The Spirit and the Perfect Solution
It had been a dozen or so hours since the Elf girl, Ina, had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
It seemed that dawn had broken, and as I felt the sunlight peeking through the gaps in the trees, I ate breakfast with Ina, who had just woken up.
The menu was dried meat, dried fruit, and spring water. It was a simple meal, but starting a fire would be troublesome if we were discovered by monsters or Elves. Besides, I didn’t want to eat any of the creatures in this forest right now, so this was the best option.
“It’s delicious!”
“If you say so… I think it’s pretty ordinary though?”
“Is that so? I usually only eat things like caterpillars and frogs, so this is the first time I’ve had such flavorful and delicious food!”
“…I see. Do you want more?”
“Are you giving it to me?”
“Yeah, I have plenty. Here, eat up.”
“Thank you!”
Still, she eats a lot.
Well, I don’t mind if she eats as much as she can, but… there are no signs of parasitism, so it must be her nature.
Well, it’s good that she has an appetite. When you lose that, you really lose your reason for living, truly.
“Listen while you eat.”
“? Okay.”
“You can still talk to the Spirit, right?”
“… ” Nod nod.
“Then, after you finish eating, let me talk to the Spirit. There are a few things I want to ask.”
“…Munch. Understood!”
“That helps. Oh, of course, if the Spirit doesn’t want to talk, that’s fine too.”
“Okay…”
“Eat well.”
I know that the Spirit was driven mad by the Demon Race, but the fact remains that I killed the Spirits with my own hands.
I want to hear the solution to the Forest Anomaly from the Spirit’s perspective, but if it says it can’t talk to me, I’ll just have to explore and think of a solution myself. If I could find an answer other than my own, I would have liked to rely on it.
Well, that’s for later. For now—
“You’re spilling, not there. Here… Ah, I see. I’ll wipe it for you, so come a little closer.”
I’ll focus on taking care of this child (Ina).
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A little over half an hour after waking up and starting breakfast, I looked at the remaining food supplies while watching Ina, who looked satisfied and full.
There’s still plenty, at least enough for three meals a day for about half a month without having to worry about the future. If it’s longer than that, I’ll have to limit her a bit, but in that case, I can just give her my share, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Well then… how is it?”
“Ah, yes! I can talk to it, but it seems I can’t talk in detail!”
“I see… then, can it answer in a yes or no format?”
“…It seems I can!”
“Then, let’s do that. Nod vertically for yes, and shake your head horizontally for no.”
“Yes!”
A burden or a vow… either way is fine.
Anyway, if there’s no resentment about me killing them and it’s willing to answer questions, I’ll ask what I can.
“First, do you guys know about the Forest Anomaly?”
Vertical nod (yes).
So, I can assume that the Spirits won’t be parasitized by the main cause of the anomaly without realizing it. This way, I won’t have to deal with an immediate “out”.
“Can you guys deal with the anomaly?”
Horizontal shake (no).
That means they have some understanding of the anomaly. The fact that they can’t leave their world is probably not because they frequently slip out and cause chaos by giving out random power.
So, I can assume that the reason they can’t deal with it is that the Spirits can’t win against the main cause of the anomaly while remaining unharmed, or they can’t even face it in the first place.
“Then, what about me?”
Horizontal shake (no) followed by a vertical nod (yes).
So, I can’t deal with it in my current state, but I can if I use my original power. That’s good, I have no intention of stopping once I find the target.
If I can kill it, I’ll just give it my all…
“If I finish it alone, will that be the best outcome?”
Horizontal shake (no).
As expected, it would probably also deny cooperating with Fana and the others. So, what’s important are the Elves… those guys led by the one Ina calls her brother.
But there’s one concern. Ina was imprisoned in that shrine, so it seems the parasitic tendrils haven’t reached her yet, but what about the other Elves who are outside?
The Elves who tried to change their way of life by escaping outside and ultimately tried to burn down the Great Tree at the center of the forest were probably parasitized. But if that’s the case, what about the Elves who are living in this forest now and worshiping nature?
Have they already been adjusted to prevent them from escaping outside and are now puppets? It’s entirely possible, especially since these kinds of parasitic creatures like that kind of insult.
“…Is there a perfect solution?”
Horizontal shake (no).
“…Is there any time to spare?”
Horizontal shake (no).
“…The odds of winning are low.”
Vertical nod (yes).
“…Sacrifices are unavoidable.”
Vertical nod (yes).
“…I have no choice but to choose.”
Vertical nod (yes).
I see, so that’s how it is… Alright, I understand.
“Alright, that’s enough. Say goodbye.”
“Is that so? …Then, goodbye!”
I’ve asked what I wanted to ask, I could have asked more, but my course of action is set.
There is no perfect solution. I can’t save this entire forest and return it to the state it was in before the invasion.
It might be hard to accept, and it might not be the way a savior should think.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean, ‘what am I going to do’?”
“It’s strange, right? So, aren’t you going to do something to fix it? The Spirit-sama also said there’s no time to spare, and it seems like we need to hurry.”
“Ah, that’s certainly true.”
“Right? So, what are you going to do?”
“Well…”
While pretending to ponder the question, I took out a blanket, a sleeping bag, and a scent to conceal our presence from my storage and placed them in front of Ina.
Ignoring Ina’s puzzled expression, I handed her a bag filled with food and a book with a typical story about a princess being rescued by a hero.
“We’ll be using this place as a base for a while. There’s a mechanism in this box that will hide your appearance from everyone but me.”
“Hee, what’s this?”
“A blanket and a sleeping bag, basically things you use when you sleep. If you feel cold, put on this blanket, and when you get sleepy, go inside this and sleep.”
“I see, and this?”
“Food and a book. You’ll be spending time here alone until nightfall, so if you get hungry, take something out of that bag and eat, and otherwise, read that book.”
“…Yes!”
“It helps that you’re so obedient. Well then, I’m going now.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Ah.”
“I’m going to prepare for my own perfect solution.”
I’m going to slaughter all the monsters in this forest.
Plans are plans, and I feel bad for Fana and the others, but the Spirit said there’s no time to spare. The monsters that could become vectors of parasitism and places to escape to, they’re going to die from parasitism or be eaten later anyway.
I’ll just kill them first. And while I’m at it, I’ll destroy all the parasitized life forms and turn them to dust. The Elves and the Great Tree come after that.
“See ya, don’t move without permission.”
“Yes! Have a safe trip!”
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“…If I reach out, can I end it?”