The Dryad Wants to Make Seeds
The seed found everything in the world fascinating.
The wind that whipped fiercely one moment only to turn warm a few steps later. Grass and trees that blazed in reds and yellows in one place and shone deep green in another. The stone walls that felt confining yet somehow tolerable. And overhead, a sky heavy with gloomy rainclouds that stood in stark contrast to the sharply divided environments below.
"I never expected this at all."
"Porong?"
And the enormous crow standing right in front of her the moment she opened her eyes.
The seed instinctively understood that this giant crow had nurtured and raised her. That made the giant crow her mother.
Of course, the giant crow monster Corvus was male. But since he had dressed her and fed her instead of shaking off the seed that clung to him from the start, the seed was absolutely certain Corvus was her mother.
Through Corvus, the seed became Flora and learned and remembered a great many things. That she had opened her eyes deep inside the greenhouse. That as a seed she had been entrusted to a boy named Karem to raise. And that she had been born from the flower bud that grew as a result.
Naturally, those who learned of Flora's birth—or appearance—were wary at first. A woman of unknown origin emerging from a plant bud in a restricted area offered no guarantee she was not a monster. Their caution was only reasonable.
But that wariness did not last long.
"Wowww. Green!"
"Porong?"
"Greenie. What's Greenie's name?"
"Porororong?"
"Porororong? Is that your name? No?"
As usual, the moment Baroness Poppins stepped away, Alicia slipped through the cordon of servants and maids and discovered Flora.
Flora's very existence captivated Alicia. Light green from head to toe, with flowers she had never seen before growing from her hair. And her face was every bit as pretty as Mama's.
Of course the two could not actually speak to each other. Conversation begins with understanding the other person's thoughts, yet one side only kept going porong-porong while the other monologued and asked questions. Somehow, though, they understood each other perfectly. That alone was more than enough for a six-year-old girl brimming with goodwill and curiosity and a zero-year-old with an adult body to become friends—or soul partners.
"...Since Alicia likes her so much, just leave her be."
"But my lord. That thing? Young lady? Anyway, it might be a monster—"
"If it were a monster there would have been a ruckus already, and the greenhouse has tight security, does it not?"
"Doesn't Lady Catherine break through that all the time?"
"Anyway."
Alfred had a vague idea of her existence through Karem by way of Catherine. So he calmly soothed his subordinates' worries and concerns. There was even a slightly irresponsible thought that something born from a gift of the gods would hardly cause trouble. Besides, he harbored a quiet hope that Alicia's boundless energy might finally tire itself out a little. The same logic as walking a puppy until it calms down.
Alfred doted on Alicia, but honestly her tremendous vitality was hard to handle.
Regardless, Flora's daily life—born as she was from a gift of the gods—proved extremely simple, contrary to every subordinate's fretting. She wandered freely inside the greenhouse, helping Corvus with the work, playing with the various plants and animals, or, when Alicia visited, sharing the snacks she brought while rolling on the floor and climbing trees.
Of course Flora was curious about the world outside the greenhouse.
The moment she stepped out, the sky was pouring snow—
"Here, Flora! This is outsi—"
"Kweeeeeeeeeeeeee-!!!!!!"
From the mouth and throat that had only ever produced soft birdlike chirps burst the first true scream—the cry of a wild boar fleeing a predator.
The unexpected news that she intended to escape deflated the subordinates' wariness in an instant. Flora promptly locked herself back inside the greenhouse, thoroughly convinced that the outside was dangerous after all.
And during that time, aside from saving the life of a little boy supported by two enormous beings, nothing particularly eventful happened. She rolled in the grass, climbed trees, played with plants and animals while helping Corvus, or buried herself in the earth to feel the greenhouse's life force.
"Porororong~♬"
"Flora! Alicia's here!"
Flora, who had buried herself with only her head sticking out, welcomed Alicia as the girl patted her forehead.
"Flora. Flora. I brought guests."
"Porong~?"
"It's Kitty and Karem. Mary said she'll come later, and Gordon!"
Flora tilted only her head above the soil. She had seen Kitty and Karem before. She vaguely knew of Mary from Alicia's mentions. But who was Gordon?
"Porong~"
"Ah, they're here. The one on the far right over there is Gordon."
Following Alicia's pointing finger, Flora turned her head. Just as the girl said, three people were walking along the path.
I'm glad both of them are okay.
Seeing Catherine and Karem, who had looked terrible the first time, Flora sighed in relief and nodded. Catherine's vast presence and mana had been in complete disarray, layered with exhaustion that made illness seem inevitable, and Karem had nearly died even after Flora poured life force into him. But they both looked fine now. That was a relief. Naturally her gaze drifted to the person walking beside Karem.
"Huk—"
"Hm? Flora?"
With only her head protruding from the ground, Flora's mouth fell open. A single sword was walking straight toward her (not really).
Wow... that power, that life force...
Flora instinctively saw through the body of the sword and the power contained within. Her heart raced at the powerful life force and mana boiling inside him.
"Po, porong???"
"That way? Yes. That's Gordon."
"Porororong~?"
"Hmm. Sword Master—so a master of the sword, Papa said."
A master of the sword. The words alone made Flora's heart pound again. So that was why he had felt like a single living blade.
Of course Flora could sense other sword-like presences around the greenhouse and nearby. None of them, however, were as strong as the man standing right in front of her. She occasionally sensed beings that could compare, but every one of them possessed either scant life force or meager power.
Gordon was different.
Life force? Mana? What she had instinctively gathered inside the greenhouse was mere candlelight beside him. The power housed in his body? Among every presence she had ever sensed outside the greenhouse, only a handful came close. The only one who possessed both in abundance was Gordon. Even the face beneath the neatly squared beard was exactly to her taste.
"Pororororong! Porororong~♬"
"Cheer for you? Flora, what on earth does that—"
"Porororong—"
"Yikes!"
Thud-thud-thud—
Like yanking a radish from the earth, Flora pulled herself free of the ground. With a light gesture the grass roots gathered of their own accord and filled the ugly hole and mound of dirt until the spot looked untouched. Cleanup finished, she sprinted along the path.
Her target was Gordon, still walking toward them.
Chirping happily, Flora launched herself at him.
"Huh? Wha—what the—!?"
"Pororororong~♪"
Let's make seeds together!
Mary had visited the greenhouse on occasion—only when accompanying Catherine on official business, never privately.
"So, about that."
Mary gently and naturally redirected Alicia, who was hanging from her hand and passionately sniffing, toward Gordon and Flora.
"What on earth is that situation?"
"Even if you ask me—"
Karem, the target of the question, shook his head. Honestly he could not make sense of it either.
"Porororong~♪"
"No, wait. Who the hell is this woman!?"
"Porororong—!"
"She said to call her name properly."
"No, wait. Call her name properly..."
"Porong~♬"
The green-skinned woman with countless autumn leaves blooming through her hair—Flora—had latched onto the flustered Gordon like a cicada on an old tree, while Alicia stood beside them roughly interpreting everything she said.
"A woman I've never seen in Winterhome or the greenhouse."
"She was born from a seed the kid left in the greenhouse while we were on a trip to the Highland region."
"A seed?"
"Yeah. Why. I told you. Fungusby village."
"Ahh."
Looking at Flora plastered tightly against Gordon, Mary nodded.
"Certainly, if it's that, I do recall hearing about it."
I never told her, though. Did Catherine mention it? Karem thought as he watched Flora clamp onto Gordon's body with all four limbs. The old saying that a pretty face excuses any behavior floated through his mind—then he looked at what she was doing to Gordon and decided maybe not. Still, Gordon did not seem entirely displeased at having a beauty clinging to him; he looked flustered but showed no sign of shaking her off.
Then the leaves growing in Flora's swaying hair and the sprout on her crown caught Karem's eye.
But what race is she, anyway?
Curiosity stirred. Come to think of it, if he wanted to know something like this there was someone he could simply ask.
"Lady Atanitas. What race is Flora?"
"What race? I'll be honest—I have no idea."
That was an unexpected answer.
"You, Lady Atanitas?"
"Yeah. At least as far as I know, no such race exists in Europa right now. Her life force is so abundant I first thought High Elf, but that can't be right. And looking at that sprout, the flowers I saw before, and the leaves she has now—definitely not."
"It's not one of those so-called plant-type monsters, is it?"
"Looking at that, does she look like a monster to you?"
It was rare for Catherine, who usually answered every question without hesitation. Yet the nuance of her tone suggested she was not entirely in the dark.
"Well, do you have any race in mind at least?"
"Yeah. No—my memory is fuzzy. I think I once read something about a race with those exact traits a long time ago."
Catherine gazed at Flora while absently twirling a lock of hair.
"Hmm... this unfamiliar relative's power and life force. The external characteristics..."
"Hm? Unfamiliar relative? Sounds like a fairy."
"Yes. And I'll take that robe for now."
Mary snatched Catherine's robe from Karem's hands and agreed.
"I've only heard the stories a few times when I was young."
"No, but Mary—if they're your relatives, the range is huge, from fairies reduced to monsters all the way to lake fairies and everything in between."
"But if we narrow it by the sprout on the crown, the leaves growing in the hair, and that overflowing life energy, only one possibility remains."
At the confidence in her voice, Catherine looked at Mary as if telling her to say it. Karem followed suit.
"Dryad."
"Ahh, right. It was dryad."
So what exactly is a dryad? Of course Karem knew what a dryad was—but that knowledge came from his previous life. As a child he had read mythology comics until the pages wore thin; he could hardly forget. Yet the dryads of that world and the dryads of this one would not be the same. Even the ones from his past life had been local deities who merely shared the name of fairy.
"It's been well over a hundred years, so I forgot for a moment. Dryad. Tree fairy."
"Hmm, this is similar again."
"Kid. Your previous life?"
"Yes. And I'm not a kid anymore."
Don't be cheeky. Letting Catherine's remark wash over him, Karem resignedly watched Flora still clinging tightly to Gordon as the man approached the group. He glanced back and forth between her and Mary.
"...Somehow the image is completely different."
"Different how?"
"No. Nothing. Anyway—dryad."
While living in the Mage's Tower and talking with Mary, Karem had heard about countless kinds of fairies. Fairies hunted as monsters. Workaholic house fairies like Mary—brownies. Free-spirited troublemaker wind fairies—sylphs. Sailors' eternal idols, the sea fairies called nereids, and so on.
"But come to think of it, I've never heard of dryads before."
"Of course not. They were wiped out, so there's no particular reason to mention them."
"Wiped out? The entire race? By whom?"
Karem asked again, certain he must have misheard. It wasn't as if anyone had run a modern slaughterhouse—how could an entire people vanish?
"The Demon King."
Mary confirmed Catherine's calm statement.
"I heard they disappeared together when the Palatino Empire fell to the Demon King's army."
"But how do you know that?"
"My mother told me. It's a story passed down for generations."
Then she would know. Catherine closed her mouth.