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 - Episode15

“Ah, Haku. Thanks for your hard work today too.”

Zess, who visited the newly relocated dwarf workshop nearby, met Haku near its entrance.

The transportation of materials and equipment necessary for building the workshop is being carried out by Haku, who is carrying them on his back.

As a result, a swift relocation became possible, and the workshop had been operational for just a few days.

The dwarves were hesitant and opposed to having the dragon carry their loads, but Haku was enthusiastic about it, and Zess supported him, making it happen.

“Growl!”

When Zess cheerfully called out, Haku immediately shrank down and jumped onto Zess’s head.

Entering the workshop while being playfully nibbled on the black hair.

Inside the workshop, carved into the hillside of a small mountain, a high-pitched clanging sound echoed off the walls.

With that sound, a sudden wave of heat rushes in.

Just like in the village, the blacksmiths who noticed Zess and the others all looked up and said “Lord Zess” at once, making Zess feel quite uneasy.

In that workshop, Zess found a familiar face.

“Peter, what are you doing here?”

Among the small dwarves, even though he is still a boy, his silhouette as an elf stands out.

Beside him stood Rarado.

“Oh, Zess-san. I was just coming to pick this up.”

Saying that, Peter happily showed me several knives.

Depending on the purpose, the blade length and the shape of the tip vary.

“Everyone is looking forward to your cooking, so please make another delicious meal.”

“Yes!”

Peter nods happily at Rarado’s words.

“Alright then, I’ll go prepare. I’m making stew today, so please look forward to it!”

“Yeah, do your best. …It’s great to be enthusiastic, but don’t swing the knife around.”

Peter waves his hand vigorously as he leaves.

In that hand was a knife just received, and combined with a cheerful expression, it evoked the image of a serial killer.

Having witnessed Peter like that, Zess turned to Rarado, fidgeting with his hands, and asked.

“So, Mr. Rarado, my tools are…”

“Yes, of course, it’s done. Over here.”

Chasing after Rarado’s small yet sturdy back into the depths of the workshop, I found numerous completed tools and weapons lined up there.

Inside the workshop. The flames raging in the forge and the light of the bonfire reflect off the displayed weapon blades, making them glow eerily.

Many of them are things like spears, swords, and armor.

“Was this armor ordered by someone?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes, that’s right. We dwarves also trade with the outside world. This is what we will have Haku take to the village over there later.”

“The outside world…”

“Of course, we won’t be going out there ourselves. We can’t take such dangerous risks. A trading partner with teleportation skills will appear in that village and collect it.”

“I see. So that’s why there were various supplies.”

Among the supplies brought in from the dwarf village, there were many items that could clearly not be obtained within the Great Tree Sea.

Milk, which is one of the ingredients for stew, is also one of them.

“Well, well, well. Here, how about this?”

“O-oh~!”

What Rarado handed over was a hoe.

The handle has been carefully sanded, making it very smooth and comfortable to hold.

The blade at the tip is visibly high quality.

“However, if Lord Zess does not personally tend to the fields, it would suffice to simply command those around him.”

“Really, I’m not in a position to accept that! Thank you for the hoe. I’ll use it with care!”

Zess left the workshop as if fleeing.

◆　◆　◆

“Th-this is so fun…!”

Zess, having found a suitable place for farming with the “Spirit’s Eye,” immediately starts using a hoe to dig up the weeds.

As the blade crunches into the soil, and the once hard ground becomes fluffy, Zess continues his work, becoming addicted to the sensation.

“Don’t lose to Zess-sama, you guys!”

“Wow!”

Around Zess, the dwarves who naturally gathered are tilling the ground and cutting down trees that seem to be in the way.

“I was fine being alone, you know.”

“Still saying that. I wish you’d get used to it already. This place revolves around Zess.”

“Growl!”

As if in harmony with Yggdrasil’s words floating gently next door, Haku chirps above Zess’s head.

Sighing, Zess looked around at the dwarves and nodded slightly as he watched their clothes getting dirty with the soil.

“Well, whatever.”

“It’s fine.”

While continuing his work amidst such exchanges, Zess realized that if he didn’t take a break, the surrounding dwarves wouldn’t either, so he reluctantly decided to rest in the nearby shade.

Zess chuckles softly as he watches the amiable dwarves and the cultivated surroundings.

“How peaceful it is…”

I am so content that I could never have imagined it on the day I was disinherited and sent to the Great Tree Sea.

This place is overflowing with smiles.

Just that made Zess feel somehow happy.

“Speaking of which…”

While watching them, Zess suddenly remembered and looked up at Yggdrasil, who was sitting on a branch and swinging both legs back and forth.

“What happened to what you said before, ‘I want you to change this land with me’? Do I not have to do anything?”

The day I met Yggdrasil.

She said that she couldn’t protect this vast forest alone and asked Zess, who has the “Purification” skill, to stay with her.

Zess, who was searching for a permanent residence, decided to settle under the great tree without even needing to fulfill that request.

Since then, there has been no discussion about the purification of the Great Tree Sea.

At Zess’s question, Yggdrasil’s jade-colored eyes widened.

“I’m surprised. To hear that from Zess. Did something happen?”

“Not really. It’s just that I encountered monsters for the first time in their village and had a lot on my mind.”

And so, Zess talked about the battles with the monsters and the time he cleared out the monsters that had invaded the village.

Then Yggdrasil gives me a look of exasperation.

“……Eliminating monsters in a designated space. To effortlessly perform such a divine feat, Zess is as always, Zess.”

“No, I just imitated Yggdrasil.”

“You should realize that it’s strange for someone to be able to imitate me, a great spirit.”

Zess tilted his head at Yggdrasil, who was puffing out his cheeks and looking down at him.

Realizing that it wouldn’t be understood even if he said it, Yggdrasil sighed and opened his mouth.

“About that earlier question, just as the divine curse spreads its malice around, corrupting the land and air, the pure world also expands. Just by being with Zess, the pure domain centered around this great tree is gradually spreading. …But.”

Yugushiru paused for a moment and stared intently at Zess’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… underestimated Zess’s power.”

As Zess furrows his brow in confusion at the muttering, Yggdrasil murmurs.

“Purification of the world… If Zess can truly do that, we can swiftly lift the curse of this Great Forest Sea.”

“Then, shall we give it a try?”

“Huh?”

Yggdrasil gasped in surprise as Zess stood up abruptly.

“Quite enthusiastic”

“Of course, curses are filthy things, so if we can purify them, we want to purify them.”

“…That’s right. Zess is that kind of person.”

“Besides, I was thinking while watching them.”

Saying that, Zess averted his gaze from Yggdrasil and looked at the dwarves who were laughing freely.

“There are many people like them in this forest, right? Not just around this great tree. I want to make the entire Great Tree Sea a place where they can live safely.”

“—I see.”

Gently, Yggdrasil leaped down from the branches and clung to Zess’s back.

“W-what?”

“Nothing.”

It’s the usual calm tone, but the voice is very gentle and cheerful.

Zess, while perplexed by Yggdrasil’s actions, added, “Moreover.”

“If there are a lot of people, my laundry will increase too.”

“…It’s not really Zess’s.”

Suddenly, Yggdrasil moved away from Zess.

“What the heck, seriously?”

Tilting his head, Zess crouched down and gently placed his hand on the ground.

“Oh, Zess, idiot.”

“—Purification”

Yggdrasil raises a voice of restraint as if noticing something.

Even though that voice was in vain, Zess used his skill, imagining the entire Great Tree Sea he had looked down upon while riding on Haku’s back before.

At that moment,

“Ah, … eh?”

An unusual sense of weakness and fatigue spreads throughout my body, accompanied by drowsiness, headaches, and the cries of my internal organs.

In the fading consciousness, a part of the Great Tree Sea emitted light so intense that it could engulf the daytime world, thanks to Zess’s “Purification.”

◆　◆　◆

“……Grr?”

A girl who was splashing around in the river catching fish, with a fish in her mouth, perked up her wolf ears.

In her line of sight, a massive pillar of light stretches out, so large it seems to engulf the Great Tree Sea.

“Uruururururu…!”

The girl lets out a growl of caution towards the pillar of light, her body covered in a black mist standing on end.

And then, after devouring the freshly caught fish, she dashed off with agile movements.

After she passed through, it was as if a storm had swept by, leaving the vegetation ravaged and curses spread.