-Spell! Spell, huh…
When I mentioned the materials needed for the World Tree’s resonance, Frey murmured while stroking her chin.
Ah, of course, in Frey’s now-round face, there was no actual chin.
They were just stroking the area that looked like a chin.
‘Round Frey is cute, too.’
As long as there are no health issues, I thought it’d be cute even if they stayed in that round form forever. Though whether Frey would want that is a different matter.
-There is a strange chant passed down from our ancestors. Could that be the Spell?
“Uh, well. Shall we find out?”
-I’ll try chanting it now.
Frey took a stance and took a deep breath.
Then she began spouting strange words.
-Carried by the eastern winds, the honey is so sweet! The moment you wrap honey strings and place them in your mouth, it’s pure bliss! Surrounded by forgotten flowers and trees, we dance an eternal dance!
“…Isn’t that just listing out things you want, not an actual chant?”
-This is a spell passed down by my ancestors!!
Frey puffed up her cheeks and protested.
Hmm, I should take Frey to the elf city tomorrow and confirm.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
-That’s all!
“I seeee…”
As I scratched my head, Frey shouted confidently.
-I’m certain this must be the Spell! Our ancestors wouldn’t have passed it down for no reason!
“Hmm, okay. But nothing really changes when you say it, does it?”
-Exactly! Shouldn’t something go pop and appear or something?
“Even if you ask me…”
Anyway, since there wasn’t anything else, I said okay and backed off. But Frey, perhaps bored, crawled up onto my shoulder and settled there.
“My shoulder feels heavy.”
-That can’t be!
“I’m joking.”
-Eeeh! That’s too much!
As I bickered with Frey and returned to the slime village, everyone stared wide-eyed at the round object on my shoulder.
“What… is that?”
-What do you mean, ‘what’? I’m Frey!
“Fr-Frey?”
“Frey turned into a ball!”
Ara carefully lifted Frey into her hands.
Then, in a quiet but emphasized tone, she spoke again.
“She’s become a ball.”
-I’m not a ball, Great Lord!
Frey waved her arms up and down while shouting.
And Ryu Cheon simply stared blankly at Frey.
“…Cute.”
Luckily, it seemed Frey’s now-round appearance wasn’t unwelcomed.
“Did you know about the Spell?”
Yu Bihong asked me.
“She was humming something like a song, but I’m not sure if it’s actually Spell. I think we’ll need to go to the elf village tomorrow to find out.”
“I see.”
Since we already had Frey with us, I asked her to chant the spell again.
And so she sang that same strange chant from earlier.
“I really can’t tell.”
After listening to the chant, Yu Bihong spoke with an uncertain expression.
Ryu Cheon was just stroking Frey, as if simply enjoying the sight of Frey singing.
“If this isn’t the Spell the elves spoke of, that could be a problem.”
Yu Bihong nodded in agreement to my words.
Then came the sound of a cart rattling into the village.
Turning my gaze, I saw Emily and the intelligence agents arriving on the cart.
“Oh! Guests are here! Hello!”
Nathan and Sarah bowed politely. At the same time, I introduced them as new residents of this place.
“Your family’s getting bigger and bigger.”
“Yes. The land is spacious, so there’s no pressure, and I don’t turn away people in trouble.”
Then Ryu Cheon, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
“I want to live here with Ara too.”
“But… wouldn’t Guild Master Ryu Wang-jin have something to say about that?”
“I’ll ask for permission.”
“Are you in some sort of trouble, Ryu Cheon? Is it absolutely necessary for you to move here?”
“Yes. I’m troubled because I must live with Ara.”
“Request denied.”
Ryu Cheon looked at me with a sulky face at my reply.
But no one gets to live here with such a half-baked excuse.
“A troubling situation, huh…”
What is she scheming now?
Ryu Cheon muttered ominously to herself, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, I greeted the people who had arrived in the village.
“Have you had a look around?”
“Thanks to Emily’s excellent guidance, we’re getting used to it. By the way, this is a really nice place. It’s beautiful.”
I was relieved they seemed satisfied.
Then, Nathan glanced at Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong before quietly speaking to me.
“Actually, I came because I have something to tell you, Lord Kyu-seong. I’ll share it a bit later.”
“To me?”
“It’s about a dungeon.”
A dungeon?
I tilted my head, and Nathan added a few more words.
“Not here, but a new dungeon. One that I believe you’ll be interested in.”
“Oh…”
Hot…
There weren’t that many dungeons that would catch my interest.
Maybe he meant one related to the Seven Deadly Sins.
Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Lust, Sloth, Envy.
So far, I had encountered six of the Seven Sins and brought them under my command.
And the last one remaining—Pride.
Its location was unknown, and it was unclear whether it even existed yet.
‘Nathan would know, of course!’
Nathan had once been the director of the intelligence agency of the United States, a fully awakened superpower.
He must know a ton of top-secret information that ordinary people wouldn’t.
Among those, having knowledge about the Seven Deadly Sins wasn’t all that surprising.
In fact, it felt quite natural.
‘To think I’d learn about the final Sin like this.’
It was still too early to be certain, but judging by Nathan’s reaction, it seemed like my hunch was correct.
Hmm, what would’ve happened if I hadn’t invited Nathan to live in the dungeon?
Maybe I would’ve never found the Dungeon of Pride at all.
“That’s why it’s important to live kindly.”
“What are you talking about?”
Ara, who had approached before I noticed, tilted her head.
I looked at her with a serious face and said, “But you’re kind, so it’s okay.”
“I am kind!”
-That’s right! Our lord is super kind!
Oh right, Frey was still in Ara’s hands.
Listening to these two cute little ones made my brain melt, but I actually enjoyed it.
“Oh, Nathan! Sarah! Have you been to the hot springs yet?”
“We visited, but we haven’t actually gone in yet. It’s a bit of an unfamiliar culture to us.”
“Just think of it like a swimming pool. Only the water’s hotter. Since we’re all gathered like this, how about going together?”
“That sounds good.”
We called the people from the Skyscraper Guild too and headed to the hot spring together.
The skyscraper folks already loved the hot springs and always enjoyed them whenever they came.
“This is the changing room and shower area.”
“Whoa.”
“Change your clothes and go into whichever bath you like. We’ve got signs in front of each bath, so just enjoy whichever one you prefer.”
“Come with me to the Bubbly Bubbly Bath! That one’s the most fun!”
“Alright, alright.”
Emily seemed to follow Nathan well, which made me happy.
I had worried about her living in the dungeon at such a young age, so it was a relief she had someone she knew.
-I’ll call the fairies!
“Sure, it’s best to enjoy it together.”
Time to soak my body nice and warm again!
***
Hassan’s World Tree had grown so large that it now appeared clearly in satellite photos.
At this point, governments around the world had begun to realize it wasn’t just an ordinary tree.
However, Hassan ignored all incoming contacts and simply devoted himself to caring for the tree.
“Hahaha!”
And finally, today.
The roots of the World Tree broke through the ground for the first time.
In Kyu-seong’s dungeon, those roots were numerous enough to form a forest.
Some of those roots even had leaves and were no different from regular trees.
The first root here was only as tall as a person and had no leaves yet, but Hassan cherished it dearly.
Along with the hope that this place would soon be filled with lush green forest.
“Hey, Hassan! Should I leave this here?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah.”
And here.
Besides Hassan, another person wearing a dirt-stained work suit was moving fertilizer.
Surprisingly, it was Eli.
Always dressed impeccably and never seeming like he’d get a speck of dust on his hands, he had transformed into a perfect farmer.
He had nearly withdrawn from the secular world and now devoted himself fully to cultivating the World Tree with Hassan.
‘This is fun. I’m proud.’
Stretching his back for a moment, Eli looked up at the World Tree with a bright expression.
Of course, it wasn’t a tree he had raised entirely on his own, but every time he looked at it, he felt a sense of fulfillment.
And now, this new root that had emerged above ground brought him even more joy.
Like seeing a well-raised child—or grandchild.
Just then, a commotion erupted on one side.
Curious, Hassan and Eli headed over and encountered familiar faces.
“L-Lord Eli!”
“We’ve come to get you! Let’s return now!”
They were Eli’s subordinates.
Recently, they had grown suspicious of Eli’s strange activities.
And eventually, they couldn’t stand it any longer and came all the way here.
“Hassan al-Din Sinan! What have you done to Lord Eli?!”
“Hypnosis? Is it hypnosis?! Or magic?!”
From their perspective, the misunderstanding was inevitable.
The image of Eli, who used to indulge in luxury and pleasure, now farming in dirty clothes was completely unimaginable.
“Ahem.”
Eli felt a little embarrassed seeing his subordinates.
In truth, he had been hiding this part of his life, not wanting to be caught.
“Getting found out was only a matter of time. That’s how devoted you’ve been to the World Tree.”
“Y-You think so?”
Even Eli knew the kind of image he had, which is why he didn’t want to be exposed.
But what could he do?
Thinking about it again, he realized this peaceful life was exactly what he had wanted.
Of course, the burden of being a world mediator hadn’t disappeared.
But he realized that this life was far better than the old one—always anxious, buried in indulgence.
“Well, it’s just as well. You guys—help out here. The tree’s gotten so big, there’s too much to manage.”
“Huh? L-Lord Eli, what are you saying…”
“Can’t you tell by looking? I’m gardening. This is my new hobby now.”
“Whaaat?!”
Eli wiggled his fingers toward the shocked subordinates.
“Come on now, hurry up. I’m only showing you once. You better watch and learn.”
“Uh, um…”
And so, Eli’s subordinates unwillingly joined in cultivating the World Tree.
But then something strange happened.
As they spent time tending to the tree, they began to feel at peace.
Especially when they lay sprawled on the branches of the World Tree—it was incredibly refreshing.
“Lord Eli…”
“What?”
“How could you enjoy something this wonderful all by yourself? Behind our backs!”
“Ah, no, that’s…”
Soon enough, Eli and all his subordinates had become prisoners of the World Tree.
Watching them, Hassan smiled warmly as he hugged and rubbed Mark2 in his arms.
“It really is peaceful.”
Squish.
Cliche Novel 