Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 100

Only a few retreated. The majority remained. This was a gathering of proud wizards even in the human realm, and threatening them with plants had little effect.

But what difference did it really make?

“Ah, what should we eat after this?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

“Hmm. I feel this way every time I come out of the Lar.”

They had already heard that these individuals were all afflicted by disease, yet the priests accompanying them approached human suffering with an unsettling lack of seriousness. Aside from Rutis, who took everything seriously, the other priests often seemed distracted, even during battle—cracking jokes as they countered attacks and spells flying at them from all directions.

Despite this, their effectiveness didn’t waver. Caldenos, fighting valiantly at the front, seemed almost pitiable in comparison.

When they entered the garden as a group, suddenly, the ground and sky rumbled.

Boom.

It was a staggering sound. One that made their hearts sink.

At that moment, everyone stopped moving and looked up at a single point.

“Oh, oohh. What is that?”

“That….”

“Rutis, what does it look like?”

A golden pillar stretching from the ground to the sky.

For a moment, they almost mistook it for the sun descending to the earth. Yet, it didn’t hurt their eyes. The clouds parted, and a strong wind blew from that direction. It wasn’t violent, but a gentle breeze that seemed to say, ‘Look at this place.’

It was the direction of Lar de Ligna Initia.

The priests couldn’t tear their eyes away. A surge of emotions flooded them, but none had the words to describe it. What words could describe the mix of frustration and relief they felt simultaneously?

One thing was certain was that the strange sensation carried by the wind forced the priests to wipe away the tears that flowed freely from their eyes.

They couldn’t look away from the pillar of light, and their tears wouldn’t stop. It wasn’t sadness, it was overwhelming. Had the circumstances been different, they might have knelt right there, unable to contain the torrent of emotions rising within them as they gazed up at the light radiating from the pillar.

‘It felt like the sun had come down.’

Rutis recalled a long-ago conversation with Weed. He had described the first light he saw in this world as such. It always seemed like he longed for it, wishing to see it again someday.

‘Wouldn’t it be too hot?’

It was shortly after she had learned to speak. Thus, it was a somewhat random and awkward question.

Rutis had tried to offer comfort in her own way.

Weed had paused for a moment, smiling wistfully with an expression that seemed to reflect deep longing. He responded to the young Rutis’s question with just one word.

‘It was warm.’

Rutis understood this now.

The priests were entranced by the warmth, their eyes fixed on the pillar of light, unable to think clearly, much like rain-soaked plants. It was a light they had longed for, a warmth they had yearned for endlessly. An emotion that had existed deep within them for countless years, never fading, even if they didn’t fully understand it.

In fact, it was the humans—nobles and royalty alike—who regained their composure first. Among the finest wizards of the magical kingdom, murmurs spread through the crowd as they all inspected themselves, peeking inside their shoes and armor.

The human Caldenos, who had flinched, also removed the gloves he had been wearing. Though he had rushed over and was already breathing heavily, his heart pounded even louder as he slipped them off.

What was revealed was a robust physique befitting a magic swordsman, strong, unscarred arms without a single wrinkle.

For a moment, Caldenos felt flustered, his carefully constructed defenses momentarily faltering.

“Kyaa!“

“Caldenos! What’s wrong with you?”

One of the priests was the first to react, injured by a spell from one of the human wizards. It wasn’t a severe injury, but it was enough to be considered significant. Moreover, when the ground rumbled and they confirmed their own bodies, the humans’ faces brightened with newfound confidence.

With a surge of more dazzling and powerful magic, the priests found themselves flustered for the first time.

“Are those guys really sick?”

“Hey! You! You lied to me! How dare you lie to me!”

Rutis grabbed Caldenos by the collar with both hands and shook him vigorously. The unexpected turn of events in the midst of battle left the human extremely confused, his eyes darting around.

“That’s not it! I didn’t lie…”

Kiiing. Bang.

Rutis blocked the incoming flying spear of light and spoke up.

“Focus now.”

“Ah, this is more than I expected!”

“Rutis. Let him go. This is surprisingly fun.”

Though the human’s abilities had suddenly increased two or threefold, it wasn’t a significant concern for the priests. They hesitated only briefly before pushing forward, quickly regaining their momentum.

No matter how exceptional these wizards were among humans, they were still mere mortals, unlikely to live even a hundred years.

It took Caldenos five times longer than anticipated to achieve what he wanted, but the task was completed swiftly. As for what the human king and prince would say to each other upon meeting at their destination? Rutis couldn’t have cared less.

The only thing that seemed to change was that the crown worn by the aging king was now placed on the head of the younger Caldenos.

No, one more thing: the once splendid castle had turned into a complete wreck.

The priests were not interested in the affairs of the human realm. The unusual events happening in Lar drew their attention instead. Among them, Rutis, who was the most curious about the outside world, stretched and asked Caldenos.

“What is this? Is it over? How boring.”

“What does it matter? Good is good, right?”

“Seriously. Live your life like that if you want.”

“Leave me alone. Ah, I feel sluggish.”

There was no sense of solemnity. The process was exceedingly simple. The priests, who hadn’t been this exhausted in a long time, flopped around the throne without even thinking of tending to their minor injuries, merely gasping for breath.