The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 91



Only Noblemtl

Episode 91. Just One Favor

A cool breeze blew.

It felt like I was breathing in the clean breeze full of the scent of phytoncide in the forest on a summer day.

The corners of his lips, which had been hard, melted and became mushy like snow exposed to the sun.

I took a deep breath, and a sense of relief seeped into my stuffy chest, making my breathing easier.

It’s a comfort I haven’t felt in a long time.

The soft atmosphere, where you feel like you’re about to wake up but not yet, was the perfect environment for sleeping in.

I slept deeply into my bed, clearing my mind.

Thud! Thud!

If it weren’t for the foreign feeling on my face, I would have fallen asleep again.

I frowned and slowly opened my eyes, but half of my vision was gone.

The feeling of rubbing my skin was rough and damp.

The identity of the object that covered half of the face was quickly revealed.

“A rag?”

“Ah, I’m awake.”

In my half-sighted vision, I could see Sage’s face expressing some kind of satisfaction.

The dampness and discomfort on her skin was the rag she had rubbed with.

Sage answered my questioning gaze.

“I took care of you because you didn’t look well.”

When I fully woke up from my half-asleep state, it wasn’t just my face that was wet.

My back, bed sheets, and even the comforter were all soaked with sweat.

When I blew my nose, I felt like I was smelling something unpleasant.

“The window is… … .”

“It didn’t open.”

In this city where air pollution is so bad, ventilation is tantamount to rotting lungs.

Still, there was no way to get rid of the smell.

As I tried to reach out the window, Sage stopped me.

“This is how you get rid of odor.”

Hwaaaaa─ A cool breeze swept through my hair.

It was the refreshing feeling I felt while sleeping.

The wind was blowing from Sage’s outstretched palms.

‘It’s a little more advanced than last time.’

The air conditioner, which used to be so cold that it formed frost, now has a temperature control function.

It seemed to have an added ventilation function as it circled the room and then disappeared.

Has it evolved from an air conditioner to an air purifier?

It was definitely a useful ability.

The ventilation function in particular was very useful in this city where pollution levels are skyrocketing.

‘Is it okay to use magic with such abilities?’

The reason I feel uneasy is because I was sent to become a great wizard, but I ended up targeting the home appliance sector.

Isn’t this similar to the feelings of parents who send their children to private academies to get them into good universities, only to see them become obsessed with arts and physical education?

‘It must be a minor deviation.’

It was impossible to even hit the target while he was bragging so proudly.

Colin had heard enough to know that she was doing well on the roof.

Since people cannot be perfect, one way that a guardian can be considerate is to overlook minor deviations.

Then suddenly, my mind was drawn to a trivial matter.

“How did you get into the room?”

I’m sure you locked the door so you won’t be disturbed.

“I asked you to open it.”

Bell was shaking his head through the slightly open door.

It was an appeal of innocence, saying that he was only carrying out orders.

“I thought the color had changed, so I came in.”

A halo of light twinkled splendidly from deep within Sage’s eyes.

An eye that discerns magical power.

The Archmage’s talent was reading my unique magical power.

“How has it changed?”

“It’s become a bit more… … elegant.”

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly and her fingers wiggled.

For Sage, who is not known for expressing his emotions, that was a strong sign of interest.

I felt an instinctive revulsion at the child-like reaction to a toy in front of him.

“That’s fortunate.”

No matter how difficult it is, he is a wizard.

Whether it was a black magic case or not, it wasn’t a good thing to attract the interest of a wizard.

“The food is ready, so come out slowly.”

Sage read the mood and showed his wit to avoid the situation.

Just the fact that he didn’t act so stubbornly is a sign of character among wizards.

As someone who knew what kind of person Sage would become if he grew up in the slums, I could even feel a sense of pride.

‘My physical condition is… … okay.’

Fortunately, it seemed like there was no conflict or anything between them after swallowing two seeds of the World Tree.

I got out of bed.

Sorry Sage, but I wasn’t really interested in breakfast.

Now that I’ve woken up safely, it’s time to check out the long-awaited change.

***

After washing my body quickly, I tried moving my body.

When I first swallowed the seeds of the World Tree, I experienced a transformation that was almost complete.

It was like being born again.

This time, there wasn’t as much of a shocking change.

My body just moves better the way I want it to.

Should we express that the body is completely under the control of consciousness?

I had a gut feeling that I could control every single joint in my body.

And this was more of a secondary effect than an effect of swallowing the seeds of the World Tree.

‘The World Tree has taken root a little deeper in my body.’

The strange sensation I felt in my chest spread throughout my upper body.

I don’t know if the World Tree has taken root in my body in the physical realm or in the conceptual realm.

A vivid sensation was telling me.

The World Tree and I connected a little more deeply.

It was a sense of unity that was even deeper than what I had felt when the World Tree was growing.

It’s difficult to express precisely because it’s a sensory realm, but a lot of things, really a lot of things, have changed.

And I had an assistant to help me clarify these ambiguities.

I checked the system message flashing in the corner of my vision.

“You are the last druid to have retrieved the dried world tree in the past!”

“Title: The Cradle of Nature is strengthened!”

“Cradle of Nature: Nature Affinity +20”

It was the first notification I had seen related to a title since I first obtained it.

That’s what a title is.

It was a system close to a challenge related to achievements or chance, so it was difficult to even look at it unless you made up your mind to try it.

“Your natural affinity increases!”

“Natural affinity beyond boundaries influences the spirits!”

“The spirit clearly awakens to its origins!”

Next, of course, is eco-friendliness.

Natural affinity is a representative ability that affects spirits.

There was a change in the spirit due to the steep increase in level through titles.

However, as with the previous acquisition of wood, it did not lead directly to the acquisition of the skill.

This is something I just have to nag at them about.

I quickly turned my gaze to the next line.

“The World Tree has taken root in a possibility from the past as it has come into direct contact with another entity!”

The most important change in the world tree.

I didn’t expect that consuming separate seeds would be a condition for growing from a sapling to a mature tree, but it is a reward for a job-specific relic.

It wasn’t a hardship that ended with just an increase in natural affinity.

‘The possibility of the past.’

The system message that followed was indeed worthy of the hardships of exploring the ruins.

***

Sir, you must help Allen.

It was a firm determination that Sage held in his heart.

He helped me decide to leave the slums, gave me a chance to showcase my talents to the head of the school at Matap, and even gave me an elixir to help me overcome the inevitable gap in time.

It was difficult to even calculate how great the grace was.

If you weren’t a shameless beast, it was something you should naturally repay.

But she was still immature to do the job of a single person.

I realized this clearly during the exploration of this ruins.

It was better than nothing, having only learned the basics at the Magic Tower.

However, I felt uncomfortable accepting my shortcomings and just accepting them as I had done so far.

Since people are not perfect, there are bound to be parts of them that we don’t notice.

So this is the field that Sage chose to alleviate Allen’s troubles.

Click!

“why?”

It was people management.

It seemed that Allen had hired a handyman, a so-called servant.

He was not a very likeable person with a sullen and picky look.

He was also dissatisfied with his weak and muscleless body, despite being a day laborer.

It was like that yesterday.

It looked clean at first glance, but when I looked closely, I saw dust in five places.

Even though it was a hard-to-reach place, including between window frames, a mistake was a mistake.

chuck!

“Oh, okay. I’ll clean it up.”

Knock knock!

“I’ll clean it right away without you having to rush me.”

… … But it didn’t seem necessary to immediately kick him out or anything.

If you point it out, he will quickly take action and work quickly, so there is room for consideration.

Moreover, he was very perceptive and could accurately understand my intentions and move with just a flick of a finger, so if I trained him well, he would be a satisfactory servant.

“I will help you too.”

If there was a problem, it wasn’t this handyman, Bell, who had already established a tight hierarchy.

“… … .”

It was that person who followed him around without lifting a finger.

Whether it was male or female, the strange and neutral appearance was of no interest.

To Sage, Beta did not appear human.

It was literal.

Pure magic flowed through my blood vessels and throughout my entire body, and even the colors I could see with my eyes were lifeless.

Wouldn’t it be closer to a machine?

If it weren’t for the free-spirited behavior that is impossible for anyone but a human, I would have been suspicious.

And the reason why I was so suspicious was crucial.

“ah.”

Clang!

It was because Beta was really, really clumsy.

A cursed hand that had shattered a bowl with such great strength, or rather, with such poor control of its power.

It wasn’t once or twice.

Yesterday, I wondered why he was just sitting there, so I made him do something.

I thought he was a veteran hired to train the inexperienced Belle because he came forward so enthusiastically, but he wasn’t.

They forced me not to do anything because the accident only increased my workload.

“… … Hey, stay still.”

“yes.”

He also listens well to what I say.

So I was more worried.

How should I deal with this human being?

Why did the old man hire this flawed person?

Sage crossed his arms and pouted his lips, showing his concern.

It was a difficult problem to solve with my short life experience.

“Bell, go outside and pitch the tent.”

The sound of the door opening and Allen’s voice broke Sage’s concentration.

“A tent? Why all of a sudden?”

“The sun is strong. You’ll need to cover up until noon.”

“Does it matter how strong the sunlight is? Isn’t the more the better?”

“… … You’ve been acting like that all along, so now the grass is dry. Stop talking nonsense and do as I say.”

“Where can you find someone as smart as me? They keep saying I’m ignorant.”

“If you lack common sense, you are ignorant.”

“No, your common sense is weird.”

“Have I ever said anything wrong?”

“Plague.”

Belle went out grumbling.

The skill of raising the extension cord was truly natural.

“Beta, thank you for your support.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“Allocation of computational power… …seems like it hasn’t been resolved yet.”

It was something said when looking at a broken dish on the floor.

“Even if Bell’s technology falls short, I will personally find a way.”

“You don’t have to do that. I think the hacking skills you demonstrated this time are more than enough for your use.”

“All right.”

Through a series of questions and answers, Sage came to a realization.

I was wondering why I hired this incompetent person. He was a colleague of a contractor!

After all, it was a waste of manpower to hire two housekeepers for a house that was likely to house only three or four people.

If you’re a part-time worker, you can give up on finding utility in housework.

Sage solved the problem.

***

People don’t just speak with their mouths.

We also gained more information from nonverbal expressions such as facial expressions, direction of gaze, muscle movements, and hand gestures.

In that sense, Sage, who kept his mouth shut, said a lot.

He was busy nodding, blinking, looking surprised, and then shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m worried about why the World Tree is like that.”

It meant that I was crazy.

Did you get sleepy after taking care of me all night?

I said, patting Sage on the shoulder.

“You should get some rest, as you will have to return to the tower soon.”

“……yes.”

Sage answered sullenly, realizing that it was the day to return to the rooftop.

I had to get ready to go out too, since I had to see her off.

Since I was already out, I thought I might as well finish one more thing.

“Beta, please ask me one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“I just want to find one closed community on the network.”

Although networks are a forum for publicity, it is not the case that there is no exchange of information.

In particular, the field I am looking for now would be one that maintains the deep web with such passion that it even periodically evades city government censorship.

“What kind of community is it?”

“Direct sales store.”

As far as I remember, that was definitely the name.