As the fence surrounding the village disappeared from view, reclaimed fields came into sight. Scarecrows stood guard against troublesome beasts.
“Wait—!? … I said wait—!? Are you boys—!?”
The girl in charge of the group shouted at the boys at the very back to stop. But this was a competition to see who would get the Star Fragments. There was no intention of waiting.
“It’s your fault for being slow~~ ♪”
“Catch me if you’re frustrated ♪”
“You guys!”
The boy in charge shouted at the lagging boys at the rear, urging them to hurry.
“Ah crap. W-well then, see ya, we’re going ahead!”
The girls, lacking daily exercise, were completely left behind. This was an easy victory for the boys, wasn’t it?
“Grumble. I absolutely won’t lose.”
“But…”
“We’ve fallen so far behind…”
At the unyielding words of the girl in charge. The other girls, already tired, wanted to return to the orphanage.
“But don’t you feel frustrated? You saw how they picked on us just for being girls.”
One could only imagine what the girls put up with from the boys in the orphanage.
***
The boys left the girls behind. The boy in charge signaled with his hand to stop. He called out to those who had rushed ahead.
“They won’t be coming for a while.”
” ” ” “Yeah.” ” ” ”
“Let’s decide who goes where.”
” ” ” “Isn’t that fine however we do it?” ” ” ”
“Just scatter around. Do you think anyone will get into serious danger? Besides, if that happens, we won’t be allowed out of the village until we’re adults.”
” ” ” “That would be a problemmmm.” ” ” ”
Following the boy in charge’s instructions, they divided into four groups of five or six. In case of a life-threatening situation, one person was added to bring back information.
“Worst case, the rest of us will buy time. You know information is important, right?”
” ” ” ” … R-right.” ” ” ”
This was one of the things the older kids at the orphanage taught them about life outside: the importance of information. When searching for Star Fragments, the village surroundings had Adventurers and hunters working. If anything happened, they would rush to help. With that assurance, they could venture a little farther.
“Alright, we’ll search for Star Fragments from this side. You guys search separately too. If you find one, we’ll regroup. Don’t make a sound. I don’t want to be surprised and collide with a tanuki.”
There was a funny story among Adventurers. An Adventurer was gifted the title of “Covered in Unlucky Feces” after being run into by a tanuki that a hunter had failed to shoot with an arrow, and ended up stepping in animal droppings. No one would want to become the second “Covered in Unlucky Feces,” hearing this story.
“Absolutely do not shout. Understand?”
The boy in charge reiterated the important point before they parted ways.
***
” … Nothing here.”
“I’m hungry…”
“Let’s take a break… Ah!”
Pushing through the bushes and cautiously traversing the animal path, Group 3 was understandably exhausted. They approached a large tree with a prominent root. To their surprise, they discovered a small but distinct circular depression in the ground. At the bottom of the hollow were countless shining stones that seemed to be the Star Fragments they were looking for.
“We’re the first, right ♪?!”
“We have the right to get more fragments, right ♪?”
“I wonder how many there are ♪”
They wondered if there were more buried around the hollow too ♪? They hoped for a number that could be divided cleanly ♪.
Group 3 felt a sense of accomplishment and joy. They imagined themselves with weapons made from the Star Fragments and money from cashing them in, becoming utterly careless. It was only when the ground beneath their feet darkened that they noticed the large tree behind them slowly extending its branches.
” ” ” “Whaaaaaaat?! Let goooooooo!!!” ” ” ”
It was too late.
*Shotacon-loving reverse harem. I don’t dislike that genre, but right now, I don’t need you guys.*
“Magic tree?”
“Firewood?”
“Maki?”
One of them was knowledgeable. He explained that a magic tree was a tree that grew from magic grass. In fantasy terms, like Treants, Mandrakes, or Ents. There were other names, but having one boy know didn’t grant him the power to change their situation. There was no magic. All they could do was inform the other boys of the name and identity of the entities bound by branches.
“I don’t want to die—”
“Principal—”
“Why is there a magic tree growing here—!?”
The boy who knew about the magic tree complained to the older Adventurer who played the role of a mage.
“You don’t see them around here, do you ♪? The branches of a magic tree are very suitable for processing into staffs that assist us magic-users.”
He recalled the conversation when he was told this.
*As expected, I can’t understand their words.*
Rayos, having investigated the surroundings by morning, now shared a crucial fact he had learned by eavesdropping on the conversations of Adventurers and hunters.
*As I thought, I want the Vessel Body to be able to speak.*
Six fresh corpses were obtained. They could try six times.
*Well then, I suppose I’ll break their neck bones right away. If I’m noisy, the Adventurers (adults) will come running.*
*Crack.*
” ” —?!? Rayyyy-young?! ” ”
One was killed, his neck broken. It was anticlimactic. A scene that felt unreal. Because their friend, who had been screaming about trying to escape these branches with them… had died so easily. They couldn’t believe it.
As they gradually realized the reality, he silenced the remaining boys who were about to cry out and let the boy’s corpse go. Rayos detached from the large tree and possessed the boy’s corpse. While peering into the memories of the brain, he moved his mouth to try and speak the language of this country. He had broken a neck. If he couldn’t move his throat forcefully, he would get corpses through other methods next time. For now, understanding the memories of conversation, even a little, was important.
” ” ” Nnnngh?! Nnn–!! ” ”
Their friend, who had been killed, was moving his mouth, making groaning sounds. He was alive. Please call for help.
The boys, bound and lifted, tried desperately, with their mouths and minds, to call for help, betting on a futile hope.
“Ah~, uh, ba~…”
The corpse’s memories abruptly ended. It had truly become just a corpse, with no further value. Rayos detached and moved to kill a lively boy by suffocation.
“Nngh…!!”
It hurts. It’s h-hard. Stop it. Please forgive me.
The boy looked at his friends who were captured around him. Help me.
*Hang in there. Endure it. Help is coming.*
He heard such an auditory hallucination near his eyes. *I’m so happy. That’s right.* He tried to reply, but his mouth was shut, and his soul ascended to heaven.
Laying him on the ground, Rayos once again attempted to acquire the language from the memories. It allowed for longer learning than strangulation. Four more times. They would be killed by suffocation, just like this.
“Nngh—–”
Group 3 had been completely annihilated by Rayos. Rayos had only understood the words “Help me” and “Please.” As he thought, he needed a body from this world. He reasoned that there were other children coming to search for the remains of buildings that were also Vessel Bodies. There was no reason not to use them.
“Well then, whose seed shall I use?”
All the wombs would be used. Men were devices that produced sperm to impregnate women. One was enough. However, he couldn’t tolerate a body with such basic specs.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to put up with being unrefined this time.”
A group of children coming to collect remains in a forest like this went missing. The adults in the village caused a great commotion. If that happened, they couldn’t discreetly search for men to be studs. He would use the remaining boys. Preferably the one in charge.
“These corpses will be fertilizer for this big tree.”
He lifted the roots, hiding the six corpses. Then, he simply waited for the next prey to arrive.
