We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 1231

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

The entrance to the labyrinth.

“Priscilla-chan, Mei!”

The shocking truth that awaited me and Lord Reed when we burst into the deepest hall of the Treasure Orb Palace!

“Welcome back.”
“Welcome, welcome.”
“Um, welcome back?”
“We’ve been waiting!”
“Nyan.”

There were Priscilla-chan and Mei, Nimia, and Ares-chan, who were happily playing with the owner of the Treasure Orb Palace.

“You know, Mei, you climb from this side.”
“Priscilla Older Sister, it’s difficult.”
“Well then, place your foot on this branch.”
“Thank you!”
“Just a little more, nyan. Do your best, nyan.”
“Go, go!”

The owner of the Treasure Orb Palace is, in other words, the Spirit Tree.
The Spirit Tree, which sprouted within the belly of Kunasha-chan, an Ancient Dragon Species of the鯢 (鯢) dragon, lived alone in the deepest part of the Treasure Orb Palace.
When I first saw it, it was just a tiny sapling, but after playing with Ares-chan for a bit before our farewell, it grew to reach the ceiling of the deepest hall.
Priscilla-chan was climbing the branches of that sacred Spirit Tree. Mei was also chasing after Priscilla-chan, climbing with all her might.
Ares-chan and Nimia were flying by Mei’s side. Were they preparing for any emergencies?

“Nyan.”
“Watching, watching.”

Not only Ares-chan and Nimia, but the Spirit Tree itself was helping Mei.

“Priscilla-chan and Mei are going to be great. Well, putting that aside,”

Priscilla-chan, Mei, and Nimia, who were supposed to have been taken away by the wicked duo, along with Ares-chan as a bonus, were all safe. They seemed to be playing well with the Spirit Tree.
So, that worry was gone, but.

“What happened to Astel and Elin-chan? I can feel their presence from directly below this hall.”

That’s when I asked the Spirit Tree.

“Elnea!”
“My, my, Elnea-boy arrived first, didn’t he?”

It wasn’t long after Lord Reed and I arrived that Mistral and everyone else reached the hall.
And seeing the young girl group playing with the Spirit Tree, they let out a wry smile and a dejected sigh.

“I’m glad Priscilla and the others are safe… or am I?”
“Won’t we be bothering the Spirit Tree?”

Mistral and Ruiseine, despite their concerns, tried to grasp the situation.
However, pushing in the opposite direction of those two were Yufilia and Nina.
And Madrine, who seemed to be tagging along.

“Priscilla-chan, I want to join too.”
“Mei-chan, I want to be included.”
“Grrr, first you need the Spirit Tree’s permission.”
“Older Sisters, Madrine, more importantly, it’s vital not to incur the displeasure of the Ruler of the North Sea!”

Sefina desperately tried to stop the three who were eagerly trying to get involved with the Spirit Tree.

“Hahahaha, this is troublesome.”

Lyra, grabbing my clothes, looked back and forth between the runaway girls who had charged at the Spirit Tree and the Ruler of the North Sea.

“Oh dear, it’s turned into quite a lively scene. This is what I was telling you about before, my family.”

When I apologized for the commotion, the Spirit Tree rustled its branches and leaves in response.

“Everyone, welcome. We were looking forward to it, so it’s fine.”

As the Spirit Tree swayed, Yufilia, Nina, and Madrine, who had leaped onto the trunk, were shaken off.
Mei seemed to have climbed successfully, clinging to a shaking branch next to Priscilla-chan.

“Everyone, I hope you understand, but no misbehavior, okay? Olivia, Mother, are you okay?”
“What a lively family. Come now, Rui Lara-boy, join the group.”

It seemed that everyone’s actions were tolerated.
Instead of getting angry, Olivia even joined in the Spirit Tree climbing.

However, Rui Lara, who was invited by Mother, was in a state of refusal.
He stated that he was a vassal of the Giant Demon Lord and decided to stay back.
That Demon Lord, while everyone else was excited about being in this special place, casually sat down somewhere.
Charlotte was also by the Demon Lord’s side.

“So, you’re saying you’ll relax and I’ll handle the subsequent problems, right?”
“You understand well.”

The remaining problem is precisely Astel and the Puppet King, whom I can feel from below.

After entrusting Mistral and Ruiseine with the Demon Lord’s care, I asked the Spirit Tree anew.

“Hey hey, I think some bad people came here, what happened to them?”

Astel and the Puppet King had kidnapped young girls. But they wouldn’t irresponsibly abandon those young girls and go play around themselves.
So, why were Astel and the Puppet King alone beneath the hall where the Spirit Tree grew?

Priscilla-chan, playing on a branch, answered my question.

“You know, Astel Older Sister and Elin-chan fell into a hole by the Spirit Tree’s trap.”
“A hole!?”

Where in the hall was such a hole?
Not only me, but everyone looked around. But there was no hole to be seen anywhere.

“Bad kids get punished, you know?”

Then, the Spirit Tree cheerfully rustled its leaves.
And suddenly, a vertical hole leading underground opened before my eyes.

“Could it be that you’re creating holes using the same method as making room doors?”
“That’s correct. As a reward, Elnea, I will guide you underground as well.”
“Eh? Ahhhhhh!”

Again, suddenly, and this time beneath my feet, a vertical hole appeared.
Of course, I fell headfirst!

Aren’t only bad kids supposed to fall into holes!?
The Demon Lord said, in response to my scream.

“You are simply immature if you cannot react to sudden situations. Go train underground.”
“Noooooo!”

With a long scream, I fell underground.

“It’s fortunate that the vertical shaft is sloped…”

There was a very thick barrier between the Spirit Tree’s hall and the underground space.
The vertical shaft created within that thick barrier was steep, but it seemed to be a slope.
I slid down the steep slope at high speed.
And the place I arrived at.
It was a mysterious space.

“Tree roots are growing from the ceiling… And it’s very strange that bad people are caught by those tree roots!”
“Hey, don’t just watch idly and help me.”
“Fufu, fufu. I can’t move.”

The underground space was about the same size as the hall above. The walls and ceiling were pearlescent and faintly luminous.
However, the ground was different from the Treasure Orb Palace up until now.

“It’s a good thing my butt didn’t hurt when I fell, thanks to this ground. And judging by the texture and color, I guess the ground is Kunasha-chan’s insides?”
“Hurry up and help me instead of leisurely analyzing!”
“This is troublesome. I can’t escape.”

The ground, which was pink or maybe red, indescribable yet beautiful flesh color, was indeed the inside of Kunasha-chan’s body that we had trodden on before entering the Treasure Orb Palace.

“Could this be the Spirit Tree’s final defense room? When bad guys invade, they drop them here and capture them. Then they get entangled by the roots and slowly consumed. Ha! If the ground is Kunasha-chan, then digestion must be Kunasha-chan’s role? They squeeze the nutrients from their captives and eat them.”
“Gyaaaa, I won’t let myself be eaten!”
“Fufu, fufu. To think I’d fall into such a trap, this is troublesome.”

In my line of sight, the two bad guys, bound by their entire bodies by roots growing from the ceiling, were in trouble.
They desperately tried to break free, but the wriggling roots, as if they had a will of their own, made escape impossible.

“Or rather, aren’t these roots the Spirit Tree’s roots? Since they can shake their branches and leaves, the roots can move freely, right?”

Speaking of which, Michelle and the others were also bound by the Spirit Tree’s roots, I recalled from our previous visit.

“This underground hall is a space where the Spirit Tree’s roots can move freely.”

But it’s a bit lonely that the place where the roots spread is just a large open space?
As I voiced my impression, a voice reached me from overhead.

“There really wasn’t a room there originally. But, bad guys came. Right?”
“I see!”

It seemed the Spirit Tree could freely change the Treasure Orb Palace to protect itself.
Perhaps the room arrangements had changed since our last visit?
Speaking of which, I don’t remember the route from when I was looking for Priscilla-chan and the others.

“I prepared a lot for when Elnea and the others came to visit again.”
“Is that so! Thank you.”

It made me very happy that the Spirit Tree had been looking forward to our return.
Well then, I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations and serve you in various ways. As I showed my enthusiasm, a complaint flew from a little distance away.

“You idiotic Dragon King! You’ve been ignoring us since just now, haven’t you?”
“It’s sad to be neglected, isn’t it?”

The more the two bad guys struggled, the more their entire bodies were restrained by the Spirit Tree’s roots.

“I’m not ignoring you. See, I’m even keeping you in my line of sight.”

However, I only see and pretend not to. If I answered that, they’d just get angry and say, “That’s what’s called ignoring someone.”
Well, it’s true that there’s that perspective.

“But, you know? We were let inside Kunasha-chan’s belly, and if we save someone who’s doing bad things, won’t the Spirit Tree hate us?”

The Spirit Tree rustled its roots and laughed.
And the two bad guys turned pale with despair.

“It’s a misunderstanding. We only granted Priscilla-chan’s wish.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Therefore, we don’t want to be estranged!”

Oh dear, I let out a wry smile.

“When did you make such a devilish contract with Priscilla-chan? People who lie get punished, you know?”

Frankly, I doubt if Priscilla-chan ever made such a promise.
After all, I hadn’t even expected to enter Kunasha-chan’s belly and be invited to the Treasure Orb Palace.
To think that Priscilla-chan had anticipated this and asked Astel and the Puppet King to explore the Treasure Orb Palace is hard to believe.
As expected, the two averted their gazes from me awkwardly.

“Yes, tell the truth. Otherwise, we’ll make you into Spirit Tree nutrients.”
“Waaah, it’s a lie. We were wrong! It was just a momentary impulse.”
“Fufu, fufu. We wanted to explore before everyone else. We apologize.”

Besides, the two looked at each other.

“Being with the Demon Lord all the time, my shoulders get stiff, you know?”
“Being with the Chancellor, you can’t relax, can you?”

Ah, I see.
The four of them are from the same Primogenitor Race, but their positions and abilities are vastly different.
Even Astel and the Puppet King, it seemed, were not good at staying quietly by the side of the Giant Demon Lord and Charlotte.
Surely, these two must have had many difficult experiences in the past as well.

“Well, considering Astel didn’t create any troublesome weapons with Material Creation while captured and resist, and Elin-chan didn’t use her attendant dolls or rampage with puppet strings, it seems they do cherish the Spirit Tree?”
“Do you forgive them?”

The Spirit Tree asked me, and I warned the two, “We’ll forgive you just this once, okay?” And when the two replied earnestly, I asked the Spirit Tree to release them.

“Phew, I never imagined that as soon as I entered the room where the Spirit Tree grew, I’d be dropped into a pitfall.”
“Fufufu, Priscilla-chan, Mei-chan, and Nimia-chan, along with Ares-chan, returned upstairs by themselves, so we were in trouble.”
“As expected of Priscilla-chan!”

It seems that those who rushed into the Spirit Tree’s hall were initially dropped underground equally.
However, Priscilla-chan has Spatial Jump. Ares-chan and Nimia can float and fly.
Therefore, Priscilla-chan and the others, taking Mei with them, escaped from the underground room. Leaving Astel and the Puppet King behind.
Now. What Priscilla-chan’s intention was is unknown, but the young girl group returned to the upper hall and were playing.

“Surely, when they got back upstairs, Priscilla-chan didn’t say ‘Astel and Elin-chan were sacrificed,’ right?”
“Is that your influence?!”
“Was Elnea-sama the root of all evil?”
“No, no, that’s ridiculous.”

Noisy as it is, doesn’t it all work out in the end?
I joined up with the released Astel and the Puppet King and looked up at the steep vertical shaft leading to the upper hall that had opened in the ceiling.

“By the way, how are we going to get back to the upper hall?”
“Just use your Spatial Jump, can’t you?”
“But are you two used to Spatial Jump?”
“Fufu, I wonder?”

Could I fly to the upper hall with Astel and the Puppet King?
As I looked up at the vertical shaft and confirmed the distance, the Demon Lord and Charlotte peered down from the upper hall.

“I heard you. Being with me makes your shoulders stiff, doesn’t it?”
“Being by Your Majesty’s and my side, you couldn’t relax, could you?”

With a smirk, the Demon Lord let out a wicked smile befitting a Demon Lord.

“In that case, you two remain there.”
“Ehhhhh!?”

Before we could protest.
The vertical shaft leading to the upper hall closed before our eyes.

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