After Makoto told Tomoe and Mio to return and promised that he would never practice archery again without informing them first—so they wouldn't worry if they suddenly couldn't sense his presence—he made sure with Sakai that he was truly alone. Then Makoto sat down and focused his consciousness inward, toward the very core of his awareness—more precisely, the core of his soul, where the mysterious object resided.
When Makoto released his first shot, he felt a fluctuation coming from that mysterious object. However, he ignored it and continued focusing on his archery training. Now that Tomoe and Mio were gone, he could concentrate on investigating what changes had occurred to the mysterious object.
Within the core of Makoto's soul, the object that had previously emitted only a faint glow now shone brilliantly, like moonlight illuminating the night. When Makoto touched it with his consciousness, a vast amount of information poured into his mind. Time felt as though it had passed for a very long while, yet at the same time only an instant seemed to have gone by when Makoto finally regained awareness from the sea of information flooding his memory. Even so, he couldn't recall what that information was—as if a thick wall prevented him from remembering it.
Makoto then checked the time by using Sakai to detect how long he had been unconscious. When he sensed that Tomoe and Mio had only just arrived back at the settlement, it became clear that he had only been unconscious for a short while. And yet, at the same time, Makoto felt as though he had been gone for a very long period.
When Makoto focused his consciousness once more on the mysterious object, he realized that he had formed a soul bond with it. From the information he received, Makoto finally understood what the mysterious object truly was.
It was a seed of the Yggdrasil tree—also known as the World Tree. Previously, the mysterious object had merely been a nearly dead seed, possessing only the instinct to camouflage itself so thoroughly that even gods and goddesses could not find it. After absorbing enough magical power, the seed regained several of its original functions.
The first function was camouflage. The seed could conceal Makoto's aura, preventing gods and goddesses from detecting him. Even if a god or goddess were to meet Makoto directly, they would only sense an ordinary human or creature. Makoto could also control how much of his power others perceived—or erase his presence entirely. This function was precisely why Tsukuyomi-sama had been unable to detect the seed.
The second function was storage. The seed could store magical power given to it by Makoto, much like a backup battery—but with an enormous capacity. This was why, after absorbing a large portion of Makoto's immense magical power during his archery training, the seed—which had once been dry and malnourished—returned to its original state and restored its strength.
The third function was dimensional travel. The seed could take Makoto to another world. When Makoto learned that he could travel to other worlds again, he felt extremely happy. However, he soon realized that while he could go, he wouldn't be able to return. After studying how the seed enabled travel between worlds, Makoto understood why: it was still only a seed that had yet to sprout, so it couldn't mark the world he currently lived in. In order for Makoto to return after traveling to another world, the seed would need to grow and establish a mark in this world.
Even though the seed possessed only three functions, they were more than enough to make Makoto happy. He tried communicating with the seed using his consciousness, conveying his desire to know how to make it grow. In response, the seed informed him of the requirements.
First, it required an enormous amount of magical power. The magic it had absorbed from Makoto so far was only enough to restore it to a normal state—far from sufficient to make it grow.
Second, it required dimensional energy. Makoto had no idea where he could obtain such power and decided he would ask Tomoe about it later.
Third, it required a place to grow. After some thought, Makoto decided that once he fulfilled the first and second requirements, he would try planting it in the sub-dimension.
After finishing his list of things to do, Makoto stood up and walked toward the settlement. At the same time Makoto was investigating the changes in the seed, Tomoe and Mio were having a conversation that would determine Makoto's happiness in the days to come.
"Tomoe-san, after this, I want to carry out my night duty," Mio said seriously.
"Did what happened earlier scare you?" Tomoe asked as she looked at Mio.
"Yes. I was terrified when I couldn't sense Waka-sama's presence. When I thought I might never meet Waka-sama again, my heart felt like it was being torn apart. It was the first time I'd ever felt such pain—and it frightened me deeply," Mio replied, placing a hand over her chest.
"I feel the same way. I'd also be terrified if I lost Waka-sama. I don't even know what I'd do if that happened," Tomoe said while gazing at the night sky.
"Tonight, you can take the night duty and stay with Waka-sama. Tomorrow night will be my turn," Tomoe said seriously.
"Alright. We'll take turns every night. What do you think?" Mio asked, extending her hand.
"I agree," Tomoe replied, shaking Mio's hand.
When Makoto arrived at the settlement area, he saw only the guards patrolling. Even though the presence of Makoto, Tomoe, and Mio kept wild beasts from approaching, patrols were still necessary so they could respond immediately in case of an emergency. After greeting the guards he encountered, Makoto walked toward the tent prepared for him by the Highland Orcs.
When Makoto entered the tent, he saw Mio sitting beside the bed that she had prepared before his arrival.
"Waka-sama, I've prepared your bed," Mio said nervously.
"Thank you, Mio," Makoto replied as he removed his outer clothing and prepared to sleep.
"Um… Waka-sama, I came to perform my night duty," Mio said shyly.
Makoto paused and looked at Mio, who was blushing. At that moment, he understood what Mio meant by "night duty."
"Then come here," Makoto said, suppressing his own embarrassment as he gently patted the space beside him.
"Yes, Waka-sama!" Mio replied happily as she moved closer.
Makoto didn't forget to use Sakai to prevent any sounds from leaking out of the tent. Tomoe, who had been eavesdropping outside, waited for quite some time but heard nothing at all. Eventually, she left, grumbling about Makoto using his powers to block all sound from inside the tent.
The next morning, Makoto woke up feeling something soft wrapped around his arm. When he turned his head, he saw Mio awake and gazing at him.
"Good morning, Mio," Makoto said gently.
"Good morning, Waka-sama," Mio replied without looking away.
"Mio, I want to ask—why did you suddenly want to take on night duty?" Makoto asked as he stroked her head.
"I was scared, Waka-sama. Last night, when I couldn't feel your presence… and when I thought I might never meet you again, my heart felt like it was being torn apart. It frightened me so much," Mio said as she hugged Makoto's arm more tightly, tears beginning to fall.
"I told you, I'm fine," Makoto said softly, wiping Mio's tears with his finger.
After calming Mio down, Makoto got dressed with Mio's help. Once they were ready, they exited the tent and saw Tomoe standing outside.
"Waka! How could you make it so I couldn't hear a single sound from outside?!" Tomoe complained.
Hearing her grievance, Makoto could only sigh and flick Tomoe on the forehead.
"Ah! What did you do that for, Waka?!" Tomoe exclaimed, holding her aching forehead.