“Ellie, what kind of plant is this?”
“Um… it’s a weed.”
“And this one?”
“That’s a weed too…”
“Then how about this…?”
“ā¦A long weed.”
“This thick one?”
“Yes… probably?”
My expression twisted at Ellie’s unchanged responses.
Why did everything I asked about turn out to be a weed?
I was currently touring various parts of the estate with Ellie.
While the garden connected to the main house was fairly well-maintained, the rest was a disaster.
Especially the garden connected to the back gateāit looked like a set from an apocalypse movie.
Who in their right mind would believe this was a dukeās garden?
Withered flowers hung limp and untended, and oddly-shaped thorny bushes stuck out everywhere, making the place look like a horror scene.
But even worse, the statues and fountains in the garden were completely overgrown with unidentified plants.
Arenāt decorative elements like those supposed to be meticulously maintained?
“This is a mess.”
“Yes, it isā¦”
Ellie gave an awkward smile at my cutting remark.
At first, when I saw the thick vines wrapped around the bench, I thought maybe it was some kind of noble aesthetic that I just didnāt understand.
Butā
“Ugh, how did weeds get even here…?”
Watching Ellie hurriedly yank at the tangled vines with her hands, I realized I had been wrong.
“Actually, the lady of the house is in charge of maintaining the mansion and the garden. But our gardener, Mr. Mace, has been on indefinite leave for over half a year due to family matters…”
Ellieās words trailed off, but I understood what she meant.
Because the mistress wasnāt around, no one had been properly maintaining the place.
“Haaahā¦”
A deep sigh escaped me.
Looking at the disordered surroundings made me feel like my thoughts were just as chaotic.
Trying to shake off the stifling sensation, I turned my gaze to the distanceāand caught sight of a large, tightly closed door.
It was nearly as massive as the front gate of the Erayton estate.
“Ellie, Ellie.”
“Yes, miss! Just a momentā!”
I called out to Ellie, still by the bench, but she seemed too focused on tearing down the thick vines.
Realizing Iād have to wait a while for her to respond, I quietly turned and started walking toward the door.
I hadnāt realized it at first, but it turned out to be quite far from where I was standing. I had to hustle to reach it.
“Whoa…”
Up close, the door looked even more imposing.
Even when I craned my neck until it hurt, I couldnāt see the very top of it.
The area, just like the rest of the unkempt estate, was covered in weeds, and the iron bars of the gate were entwined with brown vines.
And yet, despite this mess, there was one thing that clearly indicated this was no ordinary door:
Two golden eagle statues perched on either side of the gate.
I stared blankly at the statues before stepping closer to the door.
Unsurprisingly, it was firmly shut.
The heavy chains wrapped around it screamed this door must never be opened.
It looked like no one had touched this area for agesāmoss covered the walls, making the whole place seem even filthier than the rest of the garden.
As I examined the grime, I pressed a finger against the rustiest-looking part of the iron bars.
CRACKāCLANG!
Suddenly, the section I had touched broke off with a loud noise.
Startled, my hand hovered awkwardly in midair.
Even though I was sure no one was nearby, I glanced around like a guilty criminal.
“W-What theā¦?”
I had only touched a single iron bar, and yet a sizeable hole had opened up.
Just how corroded had this place become?
If I crouched down, it looked like I could easily slip through.
Iām kind of curious about whatās insideā¦ Should I go in?
After a brief hesitation, I bent down on all fours, pressing my hands and knees to the ground.
Thanks to the various weeds acting as a cushion, it wasnāt as painful as I expected.
“Heave-ho…!”
A few shuffles later, I was inside.
I brushed at the dirt on my skirt with my chubby little hands, but the brown stains wouldnāt come off easily.
āSigh, Ellieās going to scold me for this later.ā
Putting that worry aside, I raised my head and looked straight ahead.
There stood a small buildingāneither too big nor too small.
It looked like a mini version of the Erayton mansion, though it was less than half its size.
More than anything, the eerie atmosphere emanating from every direction made it seem like a haunted house straight out of a horror game.
Thereās no way anyone actually lives here… right?
Thinking that, I approached the building.
There were no signs of life, which seemed to confirm it was empty.
Normally, I wouldāve avoided anything even remotely scary like the plagueābut for some reason, my hand reached for the door handle.
“Excuse me… Is anyone here? Helloooā¦?”
Hoping no one would answer, I gently pushed the door inward.
Creeeaaak.
The old wooden door groaned as it opened, and the musty smell of dust rushed into my nose.
It was still broad daylight, so despite the lack of lighting, I could see inside fairly well.
Even the swirling clouds of dust were visible in the sunlight.
“Ugh, the dustā¦ ugh-ack!”
Even a shallow breath made me feel like all the dust in the world was being sucked into my lungs.
I waved my hand to clear the air and took a few steps forwardāonly to find a large wooden table.
Big enough to seat ten adults comfortably.
And on top of that tableā¦ something was sitting.
Something that was slowly moving.
“Iām hungry! ACHOO! Ugh, the dust is tickling my nose!”
“HIIIK!”
A loud, high-pitched voice rang out, making my shoulders jump in shock.
It seemed to be coming from the moving thing.
Fear and anxiety surged through me, weighing down my body.
“Hu-hungryā¦ so very hu-hungry~!”
Unaware of my internal panic, the thing even started singing.
I swallowed nervously and slowly approached it.
As I got closer, what had appeared as a dark lump took on a clearer shape:
A round face, tiny twitching ears, and a fluffy tail curled inwards.
I rubbed my eyes with my arm and shook my head rapidly.
But no matter what I did, the figure in front of me didnāt change.
It was unmistakablyā
“A s-squirrelā¦?”
“Who goes there!”
The squirrel turned its black eyes on me.
Its light brown fur shimmered slightly in the narrow beam of sunlight filtering through the window.
The little creature, which had been rubbing its belly with its tiny paws, stiffened in surprise at the sight of me. Then it stood on all fours on the table.
āWhyā¦ why is a squirrel talkingā¦?ā
“What, never seen a talking squirrel before?”
“…Of course not.”
Sure, this world had strange powers like mystic abilities and holy force, not to mention monstersā¦
But other than that, it wasnāt all that different from the world I used to live in.
Talking animals? Iād never seen that before.
“Ah, right.”
As if it had just remembered something, the squirrel opened its mouth and nodded.
“Hmm, that’s right. Now that I think of it, Xeno said I should be careful because humans think itās weird when animals talk. What do I do? Should I just run away? But Iām too hungry to move. Should I just pretend to be a normal squirrel now?”
“Too late. I already heard everything.”
“W-What the heck! How dare you eavesdrop on someone elseās monologue!”
“Your voice was way too loud.”
And this empty house echoed even the smallest sound.
“So who are you anyway?”
“Who am I, you ask? I am the greatāmmph!”
“What…?”
The squirrel had struck a proud pose, about to declare its identity, when its cheeks suddenly puffed out as if its mouth had been forcibly shut. It rolled across the table making strange noises.
“Pwahā¦ Oh right, Iām not supposed to reveal my identity to anyone until I find āthat oneā.”
“….”
Honestly, at this point, hadnāt it already said enough?
Just from hearing “World Tree” come out of its mouth, it was obvious this squirrel was somehow connected to it.
Apparently, some kind of restriction had been placed to prevent it from revealing its identityābut that seal had taken longer to activate than the chatterbox’s mouth.
“Hey, human! Everything you heard today must remain strictly confeeā”
The squirrel dramatically pointed at me with its barely visible tiny pawā¦ and then suddenly wobbled and collapsed.
