Lately, I haven’t been able to eat proper food, and I’ve been craving anything edible that I can chew, but even so, this isn’t something you eat.
I’ve eaten bugs before. In the past, when there was no other choice, I did eat them. But even then, it was out of necessity to survive—not because I enjoyed it.
Above all else, this mint smell. I don’t know why they put such a thing in baked goods, but even without it, the sight of the grub’s legs poking out of the pie’s surface is already disgusting enough. The smell itself seemed to be telling me not to eat it.
“…I’m not eating this. I’d rather starve. Ugh, just looking at it makes my stomach turn… Is there any leftover dishware? I’m starting to crave iron.”
“Yours… I ate it all a few days ago. Do you want some of mine…? If you don’t, I’ll give you my plate.”
It’s fine if there’s no extra dishware, but without a plate, things would get complicated. After receiving Myungho’s utensils, I hesitantly nibbled on them.
Around a week ago, since entering this jungle, the ground has been completely overtaken by tree roots, leaving us unable to access the veins of ore beneath. As a last resort, we resorted to eating iron-infused utensils to survive, but I’ve already finished mine.
But this means I’m eating something that was destined for Myungho’s mouth, doesn’t it? Despite this thought crossing my mind, since it’s already been cleaned, I didn’t see much point in worrying about it.
Besides, I’m in no position to be picky anyway. Though it felt a little awkward, when my fingernails started hurting, I decided it didn’t matter anymore. Taking a large bite, I watched as Yuna ate it too.
…She’s managing to eat it somehow. Yuna mentioned she never expected such kindness from the elves while eating, and Akashi was calmly munching on some unknown fruit he had found somewhere.
“…Where did you get that?”
“It’s something I secretly stashed away to eat just for myself. I don’t plan to share.”
What an annoying guy. Still, his words seemed genuine; nothing more appeared or happened that would suggest otherwise. I thought about rummaging through his belongings, but then reconsidered—there’s no need to stoop that low among comrades.
“…Alright. That’s fine. Myungho, so today… are we heading to where the Great Worm is?”
“Yeah, right? Depending on the distance, it’ll either be today or tomorrow.”
“And Yuna will likely find clues or answers about her parents’ whereabouts.”
“…Yeah. Why do you suddenly ask? There’s no need to confirm again, right?”
It’s not particularly important, but I still wanted to know. What does this fool seek that drives him to adventure? Recognition back home? Or perhaps an unmatched ability that no one else can attain? Money?
“I haven’t heard yet what you desire. Surely, you must have a purpose, right? Do you seek strength? Or money? Fame? What drove you to take up this journey of adventure?”
“Hmm… experience? Since I came from another world, I was curious about what this one would be like. Secretly, I also admired this different world. Of course, becoming stronger and earning money are good too, but mostly, I just want to explore. I wouldn’t risk my life, though.”
In a way, it’s quite fitting for him—a timid yet uninspiring wish. Nonetheless, sincerity and purity could be felt in his words. He truly desires these things.
“And you, have you ever thought about what you’ll do after your revenge is complete?”
After the revenge? That’s obvious. I glanced at the necklace that still gleamed brightly—the precious necklace given to me by Mother. The one she entrusted me with, saying it should be guarded like my own life.
After avenging Mother… after surviving, surviving, surviving, and surviving again… what comes next? Surviving, then…?
“To survive… after surviving…? To live…”
“…Alterra?”
To survive. And then? To survive… and then. To survive? To survive…
Click.
Akashi snapped his fingers right next to my ear. What was I doing just now? Oh, right. I needed to answer. For some reason, I couldn’t recall what came next.
“Ah, sorry. I got distracted. You were asking about after the revenge… I’ve never really thought about it. Probably… I’ll live quietly and peacefully somewhere. Of course, until then, I’ll continue traveling with you guys.”
“What is this, a purpose-revealing session? Haha, guess I can’t miss out either. Although I’ve never told that Hero guy, it’s fine now. My goal is world destruction.”
Akashi suddenly interrupted our conversation with nonsense. Everyone fell silent and stared at him. Even Mari looked over.
“…Oops, I left out a word. Precisely, it was. Now, I merely drift around like a jellyfish riding the currents. No need to worry.”
Myungho stared at him with disdain, as if he were utterly pitiful, then said it seemed like our preparations were done, so let’s go.
“…Yes! Eating that delicious pie chased all my worries away! I’m ready, let’s go!”
Was it actually delicious? Regardless, it seems Yuna has regained some motivation, which is fortunate. Whatever happens to that troublemaker, as long as she can handle it, that’s fine.
As we stepped out of the inn that had been ours alone, the tree roots forming the building quickly disassembled and returned to their original state.
For a moment, it felt like the place we were just in had never existed. Myungho then stopped an aimlessly wandering elf and asked if they had seen someone who had come with us.
At that, a branch descended from the ceiling, and an elf emerged like a fruit from its tip, gently landing on the floor.
“Were you calling me? Your purpose must be to ask the Central Consciousness, correct? Is that right?”
Stunned by the eerie yet miraculous phenomenon, Myungho soon regained his composure and confirmed it was correct. Then, the elf who had come with us asked us to wait a moment before shoving a protruding branch into their ear.
“Synchronizing. Adjusting individual parameters. Adjusting personality. Commencement of descent procedure… Greetings, benefactors who protected me from the Great Hand. What would you like to know?”
The elf’s appearance and voice had changed from earlier, exuding a sense of holiness. However, Yuna approached it with indifference, asking in a trembling voice:
“My… no. My parents, what happened to them?!”
—
“Haa, even the World Tree doesn’t know. Maybe there’s no way in this world to find out about my parents’ whereabouts…”
Just moments ago, Yuna was brimming with determination, but now she was spreading despair and listlessness around her. Still, none of us could tell her to stop.
Even the World Tree said it didn’t know. Initially, she asked if any elves had visited the area near where she was discovered, but the answer was no. When she asked if any elves had taken children outside the jungle, the response was again negative.
No matter how she adjusted or removed conditions in her questioning of the World Tree, there were no clear answers. At best, it was revealed that some elves had removed internal plants using a certain method before leaving the forest, disappearing without a trace.
When it was mentioned that there might have been a baby in the womb, Yuna listened intently, ears perked, but the timeline was too far in the past to possibly involve her parents. Thus, Yuna now seemed genuinely unsure of what to do, emitting a deeply negative energy.
“Still, on the bright side, it means they might still be alive, right? It’s become clear that your parents severed contact. If we follow the clues step by step, we might eventually reach them.”
“…That’s true. Still, I wish I knew at least where they headed…”
While Yuna was feeling down, Alterra sat stiffly, staring blankly out the window. Yuna hadn’t obtained the information she wanted, but Alterra had.
When Alterra asked the World Tree if the Great Worm lived within the jungle, the World Tree questioned why she wanted to know. With a determined expression, Alterra replied that if this Great Worm was her father, she had to kill him and requested its location.
Although the World Tree couldn’t assist in the hunt, it offered to open a path for us, providing both information and a guide.
If we succeeded in killing it, it requested only 10% of the corpse in return.
An insignificant detail, but the guide turned out to be the person who saw me get infected yesterday. They seemed somewhat hairy and distinctive at first, but today they looked like any ordinary male elf.
Let’s not think too deeply about it. We don’t need to fight these people, and frankly, I don’t want to.
“…Altera.”
“Hmm.”
Even for her, she seemed tense. Alterra sat rigidly, a posture I’d never seen from her before. Thinking of easing her tension with a silly joke crossed my mind, but I abandoned the idea.
Would she even understand, and if she did, would she laugh?
Mari urged us to hurry up with a balanced meal while singing, and the sound of passing roots above formed two distinct sounds inside the carriage.
“…We have arrived. The dragon you seek is located over there. Due to our contract with the dragon, we cannot proceed further. This entity will wait here for your return. May you return safely.”
Before the elf, once human, announced our arrival, they sat silently without uttering a single word. As soon as the elf spoke, we immediately exited the carriage.
Something strange caught our attention. Up ahead, there was light. Not the glow emitted by luminous stones, but sunlight.
Walking toward the light, we were overwhelmed by the scenery that unfolded before us.
Deep within a crater large enough to contain a tower stood the skeletal remains of a colossal creature embedded in the walls. Its length suggested it might have been a snake.
Had it been alive and moving, would it have been called a giant hand? The skull seemed buried deep below, and from our vantage point atop the crater, all we could see was the tail.
“…Is that where the dragon lies?”
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a barely passable slope along the wall.
“A. Hold on. Before we descend, can I borrow your book? We don’t know what’s down there, so we should at least cast a barrier.”
Akashi mentioned we should prepare a protective barrier before going down and asked me for a book. It’s necessary, alright.
Without reciting any incantations, he simply snapped his fingers, casting a protective barrier on all of us except Alterra.
“…Why leave me out?”
“Your body is tougher than the barrier. Do you want it anyway?”
When Alterra complained about being excluded, Akashi reluctantly agreed despite grumbling that it wasn’t necessary, and he cast the barrier on her as well.
“…Alright, let’s go. I… will lead the way. Follow carefully.”
With the protective barriers in place, we swallowed our tension and headed into the crater.
