...Tori?
Lillia’s expression grew serious. So I became the protagonist of the oracle… She ran her hands slowly over her arms, feeling the unmistakable softness of warm skin.
Yet the sensation of having just been the oracle’s chosen one still clung to every inch of her body—the heavy, grounding pull of digging into the earth, the sway of cool wind through limbs that weren’t there, and that bizarre awareness of existing without a physical form while feeling everything at once.
With absolute certainty, Lillia murmured, “The protagonist of the oracle wasn’t a dragon…”
No matter how she examined the memory, it hadn’t felt like a dragon egg at all. If that was the case, then what exactly was that presence?
In that moment, Lillia recalled the village she had seen earlier. Goblins. The Honeybee tribe. The Totori. And… elves and spirits…
Yes. Just picturing them gave her the answer.
The World Tree…!
The protagonist of the oracle had to be the World Tree. The only question left was where it was located.
I’m certain Ruan said he searched all over Firel Forest looking for the World Tree. And then there were the elves who had been gathering toward the forest as well.
She whispered under her breath, “The World Tree is in Firel Forest.”
Lillia shot to her feet. There was no time to waste. As she hurried out of the grand hall, she muttered, “I need to tell Lady Aselia about this immediately.”
Finding the dragon egg no longer mattered. The true protagonist of the oracle had been somewhere else all along.
The fruit…?
The moment I opened my eyes that morning, I checked on the fruit. Sure enough, it was exactly as Ruan had predicted. The same size as yesterday. It hadn’t grown at all.
This is a problem…
I’d worked so hard to nurture it this far. It felt like a shame to lose it now. Of course the children were doing their best to find the Moonflower, but it was proving far more difficult than expected. They’d been searching for days with zero progress.
Then again, places where clean water collected around moss-covered rocks were probably rarer than I imagined. And even if they found such a spot, there was no guarantee a Moonflower would actually be blooming there.
Do I really have to let my first fruit go like this…?
As that thought crossed my mind, Rin flew over and settled lightly onto one of my branches.
“Don’t worry! We’ll find it soon!”
Gini leaned against my trunk and added in her slow, gentle voice, “That’s right… Just give us a little more time…”
Their comforting words made me rustle my leaves softly. Yeah. It really hadn’t been that long. I was getting too impatient.
Riri rubbed herself against my branch and declared, “Mama is still Mama even without the fruit~”
Her bright, ringing laughter was pure charm. She really was a bundle of affection.
Now that I think about it, why did I suddenly pass out yesterday?
Sleep had hit me like a wave out of nowhere. I’d assumed I was growing again and drifted off, but I woke up almost immediately. My level hadn’t increased, and nothing had been granted to me. So why the sudden nap?
On top of that, Riri had flown around in a total panic, crying something about Mama disappearing. Ever since, she’d been glued to my trunk as if afraid I might vanish again.
There, there.
I comforted Riri while glancing around the village. It was buzzing with energy as everyone prepared for the search parties. Honeybee tribe members darted through the air, double-checking with one another. Elite goblins inspected their gear. Spirits fluttered about, taking positions beside each team.
Ruan was carefully explaining the Moonflower’s traits to a wind spirit before they set out.
“It’s a flower that gives off a soft golden glow, like moonlight. The petals are extremely thin and nearly transparent.”
“Got it! I’ll keep my eyes wide open and find it!” the spirit shouted confidently.
Ruan smiled gently. “I’m counting on you.”
Watching them, I fluttered my leaves. If only Ruan could join the search, they’d find it in no time.
As that thought lingered, Hailyen approached and spoke quietly.
“It is correct for Ruan to remain here. The instant the Moonflower is retrieved, the preparation of the cure must begin at once.”
He had a point. It made more sense for Ruan to be ready and waiting. Everyone was giving their all in their own roles.
I looked up at the fruit again.
Just hold on a little longer.
While I was playing with Riri, the area suddenly grew noisy.
Looks like they’re about to head out.
The Moonflower search teams were finishing their final preparations. Rin nodded and said, “The Totori decided to join this time as well.”
The Totori? They had no combat ability. Would they be all right?
Khan stepped forward. “There is no need for concern on that front.” He smiled softly and continued, “We will be sending spirits, elite goblins, and Honeybee tribe members alongside them.”
That made sense. Khan’s leadership was more organized and efficient than anyone else’s. He would handle things perfectly.
“Additionally, some of the Totori possess search abilities. We intend to make use of those talents.”
Search abilities. I remembered reading about them in the original story. Certain monsters could locate whatever they sought within five meters. It was why Lillia had suffered quite a bit after getting caught by one.
But doesn’t that ability only activate after they’ve touched or directly seen the target? Had the Totori ever seen a Moonflower before?
Khan scratched his head at my question. “That is correct… However, they have seen bodies of water and moss-covered rocks before, so we will focus the search around those features.”
Ah. So they weren’t searching for the Moonflower itself, but for locations where one might bloom. That was actually a pretty smart approach.
Yeah, yeah. Tell them to stay safe and come back in one piece.
“Understood!”
Khan gathered the search teams. “The groups will be organized as follows: one Totori, two elite goblins, one spirit, and three Honeybee tribe members per team.”
Of course Rin, Khan, Gini, Riri, or the elves could have gone, but since the objective leaned more toward locating the flower than fighting, they chose to stay behind. With the elite goblins and Honeybee members participating, the teams should be fine.
“Team 1, head this way. Team 2, that direction. Team 3, you take the center. Team 4, proceed here.”
The search parties listened to Khan’s instructions with serious focus. As I observed them, I muttered in surprise.
Huh? Tori’s there too?
So Tori had a search ability as well. Sensing my gaze, Tori waved a tiny paw at me.
“Kkoong~”
Tori was on Team 3.
Yeah, yeah~!
I shook my leaves gently in response, wishing him a safe journey.
“All right, move out!”
“Kkoong!”
“Kiet!”
“Kkurorong!”
“Let’s do this! We’re going to find it!”
With energetic replies, the search parties set off into the forest. At the time, I had no idea that the farewell I’d just shared with Tori might be our last.
After the teams left, I spoke with Ruan.
“As soon as the Moonflower is found, I will begin preparing the cure immediately.”
Got it.
“When the medicine is administered, all the accumulated delayed growth should surge forward at once.”
All the pent-up growth at once, huh?
So it’ll mature in one go?
Ruan nodded. “Yes, exactly! Given how it has been steadily condensing energy, I believe that once the cure is used, it will fully mature within a day or two.”
That’s good to hear.
I still hadn’t decided who would receive the fruit, but simply knowing it would ripen was enough to make me happy.
After chatting with Ruan, playing with Riri, and joking around with Rin and Gini, the sun slowly sank. One by one, the search parties began to return.
Khan asked the returning teams, “How did it go? Any luck?”
They all shook their heads.
“Kkuung…”
“Kieeh…”
“Kkurorong…”
The spirits spoke with downcast faces.
“There was nothing at all on our side…”
“Nothing…”
Spirits from the other teams added, “Same for us…”
“Especially with all the demonic corruption—there wasn’t even any clean water!”
“We found clean water, but no mossy rocks…”
Everyone looked utterly disappointed.
“For now, return and rest,” Khan told them.
The exhausted searchers dragged themselves back into the village. The long sunset faded as the sky darkened.
Pop—! Paat—!
Soft light began to glow from the luminous mushrooms placed throughout the area.
“Kkuung~”
“Kkurorong!”
“Kieeee!”
Everyone chattered excitedly about what they had seen in the forest, too wound up to settle down. But as Khan counted heads, his face stiffened.
“Where is Team 3?”
The other teams exchanged confused glances.
“Kkuung?”
“Kieeh?”
They hadn’t seen them.
“…What?”
Khan rushed between the groups, shouting urgently, “Team 3! Has anyone seen Team 3?!”
They all shook their heads.
Wait… Team 3…!
Tori…!
That was Tori’s team!
My branches began to tremble. Had he been hurt? Did they encounter a dangerous monster? Or worse… a demon?
Just then—
“Help! Please help!!!”
Something came flying toward us at high speed. It was the wind spirit who had gone with Tori.
What’s wrong? What happened?!
The spirit flew up in a panic and cried out, “Tori…! Please save Tori…!”
Save him? What did that mean?
Behind the spirit, several goblins came running, carrying something on their backs. It was a Totori drenched in blood from head to toe. I recognized him instantly.
…Tori?
My branches froze mid-motion. Tori had been gravely wounded.