The Voice

Since we arrived in the desert, three days had passed in the blink of an eye.

For the record, we were doing fairly well so far.

“The sandstorm is fierce again today…”

“Yeah…”

Yes—our desert trek had gone fairly smoothly.

We weren’t starving down to skin and bones; we were strolling along at ease.

That was because the tree I could plant with my aptitude was far more useful than I’d imagined.

Almost as if it had been made for desert travel.

As we advanced, the blowing sand grew steadily stronger.

Yet aside from what clung to the soles of our feet, we were hardly dusty at all.

Crackle crackle!

Again, the sand in front of me bounced off and split to either side.

The reason lay in the flowerpots we were carrying in both hands.

“This tree is so convenient… I feel like I won’t be able to travel without Woody-sama’s tree from now on.”

“Heh, really? I’m glad to hear that.”

This tree’s Power #1.

It put up a barrier around itself.

Through testing, we learned it generated a barrier nearby.

I decided to call it the Tree Barrier.

The Tree Barrier was remarkably capable, repelling sand grains, gnats, sudden squalls, even dust in the air.

And not only that—it also warded off monsters.

When monsters saw the barrier, they fled as if afraid.

So we made full use of it.

Put the tree in a flowerpot and carry it—instant portable barrier device.

Thanks to it, we stayed clean, felt little danger, and kept moving forward.

“The sun’s setting. Let’s stop here for today.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Since we didn’t need to avoid sand, we no longer had to hunt for shelter.

Even a rest area was easy to set up now.

First I set down the flowerpot I was carrying.

Then Aira placed her tree a little ways off, leaving room for two.

“There—‘Tree Planting.’”

Then I used ‘Tree Planting’ to plant another tree at equal distance from the two.

The three trees formed a triangle.

Crackle crackle crackle!

The barriers shimmered as they interfered, then merged together.

A single large barrier formed.

It was just big enough for us to relax inside.

It had taken quite a while to perfect a three-tree barrier cozy for two.

Being able to rest without wasting Smile Points was the fruit of trial and error.

For now, we stored planted trees in the ‘Storage Bag.’

In this waterless desert they’d wither quickly, and we didn’t want anyone stealing them.

Oh, and my Tree Planting level had risen over these three days.

Leveling up had granted me a new skill.

Using Auto Replanting solidified the soil around a tree into an instant flowerpot.

That made it easier to store them in the ‘Storage Bag,’ which helped a lot.

And I was close to leveling up again.

Tomorrow I’d plant three at once and level up.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Yes! This is my once-a-day joy now.”

Saying so, Aira reached toward the tree she’d set down earlier.

Because she stretched facing away, her rear was toward me.

Her childbearing hips asserted a commanding presence.

S-so very… big…

“You can squeeze them if you want.”

“I-I’m not going to do that!”

Aira giggled, teased me to her heart’s content, then plucked the fruit from the tree.

That just earned 2 more Smile Points; we could probably plant a few trees today.

I reached for a nearby tree and picked a fruit as well.

—This tree’s Power #2.

It bore one fruit per day.

“Let’s eat~”

In my hand was a fruit that shone with golden light.

Oval and unfamiliar, its texture resembled mango or peach.

For some reason this daily fruit was our snack—and a soothing balm in this harsh journey.

“Mmm, delicious~~ I’m so happy~~ I love you, Woody-sama~~”

It was tasty enough to make Aira smile and whisper words of love.

I followed her lead and took a bite.

A sticky mouthfeel and a sweetness almost violent.

Yet a faint acidity kept it from ever cloying.

“So goooood!!”

As always, it was so good I shouted without thinking.

Even so, compared to my first time, I was much quieter now.

Despite its intense sweetness and richness, I could eat it forever.

A fruit that made you want more every time.

I was surely not the only one who thought one a day wasn’t enough.

As a duke’s heir I’d sampled many sweets, but this surpassed them all.

And it wasn’t merely delicious.

Astonishingly, a single piece left you mysteriously full.

Since we started eating it, one fruit a day meant we needed no other meals.

The satiety lasted, so we rarely touched our provisions—maybe a nibble of jerky as a snack.

Plus we had World Tree stock in the magic bag, so our fruit supply kept growing.

We could probably gorge endlessly, but we restrained ourselves to conserve food.

It felt like some dangerous forbidden fruit, but according to ‘Tree Planting’ it contained nothing harmful to the body.

In fact it was highly nourishing; one fruit provided perfect nutrition.

If we could make an orchard of these, we could dominate the kingdom.

…Though I had no place in that kingdom anymore, so it was a pipe dream.

“Thanks to this tree, we’re advancing at an amazing pace. We should plan for encountering the locals.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Hm…?”

I wasn’t looking at anything in particular, but I noticed a tree trembling.

It flickered with a red light.

That had never happened before.

Something was clearly wrong.

It was probably trying to tell us something.

“Woody-sama!”

Aira too had taken a defensive stance.

It seemed she’d sensed the anomaly from the tree near her.

“… … …i…”

“Do you… hear something?”

A faint voice from afar grew louder.

As the voice reached us, the wind kept strengthening.

The gusts made it hard to stand.

“… …di…”

“Huh—this voice… no way…”

I felt I knew whose voice it was.

But surely it couldn’t be…

And yet—it was.

“WOOOODY—!!”

A voice I thought I’d never hear again.

On the way here… no, even after arriving here.

The voice I longed to hear once more.

Thump!

With a soundless landing, she moved with effortless grace.

Stunning red hair, long sharp eyes.

She looked fierce and talked tough.

And yet she was actually cute—my former fiancée.

“Woody… I’ve missed you!”

“Nadja… yeah, me too.”

We squeezed each other in a tight embrace.

And thus, with Nadja joining Aira and me, our days became even livelier—