I said never to see you again, but… No, just because I’m going doesn’t mean I’ll definitely meet them.

“We need to check whether artificial modification is an openly happening thing in that terrarium, or if the alchemy tower is carrying it out secretively on its own. Regardless, it’s forbidden, so I think we should also find a way to stop the practice. There should be a price to pay for the act too.”

Mesquite spoke with a serious face. Hearing that reminds me of a secret organization from some animation. Could it be that by obtaining Wolfsbane, I’ve gotten involved in some huge secret? If I’m found out, will I end up becoming a child…?

By the way, what’s with the turnover form? Wolfsbane possesses almost all the traits a dryad can have except the defensive type, but the offensive type had a lock icon on it. It seems only the recovery type and support type are currently activated.

Well, I suppose it would be overpowered for a single dryad to have three or more traits. Even our special Mesquite only has two traits. But can this be toggled on and off like a switch? How do you do it?

I pressed close to Wolfsbane, whose face was flushed red as if he’d just come out of a hot bath and soaked leisurely. I examined the child, who came up to my chest, and while he flinched, he didn’t avoid me. This is a huge improvement from the beginning. He did really well not crying.

“What do I need to do to switch back to offensive type?”

At my question, the child’s eyes went wide. Judging by his expression, he had no idea what I was talking about. Starting with “You’re in recovery type now, like an Elder,” I tried to explain the traits, but the child seemed completely lost.

“Like earlier, when you shot those moth-like lights and poison, how do I use those attacks?”

Then she suddenly whimpered, “I’m sorry.” She said she was sorry for not knowing. She just said sorry for everything. So, she can’t switch modes on her own? No, there’s no need to cry. Why is she crying again.

I’m an only child, but is this what it’s like when you get a little brother? Even with the grand title of the King of Poisons, she acts like a herbivore at the bottom of the food chain.

As I tried to pat her cowering head, I noticed the staff fragment of Dandelion that Daisy had brutally inserted.

An item that awakens another power. If Wolfsbane didn’t consciously change his mode and doesn’t even know the method… The possibility is that this item, which suddenly crashed down on his crown, might be the switch, right…?

I pulled out the staff fragment.

And… I had to cover both ears because of Wolfsbane, who was wailing like a newborn baby. It was an incredible volume. Moth-like light swarms poofed into existence around him like in battle. Argh, this isn’t some kind of regulator!

I jammed the staff fragment back into the hood, and she finally stopped crying.

I’m already exhausted. I think I need to reconsider using this child in offensive type.

Look carefully. This is the safety pin of a grenade. If you pull it, it explodes. What explodes? The kid’s crying fit…

“My eardrums nearly burst. Why are you crying, why!”

But in that brief moment, I confirmed it. When I pulled out the staff fragment, the lock icon moved from offensive type to recovery type.

Although Wolfsbane stopped crying as soon as the staff piece was inserted, his voice still quivered with lingering emotion as he sobbed, “When I’m left alone, the memories come back…” I had gotten a good Dryad with a debuff, but it was clear that if he couldn’t overcome this trauma, he’d be useless. What a predicament.

“It’s probably a problem with intimacy.”

The frowning Elder replied. It seemed even his pretty face couldn’t withstand the emergency-siren-level wailing.

“Because I formed a soul connection with you when my traits changed, in this state, I feel deep stability from you, but…”

Elder mimicked pulling out the staff piece from atop Wolfsbane’s head with her free hand.

“The opposite state is still the same as when she was left alone here.”

“Right, intimacy! When I first pulled you out, the guide said something similar. What happened with you, through the diamond? Could the same thing happen to this kid?”

It’s been a while since I last heard about intimacy. When I bloomed Elder and the guide mentioned it, my mind nearly went blank. For a Dryad with high self-esteem, Elder’s approach was remarkably straightforward.

Do you, too, like a rich owner? Should I try appealing with some diamonds?

“My master, Jae. Intimacy is like how well a Dryad’s roots have settled into Jae’s soul. Some Dryads are a good match from the start, while others recoil at unfamiliar environments. When moving from the World Tree, the optimal environment, to a smaller one, Dryads seeing the world for the first time—like Elder here—especially feel a sense of alienation. They instinctively become scared.”

“I wasn’t scared. At that time, I just wasn’t satisfied. Because I wanted a wealthy druid. Back then, Jae was pretty shabby…”

She trailed off and glanced at me. What? Why?

“Anyway, not now.”

“I hope this kid is as snobbish a Dryad as Elder.”

“I’m not snobbish. I just… ah, forget it.”

Elder turned his head away sharply, as if recalling the memory of our first meeting. Whether he was embarrassed by that memory or it meant something else, only he would know. Judging by Mesquite’s expression as she gazed at Elder steadily, it seemed like the former.

“This sapling is still young, so she seems to see her current self and her opposite-trait self as different entities. From what I can see, she’s a Dryad who doesn’t even know herself well. She’s not a Dryad raised under normal circumstances. Nor did she gather with fellow Dryads to form a forest. If she had learned social skills growing from the soil, or formed a forest with other Dryads, they could have compensated for her shortcomings. This kid failed on both sides.”

“I’ve ended up with a troublesome task. Since I’ve already made the soul connection, I can’t reverse it. It’s a situation where you’ll have to teach her everything from scratch.”

Elder said in a scolding tone.

“Once you grow up, the sapling child will overcome the sense of alienation they feel, Jae. Don’t worry too much.”

Yeah, all the dryads I’ve had so far have been blindly kind to me. This child is my trial, a challenge I must overcome. I have to train myself, not knowing what kind of dryad will come to me next. I can do it! With love! With affection!

“Let’s see….”

I gently grabbed the long hood of the child named Wolfsbane and lifted it. Above their fluffy, soft indigo hair, a staff fragment resembling the underside of a dandelion seed floated in midair.

Startled by the crying, I had thrust it down with force, but luckily it wasn’t pierced in a terrible way. It automatically stops when it gets close enough. A faint golden light swirled around where the staff fragment touched the child’s head. Daisy was sticking close to me, watching what I was doing.

I grabbed the staff fragment and carefully lifted it, creating a spot where the golden light was almost fading. The conclusion is that this thing, which could be pulled out with just a little effort… I have to be careful not to touch it until the child is ready.

“Daisy, what should I do? Come to think of it, I wasn’t even worried about our closeness with you, Daisy. Or with Mesquite either.”

“It’ll be fine soon! The druid is a good person, so that child will realize it soon too! That there’s nothing to worry about when they’re with the druid!”

Daisy smiled brightly and answered without a moment’s hesitation, as if it were a prepared response. My hand instinctively went to Daisy’s fine, red hair.

I was stroking their head, filled with the overwhelming affection Daisy was sending me, when the child smiled cheerfully and then swished their gaze to Wolfsbane. That smile was directed warmly at the indigo child.

It felt like they were asking, ‘Right? That’s how it has to be, isn’t it?’ It’s not a threat delivered with a smile, is it…?

Wolfsbane instinctively shrank back, then glanced at me and straightened their shoulders. They rolled their eyes diligently, looking at Daisy’s head and my hand resting on it. Watching a small hand they had slightly raised hover near their own head… I felt an indescribable cuteness, and my heart nearly stopped.

I guess I’m weak to small creatures… Hah, that’s envious of Daisy, right?

Mesquite subtly whispered that it seemed they had taken the similarly-sized Daisy as a role model. They also said it was a good sign.

Sapling dryads instinctively take stronger or larger mature dryads as role models to grow, so seeing that behavior, it seemed the child would soon find their identity as a dryad.

“Moreover, the sight of her envying how Daisy receives Jae’s favor gives me a faint sense of reverence for the little world tree. I was worried that even after the soul connection, the little world tree might not recognize it…”

“What if it didn’t recognize it…?”

“It seems what that seedling needs most is Jae’s praise. Try doing for it what you do for Daisy when it does something right. You’ll see a response soon.”

As if to lighten the shifted mood, Mesquite added. For the record, Elder grew up being hit… Daisy grows by watching Mesquite, and Wolfsbane grows by watching Daisy. Feeling proud of that flow, I newly realized how lucky I was to have met these Dryads.

“My master, Jae. Are all the things you wanted to confirm finished? You said you wanted to see what’s on the way to the 29th terrarium. Are we going back to the terrarium with the other Daisy now, or will you visit the 29th terrarium?”

“Yeah, I confirmed it. There’s no way anyone else could pass through this place where cowardly Wolfsbane launches indiscriminate attacks. I promised that Daisy, so let’s hurry back. I’m curious about the 29th terrarium too, but I have too many other things to deal with now.”

At the words ‘indiscriminate attacks,’ the child flinched again, so I placed my hand on its head. This action seemed to calm it down a lot, as it looked at me with clear eyes, dazed.

“Still, leaving this place as it is doesn’t feel right. The swamp is all churned up, sticky mud everywhere, and there’s a foul smell of stagnant water. And a rotten wood smell too.”

“It’s true that this place is even hard for Dryads whose natural habitat is swamps to live in.”

Elder said, pointing to clumps of vines hanging like leeches.

“There is a way. It’s not a very agreeable one, though…”

Mesquite’s suggestion was to use fire. To burn the dead things thoroughly and let the land breathe again.

Near the entrance where we came in, the fire seeds seemed to have dried up, so we passed straight through the swamp and headed toward the opposite side.