CH 132

Translator: “Hakou”                             Editor: “Weasalopes”

A giant lake in the northern part of the spirit forest.

A huge magic circle with a diameter of over 200 meters appeared on the bottom of the lake, and something like an island began to emerge from it.

It’s a slow ascension that cares about the surroundings, after all, its size was the same as the magic circle itself. It creates tall waves that wash far onto the lakeshore.

The island-like thing has a big head that matches its body.

Its head that looks similar to a turtle was holding a fruit in its mouth.

It might be difficult to notice since the island-like thing was so huge, but the fruit was also big with about fifteen meters in diameter.

The island quietly headed to the north of the lakeshore, and put the fruit on the shore.

The fruit sank to the bottom of the sandy soil. It has a yellow color and a shape that could be mistaken as citrus.

『Fumu』

The island-like thing brings its head closer to the fruit. It looked like it was enjoying the scent.

It opened its mouth a little and bit into the skin of the fruit.

It then took a bite, and when It put it inside its mouth, it raised its neck and squinted its eyes.

『What a mellow scent』

It gulped down and swallowed the fruit.

It continued to eat the skin little by little until Its mouth reached the flesh.

『It’s been a long time』

The long-awaited pulp is finally included in its mouth.

The turtle firmly closed its eyelids and shook its head left and right.

That appearance was just like someone who had enjoyed a strong drink.

After enjoying the after taste for a while, it took a bite of the skin again, put the flesh into its mouth, and shook its head as if to growl.

To describe that figure, it would be like a grandpa who was enjoying a distilled liquor.

『How wonderful』

The scent and taste are perfect but… what’s worthy of mentioning was its size

It thought that the largest it had seen before was half this size.

If it had this much, that lonely feeling after eating all of it surely won’t come.

The island-like thing continued to eat the fruit in a good mood.

***

Elf village in the spirit forest.

At the corner of the high elf assembly hall, a high elf, who has just received an urgent report, was showing a stern expression.

「Zaratan disappeared you say!?」

Zaratan is a spirit beast that protects the lake in the north.

It has been around there for a long time and is watching over the world tree and the elf village.

And that very being was said to have disappeared earlier. It seems to have moved somewhere using an incredibly huge transfer magic.

(A new world tree, deterioration of the forest’s vitality, and now Zaratan has disappeared? Just what on earth is happening!?)

Events that should have continued for hundreds of years have changed in recent years.

Feeling the abnormalities of the world, the high elves trembled in fear.

There, a single elf came to report.

「Zaratan has returned?」

Apparently, it appeared in the lake with transfer magic, just as when it disappeared.

The high elves were relieved but still unable to release their tension.

「This is… I should immediately go and confirm it myself」

Then the chairman selected a high elf who was good at spirit language and had water affinity.

He’d like to bring his spirit beast as an interpreter, but it is useless with Zaratan. It would get frightened and unable to get closer.

When the old high elf woman arrived, he immediately headed to the water intake tower on the south bank with a transfer magic circle.

An elegant small castle on the lake. That is the intake tower.

It draws water from the lake and uses magical power to fly it to the elven village.

The chairman and the old woman appeared in the transfer magic circle in the innermost room of the building.

They immediately headed to the watchtower, escorted by the guards who have been waiting in the room.

「So it’s on the shore to the north」

The chairman was looking over the scenery of the lake with a baffled expression.

Zaratan has always been in the center of the lake ever since he became conscious. And that Zaratan was now at the opposite shore.

Even though he had received the report of its disappearance and reappearance, he still can’t help but be surprised.

「Can you take us there?」

The old high elf woman asked the soldier.

The soldier replied nervously.

「I think it is possible to go there using a Knight. However, I kindly ask for your understanding since it might be too narrow for both of you」

The chairman nodded and the old high elf shrugged her shoulder.

And then, four people rode two units of C-class Knights deployed at the intake tower and headed for the north shore.

Zaratan was almost done eating the fruit when they arrived.

The two green-colored Knights knelt down on one knee so the two high elves can descend to the ground from the cockpit.

(So big…and it moves)

The two of them aren’t young, even among the high elves. And for both of them, it was the first time they saw such a spectacle.

The physical force that comes from the enormous size, and the pressure that comes from its tremendous magic power. They can’t stop trembling from the nervousness.

Zaratan is a powerful high ranked spirit beast that lived for an eternity.

It was one of the few being the elves, who considered themselves as a high ranked being, still respected until now.

(For the time being, we should ask to find out what had actually happened)

He looked at the old woman beside him to get her to translate it to spirit language.

The old woman who had made a face like a dried persimmon from astonishment, opened her mouth.

Her right hand pointed to the fruit that Zaratan eats.

「…..W-Wait a second, isn’t that Ambrosia?」

Hearing those words, the chairman knit his eyebrows and searched through his memory.

If his memories serve him right, Ambrosia was something that was also called the fruit of the gods.

That fruit was in fact said to have the power to heal injuries and ward off diseases.

And it was also the main ingredient for the high rank potion, Elixir. It’s a legendary potion that achieves high levels of cure injury, cure disease, and cure status abnormality.

It emits white light and has a mixture of three colors, red, blue, and green, and is also called triple B because of its efficacy.

Aside from A, which appears only in mythology, it is the best item that a person can get.

「But… I heard that it’s already extinct」

The chairman was convinced by her astonishment.

She is one of the best pharmacists in the elf village. It’s only natural that she couldn’t calm down in the presence of Ambrosia, the main ingredient for Elixir.

(This could be the reason for its momentary disappearance)

He was wondering how it knew the existence of Ambrosia and where to obtain it.

The chairman realized that this wasn’t something that would endanger the elf village and breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he still had to ask where it went to.

The fruit of God, Ambrosia. Because the place where that fruit grows might also be the place where the other World Tree is.

(That possibility is high)

The chairman shook the old woman’s shoulders to bring her back to reality.

Then, he firmly ordered her to ask where it had transferred to.

The old woman having regained focus in her eyes, cast a magic circle around her and poured her rich magical power into it.

And then she began to call out in a very esoteric spirit language.

『Mu?』

The giant high-ranking beast noticed someone calling out to it just as it had finished eating the fruit.

When it moved its eyes, a humanoid creature living in the forest was chanting in a spirit language.

It is rare for anyone other than spirit beasts to speak spirit language. Having his interest piqued, it lent its ear.

『Tell me, where did you go?』

It’s annoying, but it can’t be helped.

Understanding the meaning, Zaratan thinks.

Tell us the origin of this fruit, is what it probably meant.

『I refuse』

An immediate answer.

Humanoid forest dwellers must be aiming for this fruit.

If Zaratan told them the answer, they would definitely go and retrieve it. Moreover, these creatures are large in number. Probably even the immature fruits would be uprooted and harvested by them.

This is a sweet dew it went all the trouble to get. Zaratan didn’t want to give it away. That place is a secret place for it.

『Tell me!』

『I refuse』

No matter how many times it repeated it, the answer is the same.

Zaratan opened its mouth widely and ate up the rest of the fruits.

『Did you see a world tree there?』

The question changed, but it still won’t answer. As expected, their aim was the place where this fruit grows.

It repeated this question many times, but Zaratan ignored all of it.

After a brief silence, the humanoid forest dwellers stopped asking questions and demanded.

『Hand over that fruit!』

As expected, that made Zaratan feel uncomfortable.

This is why he doesn’t want to tell the answer to the humanoid forest dwellers.

Not feeling like dealing with them anymore, Zaratan pretended not to hear them.

It then crushed the seed which is the last remaining part of the fruit to enjoy the taste of nuts.

Seeing that, the humanoid forest dweller screamed like tearing metal.

However, without a care in the world, Zaratan finished eating all of it without leaving even a fragment behind. Then, it began to move quietly to the center of the lake.

Even though their behavior was unpleasant and made Zaratan feel uncomfortable, it doesn’t have the intention to starting a fight with them. It looked at the humanoid forest dwellers.

Escaping the rushing waves, they rode a giant doll and went away from the shore.

『I have to thank them somehow』

Switching its thoughts to the lake he visited earlier, Zaratan thinks.

It wants to give a thank you gift that would make them happy.

And if possible, in appreciation of the thank you gift, it wants them to give it another fruit in return.

After satisfyingly breathing through its nose which has the scent of the fruit left in it, it put its head under the water.

***

「It was useless」

The old woman who was fatigued after exhausting her magic power groaned.

「It wouldn’t answer any of my questions regarding its transfer destination and the world tree. Lastly, I asked it to give away some of the Ambrosia, but that’s no good either」

This is the back of the shore. They have escaped the lakeshore with the Knights.

「But the key is definitely Zaratan. Once we know where it went to, all the problems will be solved」

The chairman frowned and answered.

It was useless, but there’s no way he would give up here.

「It’s not impossible for it to go to that place again. If possible, I want some people to hide on the island」

If Zaratan won’t speak, there’s no choice but to hide and follow after it.

Honestly, it is unlikely that Zaratan, who has been idle for hundreds of years, will move again soon. But he should do what he could regardless.

He wanted to go back soon and made a plan.

While feeling frustrated, the chairman waved his hand to the Knight’s pilot.

「Wait a minute」

However, he was interrupted by the old woman.

「There might be left over seed and flesh of the Ambrosia fallen on the ground」

With a passionate eye, she stared at the place where Zaratan had been.

「It was such a huge fruit, there must be some left!」

She spoke in a heated tone.

The chairman shrugged his shoulders and told her that he will ask the other Knight to stay with her, and get into another Knight.

She has her task, and he has his duties as well.

The chairman crouched in the cockpit and endured the narrow space until they arrived at the intake tower.

Translator: “Hakou”                             Editor: “Weasalopes”

A guard station near the square in Landbarn.

After the capture of Land barn, it was used as a barracks for Imperial pilots.

After dinner at the cafeteria, the pilots are free to spend their time.

At that time, more than ten men were gathering in the conference room in the corner of the barracks.

Inside the room, aside from the chairs, there’s a long desk by the wall, with drinks and snacks placed on it.

All of them were the pilots of Rose Knights, and they had been told by count Rosehip to gather after meals.

「Is it not yet!?」

「I’m getting tired of waiting, oi」

Sitting on the chair while holding a glass of drink in their hands, the pilots whispered with each other in an excited voice.

Everyone here knows what’s going to happen and is looking forward to it.

Right now, in this conference room, a small stage was set and the curtain was currently dropped.

Behind the thick cloth, preparations for the event were supposed to be underway.

「I’m sorry for the wait!」

Count Rosehip appeared from the stage sleeves and walked to the front of the curtain.

The hall resounded with thunderous applause from the pilots and count Rosehip raised both of his hands to calm them down while laughing.

「Well then, without further ado, let’s begin Wickedness to the Defeated」

Cheers and whistles raised from here and there. Count Rosehip continued his words after waiting for it to calm down.

「There are five targets. The classification is as followed, one A-class Knight pilot, two B-class Knight pilots, and two guards」

Some of them exchanged glances after hearing that explanation.

「Why are there guards included? They didn’t fight aren’t they?」

「Apparently it’s because those two tried to hide and escape, instead of surrendering」

「So that’s why」

He was convinced after having a small conversation.

While he was doing such a thing, the curtain rose with a signal from count Rosehip.

Everyone in the hall made a fuss at the sight on the stage.

There are five men lined up in a row.

Their appearance is like a prisoner in a guillotine, with their neck and both wrists are fixed with a tree skein, and their mouth gagged.

Their heads are lower than their waists, and their hips stick out toward the back of the stage.

On top of it, the lower half of their clothes have already been taken off and are exposed to the audience.

「Four people who will get their names called, go up to the stage」

Count Rosehip spoke.

The men who got their names called and stood up from their chairs.

Among these people, three of them have succeeded in stopping the second prince’s royal blue. The other one is a person who has achieved another achievement.

「You guys in particular did a good job. I’ll give you guys the right to go first」

There, a grin floated on his face.

「Be glad, they’re all virgins」

The four cheerfully thrust their fists up while the other people who are just spectators roared with envy and jealousy.

Count Rosehip gives all four of them a small glass vial.

Then he bent over in front of the escort Knight’s pilot and whispered.

「Because you seem to have bones. I will personally deal with you」

He looked back and declared with a smile.

「Now then! Let the party begin!」

With that signal, the party began.

With loud cheers, the four went behind the prisoners. Then, they picked up something from the vial and began their preparation.

Count Rosehip also holds the same vial and gently shook it in front of the escort pilot. The liquid inside it moved violently.

「The night is young after all. And because it’s your first time, let’s use this rose oil」

He whispered at the ears of the escort pilot who was violently shaking his head.

「And it’s not just any rose oil. It’s the one that has been blessed in the God of business temple」

The god of business, which also called the god of prostitution. And the blessing of such god was of course referring to the aphrodisiac effect.

The escort pilot who understood this widened his eyes and twisted his body even harder.

「I’m glad that you’re so energetic about it」

He smiled happily, then he turned around and poured plenty of rose oil on his hand.

He used the base of his right middle finger to carefully apply it and began to loosen it.

The escort pilot resisted by putting all his strength in one spot.

He felt fear he never felt before, when his body started to get hot for some reason.

「Hey, putting that much of a strength is no good, you know? You’ll ended up with warts that way」

Count Rosehip laughed and as if to enjoy the tightening sensation, he moved his fingers around.

The escort pilot was frightened by the finger that rotates around the center.

「Even so,『I’m a man』huh? Do you really think that you can get away from Wickedness to the Defeated if you’re a man?」

As his mouth warped up sarcastically, he continued.

「I’m disappointed. You held Wickedness to the Defeated ceremony, but never at the receiving end. What a very selfish thinking」

Then while slowly moving his finger, he whispered.

「Don’t worry. I’ll correct that distorted way of thinking now」

The pilots exchanged words while watching that scene from the spectators seat.

「But still, why aren’t lord grim reaper or the bunch from the frontier knight order came? Isn’t it lord grim reaper if we’re talking about the ones who made the most achievement in the battle」

When he looked around, there were only the pilots of Rose knights here.

「I don’t know about lord grim reaper but, the guys from frontier knight order refused the invitation. Saying things like, we don’t have that kind of hobby」

At those words, the pilot who asked first nodded.

「Are they that… those who dislike the dish without even trying it, was it? I can’t speak for other people but, they will surely regret it. It’s such a waste」

「You tell me. To only enjoy woman, they’re losing half of the fun they’re having in life」

Away from the pilots who talked to each other, the people who had finished applying the rose oil began shaking their hips.

The pained voice leaking out from the gag further stimulated the pilots’ sense of superiority.

Some have begun to get excited, replacing themselves with prisoners.

Jealous sighs leaked from the spectators’ seats, and just before the venue was about to be filled with such sighs, a pilot stretched his back and trembled greatly.

「…Oi, isn’t that guy finishing too fast?」

「Perhaps he just got too excited because that was his first time with a virgin」

The pilots were cheering while standing up from their seats, hoping to get their turns.

The trembling pilot’s face was bright red.

The order from the second number onwards was not specified. Even so, there were no quarrels and instead, they formed lines in a cheerful atmosphere.

This is not the case with other knight orders. Something like this can only happen within the Rose knights.

While looking at that scene, count Rosehip turned around and spoke to the escort pilot with a gentle voice.

「Now then, shall we also begin?」

Feeling the sensation of something being put in, the escort pilot resisted with his whole body.

「If you’re trying this hard to resist, then I have no choice but to use my technique」

He exhaled and closed his eyes.

And then, he opened his eyes and shouted loudly.

「PILE BUNKERー!!」

A heavy impact shook the body of the escort pilot.

With that one attack, the gate of the escort pilot was distorted and the bolt lock was cracked.

A loud cheer rose from the audience seats and the line next to him. That’s because their leader showed his signature move.

「Here it comes again. PILE BUNKER!!」

Once again, a deep bass shook the air.

「Quite persistent, aren’t you? However, this is the end」

Count Rosehip’s smile hasn’t faltered.

「PILE BUNKER!」

The next moment, the gate of the escort pilot was blown off.

After moaning a lot, his breath stopped. Because of its overwhelming size, the diaphragm was unable to move temporarily.

(I-Is this a carp? Did a carp just enter me?)

The escort pilot hallucinated.

He feels like a rugged carp has come inside him.

Both of his eyes were widened to its limit, and drool was dripping from his gagged mouth.

And then the carp, which is a symbol of robustness, begins rampaging inside the escort pilot.

(I won’t lose!)

The endurance acquired in the course of learning martial arts. With it, he barely collected himself.

「Looks like you can entertain me for a while huh」

Count Rosehip laughed happily while sweating on his forehead.

The escort pilot whose heart still not broken was a tough opponent he had in a while.

「Alright then, let’s get serious」

He took a deep breath and stopped.

His face and whole body turned red and the muscles in his body swelled.

It was as if he had turned into a demon.

「Take thisー!!」

The body of the escort pilot began to shake violently at ultra-high speed as if it were a toy.

The vibration also causes the contents of the glass on the desk in the conference room to ruffle.

The rose knights were staring at them with a passionate gaze. Their throat unconsciously gulped down.

「Ugoooaaaaaaaー!!」

Eventually, Count Rosehip raises a war cry.

The escort pilot was finally broken by the hot sensation that spread inside his body.

He lost his strength and lost consciousness.

After regaining his senses, Count Rosehip ordered his subordinates to bring an E-ranked cure injury medicine.

If it’s F-rank, it’s already prepared on the stage. His subordinate who thought that he heard wrong, replied with a troubled look.

「It seems I have gone too excited」

Then, he opened the peach of the escort pilot and showed it.

The subordinates were convinced. It was because there was a large red rose, and it was in full bloom.

「This probably won’t be needed anymore」

Count Rosehip removed the gag of the escort pilot while looking at his subordinates going out of the room.

Perhaps regaining some of his senses, the escort pilot was repeatedly mumbling something.

It was “Kill”.

「Now, don’t say that」

Count Rosehip smiled.

Then, one bottle of cure injury medicine he received from the returning subordinates is poured on the rose flower.

The cold sensation caused the escort pilot to shake his spine.

The potion that has the effect of curing injuries in an instant. Satisfied with it, Count Rosehip opened his mouth.

「After this, you can just do whatever you want」

A cheer exploded again from his subordinates.

And the feast continued all night until the sun appeared on the eastern horizon.

In the middle, the escort pilot word changed from “I’ll kill you” to “I’ll be killed”.

The Rose Knights are strong.

Even if the war situation worsens, they’re difficult to knock down and the only one among the other knight orders that could continue to fight tenaciously.

Their mental strength could be comparable to the Religious Knight order.

And the structure that supports them which does not exist in other knight orders, was probably this common preference of theirs.