"Use it?"
"Mhm."
"I understand."
"Oh?"
Morgan turned to look at her sister Artoria.
"You don't have any objections?"
"There's nothing to question, I trust you." Artoria smiled faintly. "You're definitely thinking of Britain's best interests, aren't you?"
"When you put it like that, it seems I've lost all meaning in doing anything bad."
Morgan shrugged.
"But, this feeling isn't bad."
"So, how do you plan to use it, Sister?"
"I don't know yet." Morgan took Ian's hand. "Let him take us there tomorrow to have a look. We'll definitely find an answer."
"As for tonight—"
Morgan gave him a seductive glance.
"Shouldn't we rest together?"
"..."
"..."
Artoria and Morgan looked at each other, both revealing expressions of "complete understanding."
The night gradually became quiet as the three of them retired together.
.....
The next day.
Sitting on Ian's broad shoulders, Artoria and Morgan arrived with him beneath the "tree."
"Alright, put us down."
"Mhm."
Following Morgan's words, Ian moved his shoulders slightly and set both of them down.
"Thank you."
Artoria said softly, then gently stood on tiptoe and left a kiss on the dragon's cheek.
"How cunning, little sister."
"You already slept in his arms all night, and now you're declaring your sovereignty so excessively?"
Morgan crossed her arms and said, pretending to be angry.
"But I let Sister have the most interesting part, didn't I?"
"So, I can't be considered excessive." Artoria showed a rare mischievous smile.
Although her figure was incredibly mature, she also possessed a unique cuteness.
"Fair enough."
"For now, let's call it a draw."
"However—"
Morgan suppressed her smile and looked at the "tree" before her.
"This thing seems even more massive than we imagined."
Just as Morgan said, from a distance, the size of this "tree" was already enough to make one feel a bit terrified.
But up close, Morgan realized that was only the "tree's" upper half.
Its lower half was completely invisible, as if it had thoroughly rooted itself into the core of the earth.
Thinking about it this way...
Its total length (or perhaps height) might be more than ten times what was initially estimated.
Although she had prepared herself mentally, standing beside the abyss and looking down into that bottomless dread, Artoria couldn't help but feel a shock.
This wasn't out of fear, but the necessary limitation of being "human."
After all—
Humans cannot imagine out of thin air what they have never seen.
Only after making tangible contact with an existence can the wings of imagination unfurl.
"What on earth is this thing..."
Looking at the object, which was so profound that it produced something like "mist," the magical energy contained within was blatantly obvious.
"Why would such an existence grow in Britain?"
"..."
Faced with Artoria's question, even Morgan, who had deeply researched magecraft, had no answer for a moment.
Indeed.
What was the reason for such a behemoth to grow, and for it to be utilized by Vortigern?
Morgan fell into deep thought.
But just then—
Whoosh.
A ball of fire shot past Morgan and Artoria, flying directly into the abyss.
"..."
"..."
Morgan and Artoria looked at the perpetrator together.
Both wore confused expressions.
"What are you doing?" Artoria spoke first.
"Wanted to see how deep it is."
Ian answered directly.
"But, it seems I can't."
"Even your flames couldn't reach the bottom?"
Morgan couldn't help but gasp.
"Should I try burning it down?"
Seeing Morgan's silence, Ian asked again.
"I think..."
"...I could probably do it."
"Don't do that for now."
Morgan stopped Ian's thought.
"But, can you take us a bit closer?"
Without another word.
Ian transformed directly into his black dragon form.
With a flash of fierce wind, carrying Morgan and Artoria, he flew towards the "tree."
However—
As the distance to the "tree" shrank, Morgan and Artoria sensed something almost simultaneously.
The "tree" was moving.
That's right.
It pulsed like a heart, yet it didn't look like a living thing.
"Closer, Ian."
Morgan said, and then felt the black dragon beneath her accelerate.
Soon, she and Artoria had the opportunity to touch the "tree" directly.
Without any hesitation, the two reached out their hands together.
But the next second.
Morgan and Artoria pulled their hands back almost simultaneously.
They looked at each other, and the answer in their eyes was highly consistent.
"Sister."
"Is this the reason for the revival of Britain's land?"
"It is what made Britain's soil fertile again."
Just as Artoria said, the moment her hand touched the Tree of Emptiness, something akin to memories was transmitted into her mind.
The reason she called it "akin to memories" was because Artoria could feel that this was an "everything" that shouldn't "exist"—meaning Britain's land shouldn't have recovered its vitality like this.
"Which means—"
"Is it a so-called 'fantasy'?"
Morgan, having experienced something similar to Artoria, made this judgment in the end.
"A 'tree' carrying fantasies has revitalized the land of Britain, but at the same time, brought it crisis. Is that it?"
No answer.
But none was needed.
One person's intuition might be the germ of a lie.
But when two people sensed such an existence, its reality was definitively confirmed.
No need for hesitation, nor denial.
Artoria asked softly:
"Ian, what do you think?"
"Does this 'tree' need to be kept? Or should it be destroyed, as you first thought?"
"..."
The dragon did not answer, but flew towards the high sky.
This was already the simplest and most obvious answer.
"What you approve of, I approve of."
"Sister, when we return, let's make the existence of this 'tree' public—"
High in the sky, Artoria made this decision.