Academy’s Undercover Professor

What was that?

Chris asked, but neither Rudger nor Belaruna had a good answer.

They didnt know either.

At first, they thought that someone was on the roots, a liberator, a warlock, or both. Given the place, it wouldnt have been surprising to find any of them there but it wasnt a person.

Otherwise, Rudger would have known there were people when he scanned the area with his sound magic. Certainly nothing was detected by the sound waves. It was only the roots of the World Tree. Unless someone saw this coming and hid in advance.

Probably not.

Which meant that the silhouette on that root was not human.

It was watching them warily, but it didnt seem to be moving toward them.

Fortunately, it doesnt seem to be moving, so we can get a little closer and check it out.

Isnt that dangerous?

Its already dangerous since were in here anyway.

Do you think its more dangerous?

We took that into account when we came in.

Well, that makes it even more so.

There were two bickering but unified opinions or three if Belaruna was counted since she was too curious to say no.

Finally, agreeing to take a look, the three of them slowly approached the root.

As they got closer, the blurry image of the root became clearer and they realized the identity of the silhouette near the root.

This is.

Chris trailed off, Rudger narrowed his eyes and Belarunas mouth dropped open.

What she thought was a person was something that had sprouted from the roots.

Calling it a thing was one way to describe it.

It was a human-looking thing, with arms reaching desperately into the air, and even with the knowledge and experience of the three of them, they couldnt quite put their finger on what to call it.

It looks pretty bad, like its trying to pull itself out of the roots.

I agree. That doesnt sound like the norm at all.

It was a root in the shape of a humanoid reaching for the air with no eyes or mouth.

While the two of them were thinking about it, Belaruna watched it with a nonchalant gaze.

Is it okay to touch it? It wont move suddenly, will it?

Are you scared?

What the! I want to be safe, just in case.

Thats not going to happen anyway, because if that thing was going to move, it would have moved in the first place, or it would have moved now that weve approached.

Hmm.

Its your turn from here.

Rudger knew there was nothing he could do now. Hed brought Chris and Belaruna with him because they knew about the World Tree.

Chris was the young master of House Benimore, a venerable magical family with a long history of medicine-making, and Belaruna was an elf who had been cast out of her village, but who knew a thing or two about plants.

Rudger claimed to have some knowledge of medicine, but he fell short in the face of these two. By his own admission, Rudger was inadequate.

Ill make sure the perimeter is secure.

Chris nodded in agreement and moved toward the root of the World Tree. He pulled out the tools he had brought with him and calmly began taking samples of the tree.

Belaruna stroked the surface of the tree, checking here and there.

Then Chris placed his hand on the World Tree and energized it as Rudger watched in awe.

So theres magic like that.

A line of green magic stretched out from the center of Chriss hand, permeating the World Tree. It was an analytical spell used by wizards who specialized in pharmaceuticals.

Rudger had heard of it, but this was the first time hed seen it in action.

It wasnt something he couldnt learn if he tried, but it wasnt very useful, since it was literally just for analyzing the characteristics of plants.

It was up to you to take those features and information and figure out what to do with them. So even if you learned magic, if you had no knowledge of herbs, it was effectively a pearl necklace around a pigs neck.

When he was done analyzing, Chris took his hand away from the root of the World Tree.

Did you find anything?

Chris shook his head, looking a little self-conscious.

Ive gotten a sense of the objects characteristics, but nothing conclusive.

Is that because its not a living thing?

That would be a reason, but someone has deliberately blocked the information.

Rudger asked in surprise.

Is it even possible to block information?

Surprisingly, this is the first time Ive actually seen it happen.

So its not a common occurrence?

Most living things store information in their bodies, like the brain in a human head. Its the same with plants. Its in their roots, and once its there, it stays there, even when the cells die.

I see.

Especially in a plant as large as the Worlds Tree, the amount of information it contains is vast and people like me can read that information.

So its also possible to block it, then?

Yes. Which means theres another expert here besides me.

Rudger had an idea who it was. Probably the biotech warlocks Hans had told him about.

When Rudger laid it out for him, Chris nodded in understanding.

Indeed. Its not impossible if its the biotech warlocks created the chimeras, and Im sure the first chimera they created was mixed with sap from the World Tree.

Then theres nothing else you can find out?

Im afraid thats as far as I can go with my current abilities. Its a shame.

Chris was honest about his shortcomings.

Being stubborn here didnt mean he could do something. This would be the end of his role as an analyst and he was thinking about going back, unless there was more to do.

Hey.

Belaruna, who had just been looking at the World Tree, stood between them like a ghost.

What is it?

I found something.

.

.

At Belarunas words, Rudger and Chris looked at each other at the same time then their gazes snapped back to Belaruna.

What do you mean?

Chris asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

The roots are dead, but theres still a great deal of life inside. Apparently, the warlocks are pulling it out and using it.

Is there more to it than that?

Yes. Theres a human shape sticking out of it, and I dont think its anything ordinary.

Not ordinary?

At Rudgers question, Belaruna nodded, her voice hushed.

Yes. Its something radically different from the World Tree, and I think thats why it was trying to get out like that, because of the repulsive force.

But it didnt come out.

The people who implanted it must have blocked it, but I can see that its still trying to get out.

The three gazes lingered on the human form that had grown at the end of the root. They didnt know what it was, but the idea that it kept trying to escape was eerie.

This is no ordinary thing.

As Rudger thought that, Chris asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

More than that, how did Lady Belaruna know about it?

Lady Belaruna? Now hes adding that modifier to her name.

Well, thats because Im an elf, and elves can communicate with the World Tree and instinctively feel the genetic information of plants.

Even with the information blocked?

Well, normal humans cant do that, but as an elf, I can.

Belaruna nodded in agreement.

She didnt sound like she really meant it, more like she was proud of herself for coming up with a convincing excuse on the fly.

At that, Chris stroked his own chin as if it were odd.

Hmm. From what Ive heard, its not easy to read the information on the World Tree, even for an elf.

What? Who told you that crap.?

I heard it from Mr. Vierano. Do you happen to know Mr. Vierano Dentis?

!

Belarunas reaction to the name was fierce.

It was a name that any elf would recognize. In fact, it was a name that was impossible for an elf to not know.

The Dentis family had long been one of the most powerful elven families.

Rudger sensed something was wrong there.

Wait a minute. Even an elf wasnt allowed to read the information in the World Tree, and even then it was a bit of an overreaction.

Even as he tried to deny it, Rudgers mouth spontaneously formed the words to express his doubts.

No way. Have you been secretly?

!

Belaruna stared at Rudger with wide eyes. She kept her mouth shut, but her body language said it all.

Are you serious?

Belaruna Petana, an eccentric elf who was cast out of the elf village.

At first, Rudger thought she was wandering the streets because she was discriminated against by the elves tight-knit society and intolerance of the strange. But it turns out theres more to the story.

Belaruna had violated a taboo that was not allowed, and for that reason, she was banished from the village.

The taboo of making contact with the World Tree.

Moreover, the contact with the World Tree would not take place in a small village, but in a large elven territory centered on the World Tree.

Contact with the World Tree. Oh, my God, thats it.

Chris nodded in agreement because he too heard stories.

The elves have a hierarchy even within their own society, with strict rules that no one from a powerful family is allowed to touch the World Tree unless they are the caretakers of the central root.

Human scholars have concluded that the World Tree is merely an ancient species of plant that existed long ago. But the elves still revere it, calling it a sacred tree.

Naturally, they were extremely sensitive to the idea of unauthorized persons tampering with it.

They would have understood if Belaruna told them that she was actually from a powerful family and was hiding her identity.

Judging by their cold sweaty reactions, I dont think its anything like that. A common elf, unauthorized, tampered with the World Tree.

Shes more courageous than I thought or did the elves had mercy on her and chased her away?

How many times did you touch the World Tree?

Rudger asked, and Belaruna answered in a small, crawling voice.

Twice.

Not once, twice?

Three times.

Four times.

Was it four times?

Rudger rolled his eyes and even Chris, who would consider Belaruna beautiful even if she was chewing on a bug, was baffled by this.

At this point, he wondered how she was still alive.

Oh, its okay, it was only one time!

.

.

So, to summarize, Belaruna was not kicked out of the elf village for her bizarre tendencies.

She didnt even technically qualify, because she had contacted the World Tree and read its information.

In Earth terms, a common soldier had barged into a highly classified intelligence room in the highest command and read its contents.

Rudger glared at Belaruna intensely with an unspoken pressure as if to ask her why she hadnt told him before.

Belaruna didnt dare to meet his gaze, her shoulders hunching and her head slipping away.

Instead, it was Chris who reacted to Rudgers behavior.

Why are you glaring at her? Lady Belaruna may have done wrong in elven society, but this is the human society, and you have no right to criticize her behavior.

Thats because its none of your business.

With Belaruna in tow, there was no telling when other elves might show up looking for the traitorous elf.

The Black Dawn Society was enough of a headache already, but adding elves to the mix would be quite a hassle.

Hopefully its just a one-time thing, and she just got kicked out.

Given her behavior, it was clear that there was something else she wasnt saying.

Perhaps it was Chriss support that gave her the courage to speak up again.

Youre right, and besides, Im fully remorseful, but the most important thing is the present not the past.

As far as thecontact goes, thats one thing, but what do you make of that thing in there thats trying to get out?

Rudger pointed to the human form protruding from the root.

When Rudger offered to let it go, Belaruna replied, a little excitedly.

Im not sure, but its definitely not ordinary, because even though the World Tree is dead, its life force is incredible, and these tracks show that its trying to get out of it instead of being buried in it.

Do you think its going to move?

Its just a trace, a trace of the power inside trying to get out. Its not going to move.

Then.

Its just a repulsive force, the real thing is still sleeping in the roots of the World Tree, and the Liberation Army and the Warlocks are trying to deal with it.

Rudgers eyes narrowed at the words repulsive force.

Come to think of it, Ive been thinking about something.

What do you mean?

They say there was a power like that before, and it was similarNo, almost identical.

You know what that power is?

Yes.

Belaruna nodded with a heavy face.

Thats, uh, demonic power.

Rudger and Chris gulped at Belarunas words.

Demons, a name that existed only in mythology and was now only a legend.

It was only when Rudger had calmly collected his thoughts that he spoke.

How do you know that? Thats not something youd learn from contacting the World Tree.

.

Belarunas mouth fell open at that question and Rudgers eyes narrowed.

Did you secretly see that, too?

Belarunas cold sweat increased as Rudger groaned to himself.

He called her a World Tree expert, but she was a chronic trespasser.