/
Zero. The great mage makes a plan (5)
Evan first healed all the surviving dwarves with potions. Even if they were missing an arm or leg, if it was a potion made by Evan, who reached an absolute mastery in alchemy, it was solved with one gulp. However, even though it was Evan, it was difficult to imitate the abilities of the highest priest with only ordinary materials, so it was completed by brewing some of the feathers of the Phoenix that had been collected in large quantities.
“My arms are really growing…!?”
“They are…but they can’t be healed even with the power of the spirits…”
Both the dwarves and Mirole were astonished. Evan cured them and then gathered them together. Maybe it was because they were saved or because of the mana shadow Evan had acquired, but the dwarves obediently followed him.
“I want to hear about your situation.”
“I’ll be happy to tell you. There is no more history to keep, anyway.”
“It’s been a while since we entered this forest. Originally, we had a home, but one day, a dragon suddenly appeared…”
Originally, the history of the dwarves, their specialties, goals, boring but enjoyable daily life, occasional adventures, exchanges with different races, villages destroyed by dragon invasion, the dying victims, and spectacular escape dramas, would go over for tens of minutes with magnificent music and script. Still, Evan compressed it all into about three minutes.
“Ah, yes. Well, it’s common in this world. Everyone has a lot of trouble. I’m like that, too.”
This era was the new generation. It was easy to see that a dragon that came like a thug to extort the property that the family had collected so far and expelled them. No…to be precise, all kinds of evil and mighty things were gathering in this world at this point in time. As he said, the demons were just some of them. Fortunately, the dwarves didn’t lose their lives. Still, there were quite a few cases where other races living secretly were annihilated by disasters that came without warning. They wondered if the ancient Archmage may be like them and if he were brought here to destroy the world. Of course, the question wasn’t solved until the end, as Yo-Ma Great War Zero had many unsolved cases, but…now, Evan knew. The fact that a bolt just hit the ancient Archmage out of the blue!
“No, maybe the dragon was just kicked out of somewhere else…”
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing. Is everyone hungry? Let’s eat first.”
Evan inadvertently coaxed the dwarves with food, just like when he first met the young rookie children. Evan was flinching, wondering if they saw through him, but unexpectedly, the reaction was dramatic.
“You’re going to give us enough food for us to eat? You’re an angel!”
“I think it’s not correct to label him as a human from the power that he showed earlier…”
From a dwarf who nodded, holding his hand in amazement, to a dwarf who muttered ominous words from behind and lowered himself toward Evan. They looked quite different from the dwarves Evan knew. When he went back to his original time later, he would have to tell Ella. Well, she would say he was lying.
“Is food that precious? When you enter the forest, you have food everywhere.”
“It’s true to our fairies that live in the forest, but the forest is not kind to outsiders.”
Mirole said so with a bitter expression similar to the Mirole that Evan knew.
“From the perspective of the spirits who have jurisdiction over the Mother Forest, it is difficult to distinguish between the evil ones that destroy the forest and the fugitives who have been driven into the forest by them. That’s why they don’t easily give food to outsiders.”
Mirole said so, pointing to a nearby tree. It was a tree that stretched to a very high place. Still, unusually, he could see that the branches that had split in the middle were bearing fruit in a location that would be accessible.
“I should have said it before, but…could you stretch your hand over there?”
“Okay.”
Evan stretched out his hand towards the fruit as Mirole indicated. However, at that moment, the branches rose up and pulled the fruit out of Evan’s reach. He thought about pulling it out in momentary anger, but he endured desperately. If he did, he would really buy the wrath of the Mother Forest.
“It doesn’t give food to outsiders after all.”
“Yes. But to our fairies or to those whom the fairies allowed…e-excuse me.”
Mirole, who had been talking seriously, suddenly seemed to show a slight stumbling, and she approached Evan and laid her hand over the back of his hand. She trembled as if she was very nervous, but it was soft and cold, so it felt good.
“Huh?”
“T-This way…”
Mirole blushed. Behind her, Maybell gazed at her, laughing. However, at some point, when he wondered what this was, the branches of the tree slowly stretched over again. Probably because Mirole was there, it allowed him to take the fruit. Evan picked up the fruit after confirming with a glance from Mirole. He felt a strange sense of satisfaction and relief.
‘I didn’t hear anything like this in the game.’
But looking at this phenomenon now and reflecting on it, he certainly thought that Mirole was always by his side when supplying food in the game. Did that mean that the protagonist and Mirole had physical contact in the original game from the initial stage? With an elf princess?
“By the way, Mirole, you know…”
Even though Evan already picked the fruit, she still had her hand on Evan’s, and Maybell smiled, asking the still-stiff Mirole.
“Does that permission require that part of the body?”
“What!?”
Mirole flinched. Evan got it with that reaction alone. Mirole nodded hastily with a look that she had been caught. Her ears flap fiercely like the wings of a hummingbird.
“Of course! If I don’t, the forest will consider you an enemy!”
“Huh, I see.”
Maybell nodded with a face that looked like she didn’t believe it at all. Evan pledged to educate Maybell later, but first, he carefully moved Mirole’s hand.
“Ah.”
Only then did Mirole, who noticed her own mistake, bowed her head and made something like an indescribable groan. Evan, who felt a gaze in his back, turned around, and as the dwarves were talking about ‘god’s bride’ and ‘the sacrifice that elves made to the gods,’ he silenced them with a stare.
“You know well now, right?”
Mirole managed to summarize the situation in a word. Evan replied, repressing his desire to say something about it.
“Okay. But if I try, I think I can get it by force.
“If you do that, not only will the tree attack you, but you will also not be able to take other fruits. In the worst case, it could turn into extreme poison.”
“Oohh.”
Yes, this story had certainly been scripted out in the game. There was a part where it said that the forest attacked the dying supporting character. At that time, he thought it was an indirect expression to emphasize the harshness of the new environment. But instead, he was actually attacked by the forest and died.
“Shall we talk about the rest while eating? No, everyone, take a shower before that.”
Evan pulled out some of his tents and pushed the Dwarves into it. They were amazed to see the magic tent that appeared out of nowhere with a house inside. They admired it, saying that it was also the power of God. The misunderstandings were getting deeper.
“So.”
Evan, once done quarantining the Dwarves, looked back at Mirole.
“What do you mean by ‘king’?”
“It is as I said.”
Mirole’s face was still red, but she pushed on, trying not to be conscious of it.
“As Zero heard before, all kinds of things are gathering in the Mother Forest. Monsters, innocent beings cast out by them…both sides will harm the forest if left alone. The fairies won’t be able to tolerate it, and in the end, there will be war.”
In fact, it happened in Yo-Ma Great War Zero. It was very difficult for the ancient Archmage to be recognized as the same by the fairies. If Mirole didn’t exist, it would be impossible. And after turning the ancient Archmage into an ally, ironically, the fairies succeeded in surviving until the end of Yo-Ma Great War Zero. It could be said that Mirole left an achievement that would be praised by the fairies just by attracting the ancient Archmage to their side.
“But Zero, I think that’s not good. I’ve only ever been confined to this forest, but…I think the dichotomy of thinking that it is unconditionally an enemy unless it is a fairy is wrong.”
Mirole’s eyes, facing Evan, were sparkling. It wasn’t the image of a girl who was ashamed of holding Evan’s hand. There was still some youth, but still, they were the eyes of the leader looking straight at the future of herself and the fairy tribe.
“We have to change, too. We cannot exclude them all. But it’s hard on our own…I believe that you can be the link between us and the other races.”
“The link.”
“Yes. You’re saving oppressed races like the dwarves of this forest, bringing them together and leading them. If that happens, there will be no harm to the forest, and it will be easier for us to distinguish friend from foe. I will cooperate with you as the elven representative.”
“…The elven representative?”
Evan almost nodded unintentionally at her enthusiastic words. Still, at this point, he pointed it out urgently, recalling the fact that she hadn’t yet revealed herself properly. Mirole nodded firmly to his question and replied.
“Yes. I said I was just an elf, but…I’m sorry. Actually, I’m not.”
Straightening her back, sticking out her chest, opening her eyes more clearly. She put one hand on her chest.
“I will introduce myself again. I am the only daughter of the Mother Tree, the only one in the world, and the fairy representing all fairies. I’m High Elf Mirole.”
When did Mirole reveal her original identity to the ancient Archmage? To Evan, who was still thinking, Mirole stepped out and said again in a firm tone.
“Zero, I believe you can do it with your abilities. Please, to protect the peace of the forest… be the king of all races.”
* * *
“Wow.”
The sofa on the first-floor lobby of Astray Headquarters. Serena was lying on it in her rags, reading Astray’s letter.
“They are inviting us to the coronation! Louise wrote it herself!”
“It was sent separately from the one sent to the Silk Line royal family, right? There’s no stopping, Louise.”
Now Arisha, who had just finished her work and came down to the lobby, took the letter from Serena’s hand and read it. Sure enough, she could see very well that it contained Louise’s intention that she didn’t want to earn Astray’s grudge.
“We have to go. I’ll go there myself. I can go and ask what the hell she is thinking.”
“What she’s thinking is written here.”
Serena giggled and pointed to the middle of the letter. Arisha sighed as she saw the phrase written, “I will be the guardian of the absolute monarchy that maintains the peace of the world by following master’s will.”
“At this point, she’s a fanatic, a fanatic.”
“I’m proud of her because I think she likes Evan that much! Hehe, I miss Evan.”
“Yes, yes. I miss him to death too…don’t say you miss him; it makes it harder.”
Arisha, who tries to pass it off in a trifling way, ended up collapsing. Serena got up from the sofa and hugged her.
“He said he would be coming soon, so let’s cheer up together. Cheer up!”
“Stop playing cat and mouse with me! …Anyway, do something with Belois.”
Serena turned her head as she heard the name. It was impossible to soothe Belois.
“How will Evan deal with Belois after he comes back?”
“He may carry her around for life.”
“Belois is the one who would carry Evan and not let him go.”
The two women giggled as they shared such a joke. The next day, the personnel were organized to head to the coronation of the founding queen of the Merdin Kingdom, Louise Merdin. Belois wasn’t to be found.