Golden Experience

"─ ─ I don't know what to say myself, but unlike me, I thought the professor wasn't that kind of accidental."

"I appreciate your rating. I can't excuse myself this time. I'm so sorry."

A professor sitting on a tired bed is nodding.

I feel a little uncomfortable because it is an adult man dressed in tight clothes instead of the usual tanuki appearance.

Rares were in a blacksmith-like building in the Underground Kingdom.

Even though it doesn't seem to be doing anything in particular, for some reason the furnace has been set on fire and is wastefully hot.

"Well, I can't help it.

By the way, are you all right now that you're drowning? Didn't they know about the spy?

"No, I don't understand. After that, I went to see the castle ready to be taken into custody or murdered. There was no change in Merchiole.

I thought you didn't realize I was the cat's lord, but Ferres Uhnus, who was lurking in the castle, remained safe. If we take care of a suspicious cat, I think we should at least be alert to cats we've seen lately.

I wandered around him for a while, but I was asked if there was anything I could do.

That means that the presence that killed the quattle in that underground cave did not report it to Merchiore..... "

"If so, there are two possibilities.

First of all, it's possible that the man who killed you wasn't aware of the cat's dangers. I don't hear the professor talking to himself at all, and I think I just got rid of one cat that got lost somewhere. That's why I didn't report it. "

"Mm-hmm. I did infiltrate the Mansion this time, but the possibility that those cats will accidentally get lost is not zero. Or because such a thing has happened before, it is possible that we have decided that there is no need for vigilance or reporting this time.

But there are already materials to deny this hypothesis. "

"Yes, it's a quattle like no other. After a while, the boy's body should have been respawned and gone. If so, at least an hour after the murder, the killer must have reported it to his boss."

"It was the attic of that Mansion that set the Quttle Respawn Point, but there was no sign of anyone entering the Mansion."

"Then there's another possibility.

The existence that discovered and murdered you is nothing to communicate with Merchiore. In other words, it is possible that we are not as close as possible to each other. Or, for example, a defense mechanism that doesn't have consciousness like a trap. "

"Hmm. Didn't you just say three things? It's like the first two things I said...."

"I just came up with one more thing while I was talking. Let's flush it."

"Well, it doesn't matter how many. I was going to be careful with the trap, but it was an unfamiliar cat body, and I couldn't say it was perfect.

By the way ─ ─ "

The professor looked at the person standing next to Rare.

"I wonder which one of those women is leaning on a rare lady.

They seem to be quite capable, but... I wonder if the robe you're wearing is the same as Miss Rare's. "

"This is Miss Geraldine, the true ruler of the continent, the true vampire. You're the one who's the next of kin to Count De Havilland. ─ ─ Jerry, this is my associate Professor Etty of the Forest. Besides, it's okay to stay away from Camo because it's already unlocked."

Rare doesn't look like she can talk about people, but Geraldine stands out.

I envied Rare's robe when I said I needed something to cover my eyes with. That's why I'm lending you a spare wash.

It doesn't matter much if you hide the whole thing in "Camo", but "Camo" only has rare ones, so if you leave, only Geraldine will appear. It would be troublesome to clap it up.

Although Geraldine stuck to Rare's left arm like a panacea, she never left.

"Mr. Morietti Kyuju! That's a strange name. What shall I call you? Oh, don't worry about me, Mr. Geraldine. I don't care if you don't want to call me Grandpa!

"... as long as it's hard to call me a professor, I don't mind. Besides, there are other real vampires I know, so I'll let you call me Geraldine."

Nice to meet you, Professor!

"... nice to meet you, Mr. Geraldine."

The professor shifted his gaze to Rare. You said you had picked up something intense again, but this is not all Rare's fault.

When the professor contacted me, Rare moved to Kelly, who was waiting for him at Shigoen Castle.

In terms of distance, Gustav is closer to the port town. However, it seems that some players have already landed in the port town, and many players are aware of Gustav's chamber of commerce leap in the central continent, so it is difficult to be alone.

Even the professor who summoned Rare said he wanted time to see how the other person came out, so I decided to go from there to see if there was any problem from Shimoto Castle. Then I might have been able to talk to the Count a little bit more, but I was having fun with Bran, and I think we should do it again.

When I went to say hello to Geraldine to start from Shimoto Castle, she started wasting time trying to get on a Ubel. You may say no, but I decided to bring you the professor's underground kingdom to see if it was the ranch of the evil king that Geraldine was talking about. It is obvious from the name without even checking it.

If "Kera" comes from Kera, which means an underground reservoir in Latin, when combined with "Malefix", which means evil, it means an evil underground reservoir.

The person who thought of this country name seems to have quite a black sense of humor.

"You said 'Camo'. I wonder if you've walked so far in hiding under Camo and Range Hidden."

"From the entrance to the cave. I don't have any family here, or else I'll just have to fly through the ceiling. Isn't that a problem?

"... wise judgment. Thank you."

"Nevertheless, when that terrible smell comes from the entrance! That wasn't there before! Too harsh, I've been wearing a mask on Rare's robe sleeve!

"─ ─ If you thought your arms were strangely warm, you would have done that! Do it in your own robe!

Queen Araknea yarn does not tolerate dirt.

The smell of herbs on the entrance to the cave was judged to be dirty air, and the robe probably didn't go through.

It was good that it turned out that it could be used as a gas mask over time, but in terms of performance, the robe lent to Geraldine was the same, so I wanted to do such a thing with my own robe.

"... I can't believe my Inverness coat did the same. Well, suppressing your nose with a coat on that spot is too deliberate.

I wonder if Miss Rare was okay. "

"You may have forgotten, but I am the demon king at the top of the elf. A fine human being. You can't stop me if you're trying to shut me out."

"It's a defense system with lots of holes, it's a mask that can prevent the Devil from going through. There's room for improvement."

"Having said that, no one would normally make a mask made of Queen Araknea, and I think it would be strange to anticipate and take measures against it. Besides, it's not natural to go through the human system. Anyway ─ ─"

"─ ─ This is the ranch of Evil King Zenobia. You were still doing it.... don't tell me. And that terrible smell of herbs. I don't suppose you hated me so much, even though there was no vampire out there before!

Geraldine looks angry, but she sees tears on the corner of her eyes.

You must be shocked by the fact that your friend rejected you.

But I still don't know if that's true.

"Wait, Jerry. I haven't decided yet that His Majesty the Evil King hates you."

According to the professor's report, it would be Merchiore, the current ruler, who newly installed the vampire trap.

Evil King Zenobia didn't make it to avoid Geraldine, did he?

However, I can't guarantee Geraldine's friend's current safety in that case.

"Professor, it's convenient if Merchiole hasn't noticed our movements yet. The professor said he was out of order, but if he hadn't noticed, he wouldn't be out of order yet. Lead us to the underground space we found before they move on."

Guided by the professor, the three headed for the house in the street.

The professor said he wanted to sleep with the key, but as soon as Rare showed up here with her true ancestors, things could no longer be climax. Whether the villa is locked or destroyed now is a minor problem.

I unlocked it vividly with the "Slashed Thread" and entered the Mansion.

Stay behind the professor and enter the cave through the underground wine cellar. Of course, I tore apart the evil doors that seemed to stand.

When I walked a little, I eventually went to an open place.

I don't have any difficulty seeing things because of the light, but rarer than before.

The sight in Rare's "Magic Eye" was just an anomaly.

The first thing I see is the huge pillar at the center of the space, as reported by the professor. Locally speaking, I am certain that this penetrates into the castle of the Underground Kingdom.

But this is not just a pillar.

The overflowing mana is pulsating, and the glow of vitality visible in the "True Eye" is unmatched.

No, Rare knows. I have seen something similar.

"─ ─ A world tree. I can't believe I'm here... No, it's not. Is this... a magic ring tree? A subspecies of the world's trees!

I wonder if this is the monster of the deviant route of the world tree.

The world tree didn't go very well with the undead and seemed to be set up as a living being. If that, for example, had been inspired by the tree of life, Cephyroto, would this be an evil tree climato?

Whereas world trees had a strong influence on plant-based species, we seem to have the ability to engage with Golem species.

It seems that it is set to manipulate magical creatures that were given life by magic, not undead, which is a false life. The tree that commands the devil is also named after it.

I felt a strange affinity for this magic ring tree, even though I was not a member of my family, but I could not wipe out the strong discomfort.

The reason for this is a noise-like typographical display that appeared all over the Appraisal screen.

And it's probably the source of the lights that are lighting up this space lightly.

"Hmm. Is this the Magic Ring Tree? Sure, if you look closely, there's a difference. It seems to have a texture closer to minerals than plants. If it is the same as the world tree, I can't help but see nothing in my" appraisal ". Is there anything like a golden rope wrapped around a magic ring tree?

The Magic Ring tree was tied all around by a golden glowing rope, some of which seemed to have been assimilated. This is what the professor is talking about.

But this is not such a peaceful thing.

This golden shine that illuminates the space is familiar.

"─ ─ No, it's not. It's considerably thinner than what I know...

It's probably the Golden Dragon terminal. "

The injection rope could not be "appraised" at all. This seems to be the same for professors. I was worried about Rare's words, so I guess I did it myself. I rubbed my eyes.

Even if "appraisal" could not be done, it did not sound like the Magic Ring tree itself. It seems that he didn't understand anything because he just typed it.

However, even professors who can't see the Magic Ring tree can see the lettering indication, which means that perhaps the Golden Dragon does not have any resistance to the "appraisal" system skills.

And at the root of the magic ring tree bound to the golden dragon were a number of jailworthy commandments made of branch-like roots.

One of them looked like a woman.

In prison, women are tied to their bodies by pure golden roots and held in a fixed position so that they cannot stand or sit down.

"---Zenobia!?

The admitted Geraldine ran away.

But something was shaken down at an incredible speed against the approaching Geraldine.

"'Shrinkage'!

It was the branch of the Magic Ring tree that was shaken down. It may be the root, but it's the end of the Magic Ring tree anyway. The world trees were also moving the roots, so would this be an application?

Rare quickly slipped herself between the end of the Ring Tree and Geraldine, blocking the attack with a Demon Shield.

"Ah, thank you, Mr. Rare...!

"I may not have had to guard it at this level. I'm going in the cover, so let's hurry."

I don't know whether it is a normal sight or a "magic eye" or a "true eye", but from the outline of the magic ring tree, golden light is seeping all over.

If that means the power of the Golden Dragon, it seems that the Magic Ring tree is not only tied to the rope, but also eroded inside.

"... that's the branch that killed the quattle. I see, I can't report it."

"─ ─ The analysis is good, so the professor is a little far away! I can't take care of you right now!

Rare played "Shield" to see if it was a branch or root that came sporadically, and finally reached the root. Geraldine turned his body into fog and ran through the prison to Evil King Zenobia.

"Zenobia! This root...! ─ ─ I can't cut thousands of them!

"... Jerry...? It's been a long time... Don't touch this branch... don't touch it..."

"But! You're like this...! How long have you been like this!?

"... I don't know... when... Until recently... I managed to endure it... This place is a little... Maybe there's something nearby... a lot of dead... The Magic Ring Tree will take a dead soul nearby... and transform it into power..."

Zenobia squeezed out her voice as she continued to breathe. Looks like it's pretty worn out.

The light of Zenobia's life in Rare's eyes is also fairly weak. It's not strange to disappear at any time.

It must have been so long ago that the existence called the Evil King was so weak that he was caught.

Perhaps this was already the case when Geraldine visited Zenobia to defeat the Golden Dragon.

From the way Geraldine talks, it seems that he has been unable to face the Golden Dragon for some time now, and perhaps it was Evil King Zenobia who first confronted the Golden Dragon in this world.

Similar to what Zenobia had been captured, there were many human beings and vampires captured in other cages.

Some of them are dead, but nothing is decaying or white-boned. They're all dead.

Given the circumstances, it is difficult to believe that someone is exchanging corpses very often, and these people are all members of someone else's - probably the evil king Zenobia.

He sucks life, respawns it every time he dies, and keeps sucking life until he dies again.

Probably hundreds of years.

"I have to do something about this first....!

"... I can't... Get out of the cage... I'm going to take your life...."

"Even if I say that....! What kind of prison is this?! What's like this tree in the first place!? Did you say Magic Ring Tree!? This never happened before! When did you plant it!? This isn't what happens when you plant something like this!?

Geraldine screams hysterically.

From that mouth, it seems that the Magic Ring tree was planted after the interaction with Geraldine was distant.

However, considering the strange intimacy that Rare feels, it seems that this magic ring tree is deeply related to elf and dwarf species, and it seems a little strange that the Evil King planted it. It should be a tree that has nothing to do with a human evil king.

However, whatever the reason why the Magic Ring tree is here, if this is a subspecies of the world tree, there is no doubt that it is originally a species unique to this world. If the Golden Dragon came from outside the world, this magic ring tree is also a victim in a sense. Even though it is now being eroded and manipulated, it is a little pathetic to blame the Magic Ring tree for everything.

"... because you... I thought you said you were drinking the blood of the demon king... That's why I...."

Zenobia was about to disappear.

She grew a magic ring tree to create a demon king for Geraldine.

Here, Rare looked back and looked at the professor.

The professor nodded in Rare's sight as he retreated to the corner and exited the entrance passage.

Geraldine, who is only aware of the Zenobia in front of him, seems unaware, but someone is approaching through that passage.

From the shine of MP and reports from professors, this is probably Merchiole.