Chapter 154: Those Who Know of the World Tree

“Omnimon, Gallantmon, I have a request.”

After discovering that BlackDorumon and Lolo had merely fallen asleep from exhaustion, Qin Fei breathed a sigh of relief and once again approached the two Royal Knights, who were still conversing.

It seemed they truly had not intended to kill him and the others.

Seeing the boy walk toward them without the slightest fear, Omnimon pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Gallantmon, too, regarded Qin Fei with interest, wondering what sort of request he would make.

Would he beg for mercy, attempt to win their favor, or continue fighting?

“We want to meet the World Tree, Yggdrasil!”

“...”

“Why?”

Hearing Qin Fei’s sudden request, Gallantmon lowered his head and carefully studied the boy who had made such an unusual demand. Qin Fei was not the first human to ask this of them, but he was certainly the youngest.

“I want to prove something to the god you speak of, and I want to show my companions an important truth. They have the right to know.”

“...”

“A truth meant for us?”

Marcus looked at Qin Fei in confusion. Then, as though realizing something, he asked excitedly, “Are you talking about my father? Mercurymon seemed to say that he was at the World Tree!”

Qin Fei watched as Marcus hurried to his side and nodded.

“Not only that.”

“Dad... My damn dad really is still alive...”

Marcus excitedly hugged Qin Fei, then looked at Omnimon and Gallantmon with absolute determination.

“We’re going to meet Yggdrasil!”

Now the two of them were of one mind.

“...”

Seeing the equally resolute expressions on Qin Fei and Marcus, Omnimon and Gallantmon exchanged a glance before slowly rising into the air.

“If you wish to meet Yggdrasil, you will have to find it yourselves,” Gallantmon said. There seemed to be a hint of anticipation beneath his armor. He, too, wanted to know what the boy would prove to Yggdrasil once he found the World Tree.

“Good luck.”

Omnimon nodded at them as well, his eyes thoughtful. Would this boy, too, end up wasting his efforts like that man had?

With a faintly self-mocking smile, he and Gallantmon vanished into the sky.

“...”

“Qin Fei, were you telling the truth?”

Only after the two Royal Knights had been gone for quite some time did Yoshino and Thomas approach in a daze, staring at Qin Fei with expressions of mystery and suspicion.

Not only did he know details about the Royal Knights, he even knew news of Marcus’s father. In their eyes, Qin Fei seemed to be hiding more and more secrets.

“Come on! Come on, Qin Fei! Let’s hurry and find Yggdrasil. I want to ask where my father really is!”

The moment Marcus heard news of his father, he began impatiently urging Qin Fei to set out.

He had promised his mother that he would bring his father back from the Digital World.

“Marcus, don’t be reckless. Yggdrasil’s territory must be extremely dangerous. Calling it a den of dragons and tigers would be no exaggeration. We need to make a thorough plan first...”

“That’s right. If it’s Yggdrasil’s domain, there must be plenty of powerful Digimon there—like those two just now. I’ve heard there are even more...”

“Walking Alone to Immortality.”

Thomas and Yoshino hurriedly tried to stop Marcus, who was already rushing forward.

“My father is there, and he’s been gone for ten years! I don’t want to wait even one more second! I want to ask him why he hasn’t come home in ten years!”

Marcus was as impulsive as ever, especially after hearing news of his father, who had been missing for so long.

“Marcus, if you don’t want to be beaten until you’re crawling around on the ground at Yggdrasil’s territory, you’d better listen to Thomas’s plan. Our Digimon partners have grown tired after days of fighting. There’s no need to rush this moment.”

Qin Fei reached out and stopped the impatient Marcus.

“At the very least, we should let ourselves and our Digimon recover properly first.”

“...”

Hearing Qin Fei’s suggestion, Marcus loosened his clenched fist, only to tighten it again.

He seemed unwilling, yet conflicted.

“Tomorrow... Tomorrow, then! Once I get back, I’ll eat my fill and go to sleep. Tomorrow, no one can stop me from searching for Yggdrasil!”

It seemed that Marcus had finally made up his mind. He shouted the words aloud, appearing even more eager than Qin Fei, the one who had first proposed the goal.

“One more thing.”

Qin Fei looked at the others and continued, “We also need to find BanchoLeomon. He’s the only one who knows where Yggdrasil is... because he’s been there before.”

Marcus fell silent.

Thomas frowned. He suddenly felt that Qin Fei’s words carried some deeper implication, yet he could not imagine what connection there might be between BanchoLeomon and Yggdrasil.

“Is Qin Fei hiding something?”

“...”

...

After they returned to the Holy Capital, it seemed that every Digimon was cheering and celebrating their victory.

Marcus’s anxious expression, however, stood in sharp contrast to the jubilant atmosphere.

“The savior’s son has returned!”

Seeing Marcus come back, Baromon was the first to celebrate. From the Digimon who had been scouting outside, he had already learned that the human named Kurata, who had slaughtered so many Digimon, had been defeated.

Peace had been restored.

Although he did not know the details, Marcus and the others had always fought on the front lines, so he naturally assumed that they were responsible.

“Baromon! Is there anything to eat?” Marcus suddenly shouted.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Baromon answered enthusiastically.

Before long, carefully prepared dishes were brought out under the service of Pumpkinmon and Piximon.

Marcus immediately began eating without the slightest restraint. Calling it eating, however, was not entirely accurate. It was more like stuffing himself, as though his only goal was to fill his stomach.

While everyone and every Digimon stared at one another in bewilderment, Marcus quickly finished his meal and dashed back to the dormitory Baromon had prepared for him, apparently intending to go straight to bed.

“Big brother, wait for me!”

Agumon hurriedly finished chewing the food in his mouth and chased after him, looking troubled.

The sun was still shining brightly in the sky, so everyone found Marcus’s behavior difficult to understand. Yoshino and Thomas exchanged helpless glances. Marcus had fallen back into his old habit of acting on impulse.

Even so, his actions made it clear how deeply he valued the news about his father.

“What’s wrong with the savior’s son?”

Watching Marcus disappear upstairs, Baromon was equally puzzled.

“Nothing. He may simply be missing his family.”

Qin Fei smiled at Baromon without much concern. Then he released the now-awake Lolo and BlackDorumon, along with Gatomon, allowing them to join the feast.

After all, Yggdrasil’s territory was indeed extremely dangerous. They needed to replenish their strength properly.

As the celebratory banquet gradually drew to a close, something unexpected happened.

A familiar figure suddenly entered the banquet hall and sat down opposite Qin Fei, legs crossed in an imposing manner.

“I hear you’re looking for me?”

BanchoLeomon picked up the wine on the table and drained it in one gulp...