Chapter 85: Dancing Sprout

After that day.

“Congratulations! Adventurer Cayton.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been promoted!”

The adventurers’ guild staff handed Cayton a silver necklace.

“Me? Really?”

Cayton couldn’t hide his surprise at the sudden promotion. 

He was still far short of the merits needed for promotion.

Moreover, since he hadn’t handled any requests recently and planned to buckle down starting today, the bewilderment was even greater.

“You accomplished something big.”

“Something big? You mean the herb shop?”

“The herb shop is incredibly important to our guild too.”

The guild staff smiled brightly.

In principle, unofficial requests didn’t accumulate merits.

Nevertheless, since the Alburton adventurers’ guild had even delivered a plaque of appreciation to the herb shop to express their thanks, they took this matter seriously.

“Others helped solve it too, not just me? Why only me?”

“Of course, the other adventurers received some merits as well. However, Cayton, you received the most recognition.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s the result reflecting the leader’s evaluation.”

Cayton’s eyebrows shot up.

“L-leader?”

“Yes, Vitus seems to have evaluated you highly.”

Cayton found it hard to believe. 

They only growled at each other whenever they met, yet he spoke well of him?

“What did he say?”

“According to Vitus, you took the lead in handling the matter. And he added that your swordsmanship is too good for iron rank.”

“He really said that?”

“High-rank adventurers are all about meritocracy, you know.”

“That’s true.”

The higher you went among adventurers, the more strictly it was based on skill. 

Background and politics didn’t matter; they judged skill thoroughly.

Accurately assessing and acknowledging others’ skills also served as fertilizer for their own growth.

Cayton felt a bit ashamed that his judgment had been clouded by rivalry. 

Vitus seemed a step ahead not just in skill but in other aspects too.

Cayton clenched his fist tightly. 

And he vowed to use this friendly rivalry as a stepping stone to one day surpass Vitus as an adventurer.

“Please return your previous necklace.”

“Oh, yes.”

Cayton returned the iron necklace from his chest and put on the silver one.

The silver pendant shone brilliantly around Cayton’s neck.

***

The herb shop incident ended well. As expected, the culprit was Austin.

It could have hurt other customers, but luckily it didn’t.

Thanks to Cayton and Vitus’s efforts, we quickly identified the culprit.

Since Austin compensated with the funds he’d accumulated over time, the herb shop avoided major losses.

The matter was resolved well, but everyone must have been mentally shocked. 

I needed time to recharge body and mind too.

So we decided to take two more days of rest each. We’d been running too hard lately.

Though we went through a big ordeal, I was sure that passing through this time would become an opportunity for me to grow further.

Not just me, but the other herb shop members too.

“Good morning today as well!”

I stretched widely.

These days, with shorter daylight, I woke up late. This wasn’t laziness; it was living in harmony with nature.

The other members were still wandering in dreamland.

Today, we should have brunch.

“Anyway, a lot of fallen leaves have piled up.”

Fallen leaves were scattered all over the fields and the front yard. 

The pear and persimmon trees seemed to be shaking off their leaves from the branches, preparing for winter sleep.

“Alright. Shall I sweep the leaves today?”

It seemed like I could finish cleaning before brunch.

Step step.

The sound of stepping on leaves tickled my ears. 

The fact that autumn was deepening and winter approaching felt anew on my skin.

Sweep sweep—

I started sweeping around the house and the vegetable garden with a broom. 

I gathered the leaves and put them in sacks to prevent them from blowing away, stacking them in one corner.

If I collected the leaves well, they could be used as valuable fertilizer later.

As the sound of leaves fluttering in the wind subsided, the Floating Island became serene.

“This side is mostly done, shall I clean over there too?”

Sweep sweep.

I moved spots and swept the leaves.

“You’re growing well.”

Then I encountered the rainbow poop I’d placed to one side.

About 2cm high, with two pairs of leaves budding plumply on the rainbow poop.

I hadn’t used any growth promotion function, but the unicorn’s poop seemed to be good fertilizer. 

It was growing vigorously day by day.

I was leaving it as is, in case removing the rainbow poop would damage the sprout.

I looked at the sprout pleasantly and started tidying the surroundings again.

Sweep sweep.

“Hmm hmm~”

I was humming to myself, focused on sweeping, when.

Wiggle wiggle.

“……?”

Suddenly, something twitching caught my eye.

It seemed like something wiggled on the rainbow poop.

“What is it?”

Step step.

I approached and examined closely, but there was no movement at all.

“Weird. Did I see wrong?”

Sweep sweep.

I started cleaning again and.

Glance glance.

I kept peeking sideways in case it moved again while cleaning.

“Hmm hmm~”

Wiggle wiggle.

Then, it caught my eye twitching again.

“W-what?”

This time, I saw it clearly.

“I-it moved?”

The plant budding on the rainbow poop was shaking, wasn’t it.

It wasn’t swaying in the wind. It clearly wiggled its stem like a living thing.

“…C-calm down.”

I’d vaguely heard of plants that move alive, but those were mostly like carnivorous plants.

“Weird. Why isn’t it moving now?”

Maybe because I was watching? I tried looking away, but it didn’t move at all.

“Does it react to specific actions?”

I recalled my previous actions.

“I was just sweeping leaves like this.”

Sweep sweep.

No movement at all. Not the sweeping, then.

“The humming?”

Nah, no way it reacted to my humming? Plants don’t have ears.

…But just in case.

“Hmm hmm~”

As I started singing again,

Wiggle wiggle.

Unbelievably, it started dancing its body energetically.

“I-it’s really dancing?”

The way it waved with its tiny thin stem was trivial, but quite cute.

“You like songs, huh?”

Plants are living beings too, but with little movement and expression, it’s hard to connect.

But this one expresses with gestures, so affection comes easily.

“A dancing sprout. How fascinating.”

I brought my finger close and tapped the leaves lightly.

Shiver.

Then the sprout shivered its stem.

The reaction was fun, so I tapped a few more times, and this time it even lifted its leaves.

It seemed to like my touch.

It felt just like a puppy enjoying its owner’s hand.

“Oh right, I shouldn’t be doing this.”

I started sweeping again. I had to finish cleaning before brunch.

“Hmm hmm~”

Bounce bounce.

I finished the morning cleaning with the ‘dancing sprout.’

With the sprout dancing beside me, it felt like the cleaning ended quickly somehow.

“Shall I head back now? What should we have for lunch today.”

As I turned to leave.

Bow bow.

“Hm?”

Did the sprout just bow to me?

“Maybe, trying to get on my good side?”

The thought suddenly occurred.

…No way, it couldn’t be intelligent enough to recognize me as the Floating Island’s caretaker.

If it’s bowing to me because of that.

“Nah, no way….”

I stared at it intently. Nowhere on the tiny stem did a place for a brain seem to exist.

“Yeah, that’s overthinking.”

I just walked away.

***

Wow! It’s the world!

The sprout emerged from the seed and stretched widely.

The world it faced for the first time was so clean and clear. 

The soil was fertile, and birds sang from the branches. 

This place was surely abundant.

“What’s this…?”

That day was also the first time it met its master.

A voice warm like sunlight. 

He smelled richly of earth and flowers.

The sprout could tell at a glance that he was the master of this land.

Master! Nice to meet you!

The sprout expressed its joy earnestly, but the master didn’t seem to notice.

“I can’t raise it recklessly.”

Boom—

It was like a bolt from the blue.

The sprout’s mind went blank.

Are you going to abandon me? Sniff.

To face the greatest hardship of life right after being born.

It seemed not allowed to take root in this land.

Please! Let me live on this land!

Flap flap.

The sprout begged. 

It flapped its tender leaves, but as a newly emerged sprout, it was like a baby barely able to toddle, let alone express.

But perhaps its earnest wish reached.

“Shall I watch for a bit?”

The master granted the sprout a chance.

Thank you for giving me a spot on this precious land! Master!

The sprout was moved by the master of this land. It vowed to cherish this land.

And to receive love from the master and continue rooting here.

After that day.

“Peep!”

“Delicious!”

“Moo!”

The master had several family members. They all received plenty of the master’s love.

I want to be loved by the master too.

Such an earnest wish was growing in the sprout’s heart.

The poop of the mythical creature, the unicorn, contained mysterious magic, which was the power to turn illusions into reality.

The sprout, having absorbed plenty of nutrients from the rainbow poop, grew vigorously. Along with the wish toward its master.

And today.

“Hmm hmm~”

The master’s voice came from afar.

The master sometimes hummed songs. The sprout loved that singing voice so much.

Ah, happy.

The sprout tilted its leaves to the master’s singing. And gradually immersed in the song.

Shake shake.

Huh? My body is reacting to the song?

Suddenly, it discovered itself shaking its stem to the song.

It was the sprout’s first time moving its stem.

Is there mysterious power in the master’s voice?

The sprout fell into delusion. It was a fantasy starting from special faith in the master.

Anyway, the sprout couldn’t miss this chance.

I hope the master notices.

“Hmm hmm~”

Wiggle wiggle.

It tried to shake its stem more vigorously.

Doom chit pak chit.

Gradually adapting to the rhythm and getting used to shaking the stem. Then confidence surged.

Bounce bounce.

“I-it moved?”

Was it the mystery of the unicorn poop that turns illusions into reality?

Finally, the wish became reality.