CH 315.2

「Hey, the big brother over there.」

「Take this!」

I pushed her down from the front at once and delivered a crotch rush and an uppercut at her while worrying about the stinging feeling of the straws.

Without giving her a break, I flipped her over and shoved her face-first into the pile of straw, then thrust in and out of her from behind.

Then I stretched my body, put my hands and feet in the air, and screamed.

「Airwalking!」

Then I do a dolphin kick like a swimming athlete.

My best friend, the slightly unattractive macho of the Kingdom knight order. It’s one of the tricks Corneal invented for me.

「I’m not done yet!」

I lost my balance and fell down, but quickly grabbed her buttocks, got back into position, and tried again. The straw pile around us rubbed my skin a little, but it didn’t hurt.

This mountain was perfect for practicing special moves that I had not yet mastered.

「Airwalking!」

I shouted again, aligning my legs and swimming up and down hard. The ace squirted like a dolphin with each kick as I kept hitting her weak spot with my magic eye.

Before I knew it, the men who had just finished their rounds were gathered around me, cheering me on.

「Now now, everyone too, please enjoy.」

Satisfied that I had squirted myself, I pulled myself away and pointed behind me with the palm of my hand.

There, sticking out from the pile of straw, was a well-shaped woman’s butt.

The men looked at each other, and then one agile-looking young man took charge of the others and leaped at her.

「Airwalking!」

The technique he used was, to my surprise, the one I had just demonstrated.

To my frustration, he is better than me at using it. He must have superior physical abilities, and also a good sense of balance.

And the woman, perhaps unconscious, did not respond with her voice. She just squirmed silently, just as she had done before.

(Looks like things are heating up over at the bonfire, too.)

What I hear is the beastly screams of the ladies. They’re probably devouring the male dancers.

I squinted my eyes at the fire, happy to have experienced a summer festival.

***

The World Tree is an essential component of this world.

This is because magic power circulating on the whole world is released to the surface world through the World Tree.

The released magical power diffuses into the sky. After absorbing various attributes, it falls and accumulates on the earth’s surface and water’s surface.

It then sinks deep into the earth, and after an indescribable number of years, it is released once again from the World Tree again as pure magic power.

『The Imperial Army burned not only the elven village but also the World Tree.』

Therefore, the news that traveled around the world was received with shock in many countries.

「Worst case scenario, the world could be destroyed.」

The man who spoke with a pale expression on his face was a gentleman with nice white hair neatly coiffed with oil. He is the principal of the Royal Magic Academy.

This is a conference room in the royal castle in the royal capital. The king is seated at the top of the throne at the council meeting.

「We should work with other countries to extinguish the fire as soon as possible.」

He continued, but the Prime Minister raised his eyebrows and shook his head. Next, he replied in a sullen tone.

「The empire is going to reduce the World Tree to ashes. They won’t allow anyone to touch it.」

The principal is speechless and sits down in his seat powerlessly. In his place, a voice rises from another seat.

「How reckless. No matter how the elves burned down the Northern City, they shouldn’t have sent the world to destruction in retaliation.」

The lack of power in their voices is probably due to their fear of the apocalypse greater than their anger.

The atmosphere of those present was similar, though to a lesser or greater degree. The only person who looks the same as usual is the leader of the merchants guild.

(I don’t know the details, but I have a feeling it won’t be that big of a deal.)

The image that popped up in the mind of the small old man resembling a goblin was the pilot belonging to his own guild.

Suddenly, he asked to borrow the Old Lady, and when they allowed him to depart with it, he returned the Old Lady the next day.

(Tauro-kun also said it went well. Then I’m sure everything will be fine.)

The guild master himself is satisfied with that, but it does not reassure the participants of the council. So he says nothing and sits meekly.

It was the knight commander of the knight order who opened his mouth with his thick arms folded.

「The magic power that keeps building up inside, unable to get out. This continent may eventually shake and expel all of it at once.」

With a serious expression on his face, a mature man with a kaizer mustache, the pilot of the Golden Knight continued.

「Will it end up erupting like a volcanic eruption, creating a disaster that will engulf the surrounding area?」

The principal, who knew his tastes, frowned greatly at that expression.

***

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Country.

In the conference room of the great church that rises in the center of the Cathedral city, discussions were being held by high-ranking officials, just as in the kingdom.

「If this continues, the world will be in serious trouble. We must contact each country immediately and ask the Empire to put out the fire.」

「I would like to send a messenger to the Kingdom. May I do so, You Eminence the Archbishop?」

The bishops are impatient, just as in the Kingdom, but the Archbishop is different. With a calm expression on his face, he admonishes everyone to calm down.

「There is an omniscient and omnipotent God. The world will not be destroyed. Even if it did, it would be because God Himself willed it to be so.」

The middle-aged man with a plump belly made an expression as if he had said something good, but no one nodded their heads.

A young female bishop with a long tongue added with a deep vertical crease at the base of her brows.

「God said, 『I will save those who seek to save themselves』. Salvation is not given to those who only ask for it and do not make an effort to save themselves.」

To those in attendance who agree with what she said, the archbishop tilts his meat-filled head. Because such a statement is not in the Word of God.

But he won’t point it out for now.

「Well, just wait a minute. In the first place, it was the elves who claimed that the World Tree is absolutely necessary for the world. Do you really think we should take that at face value?」

“And since they’re the only ones who occupied the Spirit Forest, there was no way to verify whether it was true or false”, he continued. That the elves were the ones who would benefit the most from this claim.

「Don’t just instantly believe what someone else says. First, you must calm your head and think rationally.」

It was probably due to the Archbishop’s accomplishments and personality. As he explained, the bishops’ feelings became calmer than at first.

However, an ironic thought comes to the Archbishop’s mind.

(We’re practically doing the same thing, though, in that we’re asking someone to 『Believe』 something that can’t be verified.)

They say, 『There is a God』, but can only show groundless circumstantial evidence that is full of holes and lies. This is the part he has the most difficulty with when questioning other religions.

There are specialized studies to counter them, and he was one of those who is considered a master. But from the Archbishop’s perspective, it’s only 『Absurd』.

『The lower your position, the purer and more zealous you are. And the higher up you go, the more you become doubtful.』

Or, you can’t help but become an unbeliever.

These were the words that came out of a personal conversation he once had with the head of another religion when he was engaged in a sectarian dispute with them.

The other party was the one who said it, but he agreed with them from the bottom of his heart.

(How much easier and more fulfilling it would be if I could just focus on one thing and be passionate about it.)

However, if you are in the position of someone in charge, you can’t just cover your ears and deny it.

Unlike the congregation, he must negotiate with those who hold other values and come to a mutually beneficial compromise.

「Well, let’s wait and see what happens as we gather information first. If people are anxious, tell them to trust God and be at peace.」

For now, he concluded and moved on to the next topic.

Such was the plump, middle-aged archbishop who was alone in the midst of a religious organization that had grown to a national scale.