episode_0028

71st day in the Misty Forest.

Repairing the damaged farm.

Repairing the collapsed house.

Time passed quickly as I worked to recover from the damage inflicted by the slave hunters.

And then.

“Tinia. How about a joint training session?”

“Illian? That’s what I was hoping for too!!”

The elves realized through this incident.

That they could be invaded by enemies at any time.

That their comrades could die or be taken away.

So they trained enthusiastically.

In weapon skills.

In teamwork.

In determination.

In courage.

In confidence.

In patience.

And so on.

Everyone becomes stronger through their own training.

Here, I called each of the elves of the Goddess of Nature, strengthening their bodies and encouraging them.

“Wow~”

“Ah. Amazing. I can feel the grace of the Goddess on my body.”

As just the ninth Germeon, who had just torn the fruit, deeply bowed his head.

“Don’t be satisfied with that, keep training. How much you train and improve your strengthened power is all up to you. I believe in you.”

“Yes! I won’t disappoint you.”

Although it costs both energy and mana, there is nothing I wouldn’t invest in for this foundation. I strengthened all the elves of the Goddess of Nature.

I hope they become even stronger.

Meanwhile, I…

*

The Tree Trunk House.

I gently stroked the sleeping giant fruit of the new clone.

“Mu-chan. What are you doing?”

“I’m making a new body.”

Shaela approached curiously.

He seemed even more puzzled by my answer, tilting his head and asking again.

“Stroking. A fruit?”

“Can you see that?”

“I can hear the sound.”

“That’s impressive on its own… Let me explain briefly. Plants lack intelligence. But they easily recognize and accept emotional touch. A healthier body will be created just by this action. That’s why I’m stroking it like this.”

“Really?”

“You were made like this too.”

“…Oh…”

Shaela made a bewildered expression.

A slight blush appeared. If it weren’t for his unfocused eyes, he would have looked cute.

“Aren’t you embarrassed to be shy about it now? Do you want me to stroke you too?”

“……”

There was no answer.

He seemed to be pondering something.

Or maybe he was ignoring me.

I focused on the fruit.

I passed nutrients along with my touch.

As you can see, I have created a new body by making a giant fruit after absorbing the hunter.

This is neither an elf nor a human.

It’s a replica of the slave hunter Volpier.

The reason for creating a replica is simple.

To scout outside the Misty Forest.

If I go outside, there is a high chance of being killed by hunters, so it would be a burden to send the elves of the Goddess of Nature. And since the current body is a carefully modified body, I didn’t want to lose it in vain.

But this is the body of the slave hunter.

If handled well, it could easily infiltrate the city outside, and even if it dies, there would be no great loss.

So I’m creating a Volpier replica.

Therefore, it must not have a self, it must only be my clone.

By the way, the self is imbued with the transcendent ability that comes from the main body, and I have recently been able to control it to some extent as I grow.

Of course, this body has no self.

It was a replica from the beginning.

Swoosh~

I stroked the fruit again.

Even though there was no self, this touch conveyed a pleasant and lively emotion.

It’s like the crops outside.

If well nurtured, with little nutrients, it will contain more energy.

“…Mu-chan.”

“Why.”

Suddenly, Shaela was right next to me.

Then he asked a strange question.

“Mu-chan. Aren’t you a plant too?”

“…That’s true.”

“If you stroke plants, do they grow well?”

“…That’s also true.”

Hehe.

Shaela’s lips curved into a smile as she spotted her prey and raised a hand to her head.

“Alright~ Got it.”

Swoosh.

Her small hand tousled my hair.

I couldn’t help but furrow my brows in disbelief.

“…Were you really thinking of doing this?”

“Stretch~ Grow.”

“You really think this will work on me?”

“My hand. Magic hand.”

Zap!!

“What, what was that!?”

A refreshing sensation pierced through my body from my head.

When I glanced towards the source, I saw a golden light emanating from Shaela’s hand.

Startled, I leaned back and looked at Shaela.

“Surprised, huh?”

“What did you do to me?”

“Protection.”

“Protection?”

“No~”

Swoosh-

Seems like she had no intention of answering.

Shaela turned back without a trace of regret, crossed her legs, and lay down on the bed with a proud smile.

What was that?

That.

“Hey, what was that?”

“…Hmm~”

I couldn’t figure it out.

Shaela didn’t explain it to me.

But I felt okay. It felt warm and cozy.

Was this how the plants felt when they were being caressed?

A warm energy enveloping my body.

It felt like being gently caressed.

I accepted it without resistance.

For some reason, I felt at ease.

*

Day 73 in the Misty Forest.

I went outside the territory with Shaela.

After defeating the slave hunters, Shaela would often go outside to hunt monsters.

For strength control.

For sensory recovery.

For rehabilitation exercises.

It might be a hassle, but it would be a great help in case of another slave hunter invasion.

I should assist her.

However.

Thud.

Boom!!-

“Roarrrr!!!!”

Each monster we encountered exploded fiercely.

Compared to the blow that killed the slave hunters, it was much weaker, but still a force to be reckoned with.

I was just a guide.

“Let’s go this way.”

“Okay.”

And so, we wandered outside together.

Despite her lack of sight, Shaela skillfully avoided tree-like obstacles. It seemed like she wasn’t pretending to be blind.

“Oops! It’s a tree~”

After wandering around for a while, we encountered the second Tinea and High Elves.

“Were you planting stems?”

“Yes! Today, we plan to go further out to expand Lord Shin’s territory!”

I did well, right?

They looked at me as if to say that.

After the slave hunters, the elves not only trained but also worked on expanding their territory. The more stems spread, the faster I would grow.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. If you go too far and it becomes dangerous, it will be hard for me to help.”

“Yes!”

“Okay. Keep up the good work.”

Swoosh.

I passed by Tinea and continued on the path. But it felt empty without Shaela. When I turned to check, she wasn’t there.

At the same time, a voice came from behind.

“Alright~ Got it.”

“Oh… Y-Your touch is warm.”

I turned around to see Shaela caressing Tinea’s head.

What’s going on here?

“Alright. Alright.”

Phew~

A faint golden light emanated from Shaela’s hand.

It was similar to what she did to me earlier.

She mentioned something about protection.

“This is strange… It feels warm. What are you, Shaela?”

“I… Protector. Master.”

“What?”

“God.”

“Wow!! Really?”

Giggle.

“Beautiful. Goddess.”

“No wonder you didn’t seem like a regular human!”

Ah.

Don’t think about it.

It’s an inexplicable conversation.

“Shaela. Let’s stop and go.”

“Hmm.”

“Tinea, you should show the High Elves a cool side while they’re watching.”

“Hehe~ We’re sticky, so it’s fine.”

Pat pat~

Tinea replied and gently caressed the High Elf who was looking at her with admiration.

The high elf also responded accordingly.

“Yes, that’s right. Lady Tinia looks better when she smiles!”

“Please pet me too!”

Even if she was a replica of Tinia, she was lively enough to be considered one.

Is this really something to be concerned about?

High elves are greatly influenced by the elf deities they follow.

Tinia has a lively and affectionate personality.

Respecting individuality seems appropriate.

“Alright. Be careful.”

“Yes!”

They walked together with Shaela again.

At that time, they didn’t know.

That Tinia had started to grow much faster than before.

*

In a city somewhere.

A massive bathhouse.

“So, do you have some interesting news?”

With golden hair and golden eyes, a handsome man in the hot tub spoke as he held a female slave in his arms, and a pink-haired woman politely bowed in front of the tub.

“Yes, Lord Cardepion. An elf village has been discovered in the Misty Forest.”

“The Misty Forest? One of the places where waste is dumped. But why are you telling me this?”

“To verify the existence of the elf village and secure slaves, we gathered ten slave hunters for an expedition, but none of them returned.”

“Hmm? Ten of them died?”

“Yes. The tracking artifact entrusted to Bolphir has lost connection. Since he was the most cautious one, the others are likely in the same situation.”

“Oh no. This is not good. It means the supply of slaves will decrease. We already have a shortage of manpower. If so, someone has to step up and handle it.”

“Yes.”

“But… do I have time to deal with that?”

Boom!-

“Ahh!”

A massive shockwave erupted.

The building shook as if it was about to collapse, and the slave next to the man screamed. It felt like blood was coming out of her ears as if her eardrums had burst from the shockwave.

It was a powerful explosion of energy.

Although it contained a fierce aura, the pink-haired woman responded without batting an eye.

“I apologize.”

“Fine. If it needs to be done, then do it. It might be a good opportunity to hunt personally and relive the old days. However, all captured elves must be brought to my mansion. It’s been a long time since I’ve embraced an elf.”

“You speak wisely.”

“Alright. Go and do it. No, how about you join me and enjoy the hunt together? You can handle it without being too rough.”

“…I respectfully decline.”

“Haha. I thought so. If you weren’t a member of the organization, I would have made you my slave.”

“Then I will go.”

Whoosh-

The pink-haired woman exited the greenhouse.

The man muttered as he watched her disappear.

“An elf… she’s definitely suitable for me.”

Dragon.

Master Cardepion.

After enjoying leisure time with the slaves for a few days, he slowly set out on an expedition to the Misty Forest.

Ironically, it was at the same time as the elf migration.