CH 251

“You’re the mini-treant!? You’re not a tree at all, aren’t you. And where am I? The background is gray…”

It was so shocking that I raised my voice and confirmed the situation at once. My thoughts were clear, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t in my living room.

Then the boy, the mini-treant, who was looking at me with a smile, opened his mouth.

“I wondered if I’m inside a dream? I’ve been feeling something buzzing in your bag, and just when I thought Big brother was asleep, I was standing here. Then, I immediately saw the appearance of big brother sleeping.”

The mini-treant didn’t seem to understand what was going on here, so he laughed and said that’s why he woke me up. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s nice to be able to communicate with the mini-treant, so I decide to listen to what he has to say.

“What do you think the buzzing thing is?”

“Hmm, I don’t know, I can’t feel it right now! When we get out of here, I want you to look at your bag.”

“Yeah, you’re right …… So, If you’re the mini-treant, why were you with Chelle? And even though you’re a monster, you protected her too.”

“Toh!”

“Uwah!”

“Heh heh, big brother’s magic is so gentle, I like it to be close to you.”

He jumped onto my lap and smiled as he looked up at me from below. I thought he looked like Aina, but then he puffed up his cheeks a little and continued talking. 

“We, Treants, are thought of as monsters, but we’re more like spirits! We guide lost people to the exits of the forest and protect those who are camping in the wild from monsters.”

The mini-treant said “Fufun” with a sly grin. This is not in the textbook, and I’ve never heard of it from my teacher, so maybe this is a big discovery?　

No, but they attacked us in Oriola territory …… As I was thinking about this, the mini-treant said, his voice dropping a little.

“…… But there’s an evil demon tree called Qliphoth that’s just like us, so that can’t be helped. They’re the worst kind, leading people to be lost and killing fields! If you’re not careful, they’ll even feed on human corpses!”

“Eh!? Corp-, is that true!? If that’s the case, is that the one I defeated in Oriola Territory?”

(T/N: Qliphoth. According to Wikipedia, it means “Shells” or “Husks” and are the representation of evil or impure, and the polar opposite of the holy sefirot.)

But it seems that the story is not so simple.

“Yes …… I don’t know where Oriola is, but the forest I live in has been acting strangely for a few years now …… And the Treants have become like Qliphoth, and there were more and more of them attacking the village and raiding the forest. “

“A Treant that has gone mad, huh. If that swamp I crushed is the cause, then you probably came from the forest near Oriola.”

“Maybe so …… That’s why I got scared and ran away from the forest. I thought maybe I wouldn’t go crazy in another forest.”

It’s quite a distance from Oriola territory to here. If he’s made it this far in his little body, he’s got a lot of guts.

“But you were in the forest in this town, right?”

“Yes! I needed water, so I followed the scent and ended up here. I would have dried up without water! There was surprisingly little water up here, so I thought I was going to die. But then Chelle-chan came and talked to me.”

The mini-treant smiled cheerfully. It was quite a shocking thing to hear, and it gave me a lot to think about. In order to do this, I needed his cooperation, so I asked him.

“Are you going back to the forest after you get settled?”

“What? No, big brother and sister are kind and the garden is big, so if it’s okay with big brother, I’d like to stay here. It seems Chelle-chan will come and visit too. “

“I see. Then can you do me a favor?”

“Yeah, sure!”

“Think about it a little. If you’re going to stay here, can you convince the Treants when you meet them, if there’s a story behind the Treant fiasco that’s still going on? Maybe you can help the Treants by distinguishing them from this guy called Qliphoth.”

When I said that, the mini-treant’s face lit up and he rested his head on my stomach.

“Ehehe, as I thought, big brother is so kind. Yeah, I’ll help you!”

“I wonder if this is what it would be like if I had a little brother,” I thought as I patted Mini-Trent’s head.

“Er, It’s hard to tell the difference between a Qliphoth and a Treant, but you can tell them apart. The trunk of a Treant is light brown, while the trunk of the Qliphoth is dark brown. I think the leaves of the Qliphoth are darker too.”

“Heh, I see.”

“Ehehe, I wonder if I am being helpful.”

I laugh at the mini-treant who says that the leaves are darker on the Qliphoth, and I pat him on the head again. I suddenly wondered how Aina was doing.

I can’t stop thinking about it.

“I’ll tell Makina and the others about it. I’m counting on you from now on.”

“Yay! Thank you! I’ll try my best to say “Welcome home” too!”

“Ahhhh, there’s that too! I’m going to try it starting tomorrow.”

…… Anyway, the difference between the Treants and Qliphoths is a story of considerable academic value. Should I tell Basleigh-sensei about it?

“Oh, somehow, my vision is ……”

“I wonder if you’re waking up? I can’t talk, so it’ll be lonely, but it’s nice to meet you, Lars-oniichan! Let me see what’s in your bag–“

“Nn ……”

“Oh, yeah, I want you to name me! Then–“

My eyelids are getting heavier and heavier, and I’m drifting in and out of consciousness. The mini-treant is still talking, but I can’t hear all of it, and I fall asleep again.

It’s like they’re living in separate places ……

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Qliphoth …… the evil tree. I think I’m starting to see it?”

Well, it’s just a test case, and it’s a natural monster, so it might not be too deep? But ……

“There’s always something to do.”