I Am Not The Duke's Evil Son
Chapter 50: Contradictions

Chapter 50: Contradictions

’This?!..’

Even though he recognized the materials in front of him, he couldn’t believe it.

Archie and Chadwick both had strange expressions. They also looked at the roots, but unlike their lord, all they saw was a fresh tree root secreting some liquid—which was normal, since roots stored water.

’I thought I’d find some low-quality items, but this exceeds everything I imagined.’ Arthur smiled with satisfaction, resisting the urge to laugh. The Diluted Mana Liquid was an extremely valuable substance that could be used to craft high-quality potions—and fortunately, he knew how to make a few of them.

Although mana was a semi-spiritual substance invisible to the naked eye, like many other elements, it could manifest in three visible forms: gaseous—when mana was dense enough, it appeared as a light mist; solid—when a large amount of mana was trapped underground and exposed to natural elements like heat and pressure, it would form structures like gems, Concentrated Mana Core Arthur found in Tarian’s chamber was an example.

And finally, liquid—a rare and difficult state to find.

Most often, liquid mana could only be found in living beings, such as powerful magical trees that had lived for a very long time, or in rare magic beasts. For instance, it was said that the Dragon King’s Tears contained such dense mana that a mere human who drank them could become a powerful mage. Naturally, there were other rare cases where magical liquids formed in specific locations—such as the Hearts of Mountains or the depths of enchanted forests. That’s why many legends spoke of magical springs that restored youth, or lakes that cured all illnesses—myths which often held a grain of truth.

’Thinking about it... Even though the tree caught my eye, I forgot to appraise it using Plot Savant. That’s Unforgivable.’

The first time he’d seen the tree, he’d been too thrilled about obtaining the magical artifact to give it much attention—especially since the protagonist Novarian in Rise of the Sword Sovereign hadn’t touched the tree, only taking the artifact.

The reason he’d forgotten this time was because his mind had been occupied with many things. He had planned to rest today, but even so, he couldn’t relax and kept turning over plans in his head.

Realizing this, he raised his head and looked at the tree.

[Mutated Tree: Contains no magical energy]

[Danger Level: Low]

"What the hell is this nonsense?" Arthur frowned. He didn’t understand it. He had never seen information like this before, but he was certain the system didn’t show random things. The tree wasn’t normal, something was wrong with it.

He grew more cautious and quickly gave an order to the surrounding soldiers.

"Bring the shovels and start digging. Don’t touch the roots, just clear the soil around them."

"And you two—get back to work. If anything strange happens, report immediately."

"Yes, my lord!" Everyone moved at once. First, they cleared away the surrounding brush quickly, then began digging. Although they hadn’t received detailed instructions, they worked in a highly organized manner.

Only Brock remained standing beside Arthur, ready to protect him if danger arose.

As for Otieno, he dug with reckless enthusiasm, trying to show off his skills and outpace everyone else, hoping to earn some praise.

But because of this, he struck one of the thick, large roots, leaving a deep gash. He stared nervously at the clear liquid slowly leaking from it. Glancing around to ensure no one saw, he quickly covered the wounded part with soil and moved to another spot.

Suddenly, several roots burst from the ground and coiled around him like snakes. The roots were surprisingly strong—he couldn’t move. His face flushed red as he felt a crushing pressure close in.

"Damn!" he hissed, trying frantically to free himself without alerting anyone—especially Arthur—but eventually gave in and cried, "Help!"

Chadwick moved instantly, drawing his sword and slicing the roots. His voice was firm:

"Be careful. These roots are not as weak as they look."

Otieno fell to the ground, taking a long breath. Without even glancing toward Arthur, he picked up his shovel and began digging again.

Arthur sighed and wiped his face in exasperation.

"This idiot... I really don’t understand what’s going on in his head."

"Aaah!"

Another scream rang out from nearby. Arthur quickly looked and saw another soldier wrapped in roots.

’This won’t be easy.’ There were hundreds of roots underground—some massive and thick, others small and thread-like. Because they were intertwined with the soil, hitting them while digging was almost inevitable.

’These roots behave just like the ones produced by the Thorns Castle Bracelet. Maybe it’s a magical defense mechanism the tree developed... But still, I don’t understand—why are the roots filled with magic, but not the tree?’

His worry mounting, he checked the tree again.

[Magical Mutated Tree]

[Danger Level: Medium]

"What the f—"

’Did the information just change? That’s not possible.’

He pushed his mind to its limits, trying to find a logical explanation—but couldn’t.

After an hour of work and dozens of incidents, they finally managed to clear the area around the tree. All the major roots were now fully exposed. Based on his knowledge, Arthur estimated that the roots stretched out for several kilometers—but all the mana was concentrated near the tree itself. So, he wouldn’t have too much trouble extracting the important parts.

Even so, he continued to stare at the tree uneasily.

[Magical Mutated Tree]

[Danger Level: High]

But he couldn’t stop now. The roots were incredibly valuable and could be used to craft many useful things—including a potent magical fertilizer that could improve farmland quality. The fertilizer he had in mind was simple: animal waste and organic refuse, with added magical root shavings that would multiply its effectiveness.

After shaking off his hesitation, he gave the command:

"Cut these roots from here to there."

Thankfully, he’d come prepared with saws and ropes, which made things much easier.

The soldiers began working like skilled lumberjacks. But then, Arthur suddenly noticed the tree in front of him growing larger. Alarmed, he immediately checked it again.

[Magical Tree]

[Danger Level: Extreme]

[Recommended Action: Retreat]

Suddenly, due to a bitter experience he’d lived through in the past, a strange idea crossed his mind.

"No way..." He tried to dismiss it, but the tree was visibly swelling. That confirmed it.

His expression twisted—and he cursed.

"Damn it!"

"Everyone, run!!" he roared with all his strength, warning the soldiers nearest the tree. They froze, staring at him in shock, unable to understand. Their hesitation delayed their reaction—but Arthur didn’t hesitate as he had once before.

Without wasting a second, he raised his hand and activated the magical tool at full power. Hundreds of roots erupted from the ground beside him and shot toward the soldiers, grabbing them one by one and flinging them backward hundreds of meters.

Suddenly, Chadwick found himself flying through the air, a familiar sensation flooding his body. As he stared at Arthur’s back standing firm in place, a quiet thought passed through his mind:

’It’s him.’