[ Hahaha. The look on your face was amazing. ]

The voice was annoyingly cheerful. Hana forced herself to stop crying and pushed herself up. Her whole body ached, and her legs and arms were covered in dirt and bits of grass, though she didn’t have the energy to care.

“What are you?”

[ I am Void. ]

It was a name she had given.

The voice sounded almost mocking, as if proud of the name. Since she wasn’t in the mood for word games, ignoring Void’s comments, Hana got straight to the point.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Ha… are you here to collect a price? I’m the sacrifice, and you told me to come to you. But why now?”

[It’s because now is the time. ]

“You said Weed made this place, right? So, is the illness really because of this? Huh? Then why is he in so much pain? If he’s supposed to be immune to pain, why is he suffering? It’s too much!”

[ That? No, that’s not it. You’re misunderstanding something major. It’s nothing. What’s so special about him? He’s just an imitator. ]

“Then, who made this godforsaken world?”

[ Oh, you shouldn’t say that. Really, you shouldn’t. Such… words… ]

“Shut up! Get lost! If you’re not going to explain anything properly, just get out of here!”

For the first time, Void’s normally calm and controlled voice showed signs of confusion. Hana’s frustration came out as anger. She even hurled curses at the empty air, something she rarely did.

She had never felt such anger before. Not even when she was ignored at home, faced with death threats, or told she was dying did she react like this. She had thought her emotions were all dried up, but they weren’t. It was as if the feelings she had buried deep inside had awakened in this place.

The god of this world is pathetic.

A world created with such flaws from the beginning… This world continued to exist by relying on someone’s noble heart willing to sacrifice themselves to fill in those gaps. The structure was flawed from the beginning, so shouldn’t the culprits be the ones to bear the responsibility?

“Huwaahh… Huu… Ugh, uhuk…”

Even after running away and injuring him, Hana already missed him.

The new feet he had so carefully made were now covered in wounds. She must have stepped on something sharp, as blood was flowing freely, and the pain was intense. Her hips were in excruciating pain. It had been a long time since she felt such severe discomfort.

“Ah, uuhh… huk, it hurts… huaah…”

The sharp pain was overwhelming, and she didn’t know how she was able to run until now. The pain made her unable to stop crying. Her body and her heart were aching.

The pain made her long for Weed.

He had tamed her so well that now she felt she couldn’t live properly without him.

Hana hugged her knees to her chest and curled up, hoping the pain would lessen even a little. She was so disoriented from running that she didn’t know where she was or how far she had run. Her emotions were dominated by sadness and a sense of inexplicable injustice more than by worry.

She buried her face and cried for a long time.

She already missed Weed. It wasn’t just because he could alleviate her pain; even after being so cruel and running away, she simply wanted to see him.

“…Hana.”

Hana looked up in shock.

“Weed?”

Weed stood there, looking pristine as always. He showed no signs of having run, sweat-soaked, or out of breath. He was as neatly dressed as ever.

“We, Weed…”

No matter how weak he seemed, he wasn’t human.

Instinctively, Hana pulled back. Even though she missed him, she didn’t yet have the courage to face his face. Weed flinched slightly at her movement but quickly approached her.

“Uht.”

She groaned when he grabbed her shoulder.

After running and tumbling, her whole body was creaking and aching.

Weed remained silent for a while. Then, he leaned in as if nothing had happened. His voice was gentle. But something was clearly being suppressed.

“Hana. You shouldn’t be in a place like this. It’s dangerous. Look at you… you’re already so…hurt.”

“Weed.”

It was strange. No matter how much Hana called, Weed didn’t respond. Normally, he would have said, “Yes, Hana,” and shown his dazzling smile. But now, his expression was quite dry. It seemed somewhat tense and a bit anxious.

“You’ve been running around with that body… you’re hurt.”

“Uht, uhp!”

Before she could say anything, their lips met.

It felt as if he had been holding his breath, his hot and rough breath enveloping Hana. She was startled and pushed at his shoulders, but it was pointless. Weed entwined a strand of Hana’s hair around his fingers and pressed his lips deeper against hers.

“Uht, ah… wait… uhp!”

He didn’t give her a moment to relax as he adjusted the angle and delved even deeper. Had he been searching for her? Weed’s lips and tongue voraciously explored her as if to confirm her presence.

Hana gave up and relaxed. Though sudden, it was sweet. The sensation was somewhat unfamiliar, but it felt good, and her tears stopped. The pain that had been gnawing at her, making her suffer, was gradually fading away.

Weed released her lips and rested his head on her bleeding knee. Without hesitation, he licked the blood and tended to her wounds. But—

“Weed, don’t, don’t do that.”

Her legs were covered in dirt and grass. While her knees were in relatively better condition, her feet were in worse shape. Her once perfectly pristine feet were now marred and dirty.

“It’s dirty. It’s filthy. I’m, I’m okay. Please stop.”

Weed stopped moving for a moment.

“…Am I dirty?”

“No!”

“Then let me.”

Hana shook her head. When he bit his lip as his eyes wavered, she quickly denied it before he misunderstood further.

“No, it’s not like that. Just, just go back and do it.”

As he seemed stubborn about staying in this place, she clung to his neck. Weed, perhaps surprised that she would choose this place, stiffened for a moment before carefully lifting her. It was familiar, just as it had always been, and he held her as he used to.

They walked along in a disheveled state, and for a while, neither of them spoke. Despite tears still welling up, Hana hurriedly wiped them away and decided she had to speak.

“Weed, I… I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I didn’t mean to say that. Weed, the truth is…”

“It’s okay, Hana. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m… I’m used to being hated.”

Hana looked up at Weed. He didn’t meet her gaze and kept his eyes fixed ahead. His body trembled, and his voice was shaking as well.

“…I, I told you it’s useless to regret.”

He tried to speak in a calm, measured tone, but it seemed ineffective.

“I said I wouldn’t send you back. I, I told you. Even if you hate me… it doesn’t…it doesn’t matter.”

Hana couldn’t find words.

He was repeating what he had said before. His face, trying to sound resolute, was contorted as if he might cry. But unlike before, he wasn’t showing any tears.

“I told you it’s too late. It’s useless to regret. Even if you hate me… and try to run away, I’ll still catch you. I said it’s too late… didn’t I? I’ll do… do as I please.”

She couldn’t speak. Despite making such a solemn declaration, Weed looked like he was on the verge of tears, and Hana couldn’t voice what she needed to say.

Her throat was too choked up.

‘Used to being hated… Who could possibly hate him?’

She didn’t know.

This situation, and both herself and Weed, everything seemed so stupid.

 
______

Translator’s Note:

From chapter 77 onwards, the translation of ‘Weed ~The One’s Gardener~’will be continued under a different group on another site. However, don’t worry! I’m still the translator of the novel, only that the novel will be hosted on a different site, that’s all!

You can go to the website directly through this link or novel updates!