Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Moon Temple (1)
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"Nemea, what are you looking at?"
"The Silver Forest."
Linshaka gazed toward the spot illuminated by Nemea's moonlight. The Black Forest of Lüset. A forest that had once been the 'Silver Forest' but had long since been dyed black by darkness. Linshaka thought Nemea might still be dwelling on her sorrow, as she had often shed tears while staring at the blackened woods.
But.
"Ah, it's shining."
"It's only been a short while since it started shining again."
Nemea murmured in a warm voice. Just as she said, a portion of the black forest gleamed silver under the moonlight. Linshaka immediately recognized it. That was where the touch of the 'Child of the Forest'—whom she had recently come to cherish—had reached.
"If only that light could reach 'that place'..."
Linshaka knew what 'that place' Nemea referred to. The 'Moon Temple' she had built for her. In the days when the Silver Forest shone beautifully, the two had often strolled there together. Beyond the lake that reflected the moonlight, over the garden blooming with moonflowers.
The Moon Garden had been tended by chosen elves, but as the Silver Forest was swallowed by darkness and became the Black Forest, its existence gradually faded from memory. Now untended by anyone, not a single moonflower bloomed there anymore.
But.
"Sister, it seems the time has come to return 'that place' to you."
If the 'Child of the Forest' who had brought a speck of light back to the Black Forest could restore the 'Moon Temple' to its glory. Linshaka leaned gently on Nemea's shoulder, a soft smile on her lips, and gazed at the forest together.
* * *
[An <Oracle> has arrived for Theodore.]
A few days before leaving Lüset.
I jolted upright in surprise at the sudden appearance of text before my eyes.
<Oracle>?
So, this was like a quest directly from the gods?
[Reclaim the 'Moon Temple.']
[Reward: Special Gardeners]
Moon Temple?
Special Gardeners?
Before I could fully grasp it, the text glowed brightly again and shifted into new words, flowing onward.
[Deep in the Black Forest
On the land closest to the moon
A lake holding moonlight
A garden planted with moonlight
The goddesses sang
Of eternal prosperity
Of eternal rest
The goddesses sang]
The words swam through the air to the gentle strum of a harp-like melody. They slowly swirled, forming a single glowing portal.
'A portal.'
It wanted me to choose right now? I stared at the portal, lost in thought.
True to its name <Oracle>, it was incredibly vague. What was the 'Moon Temple,' and what were these 'Special Gardeners' as a reward? Some kind of pet, maybe?
'Well, nothing to lose.'
A quest from a god had to be something special. No harm in trying.
[I'll be out for a bit.]
I left a short note and stepped through the portal. Aila followed me, but apparently only I could pass—it closed right after, and she was nowhere in sight.
A soft breeze blew from somewhere, and I slowly took in my surroundings.
The sunlight was bright, mingled with the rustle of leaves in the wind, the cheerful chirping of birds, and the sound of dripping water somewhere. A waterfall? I turned toward the noise and, as expected, saw a refreshing cascade with a rainbow shimmering behind it. A beautiful scene.
'...Where is this?'
I'd assumed the Black Forest meant a dark forest, but this was unlike anything in the Barak Empire, Roshan, Solen, or the Ekaitz Alliance. The closest resemblance was...
'The forest where I stayed with the old hag...'
Yes.
It resembled the forest where I'd first landed in this cursed pseudo-medieval world. Not exactly the same, but close. That one had felt denser, more lush.
'Back then, I was worked to the bone under the old hag and had no time to appreciate views like this.'
Come to think of it, where was that witch now, and what was she doing? Though she'd treated me like a slave, she was the one who'd taken me in, fed me, and taught me—worthy of being called a 'master'—so I occasionally wondered if she was still alive.
'She didn't go and get herself torn apart showboating after a Maple Bear, did she?'
Nah. She had skills; that wouldn't happen. What was I even thinking? She'd kicked me out the moment I learned basic druid skills. No need to worry now...
"Hm?"
Lost in such thoughts as I wandered the scenery, I spotted a temple in the middle of the lake and approached. With a crescent moon carved on the roof, that had to be the 'Moon Temple.'
I crossed the lake on floating lily pads and entered. Inside were two statues: one with a crescent moon on its forehead, the other with a leaf shape—likely Nemea and Linshaka.
"Did you two bestow this <Oracle> upon me?"
I asked just in case, but nothing happened. Tch, embarrassing...
I carefully examined the interior. It was filled with offerings for the two goddesses: various fruits and flowers, beautiful fabrics, paintings, jewels, and more.
'Didn't know there was a temple serving two goddesses together.'
Temples served one god. That was the unwritten rule. This one serving two was highly unusual.
'What the heck is this place?'
After thoroughly checking inside, I stepped out again. And involuntarily sucked in a breath at the sight before me.
"......!"
The beautiful scenery from moments ago was gone, replaced by a barren forest. Even in broad daylight, darkness lurked—a desolate vista. Wait, it had been fine just now—what happened? I turned back to the temple and let out a hollow laugh.
It looked ready to collapse any second.
'Of course...'
What I'd seen was a vision of the past. It wanted me to restore it like that? Gods sure were brazen. I glared up at the sky for a moment.
"...How am I supposed to do this alone?"
No answer came, naturally.
Damn it... If only I could borrow elven hands. No idea how to open a portal back or return, so I was on my own?
I recalled the poem from before crossing. Land closest to the moon, lake holding moonlight, garden planted with moonlight...
"The lake's completely dry, and the garden's totally rotted..."
Could I improvise with skills? Maybe visit the Dimensional Garden first? Grab some seeds, draw water to refill the lake. I tried opening the Dimensional Garden.
Or rather, I tried to.
'Yeah, figures. Wouldn't be easy.'
Mana wouldn't circulate properly. Some restriction on this space itself. I glanced warily at the ominous darkness creeping around. No clever ideas came.
Without mana, all I could do was hoeing.
Wait, no hoeing either. No hoe.
Realizing I couldn't use skills made me anxious, so I started walking slowly to calm down. Okay, stay calm. Think calmly, and a way will come.
-Thud!
Something kicked against my foot.
"...Hm?"
Looking down, there was a round mushroom-like thing rolling around. Bigger than an adult fist, pale green and unobtrusive, like a marshmallow. Not quite—more like a shriveled, dried one? Or a deflated balloon. Without thinking, I bent down and picked it up.
-Puu~.
"Puu?"
It made a weird noise. And it felt like it was moving, so I flipped it over...
"...Not a mushroom?"
A bizarre creature. Like a green marshmallow with two black bean eyes, a tiny sprout on its head. And, pathetically short arms and legs. Could it even walk properly? I turned the mushroom—no, marshmallow—no, weird creature this way and that. I'd thought I knew a lot about otherworldly creatures, but this was new.
-Puuu...
"Whoa, sorry."
Had I manhandled it too much? It deflated with a leaking sound.
"S-Sorry. Sorry. You okay?"
-Puui...
"W-Wait a sec!"
I hurriedly rummaged through my pockets. Luckily, I found a cloth pouch of dried fruit. I pulled some out and fed it to the puu-puuing thing. Then...
-Poof~!
It puffed right up. Ah, now it really looked like a marshmallow. I fed it the rest. Starved for ages, it eagerly munched them down.
-Puu!
"You perked up. Good."
I set the now-fluffy thing down, and it bounced happily around.
Attack power zero, wariness zero. Plenty of issues for surviving the Dark Forest. Was it even a lifeform? I kept flicking off the one clinging to my leg.
"Stop, stop. No more dried fruit."
-Puu~.
It ignored me and clung on. Shake it off, it sticks back; shake again, sticks again. After a few rounds, I got tired and let it hang on my leg.
-Puupu~!
And so, with a puu-puuing marshmallow dangling from my leg, I surveyed the dead land. Kneeling by a patch with a single dried blade of grass, I touched the soil—no life force.
'Can't use skills, so how am I supposed to revive land like this?'
I crumbled the dirt clod from my fingertips back to the ground. Even the toughest weeds couldn't survive this...
-Puu~~!
"...Huh?"