“Easy now. Are you trying to turn the whole village upside down?”

As I staggered, Elder firmly grabbed my arm to steady me. Unlike me, who couldn’t find balance, Elder seemed completely unfazed.

“Given the day, there are an awful lot of dryads in this village. Daisies and their type have weak energy, so they’re easily overshadowed. But trust me. I, Jae, will never disappoint you.”

The ground heaved once more with a massive wave. Elder clicked their tongue, tucked the staff under their arm, and scooped me up in one swift motion.

“W-What the heck!”

“Mesquite’s earthquake is strongest near its source, so it’s intense. If you’re not careful, you’ll get caught in it. Normally, I’d never use it near you, but since I’m here, she went ahead with it. My roots run deep, so I’m immune to earthquakes.”

Even though I must have been quite heavy, Elder showed no signs of strain. I just let everything go and prayed that Mesquite would find Daisy.

After rummaging through the ground for a while, Mesquite finally gave me the answer I’d been hoping for.

“Found it. I haven’t pinpointed the exact location, but I’ve found a likely area. There are a lot of footprints.”

As the earthquake subsided, Elder’s grip loosened, and I hopped down. I ran over to Mesquite and urged her on.

“It’s not just Daisy… there’s an abnormally large amount of information on other dryads too. Maybe… the dryad you’re looking for, Jae, seems to be in a bad situation.”

Based on my rough map, Mesquite pointed out where Daisy’s energy could be felt.

She couldn’t pinpoint a single spot, but considering the direction she suggested and the location of the hall, there was one highly probable place.

Daisy’s in danger? What on earth is happening… I hope Mesquite is mistaken.

I ran with the dryads toward the suspicious spot. But my stamina was pathetic, so I kept falling behind and becoming a burden. Cursing my trashy physique built from smoking and lack of exercise, I gritted my teeth and kept running. Mesquite, wearing heavy armor and carrying a shield and lance, showed no signs of fatigue.

“The destination is around here, but it’s too vast. Should I root myself once more?”

“The buildings are too densely packed. Another earthquake here would be dangerous.”

Mesquite looked around and raised her lance. But Elder, shifting his staff back and forth, stopped him.

I felt like I was going to throw up after sprinting for the first time in so long. As I leaned against a wall, gasping for breath, I sensed a commotion beyond it. Still lightheaded from my heavy breathing, I gestured to Elder and Mesquite. A racket can be heard over there.

Mesquite leaped lightly onto the wall. She looked down and frowned.

“My master, Jae. You said you were looking for Red Daisy, right?”

As if Mesquite’s words were a signal, Elder wrapped one arm around my waist.

“Hey… no. Let me get over on my own. Please.”

“It’d take forever with you. It’s high, you won’t make it.”

I already felt like I was dying, but when Elder jumped up and pressed against my stomach, it got even worse. I thought I’d suffocate. Elder climbed onto the wall and stood lightly beside Mesquite. Fearful of falling, I threatened Elder that I wouldn’t let him off if he let go of his arms.

Below the wall, three men and their dryads were gathered in a circle around something. The dryads’ large bodies blocked the view of whatever was in the center, which was frustrating.

Determined to fall together if I fell, I clung tightly to Elder and moved around. What’s in there? Don’t tell me it’s Daisy?

“Oh my. Why is a young sapling here? The World Tree never sends young saplings out of its embrace.”

“What? Are you connected to a wild dryad? But the environment here isn’t suitable for a dryad to naturally emerge.”

“The dryad I’m looking for… is one that was forcibly turned wild.”

Understanding my meaning, Mesquite’s expression turned extremely sharp. Though her anger wasn’t directed at me, I still felt a bit intimidated by her aura.

“So the bond was severed forcefully by the druid’s side, not by mutual consent.”

Mesquite said the same thing as the innkeeper.

“Normally, when severing the soul bond, a small fragment of the master’s soul should be given so the dryad can sustain itself at least minimally before returning to the World Tree. That soul fragment acts like a kind of endosperm for the plants. But that dryad didn’t go through that process, so it lost power, became corrupted, and ended up as a sapling. From its size, it seems the soul was severed long ago. If it gets any smaller in that state, it’ll eventually return to the World Tree’s embrace. That means the dryad’s spiritual death.”

Elder flinched and trembled. The two of us had once talked about materials related to him in the orchard before.

“Surely Daisy isn’t over there?”

Mesquite spoke as if she knew everything about Daisy. She was looking at the center of the crowded area. I felt urgent.

Can I jump down from here? Will my legs break? While I was pondering, Elder grabbed me and leaped down with a thud. Instead of my legs, I thought my waist would break.

Then Mesquite jumped down too. With her large build and heavy armor, a loud thud echoed. The gathered people all turned to look here.

“Ah! It’s you!”

A familiar face shouted when it saw me.

“Isn’t that the guy who was spouting superstition in the orchard?”

“Should I kill him for you?”

Elder, sensing my blatant hostility, pointed at him with his staff and asked. But aren’t you supposed to be a healer, always talking about killing? If Mesquite said that, I’d understand.

“Move aside. I need to check something.”

I waved my hand at the rude man as if shooing a fly and headed to where Daisy was. But a dryad blocked my path with a huge fan-like leaf.

Whoosh…!

Suddenly, I heard a massive gust of wind by my ear. A giant lance shot from behind me and pierced the leaf blocking my way. Then the leaf exploded as if hit by a bomb. A chill ran down my spine, and I swallowed hard.

“No one can block my master, Jae’s path. Step aside.”

None of the dryads gathered here could match Mesquite’s presence and intimidating aura. I saw each of them guarding their masters and stepping back. After everyone moved aside, what finally appeared was… Daisy, lying collapsed in a dying state.

I almost screamed. I ran forward as if rolling and hugged Daisy. There wasn’t a single spot on her that was intact. Her bright red hair and the clothes she wore were all stained with dirt and dust.

“El… Elder…”

I couldn’t even speak properly. Fortunately, Elder immediately understood my intention and came to my side, lowering himself. Elder pressed his glowing hand to Daisy’s forehead.

“Since we are not dryads connected by soul, this dryad cannot fully absorb my healing energy. Moreover, this Daisy species has no bond with me, making it even harder. The speed of her body and mind collapsing is too fast compared to the recovery.”

That meant even Elder couldn’t completely heal Daisy. Daisy, why are you in such a state…?

“Daisy… Daisy! Please come to your senses. Please.”

“Tch, I lost some good fertilizer.”

My head reflexively turned. The rude man who had spat out those words was hiding behind his dryad, protected by it, clicking his tongue as he looked at me.

“I thought you were alone, so I tried to use you as fertilizer. But look, that’s not even your dryad! You’re a noble with plenty of diamonds, so why not just curb your greed and go on your way? If you hand over the brat now, I’ll let you go without spilling any blood.”

What the hell is that bastard babbling about? My teeth ground in frustration. A genuine murderous intent flared up, wanting to kill him for real.

“Don’t tell me you’re the one who made Daisy like this?”

“Is the source of your anger that disgusting brat? Do you hate that bastard? Want me to kill him?”

The tip of the staff Elder held pointed toward where I was looking. Clank—I heard the sound of Mesquite’s metal armor as she stood beside me. Mesquite’s lance scraped the ground noisily.

“My master, Jae. Originally, us dryads are like brothers born together from the World Tree, and we don’t attack each other, coveting one another’s lives. The same goes for druids, who are like small World Trees in their very existence. But I feel an utterly desperate rage emanating from you, shaking your entire body. If you wish, I too am willing to become your rage, break the unwritten rules, and point the tip of my lance toward them.”

The lance that had been dragging on the ground was aimed at the man I was glaring at. My two dryads looked as if they would leap out at any moment at my command.

A tense atmosphere spread among everyone. Amidst it, I faintly felt Daisy’s breath and tightened my arms around her. This small, fragile child… and that despicable bastard who did this…

“Is that the woman who insulted the boss? Didn’t you say it would be easy since she only has a red-haired dryad? But isn’t that wrong?”

“Look at the dryads beside her! Don’t they all seem high-ranked?”

“Shut up! One of them is a recovery type and the other is a defense type anyway. Didn’t you just pull a rare grade today? If our dryads all swarm in, we’ll have the advantage!”

But I could tell their words were wrong from the mood of the dryads. Elder snorted, and the opponents’ dryads had uneasy looks in their eyes.

Did Daisy end up like this because of revenge against me? Did they mistake her for my dryad and turn her into this horrifying state? Because of me?

“…Druid?”

The atmosphere, like standing on thin ice, was broken by a small, weak voice. Daisy’s eyes, which had been shut as if dead, opened.