The dungeon has been parasitized

Chapter 5 Miss Gardener Yanami

Activate skills: Perception, Sight, Hearing

Having used up all his magic power, the continuous magic was naturally interrupted. However, Klein's magic power recovery speed was barely enough to keep his perception active, so even if he used up all his magic power, he could still activate it, although his magic power would hardly recover at all.

He survived...

Klein sighed inwardly and looked at the girl kneeling amidst the mess.

I can't believe she actually did it! This girl is really amazing.

"Are you alright—"

"vomit……"

Ah... she vomited, vomiting bile.

"Um... shall I walk you down?"

"Please..."

Yanami's face was slightly purple, and her lips were trembling slightly.

It seems she can't stand this sight. After all, there's a troll here, cut in half at the waist with its intestines spilling out. But Klein thinks the most crucial thing is the two human corpses.

Although Klein also felt disgusted, as a plant, he didn't have a stomach or bile. If he had to say, he only had the digestive juices of the man-eating plant.

Klein used the vines to bind her body and safely lowered her to the ground. After landing, Yanami's legs gave way and she sat down on the ground.

Are you alright?

"I'm fine, it's just that being inside the carnivorous plant's belly was too swaying, and my head is a little dizzy..."

Huh? Isn't it because the corpse is too disgusting?

No, this must be due to the digestive juices of the man-eating plant, right? Although it's not very potent, it still contains some toxins.

Anyway... let her rest for now. Fortunately, the toxin wasn't fatal.

Klein decided to see for himself if there was anything worth recycling.

Manipulating the last remaining vines, Klein groped around under the pile of corpses, parting the top vine that Klein had torn off, revealing two human corpses that had been smashed to pieces as weapons.

Klein looked at Yanami beside him.

"Oh dear, your companions seem to be..."

There were no signs of life. Although Klein already knew this, Yanami should be able to understand what Klein meant. She remained silent for a long time after hearing Klein's words.

Was it the deaths of her companions that made her sad?

"...They're dead."

Unfortunately, Klein was wrong.

"But it's okay, they're bad people."

"Oh, that's good."

That would be best, so I can search for equipment without any worries. I wonder if I'll find anything useful.

Let me see... two bags containing things, a magic core from the troll's body to take back as fertilizer, and a sword sheath—is it for that magic sword?

Come to think of it, the Demon Sword seems like a good thing.

The demonic sword was still stuck in the troll's corpse, remaining in its previous state, its flesh and blood seemingly being slowly devoured.

Klein stretched out the vine and tried to pull it out, but found it was completely entangled in flesh and blood and could not be pulled out.

No wonder the troll didn't pull it off; it wasn't just left as a decoration after all. Maybe he wanted to know how to use the magic sword to remove it.

Everything else was stained beyond recognition by blood and had to be taken back to be washed.

After searching further, I couldn't find anything useful.

"My benefactor..."

Yanami's voice suddenly appeared in his mind. Although he had experienced it several times, Klein was still not used to this feeling.

"Um?"

"So...you're a plant?"

Ah... I forgot about that. After all, Klein's ability to manipulate these plants has already been exposed.

"Um, I was just manipulating these vines."

"but……"

Yanami seemed to have recovered a little, with some color returning to her face. She walked to the vine where Klein's soul was located and then waved her hand in the air.

There's nothing here except these vines.

Yes, she could sense my location...

Klein remained silent for a moment, but the facts were undeniable, and Klein wasn't actually that resistant to admitting it.

Although Klein knew he shouldn't trust this girl he had just met, after their brush with death and witnessing her purity, he couldn't help but feel a little too much trust in her.

Perhaps, this is human nature.

"Alright, my true form is indeed these vines, but I'd like to explain it to you later."

But Yanami shook her head.

"No, my benefactor, it's alright if you don't want to explain."

Perhaps, we can trust a little more?

"Speaking of which... my benefactor, you were the one who swallowed me before, weren't you?"

"Ah, haha, you could say that, but it wasn't me controlling it... Um, sorry."

If Klein hadn't come to check on the man-eating plant, she would likely have already died from the digestive fluids, and Klein felt very guilty.

puff-

"Hahaha……"

As if sensing Klein's panic and guilt, Yanami laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

"I'm not blaming my benefactor. I only survived because of him."

I always felt she was more optimistic than I imagined, or maybe surviving such a close call made her relax?

Yanami's eyes were full of trust, which surprised Klein, since in her eyes Klein should be more like a monster.

Aren't you afraid of me?

She shook her head very simply, and Klein saw no fear in her eyes.

"After all, my benefactor saved my life, and I trust you completely."

It was a simple yet sincere reason that moved Klein.

"...Okay, but I still want to tell you that I am essentially still human."

Although Klein's body was that of a plant, his soul was indeed that of a human, possessing human common sense and memories. However, he said this only to put her at ease.

"My benefactor is better than anyone else."

A smile appeared on Yanami's face, but the sorrow behind the praise silenced Klein.

"I thought my benefactor had disappeared. I never thought it was a plant. I've never encountered a talking plant before."

No, she can't actually speak. Klein was able to communicate with her entirely through her mental language.

"I'm a bit special."

"Same as me."

She smiled softly, but it seemed as if one could also sense the inexplicable loneliness behind that sigh.

What do blue eyes and blue hair represent in humans?

Klein wasn't quite sure, but he felt sorry for the girl. Although she was a girl, they weren't that far apart in age; she was 18, and Klein was only 20.

Yanami dusted herself off and looked at Klein again.

"My benefactor, I'd like to trouble you with one more thing."

"What?"

"Is there a safe exit from this forest?"

Although Yanami wanted to go back the way she came, she was only able to get to the Wild Dog Forest because she had been escorted by two people before, and the way she came was more dangerous than the Wild Dog Forest.

Where do you want to go?

She wants to leave, huh?

"I want to go back to town first; I may not be able to repay my benefactor for the time being."

Yanami smiled, but Klein only sensed that she was putting on a brave face.

"but……"

Although it's unclear where the city of Quilton she mentioned is, given her physical condition, which makes her susceptible to being caught by carnivorous plants, even getting out of this forest would be difficult.

Moreover, it seems she has been abandoned...

Klein suddenly had an idea.

"Then come and be a gardener on my plantation."

"gardener?"

But that sounds a bit strange. Klein is a plant, and Yanami is a gardener, so wouldn't that be like saying they're slaves? No, to a plant, a gardener seems more like a scissor-wielding executioner.

"I don't know how to leave this forest, and besides, don't you want to repay me? Be my gardener."

That's the truth; Klein has never left this underground forest since he came into this world.

"May I……?"

Yanami's tone was tinged with surprise and hesitation, but even more so with timidity.

Klein didn't know what kind of life she had lived in the past, but based on what he knew of her so far, it certainly hadn't been good.

Therefore, he hoped to give her more confidence.

"Of course, I need your abilities, even if it's just to chat and relieve boredom. Be my gardener."

Moreover, her identity prevents her from interacting with other humans, and Klein needs her human identity if necessary.

However, I just wanted to put her mind at ease.

"My abilities can help my benefactor..."

Yanami's beautiful blue eyes widened slightly, and her lips trembled as she expressed her determination.

"Then... I'll be my benefactor's gardener."

After she finished speaking, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Klein Veredis".

Yanami blinked blankly.

"I mean, you don't need to call me 'savior' or use honorifics anymore, since you just saved my life. Just call me Klein."

"Klein..."

Yanami murmured a couple of words, as if trying to etch the name into her heart, then she raised her head, a smile in her eyes.

"Klein, my name is Annami Renata, please call me Annami!"

"Yes, Miss Gardener Yanami."

Klein was secretly smiling to himself.