Toby tilted his head, his face full of bewildered innocence.
Angel did not explain, merely saying softly, "Let's go. You'll know soon enough."
Toby had just eaten the magical food Gloria had made and was still in a state where it ignored pressure, so it did not turn back into a seabird. Instead, it folded its wings and strode along beside Angel.
After they had walked for about a minute, Angel paused.
He lowered his head.
A faintly glowing Blue Lantern Flower emerged from his shadow. The flower swayed gently, and at the same time, a transparent bubble drifted out from its stamen.
The bubble slowly rose into the air before stopping in front of Angel. Then, an image suddenly appeared on the damp film covering its surface.
—In the dark underground, thick roots were slowly writhing as they silently surged toward their location.
Toby also saw the image on the bubble's film. Its eyes widened like bronze bells as it looked from Angel to the ground, then back again. It seemed to be using those movements to seek confirmation from Angel.
Angel said nothing, only nodded lightly.
Beneath this seemingly tranquil land, root after root had already arrived directly below them. Though the roots had not attacked them, there was no doubt that they belonged to the tree Toby had seen.
Thus, when Angel had said earlier that they had already been discovered by that tree, he had not been speaking without cause.
Angel's perception had not been very clear before. He had only known that something was stirring beneath the earth. Now, the image Ermi had sent clearly confirmed it.
After confirming this information, a flicker of fiery light flashed along Toby's sharp beak. Its eyelids narrowed, and danger seeped out from within. It raised its head to