Tree Spirit City

Front Table of Contents

A sight unimaginable from the word "city" was spreading out before Finn's eyes.
At first glance, it looked no different from the great forests he had seen before. Not a single building constructed by human hands stood there; giant trees grew thick as always, and a pale, jade-colored light poured down softly.
However, when he looked closely, unlike other places, thin roots were tightly intertwined on the ground under his feet, forming a path. The tree roots formed a path for people to walk on, as if they had been created with intent. At the ends of these paths, which stretched in all directions, giant trees towered, and at their bases, vertical hollows just the right size for a person to pass through opened up. Inside, one could see lights that suggested people were living there, and even passages that looked like corridors.

"This is..."

Behind him, Sojuro let out a sigh of admiration.
Finn felt the same.

"The trees are growing in the shape of houses...?"

It was a strange sight.
Looking up from the base, there were windows that appeared to be for lighting here and there in the trunks of the giant trees. Transparent parts formed by hardened tree sap and hard bark parts were intricately intertwined, creating natural stained glass.
It was very similar in shape to the skyscrapers inside the arcologies of his home world. But the impression it gave was completely different.
Everything was covered in moss. Crystalline flowers bloomed here and there, adding variety to the colors. The streets formed by the intertwining thin roots possessed a beauty that resembled dense and delicate reliefs.
It was an exciting and mysterious cityscape. Finn was filled with the urge to run out and explore the inside of the trees right now.
But these were undoubtedly the homes of the elf people, and he earnestly restrained himself, thinking it would be wrong to enter without permission.

"Thanks to the forest's favor, the dwellings grow on their own. This, too, is a part of the protection based on the ancient covenant."
"Whoa, that's fantasy, man."
"It has the air of a European fairy tale, does it not?"
"But I don't see any orcs. Weren't they besieging the city?"
"Perhaps the people of Ondina have evacuated to the tree-top gardens. I believe the orcs are attacking the spiral staircase that leads there."
"Very well, then let us head there at once."

At that moment, a turbid scream roared through the air.
Looking, a swarm of dozens of orcs was charging furiously, trampling over the exquisite corridors at their feet.

"Oh-ho, so you've come, have you?"

Rekka wore a thick smile and cracked his knuckles.
Sojuro also gracefully descended from the clay to the ground. He swung his spirit charm and returned it to his sword.
But—
At that moment, no one noticed that Finn had disappeared from the spot before they knew it.

●

Shirley Jude Obscura was convinced that the three heroes she had summoned were the best reinforcements she could have hoped for.
They were worthy of trust in both ability and character.
In particular, Rekka-kun's joke-like strength was something that even inspired awe. She hadn't seen it directly, but he had wiped out dozens of orcs in an instant, and with his bare hands at that. If he got serious, he would surely cause phenomena akin to natural disasters. On the other hand, his straightforward and honest personality, for better or worse, was adorable. If she could reach, she would want to pat his head. Also, it was nice that he let her touch his muscles without hesitation. Very nice.
So-chan-sama must also be quite something, given that Leene placed so much trust in him. His calm demeanor was filled with natural confidence that wasn't excessive, and just from that technique where he produced a full set of clothes in an instant, it was easy to guess that he harbored extraordinary power. Above all, he was a strict yet kind person. She kept what he said in her heart as a problem that she must eventually find some answer to, even within Shirley.

And—Finn-kun.

Unlike the other two who seemed like they wouldn't die even if killed, he was a boy who made her feel like she couldn't leave him alone. A small boy with big, expressive eyes and soft, fluffy cheeks that were cute. If Rekka-kun had the cuteness of a large beast that wouldn't get angry even if touched, he seemed like a puppy separated from its parents and soaked in the rain. Of course, she didn't doubt his ability. Even if there were ten thousand Shirleys, they probably couldn't pin him down.
But... that wasn't it. She felt strongly that she had to protect him.
From what? She didn't know.
But she felt that if she left him alone, he would fade away fleetingly. She felt that if she didn't hold him tight, he would shed a single tear and vanish like morning dew.
That was why she decided that she would keep watching him forever—

Therefore, it was Shirley who noticed first.
Her vaguely glowing blue eyes caught a small shadow landing in the center of the approaching orc swarm.

—Finn-kun!?

She opened her eyes wide.
A hero from another world. One of the three warriors to whom she entrusted the future of Obscura. The long, black military uniform somehow didn't suit him, and instead highlighted his puppy-like atmosphere.
But—the eyes of him now, who had landed on his knees, had a color as if he were suppressing something. His wide eyes were sharp and pointed, and even exuded a somewhat cruel air.

"—<The sun is its father and the moon is its mother, the wind carries it in its womb, and the earth is its nurse. The |Will| (Telesma) of all things is there>—"

An incantation. She didn't recognize the wording at all, and it was clear that it was a spell from another world.
The surrounding orcs noticed the intruder who had suddenly appeared and let out a chorus of threats. Battle axes were raised.

"—|Silver Alchemy| (Argyropeia)・|Severing Spirit Light| (Logizomai)"

Luminous characters emerged on the small hand extended forward—and the next instant, a convulsion ran through the bodies of all the orcs. Their movements, as they were about to bring down their weapons, stopped abruptly.
If one looked closely, nearly invisible, thin threads were radiating in all directions from his open fingers. The silver lines, which appeared and disappeared depending on the light, were not slack; one could see they were pulled taut.
Shirley had seen it once before. Ultra-thin threads capable of binding even a powerful orc.
It was not magic. The realm of magic is destruction and transformation. She had never heard of magic that could create something.

[To be continued]

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