After breakfast, Shin and Schnee went to Tieras room .

As they knocked, Tiera timidly opened the door, as bright red as she was in the hall .

Shin andmaster? You dont mean that-

Er, yes, we do .

Tiera seemed to be thinking of something, as seeing Schnee behind Shin surprised her .

We came to talk about what happened to you last night . Wont you hear us out?

. okay . Come in .

With a serious expression completely different to when she opened the door, Tiera let the two inside .

Shin then told Tiera about everything he saw and heard .

I see . so thats what happened to me

I heard from Schnee that its probably not something bad . Thats all I came to say .

Wait . The chance is right, its time for me to talk about what Ive been hiding .

Shin had stood up after he finished talking, but Tiera stopped him .

You dont have to push yourself, all right?

Thats fine . Its time I stop hiding things from you and the others after all .

She probably felt bad about it . In a way, Tiera felt relieved that she could finally talk .

Munechika also told me that its something certain people can perceive easily . Mitsuyo might have felt it too .

Really? Well then, Im listening .

Could you please call Filma and the others too? Theyre your followers after all, I want to talk about it with everyone .

Shin agreed to Tieras proposal and told Filma and the others to come to Tieras room .

After a few minutes, in addition to Filma and Shibaid, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna arrived too . Shin asked Tiera if it was alright for them to hear too, and Tiera replied that since she had talked about it to Munechika, it was not a problem for Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna to know too .

I have no intention of stringing you along, so Ill say the most important thing first .

Tiera took a deep breath and started talking, her expression suggesting the importance of the decision she had made .

I am a priestess of the World Tree . In a clan that has the unique ability to communicate with the Sacred Tree, which has its roots in the Ley lines and miasma purification, I am a particularly special existenceno, I was .

Was? You mean that you arent anymore?

Tieras words were ultimately in the past tense .

Yes, I cant be called a priestess of the World Tree as I am now . Well, that title itself, Priestess of the World Tree, is something unique to the village I used to live in, though .

She didnt know how those with the same powers as hers were called elsewhere, added Tiera .

The village that was created when elves gathered around the Sacred Tree, a pseudonym for the World Tree, is the place I was born . My clan, the Lucent clan, was originally a clan with especially sharp senses for magic . The clan members with the highest magic senses were chosen as priestess . I think that by now, the next priestess probably already assumed her duties . Thats what I meant when I said I was .

Even among the clan, not all members could communicate with the World Tree . At the time, Tiera seemed to possess the highest potential of all the clan members .

At the beginning, I just had very sharp senses for magic, but gradually my ability specialized in communicating with the World Tree, so now Im a little more sensitive than the average elf . They used to say I have talent, but in the end if theyre not close to the World Tree, priestesses cant use much power . The miasma purification I used was possible just because the depths of the dungeon were close to the Ley lines too .

Tiera stated that her sensitivity towards the Ley lines was a remnant ability of her connection with the World Tree . She could use the miasma purification technique only because it was close to the Ley lines .

According to Tiera, she had powered up too when Filma was freed because she had fulfilled her duty as priestess, or so she thought .

I see, thats how it is . I did feel some sort of aura from you .

I suppose that the other Supreme Blades felt it too .

Mitsuyo nodded in understanding and Kunitsuna, holding her chin, stated her conclusion .

Munechika had asked me about this too . She also told me to be careful, as those with power to influence Ley lines could find out about me .

Without any more reasons to hide it, Tiera also talked about her exchange with Munechika .

Kuu? Purification?

Yeah, maybe you already heard about it, but Tiera purified both Dojigiri and Onimarus miasma .

Shin explained briefly about Tieras purifications to the puzzled Yuzuha .

Tiera, amazing! Kuu

Yuzuha praised Tiera, the tails poking out of her priestess robe and her ears twitching . Even for Yuzuha, what Tiera did was worthy of praise .

Im sorry for cutting in . Is what you said the reason behind your fast growth or the fact that Scoruas and the demons targeted you?

I dont know about the growth, but thats probably it for the demons . The World Tree purifies the impurities of the earth, which makes it a natural enemy of the demons . Those human-like demons probably felt the remains of the World Trees powers still lingering within me .

Its power is still inside you?

Because I used to communicate with the World Tree very frequently . In order to communicate more deeply, part of priestess magic becomes similar to the World Trees magic . Only part of my hair turning silver could have been caused by the World Trees magic power influencing the curse . It wasnt caused by miasma, but the World Trees magic power reacts strongly to impurity and curses .

Tiera continued talking while fiddling with her silver bangs .

However, because of the World Trees great powers, Tieras position as priestess changed drastically after she received the Cursed Gift .

The priestess, a cleanser of impurity, ended up being cursed . It was an unprecedented situation .

Tieras expression darkened as she was reminded of her past .

But, its weird you know, even after receiving the Cursed Gift, I could communicate a little bit with the World Tree . It was different from before though, it was like listening in to someone elses conversation . I can still remember it clearly .

Tiera added that the communication was usually just a hazy exchange of thoughts, which wouldnt express clear words or symbols . The priestess task was to translate such unclear thoughts for people to understand .

I think I heard fragments of words . Though, I dont remember what they were .

She wasnt in the right state of mind to focus on something like that, after all .

Hey, Tiera . What does it actually mean to communicate with the World Tree? Is it just a translation of the World Trees thoughts? Thats not all it is, right?

Shin tried to shift the topic so Tiera wouldnt focus too much on her expulsion from the village .

It also depends on what you are good or bad at, but its possible to control the weather in a limited range, create barriers, scry far away locations, and all sorts of things . It varies a lot from person to person . I heard that one of the past priestesses could even predict the future .

. its kind of similar to the Star Reader title .

What the words predict the future reminded Shin of were Millies words, which predicted Yuzuhas danger . The World Tree could probably grant this ability even without a title .

What were you good at, Tiera?

Hearing that abilities depended on individual talent, Filma asked Tiera about her particular talent .

My talent was spirit channelingto temporarily bring back the spirits of the dead . Im not sure if I could actually do it though .

During channeling, she would be almost completely unconscious, so she could only learn the results from others .

Tiera added that one of her most important duties was to channel past priestesses to borrow their powers and to recall the spirits of those who died from accidents or disease, so they could say their last words to their loved ones .

So you were channeling someone that time? It did feel like it wasnt actually you .

What do you mean?

I couldnt see clearly, but when your face came closer, I saw someone else in your eyes, looking at me . WellI didnt feel any hostility though .

She came in for the kiss, after allshe wouldnt if she was hostile, right? But it really is weirdwhy kiss?

Dont ask me! But she was crying too . Well, Tiera was the one actually crying, but those tears were caused by that persons emotions, no?

Shin took advantage of Filmas interruption to express one of his doubts .

It was difficult to talk about the kiss itself, but he could probably get away with the current flow of the conversation .

One possibility is that you simply mistook who you saw . Or it was someone you know . Im sorry to say, though, but that person is probably already

I know, dont worry . Thats not something you need to concern yourself with .

Tiera hid her face apologetically, but Shin replied in the most cheerful way he could .

Channeling a spirit meant that the target had to be already dead . Tiera had explained that it was not possible to call upon the spirit of someone still alive .

Thats bizarre though . My ability shouldnt work away from the World Tree . Why is this happening even though Im not a priestess?

Maybe you only think it shouldnt work, and it actually does . Could it be possible?

I dont think so, butlike this time, maybe it happened already and I just dont remember .

It was difficult to detect when Tieras ability manifested .

Even if someone was channeled through Tiera, as long as that person didnt do something unusual, it would be difficult to notice .

You cant use that power by yourself?

I could if the World Tree was close . But I cant even feel its presence around here . I tried in Tsuki no Hokora too, but never succeeded .

Tiera answered negatively to Mitsuyos totally reasonable question .

Schnee, do you have any idea what this could be?

no, nothing unfortunately . At least, I have never witnessed something like what Shin talked about .

Even Schnee, who had lived with Tiera, answered contrary to Shins expectations .

That cant be helped . While master trained me and taught me about the store in the beginning, she normally was busy somewhere else, so even if my ability had manifested she wouldnt have been there to see it .

Tiera saw Shin thinking deeply and mistakenly thought he was dejected, so she hurried to defend Schnee .

Hmm? Ah, no, dont worry, Im not feeling down or anything . I was just thinking that if it didnt happen in Tsuki no Hokora, it must have been caused by you coming here .

Even close to Bayreuth -where Tsuki no Hokora was located- there was Yuzuhas territory, which had decently sized Ley lines .

That territory had been tainted by miasma, but the mutated monsters had been defeated by Shin before Tiera could come close . Furthermore, the miasma had already disappeared along with the monsters .

Because of that, Tiera -who couldnt leave Tsuki no Hokora- did not have the chance to go to such an area, as it happened this time, or so Shin thought .

Is this place that special? I know its weird that its full-blown winter outside while its spring in here, but being a guildhouse, its understandable .

The earth has been revitalized thanks to the Ley lines . Its probably due to the power of this guildhouse . Nothing of this degree happened at Fuji after all .

Tiera presented a theory in response to Filmas question . Elven senses were even capable of perceiving the earths activities .

Thats incredibleSchnee, can you feel it too?

My senses are not that sharp . I can feel something through plants, thats it . I think this is also related to Tieras natural abilities .

Schnee explained how elves senses depended on the individual too . Senses as sharp as Tieras were not common by any means, apparently .

There might be something else, something that not even Tiera herself is aware of .

Could it be?

Something other than her natural abilities as priestess . Tiera tilted her head, failing to understand what Schnees hypothesis could mean .

What about miasma purification? Isnt that something you do through the World Trees powers?

Shibaid, who had been silently listening finally spoke .

Thats the correct way of doing it, originally . But when the World Trees power isnt enough, I use the Ley lines power . I revitalize the remaining power in the Ley lines and amplify it within my body . Then I use it against miasma, to make them cancel each other, pretty much .

So thats why it looked like it was taking its toll on you .

Tiera explained that the thicker miasma is, the more there is, thus the greater the burden on the purifier . With the World Trees assistance, the amplification would be done by the tree itself .

Is that something we cant do? It would be ideal if we could split that burden, I think .

If its Shin and the others, I guess I can say itthats something only those belonging to a lineage of priestesses like me can do, or so I heard . Its something different from a skill, so Im afraid I cant teach it .

Tiera answered Shins question by explaining that it was something tied to ones bloodline . As it was not a skill nor a title, it was probably something unique to this world .

Hmm, wait, now that I think about it, there were skillsrather, abilities that we couldnt use, abilities limited to NPCs in certain questscan anyone remember?

Hmm, I think I have heard about that beforewhat was it again?

It was miasma related, right? I remember it was something about defeating people that adored demons .

Shibaid and Filma tried to recall what Shin was referring to .

Quest was just a single word, but its contents were not only numerous, but also diverse . It was difficult to recall a specific one right away .

The content is a bit different, but could it be the Seven Sages Bloodline? I remember that it featured a clan with a special bloodline that hunted demons . I think there was also something related to purifying miasma .

Ah! Yes! Yes, thats it .

Shin felt the haziness disappear from his memories .

The Seven Sages Bloodline quest Schnee mentioned had the players assist NPCs, set as descendants of the first 7 species that appeared in the world, in their battles against demons .

Working together with the NPCs, who possessed skills effective against miasma and demons -difficult foes for even advanced users- the players had to locate the origin of the miasma and defeat the demon that appeared with it .

Quests were categorized by level of difficulty; clearing one would allow the player to try others with higher difficulty . The rewards, naturally, would increase in level too .

There was a quest like that, yeah

Why are you getting lost in your memories like that?

Well, you see, there was this really annoying elfthis one time I carried her like a doll while I went charging against the demons . My stats were already maxed out when that quest appeared, and the NPCs werent much help in battle . The main thing was to fight while protecting them, really . Honestly, I could have crushed the enemies with sheer power at that point, even without the NPCs around .

While Shins actions were possible in a videogame setting, during the death game or in the current world, he wouldnt act in such a dangerous manner now .

Of course, at the time he was criticized by other players too, who called his behavior totally absurd .

Well, that has nothing to do with this . If its as Schnee said, Tiera could be a descendant of the Seven Sages bloodline . The demons could have felt the World Trees power and the Seven Sages aura, or both . Both their natural enemies abilities togetherit was a great threat to the demons .

The high-ranked demons Scoruas and Adaras atmosphere had changed completely when they saw Tiera; it wasnt something that could be explained simply with the words natural enemy .

The way they changed was as drastic as a change in eye color .

In this case, we need to power up Tieras equipment more, to prepare for whatever may happen . Your level increased too, so you should be able to equip weapons and armor of higher quality .

The equipment Im borrowing now seems high-level enough already, though

The equipment Shin lent to Tiera was worth a small fortune in this world . Hearing that Shin wanted to power up such luxurious gear, Tieras expression stiffened .

Oh no, please, thats just the start . Depending on the method, I bet you could even equip Mythology-level gear . If you tell me the exact numbers, I can give you much better stuff even within the same grade .

Im a bit scared to equip itbut yes, please do .

Tiera nodded to Shins proposal, albeit with some hesitation .

In order for Tiera to continue traveling with Shin and the group, improving her equipment was absolutely necessary . Shins group was overpowered and clad in Ancient-grade gear, after all .

She didnt know how strong she would ultimately become, but if she had a chance to improve, she wouldnt let it go .

We kind of trailed off in the end, but Ive said all I wanted to .

World Tree PriestessI thought I was pretty knowledgeable about this world, but I guess I have to think again .

Kuu, so many, mysteries

Mystery, hmmwell, I suppose it is a mystery .

After his casual comment, Shin noticed that Tiera sighed while looking at him and Yuzuha .

Schnee was an Elf like her and was already aware of her circumstances, but maybe Tiera feared that we would act differently after knowing the truth, or so Shin thought .

After revealing a secret, no matter what it was, one was always worried about how others would react .

OK, now we know about Tieras situation . Thanks for telling us . Even if youre a World Tree Priestess, I have no intention of changing how I act towards you, so theres that .

. o, ok . Thanks .

Shin stated his intentions in a slightly rough manner, but everyone nodded .

Looking at them, Tiera choked a little and thanked them, tears welling in her eyes .

OK, lets go back to the topic of Tieras equipment . Ive been choosing it until now, but Im sure you want to start deciding by yourself, right? With higher stats, you have more options about what to equip . Come with me later .

OK, certainly .

Tiera equipped bows and daggers until now, but the range of available equipment is far wider . Tieras main job, Tamer, allowed her to use also whips, rods and throwing weapons .

The range of available equipment is small at low levels, but at her current level Tiera should be able to have more choices .

What are you going to do, everyone?

Can I come with you? Im curious to see what equipment Tiera will choose .

Lets go together then .

Mitsuyo was apparently interested to see what weapons and gear Shin possessed . The other Supreme Blade, Kunitsuna, had something to do with Kotone .

Okay, well just kill time until Tiera decides her new equipment, then . Well have to stay here until the day after tomorrow to check on the progress, after all . I guess Ill take a look around the guildhouse, maybe .

Filma said she would look around the guildhouse while waiting; today, she planned to visit the buildings other than the main one .

I have been asked to lead a training session . If anything happens, just contact me .

Shibaid wielded a halberd, so he was asked to impart training to the priestesses, who used similar long weapons .

Got it . Schnee, Yuzuha, what about you?

Move, body! Play, snow!

Then, Ill keep an eye on Yuzuha .

Yuzuha had returned to her expressionless face, but pointed excitedly at the silver-colored forest . Schnee then proposed to accompany her .

Via Mind Chat, she also told Shin that shell make sure Yuzuha doesnt run too wild .

OK, free time until noon then .

Thinking that everyone needed free time once in a while, Shin and the others went their respective paths .

If we want to choose items, we need the Tsuki no Hokora . Lets ask Kuchinashi, just in case .

Shins item box contained a large quantity of weapons and gear, but it had few choices for Tamers . He then decided to open Tsuki no Hokoras warehouse .

My, curious to see you three together .

Kuchinashi was surprised to see Shin, Tiera, and Mitsuyo visit her room .

Yes, we thought that sometimes its good to just act on our own like this .

I thought that Schnee would never leave your side though .

Kuchinashi teased Shin .

Its not like were together all the time, you know . Today Im having her watch over Yuzuha .

Schnees feelings towards Shin were apparently crystal clear . If Yuzuha hadnt said she wanted to go play, Schnee would have probably joined Shin and the others too .

So, what brings you here today?

I wanted to pull out Tsuki no Hokora, so I thought of asking if there is a wide space without people around . I wouldnt want to surprise anyone, pulling a building out of thin air .

Different from the former player Kuchinashi, the Black Priestess Shrine members would never think that it was possible to carry buildings like that .

They could have asked other priestesses too, but Shins group knew only very few of them, namely Kotone and Suzune . Even if the priestesses knew about them, they couldnt say the opposite .

In Kuchinashis case, they didnt have to explain things in detail for her to understand .

I know just the right place . If youre going there though, would you mind if Kotone and I came along?

Thats fine by me, what do you say, Tiera?

No problem .

Shin and Tiera had no objections to Kuchinashis request .

Can we call Kotone first then?

Thats all right, but what are you planning? If youre going to call Kotone, does it mean you want me to temper her weapons?

I cant say I wouldnt want for you to strengthen our weaponsbut if you helped us more, Im afraid wed start to rely on you too much .

Shin asked the question in a casual tone, but Kuchinashis expression as she replied looked grim .

Some other trouble, then?

Something like that . Lets continue the conversation in the Tsuki no Hokora, with Kotone too . The soundproofing here is good, but I want to keep the risk of leaks as low as possible .

Kuchinashis words, which suggested that she did not want even her comrades to know, were slightly different than what Shin had expected .

What she was going to talk about must have been something only a few in Black Priestess Shrine knew .

Looks like its something really serious . I see, lets go rightwait, lets call Kotones first .

Yes, Ill call her right away, so please wait just a moment .

A few minutes after Kuchinashi gave the order, Kotone joined with the group . Now she was wearing, unlike the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet, the Black Priestess Shrines usual black robes .

You called for me, milady?

Yes, we were waiting for you . Were leaving right away, so please act as an escort .

Whenever the guildmaster goes anywhere, generally one or more guild members act as an escort . Kuchinashi called Kotone also for her to take this role .

Shin and the others did not know what Kuchinashi wanted to tell them, but since she called Kotone, it was likely that the latter already knew, or Kuchinashi thought it was something she could tell her .

Kunitsuna, who had some business with Kotone in the morning, was with her too, but that was not a problem so Shin didnt say anything .

Shall we go then . Ill lead the way, follow me .

Shins group followed Kuchinashi through the guildhouse . Strangely enough, they didnt meet anyone else on the way to their destination .

The place Kuchinashi led the group to was a thicket located right across the barrier delimiting the guildhouses territory . The woods appeared to slip through the barrier, but actually the trees were simply growing on both sides of the barrier .

No one will see us here .

Shin and Kotone flattened the ground in a clearing without trees, then Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora .

We can talk later, so do what you planned on doing first, Shin .

Judging from Kuchinashis words, it wasnt something they could expect to wrap up quickly .

The equipment selection could be done later, so Shin thought of just collecting the gear first, and went to the storeroom with Tiera .

Kuchinashi and the others said they wanted to take a look around, so Shin allowed them to, albeit with limitations .

So thats what this place was . I never saw this door open since I came here, so I was kind of curious .

Tiera nodded knowingly when she saw which door Shin stopped in front of . She had wondered before about that eternally locked door, which Schnee had never opened either .

It gives off a kind of eerie feeling, but is it really safe?

Mitsuyo commented as Shin was opening the door .

Its Shins weapon storeroom, so there could very well be things that shouldnt be allowed out in the outside world . Shin can even use cursed weapons without problems, right?

L-lady Kuchinashi! Do not leave my side!

Kotone, shocked to hear the words cursed weapons, swiftly stepped in front of Kuchinashi as to protect her .

Stop talking like this is a den of monsters or somethingKuchinashi, Kotone, the contents of this room cant be touched anyway, so dont worry about touching them by mistake .

Shins eyes shot a glare as he explained one of the limitations affecting the warehouse .

A room chock full of Ancient-grade and Mythology-grade weapons is pretty much a den of monsters, though

Theyre just high-quality weapons, all right? Kotone, Im telling you that no ones life is in danger .

I have my concerns about your word choice, sir Shinhowever, is it really alright for us to enter a place that might contain cursed weapons?

Still worrying about the fact that Shin considered legendary weapons as nothing more than high-spec items, Kotone posed a reasonable question .

Its alright, nothing happens as long as you dont equip them . Plus, if anything happens with one of the weapons here I will take responsibility and melt it down .

Shin replied with a grin, but at the same time a thud-like sound was clearly heard from inside the storeroom .

H-hey, Shin . Im sure I just heard something move from inside just now?

I heard it too

Hahaha, dont worry so much . Some cursed gear was probably a little scared, thats all .

Can you imagine, a blacksmith that can scare weapons?

As a weapon myself, I cant really laugh at that .

Agreed .

Tiera and Kotone flinched after hearing the noise from inside, but Shin reassured that there were no problems .

Kuchinashi sighed in disbelief, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna knitted their brows .

Ignoring Kuchinashis, Mitsuyos, and Kunitsunas reaction, Shin finally opened the doors .