Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 442 The Goddess of Winter's Decision (6.4K views, please subscribe!)
trees.

In many worlds, trees are merely harmless plants that are constantly exploited by others.

They are [the givers].

Trees have provided so much help to the world.

Tangible things, like fruits, branches, leaves, and wood.

The intangible aspects are like stabilizing the soil, providing shade for people, and improving the environment...

They are selfless and kind.

But they did not receive the treatment they deserved.

They were stripped of their outer skin, their branches were cut off, and they were made into various kinds of utensils. They were also chopped into firewood and burned...

They are the ones being taken from.

They could only watch helplessly as these tragedies unfolded.

No matter how they are treated, they cannot speak or respond.

Perhaps this is their destiny.

However, in this extraordinary world where tree-like deities exist, trees are not merely plants.

Trees remain friendly benefactors, unconcerned about others offering their help.

But they are no longer helpless victims of exploitation!
They remain selfless, but at the same time, they are dangerous.

The trees have developed the ability to protect themselves.

In the extraordinary world, trees can attack.

Some trees may rise from the ground and transform into giant tree-men, directly delivering blows to the enemy.

The supreme benevolent father of all trees, the great "Lord of Nature," followed this school of thought back then.

Even if the movements are slow, even if the weaknesses are obvious.

But when you get hit by the terrifying "tree fist," these weaknesses are completely irrelevant.

As long as He possesses the most powerful force in the world... any enemy can sit down and communicate with Him properly.

Some special trees may possess extraordinary powers, allowing their branches to transform into hands, weapons, and other means to exterminate the creatures that persecute them.

Or they might take the initiative, killing any prey that comes near, then burying it under their own tree to absorb its nutrients.

The ancient tree in the center of the Death Forest, known as the "Mother of Bones," is particularly adept at this.

Its root system has formed a complete ecosystem, with the remains of undead animals patrolling and guarding the area beneath the tree.

More often than not, a tree with extraordinary power is likely to attract powerful creatures.

These organisms protect the trees while enjoying their fruits.

Trees often have symbiotic relationships with powerful organisms.

Perhaps they are symbiotic creatures born from trees, or natural beings that rely entirely on trees, such as tree spirits, which are the most typical examples.

Tree spirits rely on the trees that live alongside them; the stronger the trees, the stronger they become.

When a tree dies, the tree spirits will not die on the spot, but they will become weaker and weaker. Unless the rotten wood sprouts again or they find a new tree to rely on, they will gradually wither away.

And now.

As the companion of the "Sacred Tree," the tallest tree in the Misty Mountains, the most powerful and greatest (self-proclaimed) [Guardian of the Tree] is facing a problem that has silenced it.

It peeked out of its nest in the tree canopy, looked at the ground sliding backward from the tree base, and fell into deep thought.

The earth is moving.

Are they sliding backward?

"Hmm... Hmm? That's not right!"

At this moment, the "Guardian of the Tree," who had spent its entire life in the tree, suddenly understood.

No, that's not right!

From another perspective, if the ground isn't "drifting" backward, then it means... the trees are moving forward.

It becomes enlightened.

A whole new world opened up before it!

Stillness, movement, reference point, coordinate system... *snap*!

It slapped itself, shook its head violently, and shook out the jumbled, useless thoughts in its mind.

What nonsense are you thinking!
But...

Trees, it turns out, can walk?
However, even if it understands the relationship between relative stillness and movement, it cannot resolve its current confusion.

So... what exactly is going on now?
My home, where am I going?!?
It is aware of its own strength, and even deep within the Misty Mountains, it is not weak; in fact, it can be said to be quite powerful.

It has always dutifully protected the tree, repelling all enemies and driving away all forces that tried to harm it, thus fulfilling its responsibility as a guardian.

But now, it has no way to deal with the current situation.

Tangible enemies can be easily eliminated, but intangible enemies are extremely troublesome.

Not to mention, the "enemy" right now seems to be the trees themselves?
He realized it wasn't an enemy trying to attack him, but the tree itself... the tree was walking away on its own!!?
The Tree Guardians were shocked!
It could stop someone else, but if this is the tree's own idea... then it really can't do anything about it.

but!

It's not like there's nothing we can do!
After the initial chaos, it regained its composure, concealed its presence, and continued to hide itself within the tree canopy.

It's very smart.

Knowing that the tree wouldn't suddenly rise, there must be something attracting it.

I'd like to see it.

What exactly is trying to take the tree away from it?

The guardian of the tree is furious.

No matter who the other party is, it will make them understand.

No one can take the tree away from you!

It vigorously swung its bushy white tail behind it, grabbed an acorn it had hidden earlier, pounded it hard, and bared its teeth menacingly.

No matter who you are!
I, the great [Guardian of the Sacred Tree], will definitely teach you a lesson!

……

Regardless of what the guest/bodyguard on its body was thinking, the slowly moving sacred tree did not react at all.

The sacred tree remained silent, only moving.

Silently, they drew ever closer to Elda.

Moreover, its speed increases over time.

By the time the resident in the tree noticed the problem, it had already pulled the roots out of the soil and was moving forward like a giant crab with dozens of extra legs.

The speed has changed from moving one meter every ten minutes to moving ten meters per minute!

It still appears to be moving as slowly as a snail, but in fact, its speed has increased to a hundred times that of the original!
If you still think it's too slow... then let me ask you!
Have you ever seen a tree move at such a speed?

This is already a flying man among the trees!
It only took ten minutes to run 100 meters!
If this isn't a flying man, what is it?
Flying trees?
As the sacred tree moved faster and moved more dramatically, the other beings in the mist gradually began to notice the subtle changes.

The Misty Mountains have been dormant for far too long, especially in their depths, but little has changed in thousands of years.

Even the slightest change can attract everyone's attention.

Through the fog, some eyes that had been tightly closed looked over, trying to figure out what had happened.

then……

They were glared at by the snow-white figure that sprang out from the top of the tree canopy.

"What do you want to do?!"

"Keep looking! Keep looking and I'll bite you to death!"

Hearing its threat, some in the mist closed their eyes again, unwilling to fight that creature.

Although it's not particularly strong, with the support of that big tree, it's definitely not someone to mess with. There's no need to provoke a conflict with it.

Furthermore, they appear to be moving outwards, rather than trying to enter the inner circle to compete for better territories.

Since it voluntarily gave up its original position, let it go. What they care more about is how to divide up the territory it left behind.

However, some entities did not turn their attention away, but continued to follow them with unpredictable and ever-changing gazes.

These guys smelled something else.

They are curious.

What exactly is it that can attract that guardian, making it willing to give up the position it fought so hard to win?
However, they made one mistake.

It wasn't the guardians who chose to move; rather, the sacred tree made its own choice.

The reason it did this is probably something no one can understand.

Eldar territory.

Why did He do that?

Yunier sat on the newly built roof, resting her elbows on her knees, her hands supporting her cheeks, staring blankly at the sky, her mind blank.

"Why? Why did He suddenly become interested in this place?"

"No, rather, why does He only react in this place?"

"Lord of Nature, what have you discovered?"

"Herbert? Or... is there something about this place that attracts you?"

Thoughts swirled in her mind. Yuniel, or rather, the Goddess of Winter, pondered for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.

"Ugh!"

Other residents passing by were not surprised to notice Yunier's actions; they smiled, nodded in greeting, and continued on their way.

The girl often spends her days here in a daze, so this is not an uncommon scene.

Especially recently, she has been sneaking out to daydream more and more often.

I wonder what's on the girl's mind...

Were you scolded by the team leader? Or are you finding life here too boring?
Or perhaps... is the young girl experiencing first love?
The general public always thinks so irresponsibly.

The population of Elda territory was not large to begin with, and information, both true and false, spread in private conversations.

This is actually just like the village aunties who control the intelligence agency and try to find out everything about their neighbors' lives – they're just bored and need to find something to do.

Whether it's exchanging information, fabricating stories, or making unfounded speculations, it's often not out of genuine malice, but more often just a desire for amusement when bored.

To put it bluntly, they just want to make a scene and stir up trouble.

Please, give us more fun.

This is so boring! We want to see rivers of blood!
As for the object of the girl's affections according to rumors, after excluding the few male gray dwarves in the territory, it can only be that man.

That elusive lord, whose face is rarely seen.

Compared to the ugly, disheveled, and unkempt gray dwarves who only knew how to burrow into the forge, the handsome and noble lord seemed far more suitable.

Whether in terms of height and appearance, status, or strength and power, it's all just a thin veil.

The term "dimensional reduction attack" refers to a situation where something is rendered useless due to its dimensionality reduction effect.

If a girl could develop feelings for such a being... they put themselves in her shoes and realized that it was perfectly normal.

Yeah, I'm craving his body...

That's understandable!

Human nature!

Anyone who can remain unmoved upon seeing Lord Herbert is questionable.

Who wouldn't be tempted by him?
Not only does he look good, he also smells wonderful!
I don't know what kind of perfume he wears every day, but it always manages to pique their interest...

However, these seemingly young, but actually quite old, elven priests were much more rational than real young girls.

They knew they had no chance.

Their social standing and power had already eliminated all possibilities. Unless Herbert invited them, they had no right to approach him.

Strictly speaking, only a few adults in the entire territory currently have the right to harbor such "crooked thoughts".

First and foremost, it must be Lady Sophia.

That valiant centaur spirit possessed immense power and protected the safety of its territory.

Although she claimed to be merely the lord's most loyal servant, she could only fool herself with that statement.

Who can't see what she's really thinking?
Every time Lord Herbert returns, tenderness wells up in the centaur's eyes!
What's with all this talk about loyalty?
You just want him! You want his body!

Secondly, it has to be Lady Joanna.

However, Lady Joanna seems to truly dedicate everything to the goddess and has little interest in romantic relationships.

That's understandable; Joanna has always wanted to climb higher in the church and has long since abandoned all useless thoughts.

Yeah, what a boring woman! (Everyone whispers amongst themselves)
Then there's that mysterious "witch" who always wears a black cloak.

Although Misser publicly claimed to be a merchant and alchemist, everyone chose to ignore this claim.

What kind of businessman is that?
In the eyes of the residents, this person who would occasionally pull out a bottle of strange potion and then use various excuses to trick others into helping her test the potion was the "witch" in some legends who would chuckle strangely while brewing the potion.

Hmm, devilish witch!

However, this does not mean that Misérables has a bad reputation; it is more like a playful nickname.

On the contrary, although she has not been in Eldar for long, she is very popular!

Various strange-tasting but amazingly effective mushroom potions have become an indispensable part of residents' lives.

Mushroom wound medicine, mycelium seasoning, mushroom juice, and mushroom-based medicine... these inexpensive items added a touch of brightness to the residents' otherwise mundane lives.

Not to mention, Misser also took on the task of observing the surrounding situation and would give "life-saving mushrooms" to everyone who went out, saving several people's lives.

If there were a popularity vote among the three legendary powerhouses, Misser would likely win by a landslide, leaving the others far behind.

Aside from those with sufficient strength, the only remaining candidates are two girls with special identities.

However, whether Lady Miser has any special feelings for Herbert... remains unknown to others.

Anyway, there's potential, let's observe further!

The snake woman, Teresa.

This well-behaved and sensible girl was brought back by Lord Herbert himself, so their relationship must be quite special!
Although she kept stuffing food into her mouth all day long, as if she hadn't eaten enough in the past.

When it can't eat anymore in its human form, it transforms into a snake-man, eating until its tail is several times thicker before stopping, always drawing stares from everyone...

But perhaps Lord Herbert likes this style?

After all, Herbert had been seen feeding Theresa with a smile on his face more than once.

As for her feelings for Herbert... well, we're not blind!

The little girl spends all day either muttering about Lord Herbert or hiding in a corner, staring blankly at an old book and giggling to herself.

And the last one was... Eunice.

Yes, this little girl is also one of the members who are qualified to covet Herbert.

The elven priests are not idiots; they are actually quite intelligent.

Having spent so much time together, they had already deduced Yunier's true identity from some details of their interactions and Joanna's attitude—yes, she must be the goddess's chosen one!
Although I don't know what Yunier's mission is, I suppose that with her status, she's qualified to get close to Herbert.

However, for some "reasons," she dared not reveal her true feelings, which is why she sometimes felt so melancholy.

Herbert probably sensed the girl's feelings, but he didn't express them and could only treat it as if he hadn't noticed anything.

Yes, that must be the truth!

The most exciting development is the love triangle between a lovesick man and a lovesick woman!

Quack! Whatever, we just want to see those teeth!

Based on this assumption, all of Yunier's actions were "rationalized" and given a corresponding explanation.

But actually, the onlookers were mistaken.

You ate the wrong melon!
At least for now, Yunier's "inner self," the Goddess of Winter, doesn't have any special romantic feelings for Herbert... at least not yet.

He was indeed interested in this mysterious little fellow, but it was in a different way, similar to the maternal glow of overflowing love He felt when dealing with the Ice Goddess, wanting to take good care of him.

Those moments of blankness are either when the goddess of winter is contemplating, or when the real Yunier is in a daze.

The reason why Euphemia is so worried right now is actually quite simple.

He did not want the peace here in Eldar to be broken.

Recently, the Goddess of Winter has grown quite fond of her current identity as a "chosen one of the gods".

It wasn't because of Herbert, nor did it mean she wanted to use that identity to continue teasing her kitten.

It was because of Elda.

This small territory, sparsely populated and poorly constructed, is only half-finished.

He likes it here.

My cat has no emotional attachment to this place. It only participated in the early stages of the project proposal and hasn't been involved since, so it's unaware of the specifics here.

But the Goddess of Winter is different.

She participated in the entire construction process here under the identity of "Yunir".

This place... gave Him a very different feeling.

The short time He spent here was insignificant compared to the long years He had lived.

However, the experience here made the Goddess of Winter take it very seriously.

He had never seen such a view before.

Everyone here is working hard.

Even though they came here for different reasons, after staying for a while, they would all quietly change their minds.

Everyone is thinking about which direction to move forward.

The residents here are working together toward a hope that has never been achieved before.

A dream where everyone can live together in equality and freedom.

vitality.

He sensed a vitality that caught his attention.

Although the construction here is far from complete, the vitality here is something He hasn't seen in a long time.

They have hope in their hearts.

They firmly believed they could change the rules of this world—in this tiny corner of the world.

The Goddess of Winter did not laugh at their naive ideas, but was deeply shaken.

This world has been stagnant for far too long.

Since the gods of faith defeated the ancient gods three thousand years ago, the world has once again become boring.

The stupid cycle has begun again.

The god-slayer became the new god, seized the throne, and began a new reign.

Moreover, their faith in the gods went even further than that of their predecessors.

After they had paved the way for the gods, they sealed off the path for those who came after them.

While it's not entirely sealed off, it has increased the difficulty many times over.

They control the spread of knowledge, keeping the world's knowledge level under control and suppressing all "dangerous" research.

Perhaps the empire's mad actions back then left such a deep impression on the ancient gods that these successors who inherited their mantle also inherited this unease.

Strictly guard against and defend against it.

They suppressed all possible factors that could threaten their rule.

I remember there was once an organization called the "Keepers of Secrets," which recorded all sorts of knowledge... but it was eventually destroyed by a certain righteous god in a fit of anger.

The Goddess of Winter cannot say that their actions were wrong. She is also one of the ancient gods who converted to believe in the gods and enjoys the benefits they bring.

This might be the best and safest method for the gods.

However, it was just too boring.

This world has remained unchanged for three thousand years.

uninteresting.

It's so boring!
Back then, the goddess of winter grew tired of the ancient gods' rigidity and placed her hopes on that group of people, helping "them" become "them".

And now... He is also beginning to feel weary of "them".

Rather than those who have also become boring, the goddess of winter prefers to place her bets on newcomers.

This change of mind was entirely because He was bored... no, it can't be said that Herbert's influence was entirely unrelated.

There was a magical charm about that overly young mortal.

It wasn't his superficial beauty, charm, or eloquence, but the way he looked at everyone.

He looked at everyone equally.

Unlike gods who look down upon mortals from afar, this gaze is one of equality, treating everyone the same.

Whether a powerful legend or a lowly slave.

Whether beautiful or ugly.

In his eyes, everyone is the same, no matter who they are.

At first, the Goddess of Winter didn't know where his "arrogance" came from, nor did she understand why he had such a mentality.

But He was very optimistic about his future.

After seeing the relationship between the sun god and him, His doubts were finally explained—but He still had a slight hesitation, feeling that His relationship with the sun might not be as intimate as it seemed on the surface.

The goddess of winter did not tell her speculations to anyone in the pantheon of nature gods.

Even the details about Elda, He didn't tell his best friends what they thought.

He didn't want others to notice this place too early; he preferred that they focus their attention on Herbert himself.

The goddess of winter is willing to place her bets on him.

No.

He had already placed his bet.

Just like those mortals who chose to raise their swords against the ancient gods back then.

This time, He placed His bets on a naive mortal and his ideals, which were as fragile as bubbles.

Hopefully, he can bring about new changes and inject fresh vitality into the world, just as he wishes.

He longs to see the day his dream comes true.

Therefore, He will protect him.

Don't let anyone disrupt Herbert's plans prematurely.

"Even if it's you, it won't work."

"Lord of Nature, if you come with malicious intent, then don't blame me for being ruthless... Heh heh."

"I sincerely hope you won't do anything reckless."

After thinking everything through, Yunier finally smiled.

With a smile, she turned to look at the snake-woman behind her, who didn't know how to ask about her friend, and winked at her.

"Haha, I got you!"

"Peeping tom!"

Theresa: ?

Why should I care about her?!
(End of this chapter)