Chapter 7

The next morning came.

Feeling refreshed after a day of walking, my ability to think seemed to have largely returned.

"Hey, Naja, can I ask a really obvious question?"

"Sure, you can ask me anything."

"Was it a good thing that we came here?"

"There's absolutely no problem. I don't regret a single one of my actions."

"But if Naja, who has the potential to be a 'Sword Saint,' were to become engaged to Acid..."

The words wouldn't continue.

Naja's index finger had pressed against my lips.

"Don't be repetitive, Woody. Didn't I tell you before we broke up? I would rather die than marry that bastard."

Saying this, Naja closed one eye.

Hearing those words, the memory of our breakup resurfaced in my mind—

It was right after I was exiled.

Naja, who had come to celebrate my inheritance of the 'Great Magic,' approached me with a sad expression.

"Naja..."

"I've been looking for you, Woody."

At that time, I was a bit fed up.

I had been treated terribly by Acid and his lackeys.

I thought Naja had come to mock me.

"---What a ridiculous thing the Duke has done! Locking Woody in a stable like this!"

"...Naja?"

But instead of mocking me, she was angry at my father for kicking me out of the room and locking me in the stable.

Her unexpected reaction left me flustered, and she gently touched my cheek.

"I heard from Father. About how you couldn't inherit the 'Great Magic,' and that you ended up with the 'Planting' production potential."

"Yeah, sorry... hehe."

I laughed.

I had no choice but to laugh.

Because if I didn't laugh and fool myself, I might have fallen apart.

What had my life been up until now?

I felt so pitiful that I wanted to cry.

All sorts of thoughts swirled in my mind, making it hard to bear.

"I... I'm no good. So, Naja, you should marry Acid and be happy. If the Conrad and Tristan families unite, your and your children's future will surely be secure—"

"Stop talking nonsense. How could I have a normal married life with someone like him? The thought of bearing a child with someone I don't love... it makes me shudder. The person I want to marry is... well..."

"Is something wrong?"

As she hesitated, Naja's face turned bright red.

I looked up at her, wondering if she was okay.

I'm short, and Naja is tall for a woman, so I naturally looked up at her.

"N-nothing, nothing at all! Anyway! I would rather die than marry Acid! If it comes to that, I'll bite my tongue and die! (C-cute, too cute! I like you so much that I don't even care about your potential!)"

What a resolve.

While I do think Acid has a pretty bad personality, he might have been treating Naja terribly too.

I can't forgive that. As I thought this, Naja stood up and pointed at something.

Then, pointing towards the stable's exit,

"R-right! Could you use your potential to plant a tree? Give it to me as a gift."

"U-um, sure, but..."

I did as she asked and used my potential to plant a tree.

It was the first time someone had asked me to use my potential, so it was also the first time I planted a tree.

Seeing the small tree I planted, Naja smiled.

"The tree is cute, just like Woody... I like it! Alright, I'll transplant it and take it to my house!"

Thanks to Naja, I started to like my potential a little bit.

It was a memorable moment—

"Relax. I've already left the disinheritance letter. I put it in the desk, so they should be finding it about now."

"D-disinheritance!? Is that really okay?"

"If I can't marry the person I love, I'll give up being a noble!"

"S-so, Naja, you hated the arranged marriage that much..."

Thinking about it now, I realize that arranged marriages to pass on potential are not a good thing.

For a cute girl like Naja, it's only natural to want a love marriage.

Did she hate the idea of marrying me too?

Thinking about it made me a bit sad.

"Ch, that's not it, are you misunderstanding something? I just didn't want to marry Acid, but marrying Woody... mumble mumble..."

Naja, looking in a completely different direction, started poking her fingers together.

Seeing her, Aila said,

"A-awkward... to do that naturally... Naja, you're terrifying!"

For some reason, Aila rolled her eyes.

I have no idea why she's doing that.

"Sorry to interrupt the sweet mood."

"Ah, Divine Beast-sama."

The Divine Beast-sama, who wasn't there when I woke up, had arrived.

I thought it had returned to its original place, but it seems not.

Carrying a monster on its long talons, it slipped into the barrier and landed in the empty space opposite us.

"I don't particularly like being called by grandiose names. Please call me Simurgh casually."

"Understood, Simurgh-san."

"Alright, then I'll call you Woody affectionately. Woody, I have a request... could you give me the fruit of the World Tree? Of course, I will provide adequate compensation."

Ah, right, I completely forgot about the World Tree.

...Wait a minute.

Thinking about it, the fruit we were eating... was it the fruit of the World Tree?

This is something even Simurgh-san wants... I've been eating it every day because it's delicious, but it might be something extraordinary.