Days seem to be perfect lately.

For one, the villagers were now willing to vacate and tear down their houses to move under the Treant-made houses.

Were they comfortable? They will.

Eventually.

Did they feel safe? Not yet.

I can only hope that my terms with Oak Treant can help me protect the villagers and, to some extent, the village itself.

Speaking of terms, Master Hokai insisted that I renew the terms. He said that my previous terms were too loose and might cause more damage than good.

The new terms for the contract were as follows :

- Yohan will protect the lives of the Treant and their master Oak TreantTreant from any threat.

- Oak Treant and the Treants will protect the villagers, as long as their lives are not in danger or they can protect them.

- Should Yohan be unable to protect the Treant and the village together, Yohan will focus on protecting the villagers first before the Treants.

- Oak Treant and the Treants must not do anything that might hinder the safety and well-being of the villagers.

- Oak Treant and the Treant are included in these terms.

For me, these terms were already air tights. I cannot think of any possible route where Oak Treant or his Treants might go to avoid the terms.

Of course, that was assuming that Oak Treant and his Treants would still obey the terms. The possibilities were always open for them to betray us.

The process for the Treant-house to move into the right position will take the whole day. The Treant, who took public building shape, were the first to move to their new location, followed by villagers house Treant.

The moving process went smoothly and no one protested or made scenes just to disturb the moving process. Somehow I feel grateful but also anxious.

After twenty-four hours of moving, the Treant finally finished planting themselves in the right place and position. The current Boroboro Village suddenly looked more like elves' dwellings instead of human ones.

The villagers then began to move into their respective houses, trying their best to be comfortable which made me very happy.

Oak Treant then told me that he wanted to occupy the middle intersection of the village, saying that since he was the lord of the Treants, he must remain in their midst to maintain control and stability among the Treants.

I can only agree because staying in the middle of the village will help me keep him safe. He can also serve as a distraction with his huge size. Especially for his enemies.

Aside from the houses and buildings, I also managed to finish the water lines. Now villagers can clean themselves and let the wastewater flow down into the farming area, where a deep hole was placed as a container.

The farmer then can flow this water out into the cultivated land where they grow their food.

I also put a little hole for a bit of water to sip underground so the Treant can have something to nourish themselves. It was part of my generosity towards the Treants.

I also created a water line that follows the shape of the protective walls around the villages. The reason was that the remaining Treants who didn't become houses or buildings were placed outside the walls as a form of protection.

Of course, this kinda goes against what we were agreeing on at first, with the Treants being outside. But these Treants were old, the oldest of the bunch that came with me.

These old Treants will become a shield for their master Oak Treants while also protecting the villagers. Then I will protect everyone including the Wall-Treants.

It's kind of complicated really, so I better just leave it there.

*****

Everything was going smoothly. With a few adjustments here and there.

Boroboro Village now has some spare land thanks to the re-arrangements. These spare lands will be used for community buildings in the future for extra housing if needed.

I walk around the village to enjoy the new look. The villagers still look like they were about to be killed at any moment but I believe there was no such danger. They will understand that everything will be fine soon enough.

*****

A few days later, Oak Treant told me that an enemy appeared in the distance.

It was night time and Oak Treant was still active when these new enemies showed themselves in the distance, walking calmly with confidence.

I quickly went to meet this new enemy and found out that it was a Saber Panda, one that was the same size as me. Its eyes show me that it has something to tell me, something that i might not know.

"Who are you, friends? "

"You can call me Smilursa, just like my smaller kin used to call themselves. "

"I... I see... So.. What do you want here?

Are you trying to hurt the Treants?

Just so you know, they are under my protection. "

"The Treants? Protection?

You must be kidding me, right? "

"No. They are under my protection. "

"Heh.

YO! OLD SPROUT! COME ON OUT!

I KNOW YOU LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION! "

what was he doing? Wasn't the Treants range limited? Weren't they vulnerable to these predators?

"Hey old sprout!

Come on out of this instance! "

"He cannot hear us this far away, Smilursa. "

"Oh, he's eavesdropping on us right now, challengers.

I bet my fang and claws on it.

He's one curious bastard. "

"What do you mean? "

"You'll see it by yourself later.

So since this lazy sprout decided to hide like a cowardly rabbit, let's talk first.

A talk that will bring that lazy tree out of his hiding spot. "

"Emm.. I don't get-"

"Do you know that the Treant that you protect was the oldest creature in this grassland?

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

He's about five hundred years old by now if I'm not wrong. "

"I don't need suc-"

"Do you know that the Treant was actually a cruel creature?

They love to torture their food before killing it and eating it. "

"Why are you telling me al-"

"Do you know that Treants was a traitorous being who cared for no one but itself?

They will make deals with other creatures and act as if they-"

"FINE! I AM OUT HERE SMILURSA!

WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW! "

Suddenly, a single root with Oak Treant's face on it appears from the ground. He looked angry and I was confused.

"Did you just... Did you just listen to everything he said? "

"Well yeah, young challenger.

He has said something that makes everything go to waste. "

"Then... Does that mean.."

"Yeah, I am a traitor through and through.

You have become quite a good toy these last few weeks.

But unfortunately, everything has to end right now. "

I look back at the village and see that the old Treants have tightened their position, trapping the villagers inside.

Screams of fear and pain quickly emerge from the village as I run with all my strength, trying to be there as fast as possible.

In my mind, there were only a few people that I wanted to save out of all the villagers. Master Hokai, the old man who can barely make himself alive, was now on the verge of danger.

The old Treants stop me in my rush to save the villagers. Their roots and branches were raised, ready to stab me at any given moment. From behind me, a root appears from the ground with Oak Treant's face on it.

"Give up, young challenger.

You are too weak right now.

Let me have them and you are free to find another village to protect.

Next time, try to not be so trustful of other creatures.

Most of us were not trustworthy. "

My breath was ragged. My mind was blank. Guilt washed over me as I heard screams of pain and terror from inside the walls. The villagers need me. They need their protector.

I am here. I am their protector.

But I am also the one who brought them the disaster. I brought them pain and terror.

"Go.

Leave and be the weak challenger you are destined to be.

No one wants you here anyway. "

Am I unwanted? I did bring them the Treants that have now become their death.

"You cannot change it anyway.

This has already happened.

They are mine now, while you were just a failure. Unable to protect what you already have. "

*****

(Flashback - the day I proposed to my wife)

My wife comes from a healthy family, with loving parents and competitive siblings. She was the oldest child and she had a responsibility to take care of her younger siblings.

Then she met me, a guy who had no parents and was living on his own. My source of living was by exhorting others at weekends and working as a cleaning service on days. My life was fine when I was alone since there was no one to compare to.

But then we meet, at that train station where I used to commute everyday. We met when we were trapped together behind a sweaty fat man in the commuter train.

I push myself up and introduce myself to her. Since then, we have become closer every day and soon we started to date. She became my girlfriend.

We were such a lovely couple. Her wise heart and beautiful smile changed me. I stopped exhorting people for a start. Leave my gang and even move away from my previous rented room to avoid being dragged back to the gang.

Then I started to learn by myself, improving myself so I could say I was equal to her.

We spent four years together when I finally proposed to her and asked her to be my wife. She was so happy back then that for the first time, I saw her lose composure and screaming happily. That day was also the day when I smiled the brightest.

But then our happiness was cut short when her father rejected me and threw me out of his home. I will never forget the words that he said back then.

"You are trash! A failure!

You are not worthy of my daughter! "

That day, I almost killed her father. My anger got the best of me and I was on my way to rip his throat. But then I see her, my girlfriend's face. The tears in her eyes and her scared face quickly appeased anger.

That day I promised her father that I would be back, worthy and successful just like what he wanted.

I spent another two years working as a maniac, while also having her with me at every step of my journey. In the end, I managed to raise my position a bit by being a key person in my office. My salary was good and my company needed me more than I needed them.

Then I came back to her house and asked for marriage again. I showed my soon-to-be father-in-law how successful I was and he reluctantly agreed to let her daughter marry me.

My wife was my source of inspiration and the only key to the unquenchable anger inside me. She was my reason to live. She was everything.

*****

"I am not a failure. "

My voice trembled as I remembered the painful experience from my past. My wife may not be here with me, but that doesn't mean she stopped being my inspiration. It's just that now was the time to unlock the anger I hid inside me.

"Go get angry, my dear husband. "

Somehow I could hear my wife's voice in my head as anger began to erupt from the hidden part of my heart. I can feel my anger fill me like an intoxicating alcohol, reducing my consciousness while increasing my power.

"I will show you that I am not a FAILURE!!!!! "

ROOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!!

I unconsciously activated my skill Thundering Roar, making the Treants in front of me fear me.

"I WILL KILL TREANTTTSSS!!!! "