I found the seeds of a mysterious flower in the place where I was cornered.
My cloak, thrown a moment ago, froze solid.
“Damn it, you’re nothing but a nuisance!”
Nigpyura immediately brushed it aside. In a fleeting moment, I pulled my head out of the root ring and jumped down.
The ground approached with a gust of wind.
This time, nobody would save me, I thought. But at this height, I might at least survive. I shielded my head with both arms and curled into a ball.
A tremendous impact struck my shoulder, and a rustling sound filled my ears. It felt as if my limbs had been torn apart.
“…Ouch, ouch… Ugh…”
I couldn’t breathe. Ah, damn it, it hurts. My mind was consumed by the searing pain coursing through my body. I wanted to get up somehow, but my arms wouldn’t move. It seemed I had fallen into some bushes nearby. I had to escape before Nigpyura found me.
Someone suddenly peered down at me.
“Huh, Ryoku, what are you doing?”
He took my hand and pulled. Pauline pulled with her other hand.
“Are you okay? It’s good you fell into the bushes. Wait, there’s blood, blood is dripping!”
“Oh… uh, well, um…”
What was wrong? The words wouldn’t come out. My body, having lost its support, began to fall backward again. Through the gaps in the green leaves, I could see the white sky.
“Hiroaki! Hold on tight!”
Pauline struggled to pull my hand. But my body hung limp, like a puppet with its strings cut. My mind had gone blank, unable to think anything.
“For the time being, I need to stop the bleeding.”
She diligently wrapped a cloth around my head. I don’t know how, but I had managed to keep going with sheer willpower, but I might be reaching my limit soon. My body was already screaming in protest. I wasn’t a soldier trained in harsh environments, nor a mage with healing abilities. Without food or drink, little sleep, and in a state of extreme tension, the day would inevitably come when I’d break.
“Hey, Ryoku… I don’t care if you have the power to save the forest or not.”
I didn’t know if he was even there. But the words escaped my lips like rising smoke.
“I just want you to want to live too. Don’t give up on yourself so easily… Don’t think you have no value…”
Because I want to think that way too. I want to clearly say that I like myself. I’m always getting beaten by enemies, my combat ability is low, I’m not particularly cool, and I don’t have any special personality. Even so, I’ve survived this far with everyone.
I can’t say exactly where, but even so, I’ve become able to fight without running away. And I still want to fight. I don’t want to die here.
A rustling sound made me turn my head. Ryoku was peeking out from the bushes. He didn’t speak, but his eyes looked straight at me.
He gently held out a yellow flower towards me. It was shaped like a tulip. With a trembling hand, I accepted the flower.
Looking inside, I saw a small amount of water. Was it flower nectar? I managed to bring the trembling flower to my lips. A steady sip of water flowed down my throat.
The moment it did, my dry, parched throat was instantly moistened, and air flowed all the way to the depths of my lungs. It was as if a fish washed ashore had returned to the sea.
“Hah, wh-what is this?!”
The pain that had gripped my entire body vanished as if it were a lie, and I sat up naturally, as if waking up after a good night’s sleep the next morning.
“Hiroaki! Oh, thank goodness.”
“Is this water from the Spring of Life? Where did you get it…”
Right, what happened to Nigpyura? Some time had passed since he threw me. As I stood up and looked back, I saw that the tower he had built was engulfed by extending vines. I remembered he called it Shinigami Grass. The name seemed to fit its appearance.
Nigpyura was freezing and shattering the growing vines.
“So you were there. Do you think these little tricks will work? Shinigami Grass is a parasitic plant; it attaches to trees and withers them. You must intend to steal my power with this.”
The frozen vines shattered with a crack, showering ice crystals.
“It’s useless, completely useless. No matter how many seeds you scatter, my power is infinite.”
A thick root extended towards us. Instinctively, I grabbed both of them and crouched down.
…Huh? It’s not coming. The impact I was braces for didn’t happen. When I slowly looked back, another tree root, growing from below, had stopped it.
Ryoku slipped out of my arms.
“Are you coming towards me? Very well, let’s see who the true ruler is.”
Several thick roots thrust towards Ryoku. Sand kicked up, and the ground trembled violently.
Along with the sound of sand falling, Ryoku’s back came into view. He was protected by hardened roots that had sprung from the ground. Ryoku broke free and scattered the seeds he held. Immediately, sprouts emerged from the seeds and took root in the trees. The vines grew rapidly, blooming into beautiful purple flowers.
The endlessly growing vines were like a snake slithering towards its prey’s throat.
Nigpyura instantly froze them. But the roots, having been parasitized, were drained of their nutrients and had become completely withered. The vines, continuing to grow from all directions, were effectively immobilizing the enemy. Stealing water from the Spring of Life had backfired.
