9-13. Bornean Forest (2)
Satou's here. In anime and manga, I've seen a lot of scenes where the character mistakes the mother for the child, but I've never encountered it in reality. You can't deceive the wrinkles and the skin gloss after all.
However, in a different world with long life species, it seems to be a relatively common scene.
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"■■ ■……■ ■ ■ ■■■■■ Forest Maiden Summon (Summon Dryad)"
Mia father sure is fluent when he's chanting.
His summon calls out a little girl with bare skin and long green hair that appears from the trunk of a tree. She looks exactly like the dryad near the maze of Trazayuya. Since she's level 30, she's probably a different one.
However, the dryad talks to me candidly when our eyes meet.
"Boy! It's been awhile."
"Are you perhaps the dryad I've met on the withered mountain?"
If that's true, she's leveled up very fast.
"I guess you could say that, or not like that at all. This body's status will change depending on the tree used as the cost, but the inside is the same."
Is it something similar to how the running software is the same even though the PCs are different?
"Dryad."
"Wait a minute."
Mia's father calls the dryad, but she treats him irresponsibly, and gives priority to talking with me. Oh? She can defy her summoner huh.
The dryad floats a bit above the ground, clings her arms on my neck, and presses her body. Your face is close. Close I said.
I push back the body of the dryad who's being overly close.
"That time was delicious. I want to taste it again."
"W, wait, are you cheating? You're cheating right!"
"M, master."
"Mwuu."
The dryad most likely deliberately leaves out the word, "Mana", and Arisa who's heard it approaches me while howling, "Ugaa."
Even though it's groundless, Lulu looks at me while looking very sad, and Mia who's hiding behind is scratching my back.
That dryad goes under my armpit as if peeking to see Mia's face.
"Oh~? Oh oh oh~? The one over there is baby-chan right?"
"You're mistaken."
"I'm not you know~? It's about time you pay the compensation I wonder~?"
The dryad chases Mia like a cat who has found the rat. Please stop running in circle around me you two. You'll soon become like melted butter y'know?
Even Mia's parent begin to question her when they heard 'compensation' word from Dryad.
"Mia!"
"Wait, Mia! Don't tell me you asked something from dryad? You did didn't you? Even though I've warned you so much! I've warned you right? --"
"Mwuu, emergency."
While Mia's mother is having a long talk, Liza is supplementing, and it seems that Mia had borrowed the dryad's power for making a shortcut on the forest during the Muno city incident. Mia's mother tries to negotiate with the dryad, but it seem they're not reaching an agreement.
As it is now, the dryad will suck Mia's mana and life force, turning her dry. I don't want to see that.
"Dryad, is mana fine as the compensation?"
"Of course, it's alright~ I'm only going to drain the stamina since the mana isn't enough. If it's the boy's mana, I will gladly take it."
"I understand. Then you can absorb it."
When the dryad is coming for my lips, the voices of Mia's parents and Arisa stop her.
"Wait."
"That's right, wait Satou-san. Dryad is a glutton, she can eat no matter how much you know? She will absorb, sip sip. Do you want to become dried thing even though you're so young? You don't do you--"
"Gyaa, nonono! Those lips are mineee~~~"
"Mwuu."
My lips are mine.
Mia thrusts herself between the dryad and me. It looks like she's trying to protect me, but looking at her trembling body, she seems to fear the dryad's going to drain her.
I ask the dryad a question while slowly avoiding Mia's side.
"Dryad, can you absorb besides from the lips?"
"I can you know? You like the lewd one better?"
The instant Arisa hears dryad's "lewd", she's boiling. Since the talk didn't progress, I quickly blocked her mouth with my hand.
"Without the lewd one."
"Then, how about I drain it by kissing on above your heart?"
When I picture it, it looks like a crime, but it's alright if it's just that I guess.
I take off the knight-style coat and my shirt. I feel that Arisa and Lulu are staring at me, but it's probably just my imagination. Why would they look now when I've always changed clothes beside them.
Since Mia's parents are worried, I tell them that I've transfered my mana to the dryad once before, putting them at ease.
"Then, thanks for the me~al."
Mia's parents are right to describe her as a [Glutton].
My mana are being drained at an amazing rate. Due to me having mana sensing now unlike before, I understand the flow of mana. Moreover, since I've grown accustomed with mana operation, I understand that the dryad is adjusting the flow of the flowing mana to eliminate the waste. In fact, I feel that the efficiency of the dryad's absorption has improved compared to when she started to drain.
It seems the mana that the dryad has drained go toward the forest, it's spreading through the roots of all kinds of trees.
However, just how much she's going to drain.
I feel that she'll really drain it all if I leave her alone, so I stop her when she's drained 1500MP in total.
"Aahn, more."
"Stuff it."
All the trees around the surrounding have become in full bloom. Depending on the type of the trees, there are also some which have its branches bending due to the fruits that have ripened. They shouldn't have been there just now. There are no overgrown weeds, I wonder if the dryad has controlled it.
"Well~ It's been awhile since I eat this much. Just say if you want some helps in the forest. I'll save you 2-3 times for free."
"Thanks for that."
I'd have liked her help with the weeds highway.
>Title [Guest of the Forest] Acquired
>Title [Lover of the Forest Maiden] Acquired
Who's the lover of whom.
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I leave Lulu to wipe my breast with a wet towel, though it's not like it's dirty. You don't have to rub it so strongly you know? Although I think so, I'm not saying anything since I'm overawed by Lulu's serious expression.
Nana was going to imitate the dryad, but Arisa stopped her. That's rare, usually it's Arisa who would to try to imitate such thing.
Looks like Mia's and Mia's parent's surprised expressions have settled when I've finished wearing clothes.
I thought Pochi and Tama were quiet since a while ago, turned out they were being held on Liza's armpits while she put her hands on their mouths. Since they ask for help with their glances, I tell Liza to release them.
"The gate."
"Right, right, I've forgotten haven't I. It's only for a bit you know? You've called the dryad in order to create the road to Bornean hometown. Isn't it?"
"That's right."
"Understoo~d. Forest Lead (Alf Road)."
With Mia's father's urge, the dryad uses a magic.
A road has opened between the forest, countless firefly lights appear from the ground, and the space is dyed with the golden color from it.
It's quite beautiful.
"Now, go~ It won't open for long."
"Let's go."
We tread upon the golden road with the guidance of Mia's father.
>[Forest Magic Skill Acquired]
Looks like it's a road made in subspace as the map only shows, [Area without Map].
"You can't look back okay~ you would become a lost child."
Please don't say such thing from behind. Pochi and Tama catch my hands, looking uneasy. Forbidden from looking behind, it's like Orpheus' and Izanagi's road to hell huh.
Later, I learned that looking behind was no problem. However, you could stray off the path if you do, thus they warned so.
When we come out of the road, we are near the center of Bornean forest.
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"Fuhaaa, TRU-LY, a town where elf lives right!"
Usually I would have stopped Arisa's shrieks, but it's impossible this time.
Houses where people lives made in the interior of gigantic trees are spread in front of our eyes. There's a fountain made from blue crystal in geometrical shape at the center of the open space, and around that fountain, small palm-sized fairies, and pixies are flying.
Since Nana has begun to walk there unsteadily when she sees the pixies, I exchange looks with Liza and pin her together from both sides.
The tree houses are built around the water fountain as the center. One of the houses can be as big as a 20-story building. Passages made from ivies and leaves are hung between the tree houses, connecting them.
I can see a super gigantic tree veiled between clouds behind those houses.
That is the world tree.
The bottom of the tree is properly of trees and shrubs. I'm glad, it's not really something like an orbital elevator.
The elves who are appearing from the tree houses are calling Mia's name while waving their hands. Mia waves her hand back while she faithfully calls each of their names. The corners of her eyes have become slightly moist.
Welcome home, Mia.