The Cursed Forest Where I Was Exiled Had Somehow Been Designated As A Sanctuary. - Awakened to the Purification skill, I, Surrounded By Divine Dragons And Great Spirits, Become The King of A Nation - Episode 16

“I am truly, truly sorry!!”

Carried to the side of the great tree, Zess, who had regained consciousness thanks to Flora’s healing, was bowing his head mainly towards Flora.

“No, no, I’m glad I could be of help.”

While Flora replied with a wry smile, waving both hands in front of her face, Yggdrasil was furious.

“I knew Zess was an idiot. But I never thought it would go this far.”

“Well, that’s a bit too much, isn’t it?”

“That’s not true. Trying to apply ‘Purification’ to the entire Great Tree Sea is incredibly reckless. If you do that, your mental strength will surely run out and you’ll collapse.”

“……You are absolutely right.”

There are two types of skills: skill skills with cooldowns and magic skills that consume mental energy, but “Purification” is the latter.

The more you use it, the more your mental strength is depleted.

And when mental strength is exhausted, it becomes impossible to maintain consciousness, just like Zess fainted.

Indeed, lately I haven’t felt tired at all even after using my skills, so I can’t deny that I’ve gotten a bit carried away…

When I was feeling down, Yggdrasil opened his mouth as if to follow up, saying, “But…”

“Zess’s ‘Purification’ was successful. A pure domain is spreading around the great tree. If I combine this with my ‘Spirit’s Blessing,’ it will become a place where people can live in peace.”

“That’s good, but how much did it spread?”

“If we consider the entire Daiju Sea, it’s about 5 percent now.”

“Five percent, after all that effort, just five percent…”

Zess slumped in disappointment, but Yggdrasil said with an exasperated tone.

“We should take pride in the fact that we are dispelling the curse that has persisted since the age of the gods. Zess’s power is undoubtedly comparable to that of an evil god. Without Zess’s power, it would have taken ten years to dispel the curse in this space.”

“I see… then it was worth doing.”

Feeling that Yggdrasil’s words are not flattery, Zess feels a little relieved.

“…Um, from what you just said, it sounds like Mr. Zess is turning the Great Tree Sea into a place where monsters don’t spawn…”

Flora, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, timidly raised her hand and asked.

It was more a tone of confirmation based on denial than a question.

To that question, Yggdrasil responds.

“Yes. Zess’s ‘Purification’ can do that.”

“—I-I don’t know, but I’m starting to get confused.”

Yggdrasil nodded in agreement to Flora, who was holding her forehead.

“Your reaction is normal. Zess is the one who’s strange.”

“Okay, okay. …No, I kind of realized it too. Maybe my ‘Purification’ skill is some kind of incredible power.”

“Realizing it too late.”

“Well, my job is a [cleaner], you know? Even if you say it’s some kind of evil god’s curse, it just doesn’t register with me…”

Zess complains with dissatisfaction.

Yugushiru ruminated over that mutter, pondering deeply.

“……[Cleaning Service]”

“Hmm?”

“Anyway, until his mental strength stat increases, Zess should refrain from using reckless skills.”

“Until it grows?”

“At least SSS. Even that is still not enough to lift the curse over the entire Great Tree Sea.”

“SSS… no, wait a minute.”

Suddenly, Zess felt a sense of discomfort with Yggdrasil’s way of speaking.

“At least… it’s like you’re implying there’s something even better, isn’t it?”

The status ranges from F to SSS.

Even that SSS has not been confirmed to exist.

In the first place, Haku, who is a 【Divine Dragon】, had a maximum status of SS.

In response to Zess’s question, Yggdrasil nods slightly.

“There is a higher level. Beyond SSS is the realm of the gods. But, if it’s Zess, he might eventually reach it.”

In response to Yggdrasil’s words full of expectation, Zess once again realized that his status was beyond human comprehension.

◆　◆　◆

As the sky was completely dyed in shades of crimson, Zess and the others held bowls of stew brought by Peter and faced each other in a circle.

After putting his hands together, Zess scoops up the stew with a spoon and brings it to his mouth.

“Mmm, delicious!”

The creamy, viscous stew clings to the tip of my tongue, the sweetness of the vegetables and the savories of the meat blend into the cream, and the richness of the milk fills my mouth.

Just before losing consciousness, the organs that had screamed in agony were now letting out roars of joy.

“I’m glad.”

After confirming Zess’s reaction, Peter also eats the stew.

It seemed to have turned out satisfactorily, as he nodded slightly.

How was the knife to use?

“It was really easy to use. The blade glided through even the tough vegetables, and I had so much fun cooking…”

“That’s good to hear.”

Feeling a sense of familiarity with Peter’s earnest expression as he spoke, Zess continued to eat the stew.

Flora and Yggdrasil were both expressing their thoughts on the taste.

“By the way, it’s a bit late to mention this, but you eat too, huh? Don’t spirits not need to eat?”

Spirits are spiritual beings and do not require physical food.

In response to Zess’s question, Yggdrasil chews with a small mouth, swallows, and then answers.

“Not necessary. But that doesn’t mean it’s a reason to skip meals. Even Zess doesn’t need to do laundry to live, but that doesn’t mean he stops doing it, right?”

“No, no, doing laundry is necessary for living.”

“……Zess, troublesome.”

“Why?!”

Zess is shocked.

Yugushiru continued to eat the stew without worrying about it, while Flora and the others smiled ambiguously.

As such a peaceful time flowed by――, Zess and Yggdrasil sensed a change in the air.

“Yggdrasil, just now…”

“…Zess also felt it.”

Flora and the others watch the two exchanging glances with a puzzled expression.

“Just like when it was him. The presence of the divine curse is coming this way. –Very, very fast.”

It was when Yggdrasil muttered that.

From afar, a loud explosion echoed.

The direction from which the sound came was exactly where Zess and the others had been working on the fields during the day.

When Zess, Yggdrasil, and Flora hurriedly arrived, several dwarves were already dealing with the situation on the scene.

“Hey! Don’t get too close! You’ll get hurt!”

“Hey, you there! Don’t break formation!!”

Young dwarves, armed with weapons and shields, are engaged in battle with something.

As I ran closer, squinting my eyes, a shadow of a beast… no, a human figure emerged from the dust.

“…Wolf’s, ears?”

There was a beast-girl standing there.

On all fours, with her back arched and her body bristling, she emits a growl-like sound from her mouth, and there is no reason in her expression.

And above all, her figure was enveloped in pitch-black mist.

“Ah, Lord Zess! Please stay away, this guy is dangerous!”

The dwarves, noticing Zess, start to panic.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

While holding them back with my hand, I walk over to the beast-girl.

Then, her hatred was directed towards the defenseless Zess.

And then――,

“Roooaaar!!”

For a moment, it crouched low, and then with a beastly roar, it leaped at Zess with an extraordinary jump.

While restraining the dwarves who were desperately trying to intervene, Zess extended his hand towards the girl.

“Purification”

“Growl, uh, … huh?”

The black mist is enveloped by light and blown away.

The wolf’s ears and tail, and the messy hair are being dyed brown. No, they are regaining their original color.

The beast-girl who had been leaping through the air lost her momentum and fell straight to the ground.

“Ugh!”

With an utterly vacant voice, silence descends upon the surroundings.

The dwarves stared at the scene with eyes that couldn’t believe what they were seeing, Yggdrasil looked down at the girl as if he already knew, and Flora let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.

As for Zess, he was reaching out further to cast “Cleansing” on the girl who had fallen to the ground.

At that moment, the girl’s wolf ears perked up.

“……Uh, um, are you okay?”

Lying on the ground, the girl lifted only her face, and I met her beige eyes.

For the time being, when I called out to her, the girl’s eyes glinted with a fierce light—and she jumped up again.

And,

“I found it! My matching pair!”

“Guh?!”

The girl, with a voice full of joy, pushed Zess down.