「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 1, January 30」
Today, foreign enemies invaded. The territory's Pea Shooters easily wiped out their vanguard.
Afterward, the enemy launched a large-scale invasion, causing our Pea Shooters to suffer heavy losses. Many of the Jungle Guards were injured as well.
Finally, three very powerful individuals appeared on the enemy's side. I heard one of them, an enemy about the size of an elephant, was incredibly strong. No one could do anything about it.
Thankfully, the Lord was here. Under his wise command and through a clever strategy, we successfully took down that terrifying giant monster.
I'm so happy, because the territory successfully repelled the enemy invasion.
But I'm also very sad, because our losses during the defensive battle were severe.
After the victory, the Lord left. He probably went to find something to strengthen the territory's defenses.
SOB... SOB... SOB...
Before the Lord left, he even gave me a pat. Hee hee!
'The Lord works so hard! Now that he's gone to handle business, I have to work extra hard.'
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 1, March 1」
The Lord has been gone for a month. Everyone is working hard at their own tasks. The Jungle Guards are patrolling the jungle, the birds are constantly scouting our entire territory, and my brothers and sisters and I are working hard to produce natural energy.
The forest is already filled with natural energy, but the concentration isn't high enough yet. We have to keep trying.
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 1, December 1」
Today, my friend—Moon Shadow, a snow-white Forest Wolf from the Jungle Guard—gave birth to five little pups. After my shift, I went to visit her and see the babies. They're so cute!
As expected of Captain Charm Shadow's children. They're so handsome even from birth.
Oh, right! Starting today, the territory officially implemented a 12-hour shift system. Everyone works in 12-hour rotations, so every little elf and Forest Guard will have time to rest.
For a while, we were also responsible for keeping the resource buildings running.
Later, after the Lord built a large structure for the Jungle Guards, they became able to enter the resource buildings and maintain their operation as well.
So, the Lord had some creatures called monkeys—who are built like the Lord but are covered in a lot of fur—take over maintaining the buildings.
Ever since then, we little elves have only been responsible for producing natural energy.
Hmph! Those newcomers don't have this skill.
Producing natural energy is our instinct. Even sleeping doesn't affect our production efficiency. It's just a bit boring staying in the trees all the time, but we're still very happy to be working for the Lord.
But if we can rest, we won't have to stay in the trees all the time and can play in the forest.
This is even more important for the Jungle Guards. Before, whenever they got tired on patrol, they'd just find a random spot to rest.
Now, they don't have to look for chances to slack off. They just need to patrol with their full attention for 12 hours, and then they can do their own thing.
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 2, June 15」
Today, all the off-duty little elves gathered for a meeting. I didn't participate because I was working at the time.
I heard they discussed the matter of us little elves reproducing.
'If you ask me, they should have started looking into this a long time ago.'
The territory is expanding every day. Now, the new lands are filled with the figures of Forest Guards, but not a single one of us little elves.
Besides, the supply of natural energy can no longer keep up with the territory's development. The natural energy in the forest has become especially thin.
Our little elf race's development has already fallen behind the other races!
Before, the number of little elves was comparable to the entire Jungle Guard population.
Now, our numbers are only equivalent to that of a medium-sized race within the Jungle Guard.
In the vast new territories, countless large trees are without a little elf to entwine with. We urgently need to expand our population.
The Jungle Guards are also official residents of the territory, and they can reproduce on their own. We little elves can definitely do it too.
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 2, August 6」
Today, the Little Elf Council established the Little Elf Reproduction Laboratory and began recruiting volunteers for experiments regarding the reproduction of our race. Participants must sign a waiver acknowledging the risk of death.
I signed up. I'm a little scared, but I've decided to contribute to my little elf race.
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 2, August 16」
I was rejected. The lab said my production efficiency is the highest among all the volunteers, so they wouldn't let me be a test subject.
'Is it my fault for being a hard and efficient worker?'
'I'm going crazy!'
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 2, October 6」
I don't know whether to be happy or sad. The council's experiments are not going well; a large number of volunteers have died.
I told the lab that the low production efficiency of the previous volunteers meant their constitutions were weak. So, they should find some high-efficiency little elves for the experiments.
The head researcher was persuaded. I successfully joined the lab and became a proud volunteer.
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 2, October 10」
Today is my third day in the experiment. I finally understand why the volunteer losses were so great.
The lab wants to imitate the reproductive methods of the Forest Guards. To do this, they first have to modify the bodies of little elves, dividing them into male and female, and then have them mate.
The experiment was partially successful.
Many variations of little elves appeared in the lab.
All their fur fell out, and they became bald clumps. They lost the ability to float and can only crawl on the ground. They can't even maintain their round shape.
Although they can now reproduce successfully, they've lost the ability to produce natural energy.
'If they can't produce natural energy, can they still be considered part of our little elf race?'
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 2, November 3」
Today, I joined the lab's research team.
Thanks to my intelligence, the head researcher has high hopes for me. And as it happens, I have a lot of ideas I want to implement.
...
「Divine Wood Calendar, Year 3, May 12」
The team has completely abandoned the experiment to turn little elves into Slimes. "Slime" is the name the transformed little elves gave themselves.
Because they lost their original bodies after the transformation and eventually become all sticky, they mockingly call themselves "Slimes." Gradually, this word became their racial name.
Yes, the Little Elf Council refuses to acknowledge them as part of the little elf race, because they lost the ability to produce natural energy.
It's truly tragic. This group of "Slimes" all joined the experiment with the attitude that they would die for the sake of their race.
They never imagined that in the end, though they didn't die, they would no longer be recognized as little elves.
For some reason, I feel a little relieved. If I hadn't been smart and switched to being a researcher early on...
...then I might very well be one of those Slimes.
'Damn it, how could I think that?'
To prevent this from happening again, all future experiments must be rigorous.