I Got a Fake Job at the Academy
Chapter 477: What Blooms in the Ruins

Chapter 477: What Blooms in the Ruins

Sedina immediately demonstrated through action.

As she stretched out her hand, something began to stir and rise from the ground.

It was a sapling.

Not magic woven from mana, but a real living plant.

The grown sapling wiggled like a baby seeking its mother's touch.

By now, the rapidly grown tree had Sedina extending her hand toward it.

-Shrrrk.

The branch that touched her hand transformed into the shape of an arm.

Before Ambella could ask in confusion, Sedina was faster in bringing that arm to Ambella's shoulder.

As if they had always been one body, the wooden arm naturally attached to Ambella's body.

"What...?"

There was neither pain nor rejection.

Ambella looked down at her newly changed arm and unconsciously made a fist, then opened it.

It moved naturally as if it had always been her own arm.

Even more surprising was that sensation could be vividly felt in the newly transplanted hand.

It far surpassed the level of a simple prosthetic.

"How...?"

Ambella looked at Sedina with disbelieving eyes.

The others were equally surprised.

At those gazes, Sedina smiled awkwardly.

"Just, I can do this kind of thing now."

Making a small tree take root in the body, connecting it intricately with the neural network.

After all, since a living body is made of cells, it was possible to make something similar by processing part of the World Tree's material.

The World Tree is the pinnacle of life.

While it was a tree, it was an entirely different species from ordinary trees.

The people gathered here weren't unaware of this.

But even so, to process a tree into an arm and use it like a real one?

Moreover, while being wood, even the joint areas moved smoothly.

This meant it even had flexibility.

"For those who have already passed away, nothing can be done, but it should be fine for those who are injured or have lost their strength."

Sedina spoke toward the World Tree.

"Please."

Just uttering those words was enough for the World Tree to respond.

A tree broke through the bottom of the cradle and grew as if fast-forwarding through time.

It instantly grew tall enough to look up to, and bore red fruit on top.

The fruit that grew on the tree was something never seen before, but it had an extraordinarily sweet fragrance.

"Please take one each. These are fruits of the World Tree."

"Fruits of the World Tree?"

Vierano asked in disbelief.

At that intense reaction, Alex couldn't contain his curiosity and asked.

"Is it that amazing? Well, of course it would be amazing with 'World Tree' in the name, but is it something to be that surprised about?"

"For those who aren't elves, it might seem that way."

The one who answered instead was Bellaruna.

Her eyes, gazing at the plump fruit, were filled with a strange heat that seemed dangerous.

"The World Tree's fruit was considered legendary even among elves. If it's considered legendary by elves who have long lifespans, you can imagine how rare it must be, right?"

"...That much?"

"There aren't detailed documents, and it only exists in ancient classic stories, but it's said that eating it heals all wounds, removes bodily toxins, and extends lifespan. Whether it actually does that, or if it's exaggerated, I'm not sure...but at least there's no harm in eating it."

"It's on par with the elixir that appears only in legends."

Sedina made such fruits grow abundantly around them.

The group each picked a fruit and bit into it.

"...It's delicious."

"Oh. It's a taste I've never had before, how fascinating. Strength is filling my body."

The World Tree's fruit was comparable to the finest cuisine.

Even without any preparation or cooking, it drew admiration, and the foggy head became instantly clear but the efficacy of this fruit didn't stop at just 'delicious'.

All minor wounds in the body were healed instantly.

Even large wounds that should have left scars were cleanly healed as if time had been reversed.

Especially Hans, who had used his body most roughly, became so energetic he could fly through the sky, along with the powerful recovery ability unique to heroes.

The same was true for Rudger.

'Amazing. All the mana I consumed has been replenished.'

The headache and slight ringing in his ears had all disappeared.

This would normally require consuming several mana recovery potions.

Yet it was completely resolved by just one bite of the fruit.

The powerful life energy circulating throughout the body remained in the body, bringing the physical condition to its optimal state.

'Moreover, it not only replenishes mana and heals wounds, but even increases the total amount of mana.'

Rudger checked his body's condition.

The total amount of mana had noticeably increased.

This was very encouraging.

Rudger had been able to increase his mana considerably by consuming elixirs supported by the Roschen family but it was definitely not on par with the World Tree's fruit.

It's not that the elixirs were lacking.

It's just that the World Tree's fruit was too exceptional.

'To think my total mana has doubled from before entering the forest.'

Saying it doubled is understating it; compared to before taking the elixirs, it was close to a 3-4 times increase.

Moreover, the mana paths became much more refined.

It felt like beyond repairing what were already decent roads, they had been completely rebuilt.

When circulating mana in the body, it felt much stronger and easier than before.

Wound healing, stamina replenishment, toxin removal, and mana increase.

It was a treasure of the century that far surpassed the level of top-grade elixirs.

'Magicians would come running with fire in their eyes if they knew.'

It's too exceptional, that's why it's dangerous.

If rumors about the World Tree's fruit reach people's ears, the Forest of Life would once again face invasion from outside forces.

Alex, Hans, and Bellaruna also recognized this severity.

They exchanged glances and nodded.

Let's keep this absolutely secret.

Rudger glanced at Luther.

Luther too was looking at the fruit with surprised eyes after taking a bite.

After eating the fruit completely, Luther looked at Rudger and shook his head.

It was a gesture saying not to worry, he wouldn't tell either.

Luther too had felt amazed at the efficacy of the World Tree's fruit and realized that if this leaked out, the world would fall into chaos.

If outsiders invaded the elves' forest, who knew what the newly stabilized World Tree would do.

It had to be kept secret to prevent the seeds of chaos from devouring the Empire.

'Sedina created that with just a single word.'

Sedina's actions didn't stop there.

When she once again 'asked' something of the World Tree, it responded by moving.

Unlike when it was rampaging due to Ventmin, it was different.

Just quietly, as if this was its original form, gentle vibrations spread throughout the forest.

After a clear wind blew once, spirits appeared everywhere with sparkling light.

The spirits wandering around the World Tree stabilized the ruined terrain and decomposed the collapsed castle wall debris, returning it to nature.

Eventually, trees began to grow here and there, creating small forests.

Seeing plants blooming among the ruins, Rudger called Sedina's name.

"Sedina."

"Ah, teacher."

"That ability...did you awaken it just now?"

"Yes. I think it's because of my awareness of my bloodline. I seemed to hear some kind of voice before, but now I can hear it much more clearly."

Come to think of it, the plants Sedina grew in the teaching assistant's room had always grown particularly well.

Rudger asked Ambella while looking at her.

"Are all members of the Plante family like that?"

"...The Plante I knew wasn't quite at that level."

It seemed Sedina was a particularly unique case.

Was it a mutation due to mixed blood, or perhaps the manifestation of a distant ancestor's recessive genes?

Whatever the reason, that wasn't what was important.

"This is essentially at the level of deserving a Colour title."

The level of being able to handle living trees with one's will.

Sedina had become what magicians call a [Green] magician.

Since elemental colors like green were particularly rare, the color title had been vacant, so this should be definitive.

'A green magician who can empathize with the World Tree.'

Having fought against part of the World Tree's power, he could better understand how amazing the power Sedina had awakened was, that's why he was worried.

That small girl had suddenly gained such power.

Too great a power sometimes becomes an excessively cruel fate.

Yes.

Just like himself.

"Sedina."

Rudger called Sedina's name again.

His voice carried concern for the other person that couldn't be seen normally.

Instead of answering, Sedina shook her head with smiling eyes as if she understood his thoughts well.

"Let's think about resting first. You worked hard today, didn't you?"

"..."

"Others will think the same."

"...Indeed."

They certainly had fought a brutal battle.

The elves who had evacuated would return, and until then, they needed to clean up the surrounding ruins as much as possible.

The World Tree would handle that process anyway.

"Since you're watching, why don't you help a little?"

Rudger directed his gaze downward.

He hadn't said this much hoping for help.

If anything, it was a light complaint.

The one who had confirmed the World Tree had calmed down might have already left for somewhere else.

Since an elemental lord was such a high-dimensional being, it couldn't be evaluated by human standards.

-Grrrr.

But as if responding to Rudger's words, a small tremor was felt from underground.

At that response, Rudger smiled wryly.

At the same time, the collapsed earth was compacting itself and returning to its original state as if it were alive and moving.

The split ground was being sealed, and the distorted geological layers were finding their original places.

The scattered soil materials everywhere seeped back underground as if time were being reversed.

It was work that would have taken at least several years of restoration.

That sight caused by a single being could be called nothing less than a miracle.

"Right. This much is better than nothing."

-Woong.

As if not very pleased with Rudger's answer, another rumble transmitted from underground.

Meaning this much help should be enough.

Of course, Rudger lightly ignored it.

* * *

The surviving group returned to Dentis territory.

The vassals rejoiced and celebrated the return of their lord and the group.

"No matter how many times I see it, it really looks like a giant broccoli."

"Be quiet."

Rudger reprimanded Hans' comment about the Dentis family mansion.

Hans shrugged his shoulders saying he understood.

"Ho. So this is the mansion where those elves live? Just as I imagined."

Among the returning personnel were Robert, who had brought the airship, and his vice captain.

Thanks to Rudger summoning Pascha, they had barely managed to preserve their lives.

'Pascha.'

Rudger recalled the spirit stone that had returned to its red stone form.

Having exhausted its power after the intense activity, it had fallen back into sleep but once awakened, it could be called out anytime if desired.

'I thought I'd never be able to handle spirits in my lifetime.'

While it was the elven kingdom they came to for Sedina's sake, there were many gains in various ways.

They consumed precious elixirs and even the legendary World Tree fruit.

Moreover, they built amicable relations with the elves and even created the spirit Pascha from Quasimodo's spirit stone.

Considering the arduous process, the rewards felt appropriately matched.

"By the way, has that person left?"

Hans asked Rudger.

Though he said 'that person', there was only one person absent here, Luther Wardot.

Having confirmed this civil war had ended, he returned to the Empire.

Seeing him disappear like a mirage just as he had appeared made one wonder if it had been a dream or reality.

"Probably. He was an uninvited guest from the start anyway."

"Actually, weren't we uninvited too?"

"It's fine now since we've been invited."

At Rudger's words, Hans chuckled saying that's true.

The group rested while receiving intense hospitality.

Especially Hans, Alex, and Bellaruna, who had worked particularly hard, all fell asleep immediately without exception.

Rudger also rested in his separately assigned room.

Since sleep wouldn't come, Rudger stood on the wooden terrace quietly gazing outside.

By now night had fallen on the Forest of Life, which was faintly glowing with starlight and firefly light.

Most had fallen asleep, but even at night the forest continued its life activities in different ways.

It was a world that kept living and breathing without stopping.

Perhaps because his mind had found peace, Rudger didn't particularly push away the emotions that were welling up for no reason.

-Knock knock.

Then someone knocked on the door.

As if he had known all along they would come like this, Rudger opened his mouth.

"Come in."

The one who opened the door and entered was Sedina.

"So. Why did you come looking for me?"

"...There's something I want to say."