Chapter 365: The towering Iggdrasil

With the aftereffects of the Dark Avalon incident still lingering, Orbaume’s defenses remained weakened. The walls protecting the capital had been repaired, and although a significant number of the guards had been injured, it could be said that deaths had been kept to a minimum, given the scale of the incident. However, a portion of the personnel available was being diverted to the still-ongoing work to restore the city.

However, Orbaume was the capital city that stood in the center of the territory of the Orbaume Kingdom, a large nation. Even though its defenses were weakened, it was far too distant from the border to be attacked by an enemy nation. And monster attacks were unlikely to occur as long as a large number of high-Rank monsters – and their master – were staying in the city.

So then, since there was no need to fear enemy nations or monsters, were there no threats to worry about at all? Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. There were criminals who skillfully slipped past the guards to enter Orbaume, seeking to kidnap people or sell drugs and other contraband.

“Why would they even try? Do they think things will go as they planned? No matter how many times I think about it, I don’t understand,” murmured Reinhardt as he kept watch.

He had already made five rounds around Orbaume today.

“Other than those committing white-collar crimes, most criminals have the intellect of a Goblin. There’s no need to try and understand them,” said Luvesfol.

This was true for many bandits and those who tainted their hands with crimes after being unable to resist their desires and impulses, then continued their dealings with the dark side of society.

They gave up on or avoided thinking about how they would live ten years from now, what they would do when they had families, or how they could survive once they were too old to work.

What was important to them was being able to enjoy delicious drinks, bedding good women, and drowning themselves in pleasure tonight; they did not think about the distant future. It was possible that some of them were those who had simply gotten involved but were in too deep to escape even if they wanted to, but Luvesfol wasn’t a human, so it was difficult for him to think that deeply about their circumstances.

“I also remember taking part in such folly,” said Luvesfol with a sigh, a distant look in his eyes as he continued flying around Orbaume’s outer walls with Reinhardt on his back.

He was an Elder Dragon whose body was around a hundred meters long, and his circled flights above Orbaume at an altitude of just fifty meters, where he was clearly visible from the ground, were enough to reduce the number of bandits approaching Orbaume to zero. This came with the side-effect of also scaring away some of the ordinary people who had come to Orbaume, sending them fleeing back to wherever they had come from, but… it had been decided that this would be ignored.

After all, even if these people were to enter the city, there were Undead and Demons walking around… monsters whose Ranks were so high that the average adventurer or city guard wouldn’t stand a chance against them. It seemed that the people in charge of the city had accepted this as something that couldn’t be helped, and they had come to the decision that it was better for these people to flee back home before they came into the city rather than coming into the city and starting a panic there. 

The merchants and travelers entering and leaving Orbaume now were those who had been through numerous trials and possessed nerves of steel.

“Huh? Luvesfol-san, you did that?!” asked Reinhardt, surprised by his friend’s words.

Until recently, he had thought that Luvesfol was a familiar of Pauvina’s, a Wyvern that was capable of speaking, but it had been revealed that he was actually an Elder Dragon who had lived for over a hundred thousand years.

The Luvesfol that Reinhardt knew had been subjected to much trouble by Pauvina and often behaved and spoke like someone of weak character, but Reinhardt also knew him to be someone who was knowledgeable and had common sense. That was why Luvesfol’s confession was surprising. But the effects of Luvesfol’s foolish choices in his youth were significant.

“Yes. After I betrayed Marduke and joined the Demon King’s army, I continued harassing Vida’s faction. Now that I think back, I never thought about what lay ahead… It was likely that Vida’s faction would likely recover several tens of thousands of years later, and it was likely that Alda’s forces would attack us after they replenished their fighting forces, and yet I did not think about that at all. I was just thinking about how to survive at the time. I thought of nothing but plundering everything possible, becoming intoxicated by every pleasure I could find, and living a life of self-indulgence,” Luvesfol said.

The time that had passed was on a scale that was beyond a human’s comprehension, and even if he hadn’t betrayed his allies, the outcome of the battle against Guduranis wouldn’t have changed much. But at the very least, the gods of Vida’s faction, such as Fidirg, would have likely suffered less damage.

Leaving those facts aside, as Luvesfol said, he had been no different from criminals like bandits.

“Reinhardt-kun, you mustn’t be like me,” Luvesfol warned. “I am fortunate to find myself in the position I am in today, but one wrong step and I would have been inside Vandalieu-sama’s belly right now. It’s never too early to start thinking about the future.”

I am caring for a human and treating him as a friend. And this human is not an overwhelmingly powerful person like Pauvina-sama, nor is he a transcendently powerful being like Vandalieu-sama. He is just a human with some amount of talent, Luvesfol thought.

If Luvesfol’s previous self could see him as he was now, he would have laughed scornfully. But Luvesfol did not find his current self to be unpleasant.

Perhaps being released from my Wyvern form has made my heart gentler.

“But Luvesfol-san, it’s because of your past that we are here in the present. So I think you should worry less about that!” said Reinhardt.

Luvesfol was touched by these encouraging words of praise from his friend. Suddenly, his past of being heavily wounded by Vandalieu, being beaten to a pulp by the Storm of Tyranny, and being turned into a Wyvern didn’t seem so… no, it was still bad.

Well, it was because I was turned into a Wyvern that I was able to become Pauvina-sama’s familiar… and it is because of everything that has occurred that I was allowed to keep my place as her familiar even after Guduranis undid my seal. Considering that, perhaps it isn’t so bad after all? Luvesfol wondered.

Having revised his outlook on the past few eventful years, he opened his mouth to thank Reinhardt, but at that moment, a great change took place in Orbaume.

“What is that tree?!” Luvesfol exclaimed.

A castle-like tree… no, an enormous tree even taller than a castle had suddenly appeared in the middle of the city.

“Something may have happened! Let us go, Reinhardt-kun!” Luvesfol shouted.

It wasn’t that he was worried that the appearance of this enormous tree meant that something might have happened to Pauvina and Vandalieu. After all, Pauvina was the younger sister of the Demon King Slayer, and Vandalieu was the Demon King Slayer himself. No matter what disaster had occurred, they would be able to take care of it without a problem.

What he was worried about was that if he didn’t rush to the scene when something significant had clearly occurred, he would be punished for being lazy.

“It’s alright, Luvesfol-san! That’s in the direction of the nobles’ district, so I’m sure Vandalieu-san is involved. If we panic and head there right away, the people on the ground will panic as well, so let’s circle around once more and take our time to get there,” said Reinhardt.

But Reinhardt was more composed than Luvesfol.

“I suppose you’re right,” Luvesfol said, deciding to continue circling the city before heading for the enormous tree.

After all, if he was with Reinhardt-kun, it was unlikely that he would be punished.

The most important thing to have is friends you can call your own.

World-Trees, called Yggdrasils, were the first kind of plant to be born in the world of Lambda, and according to mythological records, they became the ancestor of all currently-existing plants.

Yggdrasils grew in this world before the great gods created people and before the Beast-god Ganpaplio created animals. Their fruit fed not only the newly-born beasts, but the Elder Dragons and the Colossi as well, and they provided places for them to live.

Following that, Yggdrasils continued to nurture the gods and the people during the Age of the Gods.

From Yggdrasils’ fallen branches, the heroes of the Age of the Gods would craft bows with which to hunt dangerous beasts and carve handles and sheaths for their weapons. Colossi would build homes for themselves with enormous pieces of wood cut from Yggdrasils. Elder Dragons would rest their wings on their branches, and Beast-Kings would sleep under their shade.

They made the earth fertile, which was of much aid in an age where the gods and people possessed little experience and knowledge regarding agriculture, providing them with an abundance of gifts.

And because the larger Yggdrasils were so large that they stretched towards the sky, they were spoken of in a variety of mythological tales even in the present day.

There was even one tale stating that the Colossus God Zerno had climbed the world’s tallest Yggdrasil in order to acquire the necessary elements from the sun and the moon to create the Sun Giant Talos and the Moon Giant Deeana.

Yggdrasils had no solid consciousness of their own, and they could not grant divine protections or command familiar spirits, but the people revered and thanked the Yggdrasils that provided them with such blessings.

Yggdrasils grew all across the world during the Age of the Gods, and even their saplings were taller than castles, with mature trees being larger than tall mountains. Older trees literally towered into the sky. Because they were so large, there were just a little over a hundred of them.

It was said that these hundred or so Yggdrasils became extinct when the Demon King Guduranis and his army appeared in this world, spreading miasma – corrupted Mana – all over the world.

Unable to adapt to this change in their environment, the Yggdrasils went extinct.

“All that is left of them now is some of the materials taken from them to be used to create Artifacts… or so it was commonly thought up until now, but… Hmm,” said Luciliano, having explained what he knew about Yggdrasils, stroking his beard over and over.

But no matter how many times he twisted his beard and no matter how many times he cleaned his monocle, the reality before him did not change.

“Just to be sure, they’re not the same as Ents or Skogsrå?” asked Vandalieu.

“As I just mentioned, Yggdrasils are not monsters,” said Luciliano, shaking his head. “Some mythological records state that they possessed some mysterious power and will, but there are no records of words ever having been exchanged with them. And Eisen herself is saying that she is different, isn’t she?”

“That’s riiight. My race name on my Status has changed,” said Eisen, also shaking her head.

The branches of the enormous tree behind her rustled as they shook left and right as well.

“If the race name on her Status is different, then it seems that she’s not a giant version of an Ent or Skogsrå,” said Vandalieu.

In this world, one way to check whether someone was of a newly-created race, and to check what race they were, was to ask them and gain information about their Status, as long as they had the intellect to have such a conversation.

Statuses were absolute, so if the race displayed on a Status was one that had never been recorded before, then one could be sure it was a newly-created race.

“But something’s strange,” said Darcia, touching the bark of the enormous tree. “I can sense Vida’s surprise, but… Yggdrasils were very weak to miasma. Even before the Demon King’s army appeared in this world, saplings would quickly wither if Undead grew in numbers around them. And yet, Eisen is standing inside Silkie’s grounds with Vandalieu right next to her, perfectly healthy. It’s amazing.”

“Again, as I have mentioned, Eisen has become something that is a Yggdrasil and yet is not a Yggdrasil – a mutated form of Yggdrasil,” said Luciliano.

“An Iggdrasil, then,” said Vandalieu, coming up with an appropriate name.

Eisen suddenly raised her hand. “My race title in my Status has just chaaanged from ‘Yggdrasil Mutant Sapling’ to ‘Iggdrasil Sapling.’”

“I wonder why?” said Vandalieu.

“Isn’t that because you’re the parent who created Eisen?” said Darcia.

“And you are Eisen’s tamer, are you not? Perhaps the Gods of Statuses acknowledged your right to name her race?” said Luciliano.

Vandalieu looked up at the sky. “Thank you. But I’m a human,” he said loudly to remind the Gods of Statuses.

“Master, it isn’t as if the Gods of Statuses are watching us right now,” Luciliano pointed out, exasperated.

“Oh, Vandalieu…” said Darcia, looking at Vandalieu with an expression of pity.

“There, there…” said Eisen, patting Vandalieu’s head.

“That’s unfortunate. By the way, Eisen, do you feel like you’ve been split into a main body and a split entity?” Vandalieu asked.

“Hmm, not reeeally. I’ve suddenly gained Skills called ‘Parallel Thought Processing’ and ‘Dual Bodies,’” Eisen said.

According to Eisen, she had a single mind, even though her bodies were separate. She could feel sensations from both the tree and herself, and she could move both at the same time without problems.

“I suppose ‘Dual Bodies’ means that both are her main bodies?” said Bellmond.

“In that case, if either the tree or Eisen is defeated, does that mean the other dies as well?” wondered Isla.

“Who knows. Since she transformed into a tree when her Rank increased, then she separated from the tree afterwards and both are her main bodies, it might be the exact opposite,” said Eleanora.

“The opposite… In other words, even if one of them is defeated, she can recover as long as the other one is unharmed?  That is… an immortality on par with Danna-sama’s, is it not?” said Bellmond.

Very few beings were even capable of cutting down a tree as large as a castle in the first place.

That would be doubly true if Iggdrasil possessed the properties that Yggdrasil was said to have in mythological tales.

And Eisen possessed ‘Physical Resistance,’ ‘Magic Resistance,’ and even ‘Super Rapid Regeneration’ and ‘Enlarged Vitality.’ If these Skills applied to her tree form as well, defeating it would be far more difficult than blowing up a fortress the same size as her.

“On par with Vandalieu-sama’s… How nice it must be to be the same as Vandalieu-sama. I’m so jealous,” said Isla.

“Eisen’s immortality isn’t just on par with mine; I’m sure it surpasses mine. I can’t make more main bodies yet, after all,” said Vandalieu.

He had tried making more main bodies, but he had yet to succeed. He was able to create split entities that looked just like his main physical body, but these newly-created split entities were unable to create Demon King Familiars.

Given that these split entities could not create further split entities, they were not main bodies. They were just split entities that looked identical to his main body.

But nobody was in agreement with him.

“That’s not truuue,” said Eisen.

“Please have more confidence in yourself, Bocchan,” said Sam.

“Danna-sama, I believe you are being too modest,” said Bellmond.

“Knochen is about the only one who can match you in immortality, isn’t he, Van-sama?” said Eleanora.

“The runner-up would be Legion,” said Isla.

“Why? I’m my only main body,” said Vandalieu.

“That might be true, but in your case, I don’t think it’s a matter of numbers,” said Darcia. “And besides, there’s Banda who is bound to Mei-chan, and the Vandalieu in the other world. They’re not just split entities, are they?”

“That’s true, but…” said Vandalieu.

There was Banda, whom Vandalieu had created by tearing off a part of his soul to bind to Mei, and the Vandalieu who had become a part of the God of Origin, also known as Kandalieu*. As Darcia said, neither of them were mere split entities.

Their minds were connected to Vandalieu’s, and even now, they shared senses and memories, and they were able to exchange opinions. This was also true for Vandalieu’s Demon King Familiars, split entities, and his countless thought processes. But he had divided his soul and given a part of it to Banda. Kandalieu wasn’t a part of Vandalieu to begin with, but after being born as a part of the God of Origin, he had become a part of Vandalieu.

Thus, even if Vandalieu were to somehow die, it could be assumed that Banda and Kandalieu would continue to exist – though neither of them could be called Vandalieu’s main body, given that neither was able to create further split entities.

But after thinking about this, a sudden thought occurred to Vandalieu.

Hmm? Why is the ability to create split entities proof of being the main body? What principle is that based on? he wondered, suddenly questioning something that he had taken for granted.

Thinking about it further, beings who were even capable of creating split entities were rare… or rather, irregular.

So then, would it not be best to think about what a main body was without the condition of being able to create split entities? What was a main body? What was it that separated Vandalieu’s main body and his split entities…?

“I think you’ve given me a very important hint. Thank you, Mom,” Vandalieu said.

“Really? As long as you’re okay, that’s enough for me, so don’t overdo it,” said Darcia.

“Okay. But right now, we’re talking about Eisen, not me,” Vandalieu said. “Eisen, do you have any other Skills of interest?”

“I have a Skill called ‘Earth Fertilization,’” said Eisen. 

“‘Earth Fertilization?’” Vandalieu repeated.

“Not that one, this one,” said Eisen.

With one of the branches growing from her back, Eisen wrote the kanji on the ground to show the difference. Seeing the different characters, everyone could imagine that the Skill would not merely fertilize Eisen’s surroundings like Yggdrasils did.

“For now, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to test it in Orbaume,” said Darcia.

“I agree. Even if the earth in the capital is made to be rich in nutrients, it might just make weeds grow everywhere,” said Vandalieu.

“The fields are outside the city’s walls, too. Vandalieu-sama, how about testing it in one of your Inner Worlds?” suggested Isla.

“That would be most suitable. It seems that Marshukzarl has just started a kitchen garden, too,” said Vandalieu.

Marshukzarl, the former emperor of the Amid Empire, was currently imprisoned inside one of Vandalieu’s Inner Worlds. After building a hut for himself to live in and the necessary furniture, he had started a kitchen garden.

“… Vandalieu, you are providing him with enough food, aren’t you?” asked Darcia.

“Of course,” Vandalieu replied. “He has apparently always wanted to start gardening once he stepped down from the throne, so I’m sure it’s one of his hobbies.”

“It seems that he’s surprisingly enjoying his time inside Van-sama,” said Eleanora.

“Hey, can I have a word?” said Randolf, entering the garden with a tired look on his face and interrupting this entertaining conversation. “I imagined that this was related to you lot, and I knew that it wasn’t an emergency, but there are a lot of people who don’t know that. So I’m going to need you to explain things to them.”

“Alright,” said Vandalieu.

He explained the fact that Eisen had increased her Rank and become a being related to Yggdrasil to King Corbitt and his subjects, while Darcia explained it to the citizens, and the situation was resolved for now.

Vandalieu stored Eisen’s tree form in one of his Inner Worlds for now, then entered Sam’s carriage to change Jobs.

Because there was no limit to how far away his Demon King Familiars could be from him, he was gaining tremendous quantities of Experience Points every day.

《Jobs that can be selected: Fallen Warrior, Insect Ninja, Eclipse Cursecaster, Creator, Tartarus, Wild Spirit, Dark Battery Cannoneer, Dark Beast User, Hollow Shadow Caster, Balor, Apollyon, Demogorgon, Soul Devourer, God Devourer, Nergal, Ravana, Shaitan, Chi You, Ouroboros, Rudra, Blood Ruler, Demon Electricity User, Juggernaut, Berserk Muscle User, Apophis, Azathoth, Taotie, Guiding Lord, Changing Guider, Spirit Guider, Hollow World God Mage, God Spirit Alterer》

“Alright, there are no new Jobs like ‘Neo Vandalieu’ or ‘Super Vandalieu,’” Vandalieu said with a sigh of relief, having previously already discovered the ‘Vandalieu’ Job. “Well then, I’ll select ‘Changing Guider,’ as planned.”

He had no idea what Heinz and his companions were doing now, and Alda had taken more extreme actions, such as completely giving up on Rodcorte. But Vandalieu was unable to strike them down directly.

And it was necessary to guide the people of all the duchies in the Orbaume Kingdom. Thus, Vandalieu had decided to prioritize a Guider-type Job.

《You have acquired the ‘Changing Path Enticement’ and ‘Guidance: Changing Path’ Skill!》

《‘Changing Path Enticement’ has merged with ‘Alaya-vijnana Enticement’ and ‘Guidance: Changing Path’ has merged with ‘Guidance: Alaya-vijnana!’》

《The Levels of the ‘Constant Super Mana Recovery,’ ‘Extreme Strengthen Subordinates,’ ‘Divine Venom Secretion: Claws, Fang, Tongue,’ ‘Super Increased Mana Recovery Rate,’ ‘Enlarged Vitality,’ ‘Augmented Attribute Values: Ruling,’ ‘Augmented Attribute Values: Worshiped,’ ‘Golem Genesis,’ ‘Greater Multi-cast,’ ‘Abberant Technique,’ ‘Group Coordination,’ ‘Group Commander,’ ‘Spirit Therapy,’ and ‘Soul Encroachment’ Skills have increased!》

“Oh, its Level is already increasing.”

At this rate, it seemed like he would be changing Jobs again soon… Hopefully, Jobs like ‘Neo Vandalieu’ wouldn’t appear then, either.

With these thoughts running through his mind, Vandalieu left the Job-changing room.

Monster explanation (Written by Luciliano):

Iggdrasil Sapling

A mutated variant of Yggdrasil, the World Trees of the Age of the Gods, which has adapted to the presence of miasma. Master has named this race ‘Iggdrasil.’

There are many differences between Iggdrasils and Yggdrasils, such as their adaptation to miasma, the fact that they have a tangible personality, the fact that they can move about using their roots, and the fact that the Status System is applied to them, allowing them to possess Skills.

The greatest point of difference is that Eisen can separate herself from the tree and move about independently. According to her, both the tree and Eisen herself are her main bodies. It is unclear as to whether this difference between her and Yggdrasils is due to her Rank increase or whether it is an ability that all Iggdrasils possess.

She is capable of growing any kind of fruit from the size of an ordinary fruit to larger than a person, and her branches and bark possess a hardness that rivals that of Orichalcum. Her leaves and sap have medicinal properties; consumed raw, they have greater healing and antivenom effects than the average Potion.

The movements of Eisen’s tree form are large and clumsy, but due to its sheer size, the absolute velocity of the movements is considerable. And if she wanted to, she is able to have it lie on its side and roll forward, crushing anything in its enormous path.

Although it may appear to be weak to fire, it stores a vast quantity of water, so even if it is set on fire, it is capable of expelling this water to extinguish it.

And the Eisen form is highly capable in combat, just as Eisen always has been.

According to Cuoco Ragdew, who taste-tasted the fruit, the flavor of the fruit Eisen produces becomes inferior and closer to ordinary quality as they increase in size, but even the largest fruits taste as good as the highest-quality fruits on the market. As for her sap, even describing it as the nectar of the gods is inadequate. Her young leaves are delicious when used to make tempura or dressed with sesame, and they can even be mixed to make sauces or smoothies.

According to mythological records, Yggdrasils made the earth fertile, and Iggdrasils possess a similar ability. However, while Iggdrasils make the earth fertile, they also spread miasma while doing so, so caution is necessary.

It seems that a variety of other plants such as moss, mushrooms, and vines have already started growing on Eisen’s tree form, and monsters such as the bug-type monsters, as well as Demon King Familiars, have inhabited it as well. Master also sometimes hides in its hollows.

And given its size, it can be presumed that it is genuinely still a sapling, as indicated by Eisen’s Status.

Incidentally, even if one were to take the seeds from her countless fruits and plant them, it is highly unlikely that this will create more Iggdrasils. It is said that Yggdrasils could not be grown except from the seed of the Yggdrasil Fruit, which each tree produced only once every thousand years.

Thus, it can be presumed that Iggdrasils also produce Iggdrasil Fruits, and Iggdrasils can only be grown from its seeds… though it seems likely that Master will increase the Ranks of other plant-type monsters to create more Iggdrasils.

Skill explanation:

Earth Fertilization

A Unique Skill that transforms the earth around the user in a radius of ten kilometers for every Level in the Skill, turning it into fertile land suitable for cultivating plants. It takes an entire day to activate the Skill, and once activated, its effects continue for a year. The user must not leave the area that the Skill is intended to affect during the activation period.

And although the intensity of the Skill can be adjusted, it contaminates a wide range of land with miasma when activated. With the lowest intensity, the contamination is low enough for the area to not become a Devils’ Nest even after ten years of the Skill being active, but at maximum intensity, a single use will transform the area into a semi-Devils’ Nest and a second use will completely turn it into a Devils’ Nest.

It can be presumed that plant-type monsters and Golems will appear frequently in areas turned into Devils’ Nests by this Skill.

Skill explanation: 

Dual Bodies

A Unique Skill that represents both of one’s bodies being their main body. In Eisen’s case, it is her tree form and her Eisen form.

Because both her tree form and her Eisen form are main bodies, even if Eisen were to suffer fatal damage and perish, she can quickly be resurrected from her tree form. And even if her tree form is cut down, it can quickly be regrown from Eisen.

Because both are her main bodies, there is no limit on the distance they can be separated or the duration they can be separated for. However, since neither are split entities, they are not able to create more of either body.

Job explanation (Written by Luciliano):

Yin Guider

A Job for guiding those whom the world at large consider to be ostracized – those who live in slum districts and back alleys, the parts of society that aren’t visible on the surface. It is also a Job for guiding those in open parts of society into the unseen parts of society.

However, in Master’s case, he has already acquired other Guider-type Jobs, and he is already the ruler of a nation, so the latter half of that description doesn’t apply to him… or rather, it shouldn’t.

However, I get the feeling that there has recently been an increase in people wanting to become Undead while they are still alive and citizens who wish to try becoming Dark Humans… There are no firm statistics yet, so nothing can be said for sure, but perhaps this is one of the effects of this Job.