Chapter 68

"Shall we take root?"

"Uh... Ah, Elder, don't use that luck buff this time. Let's save it."

"What if using it could activate your luck to avoid a bad situation?"

"That sounds tempting?"

No, but let's save it.

Mesquite planted the tip of the lance into the ground and began to focus.

"My straight roots can find the genetic information of all dryads born from the World Tree. I will now dig deep into the ground to find the traces of the Cannabis dryad."

Rumble!

A strong earthquake occurred, just like when we tried to find Daisy before. Daisy seemed calm, as if this level of earthquake was nothing to her. In contrast, I had to cling to Elder, trembling like a newborn fawn.

Of course, Barot also clung to me, looking like a scared hamster. Even though they came from the same floral matrix, the grown Daisy could withstand Mesquite's earthquake, while Barot looked like a plant about to spill out of its pot.

After a noisy search, Mesquite fell silent for a moment. Then she looked at me, as if considering whether to tell me something. Why?

"...How is it?"

"It's as the druid said. There's a Cannabis dryad not far from here."

"And... and?"

"There are many other dryads too. They are likely to be our enemies."

If there are many dryads, there must be many druids too. It seems there is indeed a drug organization like in American dramas. If we don't send a special tactical team, I have to make a decision now.

***

"Didn't you say you were scared?"

We are not heading to the 18th terrarium but walking steadily to the location Mesquite told us.

On the way here, Mesquite had many worries, and Elder scolded me frequently, but what can I do when my feet are heading there? I'm doing this to ease my conscience.

"I'll just take a quick look from a distance. Really, just a quick look from far away."

It's good to know the scale of the enemy when reporting, right? What if only two or three people respond to a report of a few dozen enemies? Without being a superhero who can destroy a building with one punch, we could be overwhelmed.

And to be honest, I had a reason to believe. The one-in-a-hundred special-grade Mesquite. I was confident that Mesquite's detection ability would spot the enemies before they noticed us. So I planned to take a quick look from a distance without being detected.

"Can you sense something nearby? There aren't many, and they're not gathered."

Are they on guard duty? Now that I think about it, the trees here are lush, and I can see a large cave-like structure in the distance. It could be the enemy's base, a good spot to avoid outsiders' eyes in the middle of the terrariums.

It feels like a dungeon, doesn't it? The only difference is that it's filled with druids and dryads instead of monsters.

I hid behind a nearby rock and approached slowly. In the direction of Mesquite's focused gaze, I saw a person yawning and casually looking around. There were two figures that looked like dryads nearby.

"See, we really looked from a distance as Jay said. Should we go now?"

"Hey, combat gauge. What's their level?"

I nudged Elder with my elbow. Since he often calls them normal or below-grade, I thought he could tell the levels just by looking. And my guess was right.

Elder said one was normal and the other was rare, adding that they were nothing special.

"Jay."

Mesquite called my name more firmly, scolding me for my wandering thoughts.

Yeah, I've done enough. Let's leave the rest to a larger force. We've found their base and know there are guards, so we have a lot of information.

Just as I was about to leave,

"...That can't be...! Someone, please help!"

I clutched my chest, feeling weak, and Elder sighed. I never thought I would be so righteous. Seeing the guards, I thought we might be able to handle them, and with my strength, I couldn't ignore the plea for help.

"Let's just take out the guards and check if the Cannabis child is alive, then leave..."

After making several vows that my safety would be the top priority and that I would leave if I was in any danger, my dryads finally took action.

On the day of the first battle between dryads, Mesquite told me that dryads, being born from the World Tree, are like siblings and do not attack each other. Even druids, who are small World Trees themselves, do not.

But during our not-so-long time together, my dryads have changed a lot.

They now prioritize only me, and if I am in any danger, they can draw their weapons without hesitation.

Bella Donna said that a dryad with excessive loyalty to its owner can easily break the unwritten rules. It really happened.

But even if their levels are low, can we overcome the level difference? What if I'm much lower in level and get wiped out? But the dryads, without causing a commotion as I requested, quickly eliminated the guards.

Mesquite focused and, before the enemies could react, eliminated them with Daisy's help in a flash. Even in a game, seeing someone die in front of you is still unsettling, so I averted my gaze until Elder disposed of the bodies.

But wasn't it surprisingly easy? Our dryad's level is much higher, but I thought it would be a gang or mafia since it's a drug organization. I expected a fierce battle. No, in dramas and movies, the guards always have the weakest combat ability...

The spot where the guards were stationed offered a clear view of the inside.

"The owner is gone, and the child is not obedient at all."

"Still, I can't use my power in such an unjust place! I made a promise to the druid!"

"Let's go nicely, okay? We're just people who need healing, right? Their hearts are sick. Don't you feel sorry for them? Come on, use your fantastic power to heal them!"

"My power is not fantastic! I can't heal heart diseases! And I can only heal when my druid is beside me!"

Thud. A dull sound. My heart pounded in shock. Where the sound came from, there was a scene of terrible violence. At the center was a small dryad, slightly taller than Daisy, with no unharmed parts, but not resisting, curling up as much as possible. It was so hard to watch that I turned my head. I even thought it might be better to send the young dryads back to the artifact.

What should I do... What should I do now...

There were many people. Those using violence, those laughing, and the dryads standing guard around them.

Even if the dryads are now dead, they will protect their owners in a battle. I knew this battle would be different from the battle with the fire.

"Brat..."

"Hey, don't lose your strength. Try it."

One of the onlookers spat.

"What? I thought you were going to sell this for fun?"

"From the looks of it, it'll die before the matrix. If it's going to die, it should die with some profit."

"What do you mean?"

I didn't want to know what it was.

"Huh? Throw it into the fire. These dryads produce different smoke when burned..."

"The smoke is amazing."

I felt all the blood drain from my body. A long ringing echoed in my ears as if I was hearing tinnitus.

"Then do we need to kill it? Cut it piece by piece. Start with the fingers so it doesn't die."

"Look at this kid. He's smart. Yeah, you're the elite."

"Of course, the educated ones are different."

While they laughed at their pointless jokes, Cannabis burst into tears, realizing what was about to happen to him.

"Then, maybe keep a healing dryad on standby. It would be troublesome if it dies before it's used up."

"Druid... save me... I want to see you..."

"Should we cut out his mouth or tongue? He's too noisy."

"Someone, please help..."

"Let's go find some fire."

"Bring a small one. If it swallows this and gets stronger, it'll be a problem."

"Yeah. Bring one that can handle it."

Many people left, leaving only two to guard.

"Jay..."

The dryads, sensing all my emotions, looked at me in their own ways. It was a mix of a mundane card game and a grotesque human world.

Knowing what might happen to the young dryad while I was away made me shudder.

"Now... now there are only two. Should we quickly take him and run? There are only four dryads..."

"There will be a commotion."

Elder tried to persuade me cautiously.

"Jay, I know you are kind and gentle, but this dryad has no connection to you. Are you willing to take the risk?"

"Of course, I know the sapling will suffer. I can feel the pain of being used and dying dishonorably, not dying while protecting its owner."

I shook my head at Elder.

"What I feel is a bit different from dishonor."

To me, the child was not just a dryad but a human child. That's why everything was so terrifying and hopeless.

Mesquite looked at me for a long time without saying a word.

"My owner, Jay. Whatever you want."

Then she looked at the people kicking Cannabis playfully.

"But I will hide here. We will take care of the rest. They don't seem like difficult opponents. Elder and Barot will stay here as a precaution, and Daisy and I will go."

"Shouldn't we have a healer?"

"Daisy is going because she can use her stem to pull the poor dryad. And Elder can support from a distance, so it's best for him to stay with you. It won't take long. We'll return to you soon."

After a brief exchange, Mesquite and Daisy left. But everything was not as easy as it seemed.

Mesquite ran back to me with a terrifying look, Elder covered his eyes and knelt, and I felt cold metal on my neck. Only then did I realize something was wrong.

It was a trap.