We were to return from the plains to the Elven forest, but since there was no way Reagaia could fit in a carriage, we had to return on foot.
Reagaia grumbled and complained incessantly, but if she were to board the carriage, her weight, which was far greater than she looked, would surely crush it.
Even if it survived, no horse could possibly pull it.
She claimed traveling underground would be easier, but I had to tell her to endure the walk, as doing so would likely destroy the barrier surrounding the Elven forest.
「S-So, you are saying that once they become materials, their vitality drops?」
「That is exactly right. You should assume it drops quite drastically. I hear Shiro-chan and the others are out hunting for monster materials, but if you intend to supplement the vitality with those, you would need a volume of materials larger than my own dragon form.」
Ielo-san, though visibly trembling, posed a question about vitality to Reagaia.
The answer revealed that materials only contain a trace amount of life force.
Needing more than the volume of Reagaia’s dragon form… would that not require hunting an astronomical number of monsters?
In fact, that might be a greater volume than the Spirit Tree itself.
「But dragon materials would surely have more than those from ordinary monsters, right?」
「That is naturally true, but only relatively speaking. Once it is separated from the body, almost no vitality remains. Well, I suppose they will still be of some use.」
Hmm… I had not realized that vitality is mostly lost once something becomes a material.
I thought having Reagaia here would solve everything, but it seems it will not be that simple.
The path to the village opened, and I headed toward the Spirit Tree with Reagaia.
As we walked, the Elves moved to the edges of the path, watching Reagaia with a mix of wariness and fear, careful not to meet her eyes.
Even if they were told she was safe, it is only natural to be afraid of a creature like an Earth Dragon entering their village.
After all, if Reagaia were to assume her dragon form right here, the village would likely be halfway destroyed….
「Oh oh oh. Yeah, this is definitely bad.」
「Can you tell just by looking?」
「Of course. I am a dragon who governs the earth, after all. Do not underestimate me.」
「Is it truly caused by the decrease in spirits…?」
「Eh? Ah, yeah. The decrease in spirits… is likely a factor… but…」
Hmm? Why did she hesitate?
「But?」
「Ah, no. It is nothing! That is right! The decrease in spirits is a major part of it!」
…That is suspicious.
I feel like she is hiding something.
Ah, look at that, as soon as I gave her a doubtful look, she averted her eyes.
There is definitely something going on….
「W-Well then, let us get straight to offering some magic power!」
「O-Oh. I am counting on you.」
My doubts remain, but for now, I will see how things play out. She is offering her magic power, after all, and she is helping to heal the Spirit Tree.
「All right, Mother is going to do her best! Ah, once I finish the first round, give me one of those magic power balls from earlier, okay?」
「Fine…」
I hope she does not say she is satisfied after eating just one. I would rather make it a success-based reward so she does not quit halfway through, but….
「No, no, no. Offering magic power at full power makes me hungry…. You would be in trouble too, right? If I were to lose myself and go on an indiscriminate rampage.」
I wish she would not talk about “losing herself” so casually, but that would indeed be a problem.
Alright, fine. One. Just one, okay?
That should mean she will offer her magic power at full power at least three times.
The others were continuing to offer their magic power just as they had yesterday, but today I was supposed to stay by Reagaia’s side and conserve my own magic power just in case.
Shion was beside me as a guard, though she still seemed terrified.
Renge and the others were also nearby, offering their magic power.
Reagaia placed her hands on the Spirit Tree and began to infuse it… but it looked as if she was pouring in a staggering amount.
I could almost hear a low roaring sound.
Is the Spirit Tree going to be alright being infused with that much intensity…?
Still… I had to wonder.
「Hey. Why does offering magic power make you hungry?」
Watching Reagaia, I wondered for a moment if she would lose weight if her magic power decreased. That did not seem to be the case, so the question popped into my head and I asked. Thinking about it calmly, does magic power have calories…?
「Hmm…? Well, that is because magic power is the foundation of everything for a dragon.」
「Of everything?」
「Yes, yes. We dragons have bodies that can survive as long as we can eat magic power. Conversely, consuming magic power feels like something vital is being drained from the body, which we express as being hungry.」
「Is magic power alone enough? You eat meat too, don’t you?」
「Yeah. I eat things like Earth Drakes because Cassandra-chan tells me to, but the meat itself is largely meaningless. When we eat Earth Drakes, we are merely absorbing their magic power.」
「So you are taking in the magic power along with the meat.」
「Exactly. Magic power is the only true food for a dragon. Anything other than magic power, like meat or spells, is just an impurity that does not fill the stomach.」
I see. Even when it looks like you are eating meat, you are only taking in the magic power residing within it.
While we humans need various nutrients to survive, a dragon can compensate for all of that with magic power.
「Hey, why do you think dragons have such high vitality?」
「Is it because you have a lot of magic power and are strong…?」
「Close! Actually, dragons can convert magic power into other forms of power. Remember how I took a hit from the current Hero the other day and healed right away? That was because I consumed magic power to improve my vitality… or rather, my self-healing abilities.」
Ah, the time she ended up charred black after suddenly appearing from beneath the castle.
Certainly, after taking Hayato’s 「Holy Sword of Light」, she seemed completely burnt out and exhausted, yet by that night, she had revived and was demanding her promised magic power ball.
「So, as long as we have magic power, we can heal, enjoy longevity, and almost never fall ill. If we store up enough magic power, we can live for a hundred years easily just by absorbing the small amount of natural magic power around us and converting it into vitality, even without eating. Of course, if we take it in regularly, we can live for thousands of years. Though, the amount each dragon can store or convert varies.」
「As long as you have magic power, huh… Is that impossible for anyone other than dragon?」
「It would be nearly impossible. The Shrine Maidens of Amatsukuni are special, but literally speaking, the vessel is different. It is something only possible because the capacity of the magic power we can hold is on a completely different scale from yours.」
Ah… so it is like how someone cannot cast an incredibly powerful spell if their MP is insufficient? Given how much magic power she is infusing even now, the idea that her “vessel” is different is quite convincing.
「Anyway, that is how it is. Magic power is the most important thing to a dragon. That is why your magic power balls are the best! They do not have the smell of magic or the nuisance of meat!」
「I see.」
In short, magic power is the source of everything. Because they can convert it into various powers, they are long-lived, strong, and possess high vitality.
And that is why I have been able to maintain a friendly relationship with them, because I can produce pure magic power, free of impurities, as a physical substance…
…It is sad that I cannot use magic, but considering my relationships with Reagaia and Cassandra, I suppose I can count myself lucky.
Wait, now that I think about it…
When we fought in Roukaku, she had only just woken up, which means she must have been in a state of extreme hunger… right?
In other words, she was that powerful despite having almost no magic power to convert into vitality or healing…
Siiiiigh… I suppose I should have a bit more respect for her!
「Now then, I think that is enough for the first round.」
With a deep exhale, Reagaia pulled her hands away from the Spirit Tree.
「Ah, I am exhausted… so hungry… Give me a magic power ball～」
She looks quite drained, so she must have poured in a considerable amount of magic power. However, while a lack of magic power makes her hungry, it really does not make her lose weight…
With a heavy thud, she sat down right there and looked up at me, using silent pressure to demand her reward.
She is by no means “cute”, but a promise is a promise. I took out one ultra-concentrated magic power ball and dropped it into Reagaia’s waiting mouth.
「!!!!」
The moment it vanished into her mouth, Reagaia’s eyes snapped wide open and she bolted upright.
Wh-What happened? Was it bad…?
Did she prefer the squishy texture of the previous ones?
I-It is okay. My magic power is fully restored right now, so I can make a big, squishy one if needed!
「SOOOOO DELICIOOOOOOS!」
「…I see.」
I am glad you liked it.
But please stop with the over-the-top reactions. I thought a beam of light was going to fire out of your mouth, it is bad for my heart…
I suppose the detailed review is coming next.
「Incredible… the intense impact the moment it entered my mouth made me stand up instinctively! The taste and the shock were so overwhelming I almost leaked!」
「Hey! Do not leak, whatever you do!」
「It is fine, it is not pee! Even if I leaked, it would just be the unnecessary substances I mentioned earlier that the body had already processed turning into liquid and exiting!」
That is exactly what pee is.
What if the Spirit Tree absorbs whatever you leak and ends up turning into something strange!?
「Aaah… still, this is amazing… a sharp, crackling power that feels like it is bursting… a presence so strong the overwhelming magic power concentration fills my entire mouth… Just sucking on it makes me feel like I am melting and getting drunk on the thick essence of magic power oozing out…!」
「You surprisingly do not bite down and crush it…」
「Crush it? How could I do something so… so wasteful… Ah, but I still have two more coming, right? Maybe I could try with one… No, but I want to savor this forever…」
She seems to be rolling it around in her mouth like a hard candy, savoring every second with a level of joy I have never seen before.
Her face is completely melted, it looks as though her facial muscles have simply given up and stopped working altogether.
「You are dangerous… You have created something truly outrageous… I would easily flatten an entire country just for one of these, you know?」
「I would never ask you to do that…」
「That is how insane this is. Eating something so incredible right when my magic power was about to run dry… it is making me lose my mind! Ah… my head is spinning. If Vol-chan, the Fire Dragon, ate this, she would probably keep breathing fire forever out of pure ecstasy. Ehehe～」
「Vol-chan…」
「Yesss! Vol-chan, the head of the Fire Dragons, Volmeteus! She breathes fire that is impossibly hot! You would probably melt just by getting close, so you must never, ever approach her, okay? Nfufufu～」
How can she say something so terrifying while wearing such a blissful, melted smile!
Vol-chan sounds incredibly dangerous. If she kept breathing fire, I would definitely be incinerated! There would not even be bones left! I am never going to go near her! I will absolutely not get involved!
「Whaaat? Are you scaaared? It is okay. You have Cassandra-chan’s blessing, so you won’t be attacked indiscriminately without warning. Mmmh… so good!」
Cassandra’s blessing…!
To think it would be useful for something like that!
Thank you! Thank you so much!
When she returns from her greeting tour, I will offer her the same ultra-concentrated magic power ball I gave to Reagaia!
But before that, there was something I had to confirm.
Reagaia was still smiling happily while rolling the ball in her mouth, but with her guard down like this, I might be able to get the truth out of her.
「By the way, Reagaia. How is the Spirit Tree doing?」
「Hmm? It feels pretty good, I think? If I infuse it with magic power a few more times, the magic power levels should be fine.」
「The Spirit Tree really does require a massive amount of magic power, doesn’t it?」
「That’s right. This is a Spirit Tree literally rooted in the world, after all. Its magic power vessel is huge. That is exactly why it can produce a manifestation.」
「In other words, the Spirit Tree is a mass of Earth-element magic power.」
「Exactly!」
「I bet it tastes delicious, then.」
「It doesss. Sucking on the roots is absolutely wonderful…」
「Ho… so you have sucked on the roots before.」
「Yeah. Every now and then, I sneak behind Cassandra-chan’s back and suck on the roo……. Ha!」
I see.
So this is what you were hiding…
「Ho… I see how it is.」
「Kuh! You tricked me!! Ah! I accidentally bit down on it! Ahh, affuuun…! Ohh… ooooh… uu…!」
「…You are the one who blurted it out.」
It seemed she had crushed the ultra-concentrated magic power ball in her panic. Reagaia writhed as the sudden burst of magic power flooded her system.
Her body twitched slightly, but it appeared she was merely trembling from the overwhelming intensity of the flavor.
Eventually, the convulsions subsided. She swallowed with an audible gulp and turned back to face me properly.
「That was delicious! Truly! Thank you! I will never forget this taste for as long as I live! But since I have been caught, I suppose it cannot be helped! Yes, that is right! I am partially the cause! But the lack of spirits is also to blame! It is not just Mother’s fault! I was swimming through the earth and bumped into something, and I got annoyed, so I bit it, and it just happened to taste good! I did not know it was a Spirit Tree!」
At your age? A grown adult with three children should not be making such excuses.
Besides, the Spirit Tree did not bump into you, you were the one who crashed into it.
However, from my position, I cannot exactly scold her.
If she says she simply ate something she found in nature, I have no grounds to argue.
Of course, the Elves are the guardians of the Spirit Tree, so they have every right to be angry… but Ielo-san is merely shaking his head as if he has given up, so I suppose it is fine.
Still…
「A Spirit Tree rooted in the world disappearing because it cannot leave a manifestation behind… that is a pretty bad thing, right?」
「Guu…」
Atros-sama mentioned something about the balance of the world.
The loss of the Spirit Tree likely constitutes a global crisis.
I do not know exactly what would happen, and it might not be an immediate “game over”, but there is no doubt it would be extremely bad.
「…You are going to help us fix this properly, right?」
「O-Of course! I will definitely fix it! I absolutely will! In fact, if the Spirit Tree disappears because of me, Cassandra-chan will put me on a demonic training menu!」
…Is that your reason?
Well, if it means Reagaia will be proactive in the healing process, I suppose I shall place my expectations on her.
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