ever learned about permanent spells?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Whether it’s magic, elemental magic, or divine power, the structure of the activation is similar. The more difficult the spell, the more arbitrary the conditions and activation are.”

“…Are these words necessary now?”

“Of course. Take the coronation ceremony as an example. Of course, it is important that the prospective emperor is prepared, but we congratulate the new emperor in various ways and create authority.

It’s not comparable to the rituals of these rural villages, but it probably was.

“But there is no guarantee that this method will always match the look.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The spell that summons the dragon with the oath will target the ‘member of the imperial family,’ and the spell that transfers ownership of the imperial library will target the ‘person wearing the crown in the foreground.’”

Like someone who had been there before, Farseer continued to speak smoothly.

“Can’t we just target the ‘Emperor’?”

“That’s inefficient, and sometimes impossible.”

After a flash of purple light flashed over Farseer’s head, she stopped her busy hand.

“The spell that summons the spiritual body that protects the emperor from ancient times is done for ‘those who receive the most spells’, and the blessing that reduces sickness and increases lifespan is done for those who wear successive robes.”

“What’s the point?”

“It means that it can be replaced. It is the basis of magic. Just like using the word ‘Emperor’ divided into several conditions, it is possible to replace conditions that are not the subject of a spell. It is like using a catalyst.”

Conversing like this reminded me of my adventures, and complicated emotions came to my mind.

She was a person who liked to boast unexpectedly, and I, who was easygoing, didn’t know much about magic, and had a good reaction, was a good talker for her.

Of course, the knowledge that Farsi taught me was invaluable. However, I was still not sure if I needed it.

When I think of the adventure, I think of the face of the woman who gave up on me at the end of the adventure, and I feel uncomfortable. But at least when I muttered about her knowledge with a proud face, she might not have hated me.

Now, it’s all meaningless, but…

“But, where are you going to get a replacement for that ‘tree’?”

“Isn’t there just one. A tree that overflows because it doesn’t have enough spiritual energy.”

I stared at Nerwen.

“Surely, they said that elves are born in trees…”

“Magically, elves can be replaced with trees as much as they like. Just like dwarves can magically replace ores. “

Farseer grabbed Nerwen’s arm, made him do something strange, and attached it to a tree.

“What are you doing!”

Nerwen resisted with his mouth, but he couldn’t help but look at me pitifully. Farseer asked me as if he didn’t care.

“Looks like I’ll have to stay here for a day or so. Is that okay?”

“Ha… I can’t help it. Nerwen, you’re on your own. Take responsibility.”

I nodded and turned my back. Nothing more to see here.

“This, like this, being left alone… ghast…”

I thought I could hear trees behind me.