“What… what the hell is this?”
Guided by the soldier who had come crashing into the office, we rushed out to the palace gardens. And the moment we stepped outside, all of us froze in disbelief at the sight before us.
There, right in the middle of the courtyard, stood something utterly unthinkable.
“This… this giant tree wasn’t here before, right?!”
That’s right. A colossal tree, large enough to cover half the palace with its canopy, had appeared in the garden, seemingly overnight.
There’d definitely been nothing like it yesterday.
So, where did this even come from? Don’t tell me… is this some delayed effect from the magic I used back in the Sealed Woods? A surge of anxiety hit me as I considered that possibility. No, that’s not right. This feels different.
As I stood there trying to piece it together, that ominous sixth sense of mine flared again. Something about this just screamed trouble.
And sure enough—
“Oh my, Seiichi-sama. And everyone else, too. Looks like we’re all here.”
“…”
A deep, casual voice echoed from the tree itself.
Right before our eyes, a pair of eyes and a mouth appeared on the massive trunk as it began speaking to us like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I’d had a bad feeling. A really bad feeling. And yes, I had absolutely been right.
“It’s you?!” I shouted, pointing accusingly.
“Hm? What a strange thing to say. Of course it’s me. Clearly, I’m a tree.”
“I can see you’re a tree! That’s not the point!”
What I meant was not “a tree in general,” but that talking tree… oh, screw it. This is way too confusing.
While I found myself shouting at a literal tree in exasperation, the others could only stare blankly. Amelia looked stunned, Helen let out a sigh like she’d given up on life, and the whole situation.
“Haaah… well, it’s Seiichi-sensei,” Helen murmured, resigned. “It’s not that strange for him to have a talking tree in his life, I guess…”
“You’ve got it all wrong!” I yelled, spinning around. “I didn’t make this tree talk, okay?! This whole thing started with Amelia-san! She’s the one who gave the tree life in the first place!”
“Wha—hold on a second!” Amelia protested. “Yes, I did give it life, but only to keep an eye on you! It was just a small, ordinary tree! And once its job was done, its life force should’ve faded away. There’s no way it should still exist, especially this huge! What on earth is going on?!”
Even Amelia looked genuinely shaken; this had clearly gone way beyond what she’d intended. She had absolutely no idea how things had gotten to this point.
“Swinn,” Leyll said quietly, eyes still locked on the giant talking tree. “I don’t think I can follow this anymore.”
“You’re not alone, Leyll,” Swinn replied with a slow nod. “Honestly, I think this has more to do with Seiichi-dono’s influence than Her Majesty’s at this point…”
It seemed like Leyll and the others were starting to mentally check out, retreating into some kind of shared denial of reality.
Hey, could someone remind them to come back to sanity? Because I’d really like to check out too, if that’s allowed.
I still had no idea why or how this tree had grown so massive. As I stood there, grasping for an explanation, the towering thing opened its mouth with a disappointed air, its deep voice rumbling through the garden like a lecture from a disappointed schoolteacher.
“Oh, I see now. You’re all confused because my appearance has changed? That’s what’s got you so worked up? How cruel! Just because I’ve grown a little doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recognize me! Seiichi-sama, is our bond really so shallow that a simple change in size breaks it?!”
“You didn’t grow a little!” I snapped. “And what do you mean by ‘our bond’? Don’t go inventing imaginary relationships!”
All I remembered was being endlessly tormented by this thing every time it spoke.
“Anyway, never mind that—” I started to say, trying to steer the conversation back to reality.
“‘Never mind that’?!” it gasped, wounded.
“Focus. Why are you so damn big now?”
Ignoring its dramatic reaction, I headed straight into the core of the issue. When it spoke before, its voice was odd but tolerable. Now, with its massive body, the sound carried a strange weight, as if it were echoing directly into my mind. It was unsettling and more than a little ominous.
“Hmmm… Why did I grow, you ask?” the tree mused. “To be honest, I don’t really know myself.”
“What?”
“This morning, I just thought I’d root myself a little deeper into this garden, and well… here we are.”
“Wait, hold up… Were you planning to stay in the royal garden?!”
“Well, yes,” it said cheerfully. “You know… because I’m a tree. Planting roots, as they say.”
“Can I burn it?” Amelia asked flatly.
You know what? I wouldn’t object, but maybe let’s all take a deep breath first.
“I mean, okay,” I said, massaging my temples. “So you didn’t mean to grow this huge. But is there really nothing that comes to mind? Nothing you did or felt that might’ve triggered this?”
“Well…” the tree hummed thoughtfully. “I did choose to root myself here because my original role had ended. I figured I’d return to being a regular tree. But perhaps… after spending so much time with you, Seiichi-sama, a bit of your absurdity may have rubbed off on me.”
“Absurdity is contagious now?!” I blurted out.
“Huh… So basically,” Amelia muttered with a resigned sigh, “this is your fault, Seiichi-dono.”
“If it’s Seiichi-dono’s fault…” Swinn added.
“Then everything makes sense,” Leyll finished with a sigh.
“Can I cry now?” Helen asked, utterly defeated.
Why does it always come back to being my fault? And why does everyone just accept that so easily? I’m the most normal person here!
“Well, setting that aside,” the tree said, unfazed, “I’ve actually gained a rather useful ability along with this new form. I can now produce magical energy.”
“What?”
“Indeed. I generate the magic that now flows through this palace. Which means, everyone within the palace grounds will find that magic comes to them more smoothly and efficiently.”
“Wait… so you’re saying we won’t need to use the Chamber of Healing anymore?”
“Exactly. Though the part of the Sealed Woods that you carved out and re-enchanted with your own magic still emits mana, it’s only a fragment, limited in reach. It doesn’t extend far enough to affect the capital. That’s where I come in! I, the magnificent solution to that limitation!”
God, I hate how smug it sounds. But annoying or not, the truth was… this ability would be incredibly useful for the Varcia Empire. If this oversized, egotistical tree was telling the truth—and unfortunately, it probably was—then having it rooted here would improve the magical environment for the entire palace.