CH 290.1

Translator: “Hakou”                             Editor: “Weasalopes”

I and a giant turtle teleported into the water of the Spirit Lake. We emerged from the pitch-black water to the surface of the water at night.

What I saw were the branches and leaves of the World Tree that filled half of the sky, glowing eerily with rainbow-colored light.

(…..Amazing)

Thinking about it, it was my first time seeing it. Honestly, I’m speechless.

It is the world’s largest tree, standing over 1,000 meters tall, with an umbrella radius of 2,000 meters. The majesty of the tree shook me to my core.

(Spirit Cannon is a device that fires long-range offensive magic using the world tree as the wand, right?)

I remembered the information Zaratan had given me.

『An outlet for magic power in the earth that circulate throughout the world.』

And such a thing would be a wand that would fire offensive magic.

There is a considerable distance between the Spirit Forest and the Royal Capital. However, it seems that the Spirit Cannon can transcend that space and still have enough power to burn the city to the ground.

(This much power should not be at the disposal of the Elves)

As long as I’m a pilot riding my Knight, I was prepared to die on the battlefield myself. But the elves just fire their Spirit Cannon without hesitation, even going as far as involving the non-military personnel.

They don’t care about the wartime treaty that is protected among the human race.

(They’re looking at humans as creatures far below them after all)

They have a much longer lifespan than humans and a higher aptitude for magic. In addition, the human race, which is the one being belittled, likes and praises the appearance of the elves.

It was only natural that they would look down on humans and make fun of them.

(That’s why they won’t even accept us approaching them as equals.)

They will shoot anywhere and as many times as they need to in order to keep themselves in a superior position.

「Let’s do this」

I said to the turtle, with the Old Lady lying on top of its shell. As I am in close contact with my familiars, the wave of my thoughts can reach them even without me saying it out loud through the external sound system.

Incidentally, I’ve given up on sniping from the start, because casting a C-rank magic will emit light.

(Cure abnormal status, C-rank)

The surface of the water is glowing green, reflecting the light of the glowing Old Lady.

Magic filled the cockpit covered with mithril shells, and I felt a considerable sense of pressure.

(…..It’s okay)

Unlike before, there is no suffocating sensation. I can feel a large amount of magic power slowly circulating.

(My fingers and toes tingle, but that’s it)

Probably, the weak part of the Knight was ruptured and the magic power was leaking out. It’s nothing to worry about compared to when the torso almost exploded.

I carefully poured the magic power into the rifle.

(The target is the trunk. The part below where it branches off should be good, right?)

I confirmed with Zaratan and took aim. The rifle was beginning to glow with an intense white light, making it hard to keep my eyes on it, but I persevered.

The green light of the Old Lady’s body is already gone. All that was left was to maintain the vibrating tip of the cane rifle until the Light Arrow was triggered.

「The elves will immediately find out. Be careful.」

The low growl of the cane rifle echoed on the surface of the lake at night. Gradually, the sound and vibration turned into a high-pitched and frenzied sound.

It was transmitted from the Knight’s stomach to the surface of the water through Zaratan’s shell, causing waves to spread to the surroundings.

***

A water intake tower on the south shore of the Spirit Lake. In addition to serving as an intake for water to be sent to the village, it is also used to monitor the lake.

There are several people assigned to guard the tower, and the current guard is a young woman with long hair. She noticed the white light coming through the window and her neat face twisted in an instant.

(Damn it, what a pain in the ass. Why something like this had to happen when I’m on duty)

A few days ago, she was instructed by her superiors to be more vigilant, and she had to report even the most trivial things.

(It’s probably just another swarm of glowing spirit beasts that passed by.)

With a sigh, she closed the book she was reading and moved closer to the window to take a look at the surface of the lake. However, what she saw was not a dim collection of light from a spirit beast, but a white ball of light shining near the center of the lake.

As a pilot of a C-class Knight, she knew at a glance what it was.

(Light Arrow?)

The reason for such a question popped up in her head is because the intensity and size of the light were something she had never seen before. Moreover, it seemed to be still in the preparation stage, and the intensity of the glare only increased as she watched.

Her sluggishness evaporated in an instant, and she rushed out into the hallway.

「Enemy attack! They’re targeting us with offensive magic! Contact the High Elves.」

She ran down the stairs and screamed as hard as she could. She headed straight for her C-class Knight stationed at the water intake tower.

Her colleagues checked the situation outside the window and ran to the transfer magic circle in the back to announce the emergency.

「I understand. Go back to the water intake tower and continue monitoring.」

On this side is the office of the High Elves’ mansion. The Acting Chairman received the news and sent the messenger back.

There was no surprise or upset in either his expression or voice. On the contrary, there was even a smile of relief on his face.

「They’ve finally shown themselves, huh」

The person who called out to him was an old man who was as thin as a dead tree with his legs crossed on the sofa.

The reason why the leader of the Elf Knight order was here, even though it was late at night, was because he had anticipated this attack. No, it might be more correct to say that he was waiting for it.

「Now that they’re aiming directly at the World Tree, they must have been cornered and out of options. It was a good decision to use the Spirit Cannon.」

The high elf with hunched shoulders continued.

The survivor of the royal family who has the next generation of the World Tree in his hands and planned to replace the elves. They don’t have to do anything complicated and just destroy the current World Tree and their wish will come true.

So, why haven’t they taken any action until now?

「The magic barrier of the World Tree is impenetrable. I think he knew that. That’s why he was aiming for the time when we’re out of time due to the lifespan of the World Tree decreased.」

The knight commander spoke as he stood from the sofa, leaning his weight on a single ornate walking stick. His body was quite healed and he no longer needed two crutches.

「However due to our attack on the Northern City, he must’ve thought that he can’t afford to wait and see anymore」

The corners of his mouth twisted into a smile. The Griffon and those who acted as their hands and feet must have suffered serious damage, although the details were unknown.

『Rather than just sitting and doing nothing here, I’d say let’s take a gamble』

Enough to make them think so.

「The men who were waiting for me will have already departed. I’m going to head out too」

The skinny old man headed for the door leading to the corridor. The hunched-shouldered high elf conveyed one concern while watching at that back.

「Please be careful. If they’re willing to gamble on this, that means they must have a small chance of winning.」

The Knight Commander responded by waving one of his hands and closed the door behind him.

Their relationship is better now, but they don’t let it show.

『They shook hands while facing the common enemy of the elves, even though they will wash their hands later』

They can compromise at least that much.

***

The scene returned to the center of the Spirit Lake.

Old Lady, who was attached to the shell of a turtle that was slightly out of the water, was aiming at the trunk of the world tree in a prone shooting position.

「Fire!」

I pulled the trigger in my brain with a click.

A huge Light Arrow shot diagonally upwards by a Knight nearly eighteen meters long. The recoil was tremendous, sinking the butt of the two-hundred-meter-long turtle and causing its entire body to fall back.

The water was heavy even through the Knight as the big wave washed the Old Lady’s body violently from behind. But fortunately, the light arrow magic missile flies straight ahead.

(How is it?)

As the turtle and I stared intently, the Light Arrow hit an invisible wall just before the World Tree and was dispersed.

A fierce gust of wind hit the Old Lady. It made the surface of the lake, which had been quiet, ripple violently and shook the huge body of the turtle under the water.

(So that was the defensive magic barrier huh)

A wall that Zaratan said would not be easy to destroy. But, I felt a strong response.

For a brief moment, cracks like spider webs glowed. If I shot the barrier in the same spot, I should be able to destroy it.

『I would have to shoot it with my powerful magic at least five times』

From what Zaratan said, it seems that the C-rank Light Arrow is just a little bit less powerful, if not the same.

(I have to shoot as much as possible before the elven Knights arrive)

I cast C-rank magic again in the same position. The rifle, which has been infused with a large amount of magic power, emits heat, evaporating the lake water that was sprayed by the earlier shooting, leaving steam in the air.

(Does it have to be cooled down first? It’s starting up slower than before.)

Compared to the first shot, the intensity of the light and vibration was slower. I prayed as I waited for the Light Arrow to activate.

(….Here they come)

Unfortunately, the elven Knights appeared before I could fire a second shot.

The same green and white coloring and chrome-plated decorations that I had seen in the Great Pit before. There were no bulges, and they all had a similar appearance.

(B-class, eh)

I don’t know if the elves have an A-class, but by human standards, they do.

As expected, the ten or more B-class Knights hovered as if skating on the lake. As they approached, they held their rifles at the ready.

「I’ll Focus on attacking the world tree. I’ll leave the defense to you.」

『Okay』

And so our battle entered the next phase.