Utena-san’s Proposal

Wheel-san and Catherine-san’s children numbered about fifteen in total.

I had made a long, horizontal House Tree so they could all live there, but it was rare for all of them to stay in that one place.

Apparently, the way Divine Beasts interacted with the residents in a Sanctuary differed quite a lot depending on the Divine Beast.

Simurg-san disliked being revered, and he also apparently did not like talking to people all that much, so except when something was needed or during special events, he basically stayed shut up in the Wind Muscat orchard.

By contrast, Wheel-san seemed quite active, and regularly patrolled Guinea Village while chatting casually with the villagers.

Because of that, the feelings people held toward him were stronger in familiarity than in reverence.

Since he himself was easygoing, the villagers received him favorably.

Well, the barrier that stopped monster attacks, as well as the mine that was now becoming Guinea’s main industry, all of it existed solely thanks to Wheel-san’s power.

There was no way the humans living in Guinea would think badly of Wheel-san, or do anything that might upset him.

Perhaps because they had grown up watching their father, Wheel-san’s children all moved about actively in the city of Guinea as well.

But as expected of Divine Beast children, they basically chose their places properly so as not to get in the way of the humans’ work.

Whether it was running around in the great hall or looking after the children of parents who were working, they seemed to be doing whatever they liked, yet were actually paying close attention to those around them.

“Please take care of me today!”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”

The one I decided to bring along this time was Rent-kun, whose distinguishing feature was that his nose was just a little longer than the other children’s.

His personality was on the serious side, and he apparently did not like being picked up very much, so he always walked around on the ground by himself with little pattering steps.

Together with him, I headed toward the detached building we had made for the elves of Bibi Village.

—Elves, in any case, loved trees.

From the perspective of us ordinary humans, their fixation on trees was so strong that it could seem a little obsessive.

Apparently it was to the point where, without trees, they became restless and unsettled, and it seemed that much of the bad attitude Utena-san and Mego-san had at first came from the stress of having wandered through the desert for so long without trees.

So behind the House Tree I had prepared for the people of Bibi Village, I had set up a grove.

I thought maybe they would be pleased if I planted a World Tree there… and indeed, they were unbelievably delighted.

As if proving that was no lie, Utena-san, without even noticing that we had arrived, let out a heated breath and touched the World Tree…

“Hehe… even a grove I’m not usually accustomed to has its own refined charm…”

The smile Utena-san wore as she said that was more natural than I had ever seen before.

I thought it would be nice if she were always this natural.

“Rent-kun, then please do as we arranged.”

“Leave it to me!”

Rent-kun snorted in determination and scampered off with little pattering steps.

Noticing that someone was approaching, Utena-san tensed up for a moment, then after confirming it was Rent-kun, she lowered herself onto one knee.

“This is Lord Rent! You must be tired!”

Utena-san could perfectly distinguish Wheel-san’s and Catherine-san’s children at a single glance.

I could only tell apart the ones with distinctive features like Rebecca or Rent-kun, so I honestly found it impressive.

“H-hello there~”

I confirmed that Utena-san’s attention was now completely focused on Rent-kun.

After seeing with my own eyes that Utena-san’s mood improved while speaking with Rent-kun, I picked my moment and stepped into the circle of conversation.

“Oh my, Woody-sama, a pleasure to see you.”

“Hello, Utena-san.”

Apparently Fana-san and Akabane-san had given her quite a thorough talking-to, because compared to before, Utena-san’s attitude toward me had become much softer.

Still, she seemed rather prickly toward people other than me, and I sometimes heard various complaints.

At least things had not developed to the point where I had to intervene.

Oops, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

I had to ask why I had been called here.

“You said you had something to discuss?”

“Yes, actually, I was hoping to receive permission for tree planting.”

“Tree planting… you mean? I thought we were already doing that…”

“I do not mean aptitude or skill-related matters, but actual tree planting. Since there are such excellent trees all around here, if we think about the future, we ought to create a proper afforestation plan.”

“I see, an afforestation plan…”

In urban areas where many people lived, large quantities of firewood and timber were needed for daily life.

But that did not mean the residents could simply go into the mountains and cut down trees recklessly to cover everything they needed.

Trees in the mountains actually served quite a number of roles.

If the trees disappeared, groundwater would disappear with them, and without the roots spread throughout the ground, land subsidence and landslides could occur.

For that reason, in urban areas, the amount of tree felling was basically regulated.

And so that there would continue to be no shortage of trees in the future, detailed afforestation plans were used to regulate future tree production and distribution.

Incidentally, even in rural areas without such detailed rules, trees were cut down by lumberjacks.

And based on their experience, they adjusted things skillfully so that the nearby mountains would not become barren, while still harvesting timber.

“If it is us, we can at least manage the trees better than the people around here, who have no afforestation know-how. Though of course, that would require a certain number of people, so I believe we would need to increase our numbers using your skill, Woody-sama…”

Elves were professionals when it came to forests.

They called themselves guardians of the World Tree, and supposedly could preserve a forest ecosystem without damaging it in the slightest.

As for increasing their numbers, that was no problem at all.

To begin with, I had made the House Tree quite large so it could accommodate a reasonable number of people.

Still… I see, now that she mentioned it, it really was such an important matter that I wondered why I had never thought of it until now.

If I, the lord, did absolutely everything myself, I would hit my limit sooner or later.

It felt important to have options besides simply forcing everything through with my skill.

“It’s true that if the people living in this territory could learn to handle replanting trees and creating afforestation plans from saplings on their own, it would help in the future.”

If inexperienced people were doing it, they would probably need a lot of trial and error and a great deal of time, but elves who had lived with trees for so long surely possessed overwhelming know-how regarding afforestation.

If they were willing to lend their strength, it would be like having a hundred allies.

“The trees you plant, Woody-sama, are certainly of the highest grade. But even so, it will not do if pruning the branches and leaves, or the spacing between the trees, are done carelessly. That may be acceptable for now, but if we are to leave trees in this desert for the future as well, then I believe proper knowledge should be passed on starting now.”

I could plant trees using the Tree Planting skill, but I myself did not have especially deep knowledge about trees.

Apparently the orchards I had made using the Tree Arrangement (Revised) skill were something that bothered Utena-san.

Apparently, if the trees were planted too densely and their roots became entangled, it could later cause problems for their growth.

And although I had not known it, it seemed there were cases where some trees were actually better off being cut down.

From techniques for making sure the branches did not overlap too much so they could receive sunlight properly, to applying naturally derived agents to make insects less likely to gather, there was apparently a huge difference between doing those things and not doing them.

“I see, it sounds like there’s quite a lot we can do…”

“Isn’t there? I myself have been fidgeting for quite some time, wondering when I ought to bring it up.”

“But… is that really all right?”

Of course, I was grateful to be taught all sorts of things.

But the techniques for protecting and raising trees ought to be something the elves had built up over a very long time.

Normally, it should have been something that never left their community—something that could practically be called a secret art.

Was it really all right for me to learn that without giving anything in return?

I thought perhaps I should give some kind of gift… but apparently that wasn’t necessary.

“You are the benefactor of Bibi Village, Woody-sama. You revived once more the World Tree that we protected for so long, and in that sense you are truly our savior itself. We already owe you a debt so great that nothing we could do would ever fully repay it.”

As she said that and smiled toward me, Utena-san wore the beautiful smile I imagined when I thought of elves.

“D-do not misunderstand! I simply do not want such a wonderful place to be ruined by humans or those dirt-treaders!”

For some reason, Utena-san said that while blushing bright red.

Seeing her turn away like that, I couldn’t help but smile wryly at how unstraightforward she was.

But apparently she did not think badly of my territory, and that was a relief.

Still… dirt-treaders?

It was a word I had never heard before, but what exactly was she referring to?

“… (glance, glance)”

As though expecting something, Utena-san kept stealing glances at me and then turning her face away again.

Perhaps because she was concerned about how the thing she had proposed was being received, her body was trembling slightly.

…I had some thoughts of my own about it too.

But compared to how she was at the beginning, this was still much better.

In any case, there was no doubt that Utena-san’s offer had come at exactly the right time.

So I gave Utena-san a small bow.

“Yes, then… I look forward to working with you.”

Seeing that, Utena-san seemed to put away the embarrassment she had apparently been feeling this whole time, and smiled with a sharp, composed expression.

“Leave it to this Utena—”

And so, the unit led by Utena-san came to handle the maintenance of the groves in Guinea.

And Akabane-san and the others, who had apparently heard about it from somewhere, began to put the trees in Tree Village in order as well.

Watching the land being systematically maintained and prepared by them, I felt a little reassured that Wenti would continue on even after I was gone…