Translator: âHakouâ Editor: âWeasalopesâ
The innermost part of the spirit forest in the northern part of the Ost continent.
Near the base of the towering world tree, there is an elf village.
ãHey, the water tastes rather bad lately, donât you think?ã
ãYou think so too? Itâs strange isnât it?ã
Recently, such conversations have begun to take place among the inhabitants.
It tastes better than anywhere else. The water of this village was thought to be so.
They realized the taste has dropped because theyâre sensitive about it.
ãI will now report the result of the Spirit lakeâs water quality surveyã
A large wooden building that clings to the world tree.
A place where high elves gather to rule the elves.
In the meeting room, an elf was reading aloud the documents.
ãTurbidity, color, odor. There is no abnormality in either of those aspects. In addition, no harmful components have been detectedã
In front of him is the ruler.
A high elf sitting on a chair with a high backrest with a stern look. Intimidated by his figure, the elf spoke with a shaking voice.
ãNumerically speaking, itâs almost the same as it is up until now. We didnât found any deterioration in the water quality as far as we have observedã
Voice of dissatisfaction towards the content of the report could be heard from here and there. The chairmanâs expression was also harsh.
ãThen why is the water taste bad?ã
He himself feels what the villagers were feeling. Although not to a high degree, he was not satisfied with the result of the report.
ãWe think that the absence of the lake guardian might be the cause of itã
He swallowed his saliva and said.
ãSome kind of blessings that canât be figured out with numbers. Isnât it because we lost these blessings?ã
A powerful spirit beast with water attributes, Zaratan. The problem began appearing after it disappeared from the lake.
(The relevance should be obvious to anyone)
The elf called from the intake tower thought.
ãWhat is the basis of that claim?ã
An old high elf woman asks with a sharp tone while raising one eyebrow.
ãâ¦â¦It is just my personal opinionã
To that answer, her expression turns harsh.
ãThis is the assembly of supreme councils. Please refrain from making irresponsible remarksã
The elf shrinks and faces down as he apologizes.
Watching their exchange, the chairman sighs in his heart.
The old woman must have thought to give him a warning, but it was meaningless. Everyone else thought, as expected.
(To think it would change this much just because Zaratan didnât come back in time)
Zaratan, the guardian of the lake, has moved somewhere along with the elf soldiers and Knights on board its back.
And that spirit beast of the lake has not yet returned.
(I thought it would return immediately like last time)
The villagers have not yet noticed that the shadow of a single island has disappeared from the spirit lake.
But thatâs just a matter of time.
Concerns about water for drinking. Itâs impossible to hide it.
(The reason why Zaratan left the spirit lake, albeit temporarily. I have to figure it out)
He canât just say that, âit went in search of Ambrosiaâ.
If he gave such an explanation, the story would eventually spread to the human race. No matter how high the elvesâ self-esteem is, there would be an information leak somewhere.
(Their eyes color will change like thatâs of a beast and starts sniffing around for it)
The human race is not very capable, but they are numerous. And for an inferior race, humans are greedy and tenacious.
With their obsession thatâs on the level of being creepy, they would search even to the corners of the continent. The chances that the human race would find it first, werenât low.
(As if I will handover it to them)
Ambrosia, which only exists in folklore. Its fruits are the raw material for the omnipotent potion, Elixir.
The appearance of the human race who found Ambrosia was projected in the chairmanâs mind.
They take the fruit along with its branches and pose proudly. The smile that plastered on their face was one without a trace of decency.
(Absolutely unacceptable. The Ambrosia is ours)
Itâs nothing but an imagination, but the image is as clear as if he has seen it with his own eyes.
Unpleasant feelings arouse and distort the chairmanâs mouth.
ãThere are also people from the brewery voicing their worries. They said that if this continues, it would affect the quality of the product from autumn onwardã
This information hurts the chairman on a personal level.
Itâs just as he said, the alcohol will taste bad.
ãHavenât there been any contacts from those who accompanied Zaratan?ã
The elf looks down and some of the high elves shake their heads.
If anything, news should be the first thing that arrives. It was clear that it hadnât arrived yet.
(Donât tell me it have no intention to return)
He could feel a cold blade of ice pierce his heart. But soon he shook off the idea
A vast lake at the foot of the world tree.
For Zaratan, the spirit beast, there is no better environment.
(No, if there is another world tree then I canât say for sure)
A confidential matter that is discussed only within the high elf.
About the possibility of a new world tree existing after it was discovered that thereâs a difference in the worldâs magical income and expenditure.
If such a thing really exists, there may be an environment comparable to the spirit lake.
(But Zaratan couldnât possibly do that)
The chairman deepened the wrinkles between his eyebrows and denied the possibility again.
The basis of his thinking is a legend that is handed down in the village.
A long time ago, a powerful demon beast invaded this place to take possession of the spirit lake.
(If I remember correctly, it came from the sea using teleportation)
The chairman tries to remember.
Giant white serpents that appeared with transfer magic.
In front of its great size and numbers, even Zaratan was inferior to them.
The elves were unable to do anything in the fight between the great beasts, but a young man stood up.
ãWhile its underlings were distracted with Zaratan, I will defeat the White serpent leaderã
The young man who spoke with a powerful tone approached from behind as he landed a blow with water magic.
Although it did not have the power to defeat the giant white serpent, it succeeded in creating a large opening.
Zaratan turned to attack without missing this opportunity.
It managed to defeat the leader and repelled a swarm of white serpents.
ãI give you my thanks, O wise and noble peopleã
Zaratan gave it thanks to the elves. However, the young man lost his life by the white serpent leaderâs counterattack.
ãI cannot live in this world without you, dearã
The young manâs lover who was overwhelmed by deep sorrow.
She threw herself into the spirit lake and followed after him.
Zaratan was strongly moved by the death of the two. It was passed down that since then, Zaratan became the guardian of the elven village.
(Zaratan have special connection to us, the elves)
The benefits that the spirit lake has given to the elven village. That is the proof.
(It will definitely return soon. Itâs just that because its long-lived, its sense of time is different than ours)
The chairman convinced himself.
By the way, if he were to told that story to Zaratan, it will blink slowly and think for a moment,
ãThatâs not trueã
And answered so. It was nothing but folklore told by the elves.
ãFor drinking water, purify it before sending it to the village.ã
For the time being, he needed more time. The chairman decides so and gives instructions.
Elven magicians were gathered from the village. They headed to the intake tower in large numbers and cooperated to build a large magic circle.
In a short time, purification magic was activated.
(However, we donât have much time)
The captain of the intake tower thinks while supervising the situation.
To keep purifying a lot of water, he needs to keep supplying a lot of magical power.
For the time being, he intends to take a three shifts approach, but the burden on the magicians is heavy.
(Hurry and come back please)
He sincerely hopes from the deep of his heart.
***
At the edge of the northern part of Royal capitalâs downtown.
There is a garden on the roof of a three-story building there, and a tree about three meters high grows in it.
A pond was built at the foot of the tree, and a turtle about 20 centimeters in length was swimming around.
(Itâs so fun)
The turtle was in charge of managing the pond, appointed by the owner of this land. Zaratan is in a good mood.
It works to modify the pond to improve it. And it was surprisingly fun.
(Letâs add a bit more fish)
It has already transferred many creatures here.
Algae, small fish, shrimp, crabs, shellfish, etc. It should make the ecosystem cycle around if high ranked fish were mixed in.
Itâs been a while since its been working while thinking about such things, and it made its heart excited.
The spirit lake where he lived before has already been completed. There was nothing to do other than to maintain it.
(Then I need to make a place for them to hide)
If it intends to bring in a high-ranking predator, the small fishes will need a place to hide.
But this pond doesnât have it.
(Letâs bring in that ship here then)