239. Flowerpot

“……Resurrect Peony?”

“Yes.”

Libera-san nodded as I repeated her words like a parrot.

“Originally, Peony was called the Divine Tree in our world, an existence that brought blessings to the forest. But due to circumstances—no, it’s better not to sugarcoat it. We otherworlders, in our attempt to seize the Divine Tree’s power, wounded the forest and that child. That caused her to lose her sense of self through anger and hatred, leading to her rampage.”

“……”

I know that much. During the final battle with Peony, I touched her memories. Intense rage, hatred, sadness, and regret. Peony, who was originally kind and gentle, had been suffering for a long time as the monster she had become. She had even pleaded with me to kill her, to end it all.

“……What do you plan to do after resurrecting her?”

“I told you. We’ll prepare an environment advantageous to you. Think of it like a territory version of support magic. It will definitely be useful in the battle against the Vanguard. Peony, as the highest-tier Treant, can do that.”

“……”

Peony—no, a Treant has that kind of power? …Wait. Come to think of it, Igarashi-san mentioned a strange skill when she appraised a Treant before. If I recall correctly, the skill was—

“—Otherworld Anchor.”

“Oh? You knew?”

Libera-san looked surprised at my mutter.

“Only the name. I’d forgotten it until just now.”

Normally, I wouldn’t think I’d forget such an important-sounding skill name, but that might be the Treant’s influence. You forget it immediately unless you focus hard. Truly a troublesome monster.

“It’s impressive that you could recall it at all. It might be an effect of evolving into a Demi-God. Treant skills are, in a sense, like curses.”

“I see……”

The Demi-God’s “Curse/Poison Neutralization,” huh. It’s a happy accident that it works on things like cognitive interference and forgetfulness.

“We’ve digressed. ‘Otherworld Anchor’ is a racial skill possessed by all Treants, and its effect is to obstruct the assimilation between this world and the otherworld. Treants are given the role of preventing this world from merging with the otherworld.”

“Obstructing the merger…? Isn’t that a contradiction? The system is meant to merge this world and the otherworld, right?”

“Yes. As I’ve said before, the merger of worlds is done in stages to minimize friction. Treants play a role like ‘cushioning’ for that process.”

Cushioning… Come to think of it, Libera-san said something interesting when we first met.

—As I thought, the influence of the Divine Tree—no, Peony—was significant. The effect of ‘Otherworld Anchor’ that the Treants in this area were supposed to maintain has weakened considerably. Thanks to that, I was finally able to come here.

I think she said something like that. If Treants are tasked with hindering the merger, then this place where we wiped out all the surrounding Treants and Peony could be called the “place most prone to merging with the otherworld.” It was because the affinity with the otherworld was high that Libera-san appeared before me. It wasn’t a coincidence; it was an inevitable encounter born from us defeating Peony.

Nishino-kun put a hand to his chin.

“Come to think of it, the first monsters to appear in this world were Treants. It’s surprising they had such a role, but isn’t that a bit strange? Why do Treants have a skill like that?”

“It’s more accurate to say it was given rather than they ‘have’ it. The system granted the ‘Otherworld Anchor’ skill to the Treants. It’s a skill with high energy consumption, but you know what its energy source is, don’t you?”

The Treants’ nutrient source. Everyone present grimaced. Nishino-kun spoke up, not hiding his distaste.

“How can you say that so calmly? You must know what happened to us… to Goshogawara-san and the others because of that…”

“……I have no excuse for that. However, this was a skill that wasn’t supposed to be granted. Because only the monsters were transferred first, the system judged it necessary to do so…”

“Ts…! But because of that—”

“Nishino-kun, please calm down.”

“Ts…… My apologies. I lost my composure.”

Nishino-kun let out a long breath and looked down. …I understand his feelings. Treants secretly attack people, steal their memories, and erase their very existence. How many tragedies have been born and gone unnoticed? Calling it a sacrifice for the sake of the world sounds nice, but it’s an incredibly selfish argument.

“That was an insensitive way to put it. I’m sorry.”

“Apologizing won’t fix anything…… Besides, the ones at fault are those who tampered with the system. Not you.”

“But there’s no doubt I played a part in creating the system. If you speak of sin, I am equally guilty.”

“Even so, you and that Sage person must have done everything in your power so the otherworld and our world could coexist. The ones at fault are the people who twisted that for their own convenience. ……Not you.”

At Nishino-kun’s words, Libera-san wore a slightly happy expression.

“……Kazuto, you have good comrades. I’m envious.”

“Yes, they are my pride.”

At my words, Nishino-kun looked away, looking embarrassed. …It’s cheating how even a blush looks good on a handsome guy.

“……I’ll continue. Anyway, ‘Otherworld Anchor’ has the effect of obstructing the merger, and in the case of Peony, the highest species of Treant, that is further strengthened.”

“Is that the ‘territory version of support magic’ you mentioned?”

“Exactly. When she was the Divine Tree, Peony used that to bring blessings to the forest. ……She had no direct combat power, which is why the otherworlders targeted her…”

Because she was specialized in support, her direct combat power was low. The images I saw in Peony’s memories felt like that too. That’s why she felt powerless and desired the power to devour everything—’Gluttony.’

“……But how do you resurrect Peony?”

“Mix red soil and black soil in a flowerpot, put the Seed of the Divine Tree in there, and give it water. She’ll resurrect in a day.”

“That easy!?”

It’s just home gardening!? It’s not like she’s a tomato. Because it was so simple, everyone present wore a complex expression.

“Is there no danger in resurrecting her so easily?”

“She won’t have much power in her newborn state. It’ll take a fair amount of time to regain the power of the Divine Tree, but leave that to me.”

She must have a method. It’s best to leave that part to Libera-san.

“Then what should we do?”

“I want you to persuade Peony. Being an otherworlder, she’ll definitely be wary of me.”

“Is communication possible?”

“With the current Peony, who has lost the power of ‘Gluttony,’ it should be.”

“But I’m the one who actually killed her. I think it’ll be tough…”

“It’ll be fine. Because surely, Peony is grateful to you. To you, who stopped her.”

“……”

Is that so? Normally, I’d think she’d hold a grudge against me for killing her…

“Well then, I’m leaving the resurrection of Peony to you. I have business to attend to after this.”

“Business?”

“Training those other than you all. There are several people, like Kamome and Yuuna, who are close to evolving.”

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

Nijo, when did you get that strong? By the way, Yuuna is Chief Shimizu’s first name. Full name: Yuuna Shimizu, 28, single. I always call her Chief Shimizu, so I sometimes forget her real name…

After Libera-san left, I spoke to the Magic Sword Arrogance, which was vibrating in the corner of the room.

“……I finally understand why you were after Peony. But how did you find out?”

『……It’s the power of Arrogance. I infiltrated the system and learned about Peony’s past and abilities. It’s incredibly vexing, but what the Dead King said is the truth.』

“Peony’s abilities? Then—”

『No, the gratitude part.』

“Eh?”

『……It is a fact that Peony was grateful to you. If it’s a request from you, the one who stopped her, she’ll probably listen.』

“……You.”

『Shut up. Be quiet. Don’t say a word.』

Slightly smiling at the magic sword sulking in its scabbard, I began the preparations for Peony’s resurrection.

I mixed red and black soil in a large flowerpot and planted the Seed of the Divine Tree. I’m glad I collected soil for landscaping from the home center. Pouring water with a green watering can actually feels quite peaceful.

“……This completely looks like a scene of home gardening.”

“Doesn’t it? Ah, I want to water it too.”

Ichinose-san peeked her head out from behind me. Nishino-kun, Rikka-chan, and Igarashi-san had all gone out on their own business, so it’s just the two of us now. Oh, Kiki and Shiro are here too. Right now they’re tired from playing and taking a nap on the bed.

“Go ahead. Here you go.”

“Thank you ver— Ah, the watering can is heavy… Kudo-san, help me.”

“No, I don’t think there’s that much water in it?”

“Ugh, I can’t carry anything heavier than a rifle…”

“You can carry most things with that logic, can’t you? Sigh, honestly…”

“Ehehe…”

As I supported the hand holding the watering can, Ichinose-san’s face brightened happily. …Wait, are you doing this on purpose? Well, it’s cute, so it’s fine.

In that manner, I spent the afternoon watering it frequently with Ichinose-san while researching her evolution options. We’ve mostly decided on the candidates, but since there were a few points I was curious about, the actual evolution was pushed to tomorrow or later.

“Wan!”

“……(Nod nod)”

Around evening, Momo and Aka returned safely. The transfer of power from the Sea King seems to be going well, and Aka was squishing around happily. Between the passing out and the evolving, I hadn’t fluffed them in a while, so I savored Momo’s fur and Aka’s squishiness for the first time in a bit. It was incredibly healing.

The next day, I woke up with the morning sun and checked the status of the pot on the balcony. Libera-san said she’d resurrect in a day, but I was honestly a bit skeptical. I didn’t think anything would happen that quickly…

“Now, let’s see how it’s doing.”

Looking at the pot, a small sprout had grown from the surface of the soil. It had a shape very similar to a Treant’s leaf. Seriously… she actually resurrected in a day.

“No, but it’s only just sprouted, from here—Ts!?”

While I was staring intently at the flowerpot, I suddenly felt a sensation like an electric current running through my head. A feeling like something had connected. I recognize this sensation. It’s the same feeling as when I connect with Sora or Shiro through Telepathy.

“Could that have been… just now…”

I looked at the flowerpot again. Then, Peony’s sprout shook slightly.

『—I am hungry. Please give me some food, Papa.』

……Hey, wait, is this actually Peony’s voice?

KYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH IT SPOKE!!!!!!

End of 239