The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 57



Only Noblemtl

Episode 57. Whispers of Mother Nature

“Number 21.”

The guy muttered.

Even the voices were similar.

It was a tone that was so inorganic that it sounded like it had a mechanical sound mixed in.

“I understand. It’s a previously disposed of entity.”

It’s disposal.

‘I guess he wasn’t human after all.’

As expected, it was closer to a machine.

I’m guessing it’s a factory-made android, or a battle golem.

There were many similar ones.

It was the right time, as prototypes of future technologies were being tested.

“Then what, you’re about size 25?”

“This is number 16. Combat aircraft are not disposed of until they are destroyed.”

“Was No. 21 an information-gathering unit, and was it disposed of after its mission failed?”

“That’s correct. What is your relationship with number 21?”

“You abandoned me and ran away from my mission.”

Thanks to that, I had a hard time catching the 85th branch leader of the Brotherhood.

Even though quite some time had passed, it was a memory that was difficult to call a memory.

“I regret it.”

“How about you, repay the grudge?”

“It is unreasonable to transfer the grudge against another entity onto this entity.”

“I know.”

I was just saying something.

It wasn’t really a deep grudge.

I just thought that I should pay it back the next time we meet.

Since it was disposed of, I erased it from my memory.

“Everyone is here.”

It was right after the conversation with No. 16 was cut off.

As the conference room door opened, a group of people rushed in.

“I am Holly, the assistant to the head of the Galaga City negotiation team. Now, I will give you a detailed briefing on the mission.”

The aide spoke with a tense expression and pushed up his glasses.

***

The negotiating location between Galaga City and Pearlseer was District 12, a border area with the Great Plains as a buffer zone.

The border of each city was a kind of environmental zone like a large plain that controlled indiscriminate entry and exit.

Discarded test subjects of warlocks, spontaneous mutations, indiscriminately released poisons, etc.

It was a representative obstacle preventing movement between cities.

That’s why the border area is a kind of magic zone.

A place where danger lurks, but also potential rewards such as ruins.

It was a vast place that only adventurers would enter, so it was the perfect place for secret negotiations.

“You must secure the safety of this area until the day of negotiations.”

It was the first mission given to the contractors.

Eliminate risk.

Strictly speaking, it was more like running errands than escorting a person, but no amateur would harbor such complaints.

The city government’s rough handling of people was a predictable part of its usual eccentric behavior.

“As you know, the Great Plains is a hotbed of Corrupted, the discarded experiments of the Warlocks. Please remember this and patrol accordingly.”

It didn’t feel like they were worried about us.

Rather, the nuance is that it is bothersome to find a replacement in case an accident occurs.

Since they are veterans, should they just do whatever they want?

The aide then left to supervise the construction of the negotiation room without detailed orders.

“I guess slacking off isn’t allowed?”

Felix, a skinny man, shrugged his shoulders and asked for agreement.

“Hehe, let’s try it once, okay?”

The one who answered was the old woman, Mezier.

“I’ll leave first.”

The blind swordsman Kedrak quickly left the place, as if he did not even want to talk.

“Would you like to act together?”

Number 16 asked me.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to do that.”

I lightly declined.

I knew from experience the true nature of the monsters that haunted the Great Plains.

A test subject for limb regeneration techniques in living organisms.

The black magician performed experiments by cutting off one limb of a human or animal.

The test subjects who rushed at us, targeting our deficient body parts, were disgusting but weak.

The tricky thing is not the infinite number of entities.

And dealing with crowds was my specialty.

There was no reason to act together.

“If you don’t like that gloomy guy, how about going with this old man?”

“… … .”

The old woman made a suggestion to me.

A deep sense of discomfort came over me and I was unable to open my mouth.

“Hey, if you’re looking for a companion, then come with me. I won’t refuse.”

“All right.”

Meanwhile, Felix took No. 16 with him.

“I have something to tell you, young man. I would appreciate it if you could be my old man’s conversation partner for a little while.”

“……All right.”

It’s better this way.

It was something that could not be done without causing a stir by accepting a request from such a big shot as the city government.

It was already an uncomfortable car.

Whether it was a grudge or a concern, I intended to resolve it on this occasion.

***

The old woman broke the silence only after walking away from the negotiating table for about ten minutes.

“The young man said he came on Cromwell’s recommendation. I can acknowledge that he has good taste. He’s been good at picking out promising guys since olden times.”

The first topic of conversation was, surprisingly, not me, but Cromwell.

“Are you acquainted with Cromwell?”

“Well, we worked together once. It’s been twenty years already, so it’s been a long time.”

Twenty years.

Cromwell and the old woman both lasted a long time in the mayfly industry.

“Do your best. Cromwell never had a short-lived man who was a good man. You too will surely become a part of the history of the industry.”

The old woman was kind.

The persistent gaze that seemed to tear my face off was still there, but at least the content was good advice.

“What prompted you to seek out another broker other than Cromwell?”

I heard it with one ear and let it go out the other.

There was no such thing as an insincere favor.

It was difficult to ignore this discomfort.

Rather than letting my guard down, I focused on satisfying my curiosity.

“I wasn’t just focused on making money.”

“… … ?”

“I was interested in useless things. If you work with young people, you’ll understand. Even if you’re good at discovering talent, there’s a reason why you can’t maintain relationships for a long time.”

It was meaningful.

I was grateful for the support I received from Cromwell, but I had no particular complaints.

‘There is no need to be swayed by the words of outsiders and have prejudices.’

There is no advice more unpalatable than that given by a crazy hitman.

If Cromwell really had a flaw, it’s not too late to take a closer look and judge.

“If you’re interested, why don’t you contact our broker right now?”

The old woman approached with a faint smile.

“The business card, yes. Here it is.”

“… … I’ll accept it later when I get the chance.”

“Now is your chance. Don’t turn it down, because this isn’t a business card that just anyone can receive.”

The old woman forced a business card into my hand.

I held back the laughter that was about to burst out.

‘Was this the purpose?’

Talent recruitment.

It was a blatant trick, as if they were trying to collect a commission from the broker.

‘It might have seemed easy.’

After all, the impression this face had was too gentle for a contractor.

If personality follows impressions, it was perfect for flirting.

‘… … But I don’t think that’s all that’s really going on.’

It was a kind of intuition.

And this kind of strength is rarely wrong.

Gulp!

“Hehe, you’re setting the mood for something good.”

That was when.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Something emerged from a corner of the dry plain.

A cloudy mucus flowed from the torn mouth, and a black gas flowed like fog from the severed right arm.

The inhabitants of the Great Plains, the Corrupted.

“Uninvited guests are not welcome.”

The old woman faced the disgusting creature with composure.

As the old woman raised her right hand, the test subject, obsessed with her lacking limbs, glared at her with disgust.

That was the end of it.

Plop!

A ray of light flashed.

The beam of light emitted from the finger shattered the monster’s head.

“Hmm, I’ll have to be careful not to get it on my clothes next time. It’s a much dirtier creature than it looks.”

The old woman clicked her tongue as she looked down at the drop of blood that had spattered her clothes.

‘Are you a wizard?’

In that brief moment, the magical process she had manifested was all in my sight.

A magic formula without any frills, no wasted magical power, and a fast manifestation speed.

He was a rare and exceptionally skilled magician among contract workers.

but.

‘… … Black Magician Army.’

Although it was well hidden, I could feel it because it was a conflict.

It was an unpleasant, sticky, black magic.

“I’ll focus on my mission from now on and talk to the young man later. It’s unfortunate, but today isn’t the day.”

The old woman licked her lips.

“Then, young man, let’s talk more seriously next time.”

The old woman trampled the corpse and left.

Soon the sound of a watermelon breaking reverberated throughout the area.

It was the sound of test subjects being slaughtered after sensing the presence and rushing in.

“… … .”

I was left alone in my seat, mulling it over.

It was rare, but possible, for a shunned warlock to pretend to be a contractor who didn’t ask for his identity.

There is no need to be prejudiced.

Still, I couldn’t shake off my disgust for the old woman.

I heard it.

[The more I look at that lump of flesh, the more I like it. It will become a top-class piece in my collection, so I should put it on display.]

An uninvited voice was heard from the spot where the old woman had left.

It was just a sound that reached my ears without spreading outside, like it was being swept by the wind.

The voices that I thought were hallucinations caused by a delusion of persecution were soon proven to be real when a system message appeared.

“The whisper of Mother Nature has been activated.”

Whispers of Mother Nature.

It was an example that made me realize how difficult it was to understand an ambiguous explanation.

When I heard the old woman’s thoughts, I thought that was true.

It was a twisted desire worthy of a warlock.

I was about to leave, but stopped because of what I heard next.

[They wouldn’t blame me for taking care of a corpse after the uprising. Of course, my role in the uprising was not small.]

“That’s right.”

The negotiating team is scheduled to be annihilated in the scenario.

The Dark Magician’s Secret.

Even a child could not help but know what ‘Geosa’ meant.

***

As the date for closed-door negotiations approaches, the city government’s negotiating team is also getting busy.

It was common for the busiest staff to stay up all night for a day or two.

Aide Holly was a prime example.

In just a few days, dark circles began to form under his eyes.

On the other hand, the boss who was reporting from the back seat of the car was a different story.

The elf’s beautiful appearance did not fade even with fatigue.

It was the same today, as we stayed up all night and moved around together.

“How are things going?”

In response to his boss’s question, the aide shook his head, shaking off his long-standing feelings of jealousy.

For a race born with beauty, jealousy was futile.

Moreover, it was not the time to mistake the construction work.

Even though he looked fine, the aide answered tactfully before the boss, who was getting irritated, started yelling at him.

“Yes, the contractors are very capable of handling the work. They are ready to wipe out the Corrupted seeds near the negotiation site.”

“Even back-alley lynxes can be useful. You never know how the savages will nitpick, so be thoroughly prepared without making any mistakes.”

“I will do my best.”

“What about the mercenaries?”

“We caught three of them. They are the ones who were tailing the negotiating team members, including the congressman.”

Giselle ordered her mercenaries to provide active escort.

Active escort was not a passive protection, but a measure to first identify and eliminate threats.

The number of mercenaries deployed in the following vehicles was extremely small.

The rest were scattered throughout the city, searching for suspicious elements.

“Where is the mastermind behind this?”

“They said they couldn’t confirm it.”

“… … It seems like the mercenary group isn’t very good at interrogation.”

“They all died before we could get any information. It is believed that a warlock was involved.”

“Brotherhood, you little rats.”

“That’s fine… … I guess these days, companies also have deep connections with black magicians.”

“Anyway, it seems certain that there will be internal interference before the negotiations.”

“Yes.”

“As long as there are no problems on the day, we can fully support the mercenaries.”

It was a theoretical measure.

If something happens while you’re doing this, it’ll end up being the ones who have to cover it up.

The aide carefully sounded out the other’s opinion to prevent this.

“… … Congressman, in that case, how about using a contractor instead?”

“Those guys?”

“Actually, this is the specialty of the contractor. Since the negotiation table is likely to be settled early, it would be a good idea to send in more people.”

Giselle furrowed her brow.

It was a habit he displayed when his worries deepened.

“They are like lynxes. They are not worthy of being guarded.”

“Why don’t you just see it for yourself and judge for yourself? Since you’re headed to the site for an inspection, this might be a good opportunity.”

Giselle eventually gave in to logical persuasion.

“… … Let’s consider it.”

“And I don’t know if you remember, but today’s schedule has a companion… … .”

The aide was just about to finish speaking.

The car stopped, opened the back seat door, and a woman sat down.

“… … You came at just the right time.”

“Hello, Senator.”

A smile that draws the lines perfectly as if it were put on.

Giselle frowned in return for her, Claire Sylvester’s smile.

“Who allowed an outsider to accompany me on my itinerary?”

“An outsider? That’s too much, sir. I’m clearly a member of the negotiation team.”

Claire wasn’t hurt by the initial cold treatment.

It wasn’t the self-centered Giselle who was the problem.

He rebuked again.

“Answer me, Aide. Do you want to get fired?”

“You are a member of the National Assembly. You signed the written report I gave you last night, didn’t you?”

The aide complained of injustice.

“… … .”

Was that so?

Giselle remembered that she had been busy the night before and had signed all the small agenda items in one go.

Is this how karma comes back to me?

Claire said with a deep sigh that meant giving up.

“Please depart.”

The destination was the negotiating table.