ISDM 31

Chapter 31

East Garden.
A deep blue lake and a massive old tree nearby.

“…….”
Standing under the tree, I gazed blankly upward.

“Oh my, why is this old tree so withered?”
Kate looked at the tree, her face full of surprise.

The leaves were blackened and dead, the branches hung limply, dried out and brittle, and even the trunk seemed fragile, ready to crumble.

I quietly hugged the tree.

“Ririn! Why are you crying?”
The maids and Theo approached, gently comforting me as tears streamed down my face.

“It’s… dust got in my eyes… sob.”

“Hmm? Let me see.”
Kate carefully checked my eyes and blew air gently. Theo puckered his lips and pretended to blow as well.

On the day of the march.
My magical power was infinitely insufficient.
I had used the innate magic that flowed through my body, and though I lost some hair because of it, honestly, that alone would not have been enough.

‘It was meant to change the fate of someone who was supposed to die. A simple trade-off wouldn’t even come close.’
I bit my lip tightly.

‘Maybe if I had sacrificed more of my own body, it might have been enough…’

But the tree had told me that would be too dangerous and that I should use its magic instead.
Above all, connecting my magic to the seed inside the magical artifact was extremely difficult.
I was only able to do it thanks to the tree guiding me through its own magic.

“Oh, tree…”
Still, I hadn’t expected…

‘What if I poured all my magic into it?’

Now, I could no longer communicate with this tree that had lost its magic.
Of course, it wasn’t completely dead, so maybe after a very long time it could regain its strength.
But… time flows differently for nature and humans.
We probably won’t meet again.

‘Thank you.’
I wiped the tears streaming down my face.

While Kate and Aisa were distracted by Theo running around, I quietly infused a tiny amount of magic into the tree.
It was just a minuscule amount, barely enough to matter, but it was my way of expressing gratitude and saying goodbye.

‘Thanks to you, I saved Elisa, and in doing so, I achieved one step toward protecting Dad.’

Truly, thank you.
I wiped my tears with a swish of my hand.

‘Now…’
What future should I change next?

“By the way, where did Lord go? I haven’t seen him since morning.”
Kate asked, brushing dirt off Theo’s clothes.

“He probably went to the palace with Ruska. The Fourth Dukes’ Conference is about to take place, after all.”
My head, weighed down with melancholy, lifted slightly at Aisa’s answer.

‘Fourth Dukes’ Conference?’
Why does that sound so familiar?

I moved away from the tree and approached the maids with a swish.

“Oh, right. Since the Autumn Hunting Festival is coming, there will be a lot to discuss.”
“Yeah.”
“Huh? But wasn’t this year’s conference supposed to be hosted by the Summerrain Dukes? Why would our Lord have to be involved?”

“Hey, didn’t you know?”
Aisa lowered her voice.

“The head of that family has been sick for months, so they canceled all official events. The maids from the south said they’re looking for something important or something.”

“Something important to the Dukes… Hmm, could it be a problem with the divine beast?”
“Who knows? I sure don’t.”
“Will the conference be held at our Winterwald estate? If all four Dukes gather here…”

Kate cracked her neck and knuckles with a menacing grin.

“Finally, some action.”

Scary…
I crouched on the dirt floor, piecing together the maids’ talk.

‘Fourth Dukes’ Conference and the Autumn Hunting Festival!’
The Fourth Dukes’ Conference was held annually.
Its main agenda included the status of each family, the Empire’s defense, information on captured magical beasts or labyrinths, and exchanges of intelligence about magical beasts.
Of course, in years when the Empire’s major event, the Hunting Festival, took place, the planning of that festival was also discussed.

‘The Autumn Hunting Festival is still far off, so I’ll set that aside for now.’
I focused on the imminent Fourth Dukes’ Conference.

‘If Kate is right, it won’t be held at Winterwald estate, right?’
I hoped not. Dad absolutely hates crowds!

‘But…’
“It has to happen!”

“Huh? What has to happen, Ririn? A tree fruit?”
Oops, I spoke too loudly.
Embarrassed, I lowered my hands that had instinctively reached toward the tree.

It has to happen. The Fourth Dukes’ Conference.
Here, at Winterwald estate!

‘Because Dad will be in big trouble if this conference happens elsewhere.’

While I rested for a cold, I had a few dreams about the future.
The main focus of this dream was nothing else.

‘Getting caught that there’s a problem with Winterwald’s divine beast!’

I didn’t know much about the divine beast, only basic knowledge.
Dad Alex never told me anything either—he was hiding its true nature, which made sense.

‘Still, I know it’s a massive, incredibly mysterious, ancient tree in the northern Winterwald Duchy.’

I had seen it in the 《Empire Children’s Encyclopedia 101》 Dad bought for me.

‘The divine beast tree, a symbol of God’s blessing… But it’s withering?’

Oh my god, this is terrifying.

‘Anyone can see it has lost God’s blessing!’

Even rolling forward, backward, or scattering seeds, it’s just like an evil family falling from grace!

No, I must stop this.
‘If this gets out, Dad’s family is doomed! A direct path to ruin…’

Direct path… what was I about to say?
‘Because it’s a direct carriage!’
Right?

‘Anyway, the best way to stop this is to hold the conference here. That way, I can act easily.’

Of course, if it doesn’t happen here, I’ll find a way to follow Dad.
Even if the divine beast problem is revealed, the Winterwalds, being a prominent noble family, wouldn’t immediately collapse.
The dream confirmed that too.

In the dream, Kalec threatened to revive the divine beast no matter what.
Still, it marked the start of Winterwald’s decline.
Eventually, the family would be excluded from the Fourth Dukes’ Conference and lose public support, even the Emperor would turn away.
Dream Kalec gradually lost everything.

But.
‘I won’t let that happen!’
I clenched my fists.
‘I’ll protect Dad and our precious family!’

I walked around, thinking about the Fourth Dukes’ Conference and the divine beast.
‘I wish I could meet the divine beast directly.’
Maybe then I could understand why it withers.

But the Winterwald divine beast was far away in the north, so it was impossible for now.

‘Then why doesn’t Dad use my ability? He must know everything by now.’

Even if Alex couldn’t ask openly due to hiding his identity…
‘I could talk to the divine beast for two or three days straight! Doesn’t he understand my ability yet?’

Or maybe… I’m not trustworthy enough to reveal family secrets.
‘Well… that’s fair.’

To the Dad who lost his memory, I’m not really his daughter, just a little girl who has to stay close for circumstances.

‘Ugh… kind of unfair.’

I shook off the sinking feeling and focused back on the solution.
‘First, I need to make sure the divine beast problem isn’t revealed at the conference!’
At least, I must pretend our divine beast is fine.

To do that…
‘I’ll need a garden.’

Suddenly, but that’s part of my plan.
But would Dad allow a fertilized garden in this castle-like estate?

“Ugh. 100% rejection.”

I sympathized with Ruska having to rewrite approval documents every time and walked on thoughtfully.
‘What should I do…’

Perhaps because I was so absorbed in thought, I failed to notice a tree root sticking out in front of me.

“Waaah!”
“Oh my, Ririn!”

Just as I was about to trip and fall, a shadow dashed out and slid in front of me.

“……?”
“……”

The one who threw themselves to stop me from hitting the ground…
was a massive old man.