Chapter 576 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

The Tree of Origin is the demon tree of Nevida, inheriting the essence of the World Tree and imbued with the immense power of a demon. Nevida, a primeval druid and demon, is able to manipulate this magnificent and colossal tree at will. Within this tree, she is akin to a divine being. True to her divine nature, Nevida created my room in mere seconds. It was a spacious and comfortable room, scarcely believable that it was carved out from wood. Apart from the inconvenient location that prevented easy wandering outside, it was perfect. There was a bed made of soft straw. A table had sprouted from the tree itself. A chair, fashioned from the tree's base, was covered with dried moss as a cushion, and a coat hook protruded from the ivy that crept along the walls. The room even had a bathroom, a kitchen, and a pantry. The clear sound of flowing water came from a bamboo pipe overhead. If I were to remove the cork stopper sealing the hole, water would surely gush out. Inside a bowl-like vessel, flower petals soaked in plant oil were visible. When I tapped the pod aside, sparks flew, igniting the oil. Seeing fire and grass, typically enemies, coexist was reminiscent of nature's mysteries. When I closed the lacquered wooden lid, the suffocated flames returned to a deep slumber. It was truly a civilization crafted by nature. To have a dwelling set up with furnishings in the blink of an eye, isn't this divine intervention? Though it's a temporary abode that will someday vanish, I am simply grateful. I brought the armless Regressive Mage into my room. Thanks to me, he barely escaped death, but his display of gratitude was... "Just kill me already...!" nonexistent. What on earth? I couldn't help but retort in disbelief. "What are you going on about? Are you a captive knight or something?" "...Ugh. I guess it’s kind of similar." Even captive knights usually aren’t stripped of their limbs; they're generally treated better than the Regressive Mage in this case. The Regressive Mage gritted his teeth, groaning in pain as he looked at his shoulder stumps, where nothing remained. Though the bleeding had been controlled with acupuncture and first aid, the blood seeping through his clothes still revealed the severity of his condition. "I've already lost my arms, been robbed of my weapon. Recovery seems unlikely... and Nevida won’t just let it happen. There’s nothing more I can do. If I’m going to die anyway, I’d rather it be quick." Honestly, deciding on suicide isn't that strange in this situation. The only consolation was that the Regressive Mage wasn't entirely hopeless. Despite losing his arms in defeat, he wasn't filled with despair but rather with anger. 'This way, I can return with a clear mind. Dying in a state of ruin is a waste of time... but ouch, maybe it’s all this blood loss. My head’s buzzing, feels like I'm going insane.' Thanks to this, I wasn’t caught up in despair either. If the mage had truly wished for death, I might have helped him with suicide, so it was fortunate things hadn’t come to that. "Don’t be so pessimistic. What would that make my efforts to save you, Shei? I worked hard to save you; it’d be a waste if you died on me." I tried to convey comfort and encouragement, but the response I got was an expression of some strange suspicion from the Regressive Mage. "...You're after my body." "What kind of nonsense is that!" What? I never aimed for your body, even when you had both arms intact! Let alone now, when your body is half a ruin—what's there to covet? "As soon as I reveal I'm a woman, you spring at me like this..." "What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m trying to treat you! Are you really going to die just like this?" "What’s the use of treatment? I’ve got no arms; I've been disarmed. Even if I survive, I’ll just become an experiment for the Archwitch or a hostage for Nevida…." That's why I tried to give Nevida a good reason to keep you alive! So that neither Nevida nor the Archwitch could easily dispose of you! How dare you belittle my efforts! I've worked hard, chipping away at my image! Unbelievable. Time to hit back with some harsh truth...! ‘Oh-oh? That man is the King of Humans? Why?’ Wait a second. Keep your cool. I could hear someone’s thoughts from outside. Like a splash of cold water, my mind cleared. I stopped my rebuttal and began to tune into the thoughts emanating from somewhere. ‘Hmm. He does slightly resemble the one sleeping above.... But appearance alone isn't reason enough. Huh? The Beast King found him, and now claims he’s using unique magic? Who said that? That little cog mentioned his unique magic…?’ The thoughts belonged to the Archwitch. It seemed she was conversing with Nevida, though Nevida’s thoughts remained level and less distinct compared to the Archwitch’s. ‘But it’s strange…. Even if we overlook the fact that the Beast King is male, even so, it has minimal reproductive desire. Gender is simply a form, representing both sexes fundamentally.... The Beast King is, like a hermaphrodite, a perfect being whose line continues naturally without concern for extinction.’ Tsk. She's already getting suspicious. I thought it would take longer. Given Nevida's command over flora, and the Archwitch’s expertise with beasts and toxicology, it's no wonder they formed a natural alliance. ‘There’s a chance... the Human King might differ. If split in two, such a being is inherently incomplete. Hmm, understood.’ As such, she had a grasp on beasts, especially the Beast King, far better than most. After finishing her conversation, the Archwitch mused to herself. ‘But there could be another agenda. Nevida won’t keep an eye on him; that would be blasphemy to her. However, it doesn't bother me. A witch’s true talent lies in voyeurism... Can’t miss the chance to observe the Human King’s nature.’ Don't project your voyeuristic tendencies onto witches! It's behavior like this that fuels witch hunts! Nevertheless, the Archwitch took it upon herself to forcibly ensnare the nearby bugs as familiars. Normally, this would require nurturing and building rapport, but as a witch combined with a vampire's blood, she far surpassed such limits. Twenty bugs wriggled in through the cracks, taking their positions around the room. They were the prying eyes and ears of the voyeuristic witch. Ordinary humans couldn't decipher the signals sent by twenty bugs in unison, but those insects, integrated into her body via blood magic, became the Archwitch's eyes and ears. Surveillance, huh. It seems I won’t get to rest peacefully. Not that I ever truly relaxed anyway. There’s no choice. Ugh, this is really hitting my pride. "No, Shei won’t be an experiment for the Archwitch nor a hostage for Nevida." "...How do you know?" "Because Shei has to become my girlfriend." "W-What?" "So stop being stubborn and let’s get your arms reattached, do you want to die?" 'Wha—What is he suddenly saying?' I roughly pulled the bewildered Regressive Mage and sat her on a chair. In her confusion, she offered no resistance and moved as I directed. Ah, my pride hurts. All my life, I've received plenty of advances, but I’ve never had to make one myself. Yet, you can’t do only what you want in life. If I’m to protect the Regressive Mage’s life under Nevida and the Archwitch’s surveillance…. No, that's not quite right. To protect this world from his fate, there’s no other choice but this! "I have reasonably normal aesthetic sense, you know. I don’t particularly enjoy being around someone bleeding and writhing without arms. Look at you. You're filthy and it smells. It's disgusting." "...I can't help it! My arms were, ugh, torn off...!" "That’s why we’re going to put you back together, alright? Now, lean your shoulders forward. As Tyr's demon, I’ll help with the healing, so secure the connection points well with your internal energy." I carefully lifted the two arms I'd brought along. These were the very arms the Regressive Mage had lost. Considering how badly damaged they were, the primary concern was whether striking them back would kill the body before it took hold. But, thanks to the Regressive Mage's unique martial prowess, he minimized blood loss by rerouting blood flow back into his body even after losing his arms. His handling of the situation was impressively precise, almost as if it was not his first time losing an arm. “Here are Shei’s lost left and right arms that I carried over. Go on, say hello. Oh, right, Shei doesn’t have any hands to wave, does she?” “Even as I’m hanging by a thread, you can’t stop joking…” “In a dire situation, being gloomy brings everyone down. Let’s look on the bright side.” I waved the arms that had been torn off by Nevida with both hands. The bones were twisted and the muscles dangled, yet life still coursed through them. It was solely because I maintained constant circulation. Seeing the relatively intact arms, the Regressive Mage briefly felt hope flicker in her eyes, but soon shook her head. "...Even if I reattach them, it will take months to regain my strength. And even then, I won't be as strong as I was." “Then those months can be spent on recovery. You have a whole life ahead, so what's a few months of recovery in the grand scheme?" '…That's true. But Hughes doesn’t know that I can restart my timeline… Fixing these arms for months seems worse than resetting and starting over.' Not for you, but for my sake. Things are oddly going well this turn, and I might regain full strength. I can't reset just yet. "Think of it as another form of training, living a few months as if without arms. You could perhaps open new pathways in understanding, right?” “Does that even make sense?” “So, saying ‘Since my arms are gone, I’ll just die’ makes sense then? Especially when they can be reattached. Doing that would be an insult to every single person in the world who has lost theirs, and it's unforgivable to me." 'I guess Hughes, unaware of my resets, sees my surrender as strange. Yeah, there’s still plenty to gain in this cycle. Starting over is bothersome, let’s see this through... Besides, I’m curious about what Hughes said.' The Regressive Mage shrugged a bit, with a nod in place of her absent hand. Leaning back against the chair, she seemed to have decided on something. “There’s a potion in my pocket. If you process it as I instruct, it will aid in reattaching the arms. It requires a significant amount of energy to connect the muscles individually.” "Alright. We’ve much to discuss, but let’s prioritize reattaching those arms for now.” “O-Okay." It wasn’t just the prospect of treatment that made the Regressive Mage tense. …Ha. This brings back memories of pandering to customers in a host club. How about it, Archwitch? Are you satisfied? 'Oh my, this feels interesting... Not bad, indeed…' Reading the observer’s thoughts, I carefully proceeded with my actions, aware of the invisible audience monitoring my every move.