Ash was the first to approach the new dryad. "Welcome child, to our grove. May your roots stretch deep, your bark grow strong and your leaves be plentiful."

"Thank you, Elder." The new dryad said, and bowed her head.

Ash turned towards me and bowed. "Thank you, my lady, for extending the grove. I can feel the connection through the realms. It gives us a presence here, awareness. We shall take good care of your gate and keep the passage safe."

The new dryad looked at me. "I can feel your presence. It feels familiar."

"We just awakened your tree with a ritual! It was me, Lucy and Lilith, to be exact. We all powered the ritual." I explained. I also felt awkward. I had no idea how to react. I did feel a certain bond to the dryad. Interestingly, she was part of our bond network and not just because she was a part of the grove.

Looking at the dryad awkwardly I made a decision. I walked directly in front of her and gave her a hug.

"You smell of rain." She mumbled.

Lucy approached as well and joined the hug. "We should name her." She suggested.

"Sure. Do you have a preference?" I asked the dryad.

"No, but I would like you to name me." She replied.

I looked at the dryad in my arms. She was fully grown and seemed to have some basic understanding of the world. She was not really my child, our child, yet she was something similar. I felt a fierce protectiveness suddenly.

"How about Haruka?" I suggested.

"It's a good name." Lucy agreed.

"Haruka… I shall be Haruka." The dryad said.

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Lilith approached us as well. "You want to join the hug?" I offered.

"No, thank you." She replied. "However, I am grateful that I was allowed to join your ritual. And I approve of the name. It is nice to meet you, Haruka."

Haruka studied the demon lord. "The soil… It knows you. You nourish it."

"This is my domain. Some of my power has seeped into the earth, I am sure. You are also inside my aura right now." Lilith explained.

While Haruka contemplated that, I noticed something else. There was a new faint connection to our bond network. And it felt… like Lilith. She had not truly joined our bond but there was something. Haruka was a bridge between us, or whatever network Lilith had with her subordinates.

"We should start the celebration! Let's have a slaughter!" Shani shouted, twirling a lightning scythe.

I sighed. "No slaughter…" I stopped when I saw Haruka looking curious.

"Slaughter? Is there an enemy to be devoured?" She asked.

"No. Shani just likes to kill things." Lucy clarified. "Actually, getting some living monster could have been interesting for the feast."

"Really? She is only a few minutes old. I don't think monsters are what she needs." I countered.

"My lady, dryads rarely awaken in safe places. We are often born from blood as our trees devour the carcasses left by predators." Ash added.

"Carcasses, sure. We can get some monster corpses or something. Let's see… I still have some blazing boar in my inventory." I mused and dropped a corpse on the ground. Roots emerged slowly, poking the blazing boar. Then they pierced its skin and started absorbing it.

"Thank you." Haruka said, with a smile.

"Aww, she is cute!" Lucy said and I had to agree. She was precious. I felt a fierce protectiveness when I watched her.

Lilith must have seen something in my gaze because she approached me: "Don't worry, she is in the heart of my territory. I will watch over her."

"She is strong." Ash assured me. "I can feel the power of fire and lightning within her tree. The grove is growing."

"Maybe we can settle some naiads here too? It would increase the water quality, right?" I wondered.

"Perhaps. Our water is slightly different. It is great for the skin, I am not sure how pleasant it is for trees. However, her tree is native to hell." Lilith pointed out.

"I liked the water you have summoned from the sky." Haruka said.

I smiled. It made me feel good. I made sure my aura directed a bit more rain towards the tree.

I had been so focused on the dryad I had almost forgotten our guests. Maeve and Meluza were approaching our gathering.

"Your ritual was certainly impressive." Meluza said. "She will make a fine defender."

I frowned. I suppose she was meant to keep this area safe, however, if someone actually attacked Haruka…

"Those demon lords better keep their fingers off her, or I will show them what a storm is." I muttered.

"I am sure she will kick some ass. We should take her hunting in the area. How far do you think she can go from her tree?" Lucy wondered.

"She is a new dryad, however she has a lot of power and is part of a grove. The maid knight link we all share allows us to travel even further. Honestly, as we grow it is hard for me to say how far I could venture. I suspect she will have no trouble reaching nearby hunting grounds." Ash clarified.

"Can we go hunting?" Haruka asked, looking at me.

"Fine…" I mumbled.

"Yay, slaughter! It's a great bonding experience!" Shani cheered.

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