Shinka no Mi

"- Makoto."

"Oh, there's something here."

As he was being taken by a tree through the woods, he accidentally felt signs of a creature.

As far as I'm concerned, I don't know if it's a bunch of potato worms, but what do you got?

Thinking that way, I could hear people this time from those signs.

"- Huh!"

"- Oh, come on!

"- Out of the way - then...!

If you listen carefully, they say they are fighting the demon, and I saw the tree unexpectedly.

"Hey, it sounds like they're attacking something..."

"... This sign is not of His Majesty's soldiers. Probably an enemy soldier. So you can leave it alone. And it doesn't seem to be a critical situation."

As the tree says, voices that sound slight have a lot of yelling, but they don't convey emotions like rush or fear. On the contrary, I even feel annoying atmosphere and leeway.

"Well, if you say trees are good, I won't move either... but if you're an enemy soldier, why don't you check your power?

"… they are also important, but I want you to make your way to Sire's country as soon as possible."

I was stopped by His Majesty's orders.

Neither would a man, Your Majesty, have thought that the beings he created would bring me in of his own free will.

You wouldn't want to bring such unskilled people into your own country.

"Besides, it's probably no coincidence they're fighting demons,"

"Huh?"

"I mean, I thought it was one operation by His Majesty's Lordship. If you listen carefully, the soldiers of the enemy countries are gradually moving away from the country, so is it something like a break once in a while? But I don't have time to be relieved because it would really be between bundles. Let's hurry up."

I didn't have any complaints about the tree I told you about, I just followed behind.

And...

"Right here."

"Ooh......!

I finally got to my destination.

As the trees say, there was really a city in the middle of the woods.

It is surrounded by walls as large as Terveil, over which the soldiers move busily.

And you can see from beyond that wall, the big castle was impressive.

I don't know what to say... Terbert's castle is the shape of a dream national castle, but the castle in this city has a Taj Mahal look.

In front of the city, I was impressed, but I felt the vibe.

"I don't know, it's a tingly vibe"

Sometimes we are currently fighting enemy countries, and it seems like the city is tingling at some point.

In fact, I can see soldiers moving busily at a visible distance, and hurrying people who seem to be injured.

"Uh... what am I supposed to do from here? I just don't think you can let me in from the front..."

"What are you talking about? Let's go from the front."

"Are you nuts?

Oh, you think a guy who doesn't have the guts can be accepted straight from the front in such a tingly place?

When I really thought so, the tree laughed.

"Makoto... what do you think I'm here for? If I were here, I'd let you in."

"Oh, oh. Is that true? You were created by the [Empress]."

"Yeah. Besides, either way, there's only one way in through the main entrance. So let's get going."

As the tree prompted me, I approached the main entrance.

Then I realize that the front gate, which gradually becomes visible, is not normal.

"Hey... if my eyes aren't crazy, it looks like my eyes and mouth are on the gate..."

"That's because the front gate was created by His Majesty just like me. It acts as a perfect gatekeeper because it prevents illegal immigration, criminals, etc. from breaking and entering, and because it is the original gateway, you don't need sleep, you don't have to break people into opening and closing the gates."

"Ooh..."

I see, if you do personalize the gate, can you even do such amazing things?

As I approached the city admiring the amazing features, the soldiers who were on the walls noticed me.

"Hey, that -"

"No way -"

"Sorry! I 'm--"

The moment I was about to say so, arrows were released from the walls simultaneously.... Huh?

"Uh-huh, yeah!?"

All the arrows were fired at me, and I avoided the arrows in a disgusting position, just as I did when I fell into a dungeon trap.

"Hey, hey Mr. Tree!? It must be a story!? Wouldn't it be okay if you were here!?"

The soldiers on the walls of the castle were even more vigilant when they saw me like that as they raised their protest against the trees in an amazing position.

"Hey, he's still alive!

"Anyway, let go of the arrow!

"Never get too close to the city!

"I'm not dead!

"No, no, no, no, no!

I don't see any signs of acceptance at all!

As I was desperately pushing and killing my thoughts that made me want to get stuck by accident, I started to feel like an arrow strangely started avoiding me.

... Is that it? This phenomenon is similar to the decline we had when we fought the Zakias before......

The fact that the arrows no longer hit naturally makes the soldiers on the walls realize it and frown.

"Hey, you didn't hit me!

"What are you doing! Aim hard!"

"You've decided you're after me!

"What? Then it's the power of him. I don't know what hand you used, but it won't last forever. Now keep attacking even!

But thanks for the conclusion of the soldiers in the country, they didn't think they were hitting it with some force of mine right now, and the attack continued due to predictions that the end would come sooner or later.

Seeing that, one anxiety struck my head.

- You can use so many arrows on me!? This isn't for soldiers in enemy countries!?

"Hey, tree! I need you to do something to stop the attack!

I tell that to the tree as I retrieve what I have been avoiding, taking care not to fold as much as possible considering the consumption of the country's arrows......

"... Makoto. Don't talk to me. If I talk to Makoto, they'll attack me. I'm a tree. It's just a tree. Is that good?

"I'm gonna bust you, Temeye. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

I told you! I'm on guard, and he's never gonna let me in. Come on!

Desperately retrieving the arrows, the tree sighed.

"You have no choice. I'll talk to you."

"Do that from the start......!

The tree raised its voice as I was retrieving a large number of arrows, approaching the main gate.

"Please open the gate. I'm not a suspicious tree!

"I didn't know it was suspicious..."

"No, wait. The tree His Majesty is manipulating in the current battle should be properly marked! There's no sign of it in Germany!

"... oh? The clouds..."

"- Kill him, too!

"No, no, no, no, no!

It's not suspicious in the first place. It's a tree! You're already suspicious when you have eyes and mouth and you move!

The tree would also be attacked with me, and the wave of attacks became even stronger, and as I was genuinely worried about the stock of arrows in the country, the main gate of existence similar to the tree opened my mouth.

"... muh. Mmmm!? Gentlemen, stop the attack! From that tree, I feel the same signs of power as I do!

"What!?"

"Does that mean... His Majesty used his abilities in the woods?

The sound of the main entrance stopped the soldiers from attacking once on the walls, thanks to which I was finally able to take a breath.

"... hey, you couldn't get in there normally at all"

"That's strange... I was a popular person in the woods, wasn't I? It's a bunch of ignorant people who don't know me."

"What are you really like!?"

There's no one popular with trees or shit. There's no way we can tell.

As I managed to stack a good amount of arrows I couldn't hold with both hands, a few soldiers came to us from the main gate on guard.

And look at the tower of arrows I pile up, and the soldier opens his eyes.

"You, that arrow..."

"Oh, I'll give you this back. I guess it was the arrow for the opponent I'm fighting now, so I tried not to break it..."

――――

Taking my word for it, the soldiers seemed to be out of line somewhere. Is that it? I don't need it. Was it caring?

Then the soldier who was first in the center turned back to me and looked at the tree standing next to me.

"The tree..."

"Uh... what can I say... Dear [Empress] of this country in the woods with that little mistake? I met him, and that's when I was suspicious, and this tree was used to stop me."

"Yeah. It's a really good choice. Without me, Makoto would have been impossible to stop."

"I can't say anything because I'm actually stuck..."

Soldiers who looked more and more surprised at me and what the trees said, when they looked at each other, first led them to near the main entrance? Or they took him.

Exactly, they still couldn't get me inside the gate, and somehow I had to talk to one of the soldiers who brought me to the front gate who was waiting for me and watch the soldier I was talking to run away somewhere.

Hi. I hear the soldier who ran off to tell the great man of the country about me.

Until I heard from that great man, me and Tree had been asked a lot of questions by the soldiers.

While I was a little mentally tired of soldiers trying to extract my information anyway about where they came from, what country they belonged to, I answered one by one without lying.

But the crystal that Destra of the [Demon Order] had originally come to this country was the cause, so I told her that the soldiers made their faces even more dangerous, and one of the new soldiers ran off somewhere again.

When I finished answering the question like that, me and the tree were supposed to wait outside the main entrance while being watched until that great lady arrived.

"Hey, we talked about getting in pretty good with you, didn't we?

"Yeah, that's right"

"So what do you think of this situation?

"What are you talking about? I wouldn't have had a problem alone. Makoto is suspicious."

"It's hard to deny... but even if it was just you, I don't think you could have let me in."

"That's not true. Hey, soldier?

"There's no way you're putting in a suspicious tree"

"What?!?"

After all, there seemed to be no way for us to get in normally from the start.

Well, I'm glad I brought it into a situation where I might end up putting it this way.

As we exchanged soldiers for a light conversation, words of hostility suddenly flew from the front gate.

"- You!

"Huh?"

When I turned my gaze toward my voice, there was a woman in armor staring at me...... Mr. Riel stood.

But apparently, Mr. Riel isn't the only one who's come to this scene, and I also feel like you're alert to me, and someone else is circling behind me while you disappear and show signs. Probably the black-crush guy who was rendezvous with Mr. Riels.

"What the hell are you doing here? You said you came all the way here to get killed?

"No, no, no, no, why do I have to go to death from myself... I'm here from a tree, Your Majesty? They've been asking me to help. See?"

Speak to the tree sitting next to you to get your consent, but for some reason the tree closed its eyes and kept quiet.

"... Hey?

"Makoto. Don't talk to me. If you think about it carefully, I'm angry because it's like ignoring orders. So now I'm just a tree."

"No, I think it's too late..."

It would be weird if there wasn't a tree growing near the main gate in the first place, but only one tree growing right next to me.

"Hey. I do feel His Majesty's might from that tree. Perhaps at that time His Majesty ordered me to stop... but why did you bring such a suspicious man here?

"Oh, are you finding out?

"You really didn't think I'd find out?

I don't know if he's smart or not. No, I guess I'm just an asshole more than he is. Somehow, it's a wacko who's been stopped just like he planned.

You thought you couldn't hide it anymore, Clam. The tree solved the pseudo, staring straight at Mr. Riel.

"I was created by His Majesty, and I put His Majesty first. And I brought you here because I thought the only one who could save your Majesty's crisis was Makoto."

"What? Such a suspicious man saves His Majesty? Don't be silly. No one can change the status quo now. There's nothing more we can do."

That's what I'm gonna tell you. Mr. Riel gave me a sad look.

But as soon as you change your expression to something dangerous, you stare at me again.

"So what the hell are you? I heard you were an adventurer..."

"Uh..."

I first explained how I came to do this [Sealed Demon Forest].

Then after listening to all the stories, Riel asks as if to check again.

"I mean, you say you're here because of the 'gods' and the doings of [the Demon Church]?

"Well, that's what you're gonna say."

"So you don't think you're part of the [Demon Order]?

"It doesn't. I don't like it, I can't believe I'm with such a bunch of people I don't know..."

No, you really wouldn't like it. I don't even know the demon god, but he's annoying me.

"Really... So you're from the Kaisel Empire?

"To? The Kaisel Empire? I don't know why the Kaisel Empire is coming out... no?

……

Having heard my words, Mr. Riel loosened his guard somewhat when he turned his gaze behind mine for a moment. I don't know, I guess I even made eye contact with someone behind me.

"... apparently really irrelevant"

"Huh?"

"- Okay, follow me."

With that said, Mr. Riel turns back to the main entrance and turns his gaze only to me.

"I don't know why the tree called you... but I'll tell you what you can't do to help."

That's what he said, put me and the tree through the main entrance.