Chapter 122:

Chapter 122:

Leah blinked her eyes slowly as if she had heard unexpected words.

Then, tilting her head as if puzzled, she asked.

Why?

Titiana didnt hesitate to answer.

Theres no need for that.

Pause.

Leahs hand stopped in mid-air.

What do you mean? Are you saying that the Primordial Tree is a tree that doesnt need to be revived?

Titianas calm but cold words confused Leah a little.

Titiana filled an empty teacup and spoke again.

Leah, the Primordial Tree has watched over this world for much longer than we have imagined.

But

It must have experienced countless deaths and crises. Did the tree sacrifice itself each time to protect its place?

The Primordial Tree.

The existence that could turn a single small tree into a forest.

To the fairies and elves who relied on the forest as their foundation, the tree was no different from a mother.

There was no way such a tree would have stood by without witnessing the tragedies of the races it had nurtured and raised.

Like the Holy War hundreds of years ago.

But what did the Primordial Tree do back then?

Did it sacrifice itself to protect this world or the generations?

No, it didnt.

Until now, the tree had merely watched over the course of that war from its place.

What does that mean, Titiana?

However, now the tree was protecting and guarding Leah even at the cost of its own life force.

It was a completely different aspect from its silent and unmoving presence until now.

Titiana, perhaps, thought that the meaning behind its actions was very clear.

The end.

It was the end of life itself.

It may have already sensed its own end. Like a dazzling flame that burns most brilliantly just before it extinguishes, it may have poured all its strength to protect you.

Leah closed her mouth, unable to utter a word in response to Titianas words.

.Ha.

Because she herself might have thought the same way.

Titiana sighed softly and looked at Leah.

She was well aware of Leahs affection and trust towards the Primordial Tree.

Since it was the tree that had protected her while she was in slumber, she would be even more eager to save it.

She couldnt just let it die.

Leah, you know that Nation and Ektarion have enough power to annihilate the demons. We can fight against them even without relying on the power of the Fruit.Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

But

Yeah, if we have the Fruit, we can gain even greater destructive power. But its not necessarily essential. Not to the extent where you have to sacrifice your revitalized life force

Titiana looked straight into Leahs eyes.

I dont think it would ever want that.

Leah sighed softly and brushed her shortened hair as she spoke.

Even after rushing like that for several days, the carriage carrying Kalias party couldnt cross the imperial peninsula.

However, it was impractical to continue marching for several more days in a row, so they decided to find a suitable city and rest for a day.

Looking at the map, Simon pointed out a suburban city called Lakoa, which was just a little further ahead.

Why are we going there?

Kalia asked curiously, as there were other towns they could enter right away.

Simon smiled mischievously and replied, Theres a fairly large Lakoa Magic Branch there. The head of the branch is someone you know too.

Someone I know?

Yeah, Hendrik Chanceller. The guy who clashed with you pretty badly during the academy days.

Clashed? Why?

Kalia quietly tried to recall her memories of the academy days, but she couldnt remember anything specific.

Most of the time, she was with Simon, and whenever she tried to make friends or engage in activities with others, strange things would often happen in the middle.

For example, a friend who had many classes together with Kalia would set up a lunch appointment, but would always be absent the next day. Or a friend who often sparred with her would invite her to their mansion, only for a sudden fire to break out and cancel the appointment.

There were even instances when as part of the academys scholarship activities, some scholarship students planned a one-night, two-day expedition to an area infested with monsters, but suddenly, that monster-infested area turned into a wasteland, and the monsters were cleanly exterminated.

Since this pattern repeated consistently, Kalia didnt have much time to interact with other students or build friendships.

Furthermore, she didnt have the nature to feel resentful or lonely about it, so she simply graduated without dwelling on it.

Also, because Simon was practically with her every day, she didnt have much room for other thoughts.

During the tumultuous period, there was no time to spare due to the heavy responsibility of guarding the crown prince.

Hendrik Chanceller? Who is that?

In her pensive thoughts, a momentary image of a red-haired man came to mind.

Ah, could it be that stalker!

As Kalia clenched her fist and slammed it on the palm of her hand, Simon nodded in agreement.

The perennial third-ranked Hendrik Chanceller!

Until the time before Simon and Derek entered the academy, he was a genius magician who attracted everyones attention.

One day, he got caught putting laxatives in Simons food and received a severe beating from Kalia.

An unprecedented confrontation between a magician and a swordsman took place, and unfortunately, Kalia overwhelmingly won.

Hendriks spine was shattered before he could even manifest his magic

Since then, he stopped following Simon around or even casting a glance at him.

He lived quietly and graduated quietly.

To hear his old name here It brings back memories. Although we werent close.

They werent particularly close friends, but hearing a familiar name still brought a sense of joy.

Of course, she didnt expect that person to welcome them with open arms, but well, they had to temporarily change their appearance wherever they went.

I havent seen him since graduation.

They werent on such familiar terms that she would take an interest in his whereabouts, but

Come to think of it, I feel a bit sorry for how I beat him up back then Well, its fine. I should let it go.

Kalias carriage immediately headed for Lakoa.

* * *

As Kalia and her party rode the carriage and approached the outer walls of Lakoa, they came to a stop because of the gatekeepers who held their carriage.

We request your identification.

The gatekeepers wore hats on their heads, masks on their faces, and thick gloves on their hands as they sternly demanded identification.

It was natural for them to ask for identification, but the atmosphere was unexpectedly severe for a commercial hub like this.

Furthermore, they were completely covered from head to toe, hiding their appearance

Simons eyes gleamed sharply.