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Chapter 51: Nikolaus Part 2

The entrance to the Flower Witch’s magically grown house was sealed with intertwined vines. There wasn’t even a handle to grab. Nikolaus simply assumed he could tug or push somewhere and it would open, but the instant he reached out, the vines slid aside on their own.

There was no way not to be surprised.

(Amazing… it reacts to people and opens? How does this even work? And why use such advanced magic for a simple temporary lodging? Just what is that witch…)

For something built just so Nikolaus could stay while in Bit Village, it was absurdly elaborate. Half in exasperation, he stepped through the open entrance. The green sprout followed in after him, and once both were inside, the vines slowly closed again.

(I’ve never seen a door that opens and closes on its own… What kind of idea is that? I could probably make something similar with magic tools… I should try sometime.)

Normally, doors were something you opened yourself, or, if you were rich, had someone open for you. But if a door responded automatically to mana, it could be passed through even with both hands full. If it could also distinguish people by mana and block unregistered individuals, it’d be excellent for security.

Useful magic tools spread fast. If Nikolaus designed the magic circuitry and produced blueprints, craftsmen would soon mass-produce them.

(The inside… She even prepared furniture. …What an unnecessarily considerate woman.)

Reining in the last of his excitement, he looked around. The interior was lit brightly by lamp plants. There was a table, chairs, and in the back, beyond curtains of leaves, a suspended bed woven from vines. That alone would’ve been generous enough, but there was even a water source.

There is a plant known as 「water pear」 something travelers treasure because it stores drinkable water inside its fruit. Its thin skin is easy to pierce, and the water is safe for drinking or cooking.

One such tree grew by the wall here, its many fruits at easy reach. Beneath it, the wood naturally jutted to form a basin with a drainage channel. Clearly, she intended him to use it for washing and drinking.

(At this point she can apparently do anything… I could easily manage my own water with magic, you know.)

Water magic was the first spell Nikolaus had ever learned. Even non-demonkind sometimes managed it; for demonkind, it was basic ability. And yet she insisted on pampering him this far.

「Isn’t your master… underestimating me a bit too much?」

He spoke while picking up the mandrake at his feet, but it was just a familiar. It only tilted its head slightly in confusion and, of course, gave no real answer.

He set the green sprout on the table and then sat down himself. The chair was woven from vines, but surprisingly comfortable. The table was a translucent amber color, filled with flowers blooming inside it. Likely sap or nectar hardened around blossoms and vines, polished flat at the surface. It looked like flowers sealed inside amber, the craftsmanship was beautiful, almost artistic.

(Nobles would love this sort of thing… She looked calm enough, but if she put this much work into it, she must’ve used an enormous amount of mana. Either this was still easy for her… or she just didn’t want me to see her tired.)

Thinking that, he reached out and poked the mandrake with a fingertip. Its round body toppled backward from the shift in balance, and it flailed its short limbs before managing to get back up. Nikolaus pushed it over again. And again. And again.

Each time, it struggled upright.

「…A monster with no hostility. No anger. You look like you’re relying on weakness and pity to lull prey into dropping their guard.」

There were monsters like that, things that acted harmless, tricking prey into getting close.

But every time he 「Appraised」 it, the same word appeared: harmless. Meaning this wasn’t deception. This mandrake truly couldn’t do anything.

This was basically a pet. In fact, with how well it understood speech, it might even be easier to keep than one.

(The mandrakes I raised in my room never got this intelligent. …If intelligence really varies by nutrition, then a mandrake raised on dragon blood must’ve been incredible. Given the Demonland now, it’s probably dead… What a waste.)

If mandrake intelligence depended on nutrients, then the one raised with dragon blood should’ve become incredibly smart. If it survived, it would’ve evolved to suit its environment, maybe even become ruler of the Demonland. But that land was now overrun by poisonous monsters and undead.

Powerful monsters claimed territory. They fought, they consumed, they ruled. But nothing suggested a plant-type monster ruled there. If the mandrake survived, it would have fled that cursed place. Perhaps it died. Or perhaps it escaped across the mountains, beyond the border.

(Failure is inevitable in experimentation. And right now… there are other subjects far more interesting. Even if I never recover the dragon-blood mandrake, I can accept that.)

The mandrake, repeatedly pushed down and forced back up, eventually gave up. It fell with a flop, curled its short limbs inward, and went still. Apparently it had surrendered. …Sometimes giving up is necessary too, Nikolaus thought, and placed a bottle of nutrient beside the dejected green sprout.

「This is the last one. Too much nutrition isn’t good either.」

It popped up energetically and hugged the bottle, then snapped a tiny salute. Nikolaus snorted softly and decided to sleep. He moved to the suspended bed in the back.

The witch had the same furnishing. The knights’ lodging used them too. When he lay down, it was surprisingly pleasant. His body sank just enough, and the faint rocking motion invited sleep.

(This… isn’t bad. I’ll probably sleep well…)

, He dreamed. Of himself swaying in a cradle. Of a shadow leaning in against the light to peer at him. Likely his very first memory.

He knew it was a dream. He recognized it as one he’d seen before. Normally, when the figure blocked the light, it became the face of his foster father, worried, on the verge of tears.

But this time, when the light faded and the face came into view, it was the Flower Witch. Smiling gently down at him.

「…!?」

He woke up. Or rather, tried to jerk upright, but because this wasn’t a normal bed, he couldn’t get up right away, and the suspended bed rocked vigorously instead.

Nikolaus covered his face with his arm and let out a silent, strangled groan.

(…Whaat an idiot… What kind of dreams are you having…)

They say dreams are just the mind sorting its memories. No doubt this was just yesterday’s thoughts bleeding over. Even so, the sheer embarrassing absurdity of it overwhelmed him, and he lay there for a while, absolutely mortified. …And he had no idea what kind of face he was supposed to make the next time he saw her.