Book 5: Volume 2 Chapter 9, A Small Miracle

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

At the foot of the World Tree in Sewri Forest, Kousuke was making a final check.

 

If the crucial Magic Circle was wrong at any single point, all the hard work he’d put into the forest would be wasted. As Kousuke inspected the intricately written patterns and the materials placed there, Shiomala watched with a worried expression.

 

“Are you sure… everything’s okay?”

 

Kousuke was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice her mutter, but Shrein, who was also watching, heard her.

 

“Are you worried?”

 

“…Aren’t you worried about whether such a complex and massive Magic Circle will actually work?”

 

Shiomala’s gaze remained fixed on the Magic Circle. Not only was it enormous in size, but the Magic Circle, which seemed packed with various elements, should never work according to conventional wisdom.

 

That was supposedly common sense, but Shrein laughed, dismissing it.

 

“Well, I can understand your concerns.”

 

As a Vampire, Shrein had a certain amount of confidence in her Magic Circle knowledge. However, even Shrein could not match Kousuke’s knowledge, his ability to activate them, and, above all, his ingenuity in creating a functional Magic Circles.

 

This had been true even before Kousuke became a living god. To Shrein, it made perfect sense that Kousuke had been recognized as a God in his field.

 

“Well, just watch closely. You can see a glimpse of why Kousuke became a living god through this work.”

 

Shrein said this, squinting as Kousuke continued working.

 

After finishing his work, Kousuke nodded and called out to Yuta.

 

“Yuta, can I ask you something?”

 

“Yes, yes. What’s the matter?”

 

Not surprised by Yuta’s sudden appearance before him, Kousuke pointed to a certain spot on the Magic Circle.

 

“Can you stand over there?”

 

“I don’t mind, but I’m not the real body.”

 

Realizing what Kousuke wanted to do, Yuta said this. Yuta was a powerful Fairy, but the source of that power was ultimately the World Tree itself. This time, Kousuke was planning to incorporate the power of the World Tree into the Magic Circle.

 

Normally, in that case, the World Tree itself would have to be incorporated into the Magic Circle. Yuta’s words were based on that thought, but Kousuke simply shook his head.

 

“That’s true, but Yuta is like one of the branches connected to the World Tree. So, there’s a way to do it.”

 

“Really?”

 

Kousuke nodded at Yuta, who seemed surprised, as if she hadn’t realized it.

 

“Well, I only noticed it because of Esena.” Kousuke continued, saying he wouldn’t have noticed without her, and Yuta sighed in exasperation.

 

“Normally, even if you knew that, I wouldn’t think you could do it… But let’s see what you can do as the God of Magic Circles.”

 

“Wow. That’s some real pressure you’re putting on me.”

 

Kousuke smiled at Yuta’s teasing remark.

 

After completing all of his work, Kousuke stepped away from the Magic Circle to check the whole thing. He checked once more to make sure there were no mistakes, then turned his gaze back to Yuta.

 

“Well, let’s get started; is that okay?”

 

“Is it okay for me to just stand here?”

 

“Yes. There’s nothing special you need to do. Ah, when the Magic Circle is activated, some power will be drawn away, but it shouldn’t be too much.”

 

Yuta nodded as Kousuke explained.

 

“I understand.”

 

“Okay, let’s get started.”

 

Kousuke declared this, muttering as he began chanting the spell. If it were a Magic Circle he had used many times, he would not need to chant, but this was his first time, and it also contained a number of unique elements. So, he could not abandon the chant.

 

As the others focused their attention, Kousuke’s right hand began to glow as he chanted the spell. After finishing the chant, Kousuke placed his right hand on the edge of the Magic Circle, and the glowing Magic Circle on the ground split into two, one of which rose up.

 

“Ahhh!?”

 

At the same time, Yuta let out a short shriek. She was surprised that her strength had been drawn away more than she had expected. However, since Kousuke had warned her beforehand, she did not collapse.

 

The shining Magic Circle eventually rose high into the sky, reaching the same height as the World Tree, and then shifted so that its center aligned with the World Tree’s peak. Then, as the peak of the World Tree and the center of the Magic Circle aligned, the Magic Circle collapsed, becoming one large mass of light, which then broke into several smaller masses.

 

These smaller masses of light did not stay in place but quickly scattered throughout Sewri Forest. After these small masses of light departed, remnants of the Magic Circle’s light seemed to rain down on the World Tree.

 

From the sidelines, it was a truly mystical sight.

 

Kousuke, who had been watching every step of the process, nodded in satisfaction.

 

“Good, good. Did it go well? Yuta, how’s it going?”

 

“Um… Wait a moment. I’ll check it now… Oh, it looks fine.”

 

Closing her eyes, Yuta surveyed the forest as a whole, nodding vigorously after confirming that everything was proceeding well. This confirmed that the barrier would function properly until its intended state was activated.

 

At the foot of the World Tree, the Magic Circle Kousuke had been working on was shining brightly. All that remained was to maintain it so it would not break.

 

“Great. So, Shiomala, I’ll leave the maintenance to you, okay?”

 

“Eh? Ah, uh, yes!”

 

In response to Kousuke’s confirmation, Shiomala hurriedly replied. Kousuke tilted his head and continued checking the Magic Circle.

 

As she stared at Kousuke in a daze, Shiomala noticed the sound of chuckling. The laughter belonged to Shrein.

 

“Told you so.”

 

“But that…”

 

“To Kousuke, this Magic Circle is nothing. That’s what it means to become a living god.”

 

Shrein spoke, and Shiomala fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

 

“…Maybe my understanding was flawed.”

 

“Well, I don’t know the extent of your understanding.”

 

Shrein continued, but without saying anything more to Shiomala, she turned her gaze to Kousuke.

 

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Kousuke’s small miracle was visible even in the village where the Elves lived.

 

The first thing they noticed, as expected from Elves, was the sight of the World Tree. The first Elf to notice exclaimed, “Hey, look!” and pointed to the tree, and the other Elves soon noticed it too.

 

Some of the Elves even knelt down upon seeing it. After all, even the elderly people in the village had never seen the World Tree in its original form. The Elves were awed by the enormous tree that seemed to pierce the Heavens.

 

And then, at the same time as the World Tree appeared, something equally eye-catching appeared. Of course, it was the Magic Circle Kousuke had created.

 

To the Elves, the sight of the Magic Circle rising up and then finally dispersing into light around the World Tree was a true miracle. At the same time, they understood that the matter that had been the talk of the village for the past few days had been safely resolved.

 

Romana, who had watched as smiles spread among the Elves, eventually looked towards the World Tree, which had disappeared just as before.

 

“A living god, huh?” she muttered.

 

However, amid the hustle and bustle of the village, no one picked up on her murmur.