Chapter 588 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

"Hmm. Normally, it would be my role to stop them... but interrupting their fierce fight would draw too much attention... Besides, they seem quite lively. They probably have their own reasons. I'm also keeping my identity hidden... So I'll leave it to Walpurgis." I wondered why Walpurgis was summoned, only to realize it was the Archwitch who called her. She went to the trouble of summoning a busy subordinate just because she felt awkward initiating a conversation herself. Quite impressive. Transported to the layer of the command, I was retrieved by Walpurgis. Smiling awkwardly at what felt like a mischievous glance, I spoke to the apparition of Walpurgis. "Thank you for helping. It seems you’re having a hard time being tossed around here and there." "It seems I have one more thing to worry about." I sensed a sharp look from the apparition. Brushing it off lightly, I replied. "Perhaps you seem too reliable to be a witch? Take it easy." "There is much to be done. As you can see." "Oh dear." "Oh dear is not a sufficient response. Be cautious in your actions. Under the shadow of the World Tree dwell all kinds of people. Besides the inhabitants of the tree, there are those drawn by the Grand Druid’s teachings, the witches' potions, or rare flora and fauna that grow only here. Among them, there might be those who harbor grudges against you or have ambitions." "Like Blanca?" The apparition wavered slightly. "...Similar, though unlike Blanca, you have the support of Lady Nevada." "You mean the Master of All?" Walpurgis responded slowly enough that it could be felt beyond the apparition. "Yes, them." "Them? Are you saying you're not one with the Master of All?" "I am, after all, just a single human with only a mandatory curiosity about the King of Humans." "Do you have no desires for the King of Humans?" "...Of course." "Oh? You hesitated." "There is something I wish to ask, but it’s not so grand as to call it a desire. It’s just a curiosity." Walpurgis brushed off my words and turned away, seemingly not wishing to answer further. An uncomfortable silence hung as we traversed the waterway. In the meantime, the Regressor was deep in thought. ‘Why did Hughes act so unnecessarily? In the end, there's nothing gained from this adventure, right?’ Nothing gained? But you’ve experienced many things. Why the dissatisfaction? ‘Hughes does enjoy people-watching. Wherever we’ve gone, he's engaged the locals in conversation. But it can’t just be for sightseeing. What could Hughes’ intention be? Should I ask?’ Sure, go ahead and ask. I’ll answer. ‘No. We’re being watched anyway. Hughes might not even be able to answer, and even if he did, I can't take it at face value. Let’s consider what might happen. Revealing our identity to Blanca... What good does it do? It’s just advertising the King of Humans’ presence. Surely that’s not the goal.’ Ha, quite the imagination you have. …This child’s intuition is either spot-on or completely off. --- Although the One Nation was destroyed, it did not vanish. The World Tree burned, and with Mu Hu and his followers annihilated, the focal point evaporated. Since its inception, the One Nation has been a loose confederation of clans and tribes, so its form remained. Some tribes still adhered to the customs of the One Nation, and they pledged loyalty to Hexia Agartha, the last of the royal lineage. The chief of the Anub tribe, Agartha’s guardians, comprised entirely of canine beast people, perked up at the unexpected news. "What? The King of Humans...? Is that true?" "Yes! I saw it with my own eyes!" "But are you certain it's the King of Humans?" "That... I’m not certain. But I heard the conversation between the Night Witch and the Black Hound! They mentioned the King of Humans!" The Black Hound referred to the Baskerville. Just as the Anub tribe served as Agartha’s guardians, the Baskerville held the same role for the royal family, which instilled a sense of affinity towards them. "The Night Witch, you say? Then surely the Archwitch knows as well. It's worth verifying. Well done, Kario. Your quickness shines." Kario wagged her tail with pride at the recognition, but the chief couldn’t share her easy cheer. He sensed it—a whiff of the flames that could ignite this jungle. As a chief responsible for a tribe, a loyal retainer inheriting the spirit of the One Nation, he took pride in that, yet... "A King of Humans. If it’s true, the world will tremble." He could not fathom the scale of change this news might bring. Yet amidst uncertainty and fear, he knew he must act. Such is the duty of a chief. Stroking his chin, Anub muttered. "Perhaps this is for the best. It could be an opportunity to weed out the rebels lingering in this land." --- "...That’s likely what Anub is thinking. Those stupid bozos!" The news didn’t stay confined to the Anub tribe. The rowdy clash involving much of the World Tree’s denizens was too loud to keep under wraps. It would’ve been less of a stir had it been advertised. "To think the King of Humans will be their king is a delusion. The King of Humans is the king of humans! Do they believe he will rule Agartha, too, or become the king of your beastfolk?" The former One Nation met its downfall just like that. Tribes favorable to Agartha remained, as did those who opposed. Agartha one day unexpectedly created beastfolk. These new beings, suddenly thrust upon the world, required food, clothing, shelter. With affection, Agartha granted them a cherished plot of land. But true empty land doesn’t exist—whether it’s land or the heart. The tribe secretly considered the land and Agartha’s favor as theirs, festering dissatisfaction and hatred. Some even joined the rebellion that toppled the Agartha dynasty, though they never sought the One Nation’s ruin. "If they are a true King of Humans, they will never recognize those mixed like the beastfolk as humans. The downfall of the One Nation was due to such mixes! This is an opportunity to create a pure human nation!" Those who have experienced a nation before understand the allure of its powerful governance and the necessity of its controlling influence over the jungle. Even after hundreds of years since the One Nation's fall, there remains a longing for the past. "Let us depart! To the place of the false World Tree!" --- "...It has come as expected. The fruit has ripened on the land where the seeds of sin were sown. Now, the tree of betrayal is complete, and the fruit of good and evil will yield their sinful sap." And amongst the great jungle, not only the descendants of the One Nation resided. Between the dozens of trees growing on a gentle hill, a young girl walked. As she gently caressed the branches resembling outstretched human hands, she whispered to the trees in a voice laced with sorrow. "In the past, Mu Hu Agartha mingled with the Beast King and birthed the beastfolk. All births should be blessed, yet Mu Hu turned it into a dreadful betrayal due to personal greed and obstinacy. It was... an act that should not exist in this world..." The thriving trees, grown in the hot and humid land, were revered as objects of worship and a product of nature itself. For the druids who honored nature, the jungle of the One Nation was truly a blessed land. However, when the World Tree, that blessed ginkgo, burned and withered, and the Origin Tree, crafted by the Grand Druid, began to grow in its place, the druids felt nothing but endless despair and resignation. "...A fallen Grand Druid, a mad Archwitch—and joined by countless witches and warriors... They are mighty, yet we are powerless." Grand Druid Nevada. Since ancient times, she protected nature, passing on the teachings of the druids. She loved nature and forged contracts with all kinds of beast kings, serving as both a figure of pride and a model for numerous druids. When she vowed to cultivate a new World Tree to replace the burned ginkgo, all druids lent their strength. They collected the trunk and leaves of the dead ginkgo and presented them to Nevada. Yet, what was born was not a World Tree adorned with beautiful ginkgo leaves coloring the world, but a cursed tree of betrayal, bearing different flowers and crops on each branch. Following this, the druids turned away from the Origin Tree and took up the role of forest sentinels, continuously monitoring it. "We are the Transmission Keepers. Those who hold the sin of this land. And those sworn to ensure it does not repeat." There is a tale that the number of heartbeats allotted to a living being is fixed. It stems from the notion that creatures with shorter lifespans have faster heartbeats. A mouse, as small as a fingertip, will have its heart beating over 900 times a minute, constantly seeking sustenance lifelong due to its energy needs. By contrast, trees, devoid of a heartbeat or movement, can live for times nearing eternity. Uncertain even if the concept of a natural death applies to them, they simply exist as part of the landscape. Some may find fleeting beauty in the beasts that burn brightly in a short time, while others find awe in trees that steadfastly maintain their place for eternity. Druids belonged to the latter group. They revered the slow and grand cycles too vast to quantify with human senses. In their relentless reverence and exploration, druids claimed a part of this grand cycle. "...Rise. For the World Tree. For Mother Nature. And for the natural order we must guard." A druid bound in contract with a tree can live for centuries, merging their being with the tree, living for an eternal-like span without consciousness or sensation. This act of ‘just existing’ without doing anything else is not encouraged by the druids, as it disrupts the natural order. Nonetheless, when a druid must transmit their knowledge and memories for some reason, they choose this path. A 'tree' stirred. The Forest of Knowledge. In the distant past, druids discovered the sins of the One Nation and severed them. To evade the Archwitch's pursuit and impart the sins they witnessed, those who chose to become trees now awoke from their long slumber.