The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

“Who are you?”

A figure who stepped forward, piercing the silence. The knights standing in neat rows behind him were shining with cold eyes.

“Allen, a contractor.”

“A contractor? The worms that parasitize the darkness of the city?”

“This city is certainly stingy with its treatment of contractors.”

Just saying the word was enough to get a torrent of abuse as a default. In that sense, Katarina, who was born into a prestigious family and became a contractor after running away from home, was quite an eccentric. She was a person worthy of being Elliot’s acquaintance.

“I’ve said my name, so I’d appreciate it if you introduced yourself as well.”

“I’m Johel.”

“He’s the captain of the Lumiere defense.”

Katarina added. The captain of the defense of a family. He was a main force-level skilled person that a prestigious family could directly show to the outside.

“I thought your barking was sharp, and so it was. A dog guarding a house. You’ve chosen a profession that suits your nature well.”

“……”

Although it was a rather blatant provocation, Johel was not agitated. It wasn’t that my provocation skills were lacking, but that his self-cultivation was very deep.

Katarina was also silent, as if she was looking forward to seeing how far I would go. …The way she was twirling her hammer made it seem like she was really looking forward to it.

“I don’t know what confidence a mere contractor has to speak the name of the head of the family. Go back. Forgiveness is only once.”

“I should be grateful for your mercy. They say that the dignity of Lumiere is the best in Brahms, and it seems that’s not wrong. To think that you would be so kind to someone who has spoken the name of your master.”

“The mouth is the source of trouble. Stop your mockery.”

“Why do you think a mere contractor can be so arrogant? Think carefully.”

Johel soon realized the answer.

“……Were you a messenger from another family?”

“I told you that from the beginning. I came to deliver the will of my employer.”

“The turmoil outside has nothing to do with our family. And it will continue to be so.”

“It’s a fire that has already engulfed this city, too big to be dismissed as a small spark. If you act all high and mighty alone, it will be irreversible. Can you be so calm when the fire is at your own feet?”

“You!”

“Well, in the first place, the miscellaneous affairs of your ten families are none of my business. I just have to finish the job I was hired to do.”

Trying to persuade a contractor with words was wrong from the start. Because a contractor is someone who carries out their assigned task regardless of good or evil or personal likes or dislikes.

“If you have no intention of guiding me, I’d appreciate it if you would step aside.”

“……!”

The trembling earth. The earth undulated like a wave according to the writhing of the plant roots. It was different from now, where I had fought a head-on battle with one or two skilled people. Everyone in this mansion was an enemy I had to face.

Hwioo!

A gust of wind swirled from behind me, and fluffy seeds spread.

Kwagwagwang!

“Kkeuaak!”

“It’s a bomb! Be careful!”

“Evacuate the family members first!”

A chain of continuous explosions. The swept-away knights bounced like balls, and the buildings shook and were destroyed.

Fighting a few and fighting many are completely different battles. You have to exert influence on the battlefield itself, not just on people. The synergy of the World Tree, which had grown into a sacred tree, and the soaring affinity with nature showed a formidable power.

Kkumulkumul!

Even in this barren world, plants existed on any land. They were just dry and withering. I triggered their life force through the World Tree.

A torrent of life. In short, it was a wide-ranging event of rapid growth through spirits.

“Th-this is…!”

“Kkeuk!”

“Don’t be dazed, cut them down! It’s the enemy’s ability!”

Even if it was just a weed, a stubbornly grown blade of grass would tie your feet. Furthermore, the plants affected by my affinity with nature boasted a size and toughness that surpassed the limits of their species.

The plant cluster that moved according to my will made the advantage of the enemies, which was their numbers, useless.

Chwajajak!

In fact, the profession that was tired of dealing with a large number of people was a mage. And Sage was the top disciple of the wanderer Colin, who explored the fundamentals of magic. It meant that she was not limited to a single school of magic and knew how to use magic according to the time and place.

As it happened, a gale that I had called with the divinity of the World Tree was swirling in this place. At some point, the wind, which had been honed into a blade, raged indiscriminately, covering and cutting down the knights.

Kkaang!

Johel, who had rushed in with a sword imbued with aura, was dealt with by Katarina. Every time the hammer and the blade clashed, a shockwave erupted, and the atmosphere was distorted to the point where it was visible to the naked eye.

The broken crust of the earth was finely crushed every time the two clashed, and the vision became blurry as if a fog had set in. She keeps running wild every time, even though I told her to just watch. It’s good that she’s taking a load off my hands, but I wonder if she’s just using me as an excuse to get a taste of it.

It was a reasonable suspicion.

‘If they’ve caused this much of a ruckus, it’s about time they showed up.’

In the City of Iron and Blood, Brahms, where the romance of the knight was alive, even nobles were required to have skill. A skilled person of the level of a family head would have been watching this commotion from his room. In the end, my actions were a show of force aimed at the family head himself, not the knights in front of me.

By now, wouldn’t he have noticed? That we were skilled people who could turn this mansion upside down if we wanted to.

“Stop!”

With a resounding shout, a path opened. A different, luxurious formal attire from the others. The knights stopped swinging their swords and showed their respect.

“You’re finally here.”

It was a direct descendant of the Lumiere family.

“……I’m sorry, Young Master Lucas. My skills were lacking, and I couldn’t sort out the situation.”

“No, Sir Johel. It seems there was a misunderstanding because my reception of the guests was late.”

Lucas, since Johel had called him Young Master, he was clearly the heir of the Lumiere family. He had sent a very high-ranking person as a guide. It was an unavoidable choice if he wanted to settle this mess with a single word.

“Is the head of the Lumiere family finally ready to hear my employer’s message?”

“Yes, the head of the family has invited you.”

Lucas gestured to the wide-open main gate of the mansion.

“Follow me.”

***

The mansion was rather bleak for a building where the highest authority of a city lived. Should I say it resembled a barracks? The knights who were guarding every corner of the stairs and corridors with fierce eyes.

Lucas, who had noticed that Sage and Katarina were visibly tense, said in a calm tone.

“Rest assured. As long as you are invited as guests, you will not feel any threat to your safety.”

Then he glanced at me.

“You said your name was Allen? Unlike your companions, you are calm. I don’t know if your guts are out of your stomach or if you are that confident in your skills.”

“There’s no reason to be nervous when I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“……Is that so?”

“You must have been watching everything from inside. My business is just to deliver my employer’s will. It was you who caused the unnecessary fight.”

“For that, it feels like you intentionally induced the fight…”

The mess I had made was still visible at a glance if I just turned my gaze out the window. Did he feel it was shameless? He shook his head and then stopped his steps.

“The head of the family is waiting inside.”

The center of the mansion. A spacious room, a carpet laid out from the door to the front, and a high chair. The structure resembled the king’s audience chamber.

“You’ve caused quite a bold scene in my mansion.”

Sitting on the lord’s throne was a middle-aged man with a bushy beard that reached his collarbone. His eyes, which were looking down at us from under his deep-set eyes, were unreadable.

Compared to the knights, who were generally large, he was on the smaller side. Even though he was wearing the same size formal attire as Lucas, it felt large on him. And yet, no one would call him small.

A sharp prayer like a well-honed sword. A presence that filled this spacious hall alone.

“The honor of the family has been trampled by a mere contractor. It was an arrogant act, but I will overlook it.”

“Captain Johel also said he would forgive me once. It seems the lower ranks have learned from the mercy of the higher-ups. The family tradition is excellent.”

“It seemed like you were just running wild with your eyes rolled back, but not a single person died.”

Even though I had been sarcastic, the fact that he didn’t respond at all showed that he was indeed a big shot. The head of the Lumiere family, Jerome, stood up from his throne.

“The purpose was to cause a commotion. To let the rats who are watching this commotion know of the impure intentions.”

“……”

“In addition, you have implicitly imprinted the preconception that your employer is great enough not to hesitate to antagonize Lumiere. It is arrogant to use this Lumiere in your scheme.”

“……Indeed, the fact that Lumiere is the most prestigious family in Brahms is not just a saying.”

The heir who had suspected my intentions was also sharp, but the head of the family was more than that.

“It will be a great stimulus to those incompetent people who have been thoroughly beaten by a mere contractor they ignored. That’s why I played along with your arrogant scheme.”

Although their lives were not in danger, their clan and knights had been beaten. To overlook this without a second thought. It was a self-control that was closer to madness than to having a big heart.

“Weren’t you worried that if the family’s power was further damaged, the hyenas who were watching would bite you too?”

“……”

Of course, that wasn’t all.

“With that kind of insight, can’t you roughly see the future? The fire that has covered the city will not pass over this family just because you remain neutral.”

“What does an outsider know? This is our city’s business. I know your situation as a contractor, but don’t try to get too involved.”

“On the contrary, it is your Lumiere family that is turning a blind eye to a situation that is obvious even to an outsider.”

“……Are you trying to drag our family into this mess? Which of the three families is it?”

Even without my gesture, Katarina took off her helmet and revealed her identity.

“I am Katarina Morheim, head of the family.”

“Morheim, yes, I understand your frustration. But it is disappointing that you have sought the help of an outsider. Even if you have fallen, you should not have lost your pride.”

“That’s.”

Katarina mumbled her lips. Although she always acted with conviction, her opponent was the head of a family, and she had come to ask for help. She was not someone who did not know when to bow down.

“Isn’t it something that Lumiere, who has been a bystander until this point, should say?”

“No matter how much you try to provoke me, it’s useless. In the past, war was more familiar than peace. A long peace has continued, so the suppressed impulse has just been released. This crazy war will also end soon.”

“This is the first time a war has started with such cowardly means and fabricated justification.”

“War can’t always be clean.”

“People say that you are the best knight family in this city. It doesn’t seem like a fight that fits the chivalry you advocate.”

“That’s right. But we can’t force our standards on others.”

“You’re being stubborn. Since I’ve already touched you, you’re no longer an outsider to this war.”

I had made the board that way.

“They’ll suspect each other, not knowing which family is behind me. Someone is showing their ambition to reign alone by trying to subdue even Lumiere, who has been quiet. In that situation, can Lumiere continue to be silent?”

“If you are righteous, the suspicion and criticism of the public are meaningless. If the civil war intensifies, it is what I have been hoping for. It means that the end of the war will come that much sooner.”

“Even though it’s obvious that you’ll be trampled by the final victor?”

“There is no final victor in this war. The wolves who have caused this situation will not trust each other, so after their size has grown to a certain extent, they will be too worried about being backstabbed to move rashly. If our family were to choose a time to move, it would be then.”

“……That’s enough.”

Katarina sighed and put her helmet back on.

“I told you they were stubborn. I know you have a good way with words, but that only works on people who will listen. Let’s go back, no one will be disappointed even if you reveal that you failed, since they weren’t expecting much anyway.”

Katarina must have felt an unyielding stubbornness from Jerome. My impression was different. There was a sense of incongruity.

“It seems that Lumiere doesn’t even think that the king will mediate in the end.”

“……”

For the first time, Jerome was at a loss for words.

“With that kind of insight, you pretended not to see the obvious danger and were stubborn. Was the purpose really to preserve your strength?”

The series of conversations had only added to the suspicion I had. In FP, Lumiere was a family that had always tried to mediate when a dispute in Brahms intensified. No matter how much reality did not follow the development of the game, it was strange that their disposition had changed this much.

“Were you suspecting the king as the mastermind of this situation from the beginning?”