Concentrated Tenfold
The next morning, when I woke up, there was a mountain of defeated monsters piled up outside the defensive barrier.
It seems Ripka’s parents, Bianca’s family, and Ciel had taken them down.
Thanks to that, I was able to sleep soundly.
When I went to thank them, they said it was in return for the curry I’d made.
Apparently, the curry dishes were a big hit with them too.
After breakfast, we continued onward. More and more enraged monsters started appearing.
“There seems to be a troll up ahead,” Raul informed us.
Captain Kyle asked if he was sure. Raul replied that during the time he lived here, trolls were their main targets for subjugation, so there was no mistake.
You used to live in such a dangerous place? A village near the forest of trees, with trolls?
What kind of place was that?
They didn’t know how many there were, but Raul and the others said they were experienced in dealing with them and asked us to leave the fight to them.
We agreed to assist only if things became dangerous.
Trolls are one-eyed giants about four to five meters tall.
They yank out nearby trees and swing them around like iron clubs.
I’ve heard their body odor is overwhelmingly strong.
Would this be a case for wearing a deodorizing mask made from Skeleton Flowers?
Maybe Raul and the others should wear them too.
When I asked Raul about the trolls’ body odor, he said it was indeed foul.
So I handed out deodorizing masks to him and the others and made sure we wore them too.
From up ahead, we heard *thud, thud*—the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. Judging by the sound, there were several of them.
Three of them appeared. We could see their faces peeking above the treetops, but it didn’t seem like they had noticed us.
Even at this distance, we could smell their stench through the deodorizing masks.
It was worse than the Skeleton Flowers.
Without a mask, this would be unbearable!
For beastkin, who are said to have sensitive noses, fighting them must be rough.
Suddenly, two trolls collapsed.
Raul jumped from the top of a tree and cut off the right arm of the remaining one with his sword.
Then, another beastkin jumped from a different tree and severed the left arm.
The unbalanced troll collapsed to the ground.
We couldn’t see the rest of the fight from there, but by the time we approached where the trolls had been, all three had already been defeated.
They’re too strong... Is this the blessing of the Martial God?
Despite being this strong, only one-third of the beastkin who set out from their country made it to Westland.
Did the forest have even more powerful monsters?
When I asked for details about the battle, Raul said four people each cut one leg of two trolls, and once the trolls collapsed, they decapitated them.
For the last one, after cutting off both arms and bringing it down, they severed its head as well.
“Usually, the worst part is the stench, but these masks helped a lot this time.
Also, we got new swords that are far better than what we used before, so the fight was much easier,” Raul said.
Compared to the swords the knights use, Raul and the others' swords are still inferior, but they must be better than what they had back in the beastkin’s homeland.
Normally this route would be a tough journey, but thanks to the support team’s efforts, we made steady progress.
However, more withered and rotting trees began to stand out, and eventually we reached a desolate area with no trees at all.
The ground had a blackish hue, and for some reason, I felt a creepy chill run down my back.
I asked Atre how Ripka, Bianca, and the others were doing.
He said they were somehow managing to endure it for now.
So there *is* some kind of effect after all.
I told them it was fine to wait here if it was too much, but they insisted on going as far as they could.
We promised not to push ourselves and continued on together.
Oddly enough, we didn’t encounter a single monster.
But the uneasy feeling grew stronger.
I suggested, “Young master Jarrett, why don’t we try the same purification method we used earlier?”
“I’ve also been feeling increasingly sick, so I was thinking about trying it,” Jarrett replied. “But... I’d rather not use too much holy water if we have to purify a wide area.”
We haven’t even reached the main target—the dragon—yet, so we want to conserve our holy water as much as possible.
Still, if this continues, we won’t be able to go any further.
After thinking for a moment, I decided we couldn’t proceed like this.
Maybe we could rely on the power of the World Tree’s leaves.
I asked Young master Jarrett to prepare the same purified water as before.
Then, holding a World Tree leaf in hand, I dropped it into the pot of purified water, saying, “Please concentrate this purified water tenfold.”
The water changed from clear to a milky white.
I created a softball-sized water sphere with the purified water, then used water magic to expand it.
As it grew, the color shifted back from milky white to clear.
Then I sprinkled the purified water like a sprinkler, and the sickening feeling began to subside.
Brother Chris, who had been silently watching me, said, “Hardt, explain what you just did.”
I explained that I received the leaf from the World Tree.
I’d read in a book that World Tree leaves could ease not only pain and wounds but also curses.
I combined my blessings—Plant God’s growth acceleration and healing magic—to try amplifying the leaf’s power.
Then I diluted the concentrated purified water with water magic to return it to its original state.
“So, you’re saying Jarrett made the purified water, and then you enhanced it using the World Tree leaf and your own blessings and magic? But isn’t the Plant God’s growth acceleration supposed to be for crops?” he asked.
“Broadly speaking, enhancing a plant’s power can also be considered growth acceleration. I just imagined it that way, and it worked.
I’ll handle creating the water spheres, but I think we can use wind magic to spread the purified water, so I’d like your help.”
“... All right. I watched you and Jarrett, so I think I can do it. Make me a water sphere,” he said.
I made the water sphere, and Brother Chris used wind magic to spread the purified water where it hadn’t reached yet.
I handed water spheres to those who could probably use wind magic to help—Brother Gerald, Meyer, Young master Reinhardt, and Young master Maxwell, among others.
We used about half of the large pot of purified water, but it covered a wide area, and the sickening feeling was significantly reduced.
As we continued, the uneasiness returned, and our visibility worsened until we couldn’t even see a meter ahead.
Brother Chris nodded, and when we started sprinkling more purified water with the remaining supply, visibility cleared up.
And right in front of us stood a jet-black dragon.
What do you think about this chapter?
