Yes!
Guh!
You're done.

　The wooden sword in Frey's hand snapped against the young female knight's side. With that, Hilda, the referee, ended the mock battle between the two of them.

''Ah, I guess we didn't win...''
Frey, you're amazing. You're such a little girl.
As expected of His Majesty's relatives...

　A sigh escapes from the other female knights who were supporting their colleague. Yeah, it looks like Frey is a gold-ranked adventurer (in the future, that is). There's no way he's easily defeated by those knights.

''Ehehe. I won. But sister, your right leg was moving weirdly from halfway through. Did you twist it?
'What?　Ah, yes. When I almost did a lower level slash earlier...

　The female knight of the opponent raises her right leg slightly and moves it lightly as if checking for pain.

　Heal him up!
Yeah.

　When I released 【Cure Heel】 towards the female knight, the female knight bowed obediently, as if she was afraid.
　Well, you're using the king in a messy way, after all. That's awkward. The one using it is actually a princess, though.
　After the game was over, in no time at all, Frey was surrounded by female knights. In the past few days, Frey has become like a mascot for the knights, especially the female knights.
　Unlike Kuhn, who tends to be holed up in Babylon, Frey seems to like to communicate with others. On top of that, he's friendly, so he's adored.

''Fuyao-sama, your face is grinning at me.
Oh, no.

　Hilda notes and her expression tightens.
　No, I felt kind of happy that my daughter was so popular.
　When I looked at Hilda, who suddenly warned me, she seemed to be trying her best to hold back a face that looked like it was about to grin. You can't say that about anyone else........ You're all parent idiots. Is this what they call a similar couple.........
　As I was feeling mixed feelings, the phone in my pocket alerted me to an incoming call. Who's there?
　.........ugh. Should I answer this or not........ I hesitated a bit when I saw the name of the call displayed, but I couldn't not answer it, so I pressed the answer button.

'Yes, hello....'
"Good to see you looking so well, Your Majesty, King Brunhild!
'You look like you're doing well for nothing too...'

　I take the phone away from my ear a bit, somewhat cringing at the ridiculously high tension in my voice. The voice is so loud.
　The caller is Prince Robert of the Kingdom of Panachez. He's also known as the Prince of Pumpkin Pants.
　He's also the master of the blue crown, "Distortion Brau".
　I've met this guy a few times, but he's just so excited and over-acting that it's mentally exhausting to be with him. Even on the phone, his power is undiminished. I think I can understand why the other crown masters are annoyed with him.

'So, what do you want?'
"Oh, yes. "As a matter of fact, there's someone here who'd like to meet His Majesty the King. His Majesty the King of Leah.
Rare Kingdom?

　The Rare Kingdom is......... As I recall, it's a country that floats in the north of the western continent. It's an island nation that's symmetrical with the former surface world's Parelius Kingdom that was once warded off. It's northwest across the ocean from the Panachez Kingdom.

"You want me to meet the King of Rhea Kingdom?
''Yes. It's just that this whole 'Holy Tree' thing.

　The Holy Tree. In order to purify the 'divine and demonic poison' spread by the evil gods, I planted a large tree with purification capabilities in the center of the Demoncraft Kingdom of Isengard.
　What's the kingdom of Rhea talking about the Holy Tree?
　Well, I don't mind meeting them, so I'll set a date and time and agree to it for now.
　I'm sure Lea Kingdom was a lush green kingdom ruled by an elven king. It's probably a place like the Great Tree Sea Area over here.
　I haven't heard of any bad reputation, so I think it's safe to meet them. I've heard that the Rare Kingdom only has diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Lefan to the southwest and the Kingdom of Panachez to the southeast. The ice country of Zardonia, which is directly south, was in a state of conflict with the neighboring fire country of Dauburn until just recently.
　It's widely known that I planted the sacred tree, so they probably came to me through our diplomatic relations with Panachez.
　Anyway, you'll understand when you get there.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　In addition to me, Yumina and Lean will be accompanying me to the Rare Kingdom. Yumina can help me in many ways diplomatically, and Lean is used to negotiating with the multitude of races. She's also a diplomatic ambassador for the Mismid to begin with.
　That's fine, though........

The Kingdom of Rhea is a country where many ruins lie dormant, and a number of ancient aircraft used in the past warfare have been unearthed there. Your father may possibly be able to find some special parts or golems that you haven't seen yet.
Kuhn, you're... We're not going out for fun, are we?
'I know, Mother. I wish I could find you 'while' diplomacy.

　Kuhn smiles wickedly at Lean, who blames him by blotting out a dumb tone.
　When I said I was going to the Rare Kingdom, Kuhn also begged me to accompany him. After all, he had met His Majesty the King of the Rare Kingdom before. Of course, it was in the future.

'Are you ready?　Then, Blau, open it up.

　When Robert said that, the blue golem by his side spun his held out hand around.
　As soon as I thought that the landscape around me was distorted languidly, the distortion slowly begins to return. The blue crown, the ability of the 'Distortion Blau', [Spatial Distortion].
　The green world was spread out there, where the distortion had completely returned.
　Is this the royal capital of the Rare Kingdom, Fern? Since it is the royal capital, various buildings are lined up, showing the aspect of a city, but in any case, there is a lot of greenery everywhere. It's as if the capital is spread out in the forest. The streets are full of energy and smiles as people come and go.

''There are a lot of elves, after all.''

　Looking at the people walking down the street, Yumina let out that impression.
　There are certainly a lot of them. It's not just elves, of course, there are also humans, beastmen, and the dragon race called Dragon Newt here, but it looks like there are a lot of elves as well. At a glance, the ratio is something like 7:3.

''I've heard that other races have moved in for hundreds of years, but the Kingdom of Rhea is originally the land of the elves. Basically, important positions in the country are held by elves as well.

　After hearing Kuhn's explanation, it made sense. The elves are the people of the forest. The appearance of this lush green royal capital must have been designed with that intention in mind.
　At the end of the straight street, I could see the royal castle towering over the forest in the background. Is that the Elf King's castle? Behind it, there is a huge tree just as big. It's huge.

Then, gentlemen!　We must head for the castle!　His Majesty, Leah, awaits us...

　Just when I thought it was about time, Prince Robert batted!　And collapses and starts snoring.
　Forced sleep. That's the price of using the blue crown's ability. It's a long way from Brunhild to the Kingdom of Rhea. I'll be sleeping for a while, this.
　I could have gotten the memories of the Rhea Kingdom from Robert [Recall] and I could have connected the [Gate], but Kuhn insisted on seeing Blau's [Spatial Distortion] once.
　Robert was also taken along for the ride, and he said he was going to take me to the Lea Kingdom with 【Spatial Distortion】 on his own. Well, the knights of the Panachez Kingdom were with me, so I thought I didn't have to take care of him even if he fell asleep, so I left him alone.
　The knights of Panachez carried the fallen Robert on their backs as if they were familiar with him, and we were about to head to the royal castle of the Kingdom of Rhea together, when a golem carriage came in front of us and slowly stopped.

You must be His Royal Highness Robert of Panachez and His Majesty King Brunhild. We are here to receive you from the Royal Palace.

　An elven man gets out of a carriage that looks like a microbus, pulled not by a horse but by a crawling golems. He is a young man of early twenty years of age with long blonde hair tied back. He's wearing white gloves and a black butler's uniform, but I guess he's a royal family decree. I feel like I'm too young, but it doesn't matter if I'm an elf.
　As I was thinking about this, a coon behind me, and with a curt pull on my sleeve. Hm?　What's going on?

Father. That's the Elf King of the Kingdom of Rhea.
What?

　I return my gaze to the elven youth who got out of the carriage at Kuhn's suggestion. Eh, this guy is the king!　Then why are you wearing a butler's uniform?

'Maybe he wanted to surprise me later by revealing his identity. He's the king of pranksters.
He's a pain in the ass.

　Lean, who had been listening to Kuhn's words with him, gave a small sigh and shook his head.
　I wonder if it's just a prank. Or maybe they are trying to find out what kind of person we are in person.
　The elves are very cautious, and many of them do not show their true feelings. They may appear to be friendly on the surface, but they don't seem to have forgiven each other. Is it better to pretend that they don't realize it?

Did you need something?
"No. It's a great honor to be greeted by His Majesty himself. But it's a very different experience for you to be dressed as a steward, isn't it? I'm surprised.

　Lean's words, released with a smile, startled the young man in the butler's uniform with his eyes wide open. Sheesh. My wife was as much of a prankster as I am........
　The elf youth who had been showing a surprised face for a while, started to laugh a small laugh and lightly raised his hands.

''Well, well, well........ I came at the right time when His Highness Robert fell asleep, but it seems that it was in vain. How did you know?''
His Majesty's unconcealed elegance, shall we say.

　Leanne replies, but it's a lie. My daughter from the future told me about it.

'I'm not going to let that stuff go, though. Anyway, welcome to the Kingdom of Rhea. I'm Irvin Leawind, King of the Kingdom of Rhea.
My name is Lin Mochizuki, Fifth Queen of Brunhild. And this is...
My name is Fuyu Mochizuki, King of Brunhild.
This is Yumina Mochizuki, First Queen of Brunhild.

　Since she married me, Leanne and the rest of the family also married into the Mochizuki family. At the same time, she is also the Queen of Brunhild, so Brunhild is also a family name.
　It seems that it is not necessary to use either name in this area. There are quite a few royal families that don't have a country name in their family name.
　So, in the case of Lean, it's both Mochizuki Lean and Lean Brunhild. Also, Yumina is both Yumina Mochizuki and Yumina Brunhild.
　Well, I'm not going to call myself Fuyao-Brunnhild. It's a bad pun.

''How is your daughter?
'It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty King Rhea. I am Mochizuki Koon, a member of your royal family. I have requested His Majesty to accompany you to the forest kingdom of Rhea.

　Coon picks at the edge of her skirt and greets her with curtesy. It's quite a wanderer. I'm a princess, so you are indeed educated in that area.

The actuality of this is that it's not just a matter of time before you get a glimpse of the green crown "Grand Grün" that Her Majesty has.
Haha. So you're a Grün rather than me. Hey, you know what the little lady says?

　When the Elf King called out, the upper half of the large golem tied to the carriage, from its chest to its face, slid back with a bang.
　And just as I thought a small hand came out of it, a plane very similar to the blue golem next to it appeared in front of us.
　Just like the previous "Crown", it has a small three-headed body with a greenish color scheme.
　Compared to the past "Crown" models, this one has a more feminine feel to it. The parts that look like a heat sink extending from the back of her head look like a ponytail, and her body is also more rounded. The parts of the waist also look like a skirt.
　Whether or not the Golems have a gender or not, it's clear that some of them have a feminine personality, depending on the Q crystals they carry. The same is true of Engineer Elka's cat-shaped Golem, 'Bastet'.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. This is the Grand Grün. This is the Grand Grün, my partner for two thousand years.
"Hajime Masite. Crown Series, Format No. CS-06 'Grand Grün' Death

　Oh, the language function seems to be high. Perhaps this golem also has the ability to pay for something as long as it's a crown. As far as the Elf King is concerned, I don't think it's a physical price to pay....
　I suddenly looked to the side and saw Kuhn looking at the green crown with a twinkle in his eye.

''You haven't seen it in the future?''
''Yes. Basically, we can't participate in the World Congress, and His Majesty King Rhea didn't bring Grun with him, either. I've never seen him before, but he's a lovely golem!

　Cute...?　Well, it doesn't look like it, does it?

Anyway, you can get in. I'll take you to the castle. Grün, please.
Copy that.

　Once again, Grun disappeared into the large golems. Golems controlled by golems are a weird feeling. Ah, but our beast-shaped frame gear, overgear, is the same kind of thing.
　The carriage pulled by the golems by the crawler was surprisingly fast. I'm not sure if it's the rubber crawler that's causing the damage on the cobblestones. The inside of the carriage does not shake so much. The carriage is equipped with something like suspension.
　The royal castle of the Rare Kingdom was a fantastic castle. Against the backdrop of a huge, large tree, the white walls of the castle were tangled with trees and thick with ivy, creating an atmosphere that would make you think it was truly a green castle.
　According to him, this castle has been around for four thousand years. It doesn't look that old, perhaps due to the same kind of protective magic that is at work.
　The inside of the castle is also somewhat dated, but it doesn't feel too old.
　We got off the carriage and followed King Rhea and Grün as they walked through the castle, but I had a feeling that their destination was not inside the castle. If we keep going on like this, we'll go through the castle....
　A grin on the face of King Rea. Are you up to something again?
　Eventually, the two knights who were guarding the large Guanyin door at the dead end were pushing it open with all their strength in front of it like a gatekeeper.

''Wa........!
Well...!
Huh....

　Gee, gee, gee, the door that opened was in a forest where the sun was shining through the trees.
　In front of us, the large tree that we had seen in the background of the castle when we came in towered over us.

It's Leawind, the spiritual tree. It's a spiritual tree, the mother tree of the elves, a spiritual tree that was the home of their souls.

　Was it?
　This spirit tree doesn't seem to have a spirit in it like the sacred tree of the Great Sea of Trees, the Great God Tree. I can't say that, but I feel something strange. I can't feel any life force.

''Have you noticed? That's right, this spirit tree has already died out from its life span. Thanks to the magical power left in the tree, it looks like nothing at all, but in a few more months it will begin to die.''

　So. It's a good thing that the trees that have reached the end of their life span can't be revived by recovery magic. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a way to get a good deal more than I'd like. I'm not going to be able to get any more than that.

Lea Wind has done its job. But the spirit tree is a symbol of our country. If we do not do something about it, the people's peace will be disturbed. We must welcome a new sacred tree.
The new spirit tree?
Hmm. I wanted to see King Brunhild about it. The "Holy Tree" of Isengard, which is said to have been created by you. I would like to make it our country's new sacred tree.
You see the Holy Tree?

　The Holy Tree of Isengard. It is a sacred tree that I planted to purify the "divine and demonic poison" that was scattered during the battle against the evil gods.
　However, it's not me who created it, but my uncle Kosuke, the god of agriculture.
　But to make that holy tree the new symbol of this country, you don't mean to tell me that you want me to pull it out of Isengard?

Oh, no, that's not the right word. I'm not asking for the Sacred Tree of Isengard. I'm saying that I want something like that tree.
Oh, that sort of...

　Hmm, that one originally went through some breeding, so the same saplings can be found. In fact, it's in my [Storage].
　What I'm a little hesitant about is that the 'Sacred Tree' is a thing created by an agricultural god. I'm not sure if it's okay for me to give it away without permission.

Please wait a minute. Let me check.

　I say no to King Rhea and call my uncle Kosuke. I'm sorry to say to King Rhea, but if Uncle Kosuke has a difficult time with it, I'll ask him to give up.

''I don't mind. Basically, it was created in a humanized state, so that thing is an earthly object, and it has no special abilities other than purifying the divine and demonic poisons and dirty atmosphere.

　Uncle Kosuke's reply was a simple one. It's so light........ Well, since he says it's good, it's fine.
　Taking out the Holy Tree sapling from 【Storage】, King Rhea took a glance at it and is about to reach out his hand as if he was excited. ''Are you trembling?

"d*mn.........I didn't know it was going to be like this.......!　A sign of nobility that surpasses the spirit tree of the past...!　This is indeed a sacred tree...!　It's as if God is in the house...!

　I'm not sure if I'm exaggerating, but it's definitely sparkly and beautiful. I can't understand it.
　The glitter coming out of these leaves is purified magic element. It's probably taking in dirty air and magic elements from the atmosphere, but it's less than Isengard's. I don't know if this is because it's a sapling or because the air in the Lea Kingdom isn't polluted.
　I handed the Holy Tree sapling to him and the King of Rhea received it reverently.

''Thank you. Our nation can only hope to form a friendship with the Duchy of Brunhild and prosper together.
No, it's nice to meet you too.

　I squeezed the hand King Rhea held out to me firmly. Then he turned and looked up at the huge towering tree.

It is Leahwind, the mother tree that has watched over our country for so long. "Leahwind, the mother tree that has watched over our country for so long. Rest in peace...

　Grün held out his hand towards the spiritual tree. Then a soft green wave of energy was released from Grün's palm straight at the spiritual tree.

''Fuyao-san, the spirit tree...!
Whoa...!

　When I looked up at the spirit tree as Yumina pointed to it, I saw that the spirit tree that was lush and green was about to lose its color in the blink of an eye.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a great deal more out of it. On the contrary, the branches and trunks of the tree were also beginning to shatter. It was as if the giant spirit tree was turning to dust and disappearing.
　Could this be the Crown Ability 《Crown Skill》...!
　On the site where the sacred tree had been completely reduced to dust, King Rhea deftly planted a sapling of the sacred tree.

Inherit the old life, O new life, and awaken to this land. Blessed be the earth!
What?
"Oh, my God!

　At the same time as the King of Rare spun his words, the newly planted holy tree grew in the blink of an eye. What is this........!
　Even while we were in a state of despair, the holy tree was growing fast. Is this also the ability of Grün...!

''This is [Plant Control]........ Not only plants, but even processed wood can be controlled, the green crown, the crown ability of the 'Grand Grun', the 'Golem Skill'.......!

　Kuhn explains to me in surprise. I knew it!　So, does this ability mean that the contractor, the master, has a big price to pay for this...!

Ggh...!

　When I noticed this, King Rhea's pained voice reached my ears. The Holy Tree had already grown to half the size of the original Spirit Tree. The green waves that were emitted from Grun had already stopped.
　King Rhea staggered to his knees on the spot and fell forward as it was.
　The cost of the crown ability can be enough to take a life. ''No way........!

Oh, are you okay?

　I rushed over to him and when I picked him up, I heard the loudest 'guuuuuu.......' belch sound I've ever heard. Eh?
　The Elf King, his eyes going blank, murmurs in a snatched voice.

''I'm hungry, I'm hungry...''

　What's the quid pro quo...?