Ch.195Chapter 195. Dealing with Other Species

“Nyawaa, woo.”

“Naaaa, awoo~!”

A tree holding light stood at the center of the field.

As the children sitting around what was called the World Tree made sounds, the light budding from its leaves began to grow more vivid.

Everyone in the group watching the scene couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

Even Garam Lee, who had personally obtained the seedling at Flan’s direction, was no exception.

“It seems this level of change has never happened before.”

“Y-yes… We just brought it here and raised it.”

Indeed, what we’re witnessing now couldn’t be achieved by simply planting and growing it.

And I’m the only one here who can guess the reason why.

Watching from a distance, I could vaguely sense that the spirits following these children had settled in the World Tree, inducing a special effect.

“Nyawaa, aaaa~”

The spirits moved in sync with the children’s cries.

Their forms were incredibly intricate, and their movements exceedingly delicate.

This meant they had formed clusters over a long period, like the great nature spirits they encountered during their expedition, or those that Phobia Homer had handled.

And realizing this, I could immediately guess how these children abandoned by their tribe had managed to survive until now.

Though I didn’t know the exact reason, spirits that had come to follow these children through some catalyst were protecting them.

-Crunch, crunch.

As if confirming my theory, the World Tree began to show more noticeable changes.

Gradually, its exposed roots left their place and stretched sideways, eventually covering the area around the seated children with thick roots.

“Hero, isn’t that dangerous?”

Sanson blurted out urgently, finding the scene concerning.

The others seemed equally anxious, but I maintained a relaxed demeanor in front of them.

“It’s fine, just keep watching for now.”

Although I was merely observing for the moment, I could vaguely guess what the spirits following these children were trying to do.

They were responding to the children’s will, trying to fulfill their wishes by cultivating the surrounding environment in the right direction.

In the process, they were enhancing the growth potential of the plants they touched and guiding that growth in a direction suitable for themselves.

-Woong, woong.

Just as I expected, the roots that had spread outward began to split repeatedly, digging into the surrounding soil.

The power emanating from them spread to nearby crops. The spirits that had seeped into the crops through the World Tree’s power began activating energy, causing changes in the vegetation.

In the blink of an eye, blue-green leaves started sprouting, with colorful flower petals blooming between them. Vibrant fruits formed at their tips…

“Nyaa~!”

The branches bearing these fruits naturally extended in response to the children’s cries, then began dropping fruits one by one into their outstretched hands.

As if teaching us that this miraculous scene existed for this very moment.

As if showing that they created this miracle simply because they wanted the children they followed to fill their stomachs.

“Hero, this is…”

“Come to think of it, our food situation has been getting tighter, hasn’t it?”

And such a miracle could surely be shared with us too, if we provided these children with shelter and care.

Sensing that intention from the branch extended before me, I plucked the fruit and handed it to my companions one by one.

“If more people join us, this place alone won’t be enough to supply food, but if we take good care of these children, we won’t have to worry about food from now on. Do you understand what I mean?”

“U-um. Yes. After seeing this, it would be hard not to believe.”

My companions gradually accepted as they received the fruit.

Judging by the exclamations that escaped their lips after taking a bite, they seemed to feel that it was superior in taste and nutrition to any fruit they had eaten before.

Well, it’s natural that the evaluation would be good.

With the spirits’ subtle adjustment abilities controlling everything needed for growth, it’s essentially like experiencing the product of modern life science—genetic modification—in this world.

“Master.”

But for some, such benefits might feel like a temptation from the devil.

Eventually, Flan, who had been watching the entire situation, approached me and stared at me with half-closed eyes.

A gaze that anyone could see was full of discontent.

As I wondered how to soothe her feelings, Flan sighed deeply and turned her gaze away from me.

“I’ll just observe for now.”

“…You accepted quite readily.”

“As refugees increase, food shortages will inevitably worsen. In that sense, if we need the help of other races who can draw out the World Tree’s potential, I shouldn’t refuse cooperation on a transactional basis.”

A transaction?

Is that how Flan perceives my intention to take in these children?

“…So complete acceptance is still too much to ask.”

“To you they may seem like pitiful children, but I’ve personally experienced what their ancestors did.”

Her gaze shifted sideways, where the children, full from eating fruit, were lying down.

Leaves that had fallen from the tree cushioned the ground beneath them, and roots had risen to form a fence, as if worried they might roll off.

“…If there’s any sign they might cause harm, I’ll have to act. My priority is humans.”

The children in the cradle thus formed looked cute, but even ferocious beasts have their childhood.

I felt sorry for Flan who remained wary, but there was too much to do to dwell on those feelings.

“May I test your patience a little more?”

“What? What do you mean…”

“There’s no guarantee we won’t meet more children like them in the future.”

I pulled out a note in front of the questioning Flan.

It indicated the location where the “second helper” would be found.

*****

Medical treatment from doctors, medicine from pharmacists…

According to such sayings, when something is needed, it’s best to entrust it to the relevant expert.

Similarly, to maximize the potential of this fortress filled with artifacts from other races, seeking help from those races would be most appropriate.

“By the way, what’s the power source for this fortress?”

“It’s a magical engine created through dwarven arcane knowledge. Their craftsmanship is so precise that humans can’t match it, so if it breaks, repairs would be difficult. We need to protect it as a top priority.”

“There were structures rising from the top of the ark too. What are those?”

“Those are watchtowers and defensive installations made using bird-folk technology from hundreds of years ago. Buildings constructed by bird-folk can ensure durability even with lightweight materials, so they won’t break during movement. However, they were designed with flight in mind, so without wings, access is difficult…”

“Looking at the blueprints, the ventilation ducts and circuits seem quite complex. That can’t be easy to manage, right?”

“Yes, they’re based on underground dweller tunnels. They’re most efficient for ventilation and material transport, but since we can’t enter the ducts directly, we need to dismantle everything for maintenance.”

“I noticed quite a few weapons piled up in the storage…”

“Those are weapons used by barbarians. They have destructive power, but without innate physical abilities, they can’t be handled, so we had to seal them in storage.”

This was the information about other races I heard from Flan while traveling on the ark.

They had certainly collected useful artifacts from other races, but most were designed for those specific races, making them difficult to use or impossible to repair if broken.

This meant that if they couldn’t overcome a crisis, they might fall behind to the point of no recovery.

“…More reason to bring in other races.”

Flan was mindful of the risks, but she acknowledged that they weren’t properly utilizing what they had salvaged.

That’s why we had agreed to carefully discuss and decide whether to recruit other races when we encountered them.

That meant considering sending them back if safety couldn’t be guaranteed, like with the children… Well, that’s unavoidable.

In fact, Irie Haven had emphasized that I should only take on as much as I could handle, rather than embracing everyone.

“Hero. Do you have a moment?”

Sanson’s call came while I was focusing on managing the ark during our voyage.

Since he had been guarding the watchtower when we were about to surface, his visit meant something concerning had occurred outside.

“…Is it time to arrive already?”

This was somewhat expected due to Irie’s prophecy.

Taking Flan with me to the upper part of the ark, the first to greet us were soldiers who had all come down from the watchtower as a precaution.

And landing one by one above them, flapping their wings, were giant birds… No, not birds, but beings like humans with wings.

“They’re bird-folk.”

Flan immediately recognized them and displayed wariness.

Bird-folk. As their name suggests, they possess some avian qualities—once called the tyrants of the sky and enemies of humanity.

It was concerning that such beings had occupied the watchtower, but despite noticing us, they showed no signs of attacking.

Even the way they gently descended before us…

“…You, no wings?”

Flap, a female bird-folk lowered her wings positioned below her shoulders as she landed on the floor.

Then she rose up, seemingly looking down at us, and quietly spoke.

“No wings, but have mouth. So can speak.”

“My name is Koko. I am leader of group that came here.”

A light speech pattern with occasional pauses, yet conveying authority.

“You are what?”

The short question that followed indicated this other-race leader was open to negotiation.

“I’m Hyoseong Woo. The person responsible for leading the people here.”

“Responsible is leader?”

“Yes. I’m the leader of the people here.”

“Then here, your territory?”

“Well, that’s right.”

“Good place. Hand over to us.”

A direct point after light conversation.

Those watching tensed at these words, but ignoring their reaction, the bird-folk leader simply looked up at her kin atop the watchtower.

“Here, we want to use as nest. Hand over to us.”

“Master.”

“Stay put.”

I extended my hand to stop Flan, who was about to rush forward.

Restrained, Flan frowned and whispered urgently.

“The bird-folk are dangerous. Once, they harbored ambitions to rule everything on the ground, simply because they could fly.”

“I understand your concern, but it’s too early to jump to conclusions.”

If they had intended to invade, they would have attacked already.

The fact that they’re trying to resolve this through dialogue suggests it’s not merely to deceive us.

“When you say territory, what exactly do you mean?”

“These buildings here, just right for us to live in.”

Right, come to think of it, these buildings were made using construction methods once handled by bird-folk.

For these bird-folk of a later generation, they would naturally seem like the most suitable shelter.

“We like places with open views. And nests better light and strong. But you no wings. Rather, these buildings up here, inconvenient to go up and down, no?”

“So you want us to hand over these buildings that are inconvenient for us to use?”

“We can fly in sky, but need place to rest wings too. But too many dangers on ground. We been flying for weeks without rest. Many of our kind left behind, so need safe base.”

So they thought this place would be perfect for such a base.

Well, even if they were once called rulers of the sky, they can’t fly forever, and with the ground being a complete mess, they can’t afford to be as arrogant as before.

“As it happens, we needed people to manage the watchtower and monitor the surroundings. How about we make a deal?”

“Deal, we know. We sometimes exchange shiny things and nest-building materials.”

Swish, a wing extended toward me.

That wing, extended in place of a hand, must be how bird-folk express goodwill.

“You trade with us too?”

“Two words would be nagging.”

It was the moment I successfully recruited the second helpers after the elves.

I hoped things would continue to resolve this smoothly in the future, as cleanly as this had.