'I am dying…. These bugs are eating me….' cried Bibo,
"How did they come inside?" Ardian rushed over to Bibo. He was hoping for the best, but as he reached near his hope was crushed into thousands of pieces,
"Why…...?" he thought as he looked at crying Bibo,
'I do not want to die, Ardian… I want to live more…. I want to talk more….' Seeing Bibo crying, Ardian suppressed his own overwhelming emotions and smiled as he spoke.
"Do not be afraid, Bibo; they are just normal bugs. They will be gone with a spray of neem water,"
Even though he knew inside,
'These bugs are plant's bane…. How!?'
Ardian was trying his best to smile as much as possible, so Bibo won't feel scared,
"Rose, Lily was someone here?" he asked, but both plants were equally shocked,
'Kid, after you left, those bugs appeared out of nowhere,'
'I have seen those before…..' Lily spoke in a low voice, a quietness set in the room. Only a little voice of Bibo sniffling was coming, and Ardian asked,
"Where? Lily?" an atmosphere of hesitance was coming from Lily, but Ardian was still waiting for the answer, and Lily finally spoke.
'Last year when I was first planted…. Fern had many of those he used to experiment on what plant can live longest after being infested with Plant's bane….. he killed many of my siblings for that' a hint of sadness was evident in her voice,
"Ardian, what happened? You didn't go to the greenhouse today," Fern said with a near grin smile,
"Plants must be missing you," Mori laughed, and the third one remained quiet, just staring,
"Why did you do it?" Ardian asked, sadness leaking from his voice, and Fern just replied,
"What are you talking about, Ardian? Did I do something?"
"Why would you go so far?.... why the plant's bane?... Bibo," Ardian, barely holding back tears,
'What is plant's bane Ardian?' Bibo asked, but Ardian didn't reply.
"I don't know what you are talking about. If there is something I could help with, please do tell," Fern said, acting defiant.
"You know it!! Why would you go this far!?" Ardian wiped his eyes.
"Why are you so angry?" Fern asked with a sarcastic voice, and Ardian couldn't take it anymore, even though he knew nothing would happen. He can't even give a scratch to Fern, but anger ignores logic, and he rushes right toward Fern.
"You are a murderer!! Bibo was just a kid!!" Ardian punched Fern's chest, but his weak arms didn't have much impact on them. Mori laughed, and seeing Ardian like this three of them looked at each other and nodded,
"This is enough!!" Fern twisted Ardian's body and slammed his face on the ground.
"It is not my fault. You can't keep a plant safe!?" Fern spoke,
"you are shameless… if I had plant magic, I would've placed an anti-bug glyph at least," Mori added,
"Who do you think you were trying to attack? Is this how you repay kindness?" Fern added as he twisted Ardian's arm backward.
"You all are murderers. You are bad!!.... bad!!" Ardian just spoke this, and Fern spoke,
"I can't let you run your tongue in our insult more," Fern said. All three smiled at each other once and began beating Ardian, kicking him while he covered his head and kept shouting,
"Murderers!! Murderers!! Someday Goddess will punish you…. Grandmother told me!!"
"You are the worst," but those three weren't quiet either,
"It is all you!!" Fern spoke, and Mori added,
"A C-ranker shouldn't even be here in the first place. "
The beating goes on for 5 minutes, and then seeing Ardian not speaking anymore,
"Let's leave. He might get seriously hurt at this rate…." Mori spoke as he thought they were overdoing it.
"Just this last," Fern said as he kicked on Ardian's belly and added with a smile,
"I hope you'll see your mistake and would learn sanity" even though what he did was beating a kid five years smaller than him, he had no shred of shame on his face,
'Ardian, what is happening!? I can't see. Why are you shouting?' Bibo asked as due to bugs; his sight was totally cut,
'Bibo, everything is fine…. It is fine…' Lily tried cooing to him,
All three began walking away to their rooms when the third one stopped and came back to Ardian, who was lying on the spot. They left, him his face filled with snot and tears, and he spoke in a whisper,
"I've heard this before… one could turn trees into Trent with miracle plant magic….. and it removes all bugs and disease at once…. Maybe if you have it in you, you'll save your orchid, but if not….. drop the idea of being the Holy knight. There is no way someone who can not keep a single plant is worthy."
'There… there is a… way,' Ardian thought in mind,
'Back then, I didn't know the magic he talked about was something that only Saintess of Goddess of bounty can do…. It was the only hope I had left….' thought Ardian, who was looking at young Ardian lying on the ground,
The three finally left snickering, and Rose spoke.
'Kiddo, don't take it to heart. It wasn't your fault…..'
'Rose is right…. Bibo won't blame you, I am sure,' Lily added, and Bibo was still confused,
'What is happening? I am not going to die, right….'
'I won't let you die…. I will not let you die…. I will do it,' Ardian thought as he moved his body that was still hurting from the pain near the pot Bibo was planted in, and without knowing a chant or glyph touched Bibo's leaf, still infested with bugs, not caring a bit.
"Bibo, help me with this, okay?"
'I do not understand…. But I am always with Ardian purrrr, ' the orchid replied,
Those three who thought this was the end of Ardian didn't know what they had done, and nor could they consider a possibility in the wildest scenario that it could happen,
Ardian began channeling his mana right through Bibo's body, going through every root, shoot, and phloem,
'My body it... I feeling weird?' Bibo spoke, but Ardian didn't reply.
'Kid, it is impossible….' Rose tried to stop Ardian, but Ardian's mind was focused on Bibo. Soon a light green light began emitting from Bibo, and the room was also lightened green,
'Walk Bibo…. Please walk….' Bibo heard Ardian's voice right in his soul. Grief, guilt, pain various emotions were directly transmitted, and finally, Bibo felt his body was changing.
'Ardian wants me to walk?'
'Please…. For me, Bibo' Ardian replied, and Rose and Lily couldn't believe what they were witnessing.
The light that was spreading all over the room condensed into Bibo, and the bugs all began to die. Ardian opened his eye,
"Bibo…?"
'Those bugs died!!! I can move Ardian!! I can move!!' Bibo jumped on Ardian, who fell on his back.
'I saved him…. Bibo won't die' Ardian smiled in relief,
This news spread far and wide those who laughed at him faced a harsh defeat. Impossible was made possible, and Ardian's blessing too changed to a B-ranked blessing, from the least blessed to highly likely contestant, teachers, priestesses, and everyone else began seeing him in a divine light because he was the one who did something only Saintess had ever done in the past,
But this wasn't what made Ardian most delighted. What made him happy was.
"Bibo, don't run too hard!! Rose, stop him!!" Ardian shouted,
'Catch me, Ardian!! You all are too slow!!' Bibo replied as he wiggled his stalk for teasing. After turning Bibo into a Trent Ardian did the same with Rose and Lily,
'Ardian, he is too active!! Why can't I run that fast!!' Rose complained,
'Wind is harsh!!' Lily said as they all rushed behind Bibo towards the greenhouse.
"I just could not get used to this sight," Caretaker said as he saw the plants walk, and then Ardian began helping with cleaning and maintaining as usual,
"Ardian, can you make this plant Trent too!!?" Caretaker asked curiously as he presented a bamboo forward, and Ardian replied,
"I am sorry, uncle, but I can only turn a limited amount of trees, and also, Bamboo is grass, so it can't walk or use arms,"
"Make sense… hahaha, I thought Ardian could make everything impossible possible," Ardian felt embarrassed at this but didn't say anything,
He was feeling at the peak of his life church was convinced he would become the Holy knight. The other three had also more or less accepted such in mind but were too prideful to talk with Ardian, still leaving Fern, who was trying to act like a big brother, but Rose taught Ardian about his intentions,
'I don't want to see more….' Ardian, who was looking at his younger version, moving around happily, thought, and the voice in his head replied,
'I will take you at that moment that….' Ardian nodded, and it appeared before his eyes the saddest day of his life, the day on which Bibo died. The ground was charred, the nearby plants were burning too, and a little girl was crying behind, but Ardian couldn't care less ten years old Ardian, who thought Bibo would be with him forever, saw Bibo burn slowly as he spoke,
'Ardian, even though trees cannot move with you, I never felt bored. You saved me… this is my time, please as you saved me, make sure all those lucky plants that come across you live their life to the fullest, so they know the bliss I had….' the girl cried louder,
"Momma, momma!!" Ardian, who was looking back at this scene, thought,
'back then her voice was too loud…. I couldn't hear him completely, but I kept my promise… my promise to Bibo can't be broken.'
'My child, you didn't hear all his words, but I did…. You lived your life with half-truth,' the illusion of memories went back, and the voice of dying Bibo became clearer.
'Ardian, even though trees cannot move with you, I never felt bored. You saved me… this is my time. Please, as you saved me, make sure all those lucky plants that come across you live their life to the fullest so they know the bliss I had….. it is only due to you that even in death, I am smiling… and I am happy that I lived and died without regret…. I will be watching over you warmly.'
'He never wanted what I thought?' Ardian realized how wrong he interpreted the promise,
'Till the end, you were thinking about my happiness in a way.'
'You finally realized!! My child,' the voice spoke in his mind, and Ardian nodded; the illusion of memories began disappearing. He could hear the voice of impacts made on roots covering him, and he nodded,
'I am ready…. Goddess, thanks for always watching over me,' Ardian spoke as he stood up inside, and the Goddess of Bounty and Harvest spoke in his head,
'You really are the cutest child…. I knew the moment I first saw you when you were with young Drasil well spoke little kid helping trees asking if they are happy… it touched my heart, my child' she spoke, and then he felt a motherly presence patting his head,
'Now help this tough child already…. My cutest Holy knight.'
-To be continued