Chapter 90 - I was Warned

In the depths of the Spirits’ Forest, I encountered one of the Six Kings, the pinnacle of the Demon Realm…… the World King, Lillywood Yggdrasil.

The person who has become one with the tree continues to speak calmly to the astonished me.

“I’m sorry to have surprised you. But in a way, it was fortunate that I met you here. I’ve been wanting to meet you once.”

[Me?]

“Yes, I heard about you from Isis and Kuromueina, and I thought I’d give you a visit after the Sacred Tree Festival.”

[Kuro and Isis-san huh…… Errr, Lillywood-sama……]

“You don’t need to add an honorific title. You can just call me by my name, like you call Isis and Kuromueina.”

Regarding Lillywood-sama…… No, Lillywood-san, I had heard from Lilia-san and the other that she was one of the gentlest of the Six Kings, and it seems that what I heard were true, as Lillywood-san’s voice is gentle, and she speaks to me, a mere human being, in a very polite manner.

[Errr, well then, please let me call you Lillywood-san. You already know my name, but once again……My name is Miyama Kaito. It’s nice to meet you.]

“Thank you for your courtesy. It’s nice to meet you too. It’s a great pleasure to meet you here.”

[Ummm, why was Lillywood-san planning to visit me?]

I bow once to Lillywood-san, who politely returned my greeting.

And then, I asked what she meant when she said ” she was going to visit me after the Sacred Tree Festival”.

I don’t need to doubt her now, but Lillywood-san is an existence with extremely high status…… She’s one of the pinnacle of the Demon Realm, and had a presence that won’t undermine that title.

That’s why I wondered.

It was just a coincidence that I met Kuro and Isis-san, and even though my encounter with Lillywood-san here was unexpected, she seemed to know me already and wanted to meet me, and I didn’t know the reason why.

Hearing my words, Lillywood-san gently smiles and replies.

“There were two reasons why I wanted to meet you…… One was simply because I became interested in you. And the second reason was…… I wanted to meet you once and express my “gratitude”.”

[Gratitude, is it? For what exactly……]

“All of the Six Kings are close to each other…… But of all of them, I have the most opportunities to talk to Isis, and I can say that Isis is a long-time friend of mine.”

Indeed, if I remember correctly, when Isis-san came to visit, she mentioned how “Lillywood told her about it”, and the two of them may be like close friends.

Just as Lillywood-san was speaking, her eyes slightly narrowed in sadness before she continued speaking.

“I thought I understood the suffering she was going through…… but I couldn’t do anything about it. Because I’m a being with power comparable to Isis, I was unable to fulfill her wish to “come in contact with the powerless as well, and to meet someone who would accept her even if such being doesn’t have power”.”

[…………………..]

“I was busy with my own affairs, and seeing Isis growing sad and lonely, I always felt frustrated. But then, you appeared at her doorstep.”

[Me?]

She seemed to care very much about Isis and Lillywood-san seemed to be feeling charigned at her inability to make Isis-san’s pain go away.

“Yes, ever since she met you, Isis has been smiling really happily and every time she visits you, she happily talks about you. Seeing her like that makes me happy. I can’t help but be really happy that she’s able to laugh from the bottom of her heart.”

[I don’t think I really did that much though……]

“No, since Isis met you, the cold, hard ice that had bound her for so many years disappeared. For that, I owe you a debt of gratitude that is too great to convey in words. Kaito-san, thank you so much.”

[Ah, no, that’s……]

“I’d really like to thank you. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

Looking at Lillywood-san as she deeply bowed her head to me and expressed her gratitude, I just scratched my head, a little confused.

Now then, what do I do? If she said that she wanted to thank me out of the blue……

It isn’t that I want something in return for being in contact with Isis-san. I like being with Isis-san because she’s a nice person who is kind and fun to be with, and I’m not thinking of anything by doing so.

So it would be right to say no here but…… there was one thing that inevitably stuck in my mind.

[……Lillywood-san. Regarding Isis-san…… I talked to her because she’s an important friend to me and I enjoy being with her. So I honestly don’t want to get rewarded for something like that……]

“……………….”

[So please consider this as a request that has nothing to do with that. If you don’t want to do so, you can decline, as I’m very aware that this can be a rude request. However, if it’s possible…… can I have one of the “Fruit of the World Tree”?]

Yes, the one thing that stuck in my mind was Sieg-san.

She said she didn’t want to heal the wound and that it didn’t matter to her if she couldn’t speak, but maybe one day, he would change her mind. There might come a time when she needs her voice.

So, if there’s a way to get her voice back when that time comes, I wanted to give it to Sieg-san, who has always been a great help to me.

So, after saying that I’m not requesting this as compensation for befriending Isis-san first, I asked this while deeply bowing to Lillywood-san.

After hearing my words, Lillywood-san was silent for a few moments before she calmly replied.

“Of course I don’t mind. I’ll give you as much as you want.”

[Eh? I- Is that alright? Isn’t that something incredibly valuable?]

“No, it’s isn’t really that valuable. In the first place, I’m restricting its distribution because I’m concerned that the fact that it can heal any wounds will never result in anything good.”

In response to my unreasonable request, Lillywood-san readily agrees without seeming particularly bothered.

It seems that the Fruit of the World Tree, which is extremely rare and expensive for the world, isn’t so rare for Lillywood-san.

“If this fruit that can heal any wounds could be easily obtained, those who specialize in Recovery Magic and medical treatment would lose their jobs. And not only that, it also deprives many people of the feeling of danger. The Fruit of the World Tree can heal wounds, but it can’t reverse death…… If people start thinking that it’s okay to get hurt because their wounds will be healed, it will cause lots of chaos in the world. Therefore, I have placed restrictions on the circulation of the Fruit of the World Tree in the world.”

What Lillywood-san said is plausible.

If all wounds are able to heal becomes normal, more people will lose their sense of urgency, and depending on how they use it, they can abuse it as much as they want.

That’s why Lillywood-san seems to be restricting the distribution of the Fruits of the World Tree.

As I nod in response to Lillywood-san’s words, a branch grew out of the tree that Lillywood-san is united with.

That branch reaches in front of me and produces a fruit that looks like a transparent crystal.

“Here you go, this is the Fruit of the World Tree.”

[Thank you very much.]

Receiving the fruit, which I could even feel divinity from it, I thanked Lillywood-san for it before putting it away in my magic box.

Thereupon, Lillywood-san smiles with a somewhat troubled expression on her face.

“However, I don’t think this is enough to return my gratitude though.”

[Eh? No, I felt like I was being selfish when I asked you this so……]

“……I can see it in your eyes. You didn’t want it for yourself. It’s for someone else, right? Then, it’s still not enough to return my gratitude.”

[No, errr……]

“So, here’s what I’ll do. Whenever you need my help in the future, please call me. I promise to be there for you.”

Saying that, Lillywood-san’s eyes turned serious.

What’s with this? It’s hard for me to imagine a situation in which I have to ask one of the Six Kings, Lillywood-san, for help, but Lillywood-san’s eyes seemed to be focused on something.

I don’t know if it’s because I was having such thoughts or not, but Lillywood-san calmly spoke with her eyes, looking at me filled with seriousness.

“……Please be careful of the Phantasmal King, No Face.”

[Eh?]

“No Face is probably already looking at you as a unique entity. And now, that person is most probably assessing your worth. Whether or not you’re a danger to this world……”

[……………..]

“And if that person judges you as a danger, No Face will mercilessly deal with you. So, if you notice anything out of the ordinary in the surroundings, please give me a call. For Isis’s sake, I can’t afford to lose you.”

To these words quietly spoken, I can’t make any reply to them.

The Phantasmal King, No Face, one of the Six Kings that’s still shrouded in mystery. As I recall, I remembered Chronois-san also saying that she doesn’t really know what the Phantasmal King is thinking.

Dear Mom, Dad—— I met Lillywood-san, and she gave me the Fruit of the World Tree. And she warned me—– that I should be careful of the Phantasmal King.