The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 39



Only Noblemtl

Episode 39. Hatching

“… … !”

Shock spread throughout the room.

The gate was wide open, and everyone in the audience rubbed their eyes and pinched their cheeks in disbelief.

The security spell protecting the tower’s room has been lifted.

I never imagined something like this would be possible.

I hoped it was a mistake.

The scene unfolding before my eyes was an undeniable reality.

‘crazy…….’

Colin swallowed a curse under his breath.

I guessed there would be a way, but I never thought they would do something so absurd.

‘How on earth?’

Even if we caught the warlock, this case was different.

The release of security magic is a complete magical transfer that no other trick can overcome.

As Colin was the disciple of the tower master, he knew some of his secrets.

It would have been impossible without deep knowledge as a magician.

‘You’re a contractor?’

How can a contractor do something that even the magician of the magic tower couldn’t do?

It was something that wouldn’t even make sense as a low-level joke at a drinking party.

“This… this is a scam!”

After a long silence, someone shouted.

It was a word that represented everyone’s feelings.

“fraud?”

“That doesn’t make sense! How can someone who isn’t even a magician of the Magic Tower have such talents!”

“Yeah, there must have been a mistake!”

It was a bad flow.

The moment Colin opened his mouth to calm down the excited crowd.

“……stop.”

The one who put an end to the growing uproar was Derman, who had been the loudest opponent.

“Is the person who disparages and disbelieves even after seeing it with his own eyes really the magician of the Magic Tower?”

“… … .”

The wizards who had been noisily speaking fell silent.

‘He’s an old man who keeps his word, no matter how meticulous he may be.’

When you’re on the opposing side, it’s frustrating to the point of turning your stomach, but when you’re on the same side, there’s no one more reliable than him.

Derman sighed and said, putting an end to all complaints with just one word.

“I’m sorry for causing a commotion.”

“no.”

Allen’s mood was calm throughout.

Come to think of it, he was like that from the beginning.

It was the same when I stepped into the conference room and faced opposition, and when I declared that I would prove my qualifications.

I guess he was confident that he could handle the situation this way from the beginning.

It was clearly a situation that he would have encountered suddenly, but he responded thoroughly as if he had anticipated every situation.

‘What the hell is he doing?’

He was not a person who could be looked down upon just because of his apparent identity as a contractor.

‘Aren’t you a fallen noble, or maybe an elf or someone from the old royal family?’

The caste system has faded a lot compared to the past, but otherwise it would be an unbelievable feat.

‘Or… … was the druid he spoke of related to the magic tower?’

Colin calmed down.

It’s too early to tell.

He was a person who had the ability to maintain friendship by holding on to someone’s trouser leg no matter what.

“Your qualifications have been proven. Since you said what you said, I will take responsibility.”

Derman declared firmly.

Allen proved himself worthy of being treated as a guest at the Magic Tower, even though he was not a wizard.

Any further opposition would be nothing more than a groundless disgrace.

The rest of the elders also admitted defeat, drooling.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“And I know this is a shameless request, but could you tell me how you did it?”

Everyone listened attentively to that question and showed interest.

Allen answered with a slight smile.

“That sounds difficult.”

“Ugh.”

A sigh burst out.

It was an expression of regret that he couldn’t hold back even though he knew he would answer like that.

“If so, do you have the heart to place an enemy on the rooftop?”

It was a huge concession on his part.

An elder who upholds the traditions of the Magic Tower is trying to recruit someone who isn’t even a magician.

It was surprising that the suggestion came from none other than Derman.

“Unfortunately, there is no meaning in the magic tower.”

“hey.”

Even more shocking was Allen’s rejection.

Colin’s small voice gave me a hint, but the answer didn’t change.

He must have known how fortunate it was to have received a direct offer from the Matap Elder, but he was still incredibly presumptuous.

“Of course, I hope to have a good relationship with Matap. The child I adopt will also learn from Matap.”

“I see.”

It was said indirectly that the relationship would not be broken.

And how the Tower can win his favor.

It was a sophisticated transaction that did not lose its dignity.

“… … See you often. Colin!”

“Oh, yes!”

“You will assist me well so that no unnecessary trouble occurs in the tower’s room.”

“All right.”

Liking is liking, and Derman made a clear distinction between public and private.

Colin took Allen to the tower’s room, which he had only been to a few times before.

“Are you really not thinking of coming to the Magic Tower? Now that I think about it, you, not Sage, are the one who will be the one to come to the Magic Tower… … .”

I tried to encourage him a few more times out of regret, but Allen only smiled faintly.

***

The tower master’s residence, which was said to be the highest point of the magic tower, gave the impression of being a typical wizard’s room.

Bookshelves lined the walls, all sorts of documents filled the tables, and an unknown reagent bubbling inside a flask.

The crystal ball alternately illuminated unknown locations, and portraits of past magic tower lords were drawn in the air like holograms.

“Oh my, I need to get things organized.”

Colin grumbled.

What do you mean I know how dirty my room is?

He cleared his throat at my bewildered look and said,

“You can’t touch anything. They’re all enchanted, so if they’re dangerous, you could die… … Um, no.”

As I was talking, I realized what a miracle I had performed.

Colin, who had shortened his speech, went to do his work.

I accepted his concern and stood still, telling him to be quiet.

‘The only thing I can dispel is the security spell protecting the tower’s room.’

The rest is a mess.

Even though I had the knowledge in my head, I didn’t know what kind of hidden magic I would be subjected to since I wasn’t a wizard.

“Where was it?”

I looked around while Colin searched the table.

Memories of visiting this place came flooding back vividly.

Sage, Gallon, and many other troublemakers have often called the Tower Lord to complain.

Thanks to that, even though I wasn’t the owner, I was quite knowledgeable about the structure of this place.

‘Ugh, there’s a lot to take here.’

Cloaks, hoods, wands, reagents, spellbooks, etc.

Each and every one of the beasts worth a thousand pieces of gold wagged their tails right before my eyes.

As they are items of the great wizard, their effects are unparalleled.

Indeed, the description of the item window, as splendid as my memory, tempted me to close my eyes and reach out.

I know what items would be useful to bring.

Colin, who is preoccupied with searching, won’t know.

If you sell your conscience here once… … .

“The World Tree reveals its uncontrollable curiosity.”

In that moment, the world tree took out a book from the bookshelf and opened it.

I’m not asking you to read me a fairy tale.

Since Colin’s search didn’t seem to be ending yet, I joined in on the World Tree’s antics to soothe my worries.

The book covered the common history of the city and the tower.

I was familiar with the history books by reading the game’s settings book, but the things in the Magic Tower were different, as the book was full of unique content.

What caught my attention the most was… … an illustration of a giant tree that appeared out of nowhere.

“… … .”

The extremes of the continent that cities have not explored.

The shape of the giant tree that had taken root here was clearly the World Tree.

The illustration continued on to the other half, but it was too crumbly to be legible, perhaps because it had been worn away over time.

But even the existing half was very suggestive.

‘The World Tree remains in the records of the Magic Tower.’

This is a record that is not found in history books circulating among the public.

This means that the records regarding the World Tree are a secret shared only by a select few, even in the upper echelons of the city.

‘Why was the World Tree recorded? Why was the record hidden?’

Just as I, a veteran, had never heard of the Druid profession, this too must have been a secret hidden within the game.

It was serious information.

Especially the missing half of the illustration… … .

“You were here!”

Just then, a cheering Colin pulled me out of my trance.

The world tree’s attention quickly turned to the wooden doll he was holding up.

The World Tree immediately restored the wooden doll.

“Totem of Stealth

─It is a totem carved from a willow tree.

─It prays to the wind to make the owner’s presence secret.

“Totem of Healing

─It is a totem carved from lacquer tree.

─The medicinal effect permeates the body and amplifies the owner’s regenerative power.

“Trap Totem

─It is a totem carved from a piece of wood.

─It affects the installed terrain and changes it into a trap.

“It’s amazing no matter how much I look at it. The relic recovers its performance just by making contact with this stem.”

Leaving Colin’s admiration behind, I examined the restored totem.

As expected, they were useful effects.

Among them, the trap totem caught my eye.

‘It turns the surrounding area into a trap.’

There were many useful corners depending on how you used it.

Since the material is ordinary wood, there are no electrical signals and no stored magical power.

If you don’t go through the physical verification process, you will be inevitably hit.

In a world where magical engineering is advanced, stereotypes can be fatal.

“Is this all?”

Still, there was a lingering sense of regret.

Totems are useful, of course, but if this is all you can recover as a relic, it’s not much of a return from the ruins.

“No, you have to come with the other one.”

Colin turned further inward.

The place he led was right behind the top’s desk.

It is generally a place to store or display important items.

“This is it.”

The object he was pointing to was a glass tube the size of a hand’s span.

The surface was engraved with local floating magic and shock protection magic.

At least it was magic granted by a master magician.

This must be a case for storing such important items.

I felt my curiosity rising.

What’s stored inside is… … .

“egg?”

“I thought it was a stone, but you hit the nail on the head.”

A bizarre shape with a scale-like surface rather than a smooth oval shape.

At first glance, it had an appearance that could be mistaken for a stone.

Even the texture visible to the eye was similar to rocks or minerals.

Colin was impressed by my insight, but it wasn’t all that impressive.

The fact that I immediately realized that it was an egg was… … It was only my keen eye that came from accumulated experience.

Colin, who mistook it for a rock, was normal.

‘Even if it’s a fantasy world, is there such a thing?’

I’ve caught legendary beasts before, but eggs of this type were unfamiliar to me.

I couldn’t tell if it was a bird, a reptile, or a fish.

If even the Magic Tower, which encompasses the past and present and stores a vast amount of information, didn’t know about it, then it would be like saying everything.

“Have you ever tried to hatch it?”

“Of course. But there was no movement.”

Colin’s mouth was swollen as he recounted the abuse he received from his teacher.

He was basically a very talkative person.

I listened with one ear and let it go out the other, looking closely.

It’s weird.

A sudden sense of foreboding crossed my mind.

‘I think the seeds of the world tree that I stole from the factory were like this too.’

Even I, who is very knowledgeable about plants, couldn’t figure out what kind of plant it was.

It’s the same situation now.

Boom!

It was a moment when I reached out my hand as if I was possessed.

“I feel a strong attraction to the World Tree.”

It’s the same reaction as when you discover the spirit’s cocoon.

This unidentified egg is also a druid relic.

That might have been the hint.

“Do you know what it is?”

“I think I’ll know if I touch it myself.”

“Just wait a minute. I’ll open it now… … .”

Before an excited Colin takes action.

Woohoo!

Suddenly the glass tube vibrated.

As the cracks spread across the surface, the magic circle twisted and the magical power wavered.

I was so surprised that I took a step back.

“I told you to wait, what did you do!”

A terrified Colin pressed me.

But I didn’t do anything.

Before the injustice could be resolved, something unexpected happened.

Clang!

The glass tube shattered and the magic circle lost its effectiveness.

This means that all means of protecting the eggs have disappeared.

If this continues, we’ll end up falling down.

I quickly reached out and grabbed the egg.

‘Ugh.’

Because I grabbed it roughly, the sharp scales pricked my skin.

The blood that flowed out flowed down the groove and stained the surface of the egg.

At the same time, a system message appeared.

“The blood of the Druid resonates!”

“The egg hatches!”

Damn!

“Oh, oh, oh!”

Colin shouted blankly.

I was also greatly shaken.

The scale-like surface of the egg has fallen off.

No, it was hatching.

Soon a fist-sized creature burst through the cracked shell.

Kkaaaak!

An ear-piercing roar.

The sound waves blew away the fluid stuck to the outstretched wings.

Sharp beak and talons that can tear flesh, huge wings that do not match its small body, and feathers with a mysterious green sheen.

“The watchman recognized his master.”

“The Watcher Falcon will forever serve the Druid bloodline as his master.”

It was tied.

According to the system message, a creature called the Watchman Hawk.

“Oh, it hatched, right?”

Phew!

The watchman responded to Colin’s flustered speech with a haughty snort.

***

“The watchman?”

“A creature that serves the master of the druid bloodline.”

The watchman stood on my shoulder with his chest puffed out.

He seems to know that I’m telling him my story.

Does this guy also have high intelligence like the World Tree?

When I stroked its wings, it closed its eyes and rubbed its face against my hand.

‘After plants, there are animals.’

It was unexpected, but not that strange.

Because a Druid’s expertise isn’t limited to just plants.

If we look at the original text, it is closer to a priest who worships Mother Nature.

“Watchman, I have never heard of such a servant… … .”

Me too.

I just recited the description of the system verbatim, so there was nothing more to add.

Kkaaaak!

“Eek.”

As Colin reached out his hand, as if he was jealous of me stroking his wings, the watchman hawk opened its beak and threatened me.

“The watchman’s falcon will not tolerate any hand other than that of its master!”

“Handle with care!”

It’s like it’s written in an instruction manual.

“I guess this thing has no intention of leaving you. Is that what they say when a bird hatches from an egg, it follows the first person it sees?”

“It seems that it is a loyal creature that serves the Druid as its master, and thus refuses to be touched by others.”

“No matter what, if you keep this attitude, you won’t be able to get it back. Biological research isn’t a field for magicians, so I have no intention of keeping you around.”

Colin whined, saying that he wouldn’t blame her, so don’t worry about it.

“Then all the relics taken from the ruins are worthless? I’ve been researching for so long, but I feel empty.”

“… … It’s too bad.”

“It’s okay. Isn’t it better than wasting my entire life without finding a single clue? Thanks to this, I can focus solely on training my disciples, so I feel relieved.”

Colin quickly shook off his foolishness as if he was just looking at the watchman hawk as if he thought it was cute.

“Have you achieved all the goals you set out to accomplish by visiting the Magic Tower?”

“… … I know it may be presumptuous of me to ask you one more thing.”

“Tell me. Since you helped me, I should listen to anything you say.”

In fact, the recovery of the Druid’s relics was just a side quest added along the way.

“I need information about the spring that never dries up.”

The growth of the world tree.

I was going to achieve that here on this tower where I had gained so much.