Seriously… let’s skip the back-and-forth exchange during the conversation with the city lord for now! The tedious twists and turns and scheming are making me want to doze off; the same old lines are going around in circles. Hikari, who’s been listening for ages, would definitely be asleep for two hours already if she wasn’t trying so hard to stay floating!
The adult world is too complicated! They don't look more than a few years older than me, so how can they have such complicated thoughts!
Growing up means... wait, this won't do!
That being said, I've roughly figured out what the current city lord is thinking.
First, even knowing that a far greater number of monsters than ever before might attack at any moment, he still insisted on proceeding with the celebration. One reason, as I saw before, was to preserve the children's anticipation and smiles, and the second... was that this would better gather a large number of armed individuals who could serve as combat power?
Okay, I admit it might be a good idea, but it would mean losing a number of guards and could even increase the likelihood of the city wall defenders being in danger during battle. Isn't that incredibly irresponsible?!
Moreover, it is uncertain whether those who are preparing to participate will be able to arrive safely. They are more likely to be attacked by scattered monsters along the way and lose their lives. In the end, it is also uncertain whether they will actually follow orders to fight the enemy and whether they can successfully resist.
In response to my questioning, An Ran only gave me a slightly cold smile, which made me give up any desire to continue the discussion with him.
I see.
No matter what, he was merely the lord of a city, and his responsibility extended only to that city and the people surrounding it. Although he treated me as an honored guest, it was only because of my mentor. Aside from that, I had no right to participate in politics, nor even the right to demand that he consider the needs of those from other cities. Being certain that he would step forward in the face of true disaster was already the best outcome possible.
This topic has now come to an end.
After a brief silence, An Ran invited me to go outside for a walk. I also happened to want to get some fresh air and see what he was up to, so I readily agreed.
Behind the city lord's mansion was a disguised entrance to a fairy dwelling, and beyond that entrance lay a vast, abruptly empty space. This was something I had witnessed firsthand before.
That is indeed strange. Why would someone go to the trouble of setting up such a large open space in the very center of a city, only to leave it unattended for so long?
Seeing that An Ran had stepped out of the mansion and was heading straight for the open space, I couldn't help but ask him why.
"Don't you know?" An Ran's expression was full of surprise. "This overly wide open space you see now is actually where the World Tree used to grow!"
I couldn't understand what he was saying at all.
The open space in the distance has a radius of several kilometers, and it seems to stretch endlessly when viewed from the flat ground. Although the soil is loose and damp, there are no obvious cavities or collapses, and the surface is even almost uniformly flat. It could easily be used as a mud track for horse racing without any problems. The only concern is whether it will become too muddy and retain water during the rainy season.
But if that towering tree had truly existed here, its extensive root system would have already spread throughout the foundation of the entire city. If it suddenly disappeared, not only this open space, but even the trees around the city would have slid in and sunk considerably. And the amount of soil and stone needed to reinforce all the resulting earthen walls would be enormous.
I originally thought that this was the result of the combined efforts of several mages living here, who stopped the collapse of the entire city after the World Tree suddenly disappeared, and then used distant rocks to fill the gaps—this is possible, for Yong'an Island was built from the sea with the help of several mages who were well-versed in magical artifacts, and soared into the air, where it has been traveling ever since without ever landing—but now it is said that the land here has always been flat since then.
"However, that is the truth."
Anran gazed at the endless open space in the distance, her hands half-in her pockets, and sighed sadly: "Humans have too many distracting thoughts, and are unable to connect their spiritual thoughts with nature. They can only communicate indirectly through fairies and the World Tree."
"But at the time, no one knew what the World Tree was thinking or what had happened to it. All we knew was that when we opened our eyes that day, the World Tree, which had always provided shade and shelter from the wind and frost for everyone, had vanished into thin air. Not long after, just when we were anxious and confused, the fairies, who were usually reluctant to communicate with us, suddenly sent a representative, saying that they wanted to entrust us with the task of helping them find the World Tree as soon as possible."
"...The Fairy Queen also mentioned this to me. Because of the disappearance of the World Tree, their living environment has been affected, and they urgently need to find a new home." I hesitated for a moment, but still chose to tell half of the fairies' request, "For this reason, they sought my temporary help."
“Ah, I know about this. After all, they also asked us to find suitable candidates to provide them with a home.” Anran shrugged helplessly. This was consistent with the information I had learned from the fairies before. “But as things stand, they often seem dissatisfied with those who come to apply, so the matter has been dragging on.”
He then changed the subject: "However, the reason I had the butler invite you here was not to discuss these matters."
"That's for?" I asked at the opportune moment.
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