Natasha the Halve

The day after started as usual, and the routine continued with everyone doing their thing.

At around lunch time I was done with meditation and was on my way to the room we had turned into a kitchen and dining room. When I was a few meters from the wall, Danuva showed up in front of me.

“Young Halve,” she called to me while approaching. “I have a request.”

I arched an eyebrow, feeling quite intrigued. “What kind of request?”

“There is a large tree nearby that needs removal,” she informed me. “It died a few centuries ago and is now becoming an issue for the surrounding vegetation and its growth. Divine Lands are seldom visited, and those who do wouldn't meddle with nature. Said tree has grown far too large and heavy for living organisms to deal with on their own. The Perihelion approaches, which makes it a prime time for you to deal with it as the sunlight will be just the right amount for weaker vegetation that has been covered to thrive.”

I hummed, then asked. “How big is it?”

“Two hundred and eleven meters tall, and sixty five meters wide,” she replied. “The crown is a kilometer wide, which is why it needs removal.”

I squinted my eyes and tried doing a bit of math. “I don't think I will be able to remove it. It's too heavy,” I pointed out.

“Shake it, make it fall, and punch it hard enough to move it and store it,” Danuva suggested. “That's how it's done. You don't need to lift it, young Halve. As long as there is no fire used and the surrounding vegetation is safe, you can break it down little by little, too.”

I looked her in the top pair of eyes. “How come it's still standing?”

“Too big to be removed without causing damage,” she simply replied.

I nodded. “Sure. I'll take Lapia with me.”

The Goddess put a hand on my forehead. “I'll show you the location,” she muttered.

The eye on her palm closed, but I felt it move below the skin, which was a bit funny. Right after thinking that, I went blind.

Suddenly, I was looking at the world from above.

Trees stood from horizon to horizon, covering everything the eye could see. Mountains, valleys, rivers, and roads were almost invisible, but could be discerned if I strained enough to recognize the vague shapes among the sea of green.

In the middle of the large expanse of treetops, a big one stood out above the rest. The thing was actually massive, covering the immediate surroundings with shade, which had small and anemic-looking trees growing in a spotty pattern instead of the thick and vibrant abundance that was the rest of the forest.

I looked directly down and saw the temple we were at, but from a height of a few hundred meters. Strangely enough, my mind was calm and peaceful, finding no reaction to the incredible height I was watching the world from.

You can see it from here, Danuva's voice echoed in my mind. Fifteen kilometers northwest.

I focused on the gigatree again, carefully observing the path towards it. There were a few hills and valleys on the way along with a couple of thin rivers, noticeable by the way light reflected off water.

Yep, I see it, I thought. Doable.

I went blind again.

My sight returned, and Danuva removed her hand from my forehead.

“That's a little... ask next time,” I requested.

“Noted,” the Goddess agreed. “When do you plan on going?”

I gave her an odd look. “Right now, of course. I've been a bit bored... no offense.”

“Understandable,” Danuva chuckled. “That'd be it from me, young Halve. You have my gratitude.”

I shrugged and placed an arm around her shoulders, then walked to the wall. “That's what we do, my dear cousin: Guide and Protect,” I told her and crossed the wall with her.

I picked Lapia up and left the temple shortly after. For the sake of saving time, we fetched our mounts from the Orators and departed.

Naturally, we made conversation while advancing at a comfortable pace. Not too fast, nor too slow.

“Hey, Lala,” I called out to her after ten minutes of chatting about the little critters that we saw. “What's the Nobility's stance on the individual's autonomy of economic power?”

The Elf gave me a serious look from atop her mount. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Pretty simple, really. Nobility rules the land they got from Royalty, where they exercise their power. They give it to those who can work it, protect it from beasts or monsters with their resources in the form of private armed forces, hiring Chasers, or by themselves if they know combat Classes... which is honestly rare, and if they have it they wouldn't be the ones ruling the land nowadays. If a family member, for example, me, has a combat Class, then I would be appointed as the Security Enforcer Officer of the family. I would then have to hire either an Academy Graduate, a Military Officer who retired already, or an experienced Chaser as Advisor in security to have them directly scout talents within the people who live in the land we oversee, or if they have contacts of their own, bring them under our House. Like this, we keep the people safe if our land is a town or a village. In return, people would pay taxes in the form of produce, knowledge, money, or labor. This means that there is no autonomy as you ask. That is the nature of Nobility in a very simplified explanation.”

I hummed, guiding Sonya through the trees and looking around. “What rank is your family? If you don't mind me asking.”

“Fal'Ankha,” she replied in Elvish, ducking to dodge a branch. “Which is... kind of like the rank of Marquis in Lumin Kingdom. Third in the hierarchy. We have the city of Pomkh, which is a port city, under us. Opinions exists about it, and I think it works very well. It's a three million year nation, after all. That speaks for itself.”

“Huh,” I uttered, satisfied with the answer. I saw a squirrel climbed a tree and smiled. “That's interesting. Sounds very... traditional.”

“Were there Monarchies on Earth?” Lapia inquired, giving me an interested look.

“Yes,” I replied. “Most were pretty mid since education was exclusively for the elite for a very long time. Rebellions happened, Nobles and Royals were rightfully butchered as the pigs they were, and the countries moved forward to a new form of government. By the time I died there were a bit over thirty five Monarchies around the world, out of some 150 countries. I might not remember the exact number, but there were very few ones left. I died in a Monarchy, too. It was pretty okay.”

“I see,” Lapia muttered. “When you say that about Nobles and Royals, do you mean the concept of them, or...?”

I turned to her and smiled. “That depends on the individual and the country, Lala. As a concept, Monarchies are a bit dodgy with the autonomy of the individual, but that's from someone who knows only one such country in this world. I was pretty confused at first since I expected pretty shitty conditions for people, and I am happy to say I was wrong.”

We reached a steep hill and slowed down to let the mounts go at their own pace and avoid getting tired or injured from things on the ground.

“I'm glad you like it here,” Lapia told me with a smile. “And I also want to know your view on political and economic autonomy.”

I took a deep breath. “Well... All of my political opinions stem from an abusive and impudent upper class, so it doesn't quite work here. I do, however, think there should exist a concrete limit to the growth of whatever constitutes as profit regardless of what people feel. In a world with limited resources, the concept of unlimited growth should be exclusively met with the sharp edge of a blade.”

Lapia sucked air through her teeth. “You and Yulianna will be good friends, then.”

“I hope so,” I chuckled and looked around.

We were approaching the big tree.