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Chapter: 256

Five years of training with Arthur and Vivi. With just these two, recovering the throne should be a piece of cake.

Arthur’s strength, honed through rigorous education over the years, slightly exceeds normal human limits. He’s definitely not someone who can be caught up with in swordsmanship.

He could probably take down hundreds of soldiers all by himself.

Now, if it were thousands, that might be a different story, but gathering that many soldiers would be tough without a war. Let’s move on.

And then there’s the sword I gave him. If he uses the Body Enhancement technique along with the powers of the Mana Stone… maybe he’s capable of cutting down tens of thousands.

As a rough comparison, I’d say anyone with the strength of a Lizardman’s Great Warrior would struggle to even receive Arthur’s blade.

Lastly, if Vivi, recognized as the Dragon Priestess, is around… they could get plenty of help from the Church of Life. I wouldn’t need to tag along.

Especially since the position of Dragon Priestess, which can influence the Church of Life, allows for a lot of leeway.

To wield the Church of Life, which spreads across the globe, is to control power that transcends nations. The value of that is immeasurably vast.

If they disguise themselves as pilgrims of the Church of Life, slipping into Sirius, the capital of Romania, wouldn’t be a big deal.

After that, if Arthur sets his mind to it, he could easily behead the Emperor and reclaim the throne.

Of course, what follows might be another story altogether.

If the child of the missing former Emperor suddenly reappears, claiming the throne is theirs and decapitating the emperor… would the nobles believe him right away?

Or would they label him a tyrant, seeking the Emperor’s power for themselves?

I guess it’s a bit of an over-the-top imagination, but I can’t be sure it wouldn’t happen.

So, Arthur definitely needs to build a bit of a foundation.

Hmm. I’ve emphasized that point to him several times… I hope he’ll figure it out on his own, right? Right?

Hmm. Not so sure anymore. I’m feeling a bit uneasy… Should I help those two? Or send them out into the woods and just watch?

Thinking back to what Vivi said yesterday, both Arthur and Vivi probably take it for granted that I’d tag along. Hmmm.

Does it really matter? Even if I follow them? It’s kind of more fun to watch up close than from a distance.

Plus, they seem to want me to go with them too. Hmm… maybe I should just go? The only issue is…

Oh right. I lied and said I couldn’t leave the forest.

Well, I suppose I can cover that little lie with another lie. Will that be okay? Is it okay for one lie to lead to another?

I don’t know. I’m not really sure, but it should be fine, right? What could go wrong?

The only real concern I have is how long this sage’s body made of stone can hold out. Hmm.

Well, if I use it carefully, it should be fine. You know what? Let’s just go! If there’s a problem, I can repair it!

And this task… could be the last one done with this sage’s body.

I never expected to use it for this long, and it’s been slowly breaking down.

So… let’s help those two and finish this body off.

It would be troublesome if a sage from the Age of Myth were still around. The sage of the Deep Forest needs an end.

So, let’s try just a little bit more.

Just a little more, and it should turn into quite a decent story.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Tree of Life. Sephiroth.

A staff symbolizing the authority of the Church of Life, which only the Holy Maiden, the Dragon Priestess, can possess.

It’s in the shape of a tree with ten Mana Stones wrapped around its branches, still alive even without roots in the earth, proving the greatness of life itself.

This staff protects its owner, restores magical power, and drastically reduces magical consumption, making it a legendary staff coveted by many mages, and it doesn’t allow unauthorized hands to even touch it.

The usual way to store such a precious staff, Sephiroth, is surprisingly lax. In the absence of the Dragon Priestess, it’s said to root itself in the garden of the main body of the Church of Life, waiting for the Dragon Priestess to return someday.

This method of storage has a characteristic wherein if someone with ill intentions touches Sephiroth, the branches will root into their hand, sucking their life and magical power until they’re on the brink of death.

…

It is said that Sephiroth once had a different form than it does now when it was created, having only one gem entwined around its branches.

A massive gem containing magical power. Though only that one gem was attached, over long periods, it passed through many Dragon Priestesses, and the outstanding Mana Stones from the monsters they defeated have been added one by one to form its current shape.

Sephiroth carries the stories of the Dragon Priestesses who have protected the world for so long.

– Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“The Tree of Life?”

“Yes! Isn’t it amazing that it’s still alive even in the shape of a staff? And since I, being the Dragon Priestess, will carry it… it definitely deserves to be called an important artifact of the Church of Life!”

Hmm. Indeed. It absolutely feels fitting. The name gives a strong vibe of life.

But just calling it the Tree of Life feels a bit lacking… let’s add just a little bit to it.

“Sephiroth.”

“What?”

“Let’s call it the Tree of Life, Sephiroth.”

Just calling it the Tree of Life sounds a bit off. Best to give it the name ‘Sephiroth’ to fit it nicely.

“I love that! The Tree of Life, Sephiroth! Your name is now Sephiroth!”

Seeing Vivi so delighted, I chuckled softly.

Now then…

“Vivi. Arthur. Let’s get ready to set off.”

“Ah, sure!”

“Yup….”

At my command, Vivi entered the house to pack up her things, while Arthur looked a bit down watching her. Hmmm… Could it be he’s feeling anxious as we’re starting this long-planned endeavor?

I didn’t raise him to be weak. Hmm.

“Why do you look so down, Arthur?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just… um…”

Arthur hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I heard from Vivi. That you won’t be coming with us, Master.”

Hmm. So Vivi has spilled the beans to her brother. He really is light on his feet.

“I’m worried about whether Vivi and I can manage without you. I’ve worked hard, but… I’m not sure I can handle it…”

Arthur’s confidence seems to have dropped. Well, that’s probably because he doesn’t accurately gauge his own skill level.

He has the strength to rip through an entire castle by himself.

“You seem quite anxious.”

“Yes… Will I be able to do this? Can I reclaim what’s mine? I’m scared of failing. If I do, not just me but Vivi could be in danger too, and that scares me.”

During training, he was able to clear his mind of worries, but now that we’re starting, it seems the anxiety is creeping in.

Hmm. I can’t help that. If he’s this anxious, he won’t get anything done.

“Looks like I’ll have to tag along after all.”

“What?”

Arthur’s face fills with disbelief, and Vivi, coming out with her bag, looks equally stunned.

“You’re coming with us…? But Master, you said… you can’t leave the forest?”

“Right, I normally can’t. But…”

I lightly snapped my fingers, and an illusion cloaked the sage’s stone body.

No longer the rocky sage, but rather a living human form.

“I can leave if I limit my power and take the risk. Of course, I won’t be able to use the incredible strength I had in the forest.”

Upon hearing that, smiles began forming on Arthur and Vivi’s faces.

Do they really feel that good about me coming along?

“If Master is with us, it’s like we’ve gained an army!”

“I’m counting on you moving forward, Master!!”

Honestly, I can’t help but laugh at these two.

But before all that…

“Since it might get tricky calling you ‘Master’ outside the forest, let’s use a different name.”

“A different name?”

Let’s see. What name would work best… hmm… since I’m a sage made of stone, maybe something related to the earth.

“Gaia. You should call me Gaia.”

Now that Baal is no more, there’s no issue using that name here.

So I departed the deep forest with Arthur and Vivi.

First up, let’s go find Arthur’s allies.