Chapter 11

Daisy rushed off, saying she had an urgent matter to attend to, and I hardly knew where she went. I didn’t even know the location of the village community hall where she stayed at night. I realized that despite pretending to be close to Daisy, I hardly knew anything about her. It made me feel a bit melancholic.

Come to think of it, didn’t the innkeeper get along well with Daisy? Maybe he knows where Daisy is.

Before I knew it, I had reached the street where I first landed in this world. I quickened my pace because I had bad memories of the innkeepers here.

The street was still bustling. Now I knew that the strange attire and peculiar appearances of the people I saw were those of dryads.

The feeling I had when I first arrived in this world, without any time to relax, was definitely different from how I felt now. I felt like I had truly become a part of the game.

The inn I arrived at was still quiet. It was located on the outskirts, and if Daisy hadn’t dragged me here, I probably wouldn’t have come.

I seemed to be the only guest for the past few days, as the innkeeper behind the counter looked very bored.

“Hello. Do you remember me?”

“Oh, the druid who came with Daisy! How could I forget? How was the orchard?”

“Well, I got some good dryads.”

The innkeeper sincerely congratulated me. He glanced behind me with a wistful look, as if he was hoping to see Daisy. It seemed he was looking for her, not my dryads. So Daisy didn’t come back here.

“Do you happen to know where Daisy might have gone? We parted ways at the orchard, but I have something important to tell her….”

“Daisy? Well, even though I take good care of her, she doesn’t come often.”

Should I ask about the location of the village community hall? If I wait there, I might be able to meet Daisy. Maybe I should ask more about Daisy?

“By the way, did you know that Daisy is a dryad? I thought you might have known….”

“Finally figured it out, huh? I thought you knew from the start when you first met Daisy. But it seems you didn’t.”

“I found out at the orchard. I didn’t know until someone told me.”

“That child is truly… a pitiful one.”

Oh, this flow! Could I learn about Daisy’s past?

But is it right for me to know? Daisy and I only met yesterday, and she might not want her past to be revealed…

However, my desire to know more about Daisy was stronger. Ever since the guide told me about Daisy’s identity, I had a wish that, if possible, I wanted Daisy to become my dryad.

While I was hesitating, the innkeeper had already started his story.

“That child is truly… a pitiful one. She came to the village around this time last year. Do you know what this time of year means?”

“…It’s when the World Tree’s branches bear fruit.”

“Yes. She wasn’t a wild, naturally occurring dryad. She was born in the orchard.”

What…? It felt like someone had hit me on the back of the head. Why is a dryad born in the orchard wandering alone…?

“Does that mean… Daisy had an owner?”

“She did, for a short time. But she was quickly abandoned.”

I hoped I had heard wrong. What did the guide say? A dryad whose soul connection is severed suffers from intense cold, unending thirst, and the pain of their body rotting away.

It was said to be a very bad experience. So Daisy has been suffering from such pain all this time?

But she always seemed bright in front of me… Suddenly, I remembered how she hastily ate the food. It was a matter of life and death… I thought it was cute that she ate so happily…

I didn’t realize it even when I was right next to her. I felt like I was going to go mad with pity for Daisy. Her bright smile seemed to be crumbling into pieces.

“It was her grade that was the problem. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know the exact situation, but the druid who bloomed Daisy without checking her grade treated her harshly. When the fruit she was born from turned out to be the lowest Normal grade, he was furious. He treated her even worse when he found out she wasn’t a healer. When he tried to use violence, another druid, who couldn’t stand it anymore, offered his fruit, and the situation was resolved. Daisy’s soul was immediately severed, and she fled the orchard.”

How could someone do that? I felt an intense anger towards the druid, Daisy’s former owner, whose name and face I didn’t know. I wanted to slap him if I ever met him.

But I couldn’t do it right away, so I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. How could someone inflict such an irreparable wound on Daisy? What did that kind child do to deserve it…?

So Daisy fled the orchard… with her past weighing on her. I didn’t even know…

The more I felt angry, the more the Terrarium artifact in my left hand resonated, vibrating as if in sync with my emotions.

“I learned about Daisy, who was wandering, and felt pity for her, so I started taking care of her. Even though we couldn’t communicate, she was a very pure child, and all her emotions were visible in her expressions and actions. They say a dryad separated from a druid for a long time can’t survive, but it’s admirable that she has lasted this long… After such a harsh experience right after being born, it’s heartbreaking that Daisy doesn’t hold a grudge against druids or anyone else.”

I wondered if I had ever felt such terrible disillusionment with someone in my life. Even though she might have hated druids like her former owner, she treated me so well.

How kind is Daisy? Is she suffering inside? Where is she now? Is there anything I can do for her?

Suddenly, Mesquite and Elder emerged from the Terrarium artifact. Mesquite immediately wrapped her arms around my shoulder.

“My master, Jay. What’s wrong? What’s making you so angry? We are connected by our souls, so we can feel your intense emotions.”

“What’s the matter? Is it a person? A dryad? Do you want me to kill them?”

I wondered if my eyes looked that angry. It felt like my dryads were looking at me with the same intense gaze. Mesquite’s eyes, burning like amber, and Elder’s eyes, shining like emerald blades.

“Can I find Daisy if I go to the hall?”

“Probably. I’ll show you the way. I hope you can comfort Daisy’s wounds. You seemed like a good druid when you were with her.”

The innkeeper, surprised by the sudden appearance of my dryads, continued calmly.

“Do you want to kill that guy, Jay?”

I kept pushing Elder’s face with my palm. Who am I going to kill?

“My master, Jay. Are you worried about Daisy? She’s a dryad, but she’s definitely not connected to your soul.”

“I want to find her. She must be going through a lot right now. I want to help her. She’s such a kind and wounded child. She’s been a great help to me… I didn’t know anything….”

My eyes felt hot.

Mesquite lifted her cloak and gently wiped my eyes.

“Don’t cry, Jay. It hurts me when you cry. Do you want to find the dryad named Daisy? It might be hard to find a common dryad, but there are ways.”

I clutched the map to the hall that the innkeeper drew and left the inn. I kept my mouth shut, afraid that I might start crying, and looked down at the ground as I walked.

“My master, Jay. Let me help you.”

Mesquite stopped me by wrapping her arms around my shoulder. I suddenly looked at her face. If Daisy had been a Special grade, a Unique grade, or even a Rare grade, she wouldn’t have been abandoned so cruelly…

“I am the guardian of the desert, and I can be a guide to underground water, but my thick and straight roots can find more than just water.”

Mesquite gently stroked my cheek with her hand, which was wrapped in a gauntlet.

“My master, Jay. If we find Daisy, will that be enough? I can find dryads born from the World Tree by tracing their genetic information. I can dig deep into the information of the land they have stepped on to find them.”

“I’m here too.”

Elder suddenly joined in. He waved his staff, which had a cluster of white flowers.

“My title is a gift from the gods, but it’s also a charm of luck. My flower branches were used as charms for good luck. If I give Mesquite a luck buff, the chances of finding the dryad you’re looking for will increase.”

He didn’t have his usual annoying face about diamonds. He looked very serious and was determined to help me with all his might.

I felt a renewed sense that these were my dryads. At the same time, my anxiety about finding Daisy quickly was fading. I had a strong belief that with their help, I could find Daisy.

“Elder and I have a deep connection, so his buff will be very effective for me. We might find the dryad in one go. We just need to find a Daisy, right?”

“She has red hair.”

“A Red Daisy, then. That narrows it down.”

Elder raised his staff and drew a circle around Mesquite. White petals bloomed with a sweet fragrance and fluttered around her. Mesquite then closed her eyes and plunged the tip of her lance into the ground with all her might.

Rumble…!

A loud noise echoed, and a strong earthquake began to shake the ground.