CH 323

Begin mobilizing

Having accepted the request for collecting the ingredients for the soma, I held a strategy meeting with everyone in the Sanctuary mansion.

「Even so, for it to be Soma, what a nostalgic name to come up. Still, if it’s Magic Depletion Disorder then only a Soma or Amrita would work.」

Dryas knew about Magic Depletion Disorder in detail.

Magic Depletion Disorder, as Margrave Volton had explained, was a disease where magic power from the body is depleted, but if more than a certain amount is lost, preserving life would becomes difficult. Margrave Volton was being ambiguous in explaining that part, but it was definitely a life threatening illness.

Incidentally, Dryas mentioned Soma and Amrita. If Amrita was ingested, one would gain a long life, not to the point of immortality but longer than even a High Elf’s. To a normal person, that could only be a curse. Therefore, at present, the only possible choice of medicine for curing Magic Depletion Syndrome was the Soma.

「Dryas, you know about Soma, right?」

「Of course I do. Despite how I seem, I am the Great Spirit that governs over vegetation.」

「The dragon heart could be at the lower levels of the Dragon Dungeon in the Demon Continent, right?」

「I wonder. It would be nice if you could secure the heart like that.」

Akane asked about where to collect one of the ingredients for the Soma, the dragon heart, so that confirmed it. I really should have kept at least one.

「Well, isn’t that good? I think we can go straight down and it wouldn’t take that much time.」

「If it’s Master and Kaede, we’ll be there lickety split.」

Even Akane said it wouldn’t take that much time just going down the floors, and Kaede added on that if it was just her and I, it would be even faster.

Sure, we thoroughly decimated the floors in a search and destroy tactic because our objective was to gather magic stones last time, but if we avoid fights as much as possible, it wouldn’t take that much time to reach the lower floors because we’ve already finished mapping out the dungeon.

「Since that settles the dragon heart, do you think we can get Princess Mimir to sell us the leaves and dew of the World Tree if we ask?」

「Oh? You don’t even have to make your way to the World Tree, the ones from the Spirit Tree are enough.」

When the conversation turned to the materials from the World Tree, Dryas said that even the Spirit Tree would suffice.

「Are they the equal?」

「No.」

「Then wouldn’t the World Tree be better after all?」

「Don’t be in such a rush. When I said no, I meant that they were not equal as the Spirit Tree is better.」

「Eh!? Is that so?」

「I wouldn’t lie.」

Dryas said that the current Spirit Tree wouldn’t lose out in strength to the World Tree. The biggest difference between Yggurle Kingdom’s World Tree and the Sanctuary’s Spirit Tree was that the Great Spirits were here.

「Takumi, even without our influence, this place is clean land which you had scrupulously used purifying devices and purification barriers on, and it’s also affected by the energy of the Earth Vein.」

「Umm, so material-wise, it’s better than the World Tree?」

「Isn’t that why I’ve been saying that?」

It seems the Spirit Tree here in the Sanctuary was more amazing than I had thought.

Additionally, many of the people living in this Sanctuary were virtuous people basically selected by the Great Spirits. Because of that, there wasn’t much miasma born from people’s malice and envy to corrupt this land.

「What. So there’s one ingredient that’s okay already.」

「Leave the leaves and dew to me.」

I decided to leave the Soma ingredients which had initially been the World Tree’s leaves and dew but had been substituted with those of the Spirit Tree to Dryas.

「So we’ll first secure the dragon heart from the Demon Continent, right?」

「Indeed. The Forest of Death will probably take some time, so let’s go to the Dragon Dungeon before that.」

On our search in the Forest of Death, we will leave a marker and teleport back to the mansion to rest instead of camping out. Even so, we can’t predict how many days it would be, so it would be better to put it off.

「Also Takumi, Berkut wants to come with us.」

「Uhh, Akane did you already give the OK?」

「I didn’t give a definitive answer, but I may have said that it’d probably be okay to?」

Hmm, Berkut did accompany us in the last Dragon Dungeon dive, so I think it’s fine if she came along this time too.

「Could it be, do you mean with the Forest of Death?」

「Yeah, it’s also my first time at the Forest of Death, but it’ll be fine if Berkut did too. She also has the spear that you gave, and if you’re still worried, you could give her new armor?」

She has a point. It’s also Akane, Marnie, Laeva, and Lulu-chan’s first time in the Forest of Death……

「Takumi-sama, this is different from before, Titan is here, and so are Gloam and Ferryl. Don’t you think we would be okay?」

「Sophia-san! You can’t forget about Seru-chan!」

「Right. Mhmm, then give Berkut the OK.」

Since even Sophia was saying that our current party would be fine even if we support Berkut, I decided to take her along. Though, naturally, I would need to strengthen her armor.