Chapter 101

The one whos badly hurt theres only one more person left .

I sit down in front of the fallen investigator and check his complexion .

His face was blue and bloodless .

He grunts occasionally but his eyes remain meditated and he seemed unconscious .

He doesnt respond to me as I approach him, either .

As I looked at the other investigators, I noticed something that looked like poison on the location of his injuries .

Although it was colorless water, it seemed to be reacting to magic .

Perhaps this was causing him to be disoriented .

Some of them could talk even if their injuries were severe, so it would vary from person to person .

I had Mea turn the investigator lying on his back over and put him on his face .

This guy is injured on his back .

When I asked him about it, he told me that he had been stabbed in the back with a tree root while escaping .

He put his hands on his clothes and rolled them up .

A b.l.o.o.d.y bandage is wrapped around it .

The bandage was cut and removed with the wood carving knife, revealing the location of the injury .

The flesh has been gouged out and dirt is mixed in .

I remove the lid of the Hyottle and pours the water inside on the back of the survey team .

Uhh, ugh

The man on the survey team screams in pain .

Oh Impure, leave .

I point my wand at it and chant, and the water I poured over it wriggles and creates a small swirl .

It mixes with blood and dirt, and with them, it falls from my belly and soaks into the soil .

Maybe now that strange water has fallen off .

He continues, waving his cane .

Revitalization

The platelets rapidly gathered and hardened, forming a beautiful pressure sore .

His expression softened quickly and he seemed to relax from his shoulders .

As I watched her, she began to make faint breathing sounds like she was sleeping .

I pressed my wand against the injured area and lightly let the magic flow through it .

By doing this, the repulsive magic power is returned to the wand, giving me a thinly veiled idea of the state of the body .

D-, does Elma look okay?

Allen bends down and asks me .

Its probably the name of the fallen investigator .

She should wake up in time . Maybe .

Im mostly self-taught, and I dont have much practical experience, so I cant say for sure .

Im sure itll be fine first .

thank you very much . Looking back, Im sorry for always helping me out . You were able to use medical magic as well as a.n.a.lysis, right?

Hmm? Ahhh, well, its just a bit of a nibble .

I thought I had used a lot of attack magic in the ruins, but it seemed to be completely recognized by the survey team members as an a.n.a.lysis person .

It was Maizen who was standing in the front line and fighting, and they were put to sleep by Ebelheid along the way, so thats how they see it .

Medical magic isnt my specialty, so youd better show it to someone proper when you return .

No, no, even so, it still really helped! I dont know what would have happened if it hadnt happened . I underestimated the case just now . If such a monster is out there, we should plan a countermeasure and then bring the rest of the squad with us

I wondered if they wouldnt call on the Adventurers Support Center to take them down, but I remembered that the n.o.blemans private army was mainly drawn from adventurers .

If they couldnt do it, it would be difficult for even the adventurers to do so .

At worst, they might have to burn down part of the forest .

I, I think it would be better if you wait for now .

At any rate, we will return with you to the city . Well reward you again on our own

Oh, Ahhhh, I guess thats what would happen .

Im sorry, but I dont want to turn back after coming this far .

The future Ortem is right around the corner .

Since we just got here, I think we might do some more exploring Oh, Im going to avoid the one with the monster and explore the west side from here, so dont worry .

I see . I dont want to force you to do anything, but please come to the lords residence . You are always welcome to visit us . If you tell us where youre lodgings at, well be able to

N, no, you dont have to

I wave my hands from side to side, a little embarra.s.sed .

It wasnt easy even in my previous life to have a rich mans mansion welcome me .

I dont know the etiquette or anything, and its a bit of a different world from mine . And I dont have any intention to make much of a connection with it .

Actually, Wegener-sama said that he wants to see Abel-san again Ive approached the Adventurers Support Center as well, but you havent registered, Abel-san, have you?

Oh, no, about that, Im really okay .

Im sorry, but I dont have a very good memory of that barcode guy, and I dont want to get involved if I can .

It just reeks of trouble .

I see

Im glad I registered under a fake name .

Thanks, Mr . Mountain . Youre always a great help .

But please come when youre ready! Absolutely!

Oh, Ahhhh, yeah .

I cant judge if I feel like it or not .

After separating from the survey team and heading west, I change my course in a circle and head towards the direction of the monster they said .

I activate the World Trees Ortem again and switch to magic power sensing and leading-the-way mode .

The Ortem makes another thumping sound and moves forward .

Is it really all right? Meas starting to feel a bit worried . Its probably best to leave it to the experts after all

Its all right . You can cut it with the wood carving knife .

If you want a tree, Mea will buy it! As a matter of fact, the owner of Chimeras Tail said the other day that I could sell my horns to him

N-, no, you really dont have to do that, okay? Youre kidding, right?

That shopkeeper, he said that when I wasnt there .

I turn around and glance at Meas head .

will it be such good material?

No, I dont intend to use it, but Im just a little curious about its use

I found a small purple flower on the way .

It must be a flower called Popolga .

After the petals fall off, they have the tendency to send the fluff flying, sending the seeds far away in the wind .

However, normally the petals should be red .

They must have been discolored under the influence of an unusual magical power .

Its about time, its there .

At the same time I said it, the World Trees Ortem stopped moving .

As I stopped walking, I noticed that the surroundings had become unusually quiet .

Wors.h.i.+p me as the G.o.d

The words have been poured into my head .

A sense seemed to emanate from the black tree growing in front of me .

That could be the rumored monster .

Or else I will grant you death

The tree had been partially gouged out and looked like a face .

There was a shaved branch at the nose, and the eye area was depressed .

It was droopy-eyed and smiling .

Its more of a demon-possessed tree than a magic beast .

There are several precedents for demon-possessed trees .

It was mentioned in a book the chief had .

I believe its more commonly called Evil Bound .

This is the first time Ive seen it, but Im almost certain it is .

Demons are said to be delusional in many cases .

Maybe he didnt kill the survey team because he wanted them to spread the word about him and become a G.o.d by awe .

In fact, a demon is often the beginning of a small demonic religion .

Its quite tricky when the demon dies, and the beliefs and rituals remain .

Ive heard that its reduced considerably since the Kudor fanatics used to go around crus.h.i.+ng them thoroughly .

The tree must have been raised in a certain way before it was possessed . I can sense the demons own obsession with the trees appearance .

However, its hard to say about the value of the tree without looking into it .

Ive never heard of a case where something was made out of Evil Bound .

Ive heard that its usually burned because its a bad omen .

Ive heard that they leave the roots behind because they can be used as a medium for witchcraft and medicine .

A demon is a collection of spirits that have become a single living being .

In some cases, it is said to be a spirit beast or a great spirit, but there is not a very clear line between the two .

When a demon dies, it disperses and reverts back to being just a spirit . Therefore, leaving a corpse behind requires careful magical protection .

Although the Evil Bound will not disappear as it only possesses the tree, it still needs to be quickly preserved to prevent the demon from losing its quality after the demons death .

Oh human, are you afraid of me?

After Evil Bounds thoughts flew in, the trees in the forest began to sway and make a lot of noise .

It is a provocation unique to Evil Bound, imitating human laughter . Ive only read about it in books, so Im a little impressed .

Mea pulls my hem .

When I turn around, her face has turned pale .

Whats the matter, Mea?

A-Abel Dont tell me that its an Ortem that Abel carved in the past?

Mea glanced back and forth to the World Tree Ortem and the Evil Bound .

Suddenly, all at once, the forest became quiet .

Demons have a strong sense of self-respect .

Although I dont think he knew much about the language commonly used by humans, but he could somehow guess from her eyes that he was compared to the Ortem .

The bark of the tree stirred and his expression changed .

You dare to compare me to a mere wooden doll! I dont see how we can be identical!

To a mere wooden doll!?

I point my wand at Evil Bound .

The World Tree Ortem, who had stopped moving in front of me, charges at Evil Bound .

Ortem jumps up and spins vertically in the air, striking Evil Bounds high nose .

!? What!?

With a grinding noise, Evil Bounds nose snaps off .

How dare you call my masterpiece a mere wooden puppet! Im going to make you take those words back!

I point my finger to the Evil Bound .

Hell beat the c.r.a.p out of you with that thing .

Wha-, what did you say? Is that something you can talk to?

Perhaps due to the guilt of having been provoked by her own eyes earlier, Mea says with surprise, but with her voice hidden .

It seems that there are many sorcerers who use spirit language by memorizing only what is necessary for the exercise of magic .

But after all, its better to remember and understand all of them, so you can deepen your understanding of spirits and, more importantly, your understanding of magic .

Moreover, even if you dont know the magic, if you memorize spirit language, you can understand what magic itll do just by listening to the spell .

A branch that resembles Evil Bounds hand moves and glares at me, holding the area of its nose .

Youve really angered me

Black roots begin to grow from all over the ground .

As we heard from the survey team, manipulating the roots seems to be the main attack .

Afterward, after holding out your hand, they also blow strong winds at you .

If I know what youre going to do, then its easy to deal with it .

That toy! Ill crush it!

Evil Bound seems to have his eyes on the Ortem .

Just what Id like .