15. Divine Disease

From the moment the priests first opened their eyes and gained consciousness in this world, Weed had always been there, probably even before they were born. He had existed for an immensely long time.

Weed graciously allowed the priests to establish roots in the fertile land by his side, providing them with a place to live eternally.

When the priests, still inexperienced and young, faced any problems, he silently resolved them. If they returned injured, he would tell them how to treat it, and if someone invaded Lár, he would teach them how to defend.

He illustrated how their bodies were structured, allowing them to develop unique characteristics and enjoy freedom.

Thus, the priests were born in the most blessed place in the world and grew up as the greatest race. Their already blessed bodies continued to grow remarkably by Weed’s side.

The priests of the World Tree planted their roots in this land and lived for a long time, cultivating the forest freely.

In the process, they grew and changed. They rested for a while, falling into a deep sleep, or returned to the land where they were born. They went outside with curiosity or returned tired of the outside world. Even though they were a forest race living eternally, they lived in endless change.

At some point, they realized as they lived. That Weed alone remained unchanged.

Regardless of the changes in the height of the land and changes in the forest’s inhabitants, Weed was always there in the same Lar. He stood still, gazing at the sky, whether the bright sun shone, the refreshing rain watered the earth along with its roots, or the rustling wind tickled its leaves, making waves and sounds in the forest.

Weed always gazed at the sky from one spot. He simply existed in that location as he always did, golden leaves fluttering in place.

He was both the most brilliant golden tree in this world but also the driest tree. Despite bestowing endless and unchanging grace upon this land, he never tasted the happiness derived from his own blessings.

He saw nothing, heard nothing, and felt nothing.

Occasionally, when he expressed his emotions, tears would flow as if the sky were collapsing. The priests of the World Tree were born with special blessings. They were the only ones on this land who knew how to properly repay that favor.

The priests couldn’t bear to see him like this.

One day, one of the priests spoke to it.

“Weed, you shouldn’t be like this.”

“Come over here. Try this on. It suits you well.”

“Taste this. It’s delicious.”

“This is a beautifully crafted gem. Isn’t it lovely?”

“Weed, there are so many wonderful things here.”

The priests spoke to the withering tree, trying to awaken positive emotions. It worked. Weed gradually rediscovered emotions and sometimes even smiled.

It was the priests’ greatest joy, but at the same time, it became their biggest mistake. The more Weed discovered emotions and solved the void of this world, the more his awakened mind began to crumble.

There was only one way to resolve the void of the world.

In this incomplete and unstable world, to fill the lacking parts, the priests enforced unilateral sacrifices from the other side. They opened dimensional gateways without any emotion, offered lives for sacrifice, and sent them into the void.

Although the priests might instinctively feel an affinity toward the lives arriving from higher dimensions, they felt no guilt or sadness throughout the process.

Only questions arose.

‘Why is this world, something so beautiful and perfect, unstable? How does Weed know about it? What meaning does this ritual have?’

Nevertheless, they couldn’t ask.

Before questioning it, Weed’s condition worsened with each ritual.

The Kind Weed, who always watched over, nurtured, and silently stood by the priests, had absorbed everything for the sake of the priests, like his own children. The actions the priests did without knowing anything were likely amplifying the sadness and guilt felt by Weed in his heart.

So, the priests were cautious. Rather than quickly resolving the void to compensate for the mistakes they had made, they widened the cycle of the ritual while observing Weed’s condition.

And that was their second mistake.

In the midst of their hesitation, the void expanded its influence, and Weed took on the beasts and divine disease.

Outwardly, the once brilliant golden leaves of the World Tree fell. The branches that extended enough to touch the ceiling withered. The roots that supported even the hearts of the priests began to decay and crumble.

Faced with a scene where life itself seemed to wither, the priests wept.

So, the priests bet everything on the last remaining void.

They thought that if they could resolve that, it would be the end. Even if Weed refused the final summoning and chose to die, they intended to contest that decision.

When Shin Hana was summoned for the final ritual, Weed expressed anger, insisting that she should be sent back. The priests wondered if they had made another mistake. When they sent the blood of the sacrifice into the void, they were able to momentarily glimpse the brilliant World Tree of the past.

They considered it another success.

When Shin Hana, who was the subject of the ritual Weed rejected, heard and accepted that she would become the sacrifice, they believed everything had ended correctly at that moment.

After talking with him and reaching a compromise to live to some extent, the priests weren’t particularly concerned.

Human lifespan was, at most, around a hundred years.

As long as she didn’t return to the original world, they thought it would be fine to cure her illness and enjoy her human lifespan here. So, even if they didn’t perform the sacrifice ritual immediately, no priest felt dissatisfied.

If she were not human, had a significantly longer lifespan, or had stated that she would return until the end, the priests might have taken a more hard stance. However, as always, the sacrifice ritual was perfect.

There were no issues this time either.

At least until yesterday.

…Until Shin Hana disappeared.

Among the priests currently in Lar, Rutis, who had been with Weed the longest, thought that perhaps summoning Shin Hana was their third mistake.

“…Where, where have you gone?”

“Weed.”

“Did I lack something…?”

“Weed!”

“No one in Lar would lay a hand on her…”

“Weed, we found a trace.”

Only now did Weed regain his composure and turn to Rutis.

Rutis sighed.

Weed, upon seeing Shin Hana had disappeared, especially the fresh bloodstains left behind, froze on the spot.

While the other priests were conducting a separate investigation, Rutis was concerned that the situation might worsen Weed’s condition due to what happened to the sacrifice. Rutis brought Weed back.

After confirming the sacrifice’s absence, Weed did not shed tears. He was relieved that she was not presumed dead. However, Weed remained constantly anxious until the priests mentioned finding a trace, almost as if he were agonizing over the possibility that she might have left of her own accord.

Upon hearing that a trace had been found, Weed set aside his previous anxious demeanor. With regained composure, he stood there with a cold gaze.

“…Did you say you found a trace?”

“Yes, there were signs of a human with a magical tool. It was spatial magic, and it seemed she hadn’t left Lar yet. We can pinpoint her location, and you can go to retrieve her right away.”

“A human…”

Human.

Human.

A human. If she went to a fellow human…

Weed repeated the word ‘human’ several times, seemingly thinking something.

The priests were not accustomed to noticing Weed’s inner thoughts. Weed was also notably awkward in expressing emotions. However, at this moment, Rutis felt a vague idea of what Weed might be thinking.

Therefore, Rutis immediately said what Weed needed to hear.

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