NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Forest Kingdom Yggdrasil and the Sacred Great Tree 1
Walking the road to the Forest Kingdom Yggdrasil, the closer he got, the more strange things Haise saw.
“…What is that?”
From a slightly elevated spot, Haise saw the Forest Kingdom Yggdrasil.
And nearby, a giant tree that seemed large enough to cover an entire nation.
It was huge. A gigantic tree, one that might be a hundred years old, a thousand years, or even tens of thousands. Haise was astonished at the size of the tree, which seemed to reach the heavens.
“Don’t you know?”
“Huh?”
“That’s Yggdrasil.”
“……Huh?”
That name was one of the Four Great Clans.
Yggdrasil, the forest kingdom home to many demi-human races, centered around elves.
Presea looked at Haise and spoke.
“Even S-rank adventurers like you, who are just starting out, don’t know it. The four S-rank adventurers who lead the Four Great Clans are called the Prime Four. The Yggdrasil Clan Master, the Infinite Ancient Tree Ibis, is a hero among the elves.”
“……”
“That tree is said to have been created by Ibis-sama’s abilities.”
“Seriously?”
Presea spoke plainly, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Haise, not particularly interested, muttered.
“The Four Great Clans, huh?”
◇◇◇◇◇
The Four Great Clans.
A clan is an organization that only S-rank adventurers can form, where they can have an adventurer team under their command. There are over a hundred clans in the world, but the Four Great Clans are the largest, each with a scale that rivals an entire nation.
To the east, Yggdrasil, which has many demi-human members.
To the north, Fantastic Fantasia, which runs the largest pleasure district in the human world.
To the south, the Dwarven-run mining group, the King of the Cavern.
To the west, the Seifart Holy Knights, a human-only group whose members are skilled with swords and weaponry.
These four are known as the Four Great Clans.
“…Sasha runs a clan of this size?”
“Sasha?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Haise took out a letter from his pocket.
“Geist-san sure knows some impressive people…”
He decided to enter Yggdrasil and head towards Yggdrasil.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the main gate, after showing his adventurer card (as expected, he was met with surprise), he entered.
Instead of taking a request immediately, Haise decided to find an inn.
Presea also took the same inn, and the two of them walked into town.
“I can guide you for a fee.”
“No need. I’ll just wander around and eat.”
“Right.”
Presea didn’t seem to mind and silently walked beside Haise.
As they left the inn, Haise immediately noticed.
“Still, elves… but that’s no surprise. There are a lot of demi-humans.”
“Yggdrasil is a nation of demi-humans, after all.”
Elves were the most common.
There were also many beastmen, people with animal traits, and winged beings. Humans were the least numerous.
Most of the buildings were made of wood. The country was full of nature, and many rivers ran through it. Ferries could be seen transporting goods by boat.
In the center of the town stood high-class inns, restaurants, and the adventurer guild.
“Since we’re here, let me just check for requests at the guild.”
“……”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’ll wait here.”
Suddenly, Presea vanished from sight.
It seemed she hid herself using spirit magic.
Haise tilted his head but didn’t worry about it as he entered the adventurer’s guild.
Inside, the guild was crowded with elves and demi-human adventurers.
“Hey, look at that…”
“A human…”
“Is he alone?”
“Just a kid.”
“Is he solo?”
As soon as they saw Haise, people started whispering.
Haise ignored them and headed to the reception counter.
He showed the middle-aged receptionist the request from the Heiberg Kingdom and his adventurer card.
The receptionist, after checking, widened her eyes.
“A request from the Heiberg Kingdom?! And… an S-rank adventurer?!”
“I’ll take the request starting tomorrow. Just handle the paperwork for me.”
“Y-yes…”
The guild buzzed with excitement at the mention of an S-rank adventurer.
Many of the eyes on Haise were skeptical, with some mocking and disdainful looks.
But Haise ignored them. He was used to these kinds of looks… however…
“Hey, hey, hey, an S-rank adventurer? A kid? Is that a fake card?!”
A bovine beastman and his companions started laughing.
Haise glanced at them, but that was all.
“Hey, what’s with that look, kid?”
“……”
“Ha, a kid being an S-rank adventurer? Humans really don’t know what they’re looking at.”
The receptionist returned after confirming the documents.
“Your request has been accepted. Here’s the permit for entry to the Sacred Mountain Gagazia. Um… are you alone?”
“Ah… no, there’s one more person. She’s waiting outside.”
“I understand. If you show this permit, you can enter. The Sacred Mountain Gagazia can be accessed from the East Gate, so please greet Yggdrasil, who manages the gate, before you head there.”
“Greetings?”
“Yes. Yggdrasil values greetings above all else.”
“Well, understood.”
“Kid, don’t ignore me!! —–H-hey, ggh!”
Suddenly, the bovine beastman grabbed his throat and began choking, stumbling, and struggling.
Haise ignored it and walked past.
As the other beastmen tried to help their fallen companion, Haise left the guild.
Then, Presea appeared next to him.
“That was you, wasn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. I asked a spirit to choke him.”
“…So you were listening to the conversation?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
“For what?”
“When they asked about the entry permit, you mentioned me.”
“……Well, let’s eat. This place smells good… I feel like having something sweet.”
“It’s a random thought. Amitz Street has a lot of great dessert shops. It’s to the west from here.”
“……”
Haise walked toward the western street, with Presea walking beside him.
◇◇◇◇◇
That night.
Haise was reading an ancient manuscript in his room.
“……Hmm.”
This manuscript was something he had picked up.
But, for some reason, he felt a connection to it and couldn’t part with it. It felt like meeting it had been fate, and now, he carried it with him wherever he went.
He understood three pages. The pages contained the names and shapes of weapons.
The words written were in a language called Eigo from another world.
For some reason, Haise could understand a little of Eigo. He realized the person who wrote this manuscript had the same [Weapon Master] ability as him.
“───…!”
Then, Haise understood several more pages.
He decided to try using his abilities in his room, and successfully materialized a weapon. It seemed that by fully understanding the weapons of another world, he could materialize them.
“Let’s try shooting tomorrow… that’s fine for now.”
Tomorrow, he would head to the Sacred Mountain Gagazia.
There, there would be plenty of targets.
“I’ll have to practice too.”
The first weapon Haise created was a grenade launcher.
Next, he materialized a Desert Eagle, followed by a rifle.
He trained in shooting on his own and deepened his physical combat skills with Geist. Haise grew stronger.
“Alright…”
Haise began fiddling with the new gun he had created.
◇◇◇◇◇
The next day.
After breakfast, Haise and Presea headed to the East Gate.
“…Incredible.”
“Yeah.”
From the East Gate, the Great Tree of Yggdrasil came into view.
It was so massive that Haise had to crane his neck to see the whole thing.
He just noticed now—the East Gate was constructed to wrap around the giant tree.
Two elf guards stood near the gate.
Haise showed them his adventurer card and Geist’s letter.
“I’m Haise, an S-rank adventurer. I’m here on a request from the Heiberg Kingdom, heading to the Sacred Mountain Gagazia. Let me pass. Oh, and this—my acquaintance wanted your clan master to have it.”
One of the elves checked the letter, his eyes widening, then quickly bowed repeatedly before disappearing into the guard post.
A few minutes later, an elderly elf hurriedly arrived, looking flustered.
“Oh my, oh my! To think you’re Geist-sama’s apprentice…! Apologies for keeping you waiting. Please, this way.”
“Huh? No, wait. I just need to pass through. The letter is just to say, ‘Hey, my mentor knows your clan master, so let me through.’ That’s all.”
“No, no, no! Please, right this way! The Clan Master is expecting you!”
“Uh… what?”
This has turned into a bit of a hassle, Haise thought.
Geist had given him the letter, saying it “might be helpful,” but Haise hadn’t expected to need any help.
He’d only meant to show it as a formality to proceed, but being summoned by the Clan Master was unexpected.
“Please, please, come along!”
“Uh, okay. Fine, but I’ve got things to do, so five minutes, tops.”
Pressed by the elderly elf’s insistent demeanor, Haise reluctantly agreed to follow.
“…I’ll stay here.”
Presea said, choosing not to go along.