I Became a Druid in Another World

"Ah!"

El's hand moved of its own accord. Her hand was quickly drawn into the mirror, which rippled like the surface of water. The sensation she felt at her fingertips that was now inside the mirror was one she had never experienced before. It was a biting cold that felt as if her skin might peel away, yet at the same time devoid of any feeling at all.

A terrible premonition struck El, a feeling that if she went all the way beyond that mirror, she would never return. She clung desperately to the bullhorn ornament on the frame and fought to keep herself from being pulled inside.

Did they think I'd just give in like this…!

Quickly, El drew the dagger strapped to her ankle. It was the dagger her master had lent her; the one that was forged from black moonstone. He had told her that black moonstone had a purification power even stronger than silver and that it was imbued with a spell to enhance its purity, making it especially powerful against unholy beings. It was as if he had foreseen this very moment. After she recalled her master, El raised the dagger. And then…

– Crash!!!!

She plunged the dagger into the mirror. The once rippling surface solidified into hard, reflective glass where the dagger had struck, and a web of cracks spread from the impact.

This is it!

El felt certain that she could shatter the mirror with this dagger. She raised it once more. And just then—

– Ripple…!

The surface of the mirror shook violently. This made El stagger, and at the same time, the mirror restored the shattered part and shook violently. With her body shaking, she couldn't bring the dagger down. If she swung recklessly, she might end up stabbing her own arm.

I'd rather do that!

Just as she decided to smash the mirror, even if it meant piercing her arm, and raised the dagger once more, a shimmering force pulled at her with greater force. From her wrist to her arm, from her arm to her elbow, from her elbow to her shoulder! The mirror quickly swallowed El. She let out a short, stifled groan. The moment she felt her strength drain away, the dagger slipped from her hand and rolled across the floor.

I can't feel anything!

She couldn't feel pain or any discomfort. She felt… nothing at all. And that frightened El even more.

Urgh!

Bit by bit, little by little… her body tilted further until her face was on the verge of crashing into the mirror.

– Screech!!

That's when a bundle of gray fur came flying from somewhere with a small but spirited cry.

***

I jumped down from the ceiling, spun around in midair, and released my [Beast Transformation]. Immediately, I used [Call of the Forest] to summon the nearest spirit.

– Poof!

The spirit that appeared was from the Sequoia Forest. Wrapped in green leaves like a caterpillar's cocoon, the Sequoia Forest Spirit appeared, filling the surroundings with the fresh scent of the forest. Its mere presence exuded a pure purification power. This alone seemed to weaken the force pulling El into the mirror. Not missing the opportunity, I began to pull El back.

– Shasha?

"Lend this girl your purification power!"

El's body was getting heavier and heavier, like someone who had fallen into a swamp. Damn it. I pulled her with all my might and looked at the spirit of the Sequoia Forest.

"Please."

– Shasha…

"I know. Just for a moment."

– Shasha.

The Sequoia Forest Spirit seemed concerned about whether El could handle the forest's purification power. It made sense. Just because it was "purification power" didn't mean it was harmless for humans. Oxygen, after all, was essential for human life, but inhaling 100 percent pure oxygen leads to oxygen toxicity, which would cause breathing difficulties and lung damage. Purification power worked the same way.

Normally, humans were a mix of good and evil, like half-seasoned, half-fried chicken. This balance defined what we call "normal". Completely good or completely evil people were rare exceptions, almost as unusual as a "saint".

A human soul needed the right blend of good and evil. In reality, the balance was rarely fifty-fifty. It might be sixty percent good, forty percent evil, or the reverse. It was divided in such a complicated way like that.

In other words—

For someone like me who was a special case, it might work, but in El's case, if the Sequoia Forest Spirit poured out an overwhelming amount of purification power, the "evil" in her soul would be completely purged. In other words, a part of El's soul would disappear.

– Shasha…

But for just a moment, it would be okay. The moment the mirror released El, I could retrieve the purification power. When I nodded my head, the Sequoia Forest Spirit spun in circles above El's head. Then, a shower of sparkling green light began to fall, and purification power started to seep into El's body.

– Zzzzing…!

Then, the mirror began to vibrate softly. Its shimmering surface rippled, and El's body started to shift ever so slightly. I pulled her with more force. From shoulder to elbow, from elbow to arm, from arm to wrist…

– Thud!

Finally, her hand slipped free and we tumbled backward; the momentum sent us rolling across the floor. As soon as we came to a halt, I reached for the dagger on the ground and made a vertical cut along El's wrist, deep enough to graze her veins. Blood began to gush, glowing faintly with the purification power of the Sequoia Forest Spirit. I planted a seed of White Dissidia in the wound and activated [Breath of the Forest], allowing the plant to absorb the excess purification power that flooded El's body and begin to grow.

"Ugh, argh!"

El clenched her teeth and groaned as the roots of the White Dissidia dug painfully into her veins. Holding her wrist firmly to keep her from thrashing, I waited for the plant to take root. Once it had sprouted a thick cluster of leaves, the White Dissidia's growth began to slow. Satisfied, I sliced through its stem with the dagger, pulled the roots from El's wrist, and healed the wound with [Wound Healing].

"El, are you alright?"

"…Yes."

Though her face was twisted in pain, El managed a nod. She had held up well. For most people, just receiving purification power would have knocked them out, not to mention the agony of the White Dissidia growing from their wrist and the pain of its removal. But El had endured it all. I handed her a homemade potion from my bag, then tucked the White Dissidia into my dimensional storage ring. As strange as it sounded, absorbing the Sequoia Forest Spirit's purification had made this White Dissidia of exceptional quality…

"I'm sorry, I…"

El hesitated before speaking, but she bit her lip hard before she could finish her sentence. Though she didn't manage to say everything, I could tell well enough what she was trying to say.

"You did well, El."

"…That can't be. I didn't accomplish anything this time either."

"What are you talking about? You found that mirror, didn't you?"

"Still, because of that, I almost died."

"Don't say ridiculous things. Why would you die?"

"...."

"I told you I'd be watching over you."

I gave her shoulder a light tap before standing up. Thankfully, El was able to rise without any help. I had to give her credit; her mental strength was something to admire.

– Shaa… shaa…

The Sequoia Forest Spirit approached and perched on my shoulder. It was staring at the mirror with eyes that were barely visible. I moved toward the mirror.

– Shashaa…

"Thank you."

Sensing what I was about to do, the Sequoia Forest Spirit began to share its purification power with me. Wrapped in its purification power like armor, I pressed my hand against the surface of the mirror. Unlike when it had surged like waves to consume El, the mirror now felt solid, almost as if it was trying to push me back.

"….…."

Well then, if that's how it's going to be.

"It's okay now."

– Shasha?

"Yes. Really."

When I nodded my head, the Sequoia Forest Spirit withdrew its purification power. I reached out and touched the mirror again with my bare hand. Just as before, the mirror stood firm and rejected me completely. A faint smile crept across my face as I murmured.

"Cuscus."

Immediately, I felt a shadow that had been lurking beneath my feet climb up along my body.

– Ugh, what a disgusting smell.

"Is that all you have to say after so long?"

– You only call on me at times like this, so of course I complain.

"You should be grateful I'm calling at all."

When I opened my hand wide, I felt Demarcushel's shadow creep up from my fingertips to my elbow. The shadow covered my hand and arm completely, like a thin glove. I held my now pitch-black hand up to the mirror. And then…

– Ripple…

This time, the mirror accepted my hand without resistance. Instead of the solid surface that had repelled me before, it felt like dipping my hand into water. Slowly, I felt around inside the mirror. But all I could sense was emptiness, an endless void.

What on earth…?

What kind of magic was this? Inside the mirror was an endless expanse, as if it stretched on forever. It felt as though if I pushed forward, I might actually be able to enter. I thought it was something like a space storage, but this… this felt entirely different. It didn't seem like any ordinary magic.

"...."

There was nothing I could discover unless I went inside. But that was a risk I couldn't afford to take. Outside the window, the moon was rising, and there was only a little time left. Regretfully, for now…

-Flash!

…or so I thought, just as I began to withdraw my hand. Suddenly something shot towards my hand with the force of a baseball sinking into a glove. Instinctively I grabbed it and pulled my hand out of the mirror. In my pitch-black hand that was darkened by the shadow, I was holding…

"…a box!"

It was a box that gleamed black as if it was made of obsidian, with delicate carvings etched on every side. The shape was familiar. I had seen this before. Not exactly the same, but close enough.

In Dihid.

In the Dawsons' mansion.

It's the same type of box.