I got to level two of Lesser Archdemon.

I only gained about 5 magic from killing a single normal person. Even if a soldier was worth 10, I still didn't kill all that many people this time around. About 3000 of my magic gain was coming from out of nowhere.

"…was it you?" I spoke to the reborn Sapling. I thought I felt a faint wisp of mana reaching me, as though a response.

The souls of the 99 secret alpha testers, those who had died from the corporation's betrayal, were resting in the World Tree. They would then be granted new lives as the reborn Saplings.

Who this Sapling used to be, I didn't know. All the same, they had turned a fragment of their newly-gained lifeforce into a white magic stone to give to me.

Thanks. I'll protect you, I swear it.

I and Blobsy continued building the small mulch hill.

*boing*

We finished our work. Blobsy jiggled on my shoulder, as though proud of a job well done.

I should confirm the location, at least. I climbed on top of a nearby mountain. There, I saw the town, so far away it shrank to the size of a button. I'd already known a new Sapling couldn't be too far away from the old one, but this was probably 200 kilometers at least.

There was even a deep gorge in between. I was quite sure the new Sapling could grow to maturity without being discovered.

…I wondered how that country was doing. Well, the place was sure to be crowding with watcher drones anyway, and it wasn't like I had all that much time to waste.

"Alright. Come on Blobsy, let's go back."

*boing*

As things were, it'd be risky to continue with the Southern Continent. We returned to the reborn Sapling and rode on the network, going back to the World Tree.

***

***

Near the northern edge of the Southern Continent lay the Principality of Rantetrois. With its Sapling destroyed, anything that used mana in the country were turning themselves off one after another.

With its high demand for mana, the first to go was the railway.

The locomotives did have magic stones as batteries, but they were only used to start the engine and as reserve mana in cases accidents occurred mid-way through a trip. In normal running, the rails supplied magic to the trains.

When the rails were no longer active, the trains stopped. Before starting up the train with the reserve mana battery, the conductors decided to call to ask about the situation. It was only then that they learned about the destruction of the Sapling.

The next to go were the lighting, plumbing, and other such essential utilities. The only bit of lamp oil and kindlings available were at the shops selling traveling goods. The people couldn't even cook due to the lack of water. Unable to understand the situation, they fell into panic. Chaos reigned.

Next to fail were the magic equipment managing the slave collars, and almost at the same time, the barriers protecting towns and villages from monsters. Demihumans began their escape.

In farming villages with nothing but a simple fence, Fiend Wolves commenced their attacks, looking for livestock to feed on. The humans were still fending them off, but their own food supply was beginning to look dire. People were going into forests to get firewood despite lacking proper preparations, which often resulted in them being attacked by monsters. The situation was spiraling into unmitigated disaster.

The people in power took no time in escaping the country on express carriages, together with what valuables they could carry. Bit by bit, society unraveled. The Principality of Rantetrois was slowly turning into a wasteland.

***

The events that had transpired in the Southern Continent — the loss of a Sapling, and Rantetrois' ensuing descent into chaos — were being taken under serious considerations by the Central Continent, by nature a continent sensitive to information of all kinds. In contrast, the other continents did not attach as much importance to the matter. Perhaps they weren't even aware of it.

52 years ago, the 92nd Sapling was discovered, and a new country was born. Torbandeux, a relatively young island country.

However, no one was interested in it, due to the simple fact that the island had nothing but forests. Despite being the 92nd, it was only 18 years ago that development truly started, when one of the nobles of the 97th country, the large country Torbasept, decided to stake their claim.

Despite being called a 'country' due to possessing a Sapling, Torbandeux had only just recently become a small village. It had just the bare minimum of soldiers and about two thousand settlers.

Convenience and comfort were still far away, but the people were lively, full of spirit. There was no lack of smiles on their faces. Night after night, in taverns they declared their dream of turning their village into a true nation. And working toward that dream were hundreds of beastmen slaving away without rest.

The Sapling still had nothing more than a simple fence surrounding it. Stakes were driven into it to gather mana. Standing on top of a fortress constructed a few years ago, the young governor of the country was watching the tree, all the while taking sips of alcohol.

And then, in front of him, the impossible happened. All of a sudden, the Sapling turned white.

"Wha…"

And shattered into dust.

Where the Sapling used to be, there now stood a girl, white rabbit ears drooping from her head. He stared at her, dumbfounded. She noticed him and gave him a gentle bow. Then she disappeared in a blink of an eye.

With the Sapling's blessing now gone, Torbandeux returned to its true climate of a northern island. An abrupt blizzard ravaged the village. The citizens could do nothing but ran for their own lives, leaving their demihumans slaves behind.