When Makoto woke up, the sun was already close to setting. He sat up and saw Tomoe and Mio smiling at him as he awakened.
"Waka, you slept very soundly. Are Mio's thighs really that comfortable?" Tomoe teased him with a grin.
"What are you saying, Tomoe-san? If Waka-sama wants to, he can use my thighs as a pillow anytime and anywhere," Mio said confidently.
Hearing their words, Makoto felt a little embarrassed. Even though they had already done everything a couple could do, Tomoe's teasing still made him shy.
"If I get the chance, I'll use your thighs as a pillow too, Tomoe," Makoto said, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Makoto then stood up and stretched.
"Tomoe, Mio, let's go home," he said.
"See you again tomorrow," Makoto added as he gently touched the leaves of the World Tree.
The World Tree responded by sending its feelings of happiness to Makoto. Although it still couldn't communicate with words, it was able to convey its emotions through the soul bond they shared. After that, Makoto teleported together with Tomoe and Mio back to their home.
"Waka, since when could you use teleportation?" Tomoe asked in surprise.
"After I woke up just now, I realized I could teleport freely as long as I'm within this new world. I can also sense what's happening in this world much more easily," Makoto replied while looking at Tomoe. "It's probably because the World Tree has grown larger and gained greater control over this new world."
"In that case, Waka-sama, I'll go prepare dinner," Mio said cheerfully. She didn't pay much attention to Makoto's new ability—so long as she could be with him and cook for him, everything else was secondary to her.
Makoto could only shake his head as he watched Mio head off to prepare dinner.
"Waka, are there any other abilities?" Tomoe asked curiously.
"That's about it. But I can feel my body overflowing with vitality, making it stronger than before. Even now, I can feel my body steadily becoming stronger, and my magical energy recovery has increased drastically. Just resting for a short while restored more than half of my magic," Makoto said after sensing the changes within himself.
"Waka… are you still human?" Tomoe asked in awe after hearing that.
Makoto flicked her forehead in response.
"Ah—Waka, why did you flick my forehead?" Tomoe complained.
"Because you're saying nonsense," Makoto replied before sitting down on the sofa.
Not long after, Mio came back and placed dinner on the table.
"Waka-sama, dinner is ready," she said.
"Thank you, Mio," Makoto replied as he took his seat.
"Oh, as usual, your cooking looks delicious, Mio," Tomoe said with a nod.
"For Waka-sama, I'll always make even more delicious food," Mio declared confidently.
"Stop talking and eat before it gets cold," Makoto said.
After dinner, the three of them sat on the sofa, drinking tea prepared by Mio.
"Oh right, are the preparations for traveling to the Goddess's world ready?" Makoto asked.
"Most of them are ready, Waka. The carriage and travel supplies are prepared. The only thing left is your equipment, which the dwarf elder has finished and is waiting for you to try," Tomoe replied casually.
"Then I'll check it tomorrow," Makoto said.
"After this, I'm going to practice archery. Are you two still coming with me?" Makoto asked Tomoe and Mio.
"Yes, Waka."
"Of course, Waka-sama," they replied in unison.
"Aren't you already used to me practicing archery?" Makoto asked in confusion.
"Waka, we may be getting used to it because we're beside you and know what you're doing," Tomoe said seriously. "But if you weren't in front of us and we suddenly couldn't sense your presence, we'd still panic and feel afraid."
"Tomoe is right, Waka-sama. So please tell us every time you practice archery," Mio added seriously.
"Alright, I understand," Makoto replied resignedly.
Then Makoto headed to the archery training grounds with Tomoe and Mio. When Makoto released his first arrow, he felt something different. He didn't sense the new world expanding, but instead felt the concentration of energy in the air increase slightly. If Makoto hadn't been the ruler of this new world and able to perceive its changes, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Makoto tried using Sakai to detect the change in energy concentration, but realized that even with Sakai, it was extremely difficult to sense. If he hadn't focused specifically on the air's energy density, he wouldn't have detected it at all.
"What's wrong, Waka? Why did you stop?" Tomoe asked curiously.
Makoto snapped back to himself.
"I'm fine. I just felt something different. Wait a moment—I want to test something," he said.
Makoto continued his archery practice—once, twice, three times, up to ten shots—before stopping again to sense the air. Now he was certain: the concentration of energy in the atmosphere had increased compared to before.
Whether the energy concentration was slightly higher or much higher wouldn't affect living beings in the short term. However, over the long term, people living in areas with higher energy density would have healthier bodies and be more likely to produce gifted offspring. Regions rich in energy would also be more likely to grow rare medicinal plants and contain valuable minerals underground.
"Tomoe, Mio, do you feel anything different?" Makoto asked them.
"Is something different, Waka?" Tomoe replied while looking around.
"Did something happen, Waka-sama?" Mio asked, a little confused.
"It seems the change in energy concentration isn't big enough yet for them to feel it," Makoto thought to himself.
"Wait a moment—I'll ask the World Tree," he said, then used his soul bond to inquire about what was happening.
Makoto soon received information about the World Tree's abilities after growing to one meter tall. The World Tree could now regulate the growth of the new world. Unlike before, when the sub-dimension only passively expanded as Makoto grew stronger, the World Tree could now choose how the world developed—either expanding it further or strengthening it. In other words, it could choose between quantity and quality.
Makoto also realized that the World Tree possessed the ability to imbue his body with immense vitality, making him physically stronger and far more resilient. Because of this, he could recover faster—whether it was restoring magical energy or healing wounds.
Previously, Makoto had thought that his rapid recovery came from the aura emitted by the World Tree. Now he understood that it was actually one of the World Tree's abilities, filling his body with vitality.
Makoto decided that for now, he would have the World Tree focus on strengthening the new world rather than expanding it further. In his view, the world's size was already enormous. Improving its quality would make the land more fertile and increase the energy concentration throughout the world.
"How about now, Tomoe—do you feel anything different?" Makoto asked.
"I feel like the air I'm breathing is a bit fresher," Tomoe replied after thinking for a moment.
"Looks like you can sense it, even if only slightly," Makoto said.
"What exactly is happening, Waka-sama?" Mio asked, confused by their exchange.
"The concentration of energy in the air has increased," Makoto explained.
"How could it increase, Waka-sama?" Mio asked, still puzzled.
"I get it now, Waka. The energy concentration increased because of your archery training just now, right?" Tomoe asked confidently.
"That's right. At first I only sensed it faintly, but after continuing my archery practice, I could clearly feel the change," Makoto replied.
"Then does this have something to do with the World Tree, Waka-sama?" Mio asked.
"I just asked the World Tree. The changes are due to its abilities after growing to one meter tall. As you know, before this, the sub-dimension expanded whenever I practiced archery," Makoto said as Tomoe and Mio nodded.
"Before, the sub-dimension only passively expanded according to the amount of magical energy I possessed. But now, with the World Tree, it can choose to either expand the new world or strengthen it—making the land more fertile, increasing the energy concentration in the air, and bringing about many other changes," Makoto said while looking at Tomoe and Mio.