In the depths of the Spirits’ Forest, I encountered one of the Six Kings, the pinnacle of the Demon Realm… the World King, Lillywood Yggdrasil.
The being who has become one with the tree continues to speak calmly to the astonished me.
“I’m sorry to have surprised you. But in a way, it was fortunate that I met you here. I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time.”
[Me?]
“Yes, I heard about you from Isis and Kuromueina, and I thought I’d visit you after the Sacred Tree Festival.”
[Kuro and Isis-san, huh… Errr, Lillywood-sama…]
“You don’t need to use an honorific title. You can just call me by my name, like you do with Isis and Kuromueina.”
Regarding Lillywood-sama… No, Lillywood-san, I had heard from Lilia-san and others that she was one of the gentlest of the Six Kings. It seems what I heard was true, as her voice is gentle, and she speaks to me, a mere human, with great politeness.
[Errr, well then, please let me call you Lillywood-san. You already know my name, but once again… My name is Miyama Kaito. It’s nice to meet you.]
“Thank you for your courtesy. It’s nice to meet you too. It’s a great pleasure to meet you here.”
[Ummm, why was Lillywood-san planning to visit me?]
I bow once to Lillywood-san, who politely returned my greeting.
Then, I asked what she meant when she said she was going to visit me after the Sacred Tree Festival.
I don’t have any reason to doubt her now, but Lillywood-san holds an extremely high status… She’s one of the pinnacles of the Demon Realm, and has a presence that won’t undermine that title.
That’s why I was curious.
It was just a coincidence that I met Kuro and Isis-san, and even though my encounter with Lillywood-san was unexpected, she seemed to already know me and wanted something from me, though I wasn’t sure what.
Hearing my question, Lillywood-san gently smiled and replied.
“There were two reasons I wanted to meet you… One was simply because I became interested in you. And the second reason was… I wanted to meet you in person to express my ‘gratitude.’”
[Gratitude, you say? For what exactly…?]
“All of the Six Kings are close with one another… But out of all of them, I speak with Isis the most, and I can say that Isis is a long-time friend of mine.”
Indeed, if I recall correctly, when Isis-san visited, she mentioned how “Lillywood told her about it,” so it seemed the two of them were close friends.
As Lillywood-san spoke, her eyes narrowed slightly in sadness before she continued.
“I thought I understood the suffering she was going through… but I couldn’t do anything about it. Because I’m someone with power comparable to Isis, I wasn’t able to fulfill her wish—to ‘come in contact with the powerless as well, and to meet someone who would accept her, even if they don’t have power.’”
[…………………..]
“I was too caught up in my own affairs, and seeing Isis grow sad and lonely always frustrated me. But then, you appeared at her doorstep.”
[Me?]
Lillywood-san seemed to care deeply about Isis, and it was clear she felt helpless at her inability to ease Isis-san’s pain.
Yes, ever since she met you, Isis has been smiling so happily, and every time she visits, she talks about you with joy. Seeing her like that makes me so happy. I’m truly overjoyed that she’s able to laugh from the bottom of her heart.”
[I don’t think I did that much…]
“No, since Isis met you, the cold, hard ice that bound her for so many years has melted away. For that, I owe you a debt of gratitude I can’t express in words. Kaito-san, thank you so much.”
[Ah, no, that’s…]
“I really want to thank you. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
Watching Lillywood-san deeply bow her head in gratitude, I scratched my head, a little confused.
Now what? She’s suddenly asking to thank me…
It’s not like I expect something in return for being around Isis-san. I enjoy her company because she’s kind and fun to be with. I’m not looking for anything from it.
So, logically, I should turn her down, but… there’s one thing that inevitably stuck in my mind.
[……Lillywood-san. About Isis-san… I spoke to her because she’s an important friend to me, and I enjoy being with her. So, honestly, I don’t want to be rewarded for something like that…]
“……………….”
[So, please treat this as a request separate from that. If you don’t want to do it, you can refuse—I’m fully aware that this could be a rude request. But if it’s possible… could I have one of the ‘Fruit of the World Tree’?]
Yes, the one thing stuck in my mind was Sieg-san.
She said she didn’t want to heal her wound, that it didn’t matter if she couldn’t speak, but maybe, one day, her mind would change. There could be a time when she would need her voice back.
So, if there was a way to help her regain it when that time came, I wanted to give it to Sieg-san, who had always been such a great help to me.
After making it clear that I wasn’t asking for this as compensation for becoming friends with Isis-san, I bowed deeply to Lillywood-san.
Lillywood-san was silent for a moment before answering calmly.
“Of course, I don’t mind. I’ll give you as much as you want.”
[Eh? I-Is that really okay? Isn’t it incredibly valuable?]
“No, it’s not really that valuable. I’m only limiting its distribution because I’m concerned that its ability to heal any wound might lead to unintended consequences.”
In response to my unreasonable request, Lillywood-san agrees without a hint of hesitation, as if it’s no big deal.
Apparently, the Fruit of the World Tree, while extremely rare and costly in the world, isn’t so rare for her.
“If this fruit, which can heal any wound, were easily obtainable, those who specialize in Recovery Magic and medical treatment would lose their livelihoods. And not only that, it would strip away people’s sense of crisis. The Fruit of the World Tree can heal wounds, but it can’t bring someone back from the dead… If people start thinking it’s fine to get hurt because their wounds will be healed, it would lead to chaos. That’s why I’ve restricted the circulation of the Fruit of the World Tree in the world.”
What Lillywood-san said makes sense.
If healing any wound became commonplace, people would lose their sense of urgency, and it could easily be abused depending on how it’s used.
It seems like Lillywood-san is trying to prevent that by limiting the distribution of the Fruit of the World Tree.
As I nodded in understanding, a branch sprouted from the tree Lillywood-san is connected to.
The branch stretched out in front of me and bore a fruit that looked like transparent crystal.
“Here you go, this is the Fruit of the World Tree.”
[Thank you very much.]
I took the fruit, which felt almost divine, and thanked Lillywood-san before carefully placing it in my Magic Box.
At that, Lillywood-san smiled, though her expression seemed a little troubled.
“However, I don’t think this is enough to repay my gratitude.”
[Eh? No, I feel like I’ve been selfish asking you for this…]
“…I can see it in your eyes. You didn’t want this for yourself. It’s for someone else, right? Then it’s still not enough to repay my gratitude.”
[No, uh…]
“So here’s what I’ll do. Whenever you need my help in the future, just call me. I’ll be there for you.”
With that, Lillywood-san’s eyes turned serious.
What’s going on here? It’s hard to imagine a situation where I’d need to ask one of the Six Kings, Lillywood-san, for help, but her gaze was focused on something.
I don’t know if it’s because I was thinking about this or not, but Lillywood-san spoke calmly, her eyes filled with seriousness.
“……Please be careful of the Phantasmal King, No Face.”
[Eh?]
“No Face is likely already watching you as a unique entity. And now, that person is probably assessing your worth—whether or not you pose a danger to this world…”
[……………..]
“And if that person sees you as a threat, No Face will deal with you without mercy. So if anything unusual happens around you, please call me. For Isis’s sake, I can’t afford to lose you.”
I had no words in response to her quiet warning.
The Phantasmal King, No Face—one of the Six Kings, still shrouded in mystery. I recalled Chronois-san saying she didn’t really know what the Phantasmal King was thinking, either.
Dear Mom, Dad—I met Lillywood-san, and she gave me the Fruit of the World Tree. And she warned me—that I should be careful of the Phantasmal King.