The unmoved man among men—Nez. Meredith looked at him with a look of pleading for help.

"Just think of them as black sesame seeds. I love black sesame bread."

"No, this guy has gone crazy!"

Nizu's eyes were dead, staring into the distance.

In this way, of course, everyone's leader cannot be excluded.

“Wait, wait! Don’t come over here, wait, please don’t! Nooo ...

That day, the three magicians of the Age of Gods, who had crushed the Demon King's army head-on, now tasted defeat in the face of the black demons.

"Hey~ Chief, I'm here to greet you... Hey, what's going on?"

Bart happened to arrive and saw the miserable state of his companions. Needless to say, his cheeks were stiff and twitching.

Some time passed after that.

"Huh!? Where is this!? I'm a beautiful girl!?"

After coming to his senses, Mireidi showed his confidence in himself.

"Hey, beautiful girl leader (laughing), it's about time you woke up."

"Huh? Weird? Bart?"

Someone pushed his shoulder gently, and Miredy looked to his side and saw the familiar deputy leader.

Incidentally, she confirmed that she was walking normally, with Natsu holding Mei in a princess-style hug beside her. Behind her, the orc warriors followed with suspicious eyes.

"When did you join us? Strange, my memory is a bit hazy... I think I had a nightmare?"

"Ah~ If you don't remember, just forget it. Some things in this world are better forgotten."

“Hey, but…”

Meredith was baffled and looked at Nizu for help.

"Bart is right. Some things in this world are better forgotten... If possible, I'd also like to forget..."

"Is that so? By the way, why did you princess-carry Mei-nee? Cheating on her? Hey, are you trying to cheat on her? I'm going to tell Xiaosi and Xiaoyun~"

Seeing this scene for the first time, Meredith regained her composure a little, and a malicious smile appeared on her face.

However, under normal circumstances, when Suxia's name was mentioned, Natsu would overreact.

"The beastmen are watching, so we can't be too harsh on her. And... this guy has suffered the most, so we should be a little gentle with her."

It was so mature and gentle, but that made it feel strange. Meredith was confused: "...What happened?" Only to hear Mei'er make a "hmm" sound and move her body.

"Hmm~ I think I had a nightmare... Ouch? Natsu-kun? Are you trying to cheat?"

Reacting identically to his sister, Natsu looked tired and casually tossed Mei down.

Mei'er landed on the ground with her nimble body. She seemed to have the same vague memory as Meredith. She only looked around.

"Hmm~ What's going on now?"

"Mei'er, I feel exactly the same as you do, but according to what Bart and Nai-chan said, it would be better not to think about it, okay?"

"What does that mean?"

The two tilted their heads in confusion, and Bart said to them with a wry smile:

"Oh, you're awake too. Let me introduce myself again. I'm Deputy Chief Bart. Welcome to our organization. I'm looking forward to your guidance."

Since he and Natsu had already introduced themselves to each other, he introduced himself again.

After Bart greeted him in a casual tone, Natsu nodded while Mel studied Bart closely.

"Nice to meet you, Bart. I'm Mei'er, and I'm looking forward to your guidance. By the way, how's your matchmaking going? It looks like you have good material, but I heard you're not very popular with women. Is it because of your personality after all?"

"Hey, hey, thank you for your kind greeting. Do you want me to kill you, you bastard?"

A vein popped up on Bart's forehead as Miledy, in perfect harmony, began to pursue him.

"Hey, Bart, Marshall and Michaela are actually getting along really well lately."

"!? Damn it! Damn it! That guy actually ran off! He told me being single was easy, what a traitor! And with Mikaela? Besides having a big appetite, she's a really good woman, and exactly my type! Next time I see him, I'm going to kill him!"

Bart fell to the ground, pounding the ground with his fists. The "Demon-eating Scythe Aegjes" on his back burned with black flames.

It was really ugly for a man over forty to express his jealousy with all his might.

"Ahaha, just as the rumors say, he's an interesting person. Onee-sama really likes him."

"Pfft, you disappeared at the wedding party, so you were the first to be found? Hey, Bart, how are you feeling now? Look, here's a photo of the two of them getting to know each other. How do you feel when you see this photo? Tell me, hahahaha!"

The beautiful women and girls laughed at him, and even the orc warriors looked at him with sympathy. At the same time, the misunderstanding was completely resolved, because the orc warriors all felt the same: Ah, that seaman woman is definitely a companion of these guys, she can't be one of us.

"Just let him go, you two."

Natsu's stomach had been rapidly accumulating damage since the start of the trio's journey, and he persuaded tiredly.

"Bart, Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for us, right? Please introduce her to us quickly."

"Oh, yeah, thank you for helping me out... Hmm? Now that reminds me, I remember the report saying a pair of beautiful sisters were courting you... Huh, so it was just the sympathy of a popular man, you bitch—"

Bart muttered to himself, but heard a voice of absolute zero.

"If you say one more word, I'll let you experience a free fall from 3,000 meters."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry."

Natsu's "Quiet Rage" was indeed terrifying.

Because unnecessary time was wasted, everyone hurried to the capital of the Republic.

In the event of an enemy invasion, the forest lacked paths to prevent them from discovering the direction and location of the capital. However, there were likely signs that the orcs could understand. Miredy and the others took the shortest possible path, and soon came to a massive wall.

Because of the thick fog, it was not clear, but it looked like many huge trees standing closely together, and continuing into the distance.

That was probably the outer wall of the Republic's capital, clearly arranged artificially. Honestly, unless it was Meredi's gravity magic, that scale simply couldn't be humanly created. And the fact that all the giant trees were so similar was truly uncanny.

Under the outer wall of a giant tree whose top cannot be seen, there is an archway in front of Miledi and others.

However, the entrance and exit of the door were made of hundreds of thick branches overlapping each other, completely blocking it off.

After Bart gave the signal, the gate of branches tangled like a thorn bush glowed faintly, and then the branches untangled and retracted into the ground or the surrounding giant trees, opening the way.

The surprise didn't last long. After passing through the gate, Milady and the others were immediately overwhelmed by the scene that came into their sight.

"...Amazing... This is the Republic."

“Oh my…”

"..."

When people are truly moved, they are speechless, and the reactions of Miledi and others prove this.

There was a vast space, without any thick fog, and the air was so fresh that it made people feel comfortable.

Should we call it a treehouse? Here, towering trees so enormous they would be unimaginable in the outside world. From the trees, rising upwards, wooden houses stretch for hundreds of meters.

The thick branches of those enormous trees stretched out in all directions, forming countless corridors in the air. Nestled within the forest, the capital of the Republic was a remarkably three-dimensional city. Perhaps because it was night, illuminated by the multicolored flowers and plants, the entire city resembled a fantasy world.

However, what is truly amazing is what towers over the deepest part of the city.

"That's Daiki Kiriya Otto. Impressed, right?"

Bart puffed out his chest and showed it off as if it were his own.

It is so majestic that one can't help but feel awe.

Reaching a thousand meters in height, towering into the clouds, it was the world's largest tree, so enormous that even from hundreds of meters away, all you could see was a wall. Its branches, shading the sky, were almost as thick as the surrounding giants. The leaves growing on that enormous tree were incredibly lush, visible even from a distance, each leaf so large it could almost envelop a child.

Yet, incredibly, it doesn't feel oppressive at all. Rather, it feels like being enveloped and protected, giving one an unconditional sense of security and a sense of tolerance that's hard to describe.

"The orcs call it the 'Tree of Origin,' and this city is entirely within the branches of that great tree. No, it should be said that the city is built directly beneath the branches."

After hearing Bart's explanation, Miledi and the others finally came to their senses.

Then they realized that they had been surrounded by orc warriors. After entering the city, the orc warriors immediately came to lead the way and monitor them. However, Meredi and the others were completely attracted by the beautiful city and did not notice them at all.

Having said that, the orcs seemed to have a favorable impression of the misconduct of Miledi and others, and each of them puffed out their chests with pride.

Miledi and the others felt a little embarrassed and followed the guide quietly.

Then they came under a big tree.

Looking up, one can see branches arranged in spiral staircases, a skywalk rising up the tree, a pulley elevator, and so on. Furthermore, incredibly, there are several entrances and exits leading into the tree. Furthermore, there are countless small holes, and judging by the light peeking through them, they are most likely windows.

"Could it be inside the tree?"

"That's exactly what's going on. By the way, it's not about hollowing out the tree, you know? I heard that the kings of the Republic, generation after generation, can interfere with the trees to some extent. In other words, if you ask the tree for help, it will create a hollow for you to live in."

"A-a tree is amazing... It feels like it has a will."

"Legend has it that big trees have a will, right? I can't do that now, but a long time ago I heard there was a shrine maiden who could communicate with big trees."

While talking, Miledi and the others used the elevator to ascend to the incredibly large tree.

It was probably about a hundred meters away.

The elevator that Mireidi and others took stopped at a spectacular balcony with beautiful wood carvings.

After handing their weapons to the soldiers waiting there, Meredi and the others advanced through the front passage surrounded by the soldiers.

It seemed that this was the throne room. The space in the tree was surprisingly spacious, and its size was no less than the throne room seen in the Demon King's Castle.

However, this place is far more sacred than the Demon King's Castle. Although it has few decorations, the wood carvings are exquisite and eye-catching.

Inside, the orcs lined up neatly, clearing the central path. Rather than looking like civil servants, there were more military officers with burly builds and sharp eyes, likely to be on guard against Meredith and the others.

In any case, that person is right ahead.

In a place like an altar, formed by a large tree, a woman dressed in pure white and wearing a crown of grass and wood sat on a luxurious throne made of tangled branches. Her beauty was so extraordinary that the eyes could not help but focus on her.

His narrow eyes narrowed, and his emerald pupils looked at Meredith.

The overwhelming majesty and aura shot directly at Milady.

Meredith gasped, almost stopping in her tracks, unable to take her eyes off her. Even so, she reluctantly walked to the designated spot, knelt naturally on one knee, and paid her respects to the young queen.

Bart, Mel, and Niz were also affected by the solemn atmosphere and knelt down to salute. Their position was diagonally behind Meredith, indicating that Meredith was their leader.

She exuded a powerful presence, and even with her long ears, a symbol of the forest people, one couldn't help but believe she might be the incarnation of a tree. She—Her Majesty, the current Queen of the Hartrina Republic—gazed at Meredith for a long moment.

Even though Meredith knelt on one knee, she did not lower her head.

The orcs thought it was disrespectful, and the pressure around them was growing. However, although Meredith felt the pressure, her eyes did not leave the queen.

Because she wanted to see the Queen's emerald eyes, wanted to see her true nature as a human being, wanted to understand the heart of a fellow magician of the Age of Gods.

Moreover, Mireidi also hopes that the queen can see clearly her inner self.

The gazes of the emerald and the sky, the 'Queen of the Sea of ​​Trees' and the 'Liberator Leader', intertwined, reaching a depth known only to them.

Finally, when the Queen remained silent and the people around her began to speak, the Queen seemed to agree with something, her expression turned gentle, and she quietly said:

"Welcome, world rebel. I am the Queen of the Republic, Lutilis Hartrina."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am the leader of the Liberators, Meredi Lessen. I sincerely thank you for allowing us to visit this sacred place."

Mei and Natsu were stunned, their eyes saying, "Eh, honorifics? You must be kidding, right?"

Vaguely sensing their reactions, the corners of Milady's mouth twitched slightly. She wanted to say: "When necessary, I can also behave like a former earl's daughter. It's about time you accepted this fact."

However, to Lutilis, this seemed amusing. She didn't question Meredith's disrespect, but instead covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed sweetly.

"Hehe, it seems like what Bart-sama said is true. You usually seem to be a 'wild girl', right?"

Meredy turned around and glared, while Bart turned his head away.

Meredith sighed and turned back to Lutilis.

"Your Majesty, there's no need to be so subtle. He'll definitely call me a 'brat' or an 'annoying leader', right?"

"Yeah, in fact, he also said that you were being courted by so many men, which made him very jealous."

"What nonsense did he say to Her Majesty the Queen... Our Bart was so rude! On behalf of the organization, I apologize! And it was all a misunderstanding! It was an ugly slander from an unloved uncle!"

"What are you talking about! You always send back reports that you're having a great time, that's the truth, right?"

"What's wrong with a happy report? You're slandering me because of this, ahh, hate it, why don't you understand? This is why you're still single!"

"I'll kill you."

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