As we walked for a while, we arrived in a different space.
The ground was barren, not a single blade of grass in sight. A dry, cracked earth stretched out before us.
In the distance, there stood a single massive tree. It was so tall that we had to look up to see it, but its branches were nearly bare.
“Is that the World Tree? Morrigan?” I asked.
“Yes… but something feels off. The World Tree was supposed to be a radiant giant,” Morrigan replied.
It looked more like a dying tree, on the verge of collapse.
“Mika Mother, doesn’t the base of the tree look strange?” Lisia-chan pointed out.
The roots were writhing, moving as if they had a life of their own.
“Mika. I sense an evil presence emanating from the roots of the World Tree,” Morrigan said, pointing at the tree’s base.
As if it had noticed us, the roots began to stir. Zzzzzzz…!
What I had thought were tree roots were actually a gigantic… body. It had a long, serpentine form.
“Nidhogg! Mika!”
～～～～～～
Demon Dragon Nidhogg
→ A serpent demon. It devours everything, and its insides become a different dimension. Anything that enters can never escape.
～～～～～～
Its skin resembled decaying leaf litter. A thick body, and… a massive serpent’s head.
The enormous serpent was biting into the World Tree.
“Is the World Tree withering because of the serpent’s poison?” I wondered aloud.
“Um, Morrigan-sama, what exactly is a demon?” Lisia-chan asked, seeking clarification.
“A demon is a god that descends to the mortal realm to cause mischief,” Morrigan explained.
“A god… so does that mean Nidhogg is an ally of you and Mika Mother…?”
“No, a god that commits evil acts is the polar opposite of us, the benevolent gods. In the first place, gods are supposed to remain uninvolved in earthly matters. Demons are criminal gods that violate that rule.”
…But I’m definitely interfering with earthly matters, aren’t I?
“Mika is an exception. She was originally human, and besides, she is the Supreme God, the highest among the gods.”
So there’s a rule that allows the Supreme God to interfere.
“W-What will you do, Mika-sama?” Luciel asked, her voice trembling.
“I’ll make it stop. Morrigan and the others, stay right here.”
I enveloped Lisia-chan and the others in Kurohime’s Barrier. Alone, I approached Nidhogg.
“Hello. I am Nagano Mika.”
Slurp… slurp…
Nidhogg was fixated on biting the World Tree, sucking something from it. The tree was withering away from around its fangs.
It was likely that Nidhogg was draining the tree’s nutrients.
“Could you please stop? If the World Tree disappears, Maso won’t be produced, and this forest, and the world, will be in serious trouble.”
The Maso released by the World Tree brings blessings to the forest and the world. If this World Tree dies, it would mean the end of Lisia-chan’s territory.
Her mother would never allow that.
Slurp… slurp…
No good. It seemed Nidhogg had no intention of listening.
“Wind Blade!”
I cast a spell with restraint. The blade of wind sliced through Nidhogg’s skin with a swish.
“What are you doing?!”
Nidhogg swung its massive tail, aiming to strike me down. I activated Kurohime’s Barrier.
But an instinct told me this was bad. The barrier shattered like wet paper.
Boom!
One of my Supreme God skills, Absolute Barrier (Firewall). It nullifies all attacks, accepting none. Even those from a demon.
“To break through the Black Tortoise Barrier… what incredible power!” I exclaimed.
“Shut up! Don’t get in my way!” Nidhogg roared.
Once again, Nidhogg attacked with its thick tail. But no matter how hard it struck, I felt no damage.
“Damn it!”
Nidhogg suddenly pulled its mouth away from the World Tree.
“Yes! It’s pulled away from the World Tree!”
“Luciel, don’t leave the barrier. It looks like it’s about to do something!”
Nidhogg opened its mouth wide…
Goooooohhhhhh!
“My body… it’s being drawn in…!”
Nidhogg was sucking me in with an incredible force. As I floated, I was pulled into its maw.
“Mika Mother!!!”
…
…
…
When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a dark space.
Water soaked up to my ankles. A dark tunnel stretched out ahead.
～～～～～～
Current Situation
→ Inside Nidhogg’s body. The interior has become a barrier space, preventing anything inside from escaping.
～～～～～～
I tried using Greater Teleportation, but there was no sign of being able to escape.
“This is troublesome. I’ve been trapped…”
What should I do… wait?
“Is this… garbage?”
The space was filled with rocks, broken building fragments, and clearly trash-like debris.
Curious, I decided to search for information about Nidhogg using Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet).
“I see…”
So that’s what it was. It seemed like a rather pitiful creature.
“I have to help it. Box!”
A black box appeared in the space.
“Here we come!” “Gojaru!”
Akahane and Hakubyō had arrived.
“Mika-yan! I was worried!”
“Gojaru!”
Both of them had shown changes in their speech patterns as a result of their Baptism. Akahane and Hakubyō’s language abilities had been enhanced.
～～～～～～
Reason for the Box’s Usability
→ Nidhogg’s barrier confines those inside. It is weak against intrusion from the outside.
～～～～～～
So while I couldn’t teleport out from here, I could summon from the outside.
Well, there was no real need to enter from the outside anyway.
“Akahane, Hakubyō. I need your help with something.”
“Sure! What do you need us to do?”
“I need to deal with this garbage.”
I instructed Akahane and Hakubyō. They nodded and…
“We’re on it!”
“Gojaru!”
Akahane unleashed an incredible amount of flames. Hakubyō slashed at Nidhogg’s body with its claws.
“That hurts!!!”
A gust of wind blew from the depths of the tunnel. We rode that wind.
The strong gust propelled us outward.
“We’re back on the surface!”
In mid-air, Akahane grabbed the collar of my outfit, hovering, while Hakubyō was cradled in my arms.
Nidhogg was rapidly shrinking in size.
On the surface, Morrigan and the others were waving at us. It seemed I had worried them.
We landed back on the ground.
“Mika!” “Mother!”
The two rushed to embrace me.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“No… I’m just glad you’re safe!”
Lisia-chan sniffled, wiping her nose.
“But, Mika-sama, how did you manage that?”
“I burned the garbage inside Nidhogg.”
I explained what I had seen inside.
“Oh, there was a ton of garbage. It had eaten too many unnecessary things and ended up like that. I had the two of them help with the cleanup.”
Akahane’s flames burned everything, while Hakubyō’s claws sliced through all. Thanks to their powers, we managed to clear out the indigestible garbage from Nidhogg’s insides…
“That’s how it ended up like this.”
I lifted the now tiny Nidhogg.
“It’s become quite cute, hasn’t it?”
Its appearance was now that of a plump, small serpent. More like a mythical creature than a snake.
“Shall we dispose of it now?”
“Wait, Morrigan. This child… is a pitiful one. It was cleaning up the garbage in this forest all by itself.”
I shared what I had learned about Nidhogg’s circumstances.
～～～～～～
Nidhogg’s Circumstances
→ To prevent the World Tree from rotting, it had been consuming miasma and garbage alone. Having received no gratitude from anyone, it turned into a demon.
～～～～～～
“So… it was doing this to protect the World Tree?”
“Yes. But eventually, it must have developed hatred for the World Tree.”
Grrr…
Nidhogg’s stomach growled in my palm.
“I’m hungry…”
It seemed ready to bite into the World Tree again.
“You don’t have to eat something that doesn’t taste good.”
Having been a corporate slave myself, I understood the struggles of working hard without reward. I wanted to give this child… something delicious to eat.
I pulled out a soft, sweet red bean cake I had bought from KAMIZON and offered it to Nidhogg.
“This is really… delicious~♡”
“See? Want more?”
“Yes!”
I fed her plenty of sweet red bean rice cakes.
“You did such a great job all by yourself. You ate the trash you didn’t want and protected the World Tree. I’m so proud of you.”
“Ugh… thank you… big sister…”
Morrigan’s eyes widened as she gazed at Nidhogg.
“I can’t believe it… the presence of the Demon God has vanished…!”
“It must be thanks to Mother Mika! The feelings of hatred have disappeared! You’re amazing!”
【☆★Announcement★☆】
Due to popular demand, we have started a serialized version!!
You can find the link at the bottom of the page!!
【Serialized Version】 The Incompetent Noble Daughter, Married Off as a Substitute to the “Demon of the Far East” – “I was told by my parents to die in place of my sister, so I decided to leave home. But everyone at my new home is so kind, and I’m happy.”
Alternatively, you can copy and use the following URL:
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2756ju/