episode_0011

“Who am I?”

It was perplexing.

A meticulously crafted body.

It was the avatar I would use.

Such a physical form, looking up at the ceiling, politely posed the question.

Asking who they were.

That’s what I wanted to say.

And who are you?

I muttered under my breath.

“I am a humble servant born from you. Please, tell me your name.”

He replied as if he had heard my inner thoughts.

I sense it.

He is a part of me.

An autonomous entity. A being that moves as I desire.

No need to command internally.

Just as one would move a stem with intention.

Thud.

The man understood the gesture to kneel and waited for a response. He has his own identity but seems absolutely inclined to follow me.

So I asked a few more questions.

Tell me about your essence.

“I am a part of the great deity.”

Deity? Are you also a plant?

“Partly so. If you’re inquiring about my race, I am an elf of the deity.”

Will you unquestionably follow me?

“Of course.”

If I command you to die, will you?

“…If that is your wish. I will gladly return to the embrace of the deity.”

Anything you desire or hobbies?

“I wish to serve the deity.”

What do you eat to sustain yourself?

“I prefer the sustenance provided by the great one, but ordinary meals are acceptable.”

An entity born from me.

Self-proclaimed elf of the deity.

Following me absolutely, with physiological needs similar to humans.

Furthermore, he is a part of me.

If desired.

Shazam!~

I shifted consciousness.

Entered the body of the man.

As originally intended, I could also move as a spirit.

As I took possession of the body, he politely receded in the realm of consciousness.

I feel it all.

The physical form and existence.

Life and will.

The first derived from me.

Speaking through the newly acquired body.

“Is it okay if I possess this body?”

[I am born to serve the great one. I consider it an honor.]

“I can’t do anything but watch, though?”

[Oh great mother, I do not understand your intentions. If you manifest in my body, I find joy in that itself.]

“It’s hard to understand.”

[…I apologize.]

“I’m not prying. And let’s stick to one title. Don’t call me mother; I’m a man.”

[Master.]

“That doesn’t suit me.”

[Yes. My lord.]

“I guess that’s better.”

Clarifying the situation.

I can conceive life as an elf itself.

Though a somewhat dizzying situation, I have no intention of denying the reality before me.

At the point of no longer being human, what more could I ask for?

It’s actually a good thing. Instead of a puppet that must be moved by will, I can create a subordinate who performs tasks on their own.

Crack.

I clenched my fist.

Swish!

I jumped.

Zoom~

I swung my arm widely.

Moving was no issue.

Above all, a tremendous strength was felt.

I had effortlessly created a body much stronger than Alberto’s physique.

However, there was one problem.

[Deity, may I ask for my name?]

This guy coexisting in the same body.

Honestly, it’s burdensome.

Creating a life I didn’t want and seizing a body at will. If I were him, I would have been shocked and angry.

Yet, he behaved politely, as if it were natural.

He might not know, but I don’t like him.

Some kind of solution is needed.

[Deity?]

“I’ll come up with a name later.”

[Yes.]

No need to rush.

Let’s take it slow.

Later, I made stem clothes to wear and scattered fruit peels and seeds in the backyard.

Feeling like I was eating excrement when trying to reabsorb the fruit leftovers, I just threw them on the ground.

And just as I was about to rest in my new body.

“Moochan!!!”

A voice reached me.

Not the elf guy mentioned.

This is the signal sent by Alberto’s avatar, or more precisely, the sound of Floren calling me.

Floren was not paying attention, so he didn’t know the situation with the avatar. Upon inspection, it seemed that we hadn’t arrived outside the misty forest, but someone seemed to have appeared….

I should check that out now.

There’s no time to waste.

I transferred my consciousness into Alberto’s body.

*

Before the birth of the elf.

While walking through the misty forest.

“Um… Lord Alberto?”

“……..”

Floren quietly called out to the man guarding beside him.

There was no response. Alberto looked at her as if waiting for her to speak.

“I’m a bit hungry….”

Poof~

A fruit appeared in Alberto’s hand.

Floren cautiously accepted the fruit, bowed her head slightly, and put it in her mouth.

Crunch…

It was delicious.

Sweet.

Almost addictive.

Her stats also increased by 1 point.

Glancing at Alberto hesitantly.

“Could you give me a bit more?”

Poof~

Plop plop!~

Four bell tomato-like fruits appeared.

Wide smile.

“Thank you!!”

Though embarrassed by her excitement, she couldn’t hide her bright expression as she carefully savored each fruit.

“My throat is a bit dry….”

Drip~

A strand of juice seeped from Alberto’s stem-like clothing.

Water?

Fluid?

Excretion?

The appearance was uncomfortable, but she already knew how delicious it was. Floren grabbed the stem and sucked the juice flowing out.

As she did, she thought.

Without a word, he silently protected her from monsters and provided food. He felt more reliable than her former comrades.

She felt guilty about that.

Is this really okay?

Squelch squelch.

She walked through the misty forest with Alberto.

Slowly, she adapted to the misty forest.

At first, seeing nothing and not knowing when monsters would appear was terrifying, but after being rescued by Alberto several times, she began to take it in stride.

Even without conversation, he prioritized her safety above all else.

Striking monsters.

Melting them with poison.

Absorbing and digesting them.

Providing food.

This routine repeated for days.

Despite seeming grotesque, once accustomed, it even seemed cool.

Above all, being protected felt good.

It reminded her of her childhood nostalgia.

“I miss you… Mom, Dad.”

In her innocent years.

Parents who she always thought would protect her were torn apart by monsters. After that, the world became harsh. Trying to survive by fleeing from monsters, people demanded her body in exchange for protection.

Because she was weak.

Because she was a woman.

Exposed to such irrational violence.

So she climbed the tower relentlessly.

Through hard work, she went from the weakest in the party to the strongest.

Of course… reality was cruel.

She fell to the 0th floor of the tower.

It was her fate to die.

If it weren’t for Mu-chan.

“So I have to repay that debt with my life.”

Moved for Mu-chan, who saved her and accepted her. Grateful for the help, she had a personality that couldn’t live without owing something.

Leaving comes next.

“Um… thank you again.”

“……..?”

“You may pretend otherwise, but you must be a very good person. I believe that. Well, your avatar probably can’t hear me.”

“……..”

“Oh, but did you know? If you hadn’t accepted me, I was planning to kill myself. Because I knew I would become prey for monsters.”

“……..”

“Do you mind some small talk?”

“……..”

“Just let it flow. Actually, I lied about my level. I’m level 39. I was deceiving others and doing various favors because they might ask too much, but with you, there’s no need to hide anything. The reason to conceal has disappeared.”

“……..”

“Are you curious by any chance? How I grew explosively alone, or how I ran away from monsters and followed Sherry here.”

Floren started chatting.

Regardless of what she said, there was no response.

She spoke her mind freely. It made her feel comfortable.

However, the small talk didn’t last long.

Swoosh.

“Hmm?”

Someone appeared in the mist.

A suspicious figure in a bird mask.

“…Who are you?….”

As she questioned, the man approached, touching his chin as if evaluating Floryn, coming closer.

“Stop! Who are you?”

“Hmm… Your face is decent. Are you sharp-tongued? Doesn’t seem like you’ve met a witch. It’d be nice if you were a virgin… Let’s consider you a high-grade item for now.”

An abrupt assessment.

The man referred to Floryn as a high-grade item.

Naturally, Floryn’s eyes narrowed sharply. She wasn’t being friendly.

“Are you a slave hunter or something?”

Floryn prepared magic with her hands.

Yet the man didn’t stop his approach.

“Do you have some combat skills? No, weak. The man beside you must be protecting you. It’s a shame, but let’s start by killing the man first…”

She didn’t engage in conversation.

She silently calculated.

And soon.

Thud!!

In an instant, he vanished somewhere.

“Fast!?”

Due to the mist, his whereabouts were unclear.

Shortly after, she sensed a sword slashing from behind.

The target was Alberto.

It was already too late to react.

Except for calling out his name.

“Lord Muchan!!!!”

Thud!!

Blood spurted.

When she turned, she saw a sword deeply piercing around Alberto’s heart.

“Ah….”

“This one’s taken care of. Next is…”

The man who thrust the sword turned his head.

His masked eyes met Floryn’s gaze.

Swoosh-

A hand reached towards her face.

Her whole body shivered.

Fear washed over her-

Whack!!

“Ugh!!?”

Unexpectedly, Alberto, with a sword in his heart, swung his fist behind his shoulder, striking the face of the swordsman, who staggered back several steps with a powerful impact, tumbling through the air.

He turned his head back.

“Did you call me because of that guy?”

Eyes filled with vigor.

The atmosphere distinctly changed.

It was Muchan.

*

“Did you call me because of that guy?”

“Oh, Lord Alberto?… Are you okay?”

“It’s Muchan. Why are you looking for me again after calling me Muchan just now?”

“Oh!… I got used to it so…”

Floryn breathed a sigh of relief. Contrary to her danger, she found solace in the fact that she was unharmed.

“Step back. He doesn’t seem like an ordinary guy.”

“But my heart just now…”

“It’s fine. You’re not dead.”

Pushing Floryn aside, he turned his head.

A robust swordsman with a mask was observing him, rubbing his neck thoughtfully.

Was he someone from outside the misty forest?

“Ah… Strong. Should I take him as a gladiator? No, men are boring. Killing and being killed are better left to female slaves… Yes, I’ll kill him.”

Swish!!-

At an incredible speed, the man rushed towards her.

Seemingly uninterested in conversing, he clenched his fist with the aim of subduing her.

Just as he had that thought.

Shwooosh!!

A sword tip appeared before her eyes.

Much faster than expected.

Subduing was futile.

He must be killed.

Phwoosh!!

However, his forehead was pierced by the sword tip.

The sensation of the world spinning was felt.

When the physical body engages, all senses become heightened. The pain of death is keenly felt.

But compared to the pain of losing all senses, it was bearable and could even be pushed to the background if desired.

Therefore.

Thud!!

“Argh!?….”

Though his forehead and upper head flew off, without despair, she grabbed his neck.

She already realized.

He was a stronger opponent than Alberto.

If she didn’t end it now, she would never win.

Otherwise, Floryn would be dragged away by him.

That would be too unsettling.

Hesitation was not an option.

Crunch!!

“Argh!!… How?”

She applied pressure as if to crush his neck bone.

Even with half her face gone, the fact that he was still moving might seem unbelievable.

Swish!!

The startled man retrieved his sword and struck down again, while she spat venom in his hand.

Chiiing!!!

“Argh!!!? Ughhh!!!!!!”

​

Thud!-

​

Even as he writhed, the figure slashed down from my head to my chest with a black sword. It was disgustingly painful, but my vocal cords were so torn that not even a scream came out.

​

Ssshhh…

A dull thud.

“Ugh… Nooo……….”

​

Flesh melted away.

His collarbone was exposed and melting.

Before long, the man’s body stretched out completely.

I shouldn’t say this, but he was like a monster.

​

Thump.

​

As I let go of his hand, he collapsed on the spot.

However, Alberto’s body also seemed to have been greatly damaged, carelessly falling backward. Even if it was half plant, in the end, it was still a human body.

​

Clang.

​

Recovering immediately is impossible with such severe wounds and insufficient nutrients. Even if I were to absorb slave hunters to heal, by then his physical body would likely be dead.

If the avatar dies here, it won’t be able to move the distant stem directly.

​

In other words, Alberto’s physical form is done for.

It’s a pity to lose such a valuable piece.

​

“Aaah!!… No, this can’t be happening. Because of me… Trying to protect me……… Ugh….”

​

Thud, thud.

​

Suddenly, Floren clung to my body, weeping.

The tears were thicker than those shed after killing a comrade.

​

“Ugh!… I-I’m sorry. I was supposed to help you… I should have done everything I could!! But I got scared… acted like a fool. Ahh….”

​

Sob!!….

​

“Ughhh!!…….”

​

A mournful wail.

I thought he had a cold demeanor, but his crying resembled that of a child.

​

Perhaps that’s his true self.

​

However.

​

He said he was an avatar.

Why treat me like a dead person….

For some reason, a strange feeling crept over me.