I felt a twinge of guilt for the way my eyes had momentarily drifted toward Lilliwood-san’s incredibly voluptuous chest. Shaking off the distraction, I spoke up to keep the conversation moving.
"So, essentially, most spirits owe their existence to you, Lilliwood-san?"
"That is a fair way to put it. Naturally occurring spirits are exceedingly rare, after all."
"I see. So you traveled around, infusing magic power into various plants, and then circled back to recruit the spirits that eventually emerged? By the way, who was your very first subordinate? Was it Lilie-san?"
I was starting to grasp the general timeline. Lilliwood-san had struck out on her own, traveling across the Demon Realm to provide plants with the magic power—the catalyst—necessary to become spirits.
However, just because a spirit was born didn't mean they would automatically seek her out. They didn't even possess consciousness until they inhabited a plant, so they wouldn't have known who had provided the magic power in the first place.
Assuming she must have personally handled the recruitment, I asked for clarification. Lilliwood-san gave a wry, somewhat amused smile.
"It is a curious thing... In truth, my first subordinate was not a plant I had infused with magic power, but a naturally occurring spirit."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. In fact, this very spot is where I met my first kin."
As she spoke, I looked in the direction Lilliwood-san pointed. There, I saw her younger self alongside one other person—Camellia-san.
—If I follow you, will I become stronger than I am now?
—Before I answer that, allow me to ask you a question. What is it you desire once you obtain power?
—Well... I am but the spirit of a nameless blade of grass growing in this meadow. I have watched many people pass through this field, and at times, I have been touched by their kindness. I do not harbor ambitions grand enough to call them 'desires,' but... I want the strength to protect kind people in a world where kindness alone makes it so hard to live.
—I see... That is a noble wish. As long as you hold onto those feelings, you will surely become strong.
Even though Alice had eventually introduced the Six Kings and Peerage-class systems to change the nature of the Demon Realm, at this point in time, those changes had likely only just begun to take root.
To want to protect those who were kind but lacked the power to fight—Camellia-san had become Lilliwood-san’s subordinate with a wish that was so very characteristic of her.
"That sounds just like Camellia-san."
"Yes, she has not changed since those days. The way she works tirelessly for the sake of others rather than herself... in that regard, she might be a little like you, Kaito-san. At any rate, my first kin was Camellia. Lilie followed after her."
"I see..."
"My kin continued to grow in number after that, though not all of the Seven Princesses joined early on. Blossom is quite young, and Tiltania joined relatively late. Once my followers reached a certain number, I decided on a permanent base and moved my main body there. That location became what is now Yugfressia."
"It just occurred to me, but... your main body, the World Tree... it can actually move?"
I knew it had once been near Kuro’s house, so it stood to reason it could move since it was now in Yugfressia, but I simply couldn't visualize it. A tree of that staggering scale—a World Tree that easily surpassed even Magnawell-san in height—actually changing locations was beyond my imagination.
"It is possible, though it would be quite difficult now, to be honest. I move via a method similar to teleportation, but there are very few places my main body could reappear without causing catastrophic damage to the surrounding area."
"That makes sense... Sorry for all the questions, but is there a specific rule for which plants a spirit will inhabit?"
"Generally speaking, any plant that possesses magic power has the potential to host a spirit. However, it is never a guarantee. For example, take a flower you are familiar with, Kaito-san—the Blue Crystal Flower. They nourish themselves on magic power from the air and can possess a significant amount of it, yet no spirit has ever been confirmed to exist within them."
"Could it be that one just hasn't appeared yet?"
"If their numbers were extremely low, perhaps, but it is hard to imagine that a flower which grows in clusters—limited though they may be—and possesses such high magic power has never once manifested a spirit. Therefore, I believe the Blue Crystal Flower is simply a plant that spirits do not inhabit."
She had mentioned earlier that magic power didn't guarantee a spirit's presence. Since these were the words of Lilliwood-san, arguably the world’s foremost expert on spirits, it was likely the objective truth.
But why was I feeling this way? For some reason, despite having absolutely no evidence, I had the nagging feeling that a spirit of the Blue Crystal Flower did exist somewhere.
Maybe it was just because I was so familiar with the flower. Perhaps my desire for it to be true was just coloring my perception.
Serious-senpai: "By the way, why don't any other Blue Crystal Flowers have spirits? Tell us, Mad God."
Machina: "...Eh? Are you talking to me? Sigh, whatever... Actually, only one 'original' Blue Crystal Flower exists in the entire world. All the others were created by Spica, so they cannot host spirits. To put it simply, that’s the gist of it."