"This is... no way... why is this happening?"

　When Ray and Marina, led by Ragdo, head for the World Tree, Marina exclaims unconsciously at some point close to the World Tree.
　Marina is running on top of the rug, despite her immovable dress as a party dress.
　His figure was full of force to be called a war‐torn adventurer.

"I don't see much difference from yesterday, but can I see it from here?"

　Ragdo, who runs next to Marina, shakes his head as he mutters.

"No, usually it's about whether we can understand the world tree or not. However, in Marina's case, the bloodline is originally different. You can feel the world's trees from here as well."
"... of blood,"

　Marina's surname Ariantha passes through Ray's mind.
　I understood that Marina had something to do with her at the time she was given her family name, and I thought that being the granddaughter of an elder in this village, Optis, had something to do with it.
　Looking at Marina's stern profile, Ray is thinking about it, and eventually he reaches under the world tree.
　Some of the dark elves may have already felt something unusual in the world tree. There are several dark elves at the base of the world tree.
　One of them notices the marina running.

"Marina!"

　There was an imploring color in his gaze.
　Why is this happening to the world tree, which should have been treated with magic yesterday?
　an uneasy look without knowing the reason
　Marina, who has reached the roots of the world tree, opens her mouth with a calming smile.

"It's all right. As far as I can see, I'm feeling weak, but yesterday, the day before yesterday, the day before yesterday, you're much better than before, aren't you?"

　Marina herself was not convinced of her words, telling them.
　It's safe to say that today's world trees are better than they used to be.
　But it is precisely because it was yesterday and today.
　It seemed certain that this would weaken tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
　That being the case, we must solve the reasons for the weakening trees in the world.

(Withering the world tree... No, to keep it from dying, it might be something that could be done if the worst Ray tried to put magic into the world tree every day... in other words, it would tie Ray to this settlement.)

　If that happens, Ray will leave this village unless it's too much to say.
　Ray's reluctance to be tied up in one place was evident from his previous relationship.
　And if the village's dark elves interrupt Ray's departure, the village will undoubtedly be engulfed in flames.
　Marina, the guildmaster, knows very well how good Ray is.
　That's because he has the ability to earn the nickname of crimson.
　With that in mind, I certainly don't want the whole village to behave recklessly.

(Well, I don't think I should be so careless about it, since it caused so much trouble in the last disturbance to detect magic.)

　Marina closes her eyes and gently reaches out to the trunk of the world tree, feeling the gaze of those around her.
　Duk-kun, and...
　The first thing that came to my mind was that feeling.
　I feel that magic is flowing regularly, but it's definitely weaker than yesterday.

(If things go on like this, in two months... no, in a month we'll be back to what we were yesterday. But why? The world tree definitely regained its strength yesterday. If that were the case, something should have happened. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

　Open your closed eyes and look around.
　There's nothing unusual about it and it doesn't feel like a monster or something is hiding.
　However, given the fact that the world tree, which had just recovered yesterday, has weakened to this extent, there must have been some factor.

"Marina... How do you like it?"

　One of the Dark Elves nearby asks Marina.
　By opening his closed eyes, he must have already figured out what the world trees are like.

"...I'm definitely weak." I don't know what happened, but if things go on like this, I'll soon run out of magic."
"Well, because yesterday was so..."

　an incredible dark elf
　Others around him looked equally shocked.
　Dark elves are struck by deeper grief, just as they saw the world tree recover yesterday.
　Lift it up and drop it.
　It was just the way it was done.
　Ragdo, who had seen such a group from a distance, considers it dangerous at this rate.
　The fact that the world tree, which is the base of our hearts, has just finished its treatment, is weak again, is certain to be overcome with even greater despair because we thought it had recovered once.
　Having thought that far, Ragdo wonders if this was the enemy's aim from the beginning.

(Enemy... yes, it should be called an enemy.) If the world tree had just weakened, it would have been restored by Ray's magic yesterday. But the fact that it has weakened again in this situation is obviously something that someone has done on purpose.)

　Ragdo, looking at the trunks of the world trees, grimaces sadly.
　Ragdo, like other dark elves, has a strong feeling about world trees.
　It's safe to say that I adore the world trees.
　That's why I can't forgive anyone who manages the world tree.

(No, this is not the time to immerse yourself in your thoughts. We need to prevent everyone from getting upset.)

　Looking around, he opens his mouth to try to figure out how many dark elves look sad.

"You don't have to worry".

　The dark elves look at the sudden reverberation of the voice.
　The one there is a rug.
　With Marina... to be more precise, Ragdo lost a lot of stock in his interaction with Ray, but his words still reached everyone around him.

"In the first place, everyone saw Ray treated the world tree yesterday, but you know, right? Then if Ray treated the world tree, it wouldn't work."

　The words were something Marina never wanted to say.
　The Dark Elves look expectantly at Ray, as if it's going to be Marina's worst development.
　Marina opens her mouth before one of them says anything.

"Wait a minute," I understand Ragdo's offer to have Ray treat the world tree, but that's a little problem."

　The other dark elves look at the word "problem" from Marina's lips.
　Ragdo, who had taken her to the current course of the story, also looked at Marina in question.
　It's only natural. If Ray has a problem recovering the world tree, that is to say, it is highly likely that the world tree will die in earnest if things like this.

"Look, Ray certainly treated the world tree yesterday. This is a fact without doubt."
"Then..."

　Marina interrupts one of the Dark Elf men who almost says something.

"Listen to me till the end," Look? Ray's magic has brought the world tree to a full recovery. However, the act itself must have been a considerable burden on the world tree. Even though I was weak, I was given enough magical powers to make a full recovery at once. If it were only once yesterday, what do you think would happen if it happened again and again?"
"It's... the world tree has been treated..."
"Wait,"

　Another man listening to Marina and the Dark Elf man interrupts as if he had noticed something.

"Do you mean that repeated debilitations and full recovery put a heavy burden on the world tree?"Marina smiles glamorously at the man's words.
　Despite this, the man glances at Marina's smile for a moment, but quickly returns to himself and speaks.

"Isn't it of course good for the world tree that it is burdensome?"
"That's the case," Remember how people who can feel magic reacted to Ray. Put that much magic into the world tree all at once or twice, if you do it over and over again, it could eventually have the worst consequences for the world tree."
"If you water too much, the trees will die..."

　Marina nods back to another Dark Elf muttering.

"Yes, that's the problem, too," Ray's magical powers are normal in quantity and quality... but they're too abnormal compared to our dark elves. I've said it many times, but if you put such magic into it many times, let alone once or twice...."

　Worst of all, the world trees die of too much magic before they weaken.
　The dark elves had stern faces on their faces as they spoke out.
　Watching such a conversation, Ragdo turns his eyes on Marina, though unvoiced.
　What are you going to do with everyone down here?
　Ragdo naturally noticed the problem of having Ray treat the world tree over and over again.
　But... it was still necessary to give hope to everyone now.
　Marina's interference with it makes it difficult to control her inner irritation.

(What are you going to do! If you let everyone down here, it will spread throughout the village!)

　I didn't feel Ragdo's intentions clearly with my eyes, but Marina could still understand what she meant.

"I think it's almost certain that someone is doing something to the world tree. That means we need to do something about it before the world tree is treated. and the world trees won't be weakened any more."
"...but who's going to tell you how they're getting their hands on the world tree? There were a lot of people having a party near here yesterday, so if anyone had done something, you'd have noticed it from the beginning."
"Yes, I've heard about it from Ragdo," But... but we still have to look for the culprits who are putting their hands on the world tree, or else it will only gradually weaken the world tree."

　Marina's assertions were also irreversible.
　If we can't find out what is weakening the world tree here, the world tree will eventually fall ill.
　If that happens, the boundaries of the world trees will naturally disappear.
　We must avoid such a thing at all costs.
　That's to help this village survive... and above all, to help the world tree, which is also their symbol.

"But..."

　The reason why I'm not sure what the man says is because I don't know who is doing anything to the world tree.

"I don't think everyone in this village knows, but Ray is a famous adventurer. At this young age, I'm active as a Rank B adventurer, and I even have a nickname."

　Dark elves in this village knew the nickname.
　The few merchants who do business with this village have heard from adventurers who bring them as bodyguards, and some of the villages have acted as adventurers like marina, albeit like marina.

"Aren't you...?"

　When someone mutters, the voice echoes around.
　Then everyone turns to Ray.
　But there is nothing suspicious about his gaze.
　They knew how magical Ray was if he had the ability to feel the magic, and they saw with their eyes that the rest of us had treated the world tree so quickly that we could only slow the progression of the disease.
　...it's more correct to say that you didn't see exactly the site of the treatment, but that you saw the world tree that had been treated.
　That allowed almost everyone to agree that Ray was a notorious adventurer.
　It may be that they wanted something to be hoped for if they could be done.
　Ray nods slightly and opens his mouth, as everyone around him looks at him.

"The restoration of the world tree is my job. That being the case, I promise to cooperate to the fullest."

　The confident words struck strangely into the minds of the dark elves there.