The four decided to rest Magdalene’s body at the base of the Nebula Tree—now known as the Tree of Remembrance.
With the help of Mathiel’s wisdom, the current Danama sage, they created a system whereby the tree would continue to feed Magdalene with nutrients so that her body would not decay.
“We were all very confused about the village but decided not to do anything about it. We decided to let time and nature take its course. The village used to be located deep in this forest, but naturally, it is no longer in its original state. Honestly, our life was fulfilling as we spread out into the world. After the separation, no one was as attached to the hometown as Magdalene was. Besides, I felt it was in Magdala’s best interest to forsake it. Seeing her lying there, dying, in the center of our pristine village, was terrifying.”
Master shrugs her shoulders as she speaks sadly.
“It’s crazy. I can’t believe I let my precious friend be wrecked like this. Even if it’s my ‘hometown,’ I don’t want it. It shouldn’t happen. I can easily imagine the hurt she will feel when she wakes up, but she should overcome that pain and move on.”
Magdalene was fortunate that her friends were able to rush to the village, which prevented the worst from happening, but if they hadn’t been there, Magdalene would have died.
The ‘in exchange for the future’ is a figure of speech, and in reality, Magdalene was trying to protect the village even at the cost of her own life.
Weighing her life against her abandoned, empty hometown, she chooses the former. No wonder Master calls her ‘abnormal. ‘
It is hard to understand her thoughts about clinging to the hometown where her friends were from rather than the friends themselves. It must have been a place so dear to her heart.
“…So we bid the sleeping Magdalene farewell for a while and returned to our lives. Somewhere along the way, we became known as ‘Sage’ and were asked for help and support from the state and various organizations. And I found myself settled down here in the town of Rendluzska, near the forest where Magdalene sleeps. We would occasionally visit the forest to check on our friend, who lay in the tree of remembrance, as we later named it. But hundreds of years had passed since the catastrophe, and she hadn’t woken up. Then something happened to the forest.”
The scene then shifts again to the past.
The scenery was very similar to where I had been earlier. It was a road near a forest, but the forest had not yet been sealed, and a black mist was rising from the overgrown trees.
This is what the forest looked like during yesterday’s event, which I watched on a video site. Does this mean this view is relatively recent, albeit before the present?
Tefana and her former friends, Giltoa, Clifeus, and Anzelora, are gathered in the forest. They looked puzzled when they saw the forest emitting an ominous atmosphere.
“I never thought the ‘Old Forest’ would become like this….”
“The whole forest is being poisoned…? The tree of remembrance… Magdalene will be safe….”
“Look at these. It’s Mizukage Taija scales. I’m sure it’s caused by these things inhabiting the area. They nest in water sources and invade the water.”
We were relieved when the four of us eventually reached the tree of remembrance.
The tree was in good condition, neither withered nor decayed. On the contrary, with its shining blue fruits, it looked even livelier than usual.
But they were speechless once they reached the underground room where Magdalene’s body was enshrined. The tree’s roots had eroded the life-support system that supplied Magdalene with nutrients.
Her body had vanished from her bed, which was covered with roots.
“The tree ate her….”
Giltoa, who had collapsed to her knees, moaned weakly.
“The tree of remembrance has taken Magdalene’s body to resist the poisonous fog….”
The four of them leave their hometown, which has turned into ‘Sick Forest, ‘ mourning the death of their friend.
—But the tree wasn’t absorbing Magdalene’s body.
Master’s voice echoed, and the scene shifted to a lush, green, stone town. My point of view is following my Master’s figure as she walks through the town.
Suddenly, someone else’s body collides with her shoulder.
“Oops, my bad.”
That someone apologizes in a husky voice.
“It’s fine. My body is unsteady and won’t listen to me. I guess I haven’t been getting enough exercise because I’ve been asleep for quite a while.”
Tefana quickly stopped the woman as she was about to leave, brushing her off aloofly. She then forcibly removed the mask from her.
“Wait, what are you doing? Stop, give it back…!”
The woman’s true face was hidden behind Tefana’s back as she stood in a daze, making it impossible for us to see her face. Judging from Tefana’s reaction, it seems like something more.
Then, a small girl suddenly appeared and looked at them suspiciously.
“What’s wrong, Masquerade-san?”
“This woman suddenly tried to take away my mask…!”
“What? Oh… Tefana-sama? Perhaps you know Masquerade-san?”
The situation becomes clearer as Tefana calms down and interacts with them.
The girl is a gatherer working in the Sick Forest when she finds Magdalene wandering aimlessly. She becomes concerned and tries to ask her if she has any companions, where she came from, where her home is, and many other questions, but she says she cannot answer any of them and does not even know her own name.
Magdalene lost her memory.
“We were looking for someone who knew Masquerade-san in the area and stayed at my house for the time being. Has it been exactly one week or so? Oh, Masquerade-san is a name that I just gave at random. Because she never takes off the mask. She does have a pretty face. But anyway, I’m glad to have found someone who knows her. If it’s Tefana, then I have nothing to worry about.”
Magdalene looked a little uncomfortable, but the girl placed her absolute trust in Tefana, who was a sage. In the end, Magdalene was taken into Tefana’s home.
Master tried to jog Magdalene’s memory by telling her many stories about the old days. But Magdalene says she doesn’t remember anything about her old friend in front of her, the others, the village, or the catastrophe.
Instead, there was a rejection towards several keywords.
One of these was ‘Giltoa’. Whenever Tefana brought up his name and her memories of him, Magdalene always complained of a strong headache.
Then one day, a report came in from an adventurer in the town
“There was something wrong with the Tree of Remembrance.”
******
[Kimakura Utopia. Talk Room (Official)・General]
[Anonymous]
There are 16 Fog Crystals and 4 Star Crystals in the world event and 4 Star Crystals in the expedition field so far,
At this point, the player who owns five high skills tops the list
[Nejiko+]
It’s not fair that you can get crystal in the world event
You can’t bridge the distance between you and the veterans
[Mosha]
It’s funny how newbies feel like they have to catch up with the veterans
[Efy]
Sometimes, the veterans are forced to consume crystals for questionable skills. I don’t think they’ll ever be able to catch up
[Mentai Mayonnaise]
To be honest, it’s the job skills rather than the high skills
[Ying*]
For starters, you want hunting
But when you’ve taken up hunting, you want to dismantle it
Then when the expeditions become more and more fruitful, you start to be interested about gathering
And, strange as it may seem, the production job isn’t no longer something strange
[yuka]
Excuse me, I have a question. Is it possible to PK in this game?
I was attacked by an unknown player on the field just now
[yuka]
Huh? Is it possible that the game got stuck?
[yuka]
Anybody here?
[yuka]
I guess… Is it a bug?