The building had no walls. A roof, decorated in a style reminiscent of ancient Mediterranean temples, was supported by sparse beams. The perception interference phenomenon had not been working properly since the moment we broke through the maze. Inside, concentrated light illuminated a coffin placed on a central altar.

“A tomb. It seems the reward of this ruin is the burial goods.”

Ruins are products of ancient civilizations. The existence of artifacts makes it easy to harbor certain fantasies, but even in ancient times, the way of life was not much different from the modern era. People’s lives are more or less the same, aren’t they? Accordingly, the burial goods offered as a sign of respect to the corpse of a high-ranking person had equally good performance. Therefore, if the reward of a ruin was burial goods, it was usually described as a jackpot.

The bull that Cliff, whom we had encountered just a few hours ago, had summoned was proof of that. That beast was strong enough to lay waste to a whole village on its own.

“We’ve come up empty.”

However, that also depended on the case.

For something located in the center of a huge ruin, the building was small, and the coffin was shabby.

The atmosphere itself was plausible.

But that was just a hopeful, subjective opinion that there might be something there.

Objectively speaking, it was unreasonable to expect the discovery of a great artifact.

“At this rate, even if I wanted to claim a share, there wouldn’t even be a bone to gnaw on.”

Colin muttered theatrically and winked one eye.

It seemed he was telling me the excuses and justifications to use when the Mage Tower intervened.

I appreciated the sentiment, but… when expressed with that villainous face, it sounded like he was threatening me to hand it over.

I stepped back from Sage, who had approached him as if misinterpreting his intentions and was glaring at him, and approached the side of the coffin.

“……”

As expected, it was an ordinary-looking coffin.

Considering the effort put in, it would be a loss even if I sold it as it was.

However, to a person with a discerning eye, it would be different.

The dust that had accumulated over long years of neglect scattered like dandelion seeds with a single breath. The smell of dust that hit my nose was mixed with the scent of well-dried wood.

Wood, a sandalwood coffin.

I grabbed the top of the coffin and pushed.

Thud!

The coffin did not open.

Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t even a groove.

For its purpose as a coffin, the structure itself was flawed from the start.

Ssssk!

「The World Tree interferes.」

Only after the World Tree stepped in was there any progress.

It wasn’t that a lid that wasn’t there appeared.

The moment it touched the stem, the coffin began to dismantle as if a lump of cotton was being pulled apart.

It seemed this sandalwood coffin had no lid to begin with.

Then how could a corpse have been laid to rest inside?

The scene before my eyes provided the answer.

Ssssk!

A skinny mummy is often compared to a dried-up piece of wood.

Indeed, that was not wrong.

The corpse laid in the coffin looked, at a glance, like a piece of wood that had coincidentally split into a human shape.

In fact, in this case, it might not have been a metaphor.

「Unidentified Seed

─A seed of an unknown plant.

─Traces of having once quickened remain.

─Having lost its vitality, it seems impossible for the seed to germinate again.」

I knew what kind of plant seed this was.

The catalyst for my awakening as a druid.

The identity of the treasure that could be obtained at the end of this ruin was none other than the seed of the World Tree.

‘A druid.’

This corpse was a druid who, like me, had harbored the World Tree within his body.

***

“Ugh.”

Bell stretched his stiff back and got up from his seat. Beads of sweat trickled down his rugged jawline from under a straw hat made of synthetic fibers.

“That’s it for today’s chores.”

In the sack behind him, a handful of what were literally nameless weeds were piled up. It was the product of manual labor, pulled out one by one by hand.

“Whoever did it, they’re good.”

His sweat-soaked clothes clung unpleasantly to his skin. His heated skin and stiff joints were so tired he wanted to lie down right away.

If it had been the Bell of a few months ago who hated manual labor, he would have screamed and thrown a fit.

In contrast, the emotion he felt now was different from back then.

A soft sensation that welled up from deep within his chest and spread throughout his body.

It was a sense of accomplishment.

“Phew.”

Swoosh!

A gentle breeze coolly caressed his skin.

The scorching sun felt warm rather than hot.

It probably wasn’t a delusion.

This was because he didn’t feel this refreshed anywhere else but here, in the backyard that Allen had created.

To venture a guess, perhaps the land here was somehow different.

Maybe there was an aquifer underneath, or a dragon vein passed through, anyway.

“That gangster-like human wouldn’t have bought just any house.”

The credibility was sufficient.

Furthermore, his change of heart also played a part.

At first, it was forced labor, but as time went on, he grew fond of this backyard. The satisfaction of seeing the scenery change as much as his body suffered was more addictive than any drug.

Also, once he got used to it, this kind of labor wasn’t particularly difficult.

If he emptied his complicated mind and moved repetitively, the day would pass before he knew it.

It was a mystery why they grew so well just by watering, weeding, and adjusting the amount of sunlight… but according to Allen, this was ‘common sense.’

What could he say in rebuttal to common sense?

In fact, maybe it wasn’t Allen who was strange, but the other large corporations that had been fumbling around all this time?

Weren’t researchers beings who set up hypotheses and verified them?

As long as the evidence was right before his eyes, Bell decided to believe so.

“Good work.”

“……”

But that’s how a person’s heart was.

No matter how much he changed his mind, what he didn’t like, he didn’t like.

This was an instinct that could not be ignored, no matter how much he suppressed it with reason.

If he were the kind of person who could laugh it off while a grasshopper played happily next to a hard-working ant, he wouldn’t have become a researcher but would have devoted himself to religion early on.

“Yeah, did you get a good look?”

Still, Bell smiled.

Although his eyebrows twitched, it was a huge improvement compared to a while ago when his face would have been completely contorted.

After all, he was not an ignorant contractor but a civilized person and a technician.

People don’t change just by spitting out complaints and rebukes.

Understanding and edification through kind conversation was the only way to fundamentally change the other party.

“Yes, I got a good look.”

Indeed, the other party nodded repeatedly with a serious gaze.

Bell, filled with anticipation, asked a subtle question.

“I’ve shown you a model example several times. So, shouldn’t you have learned by now? Don’t you think?”

“Seeing and learning are two different things.”

“……”

His expectations were shattered.

Bell was not disappointed.

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

Disappointment happens once or twice.

After repeating it dozens of times, even getting worked up over every little thing was tiring.

“I can help you. Should I?”

The words were appreciated.

Only the words were appreciated.

“Don’t bother. What if you mess it up?”

“Failure is the mother of success.”

“……Just stay there and watch quietly.”

How many times had that clumsy machine touched something and ruined a finished job?

No matter how much he hated the grasshopper, it was more efficient to work alone than to suffer twice as much later.

“I really want to just run away.”

The impulse would suddenly rear its head, tempting Bell.

The overseer was away, and even the company that had been targeting him had closed down.

It was an opportunity that would never come again to escape.

“Since you’ve finished managing the garden, I recommend you finish cleaning the house before you leave.”

“Why bother if I’m going to run away anyway?”

“That way, you’ll have an excuse when you get caught.”

“Hmm.”

Indeed, he was a man who had completed a request against a member of the Mad House.

If he was determined to chase him, it was obvious he would be caught quickly.

Bell, having regained his senses, gave up on his escape attempt.

“Sigh, then at least give me a heads-up on when you’ll be back. My heart pounds every day, I can’t live in peace.”

The reason he was often tempted by the futile prayer of escape was due to the burden that sometimes weighed on his chest.

“If you just do your job well every day, you don’t have to worry.”

“Easier said than done. But a school master from the Mage Tower is coming!”

Bell was a renowned artisan in the industry.

His name was valuable enough to be treated well wherever he went.

But the opponent was bad.

The invited guest was a school master from the Mage Tower.

The very top echelon of the city, who would be treated as a distinguished guest even by the city government.

No matter how high Bell’s self-esteem soared, it was an objectively embarrassing comparison.

“Mages are so eccentric. If it’s a school master, the one at the top, ugh, just imagining it makes my stomach churn.”

He didn’t know what kind of fault the eccentric mage would find.

And what if he got on his bad side?

How much would Allen nag him using that as an excuse?

He was already in a position where he had to walk on eggshells, and he refused to create more situations where he had to be even more careful.

“You haven’t heard from him since he said he’d borrow your abilities last time, have you?”

Bell stopped his terrible imagination and asked with a light heart.

The fact that he had borrowed Beta’s abilities meant that there had been a change in the ruin conquest.

It wouldn’t be the kind of thing that could be resolved quickly, so it was a perfunctory question.

“I have.”

“……What? When!”

The answer that came back was beyond Bell’s prediction.

“Not long ago.”

“What did he contact you about… Ah.”

There was no need to interrogate.

It was already too late.

“Ahem.”

The main gate, left open for ventilation.

Through it, a middle-aged man he had never seen before was entering.

His sharp eyes and fierce impression were more villainous than that of an action leader of a back-alley gang.

His aura was even more so than his impression.

Was this what they called a killing intent ingrained in the body?

Bell felt his knees tremble just from his gaze falling on him.

“Wh-who are you?”

“It’s me.”

Allen was with him.

So this was the contrast effect.

With him, who looked like he should be a model rather than a contractor, standing next to him, the pressure from the middle-aged man was doubled.

Bell pondered.

Allen was back.

As he had said before he left, he had not come alone.

He had said he would bring a guest.

What did he say the guest’s identity was?

“Hiccup!”

A school master from the Mage Tower.

“Ahem!”

Seeing that uncomfortable cough, it was clear he had heard his muttered complaints.

He shouldn’t have just been anxiously cleaning, wondering when he would come.

Bell resented his own mouth.

***

“Fortunately, it seems there will be no problem.”

Colin, after examining the structure of the house, first checked if it was possible to set up a workshop.

The conclusion after a thorough investigation was a pass.

“Then when are you thinking of sending the equipment?”

“I’ll need to get permission from the Mage Tower, so it won’t be right away. Just keep it in mind and when it arrives, just stack it in this room.”

Since it was a proposal made without prior consultation with the Mage Tower, it wouldn’t be over quickly.

I said I understood, as my help in setting up the workshop would only be a hindrance.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“I’ll give you a room, so why don’t you at least rest for a bit.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been out, so ahem, there are a few places I want to wander around.”

Now that he had achieved his purpose, his chronic disease seemed to have flared up again.

Since I had called him just to introduce him to the house, it wasn’t a particular problem.

“And your housemate doesn’t seem to welcome me very much.”

A remark accompanied by an awkward cough.

Bell, who had been cowering in a corner, flinched.

His face was on the verge of tears.

When an ugly guy does that, he looks even uglier, so I quickly averted my gaze.

“You don’t need to worry about it. He’s just like a housekeeper I hired.”

“It’s fine, what’s the big deal about me leaving? If he’s uncomfortable, I should leave.”

“……”

Bell’s complexion was now deathly pale.

His moist eyes were pleading with me to please save him.

‘You should have watched your mouth.’

When I shook my head, he tore at his hair with a face burdened with all sorts of worries and anguish.

He’s going to lose his hair at this rate.

In truth, it wasn’t something to worry about as if he had been given a death sentence.

Colin probably didn’t say that to be sarcastic or anything.

He was probably genuinely trying to be considerate.

If someone is uncomfortable, it is a wise response to leave.

It was just a pity that his intentions were misunderstood because of his fierce impression.

“I’ll leave my disciple with you for a day. I’ll pick her up tomorrow, so catch up in the meantime.”

Colin, whose feet were itching to move, quickly scurried away.

Only then did Bell approach with cautious steps, looking both relieved and anxious.

“Wh-what do I do?”

“What do you mean, what do you do?”

“I’m on the Mage Tower school master’s bad side! What if he retaliates!”

“You reap what you sow.”

“No, that’s true, but…!”

Bell let out a silent scream and tore at his hair again.

A handful of hair was caught in his grip.

I clicked my tongue and said.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Colin probably had no intention of retaliating anyway, so what was so difficult about it?

Even if I told him the truth, this guy wouldn’t believe me, so this wasn’t a scam but a white lie.

Bell gained peace of mind, and I gained loyalty, so it was a truly rational transaction.

“I’m going to go to my room and rest for a bit, so call me if anything happens. Sage, you rest too.”

I entered my room and locked the door.

It was a relief that Colin had left first.

This way, I had some free time to be alone.

This was because what I was about to do was not something to be shown to others.

With a gesture, the World Tree took out an item from within its coiled stems like a snake.

“The seed of the World Tree.”

It was the harvest from the druid’s ruin.

“What should I do with this?”

It was a bigger and greater harvest than I had thought.

That’s why I was worried.

Why was this in the ruins?

How should I utilize this?

The worries that branched out endlessly did not let me rest easy.

(End of Chapter)