Chapter 732: The Genome Tree! The Legacy of Arcadia's Leader!
"Sigh."
The sound was soft, barely audible over the gentle rustling of leaves in the afternoon breeze.
On a lush, manicured green lawn that stretched out like a velvet carpet, a girl sat alone. The sunlight filtered through the canopy of the trees, dappling her shoulder-length, chestnut-brown hair with flecks of gold.
She was petite, possessing a delicate beauty that seemed almost fragile, yet her eyes held a quiet strength.
"I'm telling you, Calico, today is so boring. The wind smells of rain, but the sky is clear."
There was no one around her. No friends, no classmates, no family.
Only a fat calico cat she was holding comfortably in her lap.
"Meow." The cat yawned, stretching its paws. "Then go find something to do, Yō-chan. Sitting here won't make fish fall from the sky."
"Hahahaha."
The girl chuckled, scratching the cat behind the ears, eliciting a satisfied purr.
"Indeed, you're right. But honestly, it's enough to just have you as my friend. Humans are... complicated."
It was certain. To an outside observer, she might look like a lonely girl talking to herself. But she wasn't imagining the words.
She truly could communicate with the cat in her arms. She could hear the distinct, grumbling voice of the feline as clearly as spoken Japanese.
Her name was Kasukabe Yō.
She possessed a power that defied modern science—a Gift that allowed her to communicate with the fauna of the world.
In fact, her power came from a precious heirloom hanging around her neck. It was a round wooden carving, polished smooth by time, made from the sacred wood of a camphor tree. Elaborate, circular patterns of a phylogenetic tree were carved into its surface.
The Genome Tree.
It was a gift from her father, Kasukabe Koumei.
This wasn't just a translator. It was a Grace of the highest order. Not only did it allow her to communicate with different species whose languages were incomprehensible to humans, but it also allowed her to acquire permanent specific abilities from them just by befriending them.
Cheetah speed, elephant strength, bird flight...
Furthermore, it could transform into various Graces by changing the appearance of the Genome Tree itself.
In reality, the Genome Tree could collect information from all living beings. Sampling from the Record. Then "evolving" and "synthesizing" the data.
A singular System Tree that continuously evolved its wielder towards perfection.
It could even simulate the power of the "Strongest Species"—Dragons, Divine Spirits, Celestial Beasts.
It was a "comprehensive anti-Demon Lord combat armament" created by Kasukabe Koumei to fight the evils of the Little Garden. With this Grace, no matter how unreasonable the Gift Game, the wielder could adapt to all situations and retain a chance of victory.
For example, against "enemies that should be impossible to defeat" like the undead or concepts of death. With the Genome Tree, the chances of victory would never be zero.
It was a weapon of hope.
However, Yō didn't know the darker history. The prototype of the Genome Tree was actually a Grace created by a "Dystopia" hostile to the gods, designed to cause the decline of faith. Her mother, born in that Dystopia, had passed this legacy down through blood and tragedy.
"Hmph."
A sharp, haughty voice cut through the peaceful atmosphere.
"Another girl? And you still say you're not a pervert collecting a harem? Your criteria for recruitment seem incredibly biased."
Kudou Asuka, one of the three figures who had suddenly materialized behind Kasukabe Yō, retorted with her hands on her hips. Her red dress fluttered in the wind as she glared at the back of the young man leading them.
She increasingly felt like she had boarded a pirate ship. First her, now this lonely girl in the park.
Kasukabe Yō heard the voice—not an animal's voice, but a human one—and turned around in surprise. The calico cat hissed and jumped from her lap.
She saw three people standing there. A handsome young man with an unreadable expression, a haughty girl in a red dress, and... a woman in a maid outfit who radiated an aura of dangerous elegance.
Yō blinked, clutching her necklace instinctively. "Who... are you?"
Ren Kazama didn't waste time with pleasantries. He looked down at the girl, his eyes landing on the wooden carving.
"Do you want to go to the Little Garden (Hakoniwa)?"
"Eh!!!"
Hearing "Hakoniwa", Kasukabe Yō's eyes widened, sparkling with a sudden, intense light.
She knew Hakoniwa!
She originally had an incurable disease, a genetic defect that prevented her from walking. She had spent her childhood in a hospital bed, watching the world through a window.
When she was eleven, her father, Kasukabe Koumei, visited her. He told her many stories of his experiences in a magical place called Hakoniwa—tales of the Communities, the Gift Games, and his brave companions.
He gave her the Genome Tree and said, "Make friends. Friends will give you strength."
Miraculously, she gained the abilities of her animal friends and stood on her feet again.
Under her father's influence, she believed that friends were the most important asset when surviving outside. She yearned to visit that world, to befriend creatures like griffins and dragons, just like her father.
But when Yō shared her father's experiences with others in this world... no one believed her.
Doctors called it delusions. Classmates mocked her.
"There's no such thing as a Little Garden. Your father abandoned you."
But Kasukabe Yō knew that what her father said was true, because with that special power, she could walk. The proof was in her legs.
From then on, she became estranged from humans, preferring the honest company of animals.
But just now.
She heard "Hakoniwa" from the boy in front of her!
"You..." Yō scrambled to her feet, ignoring the grass stains on her dress. "You are from Hakoniwa?"
Kasukabe Yō was incredibly excited. Her hands trembled.
She desperately wanted to hear "yes".
This meant her persistence was not wrong. It meant her father was real.
Ren looked at her hopeful face and shook his head calmly.
"No."
"..."
A look of crushing disappointment appeared in Kasukabe Yō's eyes. The light faded instantly, replaced by a dull ache.
But.
Ren smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes. He pointed a thumb at the blonde maid beside him.
"I'm not. Kudou Asuka isn't either. But Leticia Dracul here... she is from Hakoniwa."
"!!!"
Yō gasped, looking at the maid.
"And," Ren continued, dropping the bombshell. "She should know your father very well."
"???"
Kasukabe Yō and Leticia were both startled.
Leticia Dracul, the former Vampire King, stepped forward. Her ruby eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the girl. The faint spiritual signature coming from the wooden carving felt incredibly nostalgic.
"Her father is...?" Leticia asked curiously, her voice losing its usual professional detachment.
Ren smiled faintly and spoke a name that echoed with legend.
"Kasukabe Koumei."
"!!!"
This time, it was Leticia's turn to be shocked. Her composure shattered.
"Koumei?!"
How could she not know Kasukabe Koumei?
He was the leader of their Arcadia Community!
He was considered by Canaria and others to be Arcadia's strongest combat force, a strategist and warrior without peer. Though he had a bad habit of wandering around and disappearing for months, he was the heart of their guild.
200 years ago, as Arcadia's ace, he joined the entire army of the "Dominator" Grand Alliance to subjugate the Demon Lord Azdahaka, the "Absolute Evil" who had destroyed the Moon Rabbit tribe's hometown.
But during the operation, he continuously used the "Genome Tree" to its limits. Unknowingly, he lost his human factors, becoming something else to seal the beast.
Ultimately, he could only seal Azdahaka.
At the same time, due to Arcadia being attacked by an unknown Demon Lord, leading to its destruction and erasure from history, Koumei also disappeared. His whereabouts and fate were unknown to the survivors.
Leticia never expected to meet Kasukabe Koumei's daughter here, in an outer world!
"You..." Leticia's voice trembled slightly. She looked at Yō with burning eyes, seeing the shadow of her former leader in the girl's determined expression. "What is your name, child?"
"Um, I... I'm Kasukabe Yō."
Kasukabe Yō was very uncomfortable with the intense, almost reverent gaze. She took a half-step back.
"Yō... As expected, she's his daughter. You have his eyes." Leticia murmured, clenching her fists to stop them from shaking.
"You... you know my father? Really?" Yō asked, her voice small.
Leticia straightened her posture, bowing slightly with the grace of a knight.
"That's right. Since you know about Hakoniwa, that means he told you quite a lot, didn't he? About the Games? About us?"
Kasukabe Yō nodded eagerly. "I know some things. He told me about the Community. About the flag."
"Then it's easy to explain. I am Leticia Dracul. I was a member of his Community."
Leticia looked at the girl with a rare gentleness.
"And I was your father's companion. We fought side by side."
"???"
Kudou Asuka, who was watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but frown in confusion.
She looked at Ren suspiciously, her sharp mind trying to find the logic.
"Ren, explain this. How can it be such a coincidence?" Asuka demanded. "First you find me, and I have latent potential. Now you find her, and she's the daughter of this maid's former boss? How are all the people you're looking for related to that one ruined Community?"
It felt too scripted. Too convenient.
Ren spread his hands, his expression innocent.
"It just is that coincidental."
He couldn't exactly tell her that the "Author" of this world loved dramatic irony and fateful reunions. Or that gravity attracts those with similar fates.
"Perhaps this is the unique theory of bloodlines," Ren mused. "Or maybe, Arcadia is calling its children home."
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