Side: Rika
“Is this the Cherry Tree Garden of the Marquisate of Amatista?”
“It’s amazing. It really looks like a forest.”
Ever since April began, I’ve been shuttling between Feel and Memoria. The reason is to cut down cherry trees in the Cherry Tree Garden managed by the Marquisate of Amatista. We start cutting down trees every spring and ship them after proper processing. However, cherry trees are difficult to process, and it requires a lot of effort without a user of Bestowed Magic or Tree Magic. Processed lumber can be worked with Craft Magic without problems, but for some reason, it doesn’t work well with raw lumber. If you try to process it without magic, even high-class individuals can take several days to cut it down. That’s why the Marquisate of Amatista hires users of Tree Magic under favorable conditions. Since my Bestowed Magic is also Tree Magic, I make a point of taking on the cutting work during this time of year.
“Rika, is this okay?”
“Thank you. Yes, this will be sufficient for processing.”
Mana-sama also learned Tree Magic when she evolved into High Class and is helping me, but it’s still difficult work if you’re not used to it. I’ve been doing this for years, so I’m used to it, but Mana-sama is doing it for the first time, so she seemed a little
troubled.
“I was curious about what Tree Magic was, but it can also be used for cutting down trees.”
“It can also promote the growth of trees and heal diseases. Once you get used to it, it can even be used in combat.”
Tree Magic affects plants, so you can scatter leaves or attack with branches and roots. It’s quite a useful spell in forests. Conversely, if there are no plants, it’s useless.
However, the true value of Tree Magic lies in promoting plant growth. When you plant seeds or seedlings of common plants, timber-producing trees, or fruit-bearing plants, and use Tree Magic, they sprout and take root immediately. Depending on the individual, you can harvest fruits in as little as three months, and it takes about the same amount of time to be ready for logging. However, if it’s too fast, the fruit might lack flavor, or the wood might be significantly lacking in strength when logged. Therefore, the Marquisate of Amatista has set standards and manages it strictly. The cherry trees in the Cherry Tree Garden of the Marquisate of Amatista are grown for about three years before being logged.
“It’s truly a major industry. But you and Elisabeth aren’t registered with the Trader’s Guild, are you?”
“That’s right, we aren’t. We could have registered, but the Lord has entrusted us with the management, and it’s also to hire users of Tree Magic.”
“Ah, I see.”
The management of the Cherry Tree Garden is entrusted to the Trader’s Guild, but this is also a continuous request from the Marquis Amatista family, so the Trader’s Guild will not cut corners. If the quality of cherry trees deteriorates due to cutting corners, the Trader in charge will not only not receive compensation but will also be fined, and the Trader’s Guild will lose its credibility. Furthermore, the Trader’s Guild also employs users of Tree Magic, and they could be fired in the worst-case scenario. Therefore, not only the traders who accept the request but also the Trader’s Master in Memoria conduct regular patrols.
“What would happen if I forcefully cut these down?”
“When they first started planting cherry trees, they apparently tested it, but the high-class magic made the inside of the wood rotten, rendering it completely useless.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. So, Yamato-kun would probably have the same result, or possibly worse.”
It’s not a problem *after* they’ve been cut down, though. They believe the roots absorb too much magic power, causing the inside of the trunk to become rotten.
“So, that’s why Craft Magic is difficult to use?”
“That’s said to be a compatibility issue. There is Craft Magic for wood processing, but it requires more of the Crafter’s magic power than usual.”
The Craft Magic called Cutting, which is used for wood processing, can also be applied to logging, but since cherry trees and Fusang trees possess magic power, they consume more magic power than usual. Therefore, for plants that possess magic power like cherry trees and Fusang trees, using Tree Magic is the best approach.
“Plants that possess magic power. So, it’s effective against Treants too?”
“It is effective. I’ve heard that hunters who can use Tree Magic find plant-based monsters very easy to hunt.”
Plant-based monsters are also treated as plants that possess magic power, so Tree Magic can be used to defeat them easily. Since it is a magic that manipulates plants, high-ranking hunters can apparently nullify attacks. It is said that if a G-I rank monster like a Curse Treant appears, they are immediately asked to join the Alliance. Treants have never appeared in the Marquisate of Amatista because it doesn’t have vast forests, but they are not uncommon in Valentia, known as the “Forest Country,” so they occasionally get calls.
“Speaking of Treants, do cherry trees and Fusang trees turn into Treants?”
“No, they don’t. Or rather, Treants grow from a tree called a Treant, so they are different from cherry trees, Fusang trees, cypress, or cedar.”
“Is that so?”
Yamato-kun and Mako are surprised, but many hunters think that way. Among tree monsters, Treants are famous, but their ecology has more unknown aspects than beasts or insect monsters. What is clear is that they are a different kind of tree from existing trees. Treants are monsters, but their bodies are made of wood, so the lumber made from their bodies has strength next to cherry trees and Fusang trees, and is popular as material for bows and staffs. It’s also popular as building material, but it’s not very practical as you’d need at least 10 Treants to build a house. Still, a skilled hunter could gather them on their own, which could lower costs, so that’s a strong point.
“I wish Raus and the others had come too.”
“Raus and Rebecca have finally been permitted to hunt, so it can’t be helped. I feel sorry for Seras and Reina, though even if Carol came.”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
The ones who came to Memoria today are Yamato-kun, his wife, his fiancée, and 11 others including Marisa, Viola, and Eos. Edward-kun, Marina, Fiona, and Fiana are working at Alka, and Camellia is at Feel’s Healer’s Guild as a guard for Lady Apricot. Raus-kun, Rebecca, Carol-san, Seras-sama, and Reina are out hunting in Mylight. Raus-kun and Rebecca, who evolved into Ancient Class at the age of 14, were thoroughly investigated and examined at the Healer’s Guild Headquarters in Float until yesterday, and they always returned to Alka exhausted. Lidia and Ludia also evolved into High Class at a young age, but Sayuri-sama stated that at 16, they were on the verge of adulthood and their bodies were already adult. So, normally, they would be considered adults at 16, but even if their bodies are adult, their minds may not be, so it’s speculated that the year until they turn 17 is a period for them to prepare themselves for adulthood. That’s why 16-year-old Lidia and Ludia experienced no particular pain that incapacitated them when they evolved into High Class. For the same reason, 16-year-old Camellia is also unaffected, and Carol-san will celebrate her birthday next month, after which she will no longer be troubled by growing pains. It will still be difficult for 14-year-old Sir Yuri, Raus-kun, Rebecca, and 15-year-old Aria and Viola for a while longer.
Even evolving into High Class can sometimes be accompanied by pain that incapacitates you, so we don’t know what happens when you evolve into Ancient Class. But Raus-kun and Rebecca have evolved into Ancient Class. This appears to be the first time in recorded history, so there is no information available from the Healer’s Guild, let alone the Priests’ Guild. Therefore, Grand Priests Master Idea-sama also visited the Healer’s Guild and investigated various things for the two of them.
“It seems there isn’t much difference compared to evolving into High Class.”
“That’s what they said. But they mentioned that the intervals between pains seem to be longer, but why is that?”
“Are you aware of the theory that when you evolve into High Class, your body wants to grow, but your magic power tries to suppress it?”
“Yes. My grandmother Sayuri told me about it before.”
“Basically, it’s an extension of that theory. The onset of pain means growth is happening, but because your magic power has become considerably stronger, growth is suppressed.”
“Ah, so that’s how it is. So, does that mean those two won’t grow any further?”
“No, even though the intervals are longer, they will still feel pain, so they will grow, albeit very slowly.”
Mako, who cooperated with the investigation at the Healer’s Guild Headquarters, told us the Headquarters’ views. I see, it is convincing. We don’t know how much their growth rate will slow down, but since there are no precedents, it can’t be helped.
“According to Sayuri-sama’s estimate, the pain will subside when they turn 16, but it will be at least after 20 before they grow to be as mature as an adult. Unaccompanied minors who evolved into High Class usually reached adult comparable appearances around that age, so there’s a possibility they might not reach that until they are around 30.”
That’s quite an uncertain prospect. They can have children once they reach the age of majority, but to reach adulthood with their current appearance and potentially remain looking the same through their twenties, isn’t that rather harsh?
“From a Dragonian perspective, it feels normal, but it’s not normal for others.”
“It’s not a matter of which is correct, as there are differences by race.”
Dragonians grow at a rate of one human year of growth in five years, so their perspective might indeed be similar. Athena, who had looked a little sad, also smiled thanks to Yamato-kun’s follow-up.
“The problem is Seras-sama and Reina. They are still 12 years old, and evolving into High Class carelessly could be even more troublesome for them than for Raus and the others.”
“12 years old is prime growth period.”
Yamato-kun, Prim-san. Seras-sama just celebrated her 13th birthday, you know? Raus-kun and Rebecca also evolved into High Class at 13, didn’t they?
“Ah… was that right?”
“How would I know? That was before we came to Helios Orb.”
Yamato-kun asks Mako, but as she says, he’s asking the wrong person since it was before they came to Helios Orb.
“Raus and Rebecca also evolved at 13, just as Rika said.”
“It feels like quite a while ago, but it hasn’t even been a year yet.”
I believe Raus-kun’s evolution was during the battle against the abnormal species Elephant Boar, and Rebecca’s was in the Solpre Labyrinth. We went to Valentia in September, so it was just half a year ago, not even a full year. After that, many things happened, so it feels like many years ago.
“It was that recent, huh?”
“You’ve been living an intense life, so it’s understandable that it feels that way. So, will Seras and Reina slow down their level-up speed?”
“We will. I need to tell Raus that too.”
“That would be for the best.”
I think Raus-kun understands that too, though.
“Well, since we’ve reached a good point, let’s have lunch.”
“Oh, good.”
“I’m hungry. Though, except for Mana and Rika-san, we were just watching.”
“Only Mana-sama and Rika-sama can use Tree Magic.”
“Carol-san can also use it, but she’s not here today.”
Come to think of it, Carol-san’s Bestowed Magic was also Tree Magic. There are other cherry tree gardens besides Memoria, so if they put out a request, they might be able to do it. There are also many hunters who use Tree Magic, so there are requests at the Hunter’s Guild during this time of year. More importantly, since it’s a direct request from the Lord, they probably won’t complain. If Carol-san comes to Memoria, Raus-kun and the others will likely come too, so they won’t be doing anything that increases their level during that time. I don’t want to push Seras-sama and Reina too hard, so let’s consider that.
