For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

If the Grotesque Proliferation had put most of their divine power and followers on the scales… shouldn’t I put something of equal value?

I just needed a little help in the process.

“Help me, Mom!!!”

Really… I mean it!

Anyway, whether she heard my voice or not, a huge tree trunk suddenly fell from the sky with a “thud!”

It was Ratatoskr, connecting directly to the inside of the World Tree.

“Get on quickly!”

“Really??? Ride this?! Is it really okay, Master?!”

“Is… that so?”

Starting with Carla, who tilted her head in confusion, I pushed all the party members onto Ratatoskr, and I climbed on last, closing the door. Immediately, Ratatoskr started moving.

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I saw in the distance the arm of the Grotesque Proliferation continuously hitting the barrier.

Aren’t they shooting that pink beam anymore? Perhaps it was too taxing to use divine power freely when they hadn’t fully descended yet.

Faith from followers is the source of divine power. Even if it’s faith obtained through half-brainwashing, even Evil Gods can’t escape this fundamental principle.

Therefore, while the Grotesque Proliferation might possess immense divine power now, having used up most of their followers to maintain the birthing chamber, they would significantly weaken once it would all be spent.

Of course, even weakened, dealing with a god who had descended in their true form would be extremely difficult. Their plan must be to crush Alfheim now, using the captured elves as a base to increase their followers again.

In other words, they must think that all they needed was to succeed in breaking the seal and fully manifesting.

…However, even just existing, they naturally spread their power of enchantment around them.

Elves, enchanted by this, would come out of the gates on their own, and they seemed to devour them without hesitation.

Even now, the large hand was grabbing staggering elves and stuffing them into the cracks of the birthing chamber. Shortly after, a new face appeared on the surface of the birthing chamber.

Although strong individuals with some resistance tried to stop it, deserters kept emerging.

And there was no way the cultists would just watch this golden opportunity.

Though their forces were now few, only high priests or those of equivalent power remained, making them somewhat elite. They rushed forward.

The confusion spread rapidly, resulting in many deserters, which would only speed up the unsealing of the Grotesque Proliferation.

Sighing at how the situation had reversed with just one arm out, Iona, who had crept up, bit into my neck with her fangs.

Crunch.

The now-familiar sensation of being drained of blood brought my consciousness from the outside back into Ratatoskr. Iona then spoke, her lips moving as she savored the blood.

“So? So? You have a plan, don’t you?”

“…You’re good at this. Well, to sum it up, I do have an idea. But there’s one problem.”

“A problem?”

“I need some time. And others will have to buy that time for me.”

“Hmm, hmm. So that’s why you asked us to put our lives on the line? What’s the method…? You’ll tell us later, right?”

“Yes, I’ll explain everything in front of the Circulating Life and Chancellor Milone later.”

Nodding once, I closed my eyes, feeling the languid pleasure from being drained of blood.

It didn’t take long for Ratatoskr to reach the inside of the World Tree.

“Have you thought of an escape plan?”

“Huh?”

As soon as we got off Ratatoskr, we headed to Milone’s office. She spoke abruptly without taking her eyes off the battlefield displayed in the air.

“I am grateful you’ve come this far. I won’t force you to stay, but… Nidhogg will be difficult to use anymore. It’s a facility that requires a lot of power, so I’m reluctant to lend it now.”

“Huh?”

“But I can give you a map. If you can somehow get out of the Great Forest, teleportation magic should be possible, so don’t give up.”

Saying so, Milone flicked her finger, using telekinesis magic to pull out a large sheet of paper from a drawer.

Looking closer, it was an artifact with the entire Great Forest detailed on it, even indicating our current location.

“Wait, just a minute. We didn’t come here to escape. We came to defeat the Grotesque Proliferation.”

“…Really?! Is that true?!”

Unlike Milone’s calm voice, this was a high-pitched exclamation. It was Nariell, who had crawled out from under Milone’s desk, speaking out of the blue!

“Your Majesty? Why are you there…?”

“Don’t misunderstand, Count Lindelheit.”

Only then did Milone, looking serious after taking her eyes off the screen, continue.

“My desk is designed to be used as a shelter in emergencies. It’s equipped with all sorts of protective and concealment spells, making it safer for Her Majesty…”

“Actually, that’s perfect. I want to see the Circulating Life right away, so could you open the way, Your Majesty?”

“Eh?”

Milone made a dumbfounded sound, blinking blankly as if to ask if I was serious.

In her place, Queen Nariell nodded decisively, her voice crisp unlike her usual demeanor.

“Of course, we can! Let’s go right now!”

…But really, nothing happened under that desk, right?

I was too curious, but the atmosphere wasn’t right for asking.

Even though they were holding up well, the Grotesque Proliferation was relentlessly pounding on the barrier.

There was no time for trivial procedures.

We headed straight to the upper layers of the World Tree, and Nariell had already contacted the Circulating Life during that time.

Thanks to that, we arrived at the sanctuary of the Circulating Life in less than five minutes… and our eyes met with the light green eyes that were looking at us with concern.

“We need help.”

“I see. Given how things have turned out, Yandel, you must survive no matter what…”

“No, I’m not talking about surviving. I’m asking for help to defeat the Grotesque Proliferation.”

“…It’s impossible.”

Her eyes, full of determination, now showed pity, and her voice became gentle as if trying to persuade me.

“Yandel, I know you’ve worked hard and earned your results, but this time the situation is different.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t understand at all. There’s a vast gap with the God you’re dealing with. I don’t mean just in terms of power; I mean the very nature of their existence is different. Even to wound their divine body, you need at least a Sword Master or an Archmage for that very reason.”

“I know that too.”

“…Then why are you talking about defeating them? Are you waiting for the Empire to send a Sword Master? Or do you plan to call upon the Archmage who’s barely breathing in the Academy’s basement? Either way, it’s going to be tough. Even if they come here, the Grotesque Proliferation will be unsealed by then.”

“You’re right.”

“Let me make this clear; even with a Sword Master or an Archmage, they can only injure them, not defeat them. It’s like a child can hit an adult, but winning the fight is extremely difficult.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to defeat the Grotesque Proliferation before they’re fully born. And I’ll do it myself.”

“……”

At this point, the Circulating Life lost her words and furrowed her brows, not understanding why I was acting this way.

Honestly, I think it’s a bit crazy too. But what can I do if there’s no other way? If we must defeat the Grotesque Proliferation, it has to be now, when they’re at their weakest. If more time passes, we won’t have the means to resist with our current preparations.

Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I continued speaking to the Circulating Life.

“I don’t know if you saw it earlier, but I can at least give the Grotesque Proliferation a small scratch.”

“…I saw it. But that’s just like being pricked by a needle. Don’t you realize that’s far from enough?”

“You’re right. But if there are not one or two needles, but thousands, tens of thousands, the story changes.”

Practically, it was an impossible task. Casting Punishment once took all my strength, and after that, I needed time to recover.

But in this world, things that are practically impossible often happen because this is a world where aura, magic, and gods truly exist.

I’m not talking about something miraculous; I’m talking about real miracles.

“The time distortion corridor we set up on the way here, what’s the maximum acceleration rate?”

“You can’t be serious…”

“If our preparations are lacking, we just need to spend time to prepare more.”

“That’s absurd! Time distortion is a trap meant to stop intruders. You can’t gain enlightenment or grow within it! You can’t even gather mana! The distorted time can’t interfere with normal time, so it’s much harder!”

“But converting life force into mana should be possible, right?”

“…What?”

“And you, Circulating Life, have recovered the most divine power among the Good Gods.”

“……”

Only now realizing what I was planning, the Circulating Life’s face turned pale.

“So… you’re saying you’ll supply me with life force, and I should convert it all into mana? For as many years as it takes until we gather enough?”

“That’s exactly it.”

“You won’t be able to withstand that… How can a person do such a thing…? As a magician, you should know the immense pain involved in converting life force to mana. And if you’re talking about delivering a fatal blow to the Grotesque Proliferation with the spell from earlier, it won’t be over in just a few years…”

“I’ve never experienced a shortage of mana, so I haven’t felt it, but I’ve heard it’s very painful.”

“Then…!”

“But what can we do? This is the only way.”

I’ll say it again, the Grotesque Proliferation has thrown everything they have on the scales without thinking of the aftermath, tipping the balance.

To return the scales to balance, shouldn’t I also put something of equivalent value?

“Please help me, Mom.”

That was all there was to it.