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Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(O-oh no…!! This person is going to die!)

I immediately rushed to the man’s side and crouched down. He looked like he’d been attacked by a monster and was already on the verge of death. If my voice ended up delivering the final blow, that death would be on me. As expected, I didn’t want to kill a human.

I unbuttoned his blood-soaked shirt to inspect the wound. While it was drenched in red, there was no black mark. That meant my voice hadn’t affected him. Maybe he hadn’t heard it? Or maybe he had some kind of resistance. Whatever the reason, it looked like I hadn’t killed him. But the gash in his chest was deep, and blood kept pouring out.

Then, the man slowly opened his eyes. One was a blood-red hue, the other a rich gold, a striking pair of mismatched eyes. Our gazes briefly met.

「…what a… pointless… life…」

This was no time to be relieved. He was losing blood fast and barely breathing. His consciousness was slipping. If nothing was done, he would surely die. He’s already spitting lines like someone who had already accepted the end.

(Just like me in my last life… I want to save him, if I can.)

Back then, I’d died all alone, on top of a pile of trash. A death so miserable I hated remembering it. But this person, while dying on his own, was found by me.

The only thing I could do was generate medicine and give it to him. But that was still better than nothing. Thanks to my Diversification skill, I could reproduce any plant I’d touched. The forest I was born in had been lush, I’d absorbed plenty of flora. I should be able to craft something far more effective than my first healing potion.

(Okay… the best combination for a high-grade healing potion… something that can close wounds and restore strength…)

Mixing herbs inside my body was instinctual, difficult to put into words. I fused several plants until I reached a mixture that couldn’t be improved any further. When I checked the result with my status display, it read 『Elixir – Complete Recovery』 The description confirmed it: the highest quality healing agent possible. If this didn’t save him, nothing would.

I gently lifted his head and placed it on my lap. Essentially a lap pillow. I’d grown some flowers there for extra cushioning. Now all I had to do was get the elixir into him. I opened my 『mouth』 to pour it out—

(Wait, no. I can’t just dribble liquid out of my mouth like that. That’s would be a crazy thing for a human to do!)

I slammed my mouth shut just in time. That was close. One second later and I would’ve been that weirdo dumping mystery liquid onto a dying man’s face.

I’d gotten into the habit of spewing poison from my mouth during fights lately, so it was second nature to eject fluids that way. But no way could I do that to a human.

(Okay okay, think… Where can I release it from…? It’s starting to build up in my mouth and, ah, wait, I’ve got it!)

If I didn’t hurry, it’d start leaking from my nose or ears. And that was absolutely unacceptable. So instead, I chose my eyes. Eye drops are less gross than drool or earwax, right? I wasn’t sure how coherent he was, but if he did survive, I didn’t want to leave him with some nightmarish memory of 「a creepy plant-lady oozing mystery fluid from every orifice.」

(Okay… through the eyes…)

My eyes weren’t those hollow haniwa pits anymore. They were now modeled after human eyes, though technically, they were plant-based fruit growing in my sockets. I assumed they’d make excellent ingredients if harvested. Since I wasn’t human, I could regrow them indefinitely. Not that I had any intention of harvesting them.

I leaned over him, letting droplets fall from my eyes onto his lips.

It was ridiculously difficult to aim. I thought about pouring it directly into the wound instead, but—

「…Mmm…」

(Oh! He drank it! …And his wound’s closing…!)

Just as I hoped, the elixir was working. The bloodstains remained, but the gaping injury visibly sealed. His breathing calmed. Apparently, restoring his strength triggered a deep sleep, he began breathing quietly, eyes closed.

I considered staying with him until he woke up, but… just talking might kill someone. I wasn’t sure I could explain what had happened, or even safely communicate.

(Huh… Is he one of those guys I saw in the forest earlier? I feel like one of them had hair like this…)

Now that I got a good look, he did seem familiar. Probably one of the knights I spotted entering the woods. He didn’t seem to be affected by my voice, but the rabbit monster nearby definitely hadn’t made it.

(So the rabbit died… which means even speaking is deadly? Why didn’t it work on him, though? Maybe he had anti-Mandragora protection or something?)

I checked on him again. White-gold hair. Up close, his face was astonishingly well-formed. I wished I could’ve shaped my own features this precisely, but I’d had only a water surface to work with. Who knew how I actually looked?

(Should I really just leave him here…? Ah! I know, I’ll make a monster repellent and spray it around. Or better, apply it directly to his clothes. That should protect him on the way back.)

I generated the repellent inside my body. Using my eyes was slow and inefficient, but I still refused to use my mouth or ears—it just wasn’t human. I cupped my hands and let my tears slowly collect there, then gently applied the repellent all over his body.

Since I’m a plant-type monster, the scent doesn’t bother me. But meat-eating monsters hate it. They’ll stay away for a while.

(Please get home safely. We might never meet again… but still…)

With that final thought, I went my way. And after following the river south for several days, at long last, I found it. A human settlement.