Chapter 20

Chapter 20. The Dryad's True Worth & An Uninvited Guest

Rin, who had been on Ria's shoulder, flailed about trying to wipe Ria's eyes with its hand.

"Rin, are you trying to wipe my tears? Thank you. You are happy we have a house too, right? From now on, the three of us will live here."

Even though Rin did not understand what was being said, seeing Ria happy seemed to make it happy too.

Soon I also completed installing the remaining two modular buildings.

The work of connecting the roofs was not something I could install right away, so it was not yet finished.

Still, the interiors of the houses were complete.

"Then let us go inside."

"Yeah......"

First, the kitchen and living room, which was the middle building of the U-shape.

Upon entering, a spacious 16-pyeong living room and kitchen revealed themselves.

"Wow, it is spacious."

"Were you not frustrated staying in the tent all this time?"

"No, the tent was so spacious and large that it was cozy and nice. Still, compared to the tent, this is like a palace."

"It tends to look more spacious because I have not put furniture in yet."

I immediately opened Acresia and began arranging the cream-colored furniture I had bought in advance.

First, simply a sofa, sofa table, dining table and chairs.

I planned to fill and decorate things one by one from now on.

"If you need anything for the house interior like furniture or decorations, anything at all, tell me. I will purchase it."

"It is already so good though? Right? Rin."

Rin also kept looking around here and there, its head and eyes going back and forth continuously, seemingly fascinated by the interior.

Soon we finished looking at the living room and entered the right building of the U-shape.

That place was a 10-pyeong space with a bathroom attached where Ria and Rin would stay.

The room design concept was forest.

"What, it is so pretty."

Ria exclaimed in admiration.

And Rin liked it even more than Ria.

Rin smiled brightly on Ria's palm while looking around the room.

It looked as happy as when it first drank healthy juice.

'I did well making the forest decoration concept.'

Wood tiles were attached to the walls with grass decorations here and there between the tiles.

And vine decorations hung from the ceiling, not excessively.

Also, flower and forest paintings were hung on the walls.

The upper part of the long partition dividing the bedroom and table area was a flower pot.

Succulents were planted there.

And I installed a large window so the forest scenery outside was clearly visible.

'I spent some money on the interior. I also bothered the modular housing company people a lot.'

And one more thing.

I installed a small staircase exclusively for Rin on the nightstand by Ria's bedside, and made the nightstand usable as Rin's flowerpot bed.

So Ria and Rin could sleep facing each other.

"Do you two like it?"

"Yeah, I really like it."

Rin substituted an answer with a bright expression.

Soon Ria sat on the edge of the bed to try it.

Then she was startled.

"How is the bed this soft?"

"Well, it is the latest model bed born from research by masters and doctors."

"I want to visit the world where Seon-u lives. What would a world with advanced civilization feel like? I am curious."

"It is worse than you think. The air is bad and the stress is severe too."

"Really? Well. Nature is nice though."

"Right, I did not know either but coming here I realized it."

Soon I also showed her my room on the left side of the U-shape.

"Seon-u, your room just has a bed all alone, it is plain. Why did you not decorate it?"

"My room is not urgent. I did not have time to decorate my room too. I can decorate it gradually."

I was busy looking into the living room and Ria's room interior and communicating with companies to take care of my room too.

After touring the house like that, Ria said to me.

"Thank you so much. I am grateful that you became a place to return to, but you even made a house like this."

"I am the one who is grateful."

"What are you grateful to me for? I have not done much."

"There is such a thing."

"You are not telling me again, how petty."

Simply calculating in terms of material things alone, she made me earn hundreds of millions.

It sounds materialistic, but what can I do when it is true.

Besides that, she gave me so many things.

She even gave me a Second Awakening.

It would not be wrong to say my life changed after meeting Ria.

Therefore, gifting her a house is only a small repayment.

"To make the three buildings look like one building, I need to install the roof, and lay decking in the yard. I need to plant grass too, so there is still a mountain of work to do. I will have to do it little by little whenever I have time."

"I will help you hard."

Like that, we began decorating the house little by little every day.

In the midst of that, Ria sometimes detected strange signs.

"Someone seems to be watching us from afar. There is something that keeps slipping away cleverly, as if it will get caught by my detection or not."

"Really......? Is there someone besides us?"

"I do not know. Whether it is a person or a Monster. Either way, it is quite a skilled individual. On par with me."

"......"

On par with Ria.

An ordinary person like me could lose my head in the blink of an eye.

"I should be careful."

"Yeah, since I do not know the opponent's identity, I should be careful. For the time being, Seon-u and Rin must not leave my side."

"I will do that."

How reliable, our knight.

***

Like that, we continued our life.

Before long, fruit had formed on the two Applecherry trees Rin had been growing.

"The color is art."

They were larger and had better color than the Applecherry fruit I had picked before.

"Rin, I am proud of you."

I gave Rin a thumbs up.

Then Rin also raised its thumb.

Now Rin seemed to have completely opened its heart to me and Ria.

It often imitated actions we did, and was gradually understanding the meaning of actions.

'It has even started to understand my words to some extent.'

Naturally it could not understand difficult words.

About things like let us eat, healthy juice, hello, see you tomorrow?

Rin was slowly learning.

"Rin, may I pick the fruit?"

When I made a gesture of picking fruit and asked, Ria nodded.

"Thank you."

Soon I picked one well-ripened fruit.

Then I was startled.

[Darot Fruit Grown by a Dryad]

[Taste & Rarity Grade: C]

A system window appeared.

"What is this......?"

The fruit had a grade attached.

Even Applecherry fruit with nothing attached created a Buff when cooked.

If I cooked with graded fruit, how amazing would the result be.

My happiness circuit started turning.

At the same time, an impulse to taste it right away arose.

'So the name of the fruit I was calling Applecherry was Darot. It was already a unique and delicious fruit, but how much more delicious has it become. I am dying to know.'

Then, Rin grabbed my pants leg.

This signal was usually the signal for asking for healthy juice.

However, looking at this gesture, it was different.

Rin made a gesture of picking and eating fruit.

Then it used body language saying it could not reach even when jumping because it was too short.

"You want to taste the fruit you grew yourself."

I understood Rin's signal and picked one more fruit and placed it in front of Rin.

"Let us eat together."

Soon Rin and I bit into the Applecherry and ate.

Then fruit juice burst out.

"It is delicious....... The harmony of sour and sweet taste is crazy. Moreover, the chewing texture, which was a disadvantage of Applecherry, improved too."

Everything was upgraded.

Rin also tasted it and made an expression that seemed proud.

"Well done, our S-rank farmer."

When I held out my palm, Rin high-fived.

Following Ria, Rin will bring me a lot of financial gain.

"Rin, let us keep living with us from now on, later when you are grown up, you cannot become independent and leave. You understand, right?"

Rin did not understand what I was saying and just tilted its head.

Actually it was a joke.

If someday it wants to leave to become independent, though my heart will ache because I am attached, I should let it go.

Like that, when I was spending a pleasant time eating Applecherry with Rin.

Ria, who had been training until a moment ago, approached.

However, something was strange.

Rin was trembling with an expression filled with fear while looking at Ria.

I looked at Ria once again.

'Huh......?'

The expression she was making was somehow awkward.

As if wearing a mask.

And the pattern on the training blouse I bought her was slightly different.

That was not Ria.

"What is your identity......?"

Then the fake Ria formed a creepily evil smile at the corners of its mouth.

"####!"

Soon it imitated Ria's speech.

However, I could understand because Ria always cast on me a communication magic called the Crest of Wisdom that lets me understand different languages, and without the Crest of Wisdom magic, I could not understand the fake's words imitating Ria's speech.

'Could it be the Monster called Doppelganger that Ria mentioned......?'

Soon the fake Ria drew its sword and rushed toward Rin like lightning.

'Too fast.'

As fast as Ria's level.

I could not avoid this.

I closed my eyes and crouched while embracing Rin.

Then.

"Seon-u-!!"

Ria's voice calling me not with communication magic, but by my name in Korean.

I heard my name that I taught her in Korean pronunciation.

Soon Ria shot forward like a flash and blocked the fake Ria that was covering me.

CRASH-!!

A huge clash occurred, the ground was destroyed, and debris flew in all directions.

I blocked the debris with my entire body so Rin would not get hurt.

The dust cleared, and after a moment.

Something unexpected happened.

Ria was pushed back and bleeding from the corner of her mouth.

"Ria-!"

On the other hand, the fake Ria stood in the spot of the clash without any particular damage.

Ria probably overexerted herself to offset the Mana shockwave generated during the clash in order to protect me and Rin.

If not for that, there was no way Ria would be pushed back.

I had confidence in Ria's strength.

'Is that the existence Ria said was watching us.'

Soon, leaving Ria behind, the fake Ria rushed to attack us again.

Then Ria blocked it again.

"###!"

Ria turned around while bleeding from the corner of her mouth and said something.

It seemed to be "Run away."

I started running at full speed while holding the trembling Rin.

Right now, Rin and I were interfering with Ria.

'Damn it!'

This was the first time being weak felt this frustrating.

Strong explosions burst continuously from behind.

'Ria, please be safe.'

I could only run away while praying in my heart.

Then.

CRASH!

When I turned around at the sound of the explosion, Ria had crashed into the place where decking was stacked for yard construction.

"Ria-!"

It seemed Ria's condition was not good due to the effects of overexerting herself during the first clash.

This was truly dangerous.

I put the trembling Rin down on the ground and ran toward the fake Ria.

"Hey, you fake bastard-!"

Do not destroy the house I worked hard to prepare.

Do not bully a weak(?) woman and attack me!

I lost my reason and tried to rush at it.

Soon the fake turned around at my shout.

The moment I faced the murderous intent rippling in that being's eyes, I came to my senses.

Soon it began rushing toward me.

'I am screwed......'

This time Ria could not block it.

'Is my life ending like this. Still, the end of my life was happy thanks to spending time with Ria and Rin.'

Like hell.

Even if I died, I would struggle to the end to protect Ria and Rin, then die.

Therefore, I decided to try a last gamble.

Timing when it reached me.

-Acresia.

When it came right in front of me, I cast Acresia in front of me and used the absorption skill targeting the fake Ria.