Book 5: Volume 2 Chapter 10, Witness to a Miracle

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Recently, adventurers entering Sewri Forest have been exploring in groups of several.

 

The Elves have been issuing increasingly strict warnings as adventurers have ventured deeper into the forest, so this is a precaution. They have not considered whether it was really necessary to go that far into the forest.

 

The neighboring countries believe that Sewri Forest belongs to no one and that they were free to claim it. Naturally, if materials can be obtained from the forest, the basic thinking is that they should go and collect them.

 

No one in the neighboring countries considered stopping out of consideration for the Elves who live there.

 

And that was a perfectly natural way of thinking in this world. However, since it was undeniable that they would be encroaching on the Elves’ living space, the adventurers’ response has been to rely on numbers for defense.

 

Furthermore, recent adventurer activity has confirmed that a certain number of adventurers could enter the forest, leading to rumors of an army moving in at some point. While the truth of this is still unknown, the surrounding regions believe that the Elves will be forced to compromise eventually.

 

Adventurers once again entered Sewri Forest today, unaware that behind the scenes, events were steadily unfolding that would overturn the intentions of each nation.

 

The first to notice were those with magical abilities. None of the adventurers entering the forest this time specialized in magic enough to be called mages, but there were some who could use multiple spells in combination. These individuals suddenly stopped and gazed toward the depths of the forest.

 

“Hey? What’s wrong?”

 

Their companions were alarmed by this sudden action, but those that can use magic were too distracted to pay attention.

 

“That’s impossible… How…?”

 

“That’s impossible.”

 

Seeing the others all muttering that it was impossible, the rest finally realized that something abnormal had occurred. Furthermore, just moments ago, they had been talking about how the Elves, who usually appeared frequently, had not shown up at all today.

 

It would have been natural to assume that the Elves were up to something.

 

“Hey! Don’t just stand there, staring blankly! Tell me what’s going on! We won’t know what to do!”

 

The group leader yelled in a panic. Responding to the voice, one of them began describing the situation in the forest.

 

“Oh, yeah. There’s an incredible amount of Magic Power moving deep in the forest.”

 

“What’s that? Tell me more specifically!”

 

“How can you tell? Besides, we’ll soon find out what’s going on…”

 

The person explaining tried to continue, saying that they should understand soon, but there was no point. Just as he had said, a visible change occurred in the heart of the forest.

 

One adventurer was the first to notice the strange phenomenon.

 

“Hey, hey. What’s that!?”

 

Everyone in the room looked in the direction the adventurer was pointing, and almost simultaneously, expressions of disbelief crossed their faces.

 

Before their eyes appeared a gigantic tree never before seen. The trunk, impossibly thick even considering the distance, stretched even higher, surpassing the clouds in the sky. Its awe-inspiring appearance alone made it impossible for anyone to believe it was just a single tree.

 

“…Could it be the World Tree…?”

 

No one knew who muttered this. However, as soon as the words spread among the adventurers, they were certain that the giant tree before them was the World Tree.

 

Even if they had never seen it in person, they knew the word. That was the World Tree’s existence in this world. And now it was actually here, right before their very eyes.

 

While everyone was awed by the World Tree’s appearance, someone else noticed something else strange.

 

“Hey, look over there!”

 

His words caused the group’s gaze to turn elsewhere, leaving everyone speechless at the absurd sight.

 

“Wh-What is that!?”

 

It was probably an unintentional remark, but everyone seemed to agree. No one objected, and even the shock of seeing the World Tree was blown away.

 

A ridiculously gigantic Magic Circle appeared in front of them. It was so large that it rivaled even the World Tree right next to it.

 

Normally, the larger a Magic Circle, the more Magic Power it consumed. Of course, the intricacy of the patterns within it also had an impact, but that’s generally the case. Based on that, it was clear just how much power was being used in the Magic Circle before their eyes.

 

If there had been a professional mage present, they might have fainted at the sight. Fortunately, there was no one there who specialized in magic, so they were merely shocked.

 

But that was a completely different matter from the situation unfolding before their eyes.

 

“Hey, hey. Isn’t this dangerous?”

 

Who had muttered this? Everyone there didn’t have time to think about it.

 

“Hey! Let’s hurry and get out of here! Let’s go back to the forest exit!”

 

“You mean we’ll make it in time!?”

 

“I don’t care! If you have time to complain, just run!”

 

From that point on, it was no longer possible to focus on the strange phenomenon before their eyes. The adventurers could only concentrate on moving their feet forward.

 

However, their efforts were in vain, and they were caught up in the power of the Magic Circle. However, they were not attacked by any spell; they were simply expelled from the forest.

 

They were running as fast as they could, but suddenly the scene before them was something outside the forest, and they were taken aback. In the end, all the adventurers who had entered the forest at the same time that day ended up having the same experience.

 

The phenomenon could be confirmed even in towns and villages far from the forest. People were surprised by the sudden appearance of the World Tree, then even more surprised by the Magic Circle that appeared afterwards, and then their eyes were captivated by the light that seemed to envelop the World Tree.

 

For those with little or no magical ability, it was an incredibly mystical and captivating sight. Though the phenomenon was occurring far away, the sight of the World Tree and the dancing light that seemed to surround it was indescribably beautiful.

 

Some mages looked as if they were fainting, but many were mesmerized by the sight for some time.

 

♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦

 

“What…!?”

 

The master frowned at the reporter upon hearing the report. Whether the master didn’t want to understand or couldn’t, the reporter repeated the same report.

 

“Due to the phenomenon that occurred the other day, the cracks that had been present up until then have completely disappeared. We’re working to resolve the issue, but so far, there’s no sign of progress.”

 

“Ridiculous…”

 

The master was speechless for a moment, having heard the report clearly. This meant that everything they had done up until now had been for nothing.

 

The barrier was large enough to cover the entire Sewri Forest. His calculations, which had assumed that no action would be taken so easily and that even if action were taken, it would only be a partial solution, were shattered in a spectacular fashion.

 

Who could have predicted that a single phenomenon would completely overturn the current situation?

 

In the towns and villages surrounding the forest, it was celebrated as a miracle of Sewri, but to the master, it seemed more like the devil’s work than a miracle.

 

“I see. I understand… For now, please continue your investigation.”

 

“I understand.”

 

The reporter bowed and left the room at the master’s words. The master then slammed his fist on the table, but no one heard the sound.