“Hey, World Tree? Can you tell me what’s hurting you? I want to see if I can help you,” I said softly.
Then I heard the same anguished voice from before in my head.
There’s something inside me… Something that keeps eating me and spitting out bad things into me. It hurts me when it chews and it feels awful when that stuff spreads through me.
Something bad inside of it…
I squinted and looked around, but I couldn’t see whatever it was talking about. I closed my eyes and hugged the tree again, trying to feel it instead. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the slightly glowing presence of the World Tree, perhaps because it was such a mystical entity.
In the middle of that light, there was something just within my reach that looked like a black caterpillar writhing around. It seemed foul and out of place, compared to the sacred glow around it. Leaking from it was some kind of ominous black stuff that was obviously nothing good.
“There you are.” I reached out with my eyes still closed and pressed my hand into that spot. It felt like I was plunging my hand into cold water. Surprisingly, my hand sank straight into the tree with barely any resistance.
I won’t lie. That caterpillar spitting out that nasty black stuff was terrifying.
It’s disgusting, but I’ll have to bear it for the World Tree’s sake. I braced myself, grabbed the writhing malevolent creature all at once, and then yanked it out of the tree.
“Will this help you feel better, World Tree?” I opened my hand to look at the black caterpillar wriggling around on my palm.
Yes! The pain is fading!
Wicked Worm
Classification: Monster
Quality: Normal
Rarity: S
Status: A caterpillar transformed into a monster by evil magic. It consumes plants and spreads polluted mana.
FEELINGS: Hey! What the heck do you think you’re doing?! If you interfere, I can’t carry out the orders of Master!♡♡♡♡
“Oh!” The sudden surge of hateful hostility I’d glimpsed in its feelings startled me so much that I dropped it on the ground.
“This thing is radiating a terrible aura,” Elsarion muttered with a scowl, looking at the worm where it writhed in the grass.
“It said that thing’s a caterpillar transformed into a monster by evil magic. It was chewing on the World Tree and spreading something poisonous inside its body,” I explained. I was so scared that my legs gave out. I sank onto the ground, suddenly unable to stand. Lynn crouched down behind me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders in comfort.
“So the World Tree’s sickness wasn’t natural,” said the queen. “This was a deliberate attack.”
“Your Majesty,” Elsarion said, glancing toward the queen with a frown. “I see no reason to keep this creature alive. With your permission, I will use my holy knife to purify it.”
“Yes, get rid of it.” She turned her back on it, like she never wanted to see it again.
Elsarion nodded and stepped forward, then raised his holy knife high and drove it down onto the caterpillar. A dazzling light flared out instantly and the foul presence vanished. When the glow faded away, the caterpillar was nothing but an ordinary dead insect.
Lynn slowly helped me to my feet. The queen looked at each of us in turn, her lavender gaze steady and thoughtful. “It seems your party is lacking members skilled in light, holy, or fire abilities,” she said.
“Yes,” we all said in unison, nodding.
“Elsarion. Bring my daughter to me.”
“At once, Your Majesty.” He bowed and rushed away.
A short while later, a young girl came hurrying up the path to join us.
“Mother, I’ve come just as you asked.” She looked like a miniature version of the queen herself, and was perhaps even younger than me. Her long wavy hair was the same pale gold, her cheeks pink like rose petals, her lips full and red like cherries, and her slightly downturned eyes the color of soft lavender. The only thing different from her mother might have been those cherry lips. The queen’s were the color of fully ripe cherries, while her daughter’s were a hue lighter.
She wore a loose, short-sleeved white shirt made of soft fabric and matching bloomer shorts that ended just above her knees. They had ribbons tied at the cuffs with little frilly edges. She had a leather chest guard strapped over the ensemble, and in her hand, she held a bow of shimmering mythril.
“Ariel, our World Tree was saved today by Lady Daisy, Beloved Child of the Nature Spirit King,” the queen said to her.
Ariel turned to me. “Thank you so much, Lady Daisy, for saving our village.” She bowed low, her long hair slipping over her shoulders.
“Lady Daisy, I would like to entrust my child to you,” the queen continued. “I hope you will also consider visiting the two other elven villages to free their World Trees from the creatures that may be hurting them.”
“Mother! You mean, I’m allowed to leave?!” Ariel’s lavender eyes grew wide. She turned and clung to her mother’s waist in excitement.
“Ariel, you have wished for this for so long, so I shall permit you to go beyond our lands. But you must listen to your new companions here—Lady Daisy, Lady Lynn, Mark, and Letia—and do everything in your power to aid them,” the queen said.
“Really?! Oh, thank you, Mother!” Ariel beamed happily, still holding onto her mother’s waist.
The queen took a delicate crystal pendant and gently placed it around her neck.
“We still don’t know where the entrances to the Moon and Star elven villages are located,” the queen said. “I’ll reach out to the other rulers and explain everything. Once the arrangements are made, I shall contact you through the crystal I have given my daughter. Until then, you are free to rely on her however you see fit.”
I studied Ariel for a moment. She was even smaller than me. Was it really okay for her to join us?
“Sometimes we end up fighting monsters,” I said hesitantly. “Would you mind if I checked your abilities, just to be sure you won’t be in danger?” I didn’t like to use my Appraisal skill on people because it felt like spying, but for this I really did need to be sure.