334 – The Fruit of Wisdom

The adam’s leg is eaten by nightmare.
After wrapping it in thread, it sticks its fangs in to it to slurp up the blood.

My partner, and the petit nightmare…they really can eat, these two.
No, from their perspective, it’s probably no different from eating a cow with a face on its belly… Huh, I guess I wouldn’t want to eat that either?

I draw closer to the tree the adam was lurking under, and bring my head next to the bright red fruit.
Now that I see it close-up, part of the fruit is caved in, twisted into what looks like a face contorted in anguish.
My eyes meet it, and I reflexively look away.

It’s just an apple tree…can’t be the case, but what’s with this terrible taste in fruit? Is it the adam’s hobby?

【[Fruit of Wisdom: Value L (legendary)]】
【A fruit created by god and given to the primordial humans.】
【To the primordial humans, it bestowed language, civilisation, magic, technology, and caused war.】
【The language and power of the time have been passed down through blood, and still takes root to this day.】
【Having fulfilled their purpose, the trees of the fruit of wisdom were burned to the ground by angels.】

Wh-what is this… There’s just one thing I don’t get.
Eh, v-value L?

【[Rank L (legendary)】
【Signifies above rank A, rank L (legendary).】
【Most of the monsters and objects worthy of this rank have been lost to the world.】
【The only new monsters that could enter this domain are those that are enthralled by god.】

This is the first time I’m hearing there’s such a rank!? Eh, what? Above A there‘s L!? Aside from myself, the only A rank monster I’ve seen is that adam, and the only A rank item I’ve seen is the hero’s sword.
What’s legendary rank? How many monsters of that rank are there in this world?

D-doesn’t this island have a bit too much power creep? Why are A- value flowers growing like weeds, and why is a legendary-class fruit tree growing in the middle of this field like it’s nothing?

…For the time being, let’s ignore this fruit.
It seems a bit too dangerous somehow.
There’s just a single fruit, but how many years does it take for just one to sprout? I can only imagine the adam was eating them heartily.
Eating it wouldn’t cause me to lose my head and grow a face out of my torso, would it?

『If you won’t, then I’ll…』

My partner stretches out her neck and sticks her fangs into the fruit of wisdom.
I hurriedly knock her head away and pull back.
The fruit of wisdom catches on her tooth and tears away from the tree, dancing through the air.

『Oi! What are you doing!』

Listen to what I’m saying! Stop putting everything in your mouth! Are you a baby!? What you eat gets digested in my stomach! Didn’t you see what I saw from God’s Voice!?

『I saw! It’s a super rare food!』

You saw! You actually saw!? That’s your first impression from that!? If we ate that, there’s no telling what would happen to us…

The fruit of wisdom flicked away by her tooth flies into the open mouth (hole) of the treant as it yawns behind us.

“Guah.” “Gaah.”

My partner and I cry out together and look at the treant.
Its mouth-like hole closes, and a faint light shines from its body.
My partner and I, as well as Aro and the petit nightmare all stare at it in shock.
Wary of our gazes, the treant in question twists its trunk to look at us.
Eventually, the faint light fades away.

A-are you okay, treant? Appearance-wise, there’s no change… Umm…

『……?』

Hmm? Did you say something just now, partner?

『Ah? What are you talking about?』

Eh? Huh, it wasn’t you…? N-no way!

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Species: Lesser Treant
Condition: Cursed
Lv: 14/25
HP: 86/86
MP: 74/74
Attack: 28
Defence: 76

Magic: 65
Speed: 33
Rank: D

Characteristic Skills:
[Darkness Attribute: Lv-] [Grisha Language: Lv2]

Resistance Skills:
[Physical Resistance: Lv3]

Normal Skills:
[Take Root: Lv4] [Clay: Lv2] [Rest: Lv2] [Fire Sphere: Lv1] [Aqua Sphere: Lv1] [Clay Sphere: Lv1] [Wind Sphere: Lv1] [Telepathy: Lv1] [Gravity: Lv1]

Title Skills:
[Servant of the Evil Dragon: Lv-] [Eater of the Fruit of Wisdom: Lv-]
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L-language and magic skills have shown up.
Is this really that fruit of wisdom’s effect? Just eating a single fruit did this much… M-maybe I should have eaten it after all… Hmm?

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

[Wind Sphere Lv1] [Telepathy: Lv1] [Gravity: Lv1]
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

[Telepathy]!? Really!? That fruit had that kind of power!? Th-then tell me that first please! If I knew that I might have eaten it anyway regardless of the risks!

『…Aah, if you hadn’t stopped me, I would have eaten it.
』

I-I didn’t know! H-hey treant-san, just a fragment is okay, so could you spit some out?

It quietly shakes its trunk.
You really don’t need the [Telepathy] skill…

I sigh, and glare at the tree of the fruit of wisdom… I wonder how long until the next fruit sprouts.

But something is catching my attention.
There’s something I have a bad premonition about.

【[Fruit of Wisdom: Value L (legendary)]】
【A fruit created by god and given to the primordial humans.】
【To the primordial humans, it bestowed language, civilisation, magic, technology, and caused war.】
【The language and power of the time have been passed down through blood, and still takes root to this day.】
【Having fulfilled their purpose, the trees of the fruit of wisdom were burned to the ground by angels.】

…It would be fine if it’s just embellishments that were added as the legend was passed down, but hearing about god and angels feels disturbing.
Is it the same god as in God’s Voice? The way it’s phrased is as though it’s about another person though.