episode_0013

Foggy Forest, Day 15.

Thump~

A strange feeling.

The resilient Shaela was nowhere to be found.

Only the trembling girl, gripped by fear and anxiety, barely held on to the warmth of the hand she clung to.

“Shaela.”

“……”

“My words still not reaching you?”

“……”

No response.

Shaela had lost her senses.

The only thing left was touch.

Even that was incomplete.

Thump….

That’s why he would grip my hand tighter as if confirming my presence. Naturally, he hadn’t let go of my hand since waking up.

As if saying, “Don’t ever leave.”

Still looking anxious.

How should I calm her in this state?

How do I comfort her when no words reach her, and she just stares into the darkness?

[How about a gentle touch? While I find joy in being with the Divine, I still remember the comforting touch from before I was born. Nothing has been as warm and pleasant as that.]

The inner coexisting elf advised.

What about a gentle touch?

However.

Would that be comforting?

I wouldn’t know without trying. I took Shaela’s remaining hand.

The destination was her hair.

I placed my hand on top of it.

Flinch!….

She seemed startled.

Since touch was all he knew, he would likely feel uneasy not knowing what this was.

But.

Tap tap.

Gently.

Shaela tapped my hand resting on her head and felt around. After freezing for a few seconds, she suddenly bowed her head slightly.

“…Are you okay?”

“……”

Unbelievable. That proud girl accepting this.

Was it that difficult for her?

Swoosh~

I ran my fingers through her silvery locks.

Softer than expected.

The texture wasn’t unpleasant.

As we closed the distance, she found herself leaning on my shoulder, and before long, the sound of her steady breathing filled the air. For some reason, I felt oddly at ease.

*

Careful now.

I released Shaela’s hand and stood up.

There was work to be done.

A new body was needed.

It would take a few more days for Floren to return, and taking care of Shaela with just one body while expanding our territory would be challenging.

But first.

“You. Can’t you leave this body?”

“Why, why are you saying this? I want to be with the Divine.”

I intend to separate the inner elf.

Although I call her subordinate, it’s burdensome when she speaks out unexpectedly beyond surveillance.

“If you want to be together, find a way.”

“Is there a way?”

“I can enter another body. Can’t you do that?”

“Another body? Ah! Then please grant me a strand of the Divine’s sacred stem and control over the body.”

“Is there a way?”

“I am part of the Divine. So entering another part is not impossible. If the Divine helps, I will try.”

“Alright then. Give it a shot.”

“Thank you!”

“Wait, it’s hard to keep calling you ‘Hey.’ Let’s start with a name.”

“Oh!… Are you finally giving me a name!? I’m delighted. Quickly, my name!!….”

“Let’s simply call you ‘First.’”

“…Yes?”

“First.”

“…Yes?”

The elf seemed somewhat taken aback.

*

Front yard of the house.

“Illian.”

“Yes.”

When I sent my will, the elf responded.

Here, Illian means ‘First’ in Elvish. Strangely, this knowledge was naturally ingrained in my mind from within the fruit.

In other words, it’s knowledge I possess too.

For reasons unknown, I accepted it as the tone seemed appropriate.

“Now, give it a try.”

“Leave it to me!”

Sending my will again, Illian politely raised a stem with both hands.

My separated stem.

I buried it in the ground.

The spot was where the elf discarded the shell and fluids upon birth. It seemed like an attempt to use those remains as fertilizer.

“Please, grant my wish.”

Illian knelt before the stem.

His prayer could be felt.

His desires were conveyed.

It was a strange sensation.

The prayer of the elf was conveyed in this way.

For some reason, it seemed like it would be able to grant what he desired. The stem that became the subject of the prayer was asking for permission from me.

Change.

Divide.

Mana.

I allowed it.

Swish.

Pah-ah!~

The stem swelled in size. A subtle green light appeared along with Illian.

A feeling of communicating with each other.

[Please, look after me once again.]

With that, it ended.

Shoo~

And the energy of the elf disappeared.

More precisely, it was absorbed into the stem.

The physical self vanished, and I slumped down quietly in a praying posture.

It could be sensed intuitively.

Illian had integrated into the new fruit.

Swish.

I occupied an empty body.

I couldn’t feel the inner Illian.

I rose from my seat and looked down at the fruit where Illian had integrated.

“…I’ll wait, so wake up quickly.”

Shoo~

I gently stroked the fruit, then used the stem to move the entire fruit inside the house, merging it with the floor and securing it.

However, it would be born weak like this.

Because the nutrients in the separated stem were scarce.

Therefore.

Trickle~

I inserted the stem into the fruit.

Supplied concentrated nutrients.

Since it would become my subordinate, I intended to make it strong to feed on it abundantly.

“So, grant your prayer.”

Swoosh~

After caressing the fruit, I stepped back.

And naturally, the thought occurred to me. Could I create more subordinates, perhaps?

“More nutrients are needed.”

I must expand the territory.

I went outside the house.

I sense it.

Within a radius of 500m from the house.

Stems were spreading roots at regular intervals, filling their bellies. Walking on them filled me with nutrients and mana.

Soon, if the roots extended into the ground, direct nutrient transfer to the main body would be possible.

Thud.

I continued walking through the misty forest.

Crackle!!

“Kuaaaa!!!!”

If I saw monsters, I hunted and absorbed them.

Thump.

Twist~

I planted stems further away.

“Aaargh!!”

“Run awaaay!!!!”

Occasionally, human screams could be heard.

Discarded humans.

Although unspoken, there had been several instances of human screams since Floren’s time. It meant people were being abandoned here every day.

However, since it was not feasible to care for each one individually, I chose not to intervene.

Whether being eaten by monsters,

Escaping luckily,

Encountering slave hunters,

Or being found and absorbed by me as a corpse,

Everyone had their own fate. I walked away from the screams.

Trickle~

Twist twist.

Hidden stems emerged and danced, seeming to welcome me.

“Yes. Work hard.”

Twist.

Shaaah~

The stem climbed up my ankle, transferring mana and nutrients to my physical body.

However, since the main body was at home, I had to retrieve the nutrients with the clone and bring them home.

Hunting, planting stems, retrieving nutrients.

I wandered until nightfall.

Many nutrients and mana had accumulated.

Before I knew it, the main body had grown to the size of five beans, and my control over all the stems had strengthened.

However, as the territory expanded, retrieving nutrients proved to be more challenging than expected. Until the roots connected, I had to move the clones individually.

To manage this…

“Let’s try creating up to 10 subordinates for now.”

I decided to invest the remaining nutrients in creating new physical bodies. It would make things easier if other elves woke up like Illian.

Swoosh.

I turned my steps.

It was time to return.

Because I had confirmed that Shaela had awakened in the main body’s sight.

Upon entering the house…

“……”

Shiver shiver.

The first thing I saw upon entering the house was Shaela, trembling alone in a corner. In the meantime, she tightly held onto the stem-woven clothes.

Is she anxious because I disappeared for a moment?

She said she was a god.

So powerful.

But… she’s just a child, isn’t she?

I understand the fear of lacking senses, but hers is much worse than mine.

Swiftly, I approached her and sat beside her.

I raised a hand above her head.

Tremble!

Her body twitched once.

With a reach towards me, simultaneously.

Swift.

Tap. Tap.

Pat.

After fumbling a few times, she found my hand and tightly grasped it with both of hers.

A trickle.

Tears fell at the same time.

They were tears of relief.

“You… cry more than I thought?”

“……”

Gently stroking her head, Shael leaned closer, relying on the unique warmth that only he could feel.

“Yeah. If this calms you down.”

Mentally fragile.

He was in a weaker state than usual.

Feeling anxious without anyone by his side.

There’s no other choice. He decided to stop hunting for a while and stay by his side.

I observed Shael for a moment.

His breathing and trembling had calmed down.

However.

Tap.

Flinch!?

As I poked his cheek, he jolted in surprise.

It seemed like his sense of touch had become stronger.

In other words, his senses were gradually recovering. For now, it was just touch, but perhaps he could regain other senses later.

“Fortunately, you’re recovering. Maybe we can talk again later… Until then, help me out.”

“……”

I made a promise that he couldn’t hear.

By maintaining this atmosphere.

Gurgle.

Gurgling…

Shael’s stomach growled.

“Are you hungry?”

“……”

Still no response.

First, I made a fruit in my hand with a popping sound.

For him, who couldn’t see, I gently tapped his lips with the fruit.

Flinch.

This time, he trembled briefly but understood my intention, opening his mouth. It was an unripened fruit, unlike the one given to Floren.

I had treated Shael’s injuries.

Made him fast instantly.

The fruit he used to enjoy.

However.

Slurp.

Gulp.

Seemingly having lost his sense of taste, he swallowed without any reaction, even looking at me without focus after eating.

“Do you want more?”

“……”

Even if his nutrient absorption rate had increased, I couldn’t give him such fruit every meal.

In that case.

Squelch~

I snapped a stem.

About the size of a cucumber.

A stem filled with nutrients.

Not tough but soft.

I gently inserted it into his mouth.

Shael held the stem with one hand, biting into the top part with his teeth, which had grown larger than before.

Squishy.

Chewy.

Juice oozed out as he took a bite.

Without hesitation, Shael chewed on the stem firmly held in his mouth.

Let’s take care of him like this for a while.

Because he ate so well.

…

…

…

It was a dream.

It was futile.

Warmth that returned during despair.

Holding onto it tightly, someone handed something to eat.

Realizing it when nibbling on the small fruit.

It was you.

It was you all along.

Thinking as he bit into the stem.

You’re a plant.

What about your physical form?

He pondered these questions in his imagination.

Turning his head to where he might be, he filled the black void with imagined existence. The seismic activity in the false world began to subside.