Chapter 55

Although it almost turned into a big problem, I confirmed the child's potential directly. Even if it was within my territory, I managed to corner my dryads, whom I can boast are the best. As an enemy, they are the worst, but as an ally, there is no one better. The battle that revealed the gaps in this perfect balance of defense, attack, and recovery was invaluable. Ah, but that timid personality is a bit of a concern.

Mesquite, who heard my words, stared at me intently. "That's right, no one chose to be born that way," he muttered to himself. His expression changed, indicating that he understood my intention.

Elder, however, was still sulking. The recruitment process has been rocky from the start. Did I make the right choice?

"Druid! I will become stronger!"

Daisy seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea of adding someone we had fought against to the team. Despite the fierce battle, it must have been a desperate situation. The child, who had a strong desire to become stronger than anyone else, must have felt a blow to their pride. Besides, the child looked like a small, young one.

"Hey, our Daisy is stronger. Look at her. Even if you blow, she won't cry, right?"

The Bagoth dryad started trembling as if Mesquite's breath could kill him.

"Then, what do we do with this unripe fruit?"

"Jae will ripen it. With the power of the soul. Using Jae's soul to fill the fruit. We all connected our souls to Jae just before blooming from the fruit, right? This process is how dryads recognize their master, like deeply imprinting the first soul they encounter."

Mesquite made a gesture of clasping his hands together. I followed suit, cupping the fruit with both hands.

"We will ripen the fruit with Jae's soul and forcibly imprint it on the wild dryad."

As I was wondering how to ripen it with the soul, I noticed something strange about the fruit. Initially, it was as cold as ice, but I thought it was just warming up from my body heat. Now, it felt like a hand warmer, warm and cozy.

I almost laughed, imagining myself as Edison nurturing a seed. The pleasant thought tickled a deep part of my heart, and a good feeling slowly seeped into the fruit. The fruit began to ripen, turning a bright golden yellow.

I brought the fruit closer to the Bagoth child so they could see it clearly. What will you do? I've decided to take you with me, but what about you?

The Bagoth dryad, captivated by the dazzling golden fruit, forgot their fear and stared at it with their mouth agape. The child's eyes, which resembled the dark blue of the night sea, slowly took on the golden hue of the fruit, like the yellow sun at the horizon during sunrise. They were completely focused on the fruit I held.

Is it just a warm fruit to me, but something different to the child?

The small body approached hesitantly, like a marionette hanging from a string. The staff, which resembled a white dandelion seed, attached to the hood, swayed as Bagoth moved. The child reached out for the fruit with a longing look, so I kept a slight distance.

Are you really acting on your own will, or are you just enchanted by something in the fruit? You look like Elder, who was bewitched by Dye.

"This warm feeling is the first I've felt since I was born..."

The child's voice was like Daisy's but sounded younger. The high, trembling voice, filled with moisture, echoed in my ears.

"That's because it's the power of the soul that will provide you with a haven."

Mesquite's voice had changed significantly. It was more compassionate and gentle, as if he had willingly set aside his hostile feelings to deal with the young sapling dryad.

"I've been here since I was born. Everything was damp, cold, and dark."

The voice wavered again.

"Although it wasn't a good place to take root, I was so happy to finally find water that I drank the foul-smelling water eagerly. I ended up taking root here. Before I came here, I remember encountering something very hot and being moved around wildly. I was looking forward to the day when I and my siblings would reach new land, but soon I was left alone. We had agreed to go together, but there was no one around."

The child turned their head as if recalling that day. Despite the many beings around, it seemed the child saw only the empty surroundings of that day. As the child brought up these dark memories, the fruit trembled lightly in sympathy.

This tremor was so subtle that only I, who was holding the fruit, could feel it.

"One day, while I was crying in fear, a warm light just like this one found me."

Bagoth said they had grown legs but lacked the courage to leave. They didn't know where to go, and the outside world was full of terrifying flames. Over time, the World Tree's blessing, which had kept them warm, faded, and fear filled the void.

Living alone in the darkness, the child must have spent terrifying times with only the echo of their own cries for company. I felt a pang of sympathy for the loneliness and fear the child must have experienced.

The fading of the World Tree's blessing means the dryads are nearing death.

The death that the dryads of the dandelion grove, protected by Dandelion, accept is very different from the death that Bagoth, left alone and knowing nothing, faces. There are humble dryads who wait for their time and those who struggle in their final moments.

After settling in the swamp, the area turned into a land of death where no life came.

Originally, the land would flood occasionally when it rained and then dry out due to fire, with dead plants returning to the soil and sunlight dispelling the aura of death. The child knew that their power had disrupted this cycle but didn't realize it was wrong, so they seemed to have worsened the situation.

The light clusters the child had scattered everywhere wrapped the dead vines and branches more tightly, and the poison they released seeped into the swamp, preventing the land from absorbing water. Fire burned the entrance, making it narrower, and without sunlight, everything deteriorated smoothly.

Seeing the child, who said they no longer wanted to be alone, with tears in their eyes, I sighed. I suddenly wondered if I could take responsibility for a child who harbors such darkness in their heart.

But my hesitation was brief. The child said, "This warm feeling is like being reborn."

Despite their overwhelming fear and frequent tears, and unlike Daisy, I would have to teach them everything from scratch, but what could I do?

Since my large soul has a place for a child like this, and I found them and showed them the fruit, there's no point in hesitating. I'm learning from Mesquite and other dryads, so Bagoth can learn alongside me. I can't be the sun to dispel the darkness in their heart, but I can be a candle. If the child follows the small light, they will eventually find a brighter one.

The golden fruit, which had been radiating intensely to find its master, finally went to Bagoth. The child, trying to grab the fruit with their small hands, dropped the staff they were holding.

The fruit, upon touching the child's hands, melted like sugar in water and was absorbed. A warm and sweet sensation settled in my heart.

We looked at each other, startled, as if struck by lightning. Our eyes met deeply. The first soul connection with a dryad is always unique and unfamiliar.

Bagoth glowed with a golden light, and the once-threatening blue petals fluttered like confetti from a burst balloon. A gentle and clear scent of mountain herbs, contrasting with their intense presence, lightly enveloped the surroundings like morning mist.

When I raised my left hand, which held the terrarium artifact, Bagoth's small hand instinctively reached out to grasp mine. The artifact vibrated lightly, welcoming the new dryad, and unlike the previous blooming, my phone rang in response.

Receiving data transmission from the terrarium artifact.