Chapter 86: Garden Destroyers
Leaving the insomniac Prince Kevin staring out his window, the four exited the royal bedchamber.
It was easy to distinguish the trees Kevin had pruned. Before his arrival, the palace gardens hadn’t been meticulously maintained. The Ossi Kingdom wasn’t known for its appreciation of aesthetics. The trees received only basic pruning to prevent them from becoming unsightly.
But the trees shaped by Kevin were different. They were meticulously sculpted into various geometric forms, their branches trimmed with precision, creating a sense of order that contrasted with the natural beauty of the untamed trees within the palace grounds.
Most of these pruned trees were fruit trees, and a significant portion of those were apple trees. It was early spring in the Ossi Kingdom, a time when deciduous trees like apple trees should be bare, their leaves shed during the winter. But these apple trees were lush and green, their foliage as vibrant as the evergreen trees in the palace, even bearing small, green fruits. Perhaps it was due to a temperature-regulating magic array, a special potion, or some other unknown factor. This aligned with Abyss’s suspicions. The Lord of Nightmares must have tampered with these trees. The Shadowlings were somehow connected to these apple trees.
Abyss cast a high-level illusion spell on his companions, then, with a snap of his fingers, they exited the Shadow Realm. The large cracks in the ground created by Little Fire Dragon vanished, and the extinguished braziers reignited, their flames flickering back to life.
“Wait a moment. I need to confirm our theory,” Abyss said, smiling, rubbing one of his rings.
A small, humanoid creature, its limbs long and slender, its body covered in sparse fur, materialized beside him. Rebecca hadn’t seen it before, but Leona and Flora recognized the gluttonous ghoul instantly.
“Master!” the ghoul exclaimed, its fanged mouth wide open, its throat bobbing as it tried to suppress its drool, a marked improvement over the typical ghoul’s constant slobbering. It hopped around excitedly, like a giant toad. “Does Little Glutton need to help? Little Glutton can help! Happy to help!”
“Yes, Little Glutton,” Abyss said, crouching down to meet its gaze, then pointed at a nearby apple tree. “I’m going to give you some apples from this tree. Tell me what they taste like.”
“Okay! Okay!” Little Glutton chirped, hopping excitedly.
Abyss chanted a spell, and several apples detached from the tree, floating towards him. He caught them and tossed them into Little Glutton’s gaping maw.
Crunch! Crunch!
The ghoul lived up to its name, devouring the apples with gusto, its sharp teeth tearing through the fruit, juice spraying everywhere. It didn’t forget its task, however, its eyes rolling as it savored the flavor.
Rebecca, crouching beside it, watched with amusement. She could also analyze ingredients through taste, but she knew the black mud was foul-tasting and had no desire to sample it. Abyss, aware of this, had summoned the ghoul, which had no concept of “disgusting.”
Little Glutton swallowed the last of the apples, then looked up at Abyss. “Master! Little Glutton tasted! Rotten apples! Not fresh!”
“These apples are still green, unripe. Why would they taste rotten?” Abyss asked. “Do they share any similarities with that black, slimy stuff I gave you before?”
“Taste very similar to black, slimy stuff! But no human blood, no cow blood, no pig fat!” Little Glutton reported.
“Excellent,” Abyss said, looking at the three girls. “Our theory was correct. Let’s get to work. Time is of the essence.”
“Understood! Do you need my help?” Leona asked, cracking her knuckles. “I can chop down these trees with my bare hands!”
“I do need your help, but not to chop them down. I need you to uproot them,” Abyss said, smiling. “I’m taking these trees with me. We’ll each handle half. Be gentle. We don’t want to damage the garden too much. Givia will be living here.”
“That’s easy! Leave it to me!” Leona said confidently, approaching an apple tree, grabbing its trunk with both hands, and pulling. With a few heaves and a twist, she uprooted the large tree, its roots and the clinging soil releasing a soft rustling sound.
Abyss, meanwhile, chanted a spell, and another meticulously pruned apple tree levitated, rising slowly from the ground.
Thanks to Abyss’s illusion, the guards remained oblivious to their act of vandalism. The palace grounds were still and peaceful.
“I wish we had a Druid,” Abyss said, as he uprooted another apple tree, his movements effortless. “They could make these trees walk on their own. After we deal with the Lord of Nightmares and fulfill Leona’s wish, we’ll visit the Elven Kingdoms and find that genius Druid. And I can start building my grand graveyard there. Perfect.”
“Abyss, it’s not even that warm. Why are you sweating? Let me wipe your brow,” Flora said, approaching him with a handkerchief and a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” Abyss said, smiling back.
Flora extended the handkerchief towards his forehead.
But Abyss stepped back, dodging her touch.
The handkerchief in Flora’s hand wasn’t a handkerchief at all. It was a piece of flesh, blood oozing from its surface, dripping onto the ground and turning into black goo…
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