While Marguerite had a poor relationship with the elder, he seemed to have some fondness for Daisy.

Ignoring the elder, who was shouting at his about what to do, Marguerite looked at Daisy and smiled brightly.

“There’s one who looks just like me, so people and even the dryads sometimes mix us up, and her name also has ‘Daisy’ in it. She’s really kind. When I ran away because I didn’t want to train, she pretended to be me until I got caught.”

Even flowers do proxy attendance? With so few girls in my department, I haven’t even done a proxy attendance, and you’ve done it?

She’s kind because she did proxy attendance… From what others say, Marguerite is a young flower that recently became a tree, and she’s been a sharp-minded flower since she was little.

“That Daisy is kind too, so you must also be a kind flower. I haven’t met all the Daisies, but Daisies are all kind. You’re kind too! I like you! Since you’re my flower of truth, you’re a kind flower too!”

Looking at our red Daisies, I can’t refute the claim that all Daisies are kind, but recalling the white Daisy I met at the alchemy tower raises a slight doubt. What was that white Daisy, who had no respect at all for druids? Was it a modified dryad like the black dryads?

“The elder is also my flower.”

Although the first dryad I met was Daisy, I didn’t bother to mention that the dryad with whom I first formed a soul connection was Elder. It felt like a second round between Marguerite and Elder was about to begin.

Seeing the two white cat-like flowers bickering made it feel like I was watching the initial stages of introducing cats. I couldn’t keep cats due to my parents’ opposition, but according to the information I looked up because I really wanted one, you’re supposed to isolate them before introduction…

Marguerite pretended not to hear me.

I saw Marguerite chattering as she lightly circled around Daisy, and Elder, glaring at Marguerite as if to kill her, clutching her staff with trembling hands. Should I really separate the two?

“But how could you be born by specifying a branch? You said you harassed the World Tree. Is there even a dryad who can harass the World Tree in the first place?”

At my words, Zephyr nodded vigorously, then furrowed his brow as he looked at Marguerite. His expression said he had seen all sorts of strange flowers. Even though Marguerite is a bit of an unusual dryad, the burr he carries around is no pushover either.

“When I became able to feel my truth, I pestered them to send me to one of the two branches belonging to the truth’s soul. I said that if they didn’t send me, I would keep prophesying world peace until they did.”

“Prophecy world peace?”

“Yeah! But as you just saw, my prophecy accuracy is so low that the chance of a backlash is much higher…”

So she was aware that her prophetic ability wasn’t good. But to threaten the World Tree with that. If the prophecy of world peace fails and causes a backlash… doesn’t that mean the world will be filled with conflict?

“Are you crazy? Are you saying you cursed the world to perish just to get out into it?”

“Just to get out! My goal wasn’t to get out into the world, I wanted to meet my truth!”

Elder scolded Marguerite in an incredulous voice. At her reckless actions, everyone except Elder was at a loss for words as they looked at him.

“But… of course! Would I really want to destroy the world where my truth is? That was just talk, just talk. Anyway, I’m not strong enough to bring about destruction. Ah, Elder, with your level, you could probably wish for my destruction. How about this, should I give you a prophecy that you’ll grow up big and strong for your entire life?”

“You low-grade rarity… no, you tiny thing that wouldn’t even amount to half a stem of mine!”

Elder vented his frustration at Marguerite as much as when I was recklessly using diamonds. It was cute how Marguerite didn’t yield a single word and kept teasing Elder at every opportunity. I grew up as an only child, so I don’t really know, but I wondered if real siblings were like that.

“Anyway, I kept nagging that if I train hard inside the World Tree, I’ll get stronger, and as I get stronger, the power of prophecy will grow too, and what if I accidentally prophesy the end of the world in my sleep? I said we’d be in real trouble if I don’t meet a druid who can control me as soon as possible. In the end, they sent me to the 28th branch. After all, they had to select a dryad to announce the beginning of life on the 28th branch anyway.”

“Dryads don’t need to sleep, so what sleep-talking?”

“I will sleep for your sake. I’ll keep saying in my sleep that Elder Flower’s beauty will never wither. Since you’ve been blabbing everywhere that I’m the most beautiful flower, if that belief of yours disappears, do you think our Truth will keep dragging me around?”

In the end, it wasn’t that the World Tree sent Marguerite for me, but rather that as it was about to bear fruit to announce the full recovery of the 28th branch, Marguerite was selected.

Then, if it rots away undiscovered, it would return to the World Tree’s embrace… To prevent another commotion, Flora…?

“Elder’s face is off-limits.”

The words came out without hesitation. Even as a joke, our Elder’s face is not allowed.

Of course, our Elder is an incredibly skilled healer, but his face is also incredibly skilled, you know. That face is the joy of my life, so you can’t mess with the face.

Elder looked slightly shocked at my immediate answer, but quickly recovered and raised his nose at Marguerite as if to show off.

He looked satisfied at Marguerite’s annoyed expression, then came close to me and pulled my shoulder into a hug. Then, in a very small voice only I could hear, he muttered.

“But… if I really become an ugly flower, will you throw me away…? Am I just a pretty-faced flower to you?”

“Just a pretty-faced flower? You’re beautiful in your very existence. You’re so outstanding that if Marguerite wanted to ruin you with a prophecy, wouldn’t she have to become stronger than a Mesquite? Even with a failed prophecy, your beauty couldn’t possibly lose its luster. And I’ll never throw away my dryad.”

Elder hesitated, as if not entirely satisfied with the answer, but soon broke into a radiant smile. With that smile, it seemed like a halo appeared behind him. He sparkled so brightly, as if he alone had a reflector with a spotlight shining on him.

“Jae has never complimented any other flower like that. I’m the only dryad who can meet Jae’s aesthetic standards. What are you good at? You can’t even get prophecies right.”

Elder snorted and bragged to Marguerite.

“Th-that’s too much!”

Marguerite clenched her fist and gnashed her teeth before quickly calming down. Then, resting her face on the back of her hand, she hopped in front of me as if to show off.

“See how adorable a flower I am? My Truth, please say so. I am truly a lovely flower. I’ll listen well to Truth and train hard. I’ll become the strongest Marguerite flower in the world. Not a flower full of hot air like that one, but a beautiful flower that proves itself through actions.”

“You mean you brought a similar-looking flower because you didn’t want to train?”

“Oh, my Truth, even flowers can wander sometimes! That’s just the folly of being a seedling! How many flowers bloom late because they dawdle? Forget the past and cherish me more—I have a bright future ahead.”

Feeling like I’d be hassled by Elder and Marguerite all day if I left them be, I called out to Mesquite for help.

“In that case, you shouldn’t slack off on training starting now.”

Mesquite strode over to me and suddenly scooped up Marguerite and Daisy, wrapping an arm around each of their waists.

Daisy, having sensed it in advance, stamped her foot with a loud thud and buried her ankle deep in the ground, refusing to be dragged away by Mesquite, who had used only light force.

Marguerite, on the other hand, dangled limply from Mesquite. Her legs could be seen kicking as if swimming inside the green-boned dress.

“Truth, save me! When Mesquite says she’ll train you, it’s really scary! I want to stay by my Truth’s side, whom I just met!”

Like a cat being dragged to a bath, Marguerite thrashed wildly, but Mesquite remained firm and didn’t budge.

The whimpering voice grew distant. After all, the 28th terrarium was practically my artifact—anywhere inside, my dryads could move. Mesquite seemed intent on taking her far from me until she calmed down, striding out of the orchard.

Judging by Flora’s Marguerite, it doesn’t seem like all Marguerites have the same personality.

Someone tugged at my collar. It was our Daisy, smiling brightly.

“Jae, I’ll work hard too and become stronger.”

“Huh? All of a sudden? But our Daisy is always working hard.”

As if satisfied with that answer, Daisy’s fingers let go of my collar.

Our Daisy is truly adorable. Her intent might be different, but it felt like the original lovable one was keeping an eye on the position of the lovable dryad in my deck. I’m such a blessed druid.

In the end, since I ended up claiming the dryad fruit demanded as the price of the prophecy, I thought I should give Flora some other compensation.

Since, unlike the other terrariums, there’s no inn or restaurant here to fully provide for their food and lodging, I gave her a very generous handful of diamonds.

Flora expressed great regret at not being able to obtain the Marguerite, but she couldn’t close her mouth at the sight of diamonds pouring out of the box. Considering the price of the dryad fruit and that the wandering fortune-telling troupe had quite a few members, if they were to receive top-tier service at a very nice inn… I kept pouring diamonds in case it wasn’t enough, until Flora herself stopped my hand.

They said they wouldn’t stay long in our terrarium and would head straight for another one.

Before she left, Flora told me about the Marguerite.

“If the Marguerite’s petals awaken the power of myth, it will surely yearn for a single ultimate prophecy. It has to travel to many places to find that prophecy. Even I know nothing about that ultimate prophecy, and even my Marguerite doesn’t understand its meaning. There’s an urgency to pursue it, but it doesn’t know what it’s chasing. Therefore, it will never try to stay in one place. It will want to see more of the world and encounter more things. If that desire isn’t satisfied… the petals may wither.”

“Wither?”

“Yes… stress can build up into illness, and it might eventually return to the embrace of the World Tree. A Marguerite, as a prophet for all, is that kind of flower. When the time comes someday, ask the Marguerite directly about the myth. Perhaps the true Little World Tree, Jae, might get hints about the ultimate prophecy through the myth.”

So I have to keep adventuring to prevent my Marguerite from getting sick. Is there even a flower with such a wandering spirit?

Flora, who gave me important advice about the Marguerite, prepared her carriage and left the terrarium before it got dark.