Clang Clang Clang
Sparks and reverberations filled the air as two swords clashed against one another, again and again, time after time. There was little to no gap between each clash, each as ferocious as the others, performed with great speed, strength, and precision.
More than a week has passed since Grey and Yuna arrived in the village and as far as their daily routines were concerned, they were once again training Zeke, improving his swordsmanship and magic at the same time. Of course, it was done spartan style.
Lunges, slashes, and feints were done one after another, relentless like a raging storm whose only purpose is to destroy. Zeke struck left, right, down, and up but no matter what he did, Grey remained unfazed, not even budging a single inch from his position as if he was a statue.
"Ugh...!" ［Zeke］
Zeke quickly distanced himself after the final clash with Grey, stepping a couple steps backwards. He had been clashing with Grey for hundreds of times yet there was no progress. It was time to try a different approach.
⟨⟨Lightning Bolt!⟩⟩ ［Zeke］
Thunder roared as a blue streak came flying towards Grey at an unimaginable speed, but the latter still remained unfazed. He was simply observing the situation, looking at Zeke if he was planning something and maintaining peak vigilance.
With little effort, Grey poured some strength on his hands and with a quick flick of his arms, he quickly deflected the attack, redirecting it to the left. The attack landed towards one of the branches nearby, burning it before it broke, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
"Damー" ［Zeke］
"You're wide open!" ［Grey］
Zeke couldn't even say a single word when suddenly, a silhouette appeared before him. That silhouette slowly formed a figure which was Grey. His arms already raised his arms towards the sky, and with explosive strength, it came crashing towards Zeke.
Zeke was able to block the attack by raising his sword and holding it with both hands horizontally. Still, after receiving the full brunt of Grey's attack, Zeke was forced to kneel towards the ground, his whole body feeling a powerful shock all over.
When his attack finished, Grey slowly lifted his sword with a calm expression on his face, feeling satisfied about Zeke's progress. As for Zeke, his whole body was now trembling, feeling numb after absorbing such massive shock.
"Alright, let's stop here for now." ［Grey］
"Y... Yes..." ［Zeke］
With it, marks the end of Zeke's training for the day. Grey masterfully casted some recovery magic on Zeke, healing all his injuries and fatigue, and of course, stopping his body from trembling needlessly.
"You aren't planning on kneeling there the whole day, aren't you?" ［Grey］
"Ah, no... Thank you..." ［Zeke］
Grey offered his hand to Zeke and the latter accepted gracefully. He was then lifted up from the ground to stand up on his feet again. After which, he stretched some of his joints and hopped around a little to see if his body was alright.
Clap Clap Clap
With their match finished, a certain sound echoed in the air. It was Yuna clapping whilst looking at the two of them. Just like before, he was calmly sitting on a bench, eating a snack. The only difference was that she was now eating cupcakes rather than some potato fries.
While she looks carefree right now, the same couldn't be said a couple of minutes ago. That was because then, she was like a cold-hearted demon pummeling Zeke with relentless strikes, making him surrender over and over again.
Well, Grey could only smile dryly as he observed the silver-haired elf eating cupcakes so happily. When they started, she was eating cupcakes, and even now that they are finished, she was still eating.
"Yuna... Just how many cupcakes did you bake yesterday?" ［Grey］
"Hmm... A couple dozen, I think...?" ［Yuna］
"Really? Does that include what's inside your storage ring?" ［Grey］
"H-How did you know?!" ［Yuna］
There was no point in lying. Grey already knew full well what Yuna was like and with his three years of living with her, he had already memorized her habits. He quickly knows when she is lying when her eyes start to show even the slightest signs of nervousness. It was obvious.
Other people would have been fooled, but with eyes as sharp as Grey's, no little movement can escape his grasp. Not even his innocent-looking girlfriend can fool him no matter how hard she tries.
Now, Grey had started to wonder where the more mature Yuna went. Ever since they started going out, she progressively became more and more spoiled and childish. Not that he really minded it. She was still the cutest in his eyes.
"Haah... Seriously, what am I gonna do with youー" ［Grey］
Dong Dong Dong Dong
Erratic sounds abruptly filled the air without even a single warning. Grey couldn't even finish what he was saying as he was quickly alerted. After all, they weren't just any bells. They were emergency bells Grey and Yuna are too familiar with.
Quickly, the three of them headed out of the training grounds and into the open streets. The villagers and other folks were just as puzzled as them, not knowing what was happening with the village.
The only ones who knew about the situation were the village guards who were all running towards a certain direction with urgency evident on their faces. All of them had already readied their weapons, ready to fight no matter what the opponent was.
"Mister Alto! Mister Alto! What's happening?!" ［Zeke］
"Ah! Little Zeke! And Mister Grey and Miss Yuna, too! Thank god you're here. We really need your help!" ［Alto］
"We're open to help, but first, can you tell us what's happening?" ［Grey］
"A-Ah, yes... You see..." ［Alto］
Concisely as he possibly could, Alto quickly explained the current situation to Grey and Yuna. There was no harm towards the village nor the villagers yet, but the same couldn't be said for the Tree of Life.
Apparently, two beasts, attracted by the tree, have launched a coordinated attack towards the tree. Their goal, it was none other than feed on the tree and gain some nourishment from it. They didn't know what the beasts were, but that only makes the situation more urgent.
After all, if the Tree of Life is destroyed, the invisible force that wards off the monsters will disappear. The village will quickly fall into and head to ruin as soon as it happens. The beasts needed to be stopped no matter what.
"I see. Thanks for the info, Mister Alto! We'll be going on ahead!" ［Grey］
"Mister Alto, please look after Zeke!" ［Yuna］
Leaving Zeke in Alto's hands, Grey and Yuna quickly burst forth towards the Tree of Life's direction. They met a lot of guards and people along the way but they simply ignored them and headed straight to the tree, leaving clouds of dust in their wake.
With their speeds easily rivaling automobiles back on Earth, Grey and Yuna managed to arrive at the tree's location in just a matter of seconds. If it weren't for the fact that the others would get caught up with their speeds, they would have gone faster. Even then, their speed was already enough.
Upon their arrival, what greeted the two were several concerned faces. There was Falroe, Aria, Kris, and the guards around the tree, but there were no beasts to be seen. The two felt a little confused by the current scene.
"We heard there were beasts attacking the tree, is it true?" ［Grey］
"Yeah, it was. But they have fled now, those oversized animals managed to flee after sensing Kris and Aria approaching." ［Falroe］
"Then how about the tree? Is there any damage?" ［Grey］
"Well, apart from a few leaves and fruits being plucked here and there, and some flowers that were trampled, there isn't any real damage. I'm sure the Tree of Life would do just fine." ［Falroe］
And sure enough, when Grey checked the tree's status with "Appraisal", the word "Healthy" was still displayed. There was no need for excessive worries. The tree can just recover the leaves and fruits it has lost. It was completely fine.
Also, it wasn't the first time the village has encountered such a situation. It happens once every few years, and it just so happened that it occurred once again when Grey and Yuna are present in the village.
If there was anything to worry about, it was that what manner of beasts attacked the tree. As far as the previous incidents were concerned, the only ones who were able to get past the village's defenses were beasts of E-rank and above. There was no doubt that they were going to be strong opponents.
"Then, Mister Falroe, do you know what beasts attacked?" ［Yuna］
Before Grey could even ask, Yuna took the initiative to ask the question revolving around his mind. It was only at serious times such as the current one that Yuna acts more mature and serious like what she ought to be. It was a charming side of her.
"Unfortunately, we didn't. Even Aria didn't figure out what they were." ［Falroe］
"But, I did get a glance at them. One of them was a black-feathered bird-type beast while the other was a large cat-type beast which excels in speed." ［Aria］
With Aria's description and considering the location they were in, several beasts came to Grey's mind. Considering they were at least E-rank, the list was narrowed down even more, down to only a few dozen.
Amongst the beasts present on his mental list, there were two which he absolutely wished weren't what attacked the tree. While their territories are much farther than the others. Still, there was still a small possibility.
Those beasts were none other than the A-rank beasts "Roc" and "Silver Panther". If it were the two of them, the village would be in grave danger and even if they fight, the villagers might still get caught up in the fight. Grey could only hope that his intuition was wrong.
"Grey, do you know what beasts they are?" ［Yuna］
"No, there's still too many that matches the description. But if you want, I could give you a list of what they could be." ［Grey］
"Thank you, that would really help." ［Falroe］
Falroe's face was now calmer now that he knew Grey and Yuna was willing to help. He was already exhausted dealing with Aria's wedding and now, another issue had arisen. He was thankful that there are people willing to help him out.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a little pissed off. For such a situation to happen when Aria's wedding is drawing close. If he saw the beasts who caused such a commotion, he would really give them a piece of his mind, with a couple of arrows that is.
"Haah... I guess I'll be heading to my office for a while. I'll need to make a few arrangements to tighten the security here. Sorry, Aria, I'll have to leave the managing of the venue in your hands." ［Falroe］
"Don't worry, Dad. I'm sure we can manage," ［Aria］
"Huhuhu, my daughter's really grown up a lot, hasn't she?" ［Falroe］
"Dad! Stop it!" ［Aria］
Showing his affection, Falroe gently patted Aria's head, but the latter did not take it too kindly. Rather than feeling happy, she only felt embarrassment as she tried to fend off her father's warm and gentle affection.
After patting Aria so affectionately, just like what he said he would be doing, Falroe immediately headed back to his house and worked on a few documents, leaving the others to handle the situation by themselves.
"Then, Miss Aria, Mister Kris, we'll also be heading off now. We still have to prepare for Zeke's afternoon training." ［Grey］
"Alright. I leave my brother in your care." ［Aria］
"Un! We'll make sure to thoroughly train him!" ［Yuna］
Yuna ended her statement with a bright smile, but it wasn't one which gave Aria relief. After all, she had witnessed their training regiment once and she couldn't say it was one people would find easy. He could only smile wryly as she silently cheered on his younger brother.
Slowly but surely, people went away from the Tree of Life's vicinity and continued their daily lives. Just like Falroe promised, the security near the tree was soon tightened and the distribution of guards around the village was changed drastically.
The wedding preparations also continued, the venue getting more and more polished as time passed. More and more scaffolding was also taken down with the pillars and main structures were completed. All that was left were the small details, ones just as important as the others.
Just like that, the days passed, and so far, everything went on normally. The bells haven't rang ever since that one incident and so people have become calmer and more relaxed in their daily lives. The village has returned to its normal state, people living their daily lives as is,
"Waah～! Is this all for dinner?!" ［Zeke］
"Un! That's right! Since you've been working so hard this past week, it's only proper that we reward you." ［Yuna］
"Just take a seat and enjoy the meal." ［Grey］
"Thank you so much, Big Sis Yuna! Big Bro Grey!" ［Zeke］
A bright smile bloomed on Zeke's face as soon as he heard Grey and Yuna's response. Falroe and the others were already seated on the dining table, and he quickly followed suit with excitement prevalent on his face.
"Here Zeke, have some of these." ［Grey］
"Ah, thank youー" ［Zeke］
Dong Dong Dong Dong
Not even a single bite. Zeke couldn't so much as to enjoy his reward for all his efforts, when suddenly, loud bells rang throughout the night. It was a familiar sound, the same sound which echoed all over the village a couple of days ago. The emergency bells were rung once again.
As hastily as before, Grey, Yuna, followed by the others, headed towards the Tree of Life with much urgency. Since it was night time already, they were even more alert and cautious as before, keeping their senses as sharp as possible.
"A healer! Get a healer here!"
"There are more injured over here!"
Unfortunately for them, no matter how quickly they headed to the Tree of Life, it was already too late. The only thing that greeted them were the groans and grunts of the injured guards all over the place, accompanied by their colleagues who were trying to rescue them.
Just like before, there were no beasts to be seen. Even with Grey's eyes, he couldn't see anything nearby. They have already gone away a long time ago, long before even the emergency bells were rang.
"Is everyone alright?!" ［Aria］
After Grey and Yuna, the next ones to arrive were Kris and Aria, their faces filled with shock and their eyes opening wide as soon as they got a grasp of the situation. There was no time to be standing still.
"Please excuse me." ［Grey］
"A-Ah, yes..."
⟨⟨High Heal!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Of course, Grey and Yuna didn't just leave the injured be. Without wasting any time, the two of them casted holy magic one after another and healed them. It was a race against time and in the end, they were the winners.
Although Kris and Aria weren't knowledgeable in holy magic, with the potions from Grey and Yuna, they were also able to provide help. After rushing here and there, the four of them managed to help out every single soldier and saved them from pain.
Strangely enough, while there were critical injuries here and there, there weren't anyone who died immediately. The worst was just a large gashing wound on the chest of one of the guards.
"Mister Nestor, can you tell me what happened here?" ［Aria］
"Miss Aria..." ［Nestor］
Reliving what happened, Nestor explained to Aria and the others what happened when they were on duty. He was still in shock, but he managed to compose himself and give them a proper response.
It happened all of the sudden when the guards were changing shifts. They didn't even notice the beasts approaching the Tree of Life. The moment they realized what was happening, it was already too late. The beasts had already started gnawing on the tree like starving hyenas.
Some guards tried to alert the others but when the beasts saw them about to blow horns, they attacked them quickly. They also prevented the others from escaping, only proving that they were quite the intelligent beasts. Even then, none of the guards died immediately after.
The reason was simple. It was because the beasts paid little to no heed to them. Their target was the Tree of Life and the Tree of Life alone. They only struck back when guards were bothering them too much with their objectives. It was thanks to that that everyone managed to survive.
"I see... So that's what happened. Thank you for your hard work, Mister Nestor. You can take your rest now." ［Aria］
"Thank you..." ［Nestor］
One after another, the guards regained consciousness and expressions of relief bloomed everywhere. Well, everywhere except one person. That person was none other than Falroe, whose gaze was fixed on the Tree of Life.
There were no signs of brightness to be seen on his face, only a dark expression which was very grave, people might think he was looking at the end of the world. It was an expression made of mixed emotions, all of which were strongly negative.
"Dad... Is something wrong?" ［Aria］
"Aria, take a look at this..." ［Falroe］
Aria's expression couldn't be any more puzzled as she followed Falroe's lead. But as soon as she saw what her father meant, her eyes widened in shock. Not only her, Grey, Yuna, and Kris who followed suit were also in a similar state of shock.
While the tree looked fine when viewed at the front, the same couldn't be said on the opposite side. The contrast was like heaven as hell. It wasn't just the tree which was damaged, the surroundings were also caught up with whatever the beasts did.
The ground dug out and the roots uprooted, broken branches broken all over the place, and large gaps on the tree's trunk. A large portion of the tree received severe damages all over the place. The tree which was once very lovely and beautiful was now on the verge of ruin.
In all the time Falroe spent in the village, it was his first time seeing the Tree of Life in such a bad state. Terror, despair, and chaos filled his heart as he imagined what kind of consequences may be brought to the village with the tree's current state,
'This is problematic...' ［Grey］
Grey also bore the same thoughts with Falroe. Upon using his "Appraisal", the status which once displayed "Healthy" was now completely changed to "Heavily Damaged". He was worried whether such a state would affect the tree's abilities.
It wasn't only the tree's protection against the monster, but also its ability to absorb mana from the surroundings. Especially with corruption. Grey could only foresee problems if the corruption the tree was still absorbing is released back into the atmosphere.
In such a case, Grey neither knows what will happen after nor how it will affect the surroundings, but when the tree is finally down. But Grey only knows of one thing, and that is no matter what happens, the outcome wouldn't be a pretty one.
"Agh... What are we gonna do..." ［Falroe］
Negative emotions only grew deeper inside Falroe's heart, latching themselves like parasites whose only purpose is to gnaw away on their host. The cheerfulness he usually wears was nowhere to be seen, only gloom.
After all, the Tree of Life, unlike any normal tree, isn't able to reproduce. While it is able to flower and bear fruits, no seeds are formed. Asexual reproduction such as grafting is also out of the question as the tree quickly rejects the host.
In other words, once the Tree of Life dies, it will be the end of it. Not only for the Tree of Life itself, but also for the Malus village and its villagers which had relied on it for generations.
"Aria, I'm sorry to tell you this, but... We might need to cancel your wedding." ［Falroe］
A heavy news echoed inside everyone's ears accompanied by a tinge of guilt and anxiety. Whilst Aria felt disappointed, a multitude of emotions swirling in her heart, she only kept quiet and didn't say a single word.
The night which was supposed to be festive has now become one full of gloom and sadness, brought about by the sudden variables no one expected. The night continued and silence swallowed the world.
CHAPTER 144 END