Volume 4, Chapter 45 – The Budding

The journey was silent.

Flying at top speed, Fia soon reached the end of the corridor. Apart from more Black-Flamed Monsters, there was nothing of value here, nor were there any paths leading elsewhere. It was like a dry well with a blocked waterway. In addition, because the position where she had thrown the thunder spear was more than a thousand meters from the bottom of the “well,” the spear had dissipated midway, so it had not caused any damage here.

“Tsk, is this all?”

The frustration of finding nothing made Fia click her tongue. She scanned the Black-Flamed Monsters slowly approaching her. At first, they had been insects like butterflies and flies, but halfway through, they had become various small creatures, such as wolves, hounds, and lions. Now, they were monsters with humanoid silhouettes, including not only humans, but also elves and vampires.

Fia was certain that these monsters were something close to energy bodies, not real creatures, which was why they had no magic cores.

Seeing the monsters raise their bows and staves, Fia snapped her fingers, and a monstrous flame once again filled the passage. In just a few seconds, the monsters had vanished, leaving only a scorched corridor behind.

“I should check one more time…”

To have gone to all this trouble for nothing… The feeling of unwillingness made Fia linger in the passage for a while longer. She walked to the end and used [Torrent] and [Cleanse] to wash the nearby walls. And then, she discovered something different.

The corridor leading from the altar to this point had been constructed to be quite smooth; the walls and floor could be described as polished. But the end of this corridor showed no signs of processing. The wall blocking her path was a rough, uneven gray rock face, just like the cliff she had seen outside. It made one feel as if the craftsmen who had built this passage had simply left after doing half the job.

Of course, this possibility was extremely small. If they had really left halfway, the passage would not have been so smooth. No one decorates while building a house; people always decorate after the construction is finished.

To be safe, Fia used [Wind of Exploration], [Mana Vision], and [See Through] in tandem, and then tapped the wall with [Telekinesis]. After confirming that there were indeed no hidden passages, she left the way she came.

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“Fia!”

The moment she saw Fia, Mizuki, her golden hair tied in long, slender twin tails, immediately rushed over with an anxious expression and grabbed her hands.

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“What did you do in the Holy Tree?”

“Hm?”

To act so anxious, could it be that the commotion I made inside was obvious?

“I didn’t do anything special…”

Subconsciously, Fia turned her head to look at the Holy Tree behind her as she answered. She discovered that in just under two hours, some new buds had sprouted on the tree. Although it was only a very small part—if she hadn’t carefully observed the full view of the tree before entering, she wouldn’t have noticed any change at all—it was still an incredible sight.

“There are some new buds?”

“That’s what I wanted to say!” Mizuki let go of Fia’s hands, her voice growing a few degrees louder. “In the time you were inside, I saw with my own eyes the branches of the Holy Tree sprout new buds. Something like this hasn’t happened in several thousand years. I can feel the Holy Tree’s power is stronger than before!”

“But I only eliminated some strange monsters…”

Muttering softly, Fia looked up at the new buds on the tree. The distinct, tender green shoots on the branches formed a sharp contrast with the already withered yellow leaves.

Could it be that the withering of the Holy Tree was caused by the existence of those Black-Flamed Monsters? But they weren’t high-level creatures. Even Liti and Milu could surely eliminate them if they took the time. Logically, the other elves should have been able to discover them.

Fia told Mizuki about being teleported to the altar and discovering the passage in the dim room, only to be met with a dumbfounded reply.

“A passage to the underground in the altar? And shouldn’t the altar be golden?”

“Putting the passage aside for now, the altar I saw was indeed dim, and there was an ancient elf language on the walls that I couldn’t understand.”

“How is that possible!” Mizuki denied without hesitation. “The altar is the core through which the Holy Tree provides nutrients to the earth. How could it be dim? The first time I saw it, my eyes were almost blinded by the flash. And that passage, you said you eliminated some monsters? What’s that about? There are monsters in the Holy Tree?”

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“No, no, I should be the one asking you these questions. How would I know there are monsters in the Holy Tree?” Fia paused, then suddenly thought of a solution, her expression growing serious. “We’ll know if you take me to the altar one more time.”

“Alright.”

The existence of monsters in the Holy Tree was by no means a small matter. In addition, the tree had indeed sprouted new buds. Mizuki didn’t think Fia was teasing her. She immediately took her hand and walked to the base of the golden tree, silently offering a prayer to the Elf God in her heart.

Nearly three minutes passed in silence.

It’s just a prayer. Does it really need to take this long?

Fia, being held by the hand, couldn’t help but feel curious. The two of them were still standing outside the Holy Tree. The only change was the frown on Mizuki’s brow; her expression was a little impatient.

A moment later, Mizuki opened her eyes and slowly withdrew her hand from the tree. She bit her lip, her expression full of complexity and difficulty.

“I can’t get into the Holy Tree anymore.”

“Huh?” Because Mizuki’s voice was very quiet, Fia almost thought she had misheard. She confirmed again, “Did you just say you can’t get into the Holy Tree?”

“That’s right… Before, I just had to think of Lord Elf God for a moment, and I could go wherever I wanted. But now, no matter how hard I try, I can’t feel that feeling of being pulled into the tree. Fia, what on earth did you do in there?”

“No, no, I really just eliminated some monsters.”

The Holy Tree stored a large number of priceless treasures. If one could no longer enter it, it would definitely be a heavy blow to the elf race. Fia let go of Mizuki’s hand, turned, and touched the root of the tree herself, commanding it in her mind to let her in.

The next second, a faint pulling sensation appeared in her palm. Fia quickly connected her mana with the tree’s. In an instant, the unique floating sensation of teleportation enveloped her, and her location instantly changed from the golden giant tree to the dim altar she had just been to.

Although she had successfully entered the Holy Tree, Fia couldn’t be happy.

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Only those with a sincere heart towards the Elf God could enter. If Mizuki couldn’t get in, outsiders would only think that she was no longer sincere.

It would have been fine if she were an ordinary person, but she was the Holy Tree’s maiden. At the very least, she would be expelled from the Royal Castle. At worst, she could be charged with the crime of blasphemy. The thing that clergy feared most was betraying their faith, not to mention that Mizuki was the maiden chosen by the Elf King. It was possible she would be seen as mocking the royal family. Silvar was a monarchy, and the crime of deceiving the monarch in a monarchy was punishable by death.

With such thoughts, Fia silently recited “out” in her mind, and with a flash, she was standing beside Mizuki again.

At this moment, Mizuki was standing there, stunned.

“Fia, you… you succeeded?”

“Mhm,” Fia answered reluctantly. Although she really wanted to know why the Holy Tree had changed like this, Mizuki’s safety was the most important thing. She looked at her with extra seriousness.

“Can you still feel the Holy Tree, Mizuki? I mean, for restoring the dance.”

Mizuki had said before that the process of restoring the Holy Tree Dance was to determine the correctness of a movement based on the instructions given by the tree. If the movement was correct, the feeling of connection would continue. If it was wrong, the connection would be broken.

If Mizuki could continue to restore the dance, even if she couldn’t enter the tree, it wouldn’t be particularly fatal. Putting aside the maidens of the past, everyone’s expectation of her now was to restore the dance and re-establish contact with the Elf God. As long as she could still achieve this goal, other aspects would seem insignificant.

Fia’s grave expression had already told Mizuki what she was thinking. She nodded and retreated to an open space to the side.

“I understand. Let me try.”

The Holy Tree Dance began quickly. Fia quietly waited for it to finish. At this moment, she had no thought of admiring the dance. She only hoped that Mizuki could continue to resonate with the Holy Tree as before.

As the sound of the kagura bells gradually softened, Mizuki’s dance also slowed down. Fia, at the side, breathed a sigh of relief. After this period of time, her nervousness had lessened a lot. While Mizuki was performing, she could clearly feel the surrounding flowers and grass, and even the elements in the air, dancing around her. Even the golden light emitted by the Holy Tree pulsed with her dance, as if she had become the center of the world. And this was the symbol of her connection with the Holy Tree.

After a few breaths, Mizuki finally stopped moving and opened her cold, emotionless eyes.

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“It’s finished.”

Even her voice was as cold as a different person.

Every time she finished the dance, she would show this emotionless side.

Fia stepped forward.

“Well? Are you alright?”

“Mhm. Lord Holy Tree can still give me guidance, and that feeling is much clearer than before,” Mizuki’s previous nervousness was gone, and she smiled. “Fia must have done something good in the tree.”

“You can still smile even though you can’t get in. As long as you can still connect with the tree, that’s good,” Fia’s suspended heart finally settled, and she let out a long sigh. “Don’t tell anyone about not being able to enter for now. When Father returns, I’ll ask him first. By the way, do you know that every time you finish dancing, your eyes look like a different person? That doesn’t look like you at all, Mizuki.”

“A different person? Was I affected by your eyes, Fia?”

“Not affected. I mean that your temperament just now was different from usual. You became cold and emotionless.”

“Really?” Mizuki tilted her head in confusion. “When I’m restoring the dance, I only feel like I’ve become one with the world. I can even hear your heartbeat. It’s a very comfortable feeling.”

It seemed she herself was completely unaware.

Fia sighed softly.

“The book I saw a couple of days ago mentioned something called a recording crystal. I’ll bring one over next time and let you see for yourself. By the way, Mizuki, try again and see if I can bring you into the Holy Tree.”

With that, Fia held out her hand to Mizuki.