Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 78

Inis’ funeral took place over two days.

Instead of being cremated, the body was adorned with scentless beautiful flowers and gem-like seeds and buried somewhere in Lar. It returned to the cycle of life. This was the highest honor given to a human in Lar.

During this time, Hana and Weed did not speak much. Weed did not initiate conversation, and Hana felt awkward around him for the first time. Nevertheless, they were always together, and Weed continued to take care of her.

Weed made sure not to leave Hana alone. He went out of his way to bathe her, dressed her himself, and even tried to accompany her to the restroom. They slept holding each other, and it seemed they were apart for less than five minutes a day. Hana was slightly concerned about these changes.

The sudden events ended more anticlimactically than expected.

Calden, who had wrapped up everything in Lar, prepared to leave. Before departing, Calden asked for a final meeting, giving Hana a chance to talk with him face-to-face for the first time in a while. He appeared very weary.

Given the situation, it was unclear what they might discuss. However, Hana wanted to ask him something, recalling his previous words about why he had come here.

“Calden.”

Calden did not respond but silently waited for Hana to continue.

“Does Calden believe in God? Do you think there is God?”

“…Yes. I believe there is God.”

Incredibly, Calden had come here searching for a god. He had come seeking a miracle, grasping at straws.

“And despite Inis’s death, do you still believe in God?”

The voice was cold. It was the first time Hana had spoken with such a chill and heaviness.

“Is there such a thing in this world?”

Hana sighed a long, weary sigh.

She recalled a conversation from the past. Weed had said he did not believe in God. He spoke of ‘power’ and how even the smallest creature, by obtaining this power, could gain immense abilities beyond imagination. He suggested that even a fragment of this understanding could be seen as God’s will.

Power was the law of the world, an immutable truth—all living beings were born, died, and became sustenance for others, becoming a part of the world once more–they go through birth and death, returning to the earth like Inis.

This was the balance of the world and the essence of ‘power.’ Understanding this allowed one to use these rules to one’s advantage.

So, Hana thought.

In reality, some might call this a god. If one could wield such power, wasn’t that godlike?

She wondered if Weed might be that god. He handled all plants and tended to the blessed sanctuaries of Lár de Ligna Initia. He had infused her with the will to live anew. Hana vaguely thought that his life force was infinite.

Calden had said something similar. He wondered if the leader here might be the solution to the divine disease. This place, symbolizing arrogance, might be the result of a deficient god trying to create a perfect world.

But it wasn’t so. It couldn’t be.

“Calden, you’re wrong.”

“Haha… What exactly is wrong with what I said?”

Hana glanced briefly at Weed, who sat in a slouched position as if he might get up at any moment. Hana turned her head away and then looked up at Calden’s red eyes with a determined stare.

“He isn’t a god. He, too, is a being living a painful life. We are merely insignificant creatures floundering in the machinations of gods.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even if Weed were a god, if he initiated all these events, he would take responsibility. If he were the cause of the divine disease, he would surely have known. And he would have undoubtedly sacrificed himself. That’s the kind of person he is.”

Hana spoke calmly.