Amethyst-colored eyes reflected my image.
“Aiden. We promised to be together for life, right?”
“Uh… yeah.”
I answered in a daze to the sudden question. Immediately after, Chesa’s soft touch caressed my cheek. My face flushed at the pleasant fragrance tickling my nose.
“Seeing you now reminds me of myself when I just returned from the magic tower. If something’s troubling you, let’s share it. It’ll be much better than brooding alone.”
Her tone was calm, yet mixed with something warm and tepid. For her, who was stingy with emotional expressions, this was close to the maximum sign of affection.
“……”
Instead of replying, I started walking, still holding hands with Chesa interlaced.
After pondering for a while, I finally opened my mouth with difficulty.
“It’s not that big a deal, but it was my first time killing someone directly, so that’s why. This might haunt my dreams tonight….”
She was slightly surprised at my honest story.
“You’re more delicate than I thought, Aiden.”
“…Am I?”
Chesa’s words left me in a daze.
What on earth was my usual image like?
“I thought you were so action-oriented that you didn’t care about enemies’ well-being. Most war mages or knights who’ve received professional training are like that.”
“I was lazy, so I never got any mental training. With my first master, Linfred, I just learned swordsmanship half-heartedly and called it quits.”
In fact, right after possession, I got tangled in various annoying matters, and the period of proper instruction wasn’t that long, so I didn’t have the leeway to follow a systematic curriculum.
At my words, Chesa tilted her head.
She seemed to react to the keyword “lazy.”
In truth, since meeting her, I’d been living really busily. On top of that, Chesa, who had studied at the magic tower for five years, knew nothing about Aiden Stroke’s delinquent days, so it wasn’t a strange reaction.
To be honest.
I was worried that my appearance just now might have given her the impression that I was weak.
I thought I needed to give my companions the trust that “if they follow me, I can handle anything.”
To that end, I also needed to show bold and aggressive sides. Especially in this fantasy world where respect for others’ lives was less than in the modern world.
But unexpectedly.
Chesa just smiled faintly.
“You’re kind, Aiden.”
“……”
It was a smile like a painting.
What is this? An angel?
The moment such an embarrassingly cheesy thought crossed my mind, something appeared before my eyes.
[The Firebird (S-) trait manifests.]
[You feel considerably closer to your partner. Potential level increases by 1.]
“…Huh.”
I knew that the power of Firebird varied greatly depending on the mutual emotional state of the two.
But having the system blatantly text it out and reveal the change felt awkward.
The Nano Eater at Chesa’s waist glowed.
「It seems the spare master’s vessel has expanded slightly. Cause unknown.」
“The vessel expanded?”
Chesa wore a puzzled expression.
Unlike me, she had no meta knowledge.
Even if I said her potential level increased, it would sound like nonsense.
In the original work, characters who mentioned potential levels were rare. Most of them, as Nano Eater just said, expressed the limit on the sheet as a “vessel.”
「Analysis complete.」
「It’s the link effect from the previously ingested Wings of the Firebird. It is estimated that the two masters have positively influenced each other through mutual resonance.」
「The cause of the resonance is still unknown, but it appears to be due to a closer psychological distance.」
「For more efficient data collection, I strongly recommend skinship that can rapidly close the psychological distance with the partner.」
“……”
Our footsteps stiffened at Nano Eater’s monotonous speech.
Unconsciously, strength entered our interlaced hands.
We averted our gazes, but our eyes met.
Chesa’s lips, glistening more than usual, captured my attention.
Riding the strange atmosphere, our breaths grew rough.
Ah, this is dangerous.
I just vomited, what do I do.
The moment I felt distressed.
“Ahh! I found the two after their secret rendezvous!”
Unfortunately, Clara caught us walking back to the lodging holding hands and teased us relentlessly.
“Alley-oop… Ouch!”
For some reason, I was annoyed and gave her a honey chestnut with more force than usual.
“Haa….”
From behind, Chesa let out a sigh.
It hinted at a strange mix of relief and regret.
The Proxy of the Guardian Tree (S-)
-Authority to utilize the power of the Great Tree
-Plant manipulation function
-Massive correction to affinity with all spirits
※Power greatly weakened due to low compatibility
※Conditional on function 1 (total 3 types)
This was the trait I obtained by consuming the Root of Thousand Waters (S). I wandered around Illinoer, abusing the power of this proxy trait.
“Growth acceleration.”
Pat!
A bright halo burst from my hand.
As this halo touched the wheat grass, the staple food of the fairies, the crop began to grow at a visible speed.
Though the effect was greatly weakened due to low genetic compatibility, it was still an S-grade trait, warts and all. It was growth acceleration on a different level from other high fairies.
If I could handle this trait as well as Tiamia, more diverse applications would become possible. For example, altering the properties of crops themselves to achieve effects similar to breeding.
“I can’t believe it. Even though he’s a quarter, his ‘symbiosis’ is on a different level from other high fairies.”
“Is he really the successor of the fairy hero?”
The watching fairies murmured.
Suddenly, a message from the Tripper System appeared before me.
[Tiamia Lapiru Arieldee, the hero revered as a demigod among the fairies of the Great Forest.
The residents of Illinoer look up to you, who possesses similar authority to her.]
[Divinity increases by 1.]
The effort of advertising myself as the proxy of the Great Tree all over the neighborhood paid off.
With this, my pure [Divinity] reached 5.
Adding the effect of the sacred amulet made it 6.
That was on par with Estriel, the highest assassin of the Circulation Church, and higher than most named figures on the Prima Continent.
Moreover, through this journey, I had the halo of Tiamia on my back. It was no exaggeration to say that my standing among the ordinary fairies of the Great Forest now surpassed that of the heads of the three families.
The conditions were set to work diligently until the hero’s resurrection.
I went to the Kirianejial family.
“What is that Erendrel guy doing?”
“…He’s been holed up in his private room since the duel.”
“Is that so? Seems the shock was big.”
The high fairy’s face crumpled. Hearing such words from the one who rendered their family’s top prospect crippled must have been unpleasant.
“…What brings you here.”
“Nothing much, just as the proxy of the Guardian Tree, I wanted you to relay a message to that Erendrel guy.”
I erased all traces of a smile.
And spoke with the proxy’s coercive force.
“Tell him to come to Elanore within a year and bash his head to Linia. Then, conditionally, I’m willing to reattach at least one arm.”
“That’s impossible even for the Pope of the Life Church! Successor of Tiamia, can you truly keep that word!”
“Depending on the situation, maybe?”
Of course, for him to get his arm back, he’d have to pay a price worse than death.
[MacGuffin No.500 / Acquired the Fifteen Divine Guards.]
[Achievement points +750]
As I mentioned when meeting Fina Lu Arieldee, among those affiliated with the Fifteen Divine Guards of the Great Forest, there are a few who don’t appear in the original work.
And among them, there was one mentioned as stronger than Erendrel, whom I fought this time—a powerhouse comparable to the Continent’s Twelve Heroes.
It was a veteran patroller named “Kirilen La Pirion.” While investigating the Fifteen Divine Guards, I learned that his residence was outside Illinoer, on the outskirts of the Great Forest.
“Hello. Are you Kirilen?”
“That’s me… Are you the proxy of the Guardian Tree who’s been causing a stir in Illinoer lately? You don’t look like the rumors said, not resembling our kin at all.”
A middle-aged man with a displeased expression at my visit. Checking his sheet, he was a fairy of level [52/53] who had evenly mastered archery and spirit arts.
In the original history, this man fled outside the Great Forest and widely spread the news of the incident inside Illinoer.
The reason he, a member of the Fifteen Divine Guards, could escape without having his ego fully taken by Tiamia wasn’t precisely mentioned in the original, but after meeting and talking with him, I could easily figure it out.
“The high fairies kept trying to drag me into politics, which annoyed me, so I just left Illinoer and decided to stay on the forest outskirts.”
In the process, he clashed with the family elders and, in a fit of anger, even performed the ritual to return the “Blessing of the Great Tree.”
And yet, he avoided expulsion from the Fifteen Divine Guards while receiving the respect of the patrollers—truly a remarkable person.
[MacGuffin No.401 / Acquired the Fugitive Kirilen.]
[Achievement points +750]
A MacGuffin with a lower numbering than expected.
Come to think of it, Kirilen’s successful escape was the signal flare announcing the full-scale actions of the Five Heroes, so it wasn’t strange.
“This is nice; I can talk with the proxy.”
“You’re refreshingly bold, unlike the stuffy fairies of Illinoer, Kirilen. I’d like to maintain our connection.”
“You’re welcome anytime.”
I succeeded in making acquaintances with Kirilen.
With this, I’d obtained most of the benefits available here. I’d already stayed for nearly a month, so it was time to leave the Great Forest.
I retrieved Restinel, which had been waiting in the warehouse, and exited the Great Forest. Naturally, I received the utmost guidance from the fairy patrollers along the way.
And about two weeks later.
I safely returned to Elanore.
Branch and Leaf Knight Orders’ reinforcements.
The Proxy of the Guardian Tree (S-) trait.
The elixir, Soul of the Twisted Old Tree (S-).
Removal of the Blessing of the Great Tree on Linia.
These were the gains from this Great Forest journey. Except for the last blessing matter, they were results I hadn’t anticipated obtaining on this trip.
The biggest help in handling the immediate tasks would be the support from the elite knights under the two families.
However, in the long term, the trait and elixir were also enormous gains.
Through the Proxy of the Guardian Tree (S-) trait, I not only gained management authority over the Great Tree but also a massive correction to spirit affinity. Adding my original Spirit Affinity · Strong (A), I could skip the spirit arts training process entirely and contract with that “Great Spirit of Oath.”
Next, the elixir.
Soul of the Twisted Old Tree (S-)
-Upon consumption, acquire Decay Hexer (S-) trait
-Upon consumption, greatly increase dark-attribute resistance and dominance
-Upon consumption, potential…
-Upon…
-U…
※A tremendously powerful curse dwells in the consumer
※If left unchecked, corrodes surrounding objects
The treasure of the Kirianejial family.
At the same time, a troublesome item.
This Soul of the Twisted Old Tree (S-) doesn’t have good synergy with the elixirs I’ve consumed. Thus, it’s an arrangement prepared for another companion.
The penalty must be borne, but the core Decay Hexer (S-) ranks high in power and utility among S-grades continent-wide.
Moreover, there are ways to mitigate the penalty.
Depending on the consumer’s qualities, it’s even possible to turn the penalty into a plus factor.
If I had to pick the most suitable person for this elixir, it would be “her,” whom I’m seriously considering recruiting right now.
One moment, lost in thought.
Linia came to my private room.
“Young, young, Young Master!”
“Why the fuss again?”
“It’s worth the fuss! Your great-uncle, Sir Ebel Stroke, has come to Elanore!”
My expression stiffened slightly.
“So it’s come….”