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Volume 9 Chapter 257

The Strongest Maid and the World Tree

……What a disappointment.
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the scene before me.
The underground space, once a treasure trove, had turned into nothing but a pile of rocks.
The minerals in this underground space had been growing steadily over time.
Normally, it takes a very long time for rocks to absorb magic and transform into valuable ores like orichalcum and magic ore. But the minerals here were growing at an astonishing rate.
Perhaps it was because the leftover bathwater had flowed into this space.
I hadn’t noticed it while bathing, but when I was trying to repair the broken pipes, I felt an incredible energy emanating from the draining water.
It turned out that Haruto-sama’s vast magical power had infused into that wastewater.
The water, filled with such magic, had transformed the soil and rocks in this space into rare ores such as magic ore, Orichalcum, Adamantite, and even Scarlet Gold.
Probably, if properly mined, the amount of ore here would have exceeded that of all the mines owned by H&T Haruto & Tina Trading Company combined.
And yet now—
Most of the ores had reverted to ordinary stones.
It’s all because of these roots.
Suddenly, the roots of the gigantic tree that had grown in the mansion’s courtyard extended all the way to this underground space and absorbed all the magic from the rare ores.
The roots harbored murderous intent.
It’s also my fault for mistiming the excavation.
Since the minerals were growing well, I thought it would be okay to start mining later.
If I could have mined plenty of rare ores, Haruto-sama would surely have praised me.
Wanting to be praised by Haruto-sama, I waited for the maximum amount of ore to be mined. It was a miscalculation.
If I had reported to Haruto-sama earlier about the underground space turning into a rare ore mine, he might have praised me at that time.
I regret it deeply.
By the way, not all rare ores reverted to stones.
Only the Scarlet Gold remained unchanged.
Because it’s a type of ore known as the 『immutable metal』.
It probably didn’t revert to a stone due to the amount of magic absorbed by the tree.
Scarlet Gold is the rarest mineral.
However, it’s also the most difficult to market.
Because, it can’t be processed.
In fact, mining it is impossible.
There is no tool in the world capable of mining Scarlet Gold.
It is the hardest ore in the world.
The Scarlet Gold ring on my left ring finger is a miracle in itself.
It’s a ring made by Haruto-sama when he was the Guardian Hero, specifically for me.
In this world, where level 300 is the limit, it’s a ring that, by activating the 『Guardian』 skill, after reaching level 360, managed to process it.
The current Haruto-sama no longer has the Guardian skill.
In other words, there’s currently no one who can process Scarlet Gold.
「Ha……」
I let out a sigh.
There’s nothing I can do about it.
Even though they were incredibly rare, only unusable ores remained.
「I wonder if I should burn these roots」
The urge to burn the roots of the giant tree that had spread into the underground space bubbled up within me.
—Hmm?
What’s this?
It feels like the tree roots are trembling.
Is the tree feeling fear?
No way.
That couldn’t be possible, right?
On a whim, I conjured up flames in my hand.
「Huh?」
The roots that had spread throughout the underground space seemed to retreat from the flames I produced, as if trying to escape.
Without a doubt, I could sense that the tree was feeling fear.
This tree seems to have a will of its own.
I started to feel a bit sorry for it, just a little bit.
By the way, I still have no intention of actually burning it. If I were to set fire to the roots here, it might spread to the trees above ground and even ignite Haruto-sama’s mansion.
I just had a little idea.
「Since it seems to have a will, I’ll let you know. You should assert that you’re more valuable than the minerals that were here. If I determine that you’re worthless……」
While enveloped in a blazing inferno—
「I’ll burn you」
I tried to intimidate the tree with all my might.
……What am I doing to a plant?
This is no good.
I got a bit irritated because I missed the chance to be praised by Haruto-sama.
Even though doing something like this won’t change anything.
I extinguished the flames I had conjured.
For now, I’ll just inform Haruto-sama that there might be Scarlet Gold that can be mined.
If it’s Haruto-sama, he might come up with a way to even mine the immutable metal.
If that happens, he might praise me!
With a slightly more positive feeling, I left the underground space behind.
　──＊＊＊──
「Ha, Haruto-sama… …What’s this?」
「Tina, listen! It seems Silph and Luna planted a World Tree in the courtyard yesterday, but then the tree suddenly started shaking—」
Haruto-sama stood amidst countless red fruits that covered the courtyard as far as the eye could see.
It seems that a large number of these fruits suddenly fell from the giant tree in the courtyard.
Haruto-sama, Luna-san, and the Spirit King Silph-sama were in the courtyard, but it seems none of the fruits fell on their heads, so there were no injuries.
I heard a word that caught my attention.
「A World Tree? I-Is this…… a World Tree?」
「Yeah, it seems like it」
A World Tree, which only grows in my hometown, seems to have appeared in Haruto-sama’s mansion courtyard without anyone noticing.
By the way, a World Tree bears fruit only once every thousand years.
Its bright red fruit has the effect of raising the status of the one who eats it.
Specifically, it can extend one’s lifespan and significantly improve their status.
If this giant tree is indeed a World Tree, then these red fruits would be considered the fruits of the World Tree.
And there are so many of them……
There were easily over a hundred of them scattered around.
Huh?
Could it be……?
「Because I told it to assert its value?」
As if answering that question with a 『yes』, a bright red fruit fell right in front of me.