CH 19

The dark sky, from which the “Grey Lands” got its name, was certainly not as bright as the one in her old world.

However, it wasn’t completely dark, and there were changes in color and brightness depending on the place and time, and there was even something an end to a day.

For the sake of convenience, Wisteria considered the brightest time of the day to be “morning” and “afternoon” and the darkest time of the day to be “night.”

This time of the day was “morning.” The colors were similar to those of the dawn in her old world.

The color near the ground was a strong yellowish hue, changing to purple and blue as the altitude increased. At the purple and blue altitudes, there was even scattered star-like twinkles. Even if this phenomenon was visible because it was caused by some kind of reaction to the miasma that was filling the air―

(…It’s beautiful.)

She never expected to find something beautiful in this horrifying place. No, no one except for herself could have.

The absence of the golden sun was also a comfort to Wisteria. ——There was no sky more convenient for forgetting those golden eyes that were once called the sun.

Wisteria continued to fly through the otherworldly sky with the sword in her arms.

The <Great Dragon Tree>, which she was aiming for, soon came into view.

In the vast, dark wilderness, something suddenly rose up to the heavens like a pillar. The color of the earth was only different at the point where the pillar rose. It was black, or a color like withered earth, and then suddenly the landscape looked like a circle of white.

As she got closer, she could see the shimmering dark blue and black pillar from the ground. Wisteria’s skin also felt a faint numbness. She strongly sensed the fluctuations of the miasma.

Approaching the huge pillar, Wisteria slowly descended to its base.

As soon as she set foot on the ground, her vision turned white for a moment. Numerous white buds, which had been so densely gathered around the area that they dyed the earth, flew up into the air. A slight breeze shook her dark ponytail.

Wisteria held her breath briefly at the sweet aroma that was dizzying at the same time.

“It seems that you’re being well received.”

Salutis laughed in her arms.

Wisteria didn’t argue but looked at the buds covering the ground. At first glance, the buds didn’t appear to be from some horrifying local plant, but they began to change color around Wisteria’s feet.

The pure white buds turned into a color similar to the starry sky with a blue tinge, then green, then a faint reddish hue–changing color like a mineral that changed color depending on the angle.

These buds were also a part of the Great Dragon Tree, which changed color in response to miasma. The way they changed color in response to the emanations from Wisteria’s body as she descended was like an infant changing its expression constantly.

Wisteria looked up at the huge pillar in the center of the buds–its true form.

This wasn’t the first time she was seeing it, yet she was still speechless for a moment.

It was a large tree of a strange shape.

It was tremendously wide, with a strange bulge at its base. Looking at it from a considerable distance, it looked like a cowering beast with its limbs broken.

From the body of the cowering beast, branches resembling countless giant needles were extending out.

The surface of what could be called bark had a bluish luster like that of ore. Despite its ore-like luster and hue, there were bumps and wrinkles that resembled bark.

Suddenly, there was an earth tremor. Then, the tree shook a little.

In an instant, a cloud of miasma was released into the air and rose into the sky as a pillar.

Wisteria knew that this strange tree had just breathed.

At the top of the bulging base, a large horizontal crack–the “eye”–remained closed.

The Great Dragon Tree seemed to at least be stable, or sleeping, now.

(I got used to this.)

Wisteria once again muttered, this time with more wonder.

The <Great Dragon Tree> was the name Wisteria had given to the incredible being in front of her.

Within the range of Wisteria’s observation, there seemed to be more than one Great Dragon Tree, separated by a certain vast distance. If she were to use her old world as an analogy, it would be similar to a situation where there was one per country.

The dragon, a creature that existed in mythical times, was said to have breathed fire, but what this Great Dragon Tree breathed out was miasma.

The changing density of the miasma had much to do with the activity cycle of the tree.

In Wisteria’s arms, the holy sword let out something that sounded like snickering.

“You were crying like a baby when we were walking on the Path, but when we got here, your face was a sight to behold.”

“I was young at the time, and a genuine daughter of a nobleman. I had a certain delicacy about me, so it would have been strange if I wasn’t afraid.”

“You were pretty cute in the past. Now you’re just a shameless old spinster, except for your looks–oi, stop, don’t swing me!”

“When will you learn from your mistakes? Oh, is that not possible for you because you’re a sword?”

“D-Don’t be so immature…!!”

After threatening the holy sword that provoked her and got scared on its own some more, Wisteria recalled the scene when she became the <Guardian>.

Under the strict control of the Institute of Magic, the gates of two different worlds were opened–a long dark path connecting the two worlds.

At the end of this path, Wisteria arrived at this Great Dragon Tree.

(…At that moment, all the buds opened.)

――At that time, the earth was full of shining flowers, busily changing colors.

The tree was stable now, but when its “eye” opened, it emitted a sound that sounded like an earth tremor many times at short intervals. Each time, the miasma would continue to be released without end.

When asleep, it looked like a tree, but when its huge eye opened and it woke up, the countless roots spread out in the ground pop out and converge, making it look like a beast with four limbs.

When Wisteria was sent here as a <Guardian>, the excessive amount of miasma had already invaded the surroundings like a thick black fog, and the buds spreading out at her feet had all opened up and became stained.

They flickered busily from blue-black to yellow to red to a brown like dried blood. The miasma had become too concentrated.

Wisteria, holding the sword, had been frozen upon seeing that huge beast, which had opened its eye and was spreading the miasma through excessive breathing.

Roots that had been burrowing into the ground sprang out of the ground in unison, scattering the flowers. They closed in on Wisteria like the fang-filled mouth of a dragon.

——I’m going to die.

Wisteria just stood there, stunned.

And then, sure enough, she was eaten.