"Suddenly, I Can Go Out..."
"Suddenly able to go out..."
She covered her face with both hands. She fidgeted, scraping the dirt with her toes and twisting her body this way and that, peeking at me only through the gap between her fingers.
"Couldn't you... tell me what it's like out there?"
She fiddled with a blade of grass, glancing at me nervously. After a brief hesitation, she continued cautiously.
"Even if you don't know much..."
She leaned forward and went on.
"You must have seen something on your way here."
I blinked.
"What was the city like?"
The city. A space made entirely of stone and wood. The only living plants were a few potted ones in some houses.
"Not many patches of grass, and it was all drab."
She blinked.
"Not many grasses?"
"Yeah."
Silence. She froze.
Her face grew stranger by the second.
"Why would people... live in a place like that...?"
"Right?"
She stared at me blankly for a moment. Then she finally burst out laughing.
"Pfft, what the hell is that."
Once she'd calmed down, she looked at me again.
"What about the place before that?"
I thought for a second.
"Demon King's Castle."
"Oh, I heard about that already."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Outside of it. Beyond the Demon King's Castle."
I recalled a few days ago. The days traveling through demon territory with the Hero Party.
"There were some grasslands."
"Grasslands?"
I nodded.
"And?"
I gazed at the sky, digging deeper into my memories.
"Ruined buildings."
"Buildings?"
"Yeah. They said there'd been a war."
Her eyes widened a bit. Then she fell quiet.
"After that?"
I thought again.
"There was a desert too."
"A desert? You mean..."
She picked up a pebble and turned it into sand.
"A vast land made entirely of this stuff."
"How vast?"
"About ten times the size of this forest?"
"Whoa."
Her face grew even stranger.
"No forests?"
"There were."
I nodded.
"But they were totally different from here."
"How so?"
I looked around at the surrounding trees. Compared them to those places.
"A dense forest made up of trees about ten times bigger than these."
"Whoa..."
She shut her mouth. After a moment, her face turned thoughtful, and she started asking something else.
"But."
Her expression was a little serious now.
"You."
She gazed at me steadily.
"Why are you stabilizing the forest?"
I blinked.
She gestured around with her hand. The trees. The grasses. The whole forest.
"This forest wasn't like this originally."
I thought for a moment. Then answered.
"I'm a flower."
She narrowed her eyes.
"No, not that."
I thought a bit more. Then said,
"...A strong flower?"
I already knew what she was hoping for in that question. But no proper word came to mind to describe my situation.
Her shoulders shook.
"...Hah."
She seemed to hold back a laugh for a second, then let it out.
"What the hell is that."
I said nothing.
She laughed for a while, then caught her breath and spoke.
"But it's really weird."
I tilted my head.
"What is?"
"The forest... isn't afraid of you."
I glanced down briefly. My roots. The soil.
"Seems like it likes me, though?"
She was at a loss for words. Then she let out a small laugh.
"That's what's even weirder."
A brief silence fell.
The wind blew again.
Then a sudden curiosity struck me.
"Why were you guarding the forest?"
Her hand stopped.
A hush fell.
"...I made a contract."
I tilted my head.
"With who?"
Her gaze wavered slightly. Then she said,
"...Sorry. I can't say."
I nodded.
"That's fine."
She looked at me, a bit surprised.
"You're not curious?"
I looked up at the sky. Stars everywhere.
"A little."
"Then why not ask?"
I glanced at her. Her face had turned serious again.
"Just... no."
She laughed.
A brief silence.
Then she said suddenly,
"Come to think of it."
She scratched her head and continued.
"We haven't even exchanged names."
She straightened up.
"I'm Elesia. The druid guarding this forest."
I nodded.
"I'm..."
At that moment,
"Wait."
Elesia stopped at my words.
"What?"
I looked toward the far side of the forest. Darkness. Trees. Wind.
But amid it all, something faint stirred.
I said quietly,
"Someone's watching the forest."
Elesia's eyes widened a little.
"...Who?"
I listened closely for a moment. The wind blew. Leaves rustled. The forest was quiet, as always.
"...Not sure."
I added,
"But it's there."
Elesia said nothing. But I had the illusion that the forest was trembling ever so slightly.
Elesia asked quietly,
"Where?"
I pointed into the forest.
"Over there."
A brief silence.
Then.
Thud.
The trees shook violently.
Thud, thud.
Something was forcing its way through the forest.
Elesia's face hardened.
"...Hold on."
She whispered.
"That."
She paused.
"...It's a monster."
I hadn't sensed any monster presence until just now. No life reactions in that space either.
Yet suddenly, a monster appeared there.
Elesia stood up immediately.
"Monsters don't enter this forest."
I tilted my head.
"Really?"
"Yes."
She stared into the forest.
"...This is weird."
At that moment, a tree snapped.
And a massive form burst from the forest.
A huge body. Red eyes, sharp claws. And wings.
Elesia swallowed.
"...How the hell did a dragon..."
The dragon roared.
The forest shook.
"It's trampling the trees right now."
Elesia looked at me.
"...Is that what matters right now?"
I nodded.
"Of course."
I extended my right hand forward. Flicked it lightly.
Then the grasses moved. Every grass in the forest, every flower, every tree.
The entire forest obeyed me, beginning to envelop the thing.
Kraaaahhh!!
The dragon started resisting me. So I responded.
Crack.
The dragon's wing bent unnaturally. Like it had an extra joint.
Elesia muttered blankly at the sight.
"...Whoa."
Kyaaak!!
Flames from the dragon's maw. To block them, I filled every hole along its neck.
Ughh... ugh... ahhh!!
The thrashing dragon. Its body convulsed more and more, until suddenly its movements stopped.
I watched impassively and said,
"Sorry. I got mad and used up some trees."
Elesia shook her head vigorously, gesturing no.
"N-no! It's fine! There's still plenty of trees!"
She said that, but she was definitely cursing me inside. I wasn't even a druid, and I was this pissed—how furious must a druid like Elesia be?
I felt bad.
I couldn't bear the guilt.
"I'll plant at least one tree."
"Huh?"
I pierced its heart. Its lungs too.
I moved the trees. Extended various parts.
Trees replaced its blood vessels, its organs; its scales became leaves, and a new tree took root there.
Like cherry blossoms, pink. Pretty. Beautiful.
"...Huh?"
"I used three trees but only made one. Sorry."
"Huh?"
"I was mad too, but as a druid, you must be way madder. Really sorry."
I bowed my head. Apologized.
If I'd noticed the thing sooner, innocent trees wouldn't have fallen.
"But more than that, who the hell summoned a dragon here?"
Elesia said nothing. She looked shell-shocked.
She just stared blankly at where the dragon had been moments ago.
The pink tree. The wind blew, and petals scattered slowly.
It was a peaceful moment. Quiet.
Then Elesia slowly opened her mouth.
"...Um."
I looked up.
"Yeah?"
Elesia looked at me. Then suddenly bowed at the waist.
"Sorry."
I blinked.
"Yeah?"
"Earlier."
She spoke without lifting her face.
"I... kinda suspected you."
I thought for a moment.
"Oh."
Elesia raised her head.
"That you might be something trying to mess up the forest."
I nodded.
"That could happen."
Elesia's expression hardened a bit.
"...You're not mad?"
I thought briefly. Then said,
"Why would I be? No reason to get mad."
I pointed at the pink tree and continued.
"I just used three trees myself."
Elesia's mouth fell open a little.
"...That's totally different, isn't it?"
I tilted my head.
"Is it?"
Elesia looked at me, then chuckled softly.
"...You're a really weird person."
The wind blew briefly. Petals scattered again.
And Elesia's expression slowly turned serious.
She said lowly,
"I think I know who did it."
Elesia looked at the pink tree.
"...A dragon couldn't enter this forest."
I nodded.
A brief silence.
Then she said,
"...Only one possibility."
I waited slowly.
Elesia's eyes wavered slightly.
"...The being I contracted with."
I blinked.
Elesia gave a small laugh.
"...The thing I said I couldn't talk about earlier."
"I remember."
"I wasn't supposed to say it."
She glanced at the sky briefly.
"...But the situation's weird right now."
"Yeah. Even the Demon King's been taken down."
Elesia looked back at me.
"The De-Demon King is dead?!"
"Yeah."
"Wh-what?! Why didn't you say that sooner!!"
"Oh, sorry."
"Th-then, the Hero Party succeeded...?"
"Yeah, that's what they said."
"Whoa!"
Elesia looked at me again.
"A-anyway!"
I blinked.
After catching her breath, she said,
"Demon King executive, rank 3!"
The forest was quiet. Even the wind seemed to stop.
And she named the executive.
"Bellishian Drakar!"
At the same time, her neck twisted.