Animal House
On the outskirts of Libec, I was working with Risha alone.
Planting trees. Randomly planting trees that each held one hundred units of mana.
I drew the magic circle, Risha fed in the materials.
And one after another, thin but reasonably tall trees emerged—just like street trees from the original world.
"Master..."
"What?"
"What exactly is the meaning of these trees?"
"I don't know."
I said it flatly.
"You... don't know?"
"Yeah. Don't know."
"So why are we planting them?"
Risha paused, surprised, but didn’t stop working.
"Got a sudden urge this morning—just remembered the basics of this kind of thing."
"Basics?"
"Yeah."
I swallowed the thought that it was just a game.
"This world’s been ravaged by the Dark God, most of it turned into wasteland, right?"
"Yes."
She glanced briefly over her shoulder.
Before her stretched wasteland. Wasteland. And more wasteland.
Endless wasteland. Nothing here could ever be called a proper place for people to live.
“During times like this, you gotta restore the green. Can do it at the start, or halfway through. Either way, without some green… people just won’t feel safe living here.”
“Is that right…?”
Risha moved her hands, glancing around.
“I get it. For some reason, I feel calm when I’m here. The more trees grow, the more at peace I feel.”
“…Yeah. Makes sense.”
I nodded.
Golden hair. Pointed ears. Perfect features.
As an Eternal Slave, her kind was, in my mind, the very definition of an elf.
And elves, by nature, lived in forests. So feeling calm while planting trees? Not surprising at all.
Keep planting trees.
Draw the magic circle. Risha completes it. Draw the magic circle. Risha completes it.
She kept at the assembly line.
"Risha."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Try not to plant them at even intervals. If they end up even, just yank a few out and shift their positions. That way it'll look more like a forest, or a grove, or whatever."
"Understood!"
Risha showed her slave card and nodded.
She kept planting. The sun climbed overhead—noon arrived.
"Let's take a break."
"Yes."
Risha nodded. I made two pshinies, handed one to her.
"Here. Lunch."
"Is my master having the same?"
"Yeah, just a quick bite."
I sat beneath a tree I'd just planted.
Risha alternated her gaze between her pshiny and mine.
——Magic power charged: 5,000.
Huh? Magic charge?
Now? Why now?
"Risha."
"Yes?"
"My magic power increased by five thousand. Why?"
“Eh… ah…”
Risha’s cheeks flushed pink.
“Because it was the same as my master’s.”
“Ah, so it was like a matching set, huh?”
“Yes…”
“I see. Sit there and rest.”
“Yes!”
Me and Risha took a break.
Under the newly planted tree, we ate lunch in the slanting sunlight.
Pshiny was, as expected, terrible. I thought it might improve after work, but no amount of hoping helped.
Not aggressively bad—just utterly tasteless. That kind of bad was worse, somehow.
Well, at least it fills the stomach. Gotta endure it.
I finished quickly. I watched Risha, poking at her food.
“Ah!”
Risha gasped.
A bird, out of nowhere, landed on her shoulder.
It became a painting.
An elf (slave) under a tree. A small bird perched on her shoulder.
A picture-perfect scene.
“O—again?”
This time, a white fluffball bounced toward her.
“Rabbit—yes, rabbit, master.”
“Ah.”
The rabbit stopped beside Risha too.
It tilted its head, eyes wide, scanning her.
That was all it took. One by one, small animals started gathering.
Where had they been before? Hidden in the woods? Or had Risha drawn them in?
Squirrels. Raccoons. Even butterflies fluttered in.
As the animals gathered around her, Risha’s face softened—peaceful, almost divine.
“Adorable…”
“Like this kind of thing?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. Then I’d better make some grass. I planted trees, but the ground’s still just rock.”
“Actually…”
“Help me, Risha. Let’s build a home for these little ones.”
The meal was finished, and we got back to planting trees.
Planted trees. Made grass too.
“Risha, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
There was no lake, so I used Risha’s modified Eternal Slave of Fire to slam the ground, carving out a massive hole, then let water pool in it until it became a lake.
By dusk, we had a forest the size of three Tokyo Domes.
Standing at the edge where forest met wasteland, we stared at it.
Animals kept arriving, one after another.
They’d come straight to Risha first, then slip into the woods—like they were magnetized to the elf (slave) named Risha.
Repeated again and again, until the forest began to… breathe.
The rustle of leaves, the sounds of creatures—blended into the living music of a forest.
Staring at it, I spoke to Risha.
“Risha.”
“Yes, master.”
"Good job. All thanks to you. Right now, I feel like I'm bringing the world back to life."
"..."
Risha's eyes widen. She's stunned.
He repeats the same words to her.
"All thanks to you. Thank you."
—— Magical energy charged: 50,000.
"Such kind words, master. Too generous."
Risha is overwhelmed.
"I'll make another forest, when I find the time."
"Yes!"
Risha beams, nodding with all her heart.