Chapter 3
Aren’t the Druids that group of people Sister Li Wei complained about, the ones who claim that humanity’s overuse of magic is causing the permafrost to melt?
This girl in front of me is really brave, isn’t she? Saying she’s a Druid right to my face. Because I had suspected the Druids were some new-emerging religion, I rather admired her courage to be so outspoken. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued by her.
“Alright, let’s go into the Church to talk then.”
I instructed the knights to unlock the girl’s shackles. Naturally, they didn’t dare to disobey. Lian Qi and Qifeng stared at me, bewildered. Actually, Qifeng should understand; the robe this girl is wearing is from the “White Tower.” She isn’t some person of unknown origin.
After entering the Church, I had someone arrange a room and invited everyone to sit down, and I personally brewed a pot of tea.
“Waah—! T-Tea personally brewed by the Saintess!?” The girl held the teacup with both hands, her eyes shining with excitement. I felt helpless. Is it necessary to be so dramatic?
Qifeng pouted and said, “You’re in for a treat. Usually, only the Queen gets to drink tea personally brewed by the Saintess.”
“Qifeng, you’re saying that kind of thing again,” I smiled helplessly, then turned to look at the girl. “Don’t just stare at it, have a taste?”
“Okay!”
The girl obediently took a sip. Cradling my own teacup, I could finally get a good look at her. She looks… about my age? Blue, shoulder-length hair, and her height is similar to mine. The cute type, I guess? Although the white robe she’s wearing is a little dirty, it is indeed a “White Tower” mage’s robe.
The girl drank all the tea in the cup in one go, then placed the cup back on the table and smiled at me, “Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Luo Luoxi. I am a member of the Druid organization, and also a magic scholar of the White Tower—albeit an apprentice.” She added this in a small voice.
“White Tower? What’s the White Tower?” Lian Qi asked, confused.
“The White Tower is an organization of scholars engaged in magical research.” —Qifeng answered for me first.
“The Demon King would actually allow an organization that advances magic technology to exist?”
“Not really. The White Tower’s fate was the same as the Magic Academy’s. Besides, there weren’t many scholars conducting magic research in the White Tower to begin with. After experiencing the Demon King’s hunt, there are even fewer now. Currently, there’s Teacher Mei Lin, and my teacher, Professor Ai Sitanyin,1 and a few others,” Luo Luoxi replied.
“Teacher Mei Lin? The Teacher Mei Lin who teaches the Enchantment department at the Magic Academy?” Lian Qi asked.
“Yes, yes, yes! The very same Teacher Mei Lin who invented the improved flame magic crystal!” Luo Luoxi replied enthusiably.
That great demon lord who thirsts for slaughter also held a position at the White Tower for a time… Forget it, the past is too painful to recall.
I saw Lian Qi staring at her. “You also said you’re a Druid? Can you turn into a bear then?”
“Eh? Lian Qi, what are you expecting?”
Luo Luoxi shrank back, looking troubled. “Druid is the name of the organization, it doesn’t mean my profession is Druid. I’m just an apprentice magic scholar. My usual work is—administrative management.” She smiled.
“Does that just mean you run errands?” Lian Qi said in a low voice.
Qifeng coughed lightly. “Let’s not talk about your work for now. What important matter did you have to find the Saintess for?”
“Oh—it’s like this.” She moved her stool a little closer. “I want to clarify to you, Saintess, that the Druids are not a religious organization as rumored by the outside world, but a green organization composed of environmentalists and animal protectionists.”
I was stunned. Lian Qi’s reaction was the biggest among all of us, letting out an “Ah???” of astonishment.
“What’s wrong, Lian Qi—why is your reaction so big?” I asked weakly.
“The other world actually has environmental organizations??? Okay, okay, there’s nothing wrong with Druids being environmentalists.”
“Therefore, I implore you, Saintess, not to regard us as heretics. We are essentially just an organization similar to the Adventurers’ Guild. Our members come from all walks of life, and all of us believe in the Holy Light,” she said, looking at me with sincere eyes.
Alright, now that you put it that way, I understand. I’ve heard some of the views you promote. How do you explain them?” I asked.
“Regarding our claim that humanity’s overuse of magic is causing global climate change, it’s not groundless, you know. I believe you have also seen that the scale of permafrost melt has been expanding over the past year. This is because when we use magic or magical items, we release a kind of gas that causes a greenhouse effect, melting the permafrost’s ice.”
“…?” Lian Qi frowned, seeming to have reservations about her words.
“If we continue to overuse magic, it will lead to the awakening of prehistoric creatures sealed in the ice, or ancient viruses, and humanity will be plunged into disaster.”
Hearing her say this, I thought of the Dragonkin General Daqisaroth and the vampire virus that Lili contracted. If more of those things awaken from the permafrost or are released, it would indeed be a disaster for humanity.
“Is this the research result from the White Tower?” Qifeng asked with her arms crossed. As an inspector, she shows her skeptical side when she’s on the job.
Luo Luoxi nodded with certainty. “Yes, it’s the absolute truth. To speak of something more recent, the smog enveloping the royal capital today—according to the White Tower’s latest research, it is a type of magical miasma that is harmful to the human body, and it’s related to the pollution from the mana furnaces.”
“Mana furnaces cause pollution?” Qifeng looked baffled.
“Magic, invisibly, causes pollution to varying degrees. Because it is, in essence, a pollution of the Holy Light.”
As Luo Luoxi spoke, she turned her gaze to me. That sincere look in her eyes made it very difficult to refuse.
“We members of the Druids are committed to protecting the world’s environment. Therefore, I hope… if we could borrow your prestige, Saintess, to do environmental public welfare work, it would definitely work—”
I paused. “So you were looking for me to help you with environmental public welfare!?”
“After all, you are the Saintess bestowed upon humanity by the Holy Light. You are the most prestigious person in this world, and the most suitable person to be the environmental public welfare ambassador!”
“No way, no way. How could the Saintess possibly be the environmental public welfare ambassador for your Druid organization?” Qifeng said without a shred of hesitation.
“Fei’er, I also think this is too rash,” Lian Qi said with her arms crossed.
I scratched my cheek with one finger and gave a weak laugh: “If it’s really as you say, that humanity’s overuse of magic is causing climate change and melting the permafrost, then it would be my duty. But right now, we can’t be certain that the permafrost melt is really related to the overuse of magic. So, I will first take note of what you’ve told me, and then investigate it properly.”
After all, I can’t just listen to her side of the story.
Footnotes
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This appears to be a transliteration of “Einstein” (艾思坦因, Àisītǎnyīn). ↩