For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

A massive door made from thick vines thicker than my torso.

As I looked up at its appearance, resembling a knot, Narielll, who had been leading us, stepped back.

“From here, neither Milone nor I can go up.”

“Not even Your Majesty?”

“Yes! We weren’t invited!”

“I see.”

So, they have to wait here until we meet with the Circulating Life.

Even so, just leaving the Queen and Chancellor standing here feels wrong.

“It’s fine. The flow of time in the upper levels of the World Tree is different from the outside, so from our perspective, it’s just a few seconds of waiting. Moreover… the energy that leaks out when the door briefly opens contains immense life force. For me, who has been blessed by the Circulating Life, merely inhaling this air has the effect of resting for several hours.”

“……”

Just take a good nap!

I would’ve said that if I didn’t know how much and how important Milone’s work was.

Plus, Nariell was just attacked. Although she acts like nothing happened now, Milone must still be worried.

Understanding this, I nodded.

“Then we’ll take our time, so rest well.”

“It’s a bit much to call resting for just a few seconds ‘resting well’…”

“……”

Which rhythm am I supposed to follow?

Leaving Milone, who smiled with satisfaction at what must have been her attempt at humor, I stood with my companions in front of the door. Soon after, the World Tree reacted.

Gugung.

The intertwined vines began to loosen, and the door, which was blocked, disintegrated and vanished.

It was less like the door opening and more like it completely disappearing.

The interior that was revealed was incredibly ethereal.

A green waterfall of light pouring from the ceiling, a giant circular staircase hugging the walls to catch this light, and the air thick with life force as Milone had mentioned. 𝖗𝘼₦ÒᛒÊ𝙨

All these elements combined gave the sensation of stepping into another world, even though we had only taken a few steps.

Helena whispered in a low voice.

“This is a kind of sanctuary. Since the World Tree is an incarnation of the Circulating Life, it’s not strange for such a place to exist inside.”

“Ah, so that’s why I felt this strange sense of incongruity.”

I nodded while looking around. But all I could see was the circular staircase encircling the walls.

Even craning my neck upward, I couldn’t see the end. Do we really have to climb this?

I was staring blankly at the ceiling when I turned to ask Nariell something, but the vines had already re-entangled, sealing the door shut. Looking around with a troubled expression, the others didn’t seem to have any sharp solutions either.

“Hmm. Climbing would be tough. How about we use magic to go up, then rest on the stairs if we get tired?”

At my suggestion, the women exchanged glances and nodded silently. Just as I was about to gather my magic…

“No! No need for that!”

Suddenly, Solaris emerged from Helena’s body and said so.

“No need for what? What do you mean, Solaris?”

“Just that. This is the sanctum of the Circulating Life. The rules are slightly different from the outside. If you tried to climb mindlessly, you’d run out of magic in no time. Even if you tried to rest, you wouldn’t recover properly.”

“Ah.”

Now I remember; they said the flow of time here was different from the outside. In H&A, it was just a setting, but now, hearing Solaris’s explanation, I understood.

This was also a kind of defense system.

If someone intruded, it would distort the flow of time to their disadvantage.

Speeding up consumption and slowing down recovery.

In H&A, you could enter the upper levels of the World Tree if you followed the Apostle of Circulating Life’s route, and the loading screen then was this circular staircase.

I thought it was just a unique loading screen for the World Tree, but this was the actual path.

“So, what should we do now? If we can’t just climb, there must be a way, right?”

“Huh? Just wait.”

“?”

“?”

“?”@@novelbin@@

Me and Solaris tilted our heads in confusion at each other. Then, suddenly, Solaris burst into a laugh and hugged me.

“My husband is so cute!”

“Eh.”

If anything, with her lion ears and tail wagging, Solaris looked cuter.

With that thought, while receiving Solaris’s affectionate attack, I asked.

“So? Why should we wait?”

“It’s simple. We’re guests, right? Guests invited by the Circulating Life herself. She’ll call for us naturally. The delay might be because… she’s tidying up the room? Her place has always been messy. The last time I visited, there was barely enough room for one person to lie down, so I helped clean up too.”

“Is it okay to say that?”

Solaris revealed such personal details as if it was no big deal, perhaps because she was also a god. Just as I blinked in astonishment, the scenery around us changed in the blink of an eye.

The infinitely ascending staircase vanished, replaced by an ordinary house setting.

In the middle of it, a woman seated in front of a cozy fireplace responded with a look of disbelief.

“Of course, it’s not okay. I’m a god too, Radiance. Please maintain some decorum in front of mortals.”

“Eh. I don’t keep up appearances either? Don’t we need to mingle with our followers in our true form to receive faith?”

“This is my true form. I’m just a bit bad at cleaning.”

“Isn’t that what being messy means?”

“…This shameless cat.”

“Wow! That’s a secret! You shouldn’t say that in front of Yandel!”

“Hmm. Wasn’t it you, Radiance, who said we should appear in our true form, not a contrived one?”

“Cancel! I’ll cancel it, so be quiet!”

While Solaris was waving her arms vigorously but also sneaking glances at me, the Circulating Life crossed one leg over the other with ease.

Seeing them like this, it seemed even gods were no different from humans, except for their level of existence.

Or rather, it was natural since their personality and thought patterns were influenced by the faith they gathered.

The relationship between gods and their followers might seem one-sided, but in reality, they influence each other.

That was why followers of Good Gods were generally good people, and those of Evil Gods were often mad.

With the two seeming excited from their long-awaited reunion, I shrugged my shoulders and spoke up.

“Solaris, I’ve known for a while that you’ve been bragging about me here and there, so you don’t have to hide it so much.”

“…H-how?! How do you know that?!”

“Don’t you know, Solaris? Who was it that imbued me with all these abilities?”

“Fafnir…!”

Solaris gnashed her teeth in frustration, calling out the name of the now-absent dragon.

On the other hand, the Circulating Life, instead of being surprised by the sudden mention of Fafnir, nodded calmly.

“I see. So you are the final arrangement left by Fafnir, the heir to all of it…”

“I am Yandel Lindelheit. It’s an honor to meet you, the Master of the World Tree.”

“Oh? You don’t need to be so formal. Did you know? I helped quite a bit when Fafnir created you. So you don’t feel like a stranger to me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So, please make yourself more comfortable.”

“Understood. Then…”

This body of mine was a chimera made by magic, with Fafnir’s cells as the main ingredient, inheriting much from him, so one could consider him something like a father.

If Fafnir was like a father, then what should I call the Circulating Life, who significantly helped in my creation?

If Fafnir was the father, then only one term remained.

“…Mom?”

“…Isn’t that a bit too casual?”

“Then I’ll call you ‘Life’.”

Shrugging as I said this, the Circulating Life responded with a sigh. Solaris, seeing this, smirked.

“How about it? My husband is fun, isn’t he?”

“…Ah! I’ve kept you standing too long after inviting you here. Please, come sit down, everyone. I’ve prepared some snacks, so don’t be shy.”

Ignoring Solaris’s words, the Circulating Life waved her hand in the air.

At that moment, cookies and cold water appeared on what had been an empty table.

This level of miracle was nothing inside the World Tree, I suppose.

At first, my companions were cautious, but as Solaris sat down first followed by me, they started gathering one by one.

The cookies were tasty but were just ordinary snacks with no special ingredients. The water was just plain cold water.

…With so many World Tree leaves around, wouldn’t it have hurt to brew one?

I felt a slight regret inside, but since the cookies were delicious, I focused on eating quietly.

Watching us with satisfaction, the Circulating Life spoke.

“I’m glad they suit your taste. It’s always a pleasure when one of my hobbies, which I’ve cultivated over time, gets good feedback. Now that we’re ready, shall we get to the main topic? Having mortals stay in the sanctum for too long can be quite taxing.”

“I would appreciate that.”

Nodding slightly, everyone except Solaris tensed up and nodded along.

Especially Elisha and Iris, who seemed to stiffen like robots, probably because their god was right in front of them.

Seeing their reactions, the Circulating Life smiled even more gently.

“Please don’t be too nervous. I invited you here today to celebrate your achievements so far. Of course, Yandel had the most significant contribution, but everyone else has defeated many cultists and monsters too.”

“Ah.”

“Th-thank you?”

“Come to think of it, you mentioned giving us gifts…”

The women nodded, either bewildered or in understanding, and their expressions relaxed as if the tension had finally eased.

The Circulating Life nodded with satisfaction and continued.

“Is there something you want? Or need? If possible, I’ll give it to you accordingly. But even if you don’t have anything in mind, don’t worry; I’ve prepared something.”

“Oh… But is it okay for us to just accept this?”

“Of course not. There’s one condition.”

“And that condition is…?”

“Keep fighting against the Evil Gods and their army as you have been doing. That’s enough.”

Smiling sweetly at us, the Circulating Life looked at me. After a moment of looking at that smile, I cautiously spoke up.

“Then, could you give me some World Tree leaves to brew tea?”

“…Eh?”

“And if possible, could you cut some sturdy branches for staff material, and I’ll need some fruits and flowers too.”

“……”

“The sap and dew would be useful for various things as well.”

“……”

“Oh, and roots or bark would be perfect for crafting accessories… Circulating Life?”

“……”

I was enthusiastically listing off the World Tree merchandise I’d been wanting, but something about the suddenly quiet surroundings caught my attention, and I looked up.

The Circulating Life had her face flushed red, head bowed low.

Why is she like this? I wondered, staring blankly, when she seemed to take this as encouragement and spoke up with a stuttering voice.

“Th-that’s difficult.”

“……?”

“I didn’t expect you to grow up to be so proactive…”

“???”

Did I say something inappropriate?