World Tree*4
And so, Mishisia and I ended up having a bit of a talk.
“Um… yeah. I guess I really do need to explain about the World Tree.”
Mishisia said that, then paused, humming “hmm” as if carefully choosing her words… And then:
“The World Tree is said to be the tree that connects worlds… It increases the mana of the land it grows on. And of course, the World Tree itself contains extraordinary mana—its branches make the best staves and bows, and its leaves become the finest medicine.”
I see. So basically, a universal tree. A tree that amplifies mana—that’s a huge benefit for a dungeon too.
“The World Tree lends me its strength, and in return, I devote my life to protecting it. I’m its guardian.”
Ahh, I get it. So Mishisia and the World Tree are in a sort of symbiotic relationship. Like flowers and bees.
“And, well… this is kind of after the fact, but… Asuma-sama, would it be alright if I stayed here… forever?”
“Forever? … Uh, yeah, sure, I guess…”
I couldn’t help stiffening at her request. I mean, she said forever. Even if she’s half-elf, that’s still forever… She’s 101 years old, so when she says forever she probably means it in the real sense of the word.
“The World Tree can’t leave this land, so as its guardian, I can’t either.”
“Ah, makes sense. You’re its guardian, after all. Yeah, of course, stay as long as you like.”
“Really? Thank goodness! I was so worried you might refuse…! Though, I also thought Asuma-sama wouldn’t say something like that!”
Well, if Mishisia wants to stay “forever,” I don’t see a problem with that.
… Meanwhile, I still want to go back to my original world, so I can’t stay forever. But… yeah.
“But Mishisia-san, are you really okay with this? Living here permanently…”
I couldn’t help asking. Because “forever” meant she’d decided to spend her long life in this place. That’s a heavy decision.
“Of course!”
She answered brightly.
“I like the villagers here, and this dungeon too… Well, even though it’s a dungeon, I really like it! The slimes are cute… and most of all, I can fulfill my duty as an elf, and feel proud.”
At the part about “as an elf,” her expression darkened for a moment, but she quickly smiled again.
“I’m truly happy. After all, I’ve met a god who accepted even someone like me!”
She looked at me with such a joyful face… Honestly, I didn’t know what to say back. I just felt kind of embarrassed.
“I think I was meant to come here, and to become the guardian of this World Tree. I think it was fate… Is it okay if I believe that?”
Well… yeah. She’s being positive about it, so me overthinking it would just ruin the mood.
What I should say is simple… Just approve it!
“… Yeah. It’s fine to believe that.”
I don’t believe in fate. But even if I don’t, it’s okay for her to. That’s how I feel.
“Um, then Mishisia-san, do you want to live in the dungeon? I’ll make you a room.”
So I quickly shifted the conversation to her moving in. Since she’ll be beside the World Tree, it makes sense to build her room here at the deepest floor. I’ll also need to reconstruct a proper path to the surface so she can come and go.
“Eh? No, that’s too much, Asuma-sama! It’s fine! I’ll just commute from Panis Village…”
Ah, right. That makes sense. I got ahead of myself there.
Yeah, she can just come from the village…
… Wait.
“Hold on. Isn’t Panis Village in ruins? Didn’t those thugs dump salt on the fields and destroy everything…?”
“… Ah.”
Yeah. Can anyone even live there right now…?
So I brought Edele over, and we started discussing Panis Village’s future.
“Yeah… the buildings were destroyed too…”
“Even if we rebuild the houses, the salt problem is hopeless… From now on, we’ll still need to borrow your farm slimes, Asuma-sama…”
Mishisia and Edele both sighed heavily. Can’t blame them.
“Those bastards… what did they think land and homes meant to people…”
“If they had enough money to buy all that salt, they should’ve aimed for a proper noblewoman instead of pestering me…”
“Ugh, it makes me so mad! I wish the guild people would hurry up and get here already!”
“There probably won’t be any compensation for Panis Village’s damages… But if we hand those men over, we’ll get some money. Let’s hope for that. Haah…”
Yeah. Thinking about the future is depressing.
Rebuilding homes will be tough. The fields are useless for years to come. And it’s not like they can just “work hard” and make salt disappear.
Maybe if they planted a bunch of salt-tolerant crops? Coastal plants? But even then, getting those would be troublesome…
Well, that was probably the thugs’ plan. Make the village uninhabitable, drive Edele into a corner with no place to go, and then abduct her. Damn it, the more I think about it the angrier I get. Can I punch those guys again?
… At that moment.
Something soft and squishy pressed against my leg. No need to check—I knew it was a slime.
“… Oh, it’s a slime with nothing growing on it.”
But wait, it had nothing sprouting from its head! Which meant—it was a newborn! Welcome! You’re a field now too!
“Oh, there are more over there.”
From the distance, several more slimes came wobbling over. Looks like we’ve had a population boom. Well, now that I’m not alone, the extra help is actually welcome.
… Yeah.
“Um, Mishisia-san, Edele-san.”
I said, seizing the chance.
“How about this: why don’t you all live here instead?”
“I can build houses. I can make a well too. And as you can see, the fields—well, we’ve got more of them now.”
I picked up a slime and showed it to them as proof. My small grade-schooler body made it hard—the slime was huge in my arms, half-burying me as I hugged it. But hey, I think I made my point.
“I’m not saying to abandon Panis Village. Just… for safety, wouldn’t moving here be a good idea?”
Half-hope, half-request. If they said no, it wouldn’t be a problem—we could stick to the old way, with them commuting to the fields. I’d help with Panis Village’s reconstruction too.
But still… I really thought moving everyone here wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
So I looked at Mishisia and Edele, waiting for their answer.
“Eh… In that case, I’ll really live here in the dungeon, okay? Is that alright?”
“Yes! Of course!”
Mishisia immediately agreed! Welcome aboard!
“And us too? If so, I’ll gather volunteers and we’ll all move here.”
Edele smiled warmly as she said that, and I couldn’t help grinning ear to ear.
“Yay! If Edele-san and the others are coming, then I’ll do my best too!”
Perfect. That means we’re building a village here!
… As the dungeon that must protect it, my responsibility has gotten even heavier. But I won’t make the same mistakes again. I’ll turn this place into a cheerful home where everyone can live happily and the slimes can bounce around in peace!
“Thanks to the World Tree’s blessing, crops around here will probably grow well! And since mana increases, water and herbs will be affected too!”
“Oh? So the land improves… Does that apply to slimes too?”
“Slimes… um, sorry, I don’t know. I mean, you’re the first person I’ve ever seen plant things on slimes…”
… Well, still plenty of unknowns. We’ll figure it out as we go.
But today marks the establishment of a true dungeon village. That’s a milestone for me.
… And I hope Mishisia won’t overburden herself. I’d rather she just enjoys it here.
“Alright! Since I’ll be relying on this dungeon along with the World Tree… no, the whole village will! Let me help protect the dungeon too!”
And with that, Mishisia cheerfully offered her strength. I couldn’t be more grateful.
“By the way, Asuma-sama, what kind of defense system does this dungeon even have? You did have some kind of plan, right…?”
… Yeah, having Mishisia here is really reassuring. That attack with the World Tree branch arrows was insanely powerful. Thank goodness.
“… Honestly? My plan was to lure intruders into a maze, lose them partway, and then wait for them to starve to death.”
“W-wow…”
Yeah. Looks like my preparations as a dungeon were… kind of half-baked.
“But, umm… if it’s about defense, you can count me as part of your forces, okay? Thanks to the World Tree I’ve gotten stronger! I’m terrible at magic, but with the bow—you saw how good I was, right?”
“Yeah.”
Actually, wait. Wasn’t that arrow basically magic? Damn it, fantasy is way too complicated for me.
“But… I think you should prepare something else too, Asuma-sama.”
Yeah. She’s right.
When intruders are inside, I can’t use decomposition, absorption, or reconstruction. Looks like I’m bound by those rules… Which means I’ll need to set up traps and defenses ahead of time.
“Yeah. I think so too. Not that you’re not enough, Mishisia-san—just that we’ll need shifts, backups, that sort of thing.”
“I know. You really are kind, Asuma-sama. Ehehe…”
Ahhh! She hugged me tight again! She really thinks of me as a kid! Jeez!
… Anyway. Hug aside… what should I do?
From now on, dungeon defense isn’t just about me. It’s about Mishisia, the World Tree, and all the villagers too. I need to make it absolutely perfect.
Hmmm… what would be a good idea…
What do you think about this chapter?
