CHAPTER 100 – RESPONSE

Zaza zaza zaza
Riding on Ado’s back, we advance through the huge tree.
Because we have completely lost sight of Virgo, En-san is tracking him with magical power detection ability.

「En-san, how is it? Any reaction?」
「Nu, nu~n. Unno~ Strangely, all signs has been cut off」
「???」
「Deshu?」
「R, really? Is that really true?」
We got uniformly surprised.
En-san himself looks surprised.
He’s tilting his head.
Among us, Aisha is the most surprised.
Maa, she’s finds it that serious.

Rather, huh?
U~n.
That means…
What are we running towards now…

「En-san?」
「Nu~ I could feel it just a little while ago. How~ever, it abruptly vanished nou」
「Strange deshu ne~」
Ado adorably wags her tail.
She’s wagging even while running.
「But, be relieved. I still remember the position where he vanished at」

That’s good~
Relief.
It seems we are not running aimlessly.
「Then, let’s go take a look at the place his presence vanished」
「Nu, right, we may find something. This way」

Zaza zaza zaza
Following after En-san, we run inside the huge tree.
The puddles of sap on the ground and spurting sap from the walls filled the surroundings with a sweet scent.

Zaza zaza zaza
While on Ado’s back…
「This is it」
「Deshudeshu~」
Shushu~ pita
Hearing En-san, Ado stops.

Uo!
Because she stopped so suddenly, my body sways forward, but…
I grasp Ado’s fur and balance, avoiding falling down.
Fuu~
That was close~
With just a bit more inertia, I would get thrown forward.

So.
Surveying the surroundings.
Fumufumu.
It’s really not an unusual place.
It looks like we have arrived at the same place as before.

「En-san, Virgo’s presence got cut off here?」
「Nu, that’s right」
「Nothing’s here deshu ne~」
「Certainly, there’s nothing out of the ordinary」
Ado looks around restlessly.
Aisha also doesn’t see anything.
I’m the same.
It’d be nice if there were marks of a blocked path or something… but there’s nothing.
Magical power is also not floating here for some reason.

U~n.
I wonder.
Did Virgo really disappear here…
He may be just hiding well.
In that case.
「Let’s look around for now. We might find something」
「Deshu ne~」
「Let’s do that」
「Nu, leave it to me」
Sasa sasa
We have decided to split up and search.

I got down from Ado, and stroll around~
The sap is leaking from the walls here and there.
The sweet scent hangs over.
But… there’s nothing special besides that.

Since there’s nothing suspicious, I get the sap on my hands and lick.
Perori
Un… delicious.
It’s mellow and sweet.
It’s wasteful to let all of this sweet liquid leak out.

「?」
I suddenly thought.
Where is this sap coming from?
I know it’s made from sugar during photosynthesis, but…
How does it move around this huge tree?
This is an enormous tree.
Given that most of the water is being drawn from the roots, I wonder how the water is pushed several hundred meters up.

Zubo
I thrust my hand to the place where the sap is leaking from.
I had done something similar in El Jiisan’s garden and at the wyvern’s huge tree.
I thought about trying the same thing here.
In other words, searching around with the flow of the sap.

I concentrate and pour magical power into the sap.
Zuun zuun zuun
I pour more magical power, searching further ahead.
The sap is flowing inside the tree.
There seems to be a constant flow or a momentum.
I pour down, feeling around the downstream.

Zuun zuun zuun
Then… Mumu, a response.
This is… umm… I wonder what?
I have discovered a pool-like place where the sap gathers.
It may be a place that temporarily stores the sap.

Zuun zuun zuun
When I look further…
Un?
Magical power?
No, it seems like accumulated mana.
There’s a place where mana accumulates near the pool of sap.
Should I call it mana pool?

Zuun zuun zuun
Feeling around the mana pool… I sense something different inside.
The mana flows around the room, but one part opposes it.
There’s an outward flow of mana.

Zuun zuun zuun
Following the flow…
It leads to a certain room.
Oh.
This presence.
I sense a familiar presence.
Probably… Virgo…
The presence of Thunder Sword Virgo.
Perhaps…
I might have found it.
Virgo’s whereabouts.

I turn my head while keeping my hand on the wall.
I look at my companions.

「Ado, En-san, Aisha! Over here! Come here!」

When I shout.
Sasa sasa sasa
Everyone gathers.
「What’s the matter deshu ka~?」
「What?」
「Tokukawa, what’s going on?」
Jii~
Jii~
Jii~
Everyone stares at me in wonder.
That’s only natural.
The place I’m at is just an ordinary place.
It’s no different from any other place in the huge tree.
Because I have found something hidden, doesn’t mean I have discovered something.
From an objective point of view, I’m just thrusting my hand into sap.
Perhaps they think that I’m just playing or that my hand is stuck in the wall.
But, it’s actually different.

「I might have found Virgo’s whereabouts」
「I, is that the truth, Tokukawa!」
「As expected of lord」
「Deshudeshu~」
Aisha gets excited.
Chiko and En-san nod fumufumu.
Perhaps they take it for granted.

「Yes. I felt around the flow of sap, discovered a mana pool and found a questionable mana flow. I will convey the place I found to En-san with magical power. Virgo seems to be there. I want En-san to make sure. The place is…」
「Nu, understood. I will check right away」
Peta
En-san touches the wall and closes his eyes.
He’s looking for presences.

Several seconds later.
「Nu. Oh, this is…… fumu, there’s no mistake. It’s that fellow. Virgo」
As expected… I was right.
That presence was Virgo’s.
「But, it’s strange」
「?」
「What deshu ka?」
「The room that fellow is in, I can detect the location, but there’s no path leading there」

I didn’t expect that.
I only followed the flow of mana.

Zuun zuun zuun
I try probing the mana around Virgo, but…
It’s true…
Certainly, there doesn’t seem to be a path.
Rather, I don’t feel anything in the vicinity, just mana.
It feels like there’s just a blank dark space filled with mana.
A strange space.

「As En-san said, there’s nothing around」
「What does that mean…」
「Nu, no idea」
「Deshu ne~ Mystery deshu」
「A pathless room… It sounds like the rumors about the huge trees」
Aisha murmurs.
She might have remembered something.
I’m interested.
「Aisha, what rumor?」
「Yes, it’s just a simple rumor. The rumor states that there are many mysterious rooms in the huge trees. When you enter the room, you will be shown some projection, and you may even receive a present」

Ah.
Which reminds me, Aisha spoke about this before.
tte.
Oi, oi.
Wait, wait.
I have a memory of such room.
At night, I was brought to such room by Pink Usagi-san, and projection was shown to me.
Perhaps.
Is Virgo perhaps in the same room?

「But, if you know the place, couldn’t we just destroy the walls and go?」
「Nu, that might be difficult」
「Deshu? Why deshu?」
「I feel the presence, but I don’t feel anything around. Unlike when magic blocks the way, I feel like there’s no space in the first place. It may be just that the substance is different, but」
「Then… It may be difficult even for En-san to destroy it?」
「Unu. It’s worth trying, but…」
「Deshu ne~ Ado will punch too~」
Ado sticks her hand out in the air and starts shadow boxing.
She’s full of vigor.
The air「Shu」「Shu」sway with Ado’s punches.

「It’s decided then. Why don’t we go to the place closest to the presence first?」
「Right. Then, let’s move out. Ado, please」
「Deshu~」
Powan
Ado transforms to dog mode once again.
I climb on Ado’s back again.
Zaza zaza zaza
We move out.