episode_0035
by admin87th day in the Misty Forest.
The Stem House.
Goooo~
I focused on my body from the bed.
And then I feel it.
My body, now the size of two fists.
It has grown by hundreds of times compared to when it was just the size of a bean.
That’s how much I have absorbed many creatures.
I have absorbed dozens of slave hunters, slave warriors, and the dragon Kardepeion, and now I am growing rapidly with the nutrients brought by Shaela.
Honestly, Shaela’s help has been quite significant.
Every time I retrieve the stem that has been fattened under the pretext of a walk, I gain a huge amount of nutrients and life information.
I already feel like I have eaten several slave hunters.
Thanks to that, I feel my growth.
My senses are enhanced.
I can modify my body to be stronger.
I can control hundreds of stems at once.
I can move the separated stems freely, not relying on will, as if they were my real body, and communicate with ordinary plants to move as I wish.
But that’s not all.
The radius of the connected roots is about 700m.
The separated stems are scattered over 3km.
Every day, I absorb a large amount of nutrients and strength in this vast area.
Moreover, the Misty Forest alone has a diameter of at least several hundred kilometers.
In other words, there are plenty of resources.
There is plenty of room to expand the territory.
Just calmly grow my body, expand the territory, and absorb nutrients.
As time goes on, I will become stronger.
In the end, Shaela…
“What are you thinking?”
Like they say, a tiger will come if you call it.
Shaela, sitting on the bed, spoke as if bored.
I turned my head as the avatar and answered.
“Your thoughts.”
“Huh?…”
She seemed slightly taken aback.
But soon.
“Uh, what were you thinking?”
She asked such a timid question.
Due to the blindfold, I couldn’t tell her expression, but the corners of her mouth were slightly stiff.
I answered honestly again.
“I was thinking I need to get as strong as you.”
“Why?”
“I need to be that strong to protect.”
Me and my village, you know.
“Protect?”
Hehe.
Shaela’s lips trembled.
I wonder what she’s thinking this time.
“…Never mind. I’m going for a walk!”
“Again?”
Thud!
She randomly tore off a stem from the house and knocked on the wall.
Swoosh.
When I opened the door, she went straight out of the village.
And as usual, she brought back a plump rice steamed stem.
In the memory of the stem.
Shaela was stroking the stem and saying these words.
“Right. Right~ You’re admirable.”
*
88th day in the Misty Forest.
The time Shaela went for a walk.
Someone appeared in front of the house.
“Are you well today as well? Thanks to the grace of the Divine Lord, we have regained our smiles. The children can play and eat to their heart’s content. We still remember. The great grace of the Divine Lord on that day-”
High Elf Neria.
Ever since being rescued from Kardepeion, she comes to the house every day and prays there.
Even though I told her it’s not necessary.
She doesn’t seem to tire.
But…
I suddenly wonder.
What made her so desperate.
How did the elves live before coming here, what hardships did they endure.
I didn’t pay any attention after rescuing her.
I left everything to Illian.
It wouldn’t hurt to look into it a little.
Swoosh~
I opened the stem pathway.
“Oh….”
“Come in.”
The interior of the house revealed through the stem pathway.
She sat at the table with her elven body and beckoned him in.
“Glory!!”
He entered, shouting like that.
Perhaps due to his respect for me, just entering made him clasp his hands tightly and his cheeks slightly flushed with a trembling look.
“Th-This is the Divine Lord’s body!”
“…. That sounds a bit strange. Sit down here first.”
“Okay!”
He sat across the table.
Come to think of it, besides the Elf of Shaela and the Divine Tree, it was the first time someone else had been seated.
I really lack communication skills.
Might as well make the most of it.
“I have a question. What were you doing before coming here?”
I asked without hesitation.
It might be a somewhat sensitive question, but Neria seemed to hesitate for a moment before starting to tell her story.
“We were expelled from our world.”
“Hmm?….”
It was quite a fascinating story.
The elves were originally living well in another world. However, when the Tower began to corrupt the world, they failed to stop it and lost their world.
At that time, the World Tree of the elves rejected it.
With the power of the World Tree, some spaces were not swallowed up and survived, but the existence of the Tower invaded and burned the World Tree, destroying all the elves.
The elves who fell to the disposal site wandered.
Thousands of elves were captured by hunters and monsters.
Those who survived fled far away, but even that had its limits.
And now.
Neria, who sensed my energy, and hundreds of elves barely survived and reached the Misty Forest.
How many sacrifices must have been made….
“So, do you feel that I am the World Tree?”
“Yes! You are the great Divine Tree.”
“The World Tree… What exactly is it?”
“It is the pillar of the world and the mother of all elves.”
“…Me?”
I chuckled.
“Isn’t that right? All the noble elves here are believed to have been born from the Divine Tree.”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
To think that my true identity is the World Tree.
I was just an experiment.
Originally a human named Woochan, I woke up to find myself turned into a strange plant.
Poisonous.
Absorbing life.
It’s not self-deprecation, but where and how do they see me as the World Tree?
“I, but I felt something strange.”
“What is it?”
“There is a faint sacred energy inside this forest.”
Swiftly.
As she said that, Neria turned her head.
Beyond the house. It was towards the center of the Misty Forest.
“I suspect that there may be another World Tree there.”
“Another World Tree?”
“I am the successor to the queen who worships the Divine Tree in my homeland, so I have been training to feel the Divine Tree since I was young. So, I felt a similar energy to the Divine Tree in the center, although it is subtle. Oh, I’m not sure. It’s just my feeling.”
Another World Tree….
It was out of the blue, but I understood.
I also felt a strange sense of unease there.
If it wasn’t for the energy felt there, I wouldn’t have known where the center was.
If there really is another World Tree….
“Then we’ll find out someday. I will make this forest my domain.”
“I look forward to it. It would be great if the two who support the world were together!!”
“Stop the useless talk. You can go now.”
“Oh, okay! It was an honor to be able to talk to you.”
“Honor? What nonsense. You just asked a question and I answered, that’s all.”
“But still….”
“Take this with you.”
Plop.
Swish~
“Oops!!!”
I threw the fruit.
He quickly got up and politely caught the fruit with both hands.
“Thank you! As a lifelong-”
“Don’t hide it in your pocket, just eat it. What’s the point if it rots.”
“Uh!? Oh, you knew?”
“Eat it now.”
“Yes….”
Neria looked sulky, but as soon as she put the fruit in her mouth, her body was purified by the divine energy and she left, saying something like she was expelled!
Alone, I thought.
“Another World Tree….”
I hadn’t gone to the center until now.
Curiosity piqued, but no immediate intention to approach.
The sensation gained after becoming a plant.
This sense of discomfort is generally accurate.
I may not know if it’s a different World Tree, but I am aware of the potential danger.
Whether friend or foe is uncertain.
It’s not the right time to confront them now…
“It’s not the right time.”
Let’s get stronger and think.
*
Stepped outside the house for a moment.
Not to explore the village, but because something came to mind that needed to be done.
“Take care.”
Right next to the house.
A giant fruit standing upright.
Inside, there is a slave warrior.
A few days ago, after a failed torture session, I blocked their senses in a fit of anger and have been keeping them locked up for three days.
If all goes well, I might be able to extract city information or get help when infiltrating Cardephion.
Drip~
Unraveled the stem.
Swoosh…
Thud.
The slave warrior with a vacant expression collapsed along with the stem.
“Hey.”
“……Ugh……”
After three days.
Or what seemed like an eternity, they barely responded to the voice they heard.
Drooling.
Eyes slightly shaking.
Fingertips trembling.
“Can you hear me?”
Why aren’t they moving well?
Their head twitched, and their focus shifted slightly upwards, looking at me hazily.
“Ugh… Ah…”
Seems like their vision is returning.
Their focus is gradually becoming clearer.
Fortunately, their consciousness seems intact.
They’re just struggling to adapt.
If I had kept them locked up for a few more days, they might have completely broken down.
“Answer me. Can you hear me?”
“……Ugh……”
“If you ignore me again, I’ll lock you up again.”
“Ah!… I-I’ll… listen… Please!… I’ll do anything… plea-”
Biting their lips, they pleaded.
Even a bit of blood seeped out.
“Stop.”
“Ugh…”
They immediately stopped at my command.
They stood still, waiting with their feet on the ground.
They might look pitiful, but I still vividly remember how they joyfully killed the elf on Cardephion’s orders.
Even if it’s due to brainwashing, I won’t show any mercy.
“Get up.”
Thud!
They staggered to their feet immediately.
They almost fell again after moving for the first time in a while, but they held on with sheer willpower.
“Name.”
“S-Sesilia.”
“You said not to submit no matter what. Are you still like that now?”
“No!!…”
“Then, will you obey whatever I command?”
“Of course!! I’ll follow any order.”
“If I tell you to kill Cardephion?”
“T-That’s…”
“Still a no, right?”
Swoosh~
Moved the stem to the sides. The person’s eyes widened in panic and they shouted desperately.
“I’ll do it!! I’ll kill him!! I’ll definitely kill him!! Please! Don’t lock me up… I’ll do anything… Please… plea-”
Finally, they knelt down and begged.
Tears streamed down their face.
Even though they’re a trash-like enemy, watching them weakens my heart.
This should be enough for now.
So.
“From now on, I’m your master.”
“Yes!! Y-You’re my master!!”
They answered immediately.
They tried to make a good impression on me.
But that’s not enough. They might be doing this just to survive.
“Let’s hope that answer holds true tomorrow.”
“Huh?…”
Swoosh.
Turned around.
At the same time, the stem prison appeared and locked Sesilia up again. Since their senses weren’t blocked, they might be able to entertain other thoughts for a day. I’ll check on that.
“Wait a minute!!!”
Ignored them and walked away.
The real answer will be known tomorrow.
When Cardelphion’s physical form is complete, that is when.
0 Comments