"A strange Treant?" Iri asked, somewhat confused.
After Lakyus proposed the true request, Iri and Arshe followed the members of Blue Rose back to their luxurious hotel to discuss.
"Yes, the primary reason we went to E-Rantel before was to investigate the Treant in the forbidden forest southwest of E-Rantel," Lakyus began to explain to Iri.
"A forbidden forest? Is it too dangerous?" Iri wanted to complain, thinking, 'Was the secondary mission just to trick me into coming to the Royal Capital?' But she decided against it; there was no need to bring it up again.
"Yes, originally, deep within that forest, a very terrifying monster was sealed, a monster that even the Thirteen Heroes couldn't defeat back then," Lakyus continued.
"Originally… So that terrifying monster was defeated later, right? Is there still a problem?" By this point, Iri already felt something was amiss. When Lakyus mentioned a monster that even the Thirteen Heroes couldn't defeat, Iri already had a hunch.
"To be precise, that monster disappeared on its own. Before Fei Fei entered that forest to collect precious 'medicinal' materials, almost no one dared to venture into that forest, so there's no way to ascertain when that terrifying monster disappeared," Lakyus continued.
As she spoke, Iri was 100% certain what terrifying monster Lakyus was referring to. Wasn't it just the Demon Tree that Ainz's father had defeated under the guise of training his Guardians? What terrifying monster… It was just trash that Insect Lord Cocytus could one-shot.
"So what happened to that forest? Does it still require Blue Rose to investigate?" Iri asked. The Demon Tree had already been dealt with, so that forest should be safe, right?
"After that terrifying monster disappeared, many Adventurers also began to venture into that area. It was fine at first, but recently, Adventurers have reported seeing tree-like monsters in the depths of the forest. Those monsters attack people on sight, and their strength is very high; many Adventurers have been injured because of them," Lakyus said.
"Uh… the Treant mentioned at first…" Iri muttered. This was strange. Wasn't the Demon Tree already dealt with? How did it reappear?
"Our preliminary judgment is that they are Treants, but from the descriptions of the Adventurers who were attacked, they are not ordinary Treants. So the Adventurer's Guild entrusted us with investigating this. As for the results of the investigation… Tina," Lakyus continued to explain, gesturing for Tina to elaborate.
"I infiltrated the depths of the forest and indeed witnessed many strange Treants. Ordinary Treants are green, but the ones I saw were all black, and they had many tentacles all over their bodies, which was disgusting to look at. I tried to engage a lone Treant, but my equipment couldn't even scratch it, so I had to retreat," Tina explained.
No need to say more, it's undoubtedly the Demon Tree… But, many??? I remember there was only one Demon Tree, and it was super huge. From Tina's description, these sound like smaller versions of the Demon Tree.
"I heard that Theocracy also sent an Expeditionary Force, but they retreated halfway…" Gaguran interjected.
Of course… because they were unlucky enough to run into Shalltear, and Shalltear killed one and crippled another. If it weren't for Falling Beauty of a Nation, they probably would have all been wiped out there.
Uh… So Theocracy brought Falling Beauty of a Nation because they wanted to subdue that Demon Tree! It was their bad luck to run into Shalltear. Iri thought to herself.
"So… is the Adventurer's Guild entrusting us to defeat those strange Treants now?" Iri asked.
"The Adventurer's Guild's request is to investigate, and if possible, to defeat them," Lakyus said.
Lakyus's meaning was clear. Wasn't she just trying to latch onto a strong ally to defeat the Demon Tree?
The Demon Tree should have already been defeated by the Guardians, and even the Treants guarding the seal had been subdued by Nazarick.
Logically, no small Demon Trees should be appearing again, right? This is indeed quite strange, let's go take a look!
It would be good if they could be defeated. It would increase her prestige and earn experience points for casting Ultimate Magic. Why not!
Hmm… Suddenly noticing Irubyue was silent, Iri broke into a cold sweat. Luckily, she realized it early!
"That monster that disappeared before, it must have been the Demon Tree, sigh…" Iri feigned a worried expression and sighed.
"Iri, you know about it?" Lakyus was very surprised.
"I know. When I was still sensible, the Demon Tree was already there. But at that time, the Demon Tree was a protector of the forest. I also went there when I was young. As long as you didn't do anything to destroy the forest, the Demon Tree wouldn't harm people. You could say it was a very kind magical beast. Why did it become like this!" Iri exclaimed.
Of course… all of the above was pure fabrication. That forest was originally not far from Nazarick. If she claimed not to know anything about it, it would inevitably arouse Irubyue's suspicion.
After all, the existence of the Demon Tree could be traced back to the Eight Greed Kings' era, so she had to show that she understood.
And, not only did she have to show understanding, but she also had to take the opportunity to badmouth the Eight Greed Kings! Iri thought to herself.
Looking at Iri's melancholic expression, and recalling Iri's earlier explanation of why Nazarick had sunk underground, the members of Blue Rose almost instantly imagined that the Demon Tree's corruption must be related to the Eight Greed Kings.
"So, Iri, what do you plan to do?" Lakyus asked tentatively.
"Let's go take a look and then decide. If they really attack people on sight, then we'll have no choice but to defeat them," Iri said, while inwardly complaining to Lakyus, 'Aren't you the captain of Blue Rose? Why are you asking for my opinion?'
However, even if Lakyus decided to ignore this request, Iri herself would still investigate. It was indeed strange that the Demon Tree, which should have been defeated by the Nazarick Guardians, suddenly reappeared.
"Then it's decided. Tina, you can rest for this request!" Lakyus said.
"Boss, your resurrection magic and Iri's resurrection magic are not on the same level at all. I'm perfectly fine now; I don't need to rest," Tina retorted, giving Lakyus a glare.
…" Lakyus could only give an awkward laugh. After all, Iri's resurrection was Ultimate Magic! Her own Raise Dead was only a fifth-tier spell; how could it compare?
"Then everyone, please rest well today and tomorrow, and prepare the 'medicines' and tools needed for this request. We will depart the day after tomorrow," Irubyue said.
"Then… I'll go book a room for Iri and her attendant first!" Lakyus said, then stood up and walked out of Blue Rose's private meeting room.
Attendant?? Was she talking about Arshe? Iri turned her head to look at Arshe, only to see the young lady with a subtle expression.
"I'm fine… It's alright," Arshe said, seeing Iri turn to look at her. Based on her understanding of Iri's character, she basically knew what Iri wanted to say, so she decided to clarify before Iri could get angry!
Not to mention that she was originally a member of the Four Strategists Squad, based solely on her strength, she wouldn't even qualify to join the Steel Rank Blue Rose.
Furthermore, her original status was like Iri's slave, it was just that Iri didn't treat her as a slave. Just for this, she was already grateful to Iri. What more could she ask for!
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