The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Mages are precious. It is a common sense that has been passed down without change from the distant past. To the extent that even the Mage Tower, which is overflowing with mages, and the city of savages, where there are so few mages that they are not distinguished from shamans, both acknowledge the authority of mages.

Magic is the power of imagination. Although magic is currently divided into various schools and classified, magic was originally a miracle created by human hands. In the past, it is said that anything that humans could imagine could be realized with magic.

They could freely roam the sky, call upon the stars, and create something from nothing. However, it was a miracle that was impossible now that magic was classified and studied with efficiency in mind.

Rather than delving into the essence of magic, the standard for dividing the level of a mage became how well they handled the tool of magic. Colin, who was the head of the Juggernaut school, which pursued practicality, and was so anti-authoritarian that he was called a wanderer, was stubbornly pursuing the fundamentals when it came to the possibilities of magic.

The reason he had studied at the Juggernaut school was because common magic was in contact with the essence and possibilities of such magic. So Colin had not even glanced at the brilliant geniuses of the Mage Tower and had taken disciples from the outside.

It was true that he was a man of character and had extended a helping hand to many who had not had the opportunity to learn, but at the bottom of it was a desire to find a talent who would pursue the essence of magic without prejudice.

“The greatest luck of my life is to have taken you as my disciple, my disciple.”

And Sage was a disciple who perfectly matched the values that Colin pursued.

“The position of the next Mage Tower Master is yours! I, your disciple, will guarantee it on the honor of my master, the Tower Master!”

“You haven’t even been nominated for the position of Tower Master, master.”

“Ahem.”

It wasn’t for nothing that Colin, who was only middle-aged, doted on Sage like a grandchild he had gotten in his old age. In fact, Sage had lived up to his expectations and had distinguished herself in the Mage Tower.

There was no one among her peers who could compare to her, and she had even been acknowledged for her achievements by the picky elders. She was a promising star of the future generation that not only Colin but the entire Mage Tower was keeping a close eye on.

The fact that the upper echelons had permitted Sage’s external training was based on that trust.

“I don’t know if this is the right decision.”

“I wonder if he’ll just cause trouble again.”

“He has a beloved disciple now, so he won’t act like a child.”

Considering his past behavior, Colin’s proposal to train outside was dismissed without even being heard. But since the subject he had used as a pretext was Sage, permission was granted after a long meeting.

And so, Sage Daleoper. She had left the cradle of the Mage Tower and had arrived in Gellerg City.

“Sss, huuu. It’s good. Yes, this is how a place where people live should be. It smells of exhaust fumes, and it smells rotten, huh?”

“……”

Like her master, who had a bright smile on his face, Sage was also secretly excited. She had not been of much help during the previous ruin exploration. To be frank, it was a relief that she hadn’t been a hindrance.

But the her of then and the her of now were completely different people. Hadn’t she realized her own meager achievements, gritted her teeth, and finally been acknowledged by the Mage Tower and played a decisive role in obtaining permission for external activities?

It would be different this time. She had heard everything about Allen’s activities from Colin without missing a single thing. Fortunately, everything had turned out well, but it was a self-evident fact that the process had not been smooth.

Now she could lighten his burden. Why? Because a mage is a high-class talent. The time had finally come to repay his kindness!

“You must be tired from coming and going, so let’s rest for a few days. You also need time to unwind, right?”

Of course, that was that, and she also had a great desire to play. Money? There was the support fund from the Mage Tower. Time? It was overflowing. Since she lacked nothing, it was a plan to enjoy leisure for the first time in her life.

It was the moment Sage arrived at the mansion with a heart full of a dream of ambition with a spoonful of desire.

“……What’s that?”

“This? Luggage.”

“Why the luggage?”

“I’m sorry, but I suddenly have to go to an external city.”

As they say, it never rains but it pours. The owner of the house was leaving. And to an external city.

Sage hid her trembling and asked.

“H-how?”

The Mage Tower is close to the northern city of winter. So, strictly speaking, Sage was no different from having moved from an external city. She had used the Oparts portal owned by the Mage Tower.

The portal basically connects the Mage Tower and each city. It meant that you could safely travel between each city just by passing through the Mage Tower. Of course, the Mage Tower did not let outsiders use the portal as a convenient means of transportation.

They only granted permission to use it to distinguished guests who had a purpose in the Mage Tower, after receiving a considerable price.

‘I can just use my master’s name.’

The head of a school of the Mage Tower was here, and his beloved disciple was with him. Even if they used the portal for their own self-interest, they would just get a scolding. It was absurd that he was suddenly going to an external city, but if you think about it, it wasn’t bad.

It was a golden opportunity to prove her worth. Sage, who had finished such a cunning calculation, straightened her shoulders. It was the look of a child hiding something to brag about.

Allen said.

“By sky.”

“……?”

“We’re going by the sky road.”

Don’t go through the trouble of crossing the border, just trust me. Sage couldn’t say it.

***

Since when had the exchange between the cities been cut off? I don’t know. If you look through the setting book of the game, it would be written somewhere. But I wasn’t so into this game as to delve into such detailed details.

Most of the people in this city probably wouldn’t know either. Because life was so busy and rough that they didn’t have the time to care about such things. Still, to give a rough estimate, it had been long enough for people to feel that the exchange with external cities was a special thing.

It is an ironic reality, considering the fact that immigrants from external cities are still flocking to Gellerg City. But the two perceptions were not contradictory. The immigrants who had settled in the city were just a lucky few.

The number of people who had lost their lives without being able to safely cross the border was dozens of times greater. The fact that the exchange between the cities was a special thing was proved by District 20, which had been the center of continental trade. As I had seen myself, wasn’t it just a fallen district now?

‘That’s why the starting point was important in the game.’

When a newbie asked for advice when starting the game, the first thing they said was to be careful in choosing the starting city. The place you could choose as a starting point in FP was one of the five cities. It meant that you should check carefully and choose, as you would usually have to face the beginning and end of the game in the city you had chosen.

‘East, the City of Iron and Blood.’

It was the location of the Greenwood member that Elliot had revealed. It was an external city. A land that an ordinary person would have no way of setting foot in for their entire life. The expression ‘another world’ was not wrong.

It was a challenge in a different sense from the requests I had carried out so far. But I had no intention of giving up.

‘Moving to an external city, it’s just a bit troublesome, there are ways.’

Only newbies chose their starting point carefully, old-timers just spun it randomly because it was troublesome. Besides, I was a person who had reached 100% continental exploration. I had countless experiences of moving between cities.

There were many ways. There were not a few immigrants in this city right now, and the Guardians of the Dawn were guys who had been kicked out of an external city and had returned. But this was an exchange at the private level.

‘The problem is that it’s dangerous.’

I had roamed around without caring for my life because it was a game. It was hard to act the same way in a world that had become reality. Above all, only Gellerg City was friendly to outsiders. The other four cities did not welcome outsiders.

Some were even hostile. It was something I wanted to avoid, to be chased by the border guards after going through all that trouble.

‘If possible, I should move by a route that is safe and where my identity is guaranteed.’

For example, the route that the delegation from Pershia had used during the negotiations between the cities. But this was a privilege of the upper class. It was natural, as the users were basically officials of the city government.

For me, who was just a contractor, it was a pie in the sky. In other words, it meant that who I had to go to was decided.

“You want me to get you a means of transportation to an external city?”

“Yes. The third condition I had put on hold during the last request, let’s make it this.”

The de facto next chairman of Sylvester. It was Claire, who was the undisputed top class.

***

“I got the ticket you asked for last time.”

Claire was busy. After the success of the request in District 17, she had ousted Director Berman, who had been her competitor. Although she had brought in the Public Security Bureau, she had blocked the interference of a rival company and had succeeded in expanding her business.

And even her foresight had shone, and Sylvester’s weapons industry was said to be making a considerable profit. She was more exposed to the public’s attention and interest than I was. It was a time when she had to split every minute and second to carry out her schedule.

So I hadn’t expected to hear back so quickly.

“It’s several times faster than I thought.”

“I didn’t know I could get it so quickly either.”

“There must be many who want to get on the good side of the next chairman of Sylvester.”

“That’s not wrong.”

Claire smiled brightly. It probably wasn’t to show off or brag. If there was a share to be considered, my share would be noticeably large. Although it was a relationship formed through a request, I was practically a founding contributor.

So that was just a simple agreement on the surface, with no hidden meaning. She had gone through many twists and turns to get to this position. Now that she had finally won the throne, it was a time when she was drunk on the sweetness.

“But I don’t think it’s just because of that that I got the ticket quickly.”

“……?”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you what kind of ticket this is, did I? It’s a regular airline ticket.”

Looking at it, it was similar to the airplane boarding pass I knew. But it wasn’t exactly the same.

“They call it an airship, do you want me to explain what it is if you don’t know?”

“It’s okay, I’ve heard the name.”

A route that could cross the extreme environmental zone spread out in the border area relatively safely. It was the sky road. The pioneering of the sky road was on a different level from the pioneering of the land or sea routes.

This was the same even in the world of superhumans, where people could fly in the sky. To make an object float in the sky, and furthermore, to transport it for a long time and a long distance, was a separate area.

In the midst of that, the only means of using the sky road in this world was the airship. But it was not a popular means of transportation enough to resume the exchange between each city in a situation where the land and sea transportation were blocked.

The number of airships owned by each city was so rare that they could be counted on at most five fingers.

“The fact that there is a regular transport service means that there is basically a demand. But recently, there have been few passengers going to the City of Iron and Blood in the east. Thanks to that, I was able to get it easily, but there’s a part that’s a bit찝찝한.”

“Is there something going on in that city?”

“There are rumors, but they’re all over the place, so it’s hard to say.”

A commotion in the City of Iron and Blood around this time.

‘It’s not that nothing comes to mind.’

I couldn’t be sure. As I had realized in this request, this world was a reality, not a game. An incident separate from my knowledge might have occurred.

“I’ll keep that in mind for now.”

It was just a matter of finding one person, talking to them, and coming back. What did it matter what happened there… I was not so careless. I just had the confidence that I could get through any incident I might encounter.

「Time remaining until the World Tree grows…」

By then, the World Tree, which had grown into a sacred tree, would have awakened.

***

“I came into this organization because they said I could work as I pleased, without being driven by people like this.”

There was a shadow. It squirmed as if it were a living creature and maintained its shape even under the bright light of the streetlights.

“I know you’ve been moving the organization in various directions recently. But what does that have to do with me?”

On the throne made of a cluster of shadows. Bianca Melbrick was twirling her hair listlessly and continuing a conversation with someone.

[…….]

“What’s the big deal about not being able to get in touch? We’re guys who wouldn’t even know if each other were alive or dead if it weren’t for the regular meetings.”

[…….]

“No matter how much you say it, I’m not moving. At least present a price that will tempt me. You know that, right?”

[…….]

A short tug-of-war ensued, and Bianca sighed and got up from her seat.

“If it’s that much, well, I can concede a hundred steps and do you a favor.”

[…….]

“So, where do I have to go?”

[……East.]

The voice scattered into the darkness.

[Head to the City of Iron and Blood.]

(End of Chapter)