Amelia and the others, however, didn’t seem particularly excited. Their expressions ranged from hesitant acceptance to complete mental withdrawal.
As I gave them a sympathetic glance, the massive tree turned its attention back to me and struck a pose—well, as much as a tree could—with unmistakable smugness radiating from its bark-covered face.
“Well? What do you think, Seiichi-sama? Pretty impressive, right? You could say I’ve… branched out.”
“Yeah, and your obnoxiousness has evolved right along with you,” I muttered.
It was always annoying, but now it’s on a whole new level.
“In any case,” the tree continued, puffing itself up even more, “I’ve decided I will now live here in the garden as the divine tree of the Varcia Empire.”
“You’re seriously calling yourself a divine tree?”
“Well, no one else was saying it, so I figured I’d help move things along!”
Unbelievable. It’s way too positive about this.
Just as I was sighing in disbelief at how confidently it was declaring itself a national treasure, the tree lowered its gaze toward us, wearing the closest thing to a condescending smirk a tree could manage.
“Now then… are you sure you’re ready?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“I am a divine tree, you know,” the tree declared proudly.
“Says who? Yourself?” I responded flatly.
“I am not self-proclaimed! How dare you! Such blasphemous disrespect toward a godly being… Have you no shame?! Where is your reverence?! Come on now, kneel! Kneel!”
“That tree sure talks big,” I muttered, glancing over at Amelia.
“Let’s chop it down,” she said bluntly.
Without hesitation or emotion, she started giving orders to the closest soldier, probably to fetch axes, fire, or whatever was quickest.
“Gyaaahhh! Violence! I protest! This is environmental destruction!”
“It’s just one tree. Hardly an apocalypse,” she replied coolly.
“This is how humans destroy nature! One tree at a time!” the tree wailed, thrashing its branches dramatically.
That hit harder than it should’ve. I mean… it’s not wrong. Humans really are kind of selfish.
Not that this was the time or place for an existential crisis, but still…
“Are you sure you want to do this?!” it cried desperately. “Sure, Seiichi-sama may have resolved the immediate crisis, but what happens next? What if the Kaizell Empire starts questioning why their soldiers never returned and decides to attack again?! Wouldn’t having access to magic be rather convenient then?!”
“Well… I mean, yeah. It would be helpful,” I admitted, scratching the back of my head.
“Exactly, right?!” The tree’s voice brightened, its bark almost creaking with satisfaction.
But just as it sounded ready to gloat, Leyll tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
“But wouldn’t that also mean our enemies could use magic too?”
“Oh. Good point,” Swinn said with a nod. “And in that case, wouldn’t the Kaizell Empire, which is already more skilled with magic, actually have the upper hand?”
The tree fell silent.
Utterly, completely silent.
Watching it slump in defeat, Amelia gave a decisive nod and turned to the soldier again.
“Let’s go ahead and cut it down after all.”
“Have mercyyyyyyyyyyy!” the tree wailed.
Where did that so-called “divine tree” go? Just moments ago, it had been preaching about holiness and reverence. And now, it was clinging to life like a terrified civilian. The whole sight was so absurd that our sense of normalcy had already started to erode.
As the giant tree continued to wail pitifully, Amelia let out a long, weary sigh.
“Haaah… fine. We won’t chop you down for now. You did bring Seiichi-dono to us, after all. And honestly, having someone—well, something—that can produce magic isn’t entirely a bad thing.”
“O-Oh! Your Majesty!” the tree cried, trembling in relief.
“But the problem remains,” Amelia continued, her tone hardening as her mind shifted back to the larger issue. “Even if we can use magic again, we still need to figure out how to teach it. With most of the continent under Kaizell Empire control, bringing in instructors from other nations is practically impossible…”
Her words trailed off. Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up with realization.
“Wait… that’s it!”
“Huh? Oneechan?” Helen blinked, startled by Amelia’s sudden outburst.
“Helen, you’re going to teach us magic!”
“Huh?”
Before Helen could react, Amelia stepped forward, gripping her sister’s shoulders firmly, her eyes burning with conviction.
“You’re the only one in this country who’s actually studied magic firsthand!”
“Well, that’s true,” Helen admitted hesitantly, “but I only know fire magic… that’s all I can use.”
“That doesn’t matter! Just like swordsmanship, magic has a shared foundation, right?”
“I mean… yeah, the basics of controlling mana are the same across elements, but—”
“Then that’s exactly what you’ll teach us,” Amelia said, her voice steady and warm. “Start with what you know. We’ll build from there.”
“M-Me… teaching?” Helen murmured, staring at her sister in disbelief. Then, almost in a whisper, she asked, “You really think… I can be useful? To this country?”
Amelia didn’t answer right away; she simply met her sister’s gaze.
“Do you, oneechan?”
“Yes,” Amelia said without hesitation, her tone full of quiet pride.
At those words, Helen’s eyes began to glisten. Her lips trembled as tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
“H-Hey, what’s wrong?” Amelia asked, startled.
“I’m sorry,” Helen said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s just… I’ve always wanted to help you. That’s why I went to Barbodel Magic Academy—to study, to be useful. But even there, I couldn’t use magic properly. I was a failure… and I started wondering if leaving home meant anything at all…”
Her voice broke as years of buried frustration surfaced, along with the longing to prove herself and stand beside her sister not as royalty, but as someone capable of making a difference.
At last, Helen began to pour out all the feelings she’d been holding in for years.
“I kept thinking… maybe I’d never be able to do anything. That I’d just end up useless, and that would be it. But then, thanks to you, Seiichi-sensei, I finally managed to use magic. Everything I studied wasn’t for nothing after all…”
Her voice wavered, and before she could say another word, the tears broke free.
“I’m so glad… I’m so happy… even someone like me can finally do something—for you, oneechan…”
“Oh, you idiot,” Amelia whispered softly, her voice trembling with emotion. “It’s not about being useful or not. You’re precious to me, Helen. Just being here… that’s enough.”
She wrapped her arms around her sister, holding her close as Helen cried against her shoulder. The quiet sound of sniffles filled the room, while Swinn and Leyll discreetly wiped their own eyes, pretending they weren’t moved but failing miserably.
Yeah, looks like they’ll be fine now.
Satisfied that the two sisters didn’t need me for the next few minutes, I quietly slipped away from the scene. Then, before anyone could notice, I activated a teleportation spell and warped back to Saria and the others.