Here’s the chapter, enjoy~
ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 10 – The Gluttonous World Tree III
Part 1
The edges of the sky began to erode into a bright lapis lazuli color.
Another morning was about to arrive.
“…Dear. Look at that.”
Cracks began to appear on the trunk of the towering, Gluttonous World Tree. The vines, roots, and demonic fruits suddenly turned into particles of light, and the city of Heim fell completely silent. A jet-black ball of light still floated in the sky, and the eyes looking down at Misty and the others from within the cracks stirred more vigorously than a few moments before.
“It’s about to be born.”
“You mean it is really going to fight?”
“No. It is trying to sacrifice its life force to use the power it was supposed to have after it was fully grown. Look. The black liquid leaking from the trunk is slowly floating away in the light.”
The disaster that Misty mentioned when she first stopped the Gluttonous World Tree was the disaster that was created when it was fully grown. The power of the Demon King, which Ramza said could bury an entire continent in an instant, and which there was no way to stop once it was born, was about to manifest itself.
“At this rate, it will eventually die. No matter how many roots it has spread throughout the continent and how much it eats, it will soon starve to death because it can’t keep up with the consumption.”
“What happened to Ain, then?”
Ramza bellowed.
The answer was that no one had the answer, and they were silent.
──Then.
A dark-haired man appeared out of nowhere and opened his mouth.
“That man is still sleeping. He will eventually get a special seat to see the end of the world and meet his end with me.”
The man appeared behind the three of them.
Naturally, they all turned around, weapons at the ready, to see the man’s face.
“I thought Gail had been revived!”
Ramza and the other three were all surprised to see the man’s face.
But the man was not Gail. There was no need to explain that to them.
“Thank you for explaining. Gluttonous World Tree.”
Misty said.
“While you’re at it, can you tell me something? I know Ain-kun is still sleeping, but have you been defeated by him?”
“Well, I wonder.”
After making vague words, the Gluttonous World Tree began to walk.
Slowly, without any caution.
“──I can’t forgive her.”
The moment the Gluttonous World Tree spoke, the three of them instantly tried to close the distance between them.
But their limbs were bound by the jet-black ivy.
“You’d better not move. My heart is on the verge of collapse, and I can’t seem to control it when it gets out of control. I want you to stay there and be quiet until the end.”
No matter how much they tried to resist, they could not be freed, and every time they resisted, they were bound tighter and tighter.
“Since I have seriously restrained you, it’s pointless for creatures as lowly as you to resist. ──For example, yes, it would be the same even if the Demon King of Jealousy came.”
It was a blow that hit them in the blind spot.
“Did you know about me…?”
Arche, who had not woken up, had left the battlefield, but when she sensed something was wrong, she forced herself to wake up and secretly rush to the scene.
But she was restrained as an example.
Even though her entire body was filled with a flood of magical power, she showed no signs of being able to use magic.
“You can watch the world rot there. You will all decay eventually, so that makes you equal, doesn’t it?”
The Gluttonous World Tree’s steps swayed from side to side, seemingly helpless.
Also, its vision was hazy, indicating that it had only a little strength left.
Fortunately, the distance to the desired girl was not far. The place was still under the influence of a veil of azure light, making it easy to find, and it made me smile.
“Hello.”
As it approached with a friendly smile, the veil of azure light seemed to twinkle and warn her.
Krone looked at the face of the Gluttonous World Tree as it came to her. Its face, much like Ain’s, makes her feel sad and irritated.
“Stop.”
“I have no right to listen to your wishes. I have nothing against you, but I have no feelings for you. Do you know why?”
“…..I don’t know.”
The distance between the two drew closer.
Krone instantly knew that the man was the Gluttonous World Tree, but she showed no signs of escaping with Ain in her arms.
Rather, she held a dagger for self-defense in one hand while turning hostile eyes on it.
“It’s pointless, that.”
The veil of azure light shattered just as the Gluttonous World Tree dispelled it with a hand.
Without needing to bring its hand down, an ivy appeared from right beside Krone and bound her hand up. The dagger slipped from her hand, and she struggled to hold on, only to have it ripped from her lover’s grasp.
“You have a taste for messing around with fragile little girls?”
“Hmm….. You’re surprisingly puny. That’s why you lost.”
“That’s right. You’re really very different from Ain-sama.”
The three people who were supposed to be restrained earlier stood between Krone and the Gluttonous World Tree.
Then Misty appeared beside Krone and hugged her body.
“I commend you for not running away──but will you please stop insulting me any further?”
The Gluttonous World Tree couldn’t hold back its frustration.
It wanted to quickly kill that woman, release its power, and eat as much as it could eat. It wanted to look at the altered world side by side with Ain and die with one last look at his face.
“You fragile mortals. I’ll finish you off in one breath.”
The eyes of the Gluttonous World Tree, as it spat out the words, clearly showed that it was already at the limit of its ability to maintain its sanity.
◇ ◇ ◇
Walking through the Great Temple.
The lights on the walls were lit one by one as Ain passed by.
“I knew it was you.”
When Ain reached the deepest part of the temple, he looked up at the pedestal on which the sword was sealed.
“It’s good to see you again.”
“My pleasure, too. ──Your Majesty Gail.”
Gail was sitting on the stairs leading to the pedestal, and when he saw Ain coming, he added, “You can sit next to me.”
The lightness of his tone startled Ain, but he obeyed and sat down.
“Congratulations.”
Gail said as they sat down next to each other.
“…..It isn’t over yet.”
“It’s already done. You beat the red fox and even surpassed me.”
“No. I haven’t defeated the Gluttonous World Tree yet.”
Gair shrugged his shoulders.
“But thank you for what you did earlier.”
Ain thanked him abruptly.
“Hmm, what is it?”
“For helping me out. I also borrowed the power of Raviola-sama. I can’t thank you both enough.”
“Oh. So, you say you won because of our power.”
“Am I wrong?”
“I don’t think so. In the end, it depends on who uses the power.”
It doesn’t look like he was saying this out of concern. Gail’s profile was serious, and there was no hint of joking in his voice.
“Be proud. And have confidence in your own strength.”
“…..”
“Your response?”
“──I didn’t think I’d be able to show you the size of my vessel until the very end.”
Gail laughed high when he heard this reply. He was amused by Ain’s expression and voice when he did not give a straight answer.
“Ah, I laughed so hard. I didn’t think I would laugh like that after I became like this.”
At the mention of “like this,” Ain said as if he was remembering.
“Excuse me! Can I ask you one question?”
“Hmm, sure.”
“…Is Your Majesty Gail, who is sitting next to me right now, a memory contained in Ishtar?”
“I guess not.”
“Then, are you an undead──or something?”
“That’s not it either. Oh, but I’m not going to tell you. If you ask me any more questions, I will remain silent.”
“Eehh….. you said it was okay…..”
“I didn’t say I’d answer, and I don’t want to tell you. Well, it’s not a big deal, so don’t worry about it.”
It was as if Ain was looking at himself in the mirror.
Even their tone of voice and appearance were similar when they sat side by side like this. Ain didn’t feel bad to think that he looked like the person that he admired, but he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of familiarity with the fact that the person that he admired was so carefree.
“Well.”
Gail adjusted his posture and changed his voice from his usual cheerful manner to a sincere one.
“I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
He looked up at the ceiling of the Great Temple and opened his mouth.
“Thank you for doing what I couldn’t do. Thanks to you, I can now disappear from my regret.”
“──Are you an undead, after all?”
“Hahaha. I’ll never tell you.”
“Hah….. I see.”
“You don’t have to say it with such a sigh. There’s no particular point in knowing, and I think it’s more convenient if you don’t know.”
“I don’t understand it any more than I have to.”
“That’s the way the world works. It’s interesting because there are a lot of things that we don’t understand. ──Maybe.”
“That’s fine. You wouldn’t tell me even if I asked you, so I give up.”
“Hmm, that’s good.”
The two exchange a moment of silence.
The temple was so quiet and solemn that only the sound of their breathing echoed through the air.
The two of them stood up, and their feet naturally went to the platform.
“Can I ask you why your sword was named Ishtar?”
“Fine, but it’s not a particularly interesting story.”
After taking a breath, Gail opened his mouth to look at the Ishtar that Ain was carrying at his waist.
“The continental sword Ishtar. This name was given by the Dwarf who made Ishtar. He said, “This sword is the sword of the king who leads the continent, so there is no other name suitable than this.” ──I didn’t give it myself, so please don’t misunderstand me.”
“Heh, I do not doubt you… There’s no reason to doubt you in the first place.”
No other king fits the term “king” to lead the continent than this man. The reason why the name was given to him would be clear to anyone.
Gail then stopped in front of the pedestal on which he had sealed Ishtar and turned to Ain, who had arrived a few steps behind him.
“Bring Ishtar back here. You don’t need that sword anymore.”
“But…..”
“The price of my power will be your awakening. The power of the Demon King’s destruction will sever your spirit, and you will break free from the grip of the Gluttonous World Tree and regain your freedom.”
It was unsettling, and Ain wondered if he was really going to be okay.
He did not doubt Gail’s words that he could get out, but if he lost his power, he did not know if he could win against the Gluttonous World Tree.
He had to return it in order to get out, but there was also a part of him that was hesitant.
“If you say you’re afraid to return it, I’ll get mad, so just go with it.”
“…..Can I just have one thing?”
“Hmm, what is it?”
“Even in a situation like this, you’re being too relaxed.”
“I don’t think it’s right to be uptight, and I don’t like to feel suffocated.”
While Ain is still not fully convinced, Gail continues.
“Let’s get back to the point. The point is, you’ve surpassed me, so you don’t need to rely on my help anymore.”
“──I don’t think I’ve really surpassed you.”
“You’ve surpassed me. You’re already stronger than me. You look so different from when I saw you before.”
He smiled a kind, reassuring smile.
With a shake of his head, Gail indicated the pedestal and urged him to bring Ishtar back as soon as possible.
Letting out a breath, Ain finally made up his mind and took a step forward, then another.
“Your Majesty Gail.”
Ain called out the hero king’s name in front of the pedestal and reached for the handle of the Ishtar.
“I am so glad I admired you.”
“…..I’m having a hard time deciding whether to call it admiration or regression.”
“Regression?”
“You’ll figure it out someday. The only thing you have to think about now is yourself.”
Without understanding, Ain pulled out the Ishtar and held it in the opposite hand on the pedestal. Light shone through the stained glass. The face of Gail, who looked much like himself, was reflected on the silver sword’s blade.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to go save the world now.”
Yeah──Go ahead.”
Ishtar was returned to the pedestal.
A dazzling bluish-white light arose from the pedestal and spiraled up around it. The scenery of the great temple was instantly covered in dazzling light.
Eventually──.
Thanks for the chapter
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