Chapter 13

"Daisy!"

Her dark, moist eyes appeared like the sun barely showing through the dark clouds. Despite my attempts to stop her, Daisy immediately sat up.

Her shoulders, which I held to support her, felt as if they could break at any moment. Daisy weakly rolled her eyes to look at Elder and Mesquite beside me, and then she smiled faintly.

"You have some good dryads... I really congratulate you."

...How can you say such a thing so casually, when you've experienced the pain of being abandoned by someone?

Daisy's words seemed to break the dam of emotions I had been holding back. The painful past of Daisy, which I had seen without permission, turned into tears of compassion that streamed down my face.

If she had met a better druid first, if Daisy hadn't been a low-grade dryad, if she hadn't met me, if she hadn't gone to the orchard with me, I couldn't bear the regret of all the different stories that could have started.

"Not yet... I haven't obtained one yet. I can't receive your congratulations."

With a look of surprise, Daisy gently wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"I haven't obtained my luck yet. I told you, my luck is you. Without you, I'm incomplete."

"I don't understand. Druid..."

"Be my dryad, Daisy. I'll make you happy. I'll do everything I can to make you happy, just as you've brought me luck."

I tightly embraced the flower that had withered while I wasn't looking, not wanting to lose it again.

The child's embrace smelled painfully of dirt.

Elder emitted a sweet fragrance even from a distance, and Mesquite gave off a dizzying and strong smoky scent when approached.

The two lively dryads each emitted their own unique scent, but Daisy, also a dryad, had no scent at all.

It felt as if her lack of scent was saying that she was dying as a dryad, tearing my heart apart.

"Wouldn't it be better to just run away now? It doesn't look like you have a chance."

A whispering voice came from the group of men who had committed terrible acts.

Once Daisy calmed down, I resolved to repay them many times over for what they had done to her.

"Dream... Dream..."

Daisy mumbled in my arms. Just as I was about to tell her that it wasn't a dream, she easily broke free from my embrace. Then, she grabbed my shoulders with both hands. With her injured, scarred foot, she leaped and pressed down on my shoulder.

I wondered how such strength could exist in her small frame. My upper body bent deeply, and Daisy's body, in contrast, flew up.

A sound like a water balloon bursting was heard. Drops of water fell to the ground around me as if it had started raining.

"Y-You...! Now you can't escape! Ahh!"

Screams and the sound of leather tearing followed in quick succession. The ground shook, and large pebbles fell. The force pressing down on my shoulder was soon released. I heard Daisy fall behind me, out of my sight. She had clearly taken the attack aimed at me to protect me.

Straightening my bent back, the scene that met my eyes was in stark contrast to the sweet fragrance of Elder that permeated the air. The faint smell of blood that mixed with the fragrance brought me back to my senses.

The dryads and people were intertwined, impaled by numerous branches that had sprouted from the ground. At the ends, Elder's white, snow-like flowers were stained red with blood.

"What... What is this...?"

My body turned hesitantly, like an un-oiled, rusty machine. Daisy, who had fallen again, was emitting white smoke from her back and legs. The same smoke was rising from Mesquite's shield and Elder's translucent barrier.

Mesquite's massive lance shot towards the man entangled in the flower branches. The man, whose chest had been pierced, dropped the crimson fruit he was holding and let out a gurgling scream.

The fallen fruit oozed a thick liquid, staining the ground. White smoke rose. The same smoke that was rising from my dryads.

"Jay! Are you okay? One of their dryads can produce acid!"

Mesquite, still holding her shield, stepped back and asked me.

"I'm... I'm fine. But..."

A light shot from Elder's hand, finding me, Mesquite, and Daisy in turn. But the light that reached Daisy was deflected.

"It's over..."

Elder said matter-of-factly as he withdrew his hand. No, that can't be. The sight of her skin melting, revealing red flesh, made me feel the pain as if it were my own. I couldn't bear to touch her.

"Daisy... Daisy..."

I cried, begging Elder to use his healing skill. But he shook his head, saying that her soul no longer had a vessel to accept healing. Yielding to my insistence, he shot the light again, but it was deflected as if confirming her death.

"That can't be... She can't just leave in pain like this..."

"...It's okay to be in pain, Druid."

Daisy's trembling fingertips touched mine. Her voice was so faint that I had to concentrate to hear it.

"The pain has dulled... I haven't felt anything for a while now."

Daisy smiled brightly, her head drooping. If it weren't for the dirt and blood on her pale face, I might have thought we were lying side by side on the inn bed where we first met.

Daisy's smile was as radiant and heart-wrenching from start to finish. But her appearance flickered like a match about to go out.

"But if you were hurt... I would have been in pain. My body doesn't hurt anymore, but... my heart would have been very painful. I'm glad you're safe."

My body felt as if it were frozen in ice, unable to move. It was hard to breathe. The only movement I could make was my trembling eyes, which captured Daisy's fading smile, and the tears that flowed like a broken faucet.

"I'm happy. I had a precious owner who wanted me, even if it was for a short time... I thought it was a dream. But the moment I realized I had protected you, I understood that I was in a very happy reality."

Daisy's frail arm, now too weak to lift, fell like a leaf. I tried to catch it, but missed.

"No... Don't close your eyes. Don't close them, Daisy."

"You... said I was your luck... I am too. You are my luck... and my hope."

Silence fell. Daisy's lips no longer moved. Her closed eyelids hid her beautiful eyes forever. It felt as if the sky was collapsing.

Even though this was a game world, it was the first time I had witnessed the death of someone I had interacted with.

Daisy was a kind and helpful child. Without her, I might have stayed crouched in that dark alley, hiding from people, for who knows how long.

A child who had been a bright guiding light for me in this unfamiliar world. If I had known, I would have spent more time with her. We could have gone for a walk instead of to the orchard. I was so happy to be in the game that I didn't think about it.

My chest felt as if it were being torn apart, and I bowed my head, hugging her tightly. Each breath felt like a knife stabbing my lungs.

A bestial cry rose from deep in my throat. I bowed my head so deeply that the earth and sand pressed into my forehead. Elder's fragrance seemed to comfort my shoulder. I didn't want to think about anything anymore.

Then, a voice called out.

"Jay! Jay! Look up! Look ahead!"

Mesquite's urgent voice reached me. When my body didn't move, Elder's long arms lifted me up. The dirt on my forehead fell. A warm, white light penetrated the space between us.

Daisy was glowing white, and her small body, enveloped in light, was gradually shrinking. It continued to shrink until it became a small ball. I couldn't close my mouth at the astonishing sight.

Mesquite dropped her lance and shield, knelt, and gently pushed the ball towards me with her free hands.

"My owner, Jay. This is the small hope of a dryad child."

The ball of light floated towards me, guided by Mesquite. I carefully caught it with both hands. It seemed as if my hands were glowing.

"So that's how it is."

Elder muttered, holding my weakening hand.

"Pure dryads born from the World Tree return to the World Tree when their life ends."

The ball became warmer as the light dimmed.

"But in the case of improved species, where the mother is not only the World Tree but also another species, a rare special power is sometimes engraved on the soul. This is why this child can remain and not return to the World Tree."

In the place where the bright light had disappeared, a shimmering golden fruit remained. I had seen this fruit in the orchard. The fruit from which dryads are born. The fruit that Elder and Mesquite had been in before they bloomed...

The top of the fruit cracked, and two round golden sprouts peeked out. I held my breath at the sight.

"The special power engraved on the soul of this improved dryad is resurrection. The seed, ready to be reborn, is here."

"My owner, Jay. This is the small hope that has returned to you."

The small light in the sprout seemed to say goodbye to me.

My heart raced. How did I make the other dryads bloom? Can I do it here? Do I need to go back to the orchard?

"Jay, stay calm. Breathe. You don't want to collapse in front of the little sapling when it meets you again, do you?"

Mesquite's amber eyes looked at me warmly. Elder's hand, holding the light, gently covered my nose and mouth and then moved away. The breath I had been holding burst out. My head felt a little dizzy.

"My owner, Jay. Go to the place where the dryad portal is. The place where we first met. We need to greet each other there. With a small, red flower."

Mesquite gently lifted me up. Then, she bent down and brushed the dirt off my pants.