Sedina immediately showed it through action.
When she stretched out her hand, something began to crawl up from the ground.
It was a sapling.
Not a magically woven spell, but a truly living plant.
The sprouting sapling wriggled like a baby searching for its mother’s touch.
Soon, the tree grew tall and lush, and Sedina reached out her hand to it.
Ssshrk.
The branch that touched her palm reshaped into the form of an arm.
“You, what in the world...?”
Before Ambella could finish asking in confusion, Sedina placed that arm against Ambella’s shoulder.
As if it had always been part of her body, the wooden arm naturally fused with Ambella.
“What....”
There was no pain, no rejection.
Ambella unconsciously clenched and opened her new hand as she looked at it.
It moved naturally, as though it had always been her own arm.
What was even more shocking was that despite being newly transplanted, the sensation was vivid and real.
It went far beyond the level of any prosthetic.
“How...?”
Ambella looked at Sedina with disbelief.
The others were equally stunned.
Under their gaze, Sedina gave a somewhat awkward smile.
“Well, now I can do things like this.”
She let a small tree take root in the body, connecting it intricately with the nervous system.
After all, a living body was made of cells—if she used parts of the World Tree’s substance, she could process them to resemble the body.
The World Tree was the pinnacle of life.
It was a tree, but of an entirely different kind from any ordinary tree.
Those present all knew that much.
But even so, to shape a tree into an arm and use it like it was real?
Even more, though it was wood, the joints moved smoothly, with elasticity.
“Those who have already passed cannot be saved, but for the injured or those who have lost strength, it will be fine.”
Sedina spoke toward the World Tree.
“Please.”
She only spoke the words, and the World Tree responded.
From the cradle’s floor, a tree grew as if time itself had been fast-forwarded.
In no time, it towered high above them, and bore red fruit.
The fruit that ripened on that tree was something none had ever seen before, giving off an unnaturally sweet fragrance.
“Take one each. This is the fruit of the World Tree.”
“The... fruit of the World Tree?”
Vierno asked again, unable to believe it.
At his startled reaction, Alex couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
“Is it really that amazing? Well, sure, anything with the name World Tree must be, but is it enough to be that shocked over?”
“To humans, maybe not.”
The one who answered in his stead was Bellaruna.
Her gaze, fixed upon the ripe fruit, was filled with a strange heat that seemed dangerous.
“Even to elves, the fruit of the World Tree was only a legend. If elves, who live for centuries, considered it a legend, you can imagine how rare it is.”
“...That much?”
“There are no detailed records, only mentions in ancient tales, but it’s said that eating one heals all wounds, removes poisons from the body, and extends lifespan. Whether that’s true or exaggerated, I don’t know... but at the very least, there is no harm in eating it.”
“It’s truly equal to an elixir of legend.”
Sedina caused such fruit to bloom in abundance around them.
The group each plucked one and bit into it.
“...Delicious.”
“Oooh. I’ve never tasted anything like this before—it’s amazing. My whole body is brimming with strength.”
The fruit of the World Tree was on par with the highest delicacies.
Even without any preparation or cooking, it drew admiration, and it felt like a clouded head cleared into brilliance.
But the effect did not stop at “delicious.”
All the body’s minor wounds healed instantly.
Even severe injuries that should have left scars were completely restored as if time had been rewound.
Hans, in particular, who had used his body the roughest, was now so lively, bolstered by his innate regeneration, that it seemed he could fly through the sky.
The same was true for Ludger.
‘Astonishing. My consumed mana is fully restored.’
The lingering headaches in his skull and the faint ringing in his ears were all gone.
It was the kind of recovery that would normally require swallowing down several mana recovery potions.
Yet just a single bite of this fruit resolved it completely.
The vast life energy circulating throughout his body remained, elevating his physique to its optimal state.
‘Not only does it restore mana and heal wounds, but even increases the total amount of mana.’
Ludger checked over his condition.
His total mana had noticeably increased.
That was a deeply encouraging development.
The tonics provided by the Roschen family had certainly increased his mana capacity.
But it was nowhere near the fruit of the World Tree.
It wasn’t that those tonics were lacking—only that the fruit was too extraordinary.
‘Twice the capacity I had before entering the forest.’
Twice over—no, compared to before taking the Roschen tonics, the increase was nearly three or four times.
And his mana paths had become far more refined.
Not just repaired like a road under maintenance, but entirely reconstructed anew.
Circulating mana through his body was now stronger and smoother than before.
Recovery of wounds, replenishment of stamina, removal of toxins, increase of mana capacity.
It surpassed even the highest-grade elixirs—a treasure of the century.
‘If mages learned of this, they’d come running with their eyes ablaze.’
Too extraordinary.
Which made it dangerous.
If rumors of the fruit of the World Tree reached people’s ears, the Forest of Life would once again face invasion from outsiders.
Alex, Hans, and Bellaruna realized this as well.
They exchanged glances and nodded to one another.
This must remain an absolute secret.
Ludger glanced at Lutus.
Lutus too had bitten into the fruit, staring at it in shock.
Then he quickly finished off the fruit, and looked to Ludger, shaking his head.
A gesture: he would not speak of it either.
He too marveled at the fruit’s effects, and knew that if word spread, the world would descend into chaos.
If outsiders invaded the Elven Forest, no one knew what the now-stabilized World Tree would unleash.
It had to be kept secret.
So that the wave of chaos would not swallow the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Empire.
‘And Sedina brought it forth with just a single word.’
But Sedina’s actions did not stop there.
She once again made a “request” of the World Tree, and it moved in response.
Different from when Ventmin had made it rage.
Now it was quiet, calm, resonating across the forest as though this was its true nature.
A clear wind blew once, and then spirits appeared everywhere, shining with light.
The spirits circling the World Tree stabilized the broken land, dismantled the ruins of collapsed walls, and returned them to nature.
Soon, trees began to grow in places, forming a new forest.
Watching life bloom from the ruins, Ludger called Sedina’s name.
“Sedina.”
“Ah, teacher.”
“That ability... did you just awaken it now?”
“Yes. I think it’s because I became aware of my bloodline. I thought I heard voices before, but now I hear them much more clearly.”
Come to think of it, the plants Sedina kept in the assistant’s room always thrived unnaturally well.
Ludger turned to Ambella.
“Do all Plante have this?”
“...Not any Plante I knew of.”
It seemed Sedina was a very unusual case.
A mutation from her mixed heritage, or perhaps a distant ancestor’s latent trait manifesting.
Whatever the reason, that wasn’t the important part.
“This is a level worthy of a Color title.”
The ability to manipulate living trees by her own will.
Sedina had become what mages called a [Green] magician.
The Green element had long been vacant—such mages were exceptionally rare.
‘A Green magician who can commune with the World Tree.’
Having fought against a portion of the World Tree’s power, Ludger understood better than anyone how formidable her awakening was.
That was why he felt worried.
This small girl had suddenly grasped such immense power.
Too great a power could sometimes become an unbearably cruel fate.
Yes.
Much like himself.
“Sedina.”
Ludger called her name again.
In his voice was a concern he rarely showed.
Sedina, instead of answering, only shook her head with a gentle smile.
As if to say she understood his thoughts.
“For now, you should think of resting. You’ve gone through a lot today.”
“...”
“I think everyone else feels the same.”
“...I suppose.”
It was true—they had fought too harsh a battle.
The elves who had fled would return soon, and before that, the surrounding ruins needed to be restored as much as possible.
Though the World Tree would handle much of it.
“If you’re watching, you might as well lend a hand.”
Ludger cast his gaze downward.
He hadn’t spoken expecting help.
If anything, it was a light complaint.
The Elemental Lord, after all, might have gone off again.
A being too lofty for humans to ever presume to judge.
Rumble.
But as if in response to his words, a faint tremor came from the earth.
Ludger let out a small laugh.
At the same time, the collapsed ground began to repair itself as if alive, restoring its former state.
The cracked earth sealed, the twisted strata returned to place.
Soil scattered all around seeped back into the ground as if time had been reversed.
Work that should have taken years of restoration.
Yet a single being’s act turned it into a miracle.
“Well. If only you did this much all the time.”
Bwooom.
Another tremor resonated, as if the reply disliked his words.
Still, the meaning was clear enough: isn’t this enough help already?
Of course, Ludger simply ignored it.
* * *
The survivors returned to Dentis territory.
The retainers rejoiced at the safe return of their lord and the group.
“No matter how many times I see it, it really looks like a giant broccoli.”
“Be quiet.”
At Hans’s comment about the Dentis family mansion, Ludger corrected him.
Hans shrugged.
“Ohh. So this is the mansion where the elves live? Exactly what I imagined.”
Among those returning were Robert, who had brought the airship, and his vice-captain.
Thanks to Ludger’s summoning of Pascha, they had barely survived.
‘Pascha.’
Ludger recalled the spirit stone that had returned to its red gem form.
After rampaging, it had exhausted itself and fallen back asleep.
But now that it had awakened once, he could summon it again whenever he wished.
‘Never thought I’d ever be able to command a spirit in my life.’
He had come to the Elven Kingdom for Sedina, but in truth, he had gained much more.
He had taken rare elixirs, eaten the legendary fruit of the World Tree, built goodwill with the elves, and even given birth to Pascha from Quasimodo’s spirit stone.
The hardship had been worth it.
“By the way, did that man leave?”
Hans asked Ludger.
There was only one man absent.
Lutus Wardot.
He had confirmed the civil war’s end and returned to the Empire.
The way he vanished, just as he had appeared, like a mirage, made it unclear whether it had been dream or reality.
“I suppose so. He was never an invited guest.”
“In truth, weren’t we uninvited as well?”
“Now we’ve been accepted, so it’s fine.”
At Ludger’s words, Hans chuckled.
The group received a passionate welcome and rested.
Especially Hans, Alex, and Bellaruna, who all fell asleep immediately from exhaustion.
Ludger, too, rested in a room assigned to him.
But he couldn’t sleep. He stood on the wooden terrace, gazing quietly outside.
Night had fallen over the Forest of Life, and it glowed with the lights of stars and fireflies.
Most were asleep, but the forest continued to breathe life in its own way through the night.
A world endlessly alive.
Perhaps because he finally had a moment of peace, Ludger didn’t push away the feelings rising in him.
Knock, knock.
Someone tapped on the door.
As though he had expected it, Ludger spoke.
“Come in.”
The one who entered was Sedina.
“So. Why have you come to me?”
“...Because I have something I want to say.”