The Jewelculi guided me to a flowerbed in the opposite corner. Spreading out before me were vivid flowers in red, blue, purple, and yellow. It was a cluster of poisonous plants rarely seen in everyday life. I had once used them to supplement medicinal treatments, but now there was no need to tend to the Jewelculi anymore. The time had come to transform all of this into items useful for combat.
I also confirmed the presence of other harmful plants, like carnivorous species and those that reacted to magic, and thanked the Jewelculi who had tended them. “All are in splendid condition. However, though I feel bad since you have cared for them so well, the time has come to use all of this.”
Hearing that, the smiles on the Jewelculi’s faces froze. But I relentlessly conveyed the reality.
“I know some of you may have already heard, but an enemy has arrived who requires us to use the castle and liberate this entire garden. Therefore, this place is now closed.”
“Yes. I just received word about the garden too. But...but...is it true that the enemy is so formidable that we have to close the park? Honestly, I can’t believe there’s an enemy powerful enough to require using the entire castle...”
“It is true. He is undoubtedly the greatest enemy I have ever faced. Even using everything we have, it is a battle where I might barely stand a chance. Therefore, everyone, please hurry and evacuate.”
I emphasized that the Jewelculi were an unnecessary hindrance in this battle. My tone was sharp.
“Yes, understood.” Sensing this, the Jewelculus nodded, head bowed. But she quickly lifted her face to ask about what came after the battle.
“But once that battle ends, everyone can come back to the castle, right? Everything will be normal again, right, professor?”
“Yes. Once everything is over...” Facing Kanami the Founder would likely result in the collapse of the castle and the garden. Even so, I nodded back, determined to protect this dream of the Jewelculi. “We will live together again. There is still work left for us to do.”
“Yes! Then I’ll get ready! I’ll wait for you to come back, professor!”
The Jewelculus flashed a bright smile, gathered the others in the garden, and began the evacuation. I felt relieved as I watched them scurry away. I’d expected someone might insist on staying behind in the castle, but they were more understanding than I’d anticipated.
Everyone believed I could defeat the enemy. Since they didn’t know true power like Kanami the Founder, they mistakenly perceived this weakest person as strong. But thanks to that, the nuisances smoothly disappeared from the garden.
Now, there was no need to be mindful of others or have others mindful of me.
I could concentrate and refine my magic.
After confirming the garden was empty, I placed my hand on one of the great trees. It stood out as the largest and thickest in the garden, its majesty preserved despite being covered in thick green moss. It was clearly an ancient tree that had weathered long ages.
This was my trump card: Yggdrasil.
Unlike the first one I’d used a thousand years ago, this second one had no flaws whatsoever. Though small now before activation, unleashing its full power would make it larger than the first. This time, it might swallow not just a castle, but an entire country.
If it succeeded, I was confident it could defeat any Essence Thief.
I channeled magic through my trump card, directly linking and synchronizing it with Viaysia Castle.
“Wood Growth.”
The basic wood-attribute enhancement magic activated, and the whole garden pulsed with a thud. The dry crackling sound of snapping wood echoed as Yggdrasil began to move like a living creature.
Or rather, it only appeared to be moving due to its tremendous growth rate. In an instant, the trunk swelled to several times its original size, branches splayed infinitely outward, and roots began to protrude, unable to stay buried in the ground. The surrounding plants were also affected in sync with Yggdrasil’s transformation. They too began growing at speed, swelling to several times their original size.
Every plant in the garden grew, spreading its roots, not only throughout the space but also invading the stonework that formed the castle. Roots ran through the walls, taking hold like spiderwebs in the castle’s corridors, rooms—every single thing. This was the power of the Thief of Wood’s Essence.
If things continued this way, the castle would be swallowed whole by the garden. The spot where I now stood would become its heart, transforming it into a living castle in every sense. Thick trunks would be its bones, sprawling roots its blood vessels. Thick moss and leaves would form its skin, making the rebirth of the once mighty moving Tree Folk possible.
Of course, even this remained insufficient against Kanami the Founder.
A massive colossus was merely one card in the deck. The castle’s activation test must conclude swiftly so preparations for the next phase could begin. I uttered the spell’s name, urging its completion.
“Wood Ymir Kingdom.”
Honestly, the martial arts demonstration alone left me uneasy about its effectiveness. I had to also consider its compatibility with other spells and remake various plants. I wanted to prepare new seeds for the duel and consult with her about the spell inscriptions I’d commissioned. There was still so much to do.
While piecing together plans in my head, I checked on the enemy.
“Trees’ Contact.”
I channeled magic from the Pieris Aicia in the garden down into the ground, extending my magical senses to another Pieris Aicia tree far away. I probed the movements of my distant duel opponent. I’d already memorized his magic. As long as the Pieris Aicia trees existed—planted across nations over the past year—I could track him unless he was in some remote wilderness.
Closing my eyes, I sensed two immense sources of magic on the southern part of the continent. Dimension magic and Wind magic—without a doubt, the Founder and the Queen.
The movements of those two magical energies were strangely swift. I could tell they’d left the Second Dungeon town of Dahrill by carriage or something similar, heading straight north. They must be using every ounce of money and power they possessed to reach me as quickly as possible.
Beside those two magical energies, I also sensed the magic of Lady Snow, who seemed to be the primary commander of the Southern Alliance. And there was one more unusual magical energy. Its attribute was...Astral?
“Noir? No, Rouge?”
It seemed one of them was accompanying and guiding Kanami the Founder.
I pondered the reason for that for a moment but quickly decided it didn’t matter.
A year ago, the two had been constant companions, but lately, I’d hardly seen them. They must have grown in ways unknown to me and acquired new values. That was all there is to it.
In fact, this was rather convenient. With them being famous figures in the Northern Alliance, irregularities along the way would decrease, making the enemy’s arrival easier to calculate.
Even if they appeared as enemies alongside Kanami the Founder, it wouldn’t concern me. The silly pretend games of professor and student were over now.
“Come if you dare, Kanami!”
What I should be thinking about now was the enemy. The only thing I needed to focus on was defeating Kanami the Founder. And to report to the Sovereign Queen Lorde that I had grown stronger again this past year. To prove that I was worthy to stand beside her as her chancellor.
Ah, yes. My lingering attachment as the Thief of Wood’s Essence was to be a chancellor worthy of standing beside the Sovereign Queen. I would not think of anything else.
“I am Viaysia’s chancellor... I am the chancellor...” I murmured to myself in the heart of the castle. I transformed my body into a dryad, roots spreading from my feet, branches extending from my arms, connecting to the castle, merging body and soul with Viaysia’s plants. I thought as both the heart and the brain of the castle.
“I will win. This time, I will challenge you and show you my victory. And I will prove that I was not mistaken in being the chancellor. Otherwise, I... I will no longer...”
Knowing full well that my voice wouldn’t reach Kanami the Founder, I still continued to speak. Repeating the word “chancellor” over and over, I waited in the land of Viaysia, abandoned a thousand years ago by Kanami and the Sovereign Queen, for the return of both.
“Kanami... Kanami the Founder... Sovereign Queen Lorde...hurry...hurry...” I continued to murmur, praying it wouldn’t be too late.