episode_0027

Gulp.

“What in the world…”

Demon Volpir.

His hands were trembling.

He couldn’t help it.

Teikan, who had just been with him moments ago, had vanished without a trace from Shaela’s small fist.

Boom!-

Whoosh~

The wind still lingers.

The aftershock spreads.

“It’s like those beings…”

Volpir briefly recalled.

The rulers of the city.

Beings that made one’s hair stand on end just by facing them.

Beings that allowed the city to thrive in this lawless zone.

It felt like encountering such beings.

No, perhaps even more…

Swish-

A grey-haired woman.

Eyes out of focus.

Shaela turned her head.

She concentrated all her senses to the limit, feeling Volpir’s movements.

The tightly clenched fist is searching for its next target.

Hm.

At that moment, Volpir felt it.

He must not provoke.

He must escape somehow.

Just then.

“Shaela!!!”

Thud!!!

Just in time, Muchan appeared on the outskirts of the village.

“Mu, Chan?”

Despite the considerable distance, Shaela distinguished Muchan’s voice.

Shaela’s heavily furrowed face instantly relaxed. For some reason, she was relieved that Muchan was unharmed.

“Thank goodness.”

Blame.

Whoosh!-

Immediately, Volpir leaped high.

It was a perfect opportunity to escape.

He flapped his wings vigorously, changing direction and accelerating as if leaping from the air.

“Where!!”

Muchan quickly drew his bowstring. Since he had been observing the situation with his main body, he could respond promptly.

But there was no need to shoot the arrow.

Because Shaela moved.

“Feel, the wind.”

Blame~

A light leap.

A mid-air somersault.

Swoosh!!

With movements that seemed to defy the wind, she floated high into the sky like a feather.

In front of her was Volpir.

“What, what!!-”

Shaela’s hand precisely flicked Volpir’s head.

Snap!!

“Argh!!!?”

Whoosh!!!

They plummeted to the ground, ignoring momentum as if they were falling.

Crash!!!!

Crackle!!!!

Their faces contorted.

The surrounding ground cracked.

Kwaaaah!!!-

Shockwaves erupted.

“…Cough!!…”

Unconscious.

Despite being a demon with formidable strength, he was no match for overwhelming power.

Thus, he met a futile end.

*

“Truly speechless…”

Once again, I stared blankly.

It’s a power that I still can’t get used to.

With just one downward strike, she effortlessly subdued the most powerful enemy.

Shaela.

Just how strong is she?

She has even become stronger than before.

It wasn’t that my fruit had no effect. The guy is steadily recovering.

However…

A sight that I couldn’t laugh at belatedly caught my eye.

“The farm is gone…”

The ground was destroyed.

Several houses were completely blown away.

The shockwave that disintegrated the slave hunters.

The ground shattered by the recent blow.

Truthfully, half of the farm disappeared.

What on earth…

“Muchan.”

Shaela approached me.

Even though she couldn’t see, she discerned my location and came right up to me.

“Are you, okay?”

Tap.

Swipe.

She patted my body as if checking for injuries… but this time, there were none.

“I’m fine. After all, as a plant, it doesn’t matter if this body dies.”

“Still.”

Even as she said that, the tense atmosphere seemed to relax.

Swipe.

Perhaps she had confirmed enough.

She finally let go and said, “I forgave him.”

A voice filled with relief and pride.

Strangely enough, speaking seemed more fluent than before.

No, judging by the movements earlier, it seemed like the senses were greatly heightened.

Surely, it’s something to celebrate….

But looking at the state of the farm behind, disappointment set in.

This is why I tried to seek help in the worst-case scenario, but it turned out to be in vain.

“Right… Well done.”

“I… saved you?”

“…Is that so?”

“Thank you, right?”

“…Yes. Thank you so much, almost to tears.”

If only I hadn’t destroyed the farm.

Chuckling.

He smiles as if in a good mood.

Speaking clearly and smoothly.

He easily uttered words that didn’t seem too difficult.

I guess punching the slave hunter and shouting loudly might have been helpful.

Well….

Let’s think positively.

As long as everything is fine.

If the farm is attacked again, that’s it.

It seems like Shaela’s senses have also somewhat recovered.

Easily dealing with the most dangerous individual who could have caused a significant danger.

[Lord Shin. All enemies have been killed. However, we have casualties on our side.]

The elven side of the battle just ended.

There were casualties from the Illian and Renia units, but that was expected from the start.

No matter how well prepared you are, war is always armed with numerous variables.

“Muchan.”

“……”

Shaela raised her hand with a crow’s foot.

“Right~.”

Swoosh~

Once again, it hit my head.

“Why are you doing this again?”

“Being noble.”

“Sigh.”

“You always. Did it first.”

Chuckling.

He smiles proudly, then affectionately strokes his head.

I gently grabbed his wrist.

“Stop it. Is this the time to do this?”

“Then… later.”

“…?”

He seemed to smile as if everything was fine.

But for a moment, he returned to a blank expression, then clenched a small fist.

“Muchan. If you need help. Tell me.”

“Well….”

Knowing how strong that small fist was, I hesitated to accept, but I couldn’t bring myself to say yes.

If I receive help twice, the farm might disappear.

Ah… I’ll have to work hard to restore it.

First.

Swoosh~

I dragged the demon-human underground.

The armored warrior disintegrated into pieces and disappeared, but his body was firmly stuck in the ground.

Nutrients incomparable to the mist forest monster.

I should absorb them properly.

Anyway.

It’s over.

Let’s summarize the situation.

*

5 dead.

12 injured.

It was a near-perfect victory, but that doesn’t mean there were no casualties.

Slave hunters who avoided poisoning.

Slave hunters stronger than expected.

Beast-like physical slave hunters.

Each one was a strong force, so despite the maximum cooperation, there were casualties.

“May you rest in the arms of the Great One.”

“Goodbye. Child. I will remember you.”

I laid the five dead on the ground.

The injured, even if they suffered fatal injuries, could be treated with elven magic or fruit, but resurrecting the dead is difficult.

In Shaela’s case, resurrection may not be impossible, but it requires a lot of nutrients, sensory side effects, and enduring every minute of a thousand years.

Resurrection is by no means easy.

Resurrecting like this is as good as being dead.

So we held a funeral.

We all gathered to comfort the dead, say what we wanted to say, and offer prayers.

One High Elf under Illian’s command.

One High Elf under Renia’s command.

One Elf under the Seventh Command.

Two humans under Floren’s command.

5 died today.

By the way, the two humans didn’t get along well and were carelessly caught up in the enemy’s attack.

The fruit-enhanced Floren performed well, not falling behind Shin’s elves, but the other humans were not the same.

They must have stayed here to survive.

A sense of unease crept in.

“You were a good comrade.”

The humans meditated alongside Floren.

Taking enough time, they buried the deceased deep underground.

I’m sorry, but I am going to be absorbed.

The elves expect it, and although the humans are unaware of my absorption, following the elven ways shouldn’t be a problem.

“Tsk tsk… how pitiful.”

Vulcan watched the funeral and then descended underground.

Although a skilled technician who provided many weapons, he was asleep, intoxicated by the accumulated fatigue from battles.

It was a relationship simply bound by alcohol and technology, but it seemed even more perplexing because of it.

Perhaps that was the reason.

Clang! Clang!!~

He hammered away with a clear mind.

It seemed like he was making a gravestone.

Even if they didn’t have a grave, it was to leave a written record that someone had existed.

A sight of comforting those who died together.

I witnessed the entire process.

Thanks to that, I made up my mind.

“I need to explore outside.”

Being buried in a well is the end.

Now it’s time to uncover what lies beyond the Misty Forest.

Misty Forest, 69th day.

After the funeral, I returned to the restored house.

Hijuk.

I felt someone’s gaze from the bed.

Shayella lay crookedly on the bed, propping her cheek with one hand, looking at me.

“Can you see?”

“No.”

Blink blink.

He closed and opened his eyes repeatedly.

His focus remained fixed, and his pupils didn’t move, as if he couldn’t see anything. He probably could only perceive blurry shapes even if he could see.

“Can you feel touch?”

“I can. Even the wind. And temperature.”

“Hearing?”

“I can hear your voice. Barely.”

“You seem to be able to hear even if you’re far away now. Your speech is getting clearer, so it seems okay… Have your sense of taste returned?”

“Mostly. I can’t taste anything.”

“You used to drink alcohol just fine. Are you just being stubborn?”

“…No. It’s gross.”

“……?”

He raised a finger.

It’s embarrassing.

I wonder if that curse works in this world too.

Jelrejelre.

“Shayella, I’m going to rest now.”

“You started it.”

“Well, you kept staring at me.”

Hijuk.

“Are you embarrassed?”

“Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable if a little kid stared at you like they were lost?”

“Li-little kid?……”

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

While Shayella seemed shocked, I sat on the floor and entered a meditative state, focusing on my true self.

From now on, I will grow.

The bodies of 9 slave hunters.

Each one surpasses Alberto in physical strength.

If I digest them all, even my slow-growing true self will grow significantly.

Drip~

Stems extending up and down the house.

Numerous roots extending beneath the village.

A massive stem barrier surrounding the village.

I melted the bodies buried under my territory with Bacchus’ poison, absorbing them slowly.

I thought of them as containing genetic information.

I need to digest them slowly to increase the absorption rate.

Even the tissues of my body, strengthened by years of mana, are a delicacy to me.

Let’s savor it as much as possible.

Gurgle~

The powerful energy absorbed from the 9 individuals circulated through the wide stems.

Filtering the true self little by little.

New life information enters.

At that moment, my true self began to grow at an unprecedented speed.

Sharuruk!~

It feels like stealing genes.

It’s confirmed now.

I must absorb unique and powerful species to store information in my true self. That way, my true self can grow rapidly.

In other words, slave hunters are the best nutrients.

Each one possesses strong and unique powers.

Already the size of 60 beans.

It’s getting bigger.

My mind is expanding, and my senses are becoming sharper.

And at that moment, the memories of a slave hunter flashed through my mind.

‘Volpir. You work really hard. Can’t you take a break?’

‘I will become a master. Resting can wait until then. It’s easier to offer good slaves to other masters in advance.’

Short and thick memories.

At the same time, several pieces of information were understood automatically.

The demon human’s name is Volpir.

The one who asked the question is a fellow slave manager.

The masters mentioned in the conversation are literally the rulers of the city.

‘Is this a city of slave hunters outside the Misty Forest?’

The conversation took place in a tavern that could be found in a city.

This led to many thoughts.

Where do they live?

How many slaves are there?

How strong are the rulers of the city?

One thing is certain, outside the Misty Forest, there are unknown places and powerful beings. They may be targeting us as prey and may attack us in the future.

I realized that time is not on my side.

I need to get stronger quickly.

So that my children do not become slaves.

Swish~

For a moment, I looked at the farm through my main body.

Humans were cooking for the elves who were repairing the damaged farm.

The sight of the warm village I created.

Do I feel affection?

I want to protect them.

I, who wanted to be alone and free, am regaining some humanity by taking care of Shaela and being with the elves.

I, who was once a monster.

Then let’s make an effort.

Swoosh~

The size of a bean, about 70 beans in size.

Roughly the size of a small fist.

I need to grow more.

Let’s make sure to absorb perfectly.

Let’s extend the stems to a wider area.

Somewhere in the desolate forest.

“I sense a great presence.”

A green-haired female elf said so.

In front of her, hundreds of elves were focusing on her words.

“Now we must decide. Wherever we go, they treat us as slaves, kill our compatriots with oppressive force, and take them away.”

A calm but anger-filled speech.

Many elves clenched their fists or secretly turned their heads to wipe away tears.

A young elf sniffled, and an elf from the neighboring house embraced the parentless child.

Elves who reside on the 0th floor of the tower.

They settled in a distant place where no one lived to survive in lawless territory, but eventually, they were discovered, fought against slave hunters, and lost their livelihood.

But there was hope.

The leader of the tribe.

The only high elf, Neria.

With green hair and gem-like green eyes, she had sensed the power of the great presence some time ago.

She would be the sanctuary for all elves.

“World Tree. The tree of creation! I sense the manifestation of the great mother on this land. We will leave to find her embrace!!”

At that moment, hope sparkled in the eyes of all the elves.

For survival.

For freedom.

For a meal where a child does not cry.

Towards a place where they can smile again.

The elves began a great migration.