Let’s Confirm
Am I supposed to treat this whole group by myself?
As expected, it would take far too long for me alone to handle, so I asked the healing magicians accompanying us if they could help. Instead, they asked how I had been treating them.
So I explained: when I encountered spots where mana was being repelled during circulation, I imagined warming and melting the blockage, and continued to channel my mana until it passed through.
But it seemed they had trouble picturing it.
Then I gave the example of hard butter melting when warmed, and they said, “Ah, I see,” as if they finally understood the image.
With the help of the two healing magicians, we treated all 14 Vaash.
At first, it took the healing magicians about 30 minutes per Vaash, but by the end they had it down to 10 minutes or so.
Knights’ magicians really are excellent—they pick things up so quickly.
The Vaash I treated first seemed to be the leader of this group.
When we spoke with them, they explained that this illness is unique to the Vaash, and once affected, they either leave the herd or wait to die in this land.
“Does it get better if they move somewhere else?” I asked.
They said it might—this illness appears when the number of Vaash grows too large, so leaving the herd could help.
However, meadows like this one are hard to find in the Great Forest, and they can’t live without clean water either. So most just stay here and await death.
I asked again: if we could offer a location near humans with a similar environment and access to hot springs every day, would they consider relocating?
They said they were grateful for the relief treatment, but couldn’t believe such a place existed.
Then Brother Gerald asked,
“Hardt, you’re telling the Vaash you’ll recreate a similar environment—but are you planning to use the blessing of the Plant God?”
“Yes, that’s the plan,” I answered.
“In that case, if you show them right here that such an environment can be made, they might believe you.”
So, to demonstrate the power of my blessing, we asked the Vaash to accompany us to the edge of their territory.
There, knights and magicians used wind magic to fell trees and earth magic to uproot stumps, clearing the area until it was completely bare.
I took a deep breath, focused, and declared,
“Let this become a meadow the Vaash will love!”
Sprinkling water magic across the ground, grass immediately began to sprout.
Huh? That never happened this fast before.
Did my level go up?
We decided to wait until tomorrow to check again and discuss further.
That night, we were granted permission to camp near the Vaash’s meadow and set up our tents.
The next day, we returned to the boundary line—and the area had become a beautiful pasture.
The Vaash walked around the new meadow, lay down, and moved about freely, as if inspecting it.
The group leader approached me and said that if we could ensure a supply of clean water and they saw real effects from this “hot spring,” they’d be willing to move to pastureland near humans.
To test the water issue, we let them try water from a mansion’s well and water created by water magicians.
Their verdict: “It’s not undrinkable.”
So something was missing. But without an appraisal skill, I couldn’t tell what was different.
Hoping for a clue, I asked to be taken to the Vaash’s usual water source.
As we approached, the Vaash who had been drinking left the area one after another.
Guess they were still a little wary of us…
The Vaash explained that clear water flowed constantly through a crack in a rock, making it always fresh.
Looking closely, I saw the water trickled down from a fissure in a huge rock.
As I stared up at the rock in thought, Brother Gerald noticed.
“Hardt, you’re not thinking of climbing up there, are you?”
“I was just wondering what it looks like up top…”
“There are trees ahead. I can turn their branches into a ladder—would you like to climb up?” Captain Kyle offered.
I asked the Vaash for permission to use the Plant Deity’s blessing to manipulate the branches, promising to return them afterward, and they agreed.
So, accompanied by Brother Gerald, Captain Kyle, Mayer, and Wilson, the five of us climbed up the ladder and reached the top of the massive rock.
What we saw was a hollowed-out basin, like a giant tank, filled with green, ping-pong-ball-sized spheres.
Looking closer—threads? Hairs? Or maybe algae?
They varied in size, but they resembled something I remembered from my previous life: marimo.
Are they living creatures? Or plants?
What exactly are these things?
What do you think about this chapter?
