Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

I’d lost count of how many times I had returned to the Tree of Spirits. It was a massive, ancient tree that was home to the Elves. Just knowing that there was an entire town within it was a testament to its size. Perhaps today will be my last visit to this place.

With those thoughts in mind, I allowed myself a moment to indulge in the fantasy of swirling a glass of wine while petting a cat in the lounge of a luxury hotel. Just like a true villainess! But, of course, there were no luxury hotels in the Tree of Spirits, and, to be honest, I’d never even seen a villainess act that way. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like some kind of mafia boss—though it was just a feeling, nothing more.

Anyway, after leaving the former king on the deserted island, I returned to the cell. My next task was to retrieve the leader’s head. Once I had collected the head, I returned to my room.

Then I summoned a messenger.

“I finished the task. Please tell His Majesty that I would like to request an audience.” I said, delivering the message. All that was left was to wait.

◇◇◇

“Is it true you’ve slain the Beastmen tribe’s leader?”
“Yes, of course. I’ve brought the evidence.”
“Let us see it then.”

(What is this king thinking, inviting me with all of these people here again? He did tell me to bring the head, but why do all these people want to see a head that badly? Maybe the elves are way more dangerous than I thought?!)

Still, I decided not to dwell too deeply on it. After all, meddling with sexual orientations would only get me an earful. I was aware of just how it worked.

Just by asking, you’d be stuck listening to the other person go on and on until they were satisfied. Or that’s what I’d heard. And it would constantly happen. Just for the record, I got this information from the internet, so it was sure to be the truth! In reality, though, I couldn’t confirm it. After all, I was a loner.

“Can I show it here?”
“Yes.”

I asked, trying to stay calm, and the king replied, still insistent on seeing it here.

With no other choice, I took out the head of the Beastmen leader from the bag. The moment I did, the elves around me all went pale. They looked frightened as if they’d just seen a monster.

(Didn’t they like this sort of thing?)

Jokes aside, I had simply brought the head as I’d been told. Why those faces? I guess it’s normal. They don’t listen to what anyone says; hell, they don’t even listen to God. If they did, the world wouldn’t be on the verge of collapse.

“You… What are you planning?”

The onlookers asked, attempting to assert their dominance, but I didn’t care. It was their fault for not knowing the details. I didn’t know whether they knew about the deal, but the king certainly did.

“I’m not planning anything. I formed a contract that stated that I would be allowed to see the spirit of this kingdom as long as I brought the Beastmen tribe leader’s head. I’m just fulfilling my end of the contract. So I brought the head.”
“That is true. But unfortunately, this is not the Beastmen’s lea…”

The king began to speak but then stopped mid-sentence. He looked like he was beginning to suffer. I had expected that he would try to pull something like this, but I was still shocked at the nerve. He didn’t feel even an ounce of guilt.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! What did you do to the king?!”
“I simply used a skill that would guarantee the fulfillment of the contract. This is what happens when one tries to deliberately break the contract. This thing wouldn’t have happened as long as he kept his end of the deal.”

I answered truthfully, but they still glared at me. Maybe they glared precisely because I answered truthfully.

The king, on the other hand, was snorting and trying to fight back. It then struck me that he was indeed a king. One could only be king if they were shameless. However, I did believe one had to pick the time and place for it. If not, they’d end up dead.

“You’re right. That person is the leader. As per our contract, I will take you to see the spirit. That is what you want, no?”
“That’s right.”

He likely chose to take me along because he believed I was powerless, even after seeing the spirit. After all, it was hard to imagine anyone—let alone me—being capable of doing anything about a crystal forged from lost technology.

◇◇◇

After that, the onlookers continued murmuring complaints and questions, but I cut them off with a single line, “If you interfere too much, your king will die.” The room fell silent immediately.

I then followed the king into the barriered area reserved exclusively for the royal family. Three guards came with us. All of them were A-Grade adventurers, and they formed a tight formation around me as we walked. We didn’t exchange a single word—not that I expected us to. The king and I weren’t exactly on friendly terms. If anything, it would’ve been more irritating if he had tried to make small talk.

From a loner’s point of view, being spoken to was a hassle. Honestly, 90% of my current communication skills came from being a Demigod. I didn’t care what people thought of me, so I could speak freely without worrying about awkwardness or slipping up.

As we stepped into the royal space, I felt eyes on me. People cast curious glances, silently wondering, “Who is that?”

I couldn’t blame them. With three elite guards flanking me, I probably looked like someone of equal standing to the royal family. I half-considered saying something audacious like, “I’ll be taking the spirit,” to the sixth prince—if he were here. But he wasn’t. In the end, the elves’ fate would rest on how much they believed my story.

We stopped in front of what looked like the king’s private chambers.

“Wait here a moment,” he said, then stepped inside alone.

I waited silently for a few minutes before he returned and gestured for me to follow. The room I entered was suitably grand for a king. The bed was massive, large enough to fit ten people, draped in a luxurious canopy. Every piece of furniture radiated wealth and refinement.

One section of the wall caught my eye. Behind a gold-framed ornament, there was a staircase.

(So that’s where the mirror was. It’s as big as a door. I’d love to see how he uses it, but I guess I’ll have to put that curiosity aside for now.)

With the king in the lead, we climbed the stairs and emerged into an open space. It reminded me of the place where Lullus had been imprisoned, except this area had no walls—just open air on all four sides. A steady breeze flowed in from every direction, growing stronger the closer we got to the center—to the cage that held the spirit.

“With this, the contract is fulfilled, yes?”
“Yes. But I would like to take a closer look, if you don’t mind.”
“Hmph. Suit yourself.”

With that, the king allowed me to approach the cage. Naturally, the guards trailed behind. Oddly, it felt less like they were guarding me and more like they were mine. Still, I had no doubt they would strike me down the moment I made a wrong move.

I stopped just short of the cage—close enough to touch it. The wind at this distance howled violently, strong enough that any ordinary person would struggle to remain upright. But all four of us were seasoned A-Grade adventurers. None of us so much as flinched. The guards never took their eyes off me.

Still, I knew I had already won the moment I arrived.

“Hey, hey, God. I’m about to release the spirit. Be ready to retrieve it.”
“Hey, hey. Sure thing,” came the lazy, unbothered voice in my head.

I reached into the bag at my waist, pulled out the key to the cage, and tapped it firmly against the lock.

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