Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage

"Might we hear what your business is here?"

When Mother asked them that question, the tree spirits seemed to be hesitating, and they just glanced at one another. It took them a few seconds before they all nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty," Aesfen said. "The reason why we are here is that we are asking your nation to take us, the tree spirits and our home, under its wing. We want your nation to recognize us and make us part of its own."

"I see."

So that was what they wanted, huh? Thinking about it, it was logical for them to seek asylum from us since we literally established a civilization within the most dangerous environment on the continent.

They must have recognized our capabilities and approached us. But there might be another reason why they have resorted to this. I looked at Mother, and she immediately understood what I wanted to imply.

"We understand that you want us to take you under our wing because we are the first nation to establish in this forest. But there is something I want to ask."

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

"I want to ask you what is the real reason why you approached us now. All I know is, dryads, or tree spirits in general, are so rare and elusive that they are hardly mentioned even in the fables. Even if a nation or two was built within the forest, I am sure that you wanted to remain hidden and unknown."

"... That's true."

Tree spirits and other kinds of spiritual beings were still very uncommon even in this magical world. Just earlier, I sensed some gasping and sudden jolts from the standby knights, proving how unbelievable their existences were.

As spiritual beings, these three women in front of us were almost not physical. They might even be literally untouchable, and my hand would pass through if I tried to touch them. But there were clicking sounds while they walked, so they might be able to manipulate their tangibility at will.

Moreover, these individuals before us were powerful themselves.

According to my Heavenly Gaze, Aesfen was around Level 900 and excelled with magic. She could even cast World Magic Spells. She also had a good skill set, and her skills complimented her affinity for trees and vegetation.

Though not as powerful as her sister, Fyr strength was a little below Level 800 and skilled in magic as well, but she had to achieve the World Magic yet. Meanwhile, Gron was around Level 500, and her proficiency in magic was as great as those imperial mages.

I had no idea how many tree spirits there were in the forest, but I could assume that their average strength was at least the level of Gron. That meant that their grove, the possible name of what a group of tree spirits was, had a mighty battle prowess comparable to a small nation.

Possessing those abilities had been helping them survive and thrive in the forest. They highly likely did not need the assistance of our nation. That was why I found their move suspicious.

Your source is m-vl|em|p,yr

"In that case," Mother said. "There must be something else that pushes you to approach us and request for our recognition. Did something happen in the forest?"

"I don't know how to convey it to you, Your Majesty."

"Are you perhaps feeling uncomfortable with saying so?"

"I am afraid I might so."

"Very well."

Mother then looked at the knights and waved her hand away, subtly inducing them to leave. It was not like we did not trust them; we must comply with the other party's demands to gain their trust.

The knights understood it, and they stroked a salute before they promptly left the room. When the door was shut, there was a few seconds of silence between the two parties.

"Would this suffice?" Mother asked Aesfen. "Can you provide answers to our questions now?"

"I think this is more than enough, Your Majesty. I really appreciated your efforts." Saying that, Aesfen and her sisters briefly bobbed their heads. "To answer your question, there is indeed something that is happening in the forest recently."

"It seems to be a long story, but please kindly cut it short."

"I understand." Aesfen nodded once before she continued. "But before I explain everything, may I ask you a question, Your Majesty?"

"Go ahead. You are permitted."

"Well, we could not help but notice that the rise of your nation somewhat timed with the sudden and mysterious disappearance of the Ancient Dragon living in the forest. I apologize in advance if we were wrong, but did those two things relate to one another?"

The moment Aesfen brought up that question, Mother and I exchanged glances. But then again, our minds synced and we resumed the audience.

"We have anticipated that somebody is going to find it out one day. If this matter had affected your lives, then there is no point of hiding it." After she said that, Mother let out a sigh. "If you want to know if we had something to do with the disappearance of the dragon, the answer is yes."

"Is that true? Then what happened to the dragon?"

"Hm. The appropriate answer would be, we have subjugated the ancient dragon and brought it under our control."

"What...?"

Aesfen and the other tree spirits were stupified by my Mother's nonchalant revelation. If the knights were still here, the room would have gone into commotion, and we did not want that highly confidential information to be leaked.

They must have known how powerful the Ancient Dragon of Darkness was. It was a legendary creature that could not be defeated or overcome, yet they just heard that we had put a leash on it.

"I truly understand your reactions, as I also believe that defeating the legendary ancient dragon sounds impossible. But all I said was all true. We defeated the dragon, and now it has disappeared in the forest. Or could it be that you are doubting our capabilities?"

As Mother said the latter words, she crossed her legs and rested her cheek on her left fist. Her aura was palpitating, and she was reminding them whose territory they were in. Shortly after, they snapped back to their own senses.

"Ah, no...!" Aesfen yelled. "We definitely not, Your Majesty!"

"I am glad you understand. Now that I have answered your question, shall we continue what we have left earlier?"