Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 115

As the forest creatures stopped interacting, fewer people began visiting Lar. Among humans, Caldenos had visited frequently, but even he had become much less frequent recently, perhaps due to his increased political duties.

In the end, after the void was resolved, Hana and Weed stayed in Lar for the most part.

There was nothing to tire of in this place; everything here was pleasing to the eye. Weed, too, seemed to never grow tired of looking at her.

‘Still, there is one thing I regret…’

She had once seen Weed interacting with other humans. The humans feared him, and Weed, in turn, dismissed them. The priests said that he was somewhat disdainful of humans, as only humans had steadily invaded Lar over the long years, ruining its beauty.

His gaze toward humans was cold, sharp, and devoid of warmth.

Hana found it fascinating how, when he looked at others, he could be so different from how he was when he gazed at her. Though she tried to observe it even just a little, that look would disappear as soon as he turned to face her.

She didn’t plan on deciding what was real or fake.

It was just that sometimes, she had the urge to steal a glimpse of that other side of him. Weed always showed her his best side, but Hana wanted to see all of him, every part.

Yet, there never seemed to be an opportunity to do so.

As Hana sipped her tea, observing Weed as if counting the lashes on his eyes, a single plant sprouted from below the table. Soon after, a crimson peony bloomed next to the table, signaling that Rutis wanted to speak.

“Hana, excuse me for a moment.”

Hana nodded in acknowledgment. A few priests, including Rutis, approached the table.

She continued to sip her tea, staring absentmindedly at Weed. Below the cliff, a flock of birds flew by, creating a magnificent scene, but Hana was more focused on Weed, unable to look away.

Once again, it seemed that Weed and the priests were discussing something related to the human world.

While Hana, as a god, remained detached from everything, Weed and the priests were quite involved in the human world. It was due to the small sense of responsibility they felt.

She had heard that, once, a group of humans had defied Weed, and because of that, the priests had destroyed several human kingdoms. However, it would have been easy to ignore them, the scale of the damage was so severe at the time that they had taken some resources and given a minimum of help.

“Hana?”

“Hmm?”

Weed, who had been talking with the priests, turned to look at her.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, nothing.”

She recalled a conversation she’d once had with Weed. Even though they were facing each other, he seemed to be lost in thought, but as she thought about it, he was probably just looking at her while thinking about something else.

While he resumed his quiet conversation with the priests, she propped her chin on her hand and continued watching him.

The reason she never grew bored of staying in Lar was that she genuinely enjoyed quietly observing them. Did Weed realize that?

“…So, I think it would be best if you decide, Weed.”

“Why can’t you all handle it yourselves?”

“It just so happens that our opinions are split exactly in half on this matter.”

“Please decide, Weed, okay?”

“You’re really making this troublesome.”

“Weed~”

“Fine, just this time.”

Once again, they had requested help from the priests in a conflict zone, and it seemed that the priests interested in the matter couldn’t come to a consensus among themselves.

It was obvious, but the difference in how Weed treated her, the priests, and humans was striking.

She thought about the way he spoke to the priests, using a slow and gentle voice. It really was soft.

When he dealt with her, he was often flustered, as if he was face-to-face with the most precious thing in the world, unsure of what to do. But when dealing with the priests, he seemed a bit annoyed. It almost looked like he was being chased by overly energetic children, which made her laugh.

Wasn’t that exactly the ‘look’?

Without thinking, Hana spoke out the thought that had crossed her mind.

“Did I marry a man with children?”

The conversation that had been flowing slowly came to an abrupt stop. Weed, who had been focused on the priests, turned to look at Hana with wide, golden eyes. The priests around them were equally startled, covering their mouths with both hands.

“…Pardon?”

Weed, who had been acting irritated with the priests, stared at Hana with round eyes. The priests, too, turned to look at her.

Oh, she’d made a mistake.

* * *

Afterward, Weed, who had been glancing at Hana intermittently while continuing his conversation, suddenly stood up, saying he needed to discuss the matter more with Rutis.

Rutis, looking uncharacteristically flustered, followed Weed as they left.

Just before they left, Rutis cast a surprised glance at Hana, who remained behind. It was possible that Weed was genuinely interested in the matter, but she knew that for a brief moment, he had likely decided to avoid her.

Not knowing what to do, she couldn’t even bring herself to touch her tea. Meanwhile, some priests, who had been standing awkwardly from a distance, slowly approached. One priest with soft, cotton-like hair came over to her.

“Honestly, that was your fault, Hana.”

“Mm… I guess so?”

Hana acknowledged it without resistance, though she briefly wondered exactly where she had gone wrong.

“Um… Hana.”

“Hana.”

“Yes?”

For some reason, the priests didn’t leave but lingered around her.

“Why are you still here?”

The priests hesitated, their lips moving without a clear answer.

When they referred to Weed’s children, it was just a metaphor. After all, it was Weed who had taken care of the younger priests, and they had followed him for that very reason.

However, if that was the case, these priests were also her children in a way.