MADWD 60

Chapter 60

The sight of dozens of towering tree-people bowing before the Gold Dragon was breathtaking.

What looked like their “heads” stretched andshaped themselves into arms, while their “trunks” bent to form knees.

The Ents knelt deeply, pressing their wooden arms to the ground, and chanted in unison:

“Gold Dragon!”
“The one who blesses all with divine grace!”
“Ooooh, the legendary Golden Dragon stands before us!”
“How glorious! How moving!”

The hatchling was startled at first.

“Huh?”

But when he saw the forest giants bowing and treating him like some revered being, his expression quickly shifted to smug satisfaction.

He had no idea why they were doing this, but he certainly liked it.

“Yes! That’s right! I am the Gold Dragon!”

“Oooooh!”

The Ents trembled in awe, their massive trunks shaking with emotion.

As they shuddered, blue leaves rained down from their bodies, fluttering to the ground like a gentle shower.

Huh. If that’s like human hair falling out, then they’re balding. But if it’s like autumn leaves, does that mean they go bald every winter? Is this… molting?

Ariella shook her head.

No, no. Now’s not the time to be thinking about that.

By now, the Ents were fully immersed in their worship. They raised and lowered their thick branches repeatedly, as if bowing in prayer.

The hatchling was clearly enjoying himself. He proudly stretched his long neck, flapped his golden wings, and basked in their adoration.

The scene was loud and dramatic, almost like some fanatical cult ceremony.

Ariella finally forced herself to step in.

“Um… excuse me for interrupting.”

Even she wasn’t sure what exactly she was interrupting.

“Could someone please explain what’s happening here?”

The lead Ent stepped forward to answer.

“There is an ancient prophecy,” he said in a deep, solemn voice. “It tells that when our kind faces a time of great peril, a golden dragon shall come… to save us.”

Ariella and Philly exchanged a quick glance.

There’s a prophecy like that?
Don’t look at me, I don’t know Ent legends either.

Meanwhile, the subject of that prophecy was puffing himself up even more.

“Really? Me? I’m going to save you?”

His chin tilted up higher, pride swelling at the idea.

Ariella ignored his smugness and got to the heart of the matter.

“A time of peril? Is your situation really that bad?”

She knew they were frustrated with the fairies, but was it truly a crisis for their entire species?

“Fairies constantly trespassing in our territory is a nuisance,” the Ent leader admitted. “But that is not the danger I speak of.”

“Then what is it?”

“We were already facing a dire situation… even before the fairies began their mischief.”

“What kind of situation?”

“It is a threat to our very survival as a race.”

Ariella blinked. She hadn’t expected that answer.

“We have not been able to grow a single new sapling for centuries.”

“…You mean your population isn’t increasing?”

“Correct. Not a single sprout has risen in ages.”

The Ent population in the Fairy Forest had neither increased nor decreased for hundreds of years.

“I can understand if there aren’t many deaths since trees live long lives. But why aren’t new ones growing?”

“There is no land left for them,” the Ent said gravely.

“To raise a sapling, we need soil blessed by the World Tree’s power. The Fairy Forest has such soil… but there is no space left for a child Ent to grow.”

“That makes no sense. This forest is enormous! Are you telling me there’s not a single spot to plant a new tree?”

“You misunderstand. I do not mean physical space.” The Ent shook his massive branches. “If our numbers were to grow now, we would drain far too much power from the World Tree. The forest itself would wither.”

That explanation made sense.

“So… you have to keep your population stable to protect the World Tree’s strength and the balance of this forest?” Ariella asked.

“Exactly.”

It wasn’t just about their species’ survival—they were also protecting every other plant that lived there.

To Ariella, this perspective was refreshing.

If it were humans or demons, they’d just cut down all the other trees to make room for themselves.

Humans and demons expanded their land by force—clearing forests, driving out wildlife, and claiming the soil for themselves.

Even mindless plants followed the same principle of competition.

In nature, one tree often killed others around it to claim sunlight and space.

But the Ents chose to coexist with all other plant life, refusing to harm them just for their own benefit.

I guess that’s the difference between plant-based intelligence and animal-based intelligence. They think differently.

The Ent continued, voice heavy with sorrow.

“All of this began when the growth of the World Tree ceased. Had it continued to grow, we would have expanded with it.”

The World Tree had stopped growing, and as a result, its magical reach had stopped expanding too.

“This forest has no more blessed soil left. We needed to find new land, but… there is none that meets the requirements.”

Just like there wasn’t only one sun in the Demon Realm, there wasn’t just one World Tree either.

Whenever a new World Tree sprouted somewhere, it created a new magical land where Ents could settle and grow.

But for some reason, no new World Trees had appeared in ages.

That was why the Ents couldn’t plant their seeds anywhere.

“Do you know why no new World Trees are growing?” Ariella asked.

“We do not. All we know is that our race stands on the brink of extinction. A stagnant species has no future.”

For the Ents, planting seeds and raising saplings wasn’t just survival—it was their sacred duty.

“But now… we are saved.”

“Huh?” Ariella tilted her head.

“The legendary Gold Dragon has appeared! He will lead us to a new land, a paradise where our kind will thrive again!”

“Thrive!”

“Thrive!”

The Ents roared in unison, bowing to the hatchling once more.

Excited by the attention, the little dragon copied them.

“Fwiive!”

Ariella, Ludwig, and their soldiers stood frozen, completely baffled by the surreal scene.

Soon, an unusual procession made its way from the Fairy Forest back to Ludwig’s Demon King’s Domain.

Ariella and her group led the way, but their company had grown considerably.

For one thing, a golden dragon now soared above them.

Whoooosh!

The hatchling’s flying skills had improved dramatically—he could easily reach Ludwig’s castle far ahead of them if he wanted.

But he chose to stay above Ariella, matching her pace.

And there was more.

Rumble… rumble… rumble…

The ground trembled beneath them.

This wasn’t the sound of soldiers riding horses.

Their mounts were restless and uneasy, ears twitching nervously.

Can’t really blame them. It’s not every day you have a whole forest chasing your tail.

Ariella turned in her saddle and stared at the massive Ent army following them.

She had been worried that the tree giants wouldn’t be able to keep up with the horses’ pace… but her fears were unfounded.

Wow. They’re fast.

The Ents’ ability to reshape their wooden bodies was impressive.

Once they decided to travel, they coiled their massive root-legs into circles, lacing them together into large, sturdy wheels.

Branches extended inside like spokes, creating strong support.

Then they simply rolled forward, moving as smoothly as carriages.

Ariella was witnessing firsthand how the Ents of old had roamed the world in search of new World Trees…

That is, before everything changed.

Still… why have all the World Trees suddenly stopped growing? That’s strange…

She resolved to dig through the castle library for answers as soon as they returned.