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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“What’s this?”
“The Practical Application of Magical Artillery, by Ludwig von Velmanstein.”
“…?”
I handed the stack of papers to Erica and Ainz, who stared at me with blank faces. It was one of several treatises on magical tactics that Ludwig had written during his time in the military.
“There’s a chance the enemy might attempt a large-scale siege while I’m gone. Study this, and you’ll know how to counter it effectively.”
Ludwig, in modern terms, was a genius who revolutionized artillery tactics. Back then, the only applications of magic in warfare were direct attacks and setting traps.
Ludwig had developed the original artillery techniques, dramatically increasing the range and accuracy of magical attacks. He had taken magic from crude, line-of-sight attacks and turned it into sophisticated, indirect fire.
“You’re giving us this now?”
“You’ll pick it up quickly. With your brilliant minds, you should be able to understand it and put it into practice in thirty minutes. It’s just fire magic combined with a bit of arithmetic.”
“Hmph. Of course. A treatise this thin? I can master it in no time. I’m a genius, after all…”
“…”
Erica was so easy to manipulate.
Ainz, beside her, was already flipping through the pages, his face scrunched up in concentration.
Ainz’s massive mana reserves meant he could simply unleash a barrage of direct attacks, and still be incredibly effective.
He had proven that during our first victory.
But that approach wasted a significant amount of power. If Ainz mastered magical artillery, he could precisely target the enemy, maximizing his firepower.
He could single-handedly replace dozens of mages.
“Trie, you —”
“I know. Protect them.”
“Yes.”
Trie seemed a little disappointed that she wasn’t joining us on the trip to the Great Forest. It was true that having her, an all-purpose weapon, would be incredibly reassuring.
But that was precisely why she had to stay. If anything went wrong, it would likely happen while Iris and I were away.
“Let’s go, Iris.”
“I’m right here.”
“…”
Iris smiled, falling into step beside me. She was wearing her veil today, which amplified her Saintess aura.
I almost felt compelled to kneel and confess my sins in front of her.
Taylor approached, leading the black horse by the reins. The horse was resisting, trying to veer off course. It was a handful, as always.
Neigh …!
“Ahaha! That tickles!”
But the moment it saw Iris, its demeanor changed completely. It walked toward her obediently, licking her outstretched hand. It was the picture of docility.
Was this the same horse that had been throwing me off its back yesterday?
“Mmm… Hee hee…!”
“That’s enough.”
I grabbed the horse’s head and turned it away just as it was about to lick Iris’s cheek. I couldn’t let it ruin her carefully arranged Saintess attire.
That was the only reason.
The horse glared at me and snorted.
The nerve of this creature…
“Good luck.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. I’m hoping I won’t have to draw my sword at all.”
“My apologies. I’ll pray to Aegis for your safe return.”
I shook Pelaine’s hand.
Kane, the Imperial Knights Commander, and several other knights had come to see us off.
They were probably here for Iris, not me. If it had just been me, only Pelaine and the university students would have bothered to come.
I hid my wry smile and mounted the horse.
It snorted again, as if annoyed, but didn’t resist my touch.
I pulled Iris up behind me.
“Open the rear gate!”
The gate creaked open at Pelaine’s command. I patted the horse’s neck, and it surged forward, carrying us out of the castle and onto the vast plains.
We could see enemy encampments scattered across the plains. Blue banners fluttering in the wind, rows of pikes glinting in the sunlight.
The very sight made me nervous.
A group of light cavalry emerged from one of the camps, keeping a safe distance as they followed us.
“I’m going to pick up the pace. Hold on tight.”
“Okay… Kyah?!”
I pressed my heels into the horse’s flanks, urging it to its top speed. If the enemy attacked, we would need to be able to react quickly.
Iris yelped, clinging to my waist. I hadn’t realized how… substantial she was beneath her thick nun’s habit.
“Slow down!”
“This is the perfect speed.”
“Ugh…”
Iris buried her face in my back, apparently succumbing to motion sickness. It was understandable.
The view from the back was probably disorienting.
I scanned our surroundings, my senses on high alert.
I could feel the enemy’s eyes on us, but they made no move to attack.
It was to be expected.
I was a messenger carrying the Emperor’s message to the Great Forest, and Iris, the Saintess, was Aegis’s representative.
Lorraine wouldn’t dare touch us.
We soon reached the edge of the Great Forest, a dense expanse of towering trees. We slowed down as we entered the wide road that cut through the forest.
No one would follow us here.
“Ooh… I feel much better now.”
We were in Great Forest territory. We could relax, at least for now.
I looked up.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy. Unlike the rest of the Great Forest, where the trees blocked out the sky, this road had been cleared to connect the forest to the outside world.
We just had to follow this road…
“This is strange.”
“What is it?”
“It’s too quiet.”
We were alone on the road. No travelers, no merchants, no one.
It wasn’t unusual for the Great Forest, a nation that shunned outside contact. But they should have at least sent someone to greet the Emperor’s messenger and the Saintess.
I hadn’t expected a welcoming parade, but I had assumed the Elder Council would send a delegation to meet us at least.
“This doesn’t bode well for our negotiations.”
“Indeed.”
They were sending a clear message: We don’t want to talk to you.
But I couldn’t give up yet. I had to make them talk. I had to drag them to the negotiating table, kicking and screaming if necessary.
“Schlus, have you ever been to the Great Forest before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Then you’re in for a treat.”
“What kind of treat?”
“Hee hee. You’ll see.”
Iris giggled, her voice full of anticipation.
I had only briefly described the Great Forest city in the original story, portraying it as a strange, nature-infused metropolis. I couldn’t imagine anything particularly noteworthy about it.
I was still pondering her words when —
“Whoa…”
We emerged from the dense trees, and our vision suddenly expanded. We had entered a vast, open space within the forest.
The canopy above was a dense network of branches and leaves, but glowing fruits, scattered throughout the canopy, illuminated the city below.
I followed the branches downward until I found the source.
A colossal tree, its trunk several kilometers wide.
“Yggdrasil…”
“Yes, that’s the World Tree, Yggdrasil.”
The heart of the Great Forest. The source of life that supported the canopy.
The World Tree.
They were all names for the same thing, Yggdrasil.
I had barely mentioned it in the original story. The story had ended before the main characters even reached it.
Seeing Yggdrasil in this world, reborn and majestic, filled me with a strange sense of awe. A colossal tree that protected the people from harsh weather and magical energies, providing clean water and light.
It truly lived up to its name, The source of life.
Staring at the immense tree, a thought crossed my mind.
“I wonder how much firewood we could get from that.”
“Please, Schlus…”
Iris sighed, rubbing her forehead.
But it was a valid question!
If we chopped it down and distributed the wood across the continent, no one would have to worry about heating their homes for a century.
I nudged the horse forward, heading toward Yggdrasil. The city itself was strangely shaped.
Circular houses clung to the trunks of the trees like peas in a pod. It was like a multi-story building but made of trees.
And even stranger, bridges connected the trees, forming a network of walkways high above the ground. More beastmen traveled across these bridges than on the ground below.
Thanks to this unique urban design, the city’s population was twice that of the capital, despite having a similar footprint.
Of course, the beastmen’s high birth rate was also a factor…
We soon reached the base of the World Tree.
“Halt! State your business!”
“…”
Beastmen soldiers blocked our path with their spears. Their tone was rather brusque. They clearly knew we were coming.
I dismounted and approached them.
“Schlus Hainkel, knight of the Freya Empire, and Iris von Flechette, the Saintess.”
“My apologies. Please enter. We’ll take care of your horse for you.”
I helped Iris dismount and handed the reins to the soldiers.
The moment we were out of sight, the horse started thrashing and whinnying.
“It’s alright. We’ll be back soon. Just wait here.”
I patted its head reassuringly. It seemed to understand, calming down as the soldiers led it towards the stables.
It was a surprisingly intelligent horse.
“Would you like to have dinner first?”
“I’d prefer to begin the negotiations immediately. Is the Elder Council ready?”
“Haha. As you know, the Elder Council isn’t a single person. It will take some time for them to gather. Why don’t you have dinner while you wait —?”
“I’ll wait in the meeting room. Lead the way.”
“V-Very well…”
The soldier, his brow furrowed, led us inside.
It was customary to offer refreshments and a tour to messengers, but we didn’t have time for that. It might seem rude, but my goal today was to pressure the Elders.
Come on, quest…
I was starting to get anxious.
The quest needed to appear soon.
Forty-nine coins. The Elixir cost fifty.
I needed a quest to appear before the negotiations began. And even if it did appear, it couldn’t be a quest that I couldn’t complete before the negotiations ended.
“This is the meeting room.”
“…”
The door opened, revealing a sparsely furnished room. And at the same moment, a translucent window popped up before my eyes.
Finally, a quest! But…
I’m screwed.
This quest required the Elixir.
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He wants elixir for quest but quest needs elixir to finish?