The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 569 Divine tree or ancestral tree

“So, getting back to the point, do you feel anything strange about that tree? It’s unnecessarily friendly, or something along those lines.”

“Huh? …Hmm? …Well… Yeah, I guess. It’s kind of subtle? It feels like it resembles that kid or Flora, but even more… ‘distant,’ you know?”

It seemed that Lilia also had a similar sensation to mine.

A sensation of being similar yet different. Lilia described it as “distant,” but was that really accurate?

“So, if it resembles Flora, does that mean it’s the aura of the Sacred Tree?”

“Well… I wonder? It feels different even if it’s similar…”

“Is it because it’s cursed or mixed with the power of evil gods or something?”

“I don’t know! I just don’t know, okay?!”

Perhaps it was because I kept pressing for answers even though she herself didn’t understand. Lilia’s voice grew rough.

“Shouldn’t you ask Flora about this? She might understand better.”

“Flora is sleeping right now.”

“Huh, really? Why?”

Lilia’s eyes widened as if it were news to her, but that made sense. After all, I had just informed her.

However, it was indeed a fact that Flora was asleep.

“After that tree appeared, she seemed to feel unwell and lost consciousness.”

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. But so far, the possession from the vessel hasn’t been lifted, and I’ve been setting up barriers and purifications, so I think she’ll be okay for now.”

If things were really bad, she would have either returned to my body or this separate form of hers would have dissipated. The fact that neither had happened meant she was still alright.

However, even if she was alright, it didn’t mean there were no problems. Flora was a spirit. Even though she used a vessel to manifest physically, her essence remained unchanged.

Since she probably didn’t possess a physical body as a spirit, I thought she might be more susceptible to the influence of certain powers. While she did have a vessel, it was merely being inhabited and controlled; it wasn’t Flora’s own body.

“Moreover, in this situation, we can’t calmly deal with it, so all we can do for now is observe.”

Although I wanted to do something about it, there was nothing I could do at the moment. We were severely lacking in facilities, information, and time.

Therefore, even if I wanted to address the situation urgently, I couldn’t. If there was anything I could do, it was to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

“Now, regarding the current situation… Does anyone know what that thing is?”

Since I had reunited with Lilia, there was no need to talk outside anymore.

Thinking so, I returned to my dugout and decided to resume the discussion with the old ladies.

Though I say old ladies, the only other participants were my three attendants, the attendants of the old lady, and Lilia along with her elf companion. In other words, it was just close associates.

However, the attendants of the old lady and Lilia hardly spoke at all, and even Sofia’s group probably wouldn’t speak unless prompted by me, so it was essentially a discussion among the three of us.

“Got it?”

As we resumed the discussion, Granny spoke up almost immediately.

“Granny? Did you figure something out?”

“Something occurred to me from your conversation earlier. You all feel that thing is akin to the Sacred Tree, right?”

“Well, yeah. We don’t know if it’s the Sacred Tree, but there’s a sense of familiarity.”

“In that case, could it be of the same kind as the Sacred Tree? Or rather, it might be better to say it’s the origin, or perhaps the essence of it.”

“The origin? The origin of the Sacred Tree…!”

The Sacred Tree is often referred to as the mother of plants. I had my doubts about such an entity having an origin… but there was indeed something.

That was…

“The Divine Tree.”

Or, in this world, it’s known as the “Tree of Origin,” the first plant to ever exist.

I see, that possibility existed. If it’s similar to the Sacred Tree but also more ‘distant’ from it, then that’s the only explanation.

You might wonder why I hadn’t noticed such a thing until now, but that couldn’t be helped. After all, in my mind, the Divine Tree is already dead.

“I mean, but wasn’t it said that the Divine Tree fell in battle against the evil god?”

According to what I heard from Roroel, it was said that the Divine Tree withered in the battle against the evil god. So, while I considered the Sacred Tree as the cause, I didn’t think beyond that to the Divine Tree. I mean, it’s dead, isn’t it? Or did the Divine Tree become undead and resurrected? Well, if you’ve seen phenomena like the ones in the church where the killed ones rise again, it doesn’t seem entirely wrong, but whether such a thing could happen to the Divine Tree, which is supposed to be a god… it’s doubtful.

Thinking this, I turned back to Sofia and the others who were behind me…

“But isn’t that the most plausible candidate for now?”

“And besides, it’s just said to have ‘fallen,’ not necessarily ‘died,’ right?”

…Well, strictly speaking, that’s true. I don’t remember hearing clearly that it was ‘dead’ or ‘withered.’

So, does that mean…

“The Divine Tree fell when it defeated the evil god, but actually, it just lost its power temporarily, and neither of them died. They were sealed together when the evil god was sealed, and now they’ve revived?”

If that ghostly giant tree over there is the Divine Tree, then that’s what it would mean.

“The curse flowed into the Sacred Tree, eroded by the power of the evil god to the extent that it started overflowing. It’s entirely possible to think that it was completely taken over while it was sealed and became like that, right?”

“Yeah… that could be possible.”

Looking out of the window in the turret towards the figure that seems to be the Divine Tree.

What’s there is still the eerie, wriggling giant tree formed by the gathering of tentacles, but is that really the Divine Tree revered by the elves?

“But, is that really the Divine Tree? Couldn’t it be the Sacred Tree taken over by the evil god? After all, the trunk of the Sacred Tree was stored there.”

“I don’t know about that. It’s just speculation based on feelings. Actually, as you say, there’s a good chance that it’s a transformed form of the Sacred Tree. However, the fact remains that this is the situation we’re dealing with. Wouldn’t it be better to prepare for the worst?”

Well, that’s true. It’s much better to laugh later at over-preparation due to pessimism than to fail due to optimism.

So, let’s assume that it’s the Divine Tree. And let’s assume the seal has been broken, too.

But why did it revive here in the first place?

We don’t even know where it fought or where it was sealed, but it probably wasn’t here, right?

The closest place would probably be where the felled Sacred Tree was, right? If that’s the case, it’s understandable that it was cursed first.

So instead of this town, it should have revived over there near the Sacred Tree… Oh, right. We purified that place. For whatever entity, whether it’s merged with the evil god or taken over by it, maybe this place is more comfortable?

Also, come to think of it, there’s a Sacred Tree here, too. Well, it’s not the main body, but still.

“Did it appear there because there was a trunk of the Sacred Tree?”

Yes. I don’t know where or how it was hidden, but there was a trunk of the Sacred Tree in this town.

So it’s possible that it was drawn there because of that.

“Well, there might not have been any other suitable places. You guys purified the main body of the Sacred Tree, right?”

“Well, that’s true. So, assuming that’s the Divine Tree… there’s also the possibility that the Sacred Tree became a vessel, right?”

“A vessel? Ah, like Flora, huh. That’s not entirely implausible.”

We didn’t know where or in what form the Sacred Tree was stored, but it was definitely in the church.

If the reason the Divine Tree came here was because of the trunk of the Sacred Tree, then there’s a good chance it became a vessel.

“Uh… sorry to interrupt, but can I say something? …Isn’t it moving?”

Kyle, who was positioned right where he could see outside from the window, spoke up.

It’s moving. It’s definitely wriggling. I saw that too.