Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

"Sinking? Rising?"

Vanessa’s words made Roland’s brow furrow instantly.

He followed the Witch’s gaze and walked toward the entrance of the hole in the ground.

In stark contrast to the black mire of the nearby swamp, the ground at the edge of the hole was exceptionally solid.

Moreover...

Roland gripped his scabbard and gently prodded the ground with its tip.

Before long, several thick, trunk-like veins were exposed from beneath the soil.

"Are these... tree roots?"

Doubt rose in Roland’s heart.

This kind of twisted, gnarled formation usually belonged only to ancient, giant trees buried deep underground.

Yet now, looking around, including the path he had taken to get here, there was not a single tree in sight.

The few scattered trees he could see had long been corroded and twisted by the magic-laden mist, leaving them thin and fragile. They could never have produced such thick roots.

As he pondered, Roland’s hands did not stop moving.

Soon, a larger area of soil at the edge of the hole was scraped away.

Beneath the solid layer of earth lay countless gray-black, intertwined, and gnarled tree roots.

And amidst this sea of gray, a relatively slender root, vibrantly green all over, was particularly eye-catching.

"This is..."

The moment the green root was exposed to the air, Roland’s [Material Synesthesia] reacted.

A "whisper," almost physical in nature, flowed out from the green root and entered his ears with perfect clarity.

’Magic Elements? No... that’s not right...’

Roland narrowed his eyes, carefully trying to capture the whisper.

’It’s... an extremely vigorous Life Energy, but... how is that possible?’

He stood up and stared at the tangled mess of roots beneath the excavated earth, lost in thought. His gaze eventually locked onto the vibrant green root.

Such pure, thriving Life Energy... since he had crossed over into this world, he had only felt it from one other thing...

Memories flooded back to the moment he first arrived at Distant Harbor.

If he remembered correctly, the wooden circlet worn on the forehead of the High Elf named Morning Star had exuded a similar aura.

Back then, he had yet to become an [Enchanter] or awaken his [Material Synesthesia], but he could still perceive the immense vitality contained within the circlet.

And now, the green root at his feet gave him a thrumming sensation, as if the two shared the same origin.

’Could it be... that the anomaly in this area is also related to the Elves?’

Roland pondered this, shook his head slightly, and turned to ask Vanessa, who was sitting leisurely by the bone table.

However, in response to his question, the Purple-haired Witch simply smiled and shook her head.

No matter how Roland tried to probe, he couldn’t get any substantial information out of her.

Seeing this, Roland had no choice but to give up.

After all, his relationship with the Witch was, at best, an acquaintance. They were far from familiar.

It was a transactional relationship, nothing more.

Vanessa served as the guide, while he was responsible for clearing out the Demons along the way.

But even though she remained tight-lipped, Roland believed her earlier warning was correct.

He had to leave this perilous, mist-shrouded land as soon as possible.

Whatever was about to happen in this region had nothing to do with him.

For him, escaping the danger and returning to the safety of the Royal Capital to increase his strength was the top priority.

At this thought, Roland let out a soft sigh and briefly explained the current situation to Beastman Freddy.

As they took a short rest and prepared to leave, he suddenly remembered something and reached into his waist pouch.

The next moment, a pitch-black stone with a faint sheen landed in his palm.

It was the spoils he had obtained in a previous battle from a small, gray-skinned Slime Toad.

"Is... is this... a Control Gemstone?"

Vanessa, who had been sitting on the stone table casually swinging her legs, saw the gemstone in Roland’s palm, and her pupils contracted instantly.

She immediately stood up and practically jogged over to Roland’s side, her eyes revealing a burning desire the likes of which Roland had never seen from her before.

"Mr. Roland... you... where did you get this..."

Vanessa’s voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.

After examining it for a moment and confirming it was indeed the Control Gemstone she had been desperately searching for, Vanessa’s gaze toward Roland became extremely complicated.

The Control Gemstone.

A treasure that could only be obtained from creatures originating from the Outer Planes.

And this... was the sole reason she had ventured deep into this region.

After the Year of the End, with the complete disappearance of Magic Elements, the channels from the Main Plane to other planes were completely sealed.

Therefore, when she luckily learned that Chaos Creatures like the Slime Toad had appeared in the River Domain, she had rushed here at all costs.

However, despite capturing, studying, and even eliminating hundreds of Slime Toads, she had failed to find a single clue about the Control Gemstone.

She had finally concluded that this group of Slime Toads, which had luckily broken through the planar barrier due to the sudden surge in Magic Elements, was simply too low-level to either carry or produce a Control Gemstone.

After countless attempts, she had all but given up hope.

This was also why she had decided to leave this place with Roland.

On one hand, she wanted to observe this Divine Favored One, chosen by the Lady of the Dark Night, during their journey to see what made him so extraordinary.

On the other hand...

Since she couldn’t obtain the Control Gemstone, there was no point in staying any longer.

But now...

The treasure she had longed for day and night had appeared before her, so suddenly, so real.

Vanessa gazed at the gemstone and sighed softly.

’Could it be... that the Trait of Shire’s Divine Favored One... is immense luck?’

’But I serve the Lady of the Dark Night with pious devotion day and night. Why have I never received such a gift? Tsk...’

Vanessa clicked her tongue inwardly, a surge of resentment rising within her.

’Looks like it’s time to find another Deity to worship.’

Roland, of course, had no way of knowing the Witch’s thoughts, but hearing her soft sigh and seeing the unconcealable desire on her face, he had already come to a clear judgment.

’It seems this pitch-black stone is indeed the Control Gemstone she mentioned before... there’s no doubt about it.’

Having confirmed this, another doubt arose in Roland’s mind.

The gemstone was certainly unusual, emitting an exceptionally pure fluctuation of Magic Power, but that was all.

At least, based on Roland’s current knowledge, he couldn’t see any extraordinary value in it.

The fluctuations of Magic Power it contained were simply too faint.

If not for his [Material Synesthesia] Trait, he probably would have dismissed it as an ordinary gemstone.

However...

Catching sight of the mix of desire and near-fanatical Concentration in the Witch’s eyes, Roland’s eyebrows rose imperceptibly.

Although they hadn’t known each other for long, he was well aware that this beautiful woman before him was a master of disguise.

Anything that could make her lose her composure like this was surely no ordinary item.

Thinking of this, Roland gave a slight nod.

"That’s right, Miss Vanessa. This stone should be the Control Gemstone you mentioned..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he had already put the Control Gemstone back in his pouch, swallowing the question he had been about to ask.

Since Vanessa coveted the Control Gemstone so much, she would likely mix in lies to influence his judgment if he asked for information about it.

It was better to keep it in his own hands for now and study it carefully once they reached a safe place.

Even if he found nothing of value in the end, it wouldn’t hurt to hand it over to the Witch then.

But the premise was... that she wouldn’t cause any trouble during their escape and would allow him to leave this dangerous place safely.

Seeing this, Vanessa, whose gaze had been following the gemstone’s movement, suddenly regained her clarity.

Realizing she had just lost her composure, the Purple-haired Witch quickly straightened her back, her usual aloof expression returning as a faint smile touched her lips.

"Mr. Roland, I wonder... could you let me take a closer look at that Control Gemstone?"

"Of course, Miss Vanessa, but..."

Roland secured the gemstone deep in his pouch and returned her smile.

"As you just said, this is hardly a suitable place for study or research, is it? Once we’ve successfully left this region, I’ll naturally hand it over for you to study. After all, this thing..."

He gently patted his pouch.

"...is just an ordinary gemstone to me."

Looking at the gentle smile on Roland’s face, Vanessa nodded in agreement on the surface.

But upon hearing the condition implied in his words, the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curve slightly upward.

’Sly bastard.’