Chapter 103: Growth of Humans, Growth of Monsters

「The growth of monsters? 」

Before I could ask what that meant, Mo-chan explained it to me.

「The difference between the monsters you raised and normal monsters. What do you think that difference is? 」

Even if she asked that.

I wondered what.

Were they peaceful? Don’t attack people?

Hmm, I felt like something was different.

Whether it was Jack, Dora-chan, or Lock, they were more like family.

「That’s right! That’s it! 」

「Eh? 」

「That’s right. Do you know what the biggest factor in a person’s growth is? 」

Hmm.

To summarize what had been said so far, it was clear that growth in this world was not simply about the physical body.

I felt like mental growth was more important.

In that case, factors that caused mental growth were connected physically like emotions…well, in a larger sense.

「The heart? 」

「Yes! Well done, Kyou-kun! 」

I couldn’t help but mutter a famous saying that I had heard somewhere, but apparently it was the correct answer.

「The monsters you raise all grow up with human-like hearts. That’s the big difference from normal monsters. Normal monsters have a nature similar to that of beasts, so they behave with instinct when they attack humans. But the monsters you raised have hearts and think for themselves. That’s why they have actions, thoughts, emotions that other monsters don’t have. Their growth is different.」

There were a few points that came to mind.

The Hydras rushed to me when I was in a pinch.

Certainly, such behavior would’ve never been possible for an emotionless beast.

「In that sense, you could say that Jack is the one who has done the most growth. 」

I looked at Jack, who was still lying in the direction Mo-chan was pointing.

That was certainly true.

Jack fought against the toughest enemy of all and outclassed him.

Out of all of us, it was definitely Jack who achieved the greatest results.

「Thank you, Jack. 」

「…Well, of course I’m bro’s partner…」

In response to my voice, I saw Jack, who had been lying on the ground, got up.

「Jack! Are you okay if you get up?! There’s a big hole in your chest, so you shouldn’t force yourself…!」

「Did you forget, bro? My main body is this pumpkin-headed Jack O’ Lantern. If it was in the pumpkin head, I would’ve died instantly, but wasn’t fatal since it was in my chest.」

Jack said with his usual nihilistic smile.

I couldn’t help but feel relieved when I saw him well.

「So, Kyou-kun. 」

Mo-chan approached me and smiled.

「From now on, I learned that not only the growth of people, but also the growth of the monsters you raised will affect the growth of the world. So from now on, not only you, but all of you will grow well. If you give it to me, I will be able to safely achieve the growth of this world. This is no longer a story in the distant future.」

「That’s right, Cultivation Hero. 」

Saying this, the Emperor Hero Rostam opened the door at the back of the throne, brought something out of it, and held it out towards me.

「Are these…the seeds of the World Tree? 」

What was there were the three seeds of the World Tree that Rostam was said to possess.

If I looked closely, I could see that they all emitted a small amount of light, indicating that something was about to sprout inside of them.

「Thanks to your growth up until now, it has also influenced the seeds of the World Tree that I, or rather Rostam and my brother, have obtained. It has not yet germinated, but as the goddess said, the seeds will soon germinate. Then, along with the seeds you have, all six seeds of the World Tree will sprout. 」

Rostam handed me the three seeds of the World Tree.

That was six in total.

I finally gathered all the seeds of the World Tree, which was my original goal.

And the other three.

The seeds I had already germinated. Now all I had to do was plant them.

「I think you should plant those three seeds that Rostam gave you somewhere now. They will germinate naturally when the time comes, and now you have effectively fulfilled your role.」

「…Yes, I’ll do that. 」

I silently nodded at Goddess Mo-chan’s suggestion.

Eventually, perhaps seeing that the discussion had been concluded, Rostam and Zahak stood in front of me once again.

「Cultivation Hero. As I said before the fight, it’s like I’ve dedicated my body to you. I’ll do whatever you want. Of course, I’m determined to give up my life as well. 」

Rostam dutifully said the same thing over and over again.

Well, now that I had heard the situation so far, I didn’t have any intention of doing anything about this guy or his brother Zahak, who was standing next to me.

In the end, this guy just followed his role, and by doing so, we achieved our goal.

But I decided to say this just in case.

「Then, next time I’m in trouble, please lend me your help. I may have to borrow it from you more often, but I will be counting on you. 」

Not only Rostam, but even Zahak, who was standing next to me, looked surprised at my suggestion.

「Is that okay…? 」

「No, no, I’m going to ask you something selfish. After all, you’re the brother of the emperor of a country, right? You have a lot of power, so I might ask something as selfish as renting out a corner of this castle. You’d better be prepared, okay? 」

In response to my artificial threat, both Rostam and Zahak smiled happily somehow.

「If it’s what you want. But I have no hesitation in handing over the position of emperor if that’s what you want.」

「No, no, the emperor role doesn’t suit my personality, so I’ll have to reject it. 」

I grabbed Rostam’s outstretched hand and took it back.

I hoped that I could build a good relationship with these guys as friends in the future.

While we were all having a happy ending to this matter, I didn’t realize that a quiet, dark, and disturbing conversation was about to take place next to me.

—

「I apologize. I had to go out of my way to ask you and your husband to stay away. 」

「It doesn’t really matter. I’ve been prepared to some extent since I heard about the situation from Semargul in the basement. 」

After saying that, the four of them remained there, talking.

The Goddess Mokoshi, her attendant Semargul, the current Demon King Fafnir, her husband Himuro Keiji. They had lost their cheerful atmosphere and now had serious expressions on their faces.

「So, what kind of bad situation is going on? 」

「Ahaha, as expected of you. I can’t believe you noticed since I haven’t said anything yet. 」

「Of course. I understand that you are trying to use Kyou to germinate the World Tree and evolve the world, but in this case, it is clear that you are in a hurry to grow it.」

In response to the Demon King Fafnir’s speculation, Goddess Mokoshi remained silent and expressed her affirmation.

「…that “child” might wake up. 」

The Demon King Fafnir looked more nervous than ever after hearing Mokoshi’s words.

「…How long until it wakes up? 」

「I don’t know. A few years at the earliest, maybe more. In any case, we need to awaken the World Tree and evolve the world before that child awakens.」

The Demon King sighed slightly but agreed with the Goddess’ statement.

「Are we going to make it in time? 」

「If all six World Trees that Kyou-kun has, awaken, the remaining four fruits on the Tree of Life that I manage will also fall to the ground. Those four will also react to the remaining six. It will soon grow into a large tree. So, if Kyou-kun’s three seeds awaken, you can think that the preparations will be almost complete.」

「…Honestly, I haven’t really liked you since I gained the position of Demon King. That’s true. Aside from the other SS-ranks, I have prepared myself for being defeated by others. It was hard for me to accept that I was a pawn. Finally, because of the hero system you created many of my subordinates and monsters were hunted right in front of my eyes. Honestly, at first, I thought I would just throw aside my role and prioritize living.」

That was the true intention of the Demon King Fafnir.

There was a lot of dissatisfaction and hatred towards the system of this world created by the Goddess, especially toward the role of monsters.

「But…after meeting this person and gaining a family, my thoughts have changed in many ways. Not only monsters, but humans too have families. So, we should somehow come to terms with each other in a way that we won’t hurt each other and achieve the growth of the world.」

「And your son did it for you. Well done, son! 」

The Demon King was a little taken aback by the Goddess’ teasing attitude but agreed.

「Yes, that’s right. I’m grateful to you for that. Thank you for choosing that him.」

「You’re welcome♪. 」

After a moment of silence, the Demon King finally asked the Goddess what she should ask.

「…Are you really sure? Are you willing to fulfill your role as a goddess…? 」

The Goddess Mokoshi paused for a moment at the question from the Demon King, then nodded with her usual bright smile.

「Of course! I’m the Goddess Mo-chan! I’ll fulfill my role properly to the end! I won’t let you play a delicious role that contribute to the world just because you’re SS-rank.」

Saying this, the Goddess struck a cute pose. The Demon King didn’t make fun of her, but simply understood her feelings seriously.

The growth of the world that would come soon.

What kind of outcome would be born in this world after it got accomplished?

At this point, no one, including the Goddess, had a clear answer.

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