Chapter 27: Subrace (2)
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Yggdrasil began to sincerely care for the humans around it.
To those who were hungry, it provided fruits; to those without a home, it wove little shelters from branches; and to those who were ill, it made medicinal herbs.
Yggdrasil took excellent care of the humans under its shade.
It even created shade with its leaves when the sun was a bit too bright, which felt a bit excessive, but for some reason, Yggdrasil would just respond with, “Isn’t that something a mom would say?”
I don’t know why my story is being brought up here, but anyway.
The humans living around Yggdrasil began to change little by little.
It’s unclear whether they were changing because they admired the giant tree Yggdrasil or because they were eating the fruits it provided.
The idea that humans could resemble a tree was a bit hard to wrap my head around… But what can you do? It’s actually happening.
Their growth slowed down a bit, but their lifespans increased, and their hair was able to photosynthesize… Hmm… Why?
Isn’t photosynthesis supposed to be done with chlorophyll? But these humans don’t have chlorophyll!
Are they using magic to mimic photosynthesis? How on earth is that even possible?
Hmm… I have no idea. I work with magic too, but sometimes I wonder just how far this magic can go.
I find it annoying when everything is simply explained away with, “Thanks to magic!” I’m curious about why these things are happening!
Well, maybe I should really dive into some research soon. While I’m at it, I might as well organize magic more systematically.
Right now, there are no other magic users besides me and the dragons, so it doesn’t matter.
But both I and the dragons merely create effects by willfully moving the magic inside us, so there’s hardly even a proper system in place.
Someday, if others start using magic too, we really shouldn’t stick to this piecemeal approach.
I should tidy things up a bit in case the time comes when many others use magic.
Well, that’s not an urgent concern, so let’s move on.
The bodies of those living around Yggdrasil also began to change.
It’s a minor detail that their limbs became slender and model-like.
They were becoming beings infinitely closer to Yggdrasil, gaining the ability to converse with spirits. Plus, thanks to their increased lifespan, the amount of magic stored in their bodies also increased.
It’s not comparable to dragons, but it’s certainly an amount of magic that no other human possesses.
I felt like I’d seen something like this before… Besides not having long ears, it’s just like the elves from fantasy! Seriously!
But there was something missing.
Ears! Elves are supposed to have long ears!
And they should be able to shoot bows too! An elf that doesn’t shoot a bow can’t be called an elf! My inner elf fundamentalist is declaring this!!!
So.
“Do you want to give those kids a gift?”
“Well, it’s nothing too extravagant.”
“A gift all of a sudden…”
“I thought it would suit those kids.”
I picked up a bow made from flexible wood that didn’t break.
The bowstring was crafted from fibers pulled from vines.
And there were wooden arrows too! The essential elf starter pack is complete!
If I give these and also lengthen their ears, the perfect elf I envisioned will finally come to life!
“What’s that? It looks like a weird stick.”
“I made it thinking it would be handy for the humans you’re looking after. You hook this wooden stick onto the string, pull it, and shoot it far away.”
I gave the empty bowstring a little tug and let it go. Twang! The bowstring vibrated.
“And I’ve also come up with a fitting name for the humans in your care. A name for their race.”
“Uh, um… You’re not showering those kids with gifts just because you mentioned you favored humans before, right?”
“How could I? I’ve simply prepared this for the humans you’re taking care of!”
I could oddly sense an air of suspicion from Yggdrasil, even though it had no eyes.
“Okay, I’ll gather the kids.”
And shortly after, humans gathered in the little plaza at Yggdrasil’s base.
“Who are you…?”
“A wanderer, here to deliver gifts from the World Tree, Yggdrasil.”
“You sure have the audacity to say such shameless things.”
Shhh. These kids belong to Yggdrasil, so I should keep my interference to a minimum.
I blocked their ability to hear Yggdrasil’s voice and continued speaking.
“I thought you’d need weapons to protect yourselves, so I brought this.”
I presented the bow and arrows to the humans. Then, I heard a short gasp escape their lips.
Hmm…? Not quite the reaction I anticipated….
“How could you do something like this…”
“To brutally chop branches like that…”
“That skinny thing… Did you pull out tree vines so thinly? That’s horrific…”
“Those little branches… Horrific…”
Huh…? This isn’t the reaction I was hoping to get!
“Beast! Monster! Lumberjack!!!”
“You’re not even human!”
“Get out of this forest!!!”
Why are they reacting so violently? It’s just a bit of woodworking!
Ah, could it be the trees…?
It seems these humans have developed the ability to hear the voices of trees.
To them, I, who cut branches and extracted fibers to make string, must look like a monster carving out human bones and pulling tendons to make bows.
That’s pretty gruesome, yeah.
“Wait! I get why you’re angry! But this is something I made after consulting with the tree and cutting its branches!!”
Of course, that’s a lie. There was no consultation.
What are they going to do about it? Yggdrasil is my child.
So, I’m not getting angry at the naïve outbursts of these young humans. Hmm. I’m not angry, really.
Just giving them a yellow card. Collect 100, and it’s the emergence of the Doom Dragon.
Just kidding.
“You’re being awfully petty, Mom.”
Shush. It’s the humans who are in the wrong for throwing stones at me when I came to bring them gifts.
Even considering they’re just immature humans.
“Or are you going to ignore Yggdrasil’s heart, which thought of you and sent these gifts?”
My words ignited a stir among the humans. The murmured voices rose in volume.
Ignoring the heart of Yggdrasil, which sustains these humans, must carry significant weight.
“If… if the World Tree wishes it… We will understand.”
An older human spoke as the representative. They should’ve done this earlier. Why would you get mad at the one bringing gifts? It’s like getting upset at Santa.
Ahem. I’ll swallow my anger for now.
“This tool is called a bow. You hook this arrow here, pull it back, and shoot it far away.”
I hooked an arrow onto the bowstring, pulled it back moderately, and shot it at a rock a short distance away.
Boom!
The rock exploding into pieces from a lightly shot arrow is just a minor detail. Un.
“You can’t just keep surviving on the fruits Yggdrasil gives you. Your numbers will continue to grow.”
After all, there’s a limit to the fruits Yggdrasil can produce.
“That’s true, but…”
“Does the World Tree think the same?”
“Of course! The World Tree might dry up because of you! You realize that, right?”
“It’s not like I’ll die from making a few hundred fruits.”
“That’s just a saying!”
And if the number of humans keeps increasing, a few hundred wouldn’t be enough.
“Anyway, I’ll grant you this bow and arrows. Use them to hunt and gather food.”
“Thank you for your words, but just giving us one… Are you suggesting we should imitate this to make more?”
I looked around at the humans. A strange fear danced in their eyes.
Hmm. Is making bows and arrows really that hard? Since they need to be made by cutting branches from trees that can talk?
It might be akin to asking someone to craft a bow from another person’s bones and tendons… Some might even flat out refuse to use a bow after all.
That would be quite an issue.
“Well then, let’s do it this way.”
I slightly lifted my foot and stamped the ground, and in an instant, a considerably large hole appeared.
The humans gasped and jumped back, but that wasn’t a concern.
I scattered the bow and arrows into the hole, filled it with magic, and then used a growth spell on them.
The bows and arrows were made from still-living trees. Thanks to the growth spell, a tree shot up rapidly.
The fruits that grew on that tree were… fully-formed bows and arrows.
Instead of cutting branches and assembling them one by one, wouldn’t it be more convenient to have them form in this complete shape?
“You really use such outrageous magic.”
Well, all kinds of fruits are produced in the world. And considering it’s a fantasy, it wouldn’t be strange if a tree could bear bows and arrows, right?
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