35. The Oak Tree
Why is she reacting like that all of a sudden?
At Irina’s surprised expression, Han too focused his gaze on the small object she had picked up.
It was too small to see clearly.
After enlarging it several times, only when his gaze was directed towards the objects almost resting on her hand could he discern what they were.
“Huh? Could this be…?”
Han’s eyes widened.
Encased in a chubby shell, it was nothing other than the fruit of a tree.
A shape covered by a cap-like lid.
It was a presence that existed in his world too.
Unless he was mistaken, this is…
“These are acorns, right?”
It wasn’t just a few; there were enough to fill one’s hands to the brim.
One, two, three, four… No, the count was uncountable.
How many are there, really?
[The exact number is 12.]
…I didn’t ask you, system.
Just saying.
Irina cradled the precious spoils she had acquired in her arms.
It was a harvest of very rare things imbued with new life.
***
By the time she returned to the square, it was already late.
Irina laid out the things she had brought one by one on the ground.
There were various types.
Of course, most of them were already broken branches and completely withered, but to the young elves, they held a different shape.
“Wow….”
Everyone’s gaze was drawn to that spot as if enchanted.
“You brought all of this?”
“The gods helped me. It wasn’t that difficult thanks to them.”
To the untrained eye, they seemed like a random assortment of things.
But they were originally forest elves. Their values and perspectives differed from the rest of the world.
Perhaps these items might one day help revive the World Tree.
Of course, in reality, they were just acorns.
Yumina blinked absentmindedly.
As if sensing something, she soon exclaimed in surprise.
“I can feel life here.”
“Is that so?”
Irina laughed.
“As sharp as ever. You have the best senses among us.”
Yumina might not have been as robust as Zion, but she had a keen sense.
Or more accurately, she was sensitive to mana.
That’s why she seemed to know that the acorns were alive.
Excited, Zion shouted.
“Let’s plant them quickly, Nuna!”
“Alright.”
They chose an empty spot in the square and planted the seeds there.
Soon enough.
With a crack, a small sprout emerged through the soil.
It swiftly grew into a thick stem, surpassing their height in no time, transforming into a towering tree unlike any they had seen before.
“Wow….”
The elves were staring blankly at the trees.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, acorns started forming on the trees.
They were exactly like the ones they had just planted.
Swoosh!
The rapidly growing acorns soon bent their heads, growing and forming like rain, falling down upon their heads with a sound as intense as a summer storm.
Acorns piled up like a mountain.
Smiling, Irina picked one up and said, “Let’s plant these all over the square.”
***
Many changes came to the elves’ square.
Trees of various sizes filled the space.
Acorn trees sprouted everywhere, intertwining and densely occupying the area.
“Now, it truly looks like a complete ‘forest.'”
No, it might have already been completed.
Could one find traces of the past here?
Countless trees now stood in the square, so many that it was impossible to find the emptiness of the past.
This place had become a forest.
Irina climbed one of the tallest trees.
Perched on its long branches, she looked around at the changes.
The lush bushes and trees that had grown.
The changes that had occurred here were truly dramatic.
More changes were expected to come to this place.
According to the system, there were even giant trees here surpassing human imagination, possibly as vast as the buildings on Earth where modern humans lived.
One hoped that such things would grow anew in this square.
The potential for change existed at any moment.
Beneath this harsh, icy land lay countless artifacts of the past, their variety immeasurable.
The elves had the enthusiasm and drive to improve even further, as did their deity.
By joining forces and striving together, the square was destined for even more vibrant changes.
“Thank you always, O God.”
Irina and the two young elves, looking around slowly.
They prayed together to their deity.
[The elves’ devout prayer has reached you.]
[The offering transmission begins.]
[Please accept their hearts.]
Pop!
In an instant, with a warm golden glow.
Something appeared on Han’s hand with a soft thud.
The tribute they had sent was none other than the acorn they had planted in the ground.
“Oh…”
At the appearance of the tribute, he raised an eyebrow.
At that moment, he wondered what power this acorn might possess.
Rustle-!
“…?”
Suddenly, the acorn in his hand began to tremble and vibrate.
Before he could recover from his surprise at this sudden change, a crack sounded!
And from that crevice, a small seedling sprouted, swiftly growing into a long stem, curling around his hand and swelling to a formidable size.
“What, what is this?”
In his confusion, he almost dropped the acorn.
Such a change was beyond unexpected.
From Noble mtl dot com
[The plants of the Frey planet grow by feeding on your divine power.]
It was the system’s response, as if anticipating his bewilderment.
“Even so, if it sprouts from my hand, what am I supposed to do?!”
[We recommend moving quickly to a stable environment for growth.]
“Dirt! Where’s dirt?!”
Startled, he hurriedly looked around.
Nowhere. Nowhere!
No soil in sight!
With the acorn tree that had started sprouting in his hand, he dashed around the house frantically.
“Ah… a flowerpot!”
From the living room to the kitchen, and even the bedroom, he searched until he remembered his mother’s flowerpot.
It was the only thing in the house that contained soil.
As soon as he transferred the acorn to the flowerpot, it rapidly swelled in size and started growing.
“Phew.”
Finally, he let out a relieved sigh.
It was fortunate that there was an unused flowerpot available.
His heart pounded unexpectedly in this bizarre situation.
“…I never dreamt it would grow from my hand.”
It used to be a flowerpot his mother cherished.
Now, it only held a bit of soil without any plant, but still, he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it, and now, that decision seemed to have turned into a blessing in disguise.
“What should I do with that?”
The acorn. No, by now, it was already in the midst of growing into a tree.
Though not as rapid as initially, it continued to grow steadily, with a faint rustling noise accompanying its progress.
Suddenly, a sinister thought crossed his mind.
“That… surely it won’t grow to the extent of breaking through the ceiling, will it?”
Even though the pace had slowed, fundamentally, it was a tree now.
The acorns in the tall oak tree never grew small.
At times, they would grow tall enough, easily surpassing 20 to 30 meters.
But there seemed to be some concern.
[That’s not the case. All plants originating from the planet Frey will follow you, an Elven race. If you do not desire it, the plants will hesitate to act against your will. The same goes for their growth. Unless it’s an exceptional circumstance, that is.]
…Unless it’s exceptional…?
The words left behind by the system seemed peculiar to just brush off.
“What exactly constitutes an exceptional circumstance? Regardless, such situations do exist in the end, don’t they?”
[……]
The system remained silent to his inquiry.
Could this be due to a matter of fairness as well?
It was hard to tell.
***
Han lifted a watering can.
Following the trickling stream of water, a small oak tree planted in a pot swayed its body.
It seemed to be moving as if trying to absorb more water.
“Alright. Drink up.”
Had it heard Han’s words?
The oak tree nodded its leaves up and down as if nodding its head.
In any case, the commotion came to a close like this.
As it turned out, it stopped growing at this small size.
It was no larger than a palm’s span.
It ended up as a vague result of something that seemed to have grown.
“Of course, it’s better than being huge… Still, it’s somewhat ambiguous.”
At least it was fortunate that its growth had ceased.
At least it didn’t become a giant tree.
Otherwise, there might have been a hole in the ceiling of the house in no time.
But there was still an unresolved issue.
“I… It’s a bit awkward to keep it inside the house.”
Han muttered, shaking a branch and looking at the oak tree following the watering can.
“What are you up to?”
Watching the little tree, he was reminded of a rock-type Pokémon he had seen before.
The actions and feeling were just like that.
Anyway.
Given its origin as an oak tree, once it started growing, it was bound to get really big.
It was fortunate that the system’s assurance that it wouldn’t grow any further for the time being was a relief.
When it did grow, it would cause quite a stir.
“But I can’t leave it outside either. What if someone tries to steal it?”
A shudder.
Was it a mistaken impression?
He felt as if the tree branch had wriggled once.
The creature was moving, bending even the tree trunk.
It was clearly not an ordinary plant at first glance.
It was a bit peculiar.
The tree in the square where he had seen the elves was not like this.
Only this creature was extremely strange.
Leaving it in the yard due to its growth uncertainty would undoubtedly attract thieves.
No, perhaps even hunters or the authorities might take an interest.
It was by no means an exaggeration.
It was a modern world where strange phenomena and beings coexisted.
Whenever an incomprehensible phenomenon occurred among ordinary people, it was the duty of the members of the Hunter Association to intervene as if they were waiting for it.
Just the fact that he had purchased this refrigerator immediately raised suspicions.
Upon reflection, wasn’t this also one of the phenomena of the supernatural?
He awakened through this.
When rumors spread of something strange happening in the neighborhood, unseen foreigners would flock in, and even thieves would appear crossing the fence at night; although such occurrences were now becoming less common.
Thinking carefully about these points, it seemed that there was no place to leave this creature other than outside the house.
Though a bit uneasy.