Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 32

She felt as if she were dreaming an endless and winding dream with no end in sight.

Just when she sensed that everything had finally concluded, a voice reached her ears. It seemed like she had heard this voice on numerous occasions before. Hana attempted to replay the words in her mind, but her concentration quickly dissipated.

“Uhng…”

For a while now, her body had been tingling and itching. She slowly raised her heavy eyelid.

“Are you awake?”

Having just opened her eyes, she struggled to focus her vision, unable to see anything clearly. She closed her eyes again, and a soothing feeling of exhaustion washed over her as something soft brushed against her cheek.

It emitted a faint sound before withdrawing. She felt as though her body was floating in the sky.

After getting drenched in sweat, she had fallen asleep, yet there was no lingering stickiness or discomfort. As she felt the slight coolness in her hair, it was apparent that someone had washed her while she slept, and her hair still felt partially damp.

Even that heaviness and coolness felt refreshing.

Such a sensation had been a very long time—the feeling of an intense workout with her breath coming up to her chin, followed by a refreshing shower to wash away the sweat, lying lazily on the bed, and then sleeping peacefully after getting rid of the sweat.

It was a feeling that made her want to be buried under the blankets forever.

Since the accident, she couldn’t run or jog. There had been times when she tried to exercise forcefully, but even a little running would quickly lead to unbearable pain.

She couldn’t sleep deeply either.

The constant side effects of the unending medication left her with insomnia and anxiety. It had been a long time since she could sleep deeply like this, and a pleasantly lethargic feeling right after waking up had been even longer.

No matter what type of medication she took and fell asleep with, she always woke up feeling quite unpleasant.

The sheets smelled fresh and felt pleasantly crisp. She couldn’t remember when they had last been changed.

As she lay on top of them, her posture was incredibly comfortable.

Thanks to the soft and cozy cushion-like material beneath her lower back, there was no hint of the usual minor back pain. While she rested her cheek on the pillow that supported her neck at just the right height, Hana gazed up at the ceiling.

“Weed…”

As she called out his name, he grinned.

While she couldn’t tell if he had bathed while she did or if it was residual water from his own shower, his hair was also damp. His hair was brushed to one side, revealing a smooth forehead.

Gentle golden eyes were fixed upon her.

“Yes, Hana.”

Her arm was drawn, and Weed pressed his lips onto the back of her hand.

Hana stared at him dazedly. He was dressed neatly again, but this time, it was in attire that seemed somewhat more casual than his usual flashy clothing.

She rolled her eyes around to survey her surroundings.

She didn’t feel like complaining about why he had been redressed while she lay bare on the bed. It was because the sensation of the sheet against her bare skin and the touch of his dry palm as he swept it across her body didn’t feel unpleasant.

She couldn’t quite fathom how they had ended up like this, but she felt so good that she didn’t even want to contemplate it too much.

“What are you… doing? Weed.”

However, despite feeling good, her voice was somewhat hoarse.

“I was checking on your condition.”

The tingling sensation that had been crawling over her body before she woke up seemed to be because of this. Weed was gently massaging her back and legs.

“…Why?”

“You mentioned that it’s been a long time since you’ve been injured and improperly healed. The area around your lower back and pelvis is close to your heart, so it’s risky, but it seems feasible up to your ankles. I’ve been observing to see if it’s safe for me to intervene, and I need your permission.”

“What… is feasible?”

“Getting you back to normal.”

Hana took a deep breath and then sat up.

“It, it possible to treat it? Though it’s not a disease.”

“It’s not exactly a cure, if you want to be precise.”

“Really?”

Weed positioned his lips on one of her knees and held onto her ankle with both hands. As he gently massaged the ankle bone with his thumb, he locked eyes with her.

“I’ll use poison to kill it down to your ankle and then revive the nerves. You’ll essentially get a new foot after discarding the dead one.”

“Wait, you’re saying that’s possible?”

“Yes, although it seems feasible only up to the ankle due to the danger of the poison. You won’t be able to walk while the poison kills your foot. I’m sorry to say this, but it’s impossible for anything above that. However, I’ll always be by your side, even if there’s pain…”

“Really… really?”

Hana asked again, hardly able to believe it. Weed furrowed his brows and offered a slightly regretful smile.

“I would like nothing more than to completely heal you, not just your ankle if it were up to me. If only I had been by your side when you were injured… No, I’m sorry. These words probably hold no meaning.”

“No, no. Thank you. I’m grateful.”

She hadn’t thought much about her physical condition. After the accident had left everything below her waist in shambles, the fact that she had survived was a miracle in itself, so she hadn’t complained much.

Perhaps she had already given up, not even hoping for recovery.

The possibility of restoring her body to a healthy state, especially her severely affected foot and ankle, was astonishing. Rather than being overwhelmed with gratitude, she was more amazed. The method and process seemed too unrealistic to comprehend, and she might not even believe it even after hearing it.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Even if you can’t walk, I’ll…”

Hana nodded before Weed could finish his sentence.

Not being able to walk for a while was not a problem at all. Even if she couldn’t control her body on her own, even if she had to endure pain during the process, it seemed okay.

Even though the poison hadn’t been applied yet, she watched as he held her ankle in his hand. After he released her ankle, she let her mind wander until he gently pulled her into his embrace, his arm around her shoulders.

Then, Weed whispered something in her ear.

“… You’ve come to save me.”

She gazed up at him, nestled in his embrace. He had just mentioned that he would treat her ankle, and she was touched by it. While she thought it should be the other way around, Weed simply smiled warmly.

Hana tilted her head.

Was he talking about the sacrifice? Then, wasn’t there no need to restore her almost fatally injured body to normal? She wondered, but she opened her mouth as if confirming the truth as she understood it.

“Yes, the priests…”

Weed nodded his head.

“That’s not what I meant. I still wish for you to live.”

“But…”

He held her in his arms even tighter.

“If your resolve is firm, I have no right to stop you. But Hana, please think about it a little more. When I mentioned the treatment just now… in my eyes, it seemed like you were happy. It seemed like you were happy that you could live.”

Hana’s throat felt choked, and she lowered her head somehow.

Weed kept kissing her forehead and cheek as he spoke. His touch was so tender that it felt like tears were about to burst out.

“Hana, you’ve once decided to give up your life. In my eyes, it seemed like you had partially given up, as you appeared resigned to the fact that you would soon fade away. Your life seemed so insignificant compared to others, and it seemed like you had lost the will to live. Maybe, maybe…”

Weed couldn’t meet her eyes, and his face turned red.

“If, If it’s for my sake, I’m glad… but please, if you genuinely care for me, don’t do it.”

When the world was suffering due to emptiness, the World Tree, once revered as a manifestation of the divine, is said to have listened to the wishes and grievances poured out by the people of this world and found a solution.

It couldn’t resolve the problems of this world from within, so it sought help from elsewhere. The resulting solution was a sacrifice from another world.