Kays Translations

Chapter 45: Minister of Okutama Defense

A little over a year ago, I served as the midwife for the Flower Witch’s second daughter.

Back then, she was a tiny, soft, squishy little baby, small enough to hold in both hands. Yet in what felt like no time at all, she had grown to the size of an elementary schooler.

She was growing rapidly, but her face closely resembled the Flower Witch’s, making her bloodline unmistakable.

“Oji-san, I’ve been looking for you forever! I really wanted to see you! ♡”

The little seedling smoothly approached, wrapped her arms around my waist, and then—on top of that—coiled my legs up with vines and roots.

My blood instantly ran cold. The thought flashed through my mind—wasn’t the Flower Witch rumored to eat people? Like mother, like daughter…

“O-oh, um, p-please don’t eat me…!”

“Huh? Ah—sorry…!”

As soon as I squeezed out my desperate plea for mercy, the seedling hurriedly unwrapped me and took a step back. Even after letting go, she kept lightly brushing my hands with the tips of her delicate vines, but it didn’t feel constricting.

Actually… even when she was holding me, it didn’t feel like she was trying to strangle me to death or anything.

…R-right?

She’s not planning to squeeze the life out of the person who delivered her, drain me dry, and devour me… right?

I can assume that, right??

“Mii…!”
“Mih…!”
“Mimimi…!”

The fire lizards sensed my fear and started getting scared too. Sekitan and Mokutan curled up in my hands, while Tsubaki shrank as much as possible behind my legs.

Crap. My supposedly reliable bodyguards had totally turtled up. And it was all because I wasn’t acting like a proper boss…!

“U-uhm, so… The Flower Witch did tell me to ‘show my face once in a while’… B-but it wasn’t out of malice, I swear! I didn’t mean to neglect her or anything, I’m just… a homebody…! I’ll comply with the summons, so p-please be gentle with me…!”

If the Flower Witch or her daughter had any reason to get in touch with me, this had to be it.

Shaking like a human jackhammer, I clutched Sekitan and Mokutan in my trembling hands and bowed as humbly as possible.

The seedling tilted her head in confusion.

“??? I don’t really get it. Oh! Oh! Right! I have a letter from Mother! I’ll give it to you!”

She rummaged under her petal skirt and pulled out an envelope, holding it out to me.

Still shaking violently, I carefully set down the fire lizards, reached for the letter, missed several times due to my trembling hands, and finally managed to grab it.

The letter was pretty long. Also… was the text shaking? Or was that just me?

To the Benefactor of My Beloved Daughter

It has been a while. This is the Flower Witch.

A year has passed since I failed to ask your name. The seasons have changed, and spring has come once again.

I have had the seer watch over you from time to time. I wanted to send my daughter to visit you sooner, but every possible future I saw was blocked by interference from the Blue Witch. For that reason, I apologize for the suddenness of this visit.

The daughter delivering this letter is named Fuyou, after the hibiscus flower. I wish for her to grow up beautiful, graceful, wealthy, and happy.

Now then.

There are two reasons Fuyou has come to visit you.

First, because she wanted to see you.

Seedlings grow quickly. She learned to speak in no time, became emotionally expressive, and can now converse with humans with ease. As a mother, I am constantly in awe. It seems our children develop at a vastly different pace compared to humans.

Fuyou has a faint memory of the warmth and kindness of your hands from when you delivered her. And since I have spoken highly of you on occasion, she would often sweetly insist that she wanted to meet you.

While she was small, I forbade her from going outside for her own safety. But now that she has grown, can speak fluently, and has developed basic judgment skills, I have permitted her to travel.

According to the seer, Fuyou made it to Okutama without meeting anyone along the way and enjoyed a safe little journey. Assuming the seer was truthful.

She must be overjoyed to see you. You, however, do not seem quite as pleased.

Fuyou likes you. Please be kind to her. At the very least, do not be cold toward her. If you are too cruel, even if you are her benefactor, I will not forgive you.

The second reason for her visit is to find a place to put down roots.

Our kind must spread our roots across the land to establish our territory. However, my own domain—from Arakawa to Taito—is already fully occupied by my roots, leaving no space for my daughter to settle.

Recently, Fuyou has been moving around less and struggling to walk. She has even begun unintentionally rooting herself while sleeping. She urgently needs to relocate to a suitable territory where she can establish herself and spend her life.

Okutama is ideal.

It is spacious, and for some reason, only weak monsters inhabit the area. Fuyou will not be threatened by anything too powerful for her to handle. She can grow safely and healthily. The water is clean, and the soil is fertile.

As her mother, I would prefer to keep her close. However, the land near me belongs to other witches, or worse, is infested with powerful monsters, making it far too dangerous for young Fuyou.

For Fuyou’s sake, Okutama is the best choice.

I would like you to accept her relocation.

That said…

I know you would refuse if I simply asked.

So, I have prepared some favorable conditions for you.

First, you will have the pleasure of being with my adorable, devoted Fuyou every day. You can talk to her, see her, and even hold her. Not that you seem inclined to. But this is undeniably the greatest benefit. I will not allow you to deny it.

Second, protection. Fuyou has learned several useful spells. She can use the Fog of Confusion currently covering Okutama, as well as Eyeball Familiars and Magic of Abundance. She also knows Night Magic and Flame Carrying Magic. She will gladly use her magic for your sake. She can even produce essential oils to protect crops from pests.

Fuyou is capable of pronouncing unutterable sounds, so please teach her more magic. The more she learns, the better. If she grows strong, wise, and beautiful, it will bring me great joy.

Lastly, wand materials. Our kind can create various types of wood with different properties. You saw me craft barrels a year ago, did you not? Fuyou can do the same. Hardness, flexibility, weight—she can control all of it. While she is still developing this skill, in time, she will become an indispensable partner for your work.

Now then. You have made up your mind, have you not?

Here are four requests regarding Fuyou’s care:

① No more than one bag of chemical fertilizer every three days. It is bad for her health.
② Do not neglect weeding. Teach her to do it herself.
③ Watering must be done in the morning or evening. Sunlight can burn her leaves, and summer heat can boil her roots.
④ Have Fuyou send me a daily letter using an Eyeball Familiar. She will likely start slacking after the first month.

These are my requests.

I trust you will take good care of her.

“The Flower Witch”

I talked only about my daughter, but personally, I also find you favorable. You are always welcome to visit. I hope we can continue to have a long and good relationship.

By the time I finished reading, my whole-body tremors had stopped.

When I lifted my face from the letter, I saw that Fuyou was wriggling her short roots while hiding behind me, returning the fire lizards’ threatening gestures with her own.

“So cheeky! Even though you’re smaller than me!”
“Mii!”
“Grr! I’m the older one here!”
“Mii!”
“Admit defeat! Come on, roll over and surrender!”
“Mimimi!”

Hiding half of her body behind my shoe, Tsubaki stuck his tongue out and grinned provocatively, while Fuyou, frustrated, slapped the asphalt with her vines. The asphalt cracked a little, and she flinched.

No, seriously, she’s strong. Are you really just a one-year-old? You’re growing up way too fast. When you were born, you were so soft and fragile that it seemed like you’d break with just a little pressure.

“Huh? You understand what they’re saying?”
“Eh? Not really! But I can tell they don’t respect me. I’m the big sister here!”
“Mii! Mimi, Mimimi!”
“Hey, Tsubaki, don’t get too cocky. Sort out the hierarchy later.”
“Mii…”

Since it would be a problem if this turned into a full-on battle of flamethrowers and vine whips right in front of me, I decided to make them settle down for now.

Having my actions predicted with future sight isn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.

The offer to take care of Fuyou is certainly a good deal. Basically, it means that the defenses of Okutama will be strengthened, making it easier to obtain high-quality staff materials. That’s a pretty huge advantage.

I’m agreeing to the relocation, but the way the letter just assumes my approval kind of rubs me the wrong way.

I pulled out my pale, eyeball-shaped familiar from my pocket, gave it a few light smacks, and made a call.

“Hello, Hiyori? A sapling of the Flower Witch has arrived at the entrance of Okutama. I’ve decided to grant her permission to settle here. Come over for a face-to-face meeting.”

“…What? What are you talking about? A Flower Witch’s what?”

“I’ll explain in person. See you.”

“Hey, wait—”

Ignoring my familiar’s protests, I shoved it back into my pocket and turned to Fuyou, who was spreading her vines and roots as wide as she could, still trying to intimidate the fire lizards.

“I read your mother’s entire letter. You’re allowed to live in Okutama.”

“Huh? Really!? Yay! I love you, old man!♡”

She immediately stopped threatening the fire lizards and tried to hug me in sheer joy. I took a step back to avoid her.

As she remained undeterred, attempting to embrace me again, I pushed against her little sapling head with my hand, holding her off while laying out the conditions for her stay.

“However. Stay away from my house and fields. Also, keep your roots and vines away from the riverside with the waterwheel. Don’t even show your face around there. Your territory can only be outside my living area within Okutama.”

“……? Huh? Say that again?”

“Stay away from my house. If you can follow that rule, you can live here.”

“? Got it!”

“You definitely don’t get it… Well, I’ll show you around later and explain properly.”

“Such a big territory! I get to be with you, old man!♡”

Fuyou danced happily with her vines and roots.

She’s practically a stranger, yet she’s got such high affection for me.

…It is high, right? That’s what this means? Her mother even wrote in the letter that Fuyou likes me.

I just don’t get it. I understand feeling gratitude after being saved, but does that really turn into affection?

If that logic held, then I should be head over heels in love with the surgeon who removed my appendix. That wouldn’t make any sense.

As I was lost in deep philosophical thought about the relationship between human emotions and gratitude, Hiyori suddenly came sprinting down the road, clutching her staff, Kyanos.

She skidded to a stop between me and Fuyou, sending a gust of wind in all directions, and pointed the tip of Kyanos directly at Fuyou. Her intense aura faded almost immediately.

“What… are you? You’re not the Flower Witch?”

“I told you. She’s her daughter.”

“Wow, what a pretty staff… Oh! I have a letter for the Blue Witch too. Here you go!”

“Ah, um. Thanks?”

Still keeping Kyanos trained on Fuyou, Hiyori took the letter with a perplexed expression.

She unfolded it with one hand, skimmed it, then silently crushed it into a ball and shoved it into her pocket.

“What did it say?”

“…Ah, nothing much. Just that if Okutama’s defenses are strengthened, I won’t have to worry as much about leaving you unguarded while on duty.”

“Exactly. That’s a good thing, right?”

“The question is whether this kid can be trusted.”

Hiyori narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Fuyou. Noticing the gaze, Fuyou turned to properly face the Blue Witch, lightly lifting the petals of her skirt and performing a neat curtsey.

“Blue Witch. My name is Fuyou! I am one year old. I am a good girl!”

“…Ah, right. I’m the Blue Witch. Good job introducing yourself.”

“Ehehe.”

Fuyou beamed happily at the praise.

The tension in Hiyori’s stance faded, and she lowered Kyanos.

That was fast. Well, whatever. I also think she’s probably safe.

“You sure about this?”
“The Flower Witch isn’t an idiot. She would never use her daughter as part of some scheme. She would, however, weave a scheme for her daughter’s sake.”
“Yeah, that tracks.”

During the Mushroom Pandemic, she had placed her daughter’s life over millions of others without hesitation. Even with my short experience dealing with her, I can tell she wouldn’t use her daughter to manipulate me.

If anything, I should be more worried about accidentally hurting Fuyou and angering the Flower Witch.

I gently brushed away the vine creeping toward my hand, signaled the fire lizards, and started heading home. Now that I had the security team’s approval, I needed to show Fuyou around if she was going to live here. I had to make sure she understood where she wasn’t allowed to go.

Hiyori and I walked at the front, while the fire lizards and Fuyou followed, bickering.

With nothing to talk about, I wandered in silence until Hiyori, rustling the letter in her pocket, cleared her throat.

“Hey, Dairi.”
“Hm?”
“This summer, how about going to the beach together?”
“No.”
“Thought so. What about the river? We could go fishing or play in the water in Okutama.”
“Oh, nice. Let’s see who can catch the biggest snapping turtle! No red-eared sliders, though.”
“Deal. Then it’s a promise. Make sure to get a swimsuit. I’ll get one too.”
“Wait, aren’t shorts fine? Oh, right, you need a proper one. My bad. I’ll find something. I think I still have my high school swimming goggles somewhere…”

With a slightly happier Hiyori in tow, and a group of noisy monsters behind me, I headed home.

I was supposed to be living alone, but before I knew it, things had become pretty lively. My past self wouldn’t have believed it. Even my current self finds it hard to believe sometimes.

But you know, it’s not bad.

Not bad at all.

And that’s more than enough.

After all, I survived an apocalyptic world-ending crisis.

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