The random characters in the dating sim world are a bit bad.

Louise, who had been waiting under the sacred tree for a long time, walked up to Leon nervously the moment he appeared. Her eyes were filled with fear, like that of an older sister who had promised her brother but failed to keep her promise.

Will my younger brother be angry...?

“Louise, you did a great job this time. Even better than I expected, especially after our troops entered Axel. Because you stepped in in time to calm the people, a lot of casualties were reduced.”

[This...this is...this is my younger brother praising me!]

Hearing Lyon's praise, Louise was momentarily incredulous, standing frozen in place, unsure of what to say.

Seeing this, Leon assumed she was too excited, so he added, "Louise, considering your contribution this time, you are allowed to make one request of me. As long as the request is within reasonable limits, I will be able to fulfill it for you."

"Really...really?"

Hearing about the unexpected joy from Leon, Louise looked at him, somewhat bewildered and confused.

"Of course it's true! Your leader is the bravest, most honest, and youngest knight!"

Lyon said with a smile, then added, "If you haven't made up your mind yet, Louise, then we can talk about it later. I'm not in a hurry."

After Leon finished speaking, Louise nodded slightly, calming her excessive joy, and then walked in front of Leon to introduce him.

“Leon, this is Noelle, the witch chosen by the Sacred Tree.”

At this moment, Noelle, holding the sacred tree sapling in her hands, looked at Leon who appeared before her with three parts doubt, five parts curiosity, and seven parts fear.

“Noel, is that right? Hello, my name is Leon von Bartofart. Thank you so much for removing the shield from the Sacred Tree Sapling. Because of your bravery, the people of Athel suffered far fewer casualties. On behalf of all those who participated in the war, I salute you.”

As he spoke, Lyon raised his hand and bowed to Noelle.

Seeing the head of state bowing to him, Noel was momentarily at a loss for words and wanted to return the greeting in the same way. However, she was actually holding a sapling of the sacred tree in her hands, so she looked somewhat embarrassed.

Fortunately, Marie standing next to her spoke up.

"Noel, just say thank you. Bartofart isn't the kind of person to be stingy."

Upon hearing this, Noelle immediately nodded slightly and said "thank you," then a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

Should I ask or not?

Lyon, who was about to encourage Julius and the others, laughed heartily after noticing Noelle's conflicted expression.

"Noel, please ask whatever questions you have. As the head of state, I have the responsibility and obligation to answer your questions."

"Is it really possible?"

"No problem, Noelle. I won't hold it against you."

After speaking, Noelle took a deep breath and asked the question that had been bothering her.

"Lord Lyon, if we hadn't dismantled the Holy Tree's shield, would Asel have ended up like Rahil?"

After Noelle uttered this bold question, the arena fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at Noelle with utter astonishment.

"team leader?"

"It's alright, Julius. I'll just take this opportunity to share my thoughts with you."

Lyon reached out and stopped Julius, who was about to offer a way out of the topic, then put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Asel, who was now incredibly quiet and harmonious.

"In my original plan, the Holy Republic of Rahil was only intended to kill their followers until they regained their senses. However, I did not expect their church to use a forbidden magic that we had never heard of before, turning those followers into human bombs. For the safety of our soldiers, and in order to further evaluate Rahil, the best course of action is to launch an apocalyptic strike against them."

Lyon paused for a moment, then sighed almost imperceptibly.

"Of course, part of the reason is that they are a theocratic state, and that they want to deter neighboring countries through apocalyptic strikes."

"As for Asel, which Noelle mentioned, that won't happen. However, if you don't turn off the shield, then our attempt to break through the shield will definitely result in some casualties."

"If I encounter any country or region in the future that is in a similar situation to Rahil, I will not hesitate to strike back in the same way."

Lyon calmly recounted everything.

After hearing Lyon's answer, Noelle seemed somewhat unable to accept it.

In fact, it wasn't just Noelle who found it hard to accept; even Marielle and the others found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Alright, now let's talk about your rewards."

Leon, seeing that the group hadn't yet recovered from his words, didn't say much. He simply explained the rewards for them and the promises he had made to Marielle and the others before letting them leave.

Standing behind Lyon, Louise couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache as she watched the scene unfold before her.

[Little brother, you must be feeling really bad, right?]

[Sister, I'll comfort you soon, don't be afraid, little brother.]

Time passed and night fell.

Lyon once again ascended the altar before the sacred tree, his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Lucasion, is the equipment all assembled? Are there any problems?"

"Master, based on our analysis of the Sacred Tree sapling and the similarity between the two, the analytical equipment we brought is working properly. We can begin the analysis in one minute, and the results should be available in about an hour."

A flicker of excitement also flashed in Lucaccion's scarlet electronic eye.

The Sacred Tree, a species not found in its database, capable of absorbing energy wandering the world and combining it into magic stones, and something that can bestow badges with strange powers upon people.

How could it not be exciting?

After all, each time she analyzes something new, it helps Leon, and she herself receives a constant stream of praise and affection from him.

She liked this feeling.

Moreover, she harbored a secret she couldn't tell anyone.

One minute later.

"Master, the analysis experiment on the Sacred Tree can begin."

"I understand. Now, double-check all defenses and weapons to ensure they are functioning properly."

Lyon's expression turned serious as he listened to Lucaccion's voice. He closed the mask of his latest armor and, holding a small shield, watched the sacred tree warily alongside the robots.

Lyon would never consider the sacred tree, which seemed to possess its own consciousness, to be a sacred object.

Leon's interpretation of the Sacred Tree leans more towards it being a being that is a kind of evil god moving towards a Cthulhu-like existence.

"Master, all defensive and offensive measures are functioning normally."

"Very good! Let the experiment begin!"

"Understood, my cautious master."

After joking, Luciano controlled the various instruments to begin working, and countless beams of light shone on the trunk, branches, leaves, and roots of the sacred tree.

At that moment, the residents of Asel saw the light appearing on the sacred tree and took it as a manifestation of the sacred tree, so they all put their hands together in prayer.

"The sacred tree has appeared! The sacred tree has appeared!"

"This must be the sacred tree's instruction to us, Athel!"

"It must be like this!"

"This is the sacred tree showing us that only by obeying this new great one is it right."

For a time, Lyon unintentionally reduced the resistance of the people of Axel because of his actions.

However, Lyon was unaware of these changes.

At that moment, he and Luciano were looking at the structure displayed on the analysis screen with tense expressions.

Name: Sacred Tree

Characteristics: Unknown, under analysis...

Mental state: Monitoring and analysis showed fluctuations in mental state, suggesting possible individual thought disorder.

……

"Master, should we launch an attack on it?"

Luciano, who was familiar with Lyon, noticed Lyon's solemn expression and immediately asked him a question.

"Are our existing spiritual weapons capable of completely erasing the spirit of this sacred tree?"

"Yes, Master. However, the consequence might be the erasure of the sacred tree's characteristics, turning it into just a simple tree."

"Will it affect its use in the preparation of evolution fluid?"

After hearing Luciano's words, Lyon pressed for more information, a conflicted look flashing in his eyes.

Because by monitoring the results of the Sacred Tree seedlings, we can see that the components they contain can be used to produce evolution fluid, as well as for research on the subsequent updates and iterations of the evolution fluid.

Leon was not keen on destroying the sacred tree unless absolutely necessary.

"Master, the components used in the evolution fluid are the cellular components of its own body, and have no effect."

"I understand. Let's begin. Let the cannons of the first-class warships illuminate the entire Sacred Tree!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the people of Asel saw a beam of light pierce the sky and fall upon the sacred tree.

"miracle!"

"This is a miracle!"

"We, Assel, will regain our glory under that great man's leadership!"

"We must cooperate well with that lord, and we must restore Asel's glory."

The people of Azerbaijan were once again excited by what they saw.

The people of Azer were destined to be sleepless that night, having witnessed what appeared to be a miraculous mirror image. However, they were not the only ones unable to sleep.

Louise, who was just appointed as the first commander of Axel today, is also suffering from insomnia.

At this moment, Louise's gaze toward the sacred tree held a mixture of curiosity and worry.

"Little brother, what are you doing?"

Louise, dressed in a thin garment, sat on the bed with her arms wrapped around her straight legs and her head slightly raised, her beautiful eyes sparkling with countless stars.

Ugh.

Looking at the pillar of light appearing outside the window, Louise seemed to hear the voice of her deceased brother.

"Sister, you must live on. Go see what the greatest knight is like for me! And... sister, you must be happy."

The call, neither long nor short, quickly disappeared from her ears. Louise raised her head in surprise, got up and walked to the balcony. She shook her head after looking at the pillar of light that had disappeared at some point.

Am I hallucinating?

"Never mind, I'll just check it before the meeting tomorrow."

"Now we should think carefully about what kind of reward I should get. After all, this is the first reward my brother has ever given me."

As Louise spoke, a smile appeared on her lips, like a mischievous older sister trying to tease her neighbor's younger brother, charming yet gentle.

For a moment, the surrounding lights and cicada chirping fell silent because this smile was too beautiful.

Back in her room, Louise pulled the covers over herself and drifted off to sleep, lost in thought. Two tear tracks gently traced her cheeks, eventually transforming into a sweet smile.

On the altar of the sacred tree.

As Lyon looked at the series of data on the analyzer, a hint of sadness appeared on his resolute face, which had already removed its mask.

Analysis of the death toll: Approximately 630,000.

"Lucasión, I remember the Republic of Assel has been established for less than five thousand years, right?"

"Master, according to historical research, the history of human activity in Athel dates back 4,300 years."

"In four thousand three hundred years, the number of people who were sacrificed reached around six hundred and thirty thousand! It's truly..."

Lyon's voice choked in mid-air as he looked up and saw that the plant had completely lost its spiritual properties and become a simple plant.

“Lucasión, we need to step up our efforts in disseminating science. Let’s start filming students’ social practice and research classes from the first year onwards.”

"Received, master."

Seeing the heartbroken Leon, Luciano agreed and then floated onto Leon's shoulder, silently keeping him company.

Lyon's grief at this moment was not only because of those chosen as sacrifices, but also because of those who died at Rahil's hands.

After all, Leon may have said it lightly, but as a human being with feelings, he would definitely still be sad.

Perhaps some people see Léon as cowardly, but Luciano does not dislike this cowardly side of Léon.

Master, no matter what happens, I will always be with you...