A Gentle Moment

The return trip was far easier than the journey out.

First, I planted a huge number of trees within Guinea’s Sanctuary.

Then I used the upgraded Tree Arrangement skill to line them up.

After that, using Sanctuary Road, I extended a direct path all the way to Simurg-san’s Sanctuary area.

Repeating the same steps on Simurg-san’s side created a straight, uninterrupted road in no time.

On the way here, I had to guide the villagers, detour around monsters, and even got lost in the desert once or twice.

All that extra time had turned the trip into nearly a month-long ordeal.

But this time it was just me, Aira, Nadja, and Wheel-san’s children—light and fast.

Riding on the back of the eldest of the Divine Rats, we made the return almost instantly.

Even after deciding Guinea’s village chief, setting up basic taxes, and spending time gathering Smile Points, it still hadn’t taken even a full week.

At this rate, we probably wouldn’t need Tree-to-Tree Transfer just to travel back together anymore.

“This is…”

“Tree Village…”

We had returned after a while away.

To me, it was a familiar, comforting sight.

But to the Dark Elves seeing the village for the first time, it was something else entirely.

The stern Miria-san and bubbly fashion leader Lulu-san stared with their mouths wide open, stunned.

Wondering what they were looking at, I followed their gaze—and sure enough, their eyes were fixed on the World Tree.

Was it the World Tree that fascinated them?

I’d once heard that Elves built their settlements beneath World Trees.

Maybe Dark Elves also shared some connection with them.

“If you’d like, shall we go closer?”

“Ah—ahh! Please, if I may!?”

She nodded with shocking force, so I guided them.

The World Tree stood at the center of Tree Village, towering far above all others.

It had become the most eye-catching feature of the village, so events and gatherings were often held around it.

Its growth still knew no limits, and it had already surpassed the church where Shekuri-san preached.

It was now unquestionably the tallest tree in the village.

You’d think a tree this huge would stand out from afar, but surprisingly, it remained invisible unless one entered the village.

Honestly, that was a lifesaver.

If it kept growing like this and stayed visible, the Conrad Duchy would’ve spotted it long ago.

Even from a distance, walking closer made its sheer scale feel like it doubled.

The trunk had grown unbelievably thick, and even the branches that didn’t seem to receive much nutrients were about as thick as my height.

It used to be small enough for me to wrap my arms around—how fast could something grow?

“What a magnificent World Tree…”

“Miria-chan…”

As I stretched my neck to try and see the top, I noticed Miria-san and Lulu-san had approached the trunk.

With utmost reverence, as though handling something fragile, they touched the World Tree.

The light emitted by the tree illuminated their faces.

The sun had already begun to set, and the scene looked almost sacred.

The two gently caressed the tree, as if cherishing something precious.

And then—

“U… uuu…!!”

“Miria-chan… Miria-chan!!”

They suddenly burst into tears!

For a moment I wondered if something was wrong, but their smiling faces made it clear—these were tears of joy.

I had no idea why they were crying.

But they were now villagers of my land.

My people.

So I simply watched the beautiful, almost ethereal scene until the two finished crying in each other’s arms.

…Apparently, I had a very gentle expression on my face while watching them.

Or so Aira later told me—

a fact that left me blushing for quite a while afterward.