Chapter 134: I Think They’re Somewhere in My Home Garden

“Th-the trees… they grew in the blink of an eye… the forest… it’s back to how it was… snff snff…”

When we returned to the village, the elder was there, jaw literally dropped, completely at a loss for words.

“Elder, I went ahead and did exactly as you instructed,” I said cautiously.

“Snff snff…”

…It seemed he had opened his mouth so wide it had dislocated his jaw.

After some fumbling and muttered curses, he managed to pop it back into place, and then, spitting slightly as he spoke, he demanded:

“W-what on earth have you done!? The miasma… it’s gone…”

“That’s… a secret,” I replied.

There was no obligation to explain, after all.

“A secret!? If you won’t say, there must be some hidden motive at work!”

“There isn’t,” I said calmly.

“Lies! Humans cannot be trusted!”

…Hmm, this elder really does harbor strong prejudice against humans. Perhaps something in his past explains it.

Just as I was mentally shrugging it off, a group of elves came running, pushing past the elder.

“Y-you… you restored the forest?!”

“Thank you! You are the heroes of our village!”

“If you hadn’t saved us back then, the miasma would’ve killed us for sure!”

I instinctively braced myself, unsure what was coming next, but they showered us with unreserved praise. Some of these elves had been the ones I rescued after they collapsed under the miasma.

So, apparently, not every elf in the village hated humans as much as the elder did.

“We must throw a proper celebration to show our gratitude!”

“Yes! A feast! A real feast!”

“But… even if the forest has returned to its former glory, can we gather enough ingredients…?”

“What is this mushroom!? Has it always been this delicious?!”

“And these mountain vegetables… they’re incredible! Are you sure they came from the forest?!”

Exclamations of surprise and delight bounced from elf to elf.

That evening, a grand feast was laid out. Every dish was crafted with care by the villagers as a way of thanking us. And oddly enough, it seemed even they were more amazed than we were.

“Of course, everything is freshly harvested. Yet, strangely, the ingredients are even more abundant than before…”

“Not just abundant… they taste so much better than before!”

…Right, that makes sense. I had grown everything in my own little garden.

I hadn’t just regrown the trees—I had also planted the mushrooms, mountain vegetables, and fruits that used to naturally grow in the forest. Thanks to the power of automatic cultivation, these crops would keep regenerating on their own, ensuring endless harvests in the future.

“Still… truly, thank you,” an elf murmured.

“Oh, Shifa’s mother… are you feeling alright now?” I asked.

“Yes, thanks to you, I feel completely well. The miasma is gone, and the shortness of breath has vanished. I feel healthier than ever,” she replied with a warm smile.

“U-uh… that’s a relief…”

Seeing Shifa-san’s mother, Sheena-san, healthy again brought tears of joy to her grandfather’s eyes. And of course, Shifa-san shared in that relief.

“All thanks to Geo,” she whispered.

“No, it’s not just me. We all helped defeat Fafnir together,” I said humbly.

Still, Shifa-san had been a devoted daughter, and it was because of her timely efforts that the village had been saved. Yet, she clearly still felt indebted to me:

“Geo, you always take care of us… how can I ever repay you?”

Just looking up at me like that… it was enough to make my heart thump wildly!

Desperately trying to keep my excitement in check, I stammered:

“W-well… in that case, bu—!?”

Suddenly, Anii came flying in with a tackle from the side, sending me sprawling onto the ground.

“That’s a discussion for later! Right now, we have all this delicious food—so let’s just eat, eat, and eat some more!”

Ouch… Anii, a bit strong there… I hit the ground with such force… maybe it was her weight more than strength?

“Uh—?” I muttered.

“N-nothing!”

I hadn’t said anything, but she glared at me fiercely!

And so, indulging in the elves’ magnificent feast, we decided to stay at Shifa-san’s family home for the night.

The next morning, I woke early and wandered through the village.

I overheard a small girl, around five years old, and what seemed to be her father, sitting on a tree stump and talking quietly.

“Grandpa… do you think Doriard and the others will come back?”

…Ah, not father and daughter—it was a grandfather and granddaughter. Easy to mistake, since the grandfather looked young enough.

“Who knows… once they leave, it may take a while for them to return,” he replied.

“I see…”

“N-no need to be sad. We don’t know when, but if we wait, they’ll surely appear again,” the grandfather added quickly, trying to reassure the little girl.

Doriard…? Could they mean dryads?

“Excuse me,” I said, approaching.

“Oh! You are… the ones who saved our village yesterday. Thank you so much,” the grandfather said, bowing. The girl followed suit with an adorable little bow.

“I just heard you say ‘Doriard’… so there really were dryads in this forest?” I asked.

“Yes… but recently, they have completely disappeared. Looking back, they likely sensed the forest’s disturbance and fled,” he explained.

…I’m fairly certain two of them are probably hanging out in my little garden right now.