<h4>Chapter 173: The Competition (4)</h4>


    At the center of the main estate’s forest, the construction of an artificialke hadpleted a few weeks ago. This location was in close proximity to the elven vige and was also close to the saplings of the World Tree.


    After receiving a warm wee from the elves, Eugene approached theke.


    “Yo,” a casual greeting, along with a smirk, flew over to meet him.


    It was the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah. Sitting in the middle of theke, she waved at Eugene. Melkith had been staying in this forest for the past three days, using ‘the need to educate the elves’ as an excuse.


    In response to this warm greeting from Melkith, Eugene just narrowed his eyes at her. Having heard some news from Carmen earlier, he had readied himself to be rmed, but quite fortunately, Melkith was currently dressed appropriately.


    “Why is your expression so serious?” Melkith inquired. “Could it be that you were beaten up during thepetition?”


    “There’s no way that would be the case,” Eugene snorted.


    “Mhm, that’s true. So the elves told me you were participating in apetition against the White Dragon Knights, right? There’s a possibility that the Knights of the White Lion might be defeated, but there’s no way that you would have lost,” Melkithplimented him flirtatiously as she stood up on top of theke.


    The surface of theke, which was so clear that it seemed transparent, was disturbed by a small ripple with each step that Melkith took.


    Melkith continued to chat as she walked over to him, “It seems like you managed to obtain victory during thepetition, so the whole Lionheart n should be full of celebrations… so why does a handsome boy like you have such a sour expression—”


    “Why were you sitting naked in theke?” Eugene abruptly spat out.


    Melkith’s lips naturally snapped shut at this usation. Then she stared straight into Eugene’s eyes for a few moments. She was a bit confused… but she refused to show any shame! The moment one admitted to feeling something like shame and revealed it to others, they would continue to feel so embarrassed until they eventually tore their hair out.


    “...It was for training,” Melkith eventually imed.


    “Where exactly does such an absurd training method evene from?” Eugene asked skeptically.


    “Hey, you brat. It looks like you don’t know much about spirit summoning, but in order to increase your affinity with spirits—”


    “You’ve already told me something like that doesn’t have any effect.”


    “...It looks like you really don’t know anything, do you?” Melkith stubbornly continued. “There was an interesting paper submitted to Aroth’s Magical Research Society some time ago.”


    “Why bring up something like that suddenly?” Eugene asked in confusion.


    “Just listen till the end. The contents of the paper were as follows. The paper described some clinical trials conducted by an alchemist in the process of developing a new drug. He exined in detail to his test subjects what kind of new drug he had developed and its effect, then he administered the drug,” Melkith described.


    “So what?” Eugene prompted impatiently.


    “After administering the drug over a period of time, the test subjects reported that they could feel a clear effect from taking the drug.”


    “If you take a drug, then, of course, you would feel its effects.”


    “That’s right! But in fact, the drug that the alchemist had supposedly administered was really just in water with some subtle voring and coloring added to it to make it look like a magic potion. That shouldn’t have any effect at all on the test subjects,” Melkith eagerly exined.


    Eugene continued to listen in silence.


    “In other words, even though the supposed drugs didn’t have any actual effects, a clear effect appeared when various psychological factors and influences were introduced. And that effect has been called the cebo effect! Isn’t that amazing? Without making use of any hypnosis spell, clear physical changes urred due to their mental adjustments…. Haven’t you also seen the effect that intense autosuggestion can have on a few asions?” Melkith demanded.


    Eugene hesitated, “Yes… well….”


    “When you tell yourself, ‘I’ll do it. I can do it!’ …Even if it doesn’t have any physical effect, belief is still very important,” Melkith nodded sagely.


    “Alright…,” Eugene nodded along with a wavering expression.


    So what Melkith was trying to say was that due to something called a cebo or whatever… she was still sticking to a superstition without any obvious effect… but what effect could something like that have on her when she already knew that it was just a superstition?


    “...So, have you seen any effect from that training?” Eugene eventually decided to just ask.


    “Before I answer that question, I want you to remember who I am. My name is Melkith El-Hayah, the greatest spirit summoner in history,” Melkith proudly announced.


    “That’s right, the Spirit Princess of the White Tower of Magic.”


    “Kyaaaak!”


    In reaction to Eugene’s reply, which brought up memories of her shameful past, Melkith covered her ears and let out a scream. While she might be able to ignore other things, it was hard for her to bear the shame of the nickname she had used in her youth.


    “In any case, if you’re going to continue your naked meditation… well… just make sure to do so after checking that no one else is around,” Eugene requested.


    Struggling to collect herself, Melkith stammered, “I-I’ve always kept an eye out, though? So who the hell was it that saw me while I was meditating?”


    “It was Lady Carmen,” Eugene replied.


    Melkith hissed, “So it was her…!”


    “It’s better than being spotted by a man,” Eugene consoled her.


    “That woman is definitely going to mock me for this…!” Melkith growled. “Just what exactly did she say about me?”


    “She didn’t actually say all that much. She just seemed really… um… embarrassed,” Eugene reported as he cast a spell that wrapped his body in a transparent bubble of air.


    Seeing this, Melkith’s eyes narrowed as she muttered, “Reeeally now, how interesting.”


    “What is?”


    “While wandering through this forest, I’ve also been diligently practicing my spirit magic like I did in my energetic youth, but even so, the spirits of the World Tree still haven’t chosen to dwell in me like they have with you,” Melkithined.


    Eugene didn’t bother to reply to Melkith’s regretful mutters. Even he couldn’t exin in detail why the Spirits of the World Tree had chosen to reside in his body.


    Was the White me Form just special? Or was it because Eugene had been born with a natural talent for mana maniption? Could it be a side-effect of the Ring me Form that was formed by grafting the Eternal Hole onto his Circles? Akasha had been made with a Dragonheart. Could it be thanks to the staff’s ability to detect all magic? Or had he somehow acquired an affinity to spirits after making a contract with the Wind Spirit King, Tempest?


    Every one of those reasons seemed usible. The fact that the lightning me had be one with the Spirits of the World Tree and melded into Eugene’s mana might actually be a special benefit caused by an interlocking of any number of these different factors.


    <em>‘...Perhaps… it might even be a unique blessing,’</em>Eugene considered as one of the possible factors.


    He had visited the elven domain thaty deep in the Samar Rainforest. He had entered the empty city of the elves, discovered the World Tree standing tall in the middle of theke, and found the elves that seemed to be sleeping within — as well as one who was sealed away with wounds that were almost certainly fatal. He had finally reunited with Sienna, who was only being kept alive through her connection to the World Tree.


    Eugene had experienced a genuine miracle there. Anise, who was somehow connected to Kristina, had spread her eight angelic wings. Thanks to the miracle that Anise had performed there, Eugene had met Sienna in the world of their consciousness.


    <em>‘...If it’s the Protection of a Spirit… was it Anise or the World Tree that bestowed it upon me?’</em>Eugene silently wondered.


    He might not know the specific cause of the phenomenon, but the fact that the lightning mes had merged with his mana was a pure benefit to him.


    “Don’t follow me,” Eugene instructed.


    “Of course, I won’t follow you. Even if I do, I only end up getting boiled, so why would I needlessly follow you?” Melkith fired back in response as she stepped backward. “...I’ve told you this so many times, but that cloak still belongs to me. There are only six years left until I get it back. If you even get it wet, I’ll…!”


    Adding a demonstration to her threat, Melkith clenched her fists together tightly and made throat-wringing motions.


    After scanning his surroundings, Eugene slowly walked onto theke. His feet didn’t make the slightest ripple when they stepped on the surface of the water, and before long, Eugene was standing in the middle of theke.


    “Do you know how to swim, Sir Eugene?”


    Mer poked her head out from inside the cloak. Eugeneughed at Mer’s wicked expression, knowing exactly what she was thinking.


    [The sea route leading to Helmuth was extremely rough. The skies over the sea were so smothered with dark clouds that the sun couldn’t be seen, and the hero party thought that the raging waves and storms would never end.


    Hamel, who had just be a member of the hero party, had a reputation for being mean and ferocious, evenpared to other mercenaries. However, even Hamel couldn’t indulge in his impulses and run wild in those rough seas.


    The reason for this was simple — Hamel didn’t know how to swim.


    Every day, during the fight against the assaults of the demonic beasts —<em>Aaargh!</em>— Hamel would let out a scream and fall into the sea. It couldn’t be helped. At that time, Hamel was so weak and ipetent that it was hard to even consider him a member of the warrior’s party!


    Help me, Sienna!


    As he fell into the sea and began to drown, Hamel would call out the Wise Sienna’s name as he struggled….]


    “I’m very good at swimming,” Eugene informed her.


    “I know you’re just saying that because you’re embarrassed,” Mer stated smugly.


    “No, I mean it truly. The contents of that fairy tale… well… most of it is a clever mix of truth and lies. I wasn’t the one to fall into the sea; it was Sienna,” Eugene revealed.


    “...What?” Mer gasped as her eyes widened.


    “While she was chattering away and flying over the sea, she was attacked by the ck wizards hiding beneath the water''s surface and was hit by a mana bacsh. Then, when she ended up falling into the sea…,” Hamel recollected that moment with a smirk. “‘Hamel, Hamel! Save me!’ she called out helplessly with a foolish scream.”


    In fact, Sienna hadn’t let out any sort of scream. Sienna had already lost consciousness when she fell into the sea. If Hamel, who happened to be nearby, hadn’t thrown himself overboard, Sienna would have been torn to pieces by the whirlpool raging in the sea below.


    …The truth may have been like that, but Eugene calmly chose to tell Mer a lie. Since it was Sienna’s fault in the first ce for tarring Hamel with the disgrace that she had suffered, Eugene, as Hamel’s reincarnation, felt he had the right to take revenge on Sienna.


    “Just think about it. Wouldn’t it be strange for Sienna, who grew up in a forest far away from the sea, to know how to swim?” Eugene pointed out.


    “...Th-there’s nothing that Lady Sienna can’t do,” Mer desperately stammered.


    “Yeah, no,” Eugene snorted. “There were so many things that Sienna didn’t know how to do. She couldn’t swim, she couldn’t sew, and she wasn’t even very good at cooking. Did you know? Even Vermouth had times when he had to force himself to eat Sienna’s cooking with a straight face.”


    The truth was that she hadn’t been that bad. It was true that she had been the worst cook in the party, but Sienna’s cooking had still been somewhat edible.


    However, why should that matter? During the time when Hamel was gone, Sienna had written that fairy tale all of her own volition and sprinkled it around the world, so all of this was just the karmic bacsh that Sienna needed to reap for doing something so embarrassing.


    Eugene continued, “Want to know how funny Sienna looked when she was finally pulled out of the sea? Her whole body had been drenched in seawater—”


    “That’s…,” Mer’s lips started to tremble as she quickly stammered, “...D-did you… did you give her artificial respiration?”


    Eugene frowned, “What are you talking about…?”


    “Since she fell into the s-sea… th-then, of course, she would have swallowed some water, s-so she must have stopped breathing, right? S-so, then you must have had to give her a-artificial respiration….” Mer’s cheeks turned red as she trailed off in embarrassment.


    Eugene cleared his throat and corrected Mer’s wild imagination, “...I didn’t give her artificial respiration… I just wiped away the blood that was pouring down from both of her nostrils.”


    To think Mer woulde up with the idea of giving Sienna artificial respiration…! There was no way that Eugene could go so far with his lies.


    …After all, just what benefit could he get from telling such an embarrassing lie? In that respect, Eugene couldn’t understand why Sienna had done such a thing.


    —<em>Sienna, I like you.</em>


    Why had she written such a gag at the end of the fairy tale…? No, perhaps it was Anise who had written that line. Eugene was sure that that damn fairytale had actually been co-authored by both Sienna and Anise.


    While Mer was letting out squeals, still caught in her own wild imagination, Eugene slowly began to sink into the water while wrapped safely in the air bubble. Soon, Eugene was diving beneath theke’s surface.


    Thiske had been created with Melkith’s help. They had widened and deepened the small body of water that had already been there. The construction of theke had already been an addition to the main estate’s forest development n, but thanks to the help from Melkith, who had signed a contract with the Earth Spirit King, the development of the forest had beenpleted in a much faster time-frame than expected.


    That was how this artificialke had been created.


    Eugene continued diving deeper into the water, passing several fish swimming in the water body.


    At the bottom of theke was a small underwater cave that led elsewhere. The cave hadn’t been created by Melkith. After the bottom of theke had been dug up and the groundpacted with the help of the Earth Spirit King….


    …A number of ‘roots’ had dug down through the forest’s floor and emerged at the bottom of theke, forming this cave.


    Eugene reached out to touch the intertwined roots at the entrance to the cave.


    <em>…Crackle!</em>


    Inside the bubble of air, Eugene’s mana gave off a spark. Without any input from Eugene, the lightning mes that were merged into his mana began to flow out of the air bubble.


    …The knot of roots slowly wriggled open. The cave entrance that appeared was just wide enough for a person to pass through it.


    The existence of this ce hadn’t been revealed to anyone, not even to the main family. In the first ce, Eugene was the only one who could open the door to this cave. Melkith had been the first to discover this cave, but even she hadn’t been able to open it.


    “...Although I’ve already been here several times, this is quite the mysterious ce,” Mer muttered as she poked her head out of the cloak and gazed upwards.


    In this passageway full of water, the ceiling directly above them wasn’t made of soil or rocks but of roots. As they kept traveling down the passageway, they soon left theke behind them and arrived somewhere below the forest.


    Now that they were standing on the ground instead of floating in the water, Eugene popped the air bubble. Several types of roots and soil had intricately intertwined to form the walls around this ce. This ce had been created by the roots from the World Tree saplings once they had reached the bottom of the forest floor.


    …This ce also touched upon the Lionheart n’s leyline. As Tempest had once guessed, the roots of the World Tree saplings had also connected themselves to the artificial leyline created by Vermouth. Thanks to this, the Lionheart n’s leyline now had an even greater amount of mana than before, and there was enough thick mana floating above ground to make the whole forest feel like a leyline.


    But this underground cave was filled with pure mana even thicker than that found in the forest or at the Lionheart n’s old leyline. At the same time, the spirits of the World Tree were most in harmony with the mana here. Eugene could open the door formed by the roots and enter this cave because the spirits of the World Tree that hadbined with the lightning mes and merged into his mana were able tomunicate with these other spirits.


    “Do you think it will be today?” Mer asked.


    “Probably not,” Eugene replied as he sat in the middle of the cave.


    Even without circting the White me Form, the spirits of the World Tree that were harmonizing the mana here began slowly sneaking up on Eugene.


    Mischievous and cheeky spirits like these could be seen wandering around the entire forest. Even though they wouldn’te if he stretched out his hand and called to them, they were always lingering in his surroundings as if they couldn''t bear to go too far from him.


    <em>‘Though, as primitive spirits, the spirits of the World Tree shouldn’t even have an ego.’</em>


    In other words, the movements of these spirits had nothing to do with yfulness.


    If that was the case, then….


    <em>‘I shouldn’t be trying to control them using my will.’</em>


    Since his previous life, Eugene had never encountered an obstacle in his mana maniption skills.


    Spirits could be considered to be another form of mana. And among these various types of spirits, as the World Tree was spiritually powerful enough that the elves had religiously worshiped it, the spirits of the World Tree were independent beings that not even the other spirit Kings could control.


    In other words, if even the Spirit Kings weren’t able to control them, it was impossible for Eugene to control these spirits. But what if he asked for their help instead ofmanding them? If he wanted harmony and cooperation, instead of domination….


    <em>Fwoosh.</em>


    A warm me enveloped Eugene. He closed his eyes and sensed both the spirits of the World Tree and the mana within this cave. Mana continued to flow out… from the leyline created by Vermouth. The spirits dwelling within the roots of the World Tree saplings also gathered.


    Currently, Eugene’s progress in the White me Form was at the Fifth Star.


    <em>‘It won’t be today, but….’</em>


    Eugene was confident that sooner orter, he would vault over the Fifth Star and reach the Sixth Star.


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