Chapter 831: Intermission: The Flower of the Earth ① (1/2)

<Author's Notes>

I'm struggling with the next chapter, so just like always, when in trouble, take out the Intermission chapters! The story takes place between the Housewarming party and the swimming on the beach.

It was said that the forest city of Yggfresis, ruled by Lillywood-san, is the largest city in the Demon Realm along with Megiddo-san's city.

The overall size of this city is probably a little larger than Symphonia's royal capital. I did have some sightseeing back when I came to visit Lillywood-san, but there are still places I have yet to visit.

The most popular place to visit in the Yggfresis would be Lillywood-san's workplace and residence at the foot of the gigantic tree in the center of the city…… the World Tree.

It's a place where Lillywood-san, one of the Six Kings, lives, so it might as well be her castle…… It seems like her workplace was made by hollowing out a large tree, and although it is quite large, it doesn't have the atmosphere of a castle.

The reason why I came to visit Lillywood-san this time was because I wanted to ask her about the World Tree seedling that I received as a memorabilia from her at the Six Kings Festival.

Because after I got that seedling at the Six Kings Festival, I bought a large potted plant and raised it in my room…… It seems like the World Tree is growing fast, as in the two years that I've been back on Earth, it has grown quite a bit and it's getting too big to keep indoors.

And now that I've built my own house, I'm thinking of moving the World Tree from my room to my garden…… and so, I thought of asking Lillywood-san if there was anything I should be aware of since it was a special tree, and what the final size of my World Tree would be like.

Lillywood-san has always been very kind to me, giving me many Fruits of the World Tree, so I brought her some souvenirs this time. I talked to Alice about what would be a good souvenir to bring, and she said that bringing her some tasty water would be great. Thereupon, introducing me to a shop that sells such water, I bought some of it.

……Incidentally, a 500ml bottle of this water cost about ”5000 yen”. What kind of unexplored region did they draw this water from for them to sell this 500ml water for 5000 yen? Moreover, the fact that it exists as a product means that there are people who buy it.

Well, there are people like Lillywood-san who don't eat food and only drink water, so perhaps, there really might be a demand for it.

As I was thinking about this, I saw the entrance to Lillywood-san's castle, which is also her office and residence. At the same time, I spotted a familiar face.

Meeting her here is quite fortunate, or rather, I'm quite grateful instead. I've met her many times before, and to be honest, she's the easiest person to talk to out of all the subordinates under Lillywood-san's command that I know.

Thereupon, just as I was about to speak to her, she noticed me, stopped her cleaning work, and turning towards me, she smiled.

[Hello, Kaito-san. Are you here for Lillywood-sama?]

[Hello, ”Camellia-san”. Yes, I've already notified her of my visit with a hummingbird……]

[I see. Well then, please head over to the guest room and I will immediately announce your arrival.]

[Thank you. I'm sorry for interrupting your cleaning.]

[No, no, don't worry about it. It's just my hobby.]

The woman who kindly helped me was Camellia-san, Lillywood-san's subordinate. She was about 150-160cm tall, with semi-long brown hair that was braided in a loose, large braid and swept forward from her shoulder, looking a little like Life-san.

She was wearing dark brown and cream-colored clothes that I imagined to be somewhat like Sweden's traditional outfit…… How should I say this……. It may sound rude to say this, but at first glance, she seems to have the atmosphere of a village girl.

No, I don't mean to make fun of her, but it's really difficult to describe Camellia-san's appearance in words. Her beauty might not be dazzling to the eyes, but she definitely has a lovely, well-rounded face and a kind smile that suits her very well. Just from a glance, you could tell that she's a kind person.

However, her overall atmosphere and the color scheme of her outfit…… I apologize for being really rude, but the impression of a village girl really comes to my mind.

What should I say here? Is it because there's nothing about her that stands out? If I had to pick one, it would be her hair clip with a design of two intertwining grasses……

Anyway, I've met and talked with Camellia-san a few times now, and I think we're more like friends than acquaintances.

She seems to enjoy housework in general, and often cleans Lillywood-san's castle, so we often meet by chance just like today. In fact, at first, I misunderstood and thought that she was a maid serving Lillywood-san, and that she was just not wearing a maid uniform, and thus, I asked the cleaning Camellia-san to help me contact Lillywood-san.