Chapter 322: A Plant’s Matter.

Chapter 322: A Plant’s Matter.

Rita! That is my name, fauna friends. Summers dying embers careth for you, as we meet under Autumn's moon. May the fae Goddess bless you with calm winds!

The green-skinned androgynous person clapped their hands together in prayer, before doing it twice, joyous to be finished with her introduction. She tippy-toed over to us, staring at us with the curiosity and starry eyes of a wonder-filled child.

My name is Hestia, and

Shes my little sister, Rita, Neill interjected herself immediately before I could state what she said.

I stared at Neills thumbs-up, as if she was saying Dont worry, I vouched for you with that smirk of hers. I continued, ignoring her, Yeah, Im her half-sister from the same father. This is my mother, Melloxtressa. My friends Tasianna, Shayatierus, Bethlieranha, and

Graaa! Rajah jumped out from my shadow, before stroking his head against my leg. He was pretty sad he couldnt do anything when I went berserk before, so this was his way to soothe me.

Rajah.

Oooooh, a virigress! Now this is a feline monster I havent seen in a loooooong time. You dont find them much in the western part of the continent. Oooh! Similar to how Rita picked up my tail and inspected it, she was now staring at Rajah as if he was something extraordinary, out of this world.

Rajah froze in place, snapping his eyes to me as if he wasnt sure what he should do. Rita herself pulled out some parchments and a journal from her flowery bag, and began scribbling things down on them. She was too focused on her curiosity to stop. To bridge this silence, Tasianna stepped forward.

You are a dryad, no, Miss Rita?

Ooh? Ahh, yes, that I am! Miss Tasianna, you are a f Mhmm! Before Rita could say anything, Tasianna stuffed her mouth with her hand and pulled her to the side, agitating Renee. Neill immediately grabbed her shoulder, pulled her back, and told her everything would be fine.

Im in this form to I heard Tasianna mumble something before diverting my senses away to not accidentally eavesdrop. After a few seconds and a lot of nodding, the two of them returned to us.

Rita, having calmed down, bowed her body. I apologize! I think I was a bit too excited there. The world had changed so much I just wanted to experience it all, and I think I got, too, well, I guess you know what happened.

We nodded.

Rita has always been extremely curious, since we met a couple of months ago. Dont let it bother you, Renee added. As Neill said, Renee didnt like showing her face, so I couldnt really see her expression through her helmet.

True. Probably should have warned you, but I forgot. Neill was speaking about the tail inspection and upskirt incident from a moment ago. She did the same thing with me, but unlike how calm and composed you were, I nearly stomped her face into the ground.

Oooh, I understand, but you have to admit a kirin-dragon is an extremely rare, and probably, unique subrace of the dragonkins! I just had to! Rita started to become excited again. Oooh, Fargryneill, I would like to ask you again! Could you show Wahh!

Neill flicked the dryads forehead, looking unamused. Once again, you cant ask me to show you my form as if it's some favor!

You two, break up, now! We have helpers! Stop embarrassing yourself even further!

The stern but worry-filled voice of Renee, the fully-excited and remorseless tone of Rita, and the tomboyish actions of my big sister. These three were arguing amongst each other, showing a rather fiery dynamic we couldnt stop even if we tried to. In my group, we decided unanimously to allow the three to let them sort out their issues.

Once they were exhausted and parched from all the talking, Renee and Neill gave us a quick rundown of why we were here exactly.

To start, this area northwest of Elyonda and about a three-hour ride with a carriage away used to be the homestead of her family. Renee didnt specify if she was a noble or commoner, staying silent when I asked her about that. Instead, she simply changed the topic and directed our attention to her magic ring, the catalyst she used to create that wind-based carriage.

It was a gift from her parents, belonging to her father before he perished. While her mother returned to live with her grandparents, she sent Renee a letter specifying the details of her fathers heirloom and most valuable treasure, a medallion. The object was returned to the mansion after her fathers death and, according to her, was somehow sealed and almost killed her, wasnt it for Neills intervention.

Pretty strong blast of arcane corrupted mana. I reacted in time with the dragon paths, but it probably would have blown the mansion up if I hadnt done anything. Neill sighed, not fond of that memory.

I personally would evaluate myself as a B rank adventurer, as you could see from my performance during the elimination match. However, compared to my father, I am nowhere even close to his strength. He was one of the greatest knights Ive ever known. Renee went silent for a moment, probably melancholic for her lost family member.

My condolences, I said.

No need. She shook her head, her emotions unclear to me with her stoic voice. Father was a grand knight, and he died in battle in the service of his Lord. There is no greater honor for a knight. As his offspring and a knight myself, I have a responsibility to carry on his light. The Goddess watches our every action, after all. Isnt that correct, Lady Priestess?

I nodded. Aurena and her aides were watching us right now, probably.

So, little one, you brought us here for that heirloom, yes? If you wanted Hestia to burn the vines down, you should have just asked her sister to do so, Mother pointed out after Renee gave us the gist. I nodded also, but that was not the end of the story.

Rita jumped forward, shaking her hands wildly. No, no, please! Those are my vines. They are there to protect the outside world from entering the place, so nobody can get hurt.

Rita was a dryad, a plant person who was more similar to the grass and trees inside this area than me, being of flesh and blood. According to Tasianna, who sent this information to me through [Telepathy], dryads were similar to treants tree monsters in the sense they were spriggans a faefolk who inhabited a plant-based host to create for themselves a tangible body.

However, unlike treants, dryads were considered the pure version, as instead of turning into monsters, they turn into humanoids. In this form, they were more similar to a grimgarian. They could get jobs but also had the ability to evolve. However, since they remained pure, their original faefolk personality remained in them. They were more curious, mischievous beings.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

In Ritas case, she was 240 years old, but acted more like a young adult in their early twenties. Like all plants, Rita was actually gender-neutral, but preferred calling herself with female pronouns, even styling her androgynous body to be more feminine.

Surprisingly, this was Tasiannas first encounter with a dryad, telling me they were extremely rare and that, to her knowledge, there werent any dryads in Saelariel. Instead, there were countless treants, both hostile and peaceful like Murainas owl treant to be found in Saelariel. Meaning, to remain pure was quite a hard task for most spriggans.

So, you can retract the vines at any time? I asked, to which Rita nodded vigorously.

Of course! As long as I am rooted to them with my mana, I control them however I want! Hmm, yes, I perfected it after I met with one of the Kurnistus drakes, so you can trust me! Rita named an ancient drake, using their name to vouch for her ability to me, a dragon.

Kurnistus? Hmmm, wait?

Kurnistus? Hold on, do you know Cernust?! My eyes widened wide when I remembered the meaning of that name, figuring she might have some connection with a friend.

Ooooh, you know Cernust, too? Wow, what a small world! Mhm, yes, I met him three years, 4 months, and 16 days ago in a place called Artorias, I believe. Ahh, but no, I learned the ability from his father when he visited me at my old home. But, that was before I went into hibernation. Rita looked troubled for some reason, before shaking it off and directing my attention back to Cernust. In any case, how is he doing? As a fellow botanist, I must know if he is still traveling and collecting seeds on his trip!

Considering Rita knew Cernusts tendency to collect whatever seed he found interesting, I fully believed her statement. Which wasnt as surprising, since Cernust had been on his pilgrimage for a while now, and probably had met people and seen things. Since he was a [Woodland Drake], it made sense he would bound with a dryad.

I wanted to speak with Rita about Cernust, but before we could, Renee's deep voice halted us. You may bond later. I know this isnt right for me to rush you, but we technically only have today and tomorrow afternoon before we must return to Elyonda for the tournament. If possible, I wish to make as much progress as possible.

Oops, shes right.

I agreed to help Renee, so letting myself get distracted wasnt the right thing to do. Although Rita pouted, she also understood Renee's desire to have this over with. After all, her fathers heirloom was inside that vine ball.

Renee, happy to see us work with her, nodded and continued where she left of from, Returning to the topic, after Fargryneill and I were nearly torn into pieces by that explos

You would have been blown up, even with your armor and runes. I have innate blast and mana resistance due to being a kirin-dragon, Neill interjected herself, always competing with others.

Can you not, for a moment? Sis shrugged her shoulders, so Renee continued. Their dynamic really was interesting. Haaaa, in any case, after I was nearly blown into pieces, we began searching around for a way to unseal the heirloom. Since we knew we had to get rid of all that corrupted mana, the best way forward was to find an alchemist or scholar from Aleistunum. However, on the way, we met Rita.

Rita isnt much a scholar of texts or really anything outside of flora and human interactions, but she resonated with us better than the mages we found in Aleistunum, Neill added.

The reason was mostly money. Smaller or not, a kirin-dragon still has the appetite of a dragon. I presume you two should know, Lady Hestia? Empress Melloxtressa? The both of us nodded. Outside of equipment, most of our spending went into food and spices.

Renee placed a hand on her head, probably exasperated at this fact. I see Well, money concerns meant we couldnt hire a good enough scholar to follow us here, so we had to rely on Rita. However, it was like we struck gold.

Mhmm! You see, I have a unique evolution of [Identify] in the form of my [Investigate]. Rita looked proud as she explained to us her skills function.

Investigate

An appraisal skill able to bypass [Identity Blocker], however, this skill does not allow access to anothers Profile without their explicit consent. Enables the reveal of an organisms race and biological function, an objects material construction, and situational analysis

Oh. Thats why, huh?

The reason why she immediately knew I was a dragon the moment she saw me was due to this skill, and since it wasnt as invasive as [Identify] or [Mana Eyes], it didnt trigger my [Identity Blocker]. Which made me realize why Tasianna stopped her from speaking before, as Rita probably knew Tasianna was a fairy with this skill.

I asked Tasianna about it through telepathy, which she confirmed. In other words, [Investigate] also bypassed transformation skills like [Humanize] and [Elvenize]. Although it didnt show a persons Profile, it still felt like a privacy invasion in this case. Still, since you couldnt inspect a persons skills and stats with this skill, outside of with people who granted you their permission to do so, this appraising skill probably wasnt as good during a fight, and was more suitable for research.

When I pointed that last point out, Rita flinched, looking shocked. You figured it out?! Wow! Just like Renee and Fargryneill! You really are smart.

Wasnt that obvious?

But, yes, it isnt the best skill for fighting, but all this violent pow-pow-pow really isnt my forte. Life is far too precious for me to wilt and waste it on combat. I rather escape, even if I could handle most situations as a C rank.

Surviving was winning. That mantra was something I agreed with 100%.

So, the reason why Miss Rita is gold is because of her skill? Tasianna deduced from the meaning of our discussion.

Correct. Renee nodded before turning to Rita. Has your investigation led to anything? Is there a way for me to get to the medallion safely?

Oh yeah, of course. Rita nodded confidently. It is just an accumulation of arcane corruption, after all. Also some demonic energy, but that can be easily cleansed with the correct concoction.

Hold on, demonic energy?! I stopped her from continuing and looked over to Renee, prompting her to answer.

I was still a bit worried about her, but with Svena, Josine, Lorena, and Haati around to help her out, I really shouldnt worry too much. As such, I simply asked her where Yorshka was and left with my group to her.

In any case, I left Ellaines group to their mission, wishing them luck and that they should call me if they needed to. I didnt care who those foolish dwarves were, nobody is allowed to imprison Grimnir for something that stupid as entering his homeland!

In history, dragons have caused dwarves a lot of headaches by destroying their holds when they are built too close to a nest. I am so proud of you, my whelpling. You are keeping up with tradition. I didnt know if Mother was joking or not, but I took that praise and ran with it. Unless Grimnir did something terrible, I wouldnt allow him to be punished for something this unjust.

Back in Firwood, I gave Yorshka a quick rundown of everything and she agreed to give me the mandragora. Although she initially rejected it, I still pushed her to accept the money I offered her, saying she didnt owe me that much for saving Farrons life. Thankfully, I just received that bounty money on that poison dude, so I bought the mandragora from her for a discount. I just had to add one large goldite.

Holy smokes, 15 small goldite coins! That single mandragora was expensive as hell! This single item was worth a fortune, and Yorshka earned that money just for her husband. It was really romantic.

With the mandragora obtained, and the dwarven whisky Tasianna and Grimnir had been brewing all this time in our hands, I then teleported everybody to Gleisvale, where I gave Reajaen a shock for suddenly appearing in her home. This was the first time I had actually used the nexus to return to Reajaen, after all.

After I explained everything to her, she nodded and led us into her basement, where one of her alchemical laboratories was. Once we entered the room, the smell of alcohol and blood was clearly in the air. If I didnt know Reajaen was an alchemist, I would have honestly thought she killed someone, but, honestly, she was a gang leader so maybe she did. Hopefully not, otherwise I wouldnt be able to forgive her if they were remotely innocent.

Welcome, Lady Hestia. Please, you may use it in any way you see fit. Parilostro, we have guests!

As the name of Reajaens son exited her mouth, the sound of something mechanical began to move, drawing our attention to a young foxian man sitting in a chair. His limbs looked like sticks, as if he had never used them for years. His expression was sickly, looking like he could fall unconscious at any moments, but he showed us a warm smile, contrasting the state of his ill body.

Lady Hestia, welcome. Please, make yourself comfortable.

Parilostro Rescalve, the son of Reajaen, and a former contractor of sloth.

A note from AbyssRaven

"Plant's Matter" get it? Plant matter? Yeaaaah I'll see myself out.

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 20 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

For two dollars, for the cost of a coffee, you can read up to four chapters for the whole month! You will have my eternal gratitude for any support you can give me! Please.

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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Thursday, July 28, 2022 12:17:13 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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