Chapter 2: The Giant Tree of Silence
About two months after the judgment carried out in the audience chamber.
Lydia was seated at a work desk in a space surrounded by wooden walls and greenery.
She carefully tilted a test tube and mixed two liquid solutions together.
Then she dabbed a bit onto her pinky finger and tasted it, and the moment she did, she sprang to her feet and hopped with joy.
“I did it! The salty spice is complete!”
Holding the test tube up to the light, she narrowed her eyes happily and said, “Now I can change the flavor of vegetables!”
Then she suddenly came back to herself, looked around the empty green space, and let out a sigh.
“…It’s already been two months, but I wonder what’s happening over there.”
About two months earlier, the place Lydia visited to hide herself was a forest along the border.
It was an exceptionally deep forest, imbued with strong magical power.
According to Veronica and Gilbard, who came with her, there was a “magic spring” beneath this forest.
“This is the source of the ley lines, the flow of magical power that runs through the entire country.”
After proceeding through the deep forest for a while, the three arrived before a gigantic tree.
Its trunk was unbelievably thick and straight, and it was so tall that its top could not be seen.
‘Amazing, it’s like the World Tree.’
As Lydia stood there staring up at the tree in amazement, Gilbard took out a green key.
When he inserted it at the base of the giant tree, a door appeared where there had been nothing before.
Opening the door and stepping inside, Lydia’s eyes widened.
“Oh my, how wonderful!”
The inside was an open, well-lit, and spacious area.
The interior was wrapped in greenery, with warm-looking furniture and books neatly arranged.
Lydia looked around the room with sparkling eyes.
It looked comfortable, and with so many books, she wouldn’t be bored.
When Gilbard opened another door inside, it led to something like a small field and orchard.
Many trees bearing various kinds of fruit were growing there.
“Since it’s above the magic spring, everything grows well here. You won’t have any trouble with food.”
Lydia plucked an apple and took a bite, her eyes widening in surprise.
It was filled with nectar inside and was sweeter and more delicious than anything she had ever tasted.
At one end, a small spring bubbled up, and its water was more delicious and brimming with power than anything she had ever drunk.
‘What an incredible place.’
She wouldn’t have any trouble living here for about a month, and in fact, it almost seemed enjoyable.
After that, the two helped carry in Lydia’s belongings.
They brought in pharmaceutical books and equipment, her father’s medicine that was said to contain poison, as well as clothes and toiletries.
Then—
“There are magical beasts, and someone might find you. Don’t go outside, okay?”
“Yes, I understand.”
After exchanging those words, Veronica and Gilbard said, “We’ll come back soon,” and left.
After the two departed, Lydia immediately began analyzing the King’s medicine that was said to contain poison.
She identified that it contained a minute amount of a foreign substance.
‘This is less like poison and more like a component that excites the nerves.’
She thought this might be why the King had seemed so agitated.
It might also be causing shallow sleep.
‘But this was clearly added afterward.’
If this component were added during the compounding process, it would be impossible to make this medicine.
It was obviously mixed in later.
‘I’ll have to tell Veronica and the others about this when they come.’
After summarizing her analysis results, she decided to wait for them.
She began living leisurely, reading books and taking care of plants.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been able to relax like this.”
Back when she was in the royal palace, Lydia had been extremely busy.
In addition to her duties as the first princess, she had been occupied with preparing fertilizer for the fields and compounding medicine for her father’s illness.
Before long, small white rabbits and fluffy-tailed squirrels began to visit, though she didn’t know where they came from.
She spent her time petting them and feeding them, cooking, and reading books.
“I wonder if Father’s health is all right. I want to talk to him properly and clear up this misunderstanding soon.”
While worrying about that, she passed her days calmly, thinking the two would come to get her soon.
—
However, even after one week passed, and then two, Veronica and the others did not appear at all.
And then, when a full month had passed, Lydia finally decided that something was wrong and chose to act.
‘I’ll go outside.’
She had listened to the two and stayed quietly inside, but surely it was time to go out.
She changed into clothes suitable for movement, took her magic staff, and stood before the door.
She grabbed the doorknob and slowly tried to turn it—
“Huh?”
She tilted her head.
The doorknob did not move at all.
“What’s going on?”
After that, she tried pushing, pulling, pounding on it, and even blasting it with lightning magic, but the door did not budge.
After continuing to experiment for an hour, she finally sat down on the floor, out of breath.
“It’s no good, it won’t open.”
If the door wouldn’t work, she looked up to see if she could escape from above, but the sky was far overhead, and climbing seemed impossible.
After that, she searched everywhere for another exit.
She searched every possible place, but found nothing.
After half a day passed, she realized the truth.
If the door didn’t open, she couldn’t leave this place.
“If that’s the case…!”
She raised her magic staff toward the wall.
“I’m sorry! Fireball!”
Apologizing to the giant tree, she fired a ball of flame with magic and slammed it into the wall.
For an instant, the wall was scorched, but it quickly repaired itself and returned to normal.
She tried various kinds of magic, but her firepower was insufficient to even make a hole, and any damage was immediately restored.
“This is troubling…”
Lydia sat down.
Climbing up was technically an option, but the height above was so great it disappeared into haze.
If she fell, it would be the end.
“This means I have no choice but to wait for the two of them to come…”
Thinking that, she continued waiting together with the squirrels and rabbits, but even after two months, there was still no word from them.
Lydia picked up a basket woven from tree vines and called out to the squirrels and rabbits.
When she opened the door on the first floor, inside were fruit trees and small fields, all bearing more produce than she had ever seen.
“Just as expected of a place above a magic spring.”
She harvested lettuce for salad from the field and placed it in the basket.
Together with the rabbits and squirrels, she headed to the kitchen.
After making a salad, she took out the test tube containing the salty spice she had made earlier.
“Ta-da! With this, it’s perfect!”
She carried the salad to the table and began eating together with the rabbits and squirrels.
Sprinkling the spice over the salad, Lydia placed one hand against her cheek and sighed blissfully.
“Mmm! The flavor change is amazing!”
After all, variety really is important, she thought, eating with enthusiasm.
When she finished her meal and cleaned up, she looked up at the paper posted on the wall.
She had started marking it since coming here, and it showed that two months had already passed.
‘Did something happen to Veronica and the others…?’
As Lydia worried about that—at that moment.
“Kyuu kyuu!”
A small voice came from near her feet.
When she looked down, there was a small hedgehog there.
“Oh my, what’s wrong?”
When she picked up the hedgehog, the squirrels and rabbits at her feet also began squeaking insistently.
‘What could it be?’
When Lydia crouched down and asked, “What is it?”, one of the rabbits tugged at the hem of her skirt.
As if telling her to follow, it began running while glancing back.
‘Did something happen?’
Carrying the hedgehog and moving together with the animals, Lydia noticed a small hole behind the staircase.
“Oh, so this is how you all were getting in.”
The rabbit twitched its nose insistently, as if trying to tell her something.
Finding it strange, Lydia crouched near the hole.
Slightly above it, she discovered another small opening, just large enough to peer outside.
“Was there a hole like this before?”
Murmuring that, she looked outside—
“…!”
Her eyes widened involuntarily.
There, lying collapsed, was a badly injured boy wearing clothes so tattered she had never seen anything like them before.