Chapter 44

We followed his guidance, avoiding piles of debris as we headed toward the orchard. He walked without hesitation, and the fires we encountered along the way were quickly dealt with by the strengthened Daisy. Another Daisy dryad clapped in admiration, but I felt a strange sensation. The fires we encountered...

It wasn't long before we reached the orchard, and by then, we could make out the massive fire entity that had nested in the terrarium from a great distance. Though only its form remained, it was so enormous that even the tall buildings couldn't obscure it. The flares of fire that leapt up were incredibly threatening, and the heat and fireballs it emitted felt like a small sun. But the rough shape of the fire...

A caterpillar...? A maggot...? No, an aphid...? Why would it take such a trivial form...?

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from outside the village. In response, the massive fire entity stood up. Upon closer inspection... it really looked like a bug? Wait, outside the village? Could the Sieldling have already arrived?

"Here we are. The orchard is indeed here, though it's quite ruined. Yes, the glass is all broken, the rebar has collapsed, and only the form remains, but it's definitely the orchard."

Well, you found us. I thought we'd meet again. Whether the Sieldling was causing chaos outside to enter the terrarium or not, we followed the Daisy dryad's guidance and entered the orchard.

The inside was chaotic. The interior revealed the urgent situation at the time. Compared to the neat interior of the 26th terrarium, this place was like the middle of a battlefield.

Mesquite, worried that the debris might cause secondary damage, stuck close to me for protection. The Elder's shield also thickened and layered above my head.

There must have been precedents of people being crushed to death. I, a fragile human, need to be careful.

"Where is the branch of the World Tree?"

"This way."

Even in the chaotic place, the Daisy dryad managed to find the path well. When we finally arrived, the entrance was buried under debris, and the doorframe was warped, making it difficult to open normally.

Without hesitation, Mesquite thrust her lance to break the door and immediately built a sand wall to support the falling debris. Amazing!

We entered the large room. The same room where I had picked the fruit. Inside, as expected, it was in a terrible state.

"Oh, the branches are all burned."

Even though I had expected fire damage inside the orchard, the branches of the World Tree were also charred black. They were so scorched that they would crumble at a touch, like charcoal. Ah, it seems there's no hope of recovery. There was no hope at all.

However, there was something that stood out in the black ash.

"Look at this. Was the branch of the World Tree originally like this? Of course, it's burned, but it looks different."

The only branch of the World Tree I had actually seen was in the orchard of the 26th terrarium, and the one in my dream was just a dream, so I couldn't use it as a reference. But the dryads might know something is wrong. If I can sense something is off, then...

I picked up a stick from the ground and vigorously brushed off the ash from the branch. A deeply indented white spot was revealed.

When I poked it with the stick, white powder fell off. I also brushed off the ash next to it. This time, a sticky, unpleasant white sap clung to it.

"Doesn't it look strange? Right? It seems it really was diseased. A very severe disease."

Mesquite looked very confused. She looked at the spot I pointed to with a serious face. The Elder also had a serious expression. Hmm, they don't seem to know anything.

I sighed and kicked away the round lumps of ash that were scattered at my feet. It really was diseased. Diseased and burned. What now for this terrarium?

"Would you like to be guided to the administrator's room? There might be information about the disease."

While I was kicking the lumps of ash in a pointless fit of anger, the Daisy dryad spoke. She said it was nearby, so I readily agreed.

We only walked a short distance down the collapsed corridor before reaching our destination. We entered the administrator's room, stepping over the wide-open door.

A large portrait was barely hanging on the wall by one corner. Though it was charred by the flames, I could see a young woman with luscious blonde hair looking straight ahead, her eyes firm and resolute.

"That is the administrator of the 28th terrarium. Scarecrow, that was her name."

No way. The old man we met outside the village was her?

"Is this her from a long time ago? When she was young?"

"No. She didn't look much different from the last time we parted."

I was so shocked that I couldn't speak. The last time I saw her, she had the wrinkled, dry skin and straw-like hair of an old person who had lived for a very long time. But how...

Vitality, yes, vitality. She said she had used all her vitality for the final graft. Could it be because of that...?

I was in such a great shock that I couldn't think of anything until Mesquite retrieved a nearly burned notebook from the collapsed desk and handed it to me. The visual confirmation of her sacrifice made my chest feel heavy and my whole body tingle.

"Jay... are you okay? You don't look good."

"...I'm fine. It's nothing."

I tried to pull myself together and carefully examined the charred and stuck-together notebook. It was the administrator's journal. There weren't many intact pages that I could read. I carefully turned the pages, trying not to crumble the paper.

The World Tree was affected by an unknown pest.

Where did these bugs come from?

The orchard is thoroughly managed.

It's impossible for them to be easily introduced from the outside.