Chapter 135: It’s the Same Master’s Soil!

They say that tree spirits are incredibly delicate and sensitive.

“Given how cautious they are, once they sense danger and flee, they won’t simply return to the forest so easily,” came the warning.

…So the little ones in our own garden must be dryads too, right?

Perhaps, after fleeing this forest, they ended up somewhere near the mountains by Moria Village. Of course, they had no idea where they had even come from.

“Grandpa… so… the dryads aren’t coming back…?”

The little girl spoke with a pout, clearly disappointed. I crouched down, letting my hand rest gently atop her head.

“That’s not true. If you’re good, I’m sure we’ll see them again soon,” I reassured her.

“Really, oniisan?”

“Yes, really, really,” I said with a nod.

With that settled, I decided to teleport briefly to the first home garden at my house in Arcel.

“Lala, Nana, have you two been keeping well?”

I called out to the two of them, their lower bodies comfortably buried in the soft earth of the garden, lounging lazily. Upon hearing my voice, they turned toward me with bright, happy faces:

“Master is here!”

“Welcome back!”

“We want water!”

“We want a big drink!”

Answering their requests, I poured water I had harvested from the garden over them.

“Ah… this feels alive again!”

“We’re so happy!”

As the two of them gleefully soaked themselves, I prepared to teleport us all to the Elven forest. Since it was still my own garden soil, there was no need for elaborate explanations… and I didn’t want to risk making them wary with confusing words.

“Eh—?”

The surroundings suddenly changed to a place dominated by tall, towering trees, and the twins tilted their heads in confusion.

“Is… something different?”

“Is it… strange?”

Noticing the change, they looked around with curious eyes.

“Well, it’s fine,” Lala said with a shrug.

“It’s still the same master’s soil,” Nana added cheerfully.

…Ah, they really don’t seem to mind at all.

“Come along a little further with me, both of you.”

“?”

Curious but obedient, the twins hopped along behind me. When we reached the boundary of the garden, they suddenly exclaimed together:

“Eh—?”

“This is different!”

“This isn’t master’s soil!”

They immediately noticed the difference. I guessed they preferred the soil from my garden; the twins stopped in their tracks, hesitant to move further.

Hmm… the Elven village should be just ahead…

Just as I was pondering the dilemma, the elderly man and his granddaughter appeared.

“Th-Those children…!?”

“Wow! Dryads!”

The old man’s eyes went wide, and the little girl’s sparkled with excitement.

“Why… why are dryads here?”

“I brought them,” I said firmly.

“Brought them!? From where, and how!?”

…There was no way I could tell them I had simply teleported the garden.

“They’re… elves!” Lala and Nana said in unison.

“You both know elves?” the man asked.

“Yes!”

So, as suspected, Lala and Nana had indeed once lived in this forest.

“To think the dryads have become so attached… you must possess a remarkably pure heart,” the elder observed.

“Pure heart…?” I echoed, a little embarrassed by the praise.

“Yes. Even the slightest hint of malice drives dryads away immediately. Even among us elves, very few can truly communicate with them. That’s why it’s said that pure-hearted children can bond with dryads more easily.”

…Hearing it put that way made me blush a little.

“Our elder… just seems to get chased away all the time,” he muttered.

So the elder… perhaps his heart isn’t so pure after all. I couldn’t see any reason the elves would look up to him, yet he held the title of elder. Maybe it was simply because he was the oldest?

“Dryads! Let’s play!”

“Play?”

“Let’s play!”

The little girl seemed to have a heart as pure as the elder had said. She ran forward, and Lala and Nana didn’t flee at all. Soon, the three of them were holding hands and spinning in circles together.

…What exactly were they playing?

“Thanks to you, my granddaughter is so happy. Truly, we are grateful for everything,” the elderly man said, bowing slightly.

“It’s nothing. It’s probably better for them to stay in the forest anyway,” I replied.

“With this, the other dryads will likely return. When they have companions, they feel safe and naturally gather there.”

It seemed good for Lala and Nana to have more friends around. So we decided to leave them there instead of bringing them back with us.

Of course, I planned to visit them from time to time. Since most of the forest had become my garden, I could teleport there whenever I wanted.

“Where have you been?”

“Just a little outing,” I said casually.

Back at Shifa-san’s family home, everyone was already preparing to depart. Apparently, they had been waiting for me.

“You could have stayed a little longer…” the old man said.

“Grandfather’s right. It’s been so long since we last met…”

“It’s fine. I’ll come again,” I reassured them.

“But it’s not exactly a short trip, is it?”

Actually… it was easy enough to come here any time.

I could even visit daily if I wanted… though, of course, I couldn’t really come every single day.

Eventually, we departed, seeing off the elves who were reluctant to let us go. Pretending to leave the forest, we actually doubled back, heading further inside.

“From here on, this is all my home garden,” I said.

“…If someone who didn’t know the situation heard that, it would sound completely nonsensical,” Anii said, exasperated.

“Oh, right. Before returning to Arcel, can we make a small detour?” I asked.

“Detour?”

“I need to collect Fafnir’s magic stones.”