Core and Chai's Child (2)

－POV: The Child Born to Core and Chai－

The forest has changed.

The wind running through the forest used to carry something slightly unpleasant, but I don't feel it at all anymore.

Instead, it has become a wind infused with gentle magic that feels as though it is wrapping around me.

The dragons told me.

They said the World Tree may have evolved because it absorbed a great deal of Master-sama's magic.

Since this has never happened before, we need to keep watch over it.

Though it should have been a serious matter, the dragons looked somehow happy as they gazed at the World Tree.

Father said the dragons were the ones most deeply connected to the World Tree.

That's probably why they were happy to see the World Tree looking so full of life now.

As the World Tree evolved, the power of the curse covering the forest visibly began to diminish.

When we go hunting in the forest, we can find places where the curse's dark power has disappeared.

Until now, everything outside Master-sama's barrier had been pitch-black and eerie.

Both Mother and Father told us never to go outside the barrier.

Ai-san and the others, along with Shuri-san, also looked deeply troubled.

Something very unpleasant must have happened.

Shuri-san said something unpleasant had happened, but that it was thanks to that experience that Shuri-san had met Master-sama.

So it wasn't all bad.

I was told that the King of Humans was using the curse to invade the forest and rule over it.

If the curse is weakening, I wonder if something happened to the King of Humans.

If it just disappeared, would all the curse in the forest disappear too?

If so, I hope it disappears.

Master-sama's cherished companions.

I'm glad we're among them too.

I hope everyone who causes them pain disappears.

Because Master-sama would be sad if any of his companions were suffering.

When I told Father that, he gently licked me.

I'm happy.

...

My siblings and I ran through the forest by ourselves.

My siblings and I caught a Killer Bobo all by ourselves.

Usually, Mother and Father come with us, or an adult of another species does.

But today, it was just us siblings.

And our target was the strongest enemy we could hunt right now: a Killer Bobo.

There was no reassuring presence at my back as usual.

I was nervous, but I was all right.

I believed in my siblings, and I believed in my own strength.

It was a little touch-and-go, but we caught it.

It was a Killer Bobo.

I was happy.

All my siblings and I celebrated wildly.

We shouldn't do that in the forest, but we couldn't contain our excitement.

We used the same spell Mother uses to make things float in the air.

I was still too unsteady to use it alone, so my siblings and I combined our strength.

Phew... all that's left is to go home.

"Hey, don't you hear a voice?"

When one of my siblings spoke, we all pricked up our ears.

Hmm, not really... Ah!

It really is a voice. I can hear it faintly.

We drew closer to the source, keeping ourselves hidden.

The voice seemed to be coming from outside the barrier.

An enemy? A trap?

Father told us humans would do anything, no matter how inhumane, so we had to be careful.

...Could it be a trap?

But this was the heart of the forest...

The voice alone sounded so weak that whoever it belonged to could die at any moment.

My siblings and I exchanged looks, wondering what to do.

The voice grew weaker.

...Is it going to die?

"Hmm... I'll go take a look," I said, starting to run.

I stopped all my siblings when they hurriedly tried to follow me.

Since I was going outside the barrier, I decided to go alone first.

If anything happens—or if I don't come back—tell Mother and Father.

I shouted as I headed toward where the voice had come from.

Guided by the voice, I crept closer while staying hidden.

There!

I checked my surroundings, looking for any other presence.

The curse's power still lingered, making it a little difficult to sense anything.

This was my first time dealing with the curse, so I was a little confused. To be honest, I was afraid of its influence.

But Master-sama has set up a powerful barrier for us.

So it's all right!

I steeled myself against the fear.

I confirmed that there was no one else besides the figure I could see.

If it was something truly powerful, it might be able to hide itself, but... I steeled myself and let myself be seen.

Ah... um, what should I do?

Did it die the moment it saw me?

...Huh? It's alive?