Chapter 67

I accepted a job request from Nikolaus, made a friend named Leonhart, and found myself gradually becoming a part, a cog, of human society. I couldn’t help but smirk at that reality. It felt like I was blending in well with humans.

(Oh right, I was thinking of giving the sprouts some means of self-defense. For now, I’ll call over one that’s nearby…)

I called over the sprout closest to the house that wasn’t on lookout duty. As I waited in front of the house, basking in the sunlight, I soon spotted a small figure running toward me at a quick pace. What appeared was a light-blue sprout wearing a hooded cloak.

(It seems Daon-san gave it that. Apparently it’s useful when playing hide-and-seek with the kids.)

Since the light-blue cloth doesn’t blend into the surroundings, it stands out quite a bit. When playing with the children, it would get spotted immediately in hiding games, so Daon, taking pity on it, gave it this plain hooded cloak.

(Alright, for now I’ll let this one carry it as a test. If it keeps it hidden under the cloak, it won’t stand out…)

The fruit used by that plant-type monster that fires something like a seed machine gun contains a sticky net like a spider’s web. When it hits something, it bursts and releases that net.

Originally, it’s meant to capture prey so the creature can approach and swallow it whole. In other words, while it has high capturing ability, it doesn’t injure what it hits. It’s a tool with very little danger, unlikely to be seen as a dangerous weapon.

I made something like a toy air gun that can shoot those by loading them into a tube and popping them out. I handed it to the light-blue sprout.

(You’re not allowed to use it normally, but if someone’s in danger, or if you’re in danger… you can use it to help or escape. It seems like more people might come, and we can’t rule out that bad ones might appear too.)

The sprout hid the air gun inside its cloak and tied it to its back with a string, then nodded. Looking at it now, it seemed a bit like a sniper. …Well, in the end, it’s just a toy air gun that shoots plant pellets with no real firepower.

With its task done, the light-blue sprout ran back toward the village. As for whether to give the other sprouts those guns, I’ll decide after observing the villagers for a while.

「Hm? Witch-sama, what brings you outside?」

(Ah, Noel. You’re done harvesting, good work. …Your clothes really are getting small.)

Autumn is a season of abundance. Noel returned with a basket full of food he had gathered, chestnuts, mushrooms, and other typical autumn delicacies.

What caught my attention was how short his sleeves had become. It’s fully autumn now, and it should be chilly. His ears and tail were slightly puffed up too, making me think he might be cold.

(Hmm… ah, right. Maybe I should make something like a warm cape or poncho.)

I got the idea from the cloak the sprout was wearing. It doesn’t need to be long, more like a cape or poncho, a sleeveless outer garment that could still be used even if he grows quickly. Thinking that, I started weaving fibers together. Fur would be ideal, but with my [Diversification] ability, I can only produce plants I’ve absorbed… Though I might be able to create something animal-like using the Barometz ability that bears sheep, that would be far too inhuman to do in front of people.

So instead, I stuffed cotton into the woven fabric and placed it over Noel’s shoulders.

「Wow… it’s warm. Thank you, Witch-sama…!」

(Mhm. Just bear with that until we can get you new clothes at the next market.)

Query, being a professional in clothing, could surely make something both functional and stylish. As I was thinking of asking her at the next market, Ilai happened to visit that very afternoon.

「Witch-san! As radiant as ever today, with such a beautiful smile, how delightful!」

If anything, he seemed to be the one in high spirits, grinning widely while rubbing his hands together like he was about to start a fire through friction.

His cute four-leaf-clover carriage and his suspicious merchant demeanor were quite the mismatch. Meanwhile, beside him stood Query, holding a sketchbook and pen, looking at me with an extremely pleased expression, as if she were licking her eyes over me.

「No matter how many times I see you, you are perfect, unchanged, flawlessly beautiful. No, perhaps your hair has gained even more luster than before, should I say your beauty has only deepened?」

(Eek…!! She hasn’t realized this body is artificial, right!? I’m okay… right!?)

My body is artificial, so it doesn’t change like a human’s. I don’t gain or lose weight since I don’t have fat. At most, better nutrition just improves the sheen of my flowers. But it seemed like Query could see even that, and I trembled inwardly. Being in front of her is scary. I decided to hide behind Noel.

Placing my hands on his shoulders, I had him stand between me and Query. Noel, having grown a bit taller, nicely blocked her line of sight.

「Hello, Query-san.」

「Oh my, hello. …Well, well, you’ve grown! You’ll need clothes that fit your height, shall I pick something out for you?」

「…Yes. Please.」

Noel’s tail looked slightly downcast. Maybe he’s not very comfortable around Query either… And yet I’m using him as a shield. I feel a bit guilty. Using a child as a shield brings a twinge of guilt. But I’m scared of being found out, so I’d really like him to stay in front. I’m truly sorry.

「Then it’s settled. And that outerwear, may I take a closer look? This must have been created by Witch-sama with magic…! Ahh, I see, you’ve stuffed it with cotton to make it warm…! Lighter than animal fur, yet still warm! It truly reflects Witch-sama’s kindness toward Noel-kun…!」

「! …Yes!」

I was only half-listening to Query’s machine-gun-like chatter when Noel responded brightly. His tail was wagging energetically now. …It seems he’s not that uncomfortable around her after all.

(Then I’ll have him keep being my shield without hesitation. …This person feels like she can see through everything just by looking, scary.)