Chapter 958: The Savior 'Camelot'
"Click!"
Eiji pressed the shutter, capturing everything from the beautiful skies of Britain to the roadside scenery within the photograph.
Only after taking enough photos did he toss the camera into a rift that appeared in mid-air.
"Oh? Could that be an Imaginary Number magecraft?"
Grim approached with keen interest, examining the spatial rift.
The four of them were currently riding in a carriage pulled by horses Grim had summoned using Druid techniques. The rift automatically followed behind Eiji, maintaining a distance within arm's reach.
"That's right. Haven't you seen it before?"
"This Spirit Origin is encountering it for the first time. Think about it - the concept of Imaginary Numbers only emerged in modern times. Imaginary Number magecraft is essentially modern magecraft, something fundamentally incompatible with an Age of Gods magus like me!"
What the Type-Moon World refers to as magecraft is the ability to manipulate concepts and create supernatural phenomena.
Concepts are things born from the development of human civilization, therefore magecraft essentially evolves with the times - or rather, deteriorates with them.
Take celestial magecraft as an example. In ancient times when mystery still existed, such magecraft was believed to be capable of drawing upon stellar power, summoning meteor showers in minutes. But now, as the secrets of the cosmos have been gradually unraveled, it has become ordinary magecraft useful only for astrology.
The same applies to Imaginary Number magecraft. Before the concept of Imaginary Numbers emerged, Imaginary Number magecraft didn't exist. Only after this concept was born did magus begin researching how to manipulate it, thus forming Imaginary Number magecraft.
Of course, there are some exceptionally powerful figures capable of using abilities similar to Imaginary Numbers across different time periods.
In this Lostbelt world, because concepts differ drastically from those in Pan-Human History, some ordinary magecraft here becomes exceptionally powerful, while other magecraft becomes unusable.
"To be able to use Imaginary Number magecraft in this Britain Lostbelt where the concept of Imaginary Numbers doesn't even exist - this must be the work of the King of Humans, right?"
Grim showed an admiring expression, praising that King of Humans without reservation.
Only that King of Humans could create Magic Crests utilizing concepts spanning across Lostbelts.
"Correct. I had him make me an Imaginary Number pocket, along with some other magecraft formulas."
Eiji touched his shoulder, where the Magic Crest adjusted by Goetia was engraved.
The familiar magecraft formulas Alice helped create seemed to have been deleted for being too inefficient, replaced by several quite convenient new magecraft spells - and with foolproof operation at that. Truly worthy of a man who once served as the King of Mages.
"Originally, I stored some things like cars and machine guns in the Imaginary Number pocket. Unfortunately, after coming to this Lostbelt, probably due to different rules, I found those things completely unusable."
Eiji pointed inside the Imaginary Number pocket, where one could vaguely see an off-road vehicle, along with motorcycles, machine guns, and similar items.
In this Britain Lostbelt, large technological items would malfunction immediately when taken out, with only small gadgets like cameras remaining functional.
Grim initially paid little attention, but then suddenly his gaze sharpened.
"What's that?"
His astonished gaze fell upon an iron barrel filled with crimson liquid, the surface of which seemed to be sealed with some kind of enchantment.
More importantly, he sensed an extraordinary spirituality emanating from that scarlet fluid!
Eiji waved his hand and closed the imaginary pocket. Grim pursed his lips, wanting to press for more details, but considering their less-than-friendly relationship, he held his tongue.
"What are you looking at, Mash?"
In the back of the carriage, Habettrot asked Mash, who was staring blankly into the distance, with a puzzled expression.
"I'm looking at the Fantasy Tree."
Mash gazed toward the northern border and answered truthfully.
The carriage was heading south, and from her seat, Mash could easily see the pure white giant tree that seemed to stand at the edge of the world to the north!
Just the root portion alone was likely several hundred meters tall. If it were upright, it might even reach the Earth's zenith.
Unfortunately, that giant tree had long since withered. Like a giant seedling deprived of nutrients, it had lost its healthy hue and had long been dead!
Not only that, but many charred marks, as if it had endured a forest fire before being extinguished, were visible all over it.
Even from dozens of kilometers away, they could be seen clearly.
"You mean the World Tree? So, you call it the Fantasy Tree in your world?"
Habettrot's expression turned understanding as she also looked toward the withered, charred giant tree, her face filled with deep emotion.
"That tree was once magnificent, you know. Its branches seemed to reach deep into the clouds, standing tall on the earth for thousands of years. It wasn't until over two thousand years ago that it gradually withered... Then, a few months ago, it suddenly caught fire. I really don't understand what happened."
"It withered over two thousand years ago?"
Mash stared at Habettrot in astonishment, her expression turning perplexed and uneasy.
"That's strange. The Fantasy Tree is the lifeblood of a Lostbelt. If the Fantasy Tree withers, it should mean the end of the Lostbelt. But this Lostbelt has persisted for over two thousand years after the Fantasy Tree withered... What's going on? Could something have replaced the Fantasy Tree, continuing to sustain the Lostbelt?"
Eiji turned around, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
He also remembered that there seemed to be such a setting.
"How did that Fantasy Tree wither?"
"Well..."
Faced with Eiji's question, Habettrot hesitated.
"It withered after the Savior 'Cernunnos' absorbed all its magical energy."
At that moment, Grim, who was driving the carriage upfront, suddenly spoke up.
"There's no need to hide it, Totorot. If they continue their investigation, they'll eventually uncover what happened in the past. This just speeds up the process."
"...Perhaps you're right."
Habettrot's expression grew troubled as she scrunched up her small face. After a long moment, she sighed in resignation.
"I've been meaning to ask, why does Mr. Grim call Miss Habettrot 'Totorot'? Also, why are you so familiar with Miss Habettrot, Mr. Grim?"
Mash blinked, suddenly recalling a question that had been lurking in her mind.
"Of course we're familiar! We've known each other for over four thousand years!"
Grim released the reins, letting the horses run freely, and moved into the carriage, sitting down beside Eiji.
"Over four thousand years ago?!"
Eiji and Mash were both stunned.
"That's right, though I didn't look like this back then, and Totorot was still using the name Totorot. What remained the same was—we were both companions of the savior 'Ash'!"
Grim replied candidly with a laugh.
"Savior 'Ash'... You've mentioned that name many times. Who exactly is that?"
Eiji asked in confusion. He had been in the Fairy Kingdom for over ten days now, yet he had never heard that name before.