Chapter 7

The First Morning in Lenant.

I had come to Snias Lake with Alesia. It was for herb gathering.

It was about an hour’s walk from the east gate of the town, and there was little chance of encountering monsters. Even if we did, they would likely be weak ones. As expected, the lake was covered with morning mist, and the opposite shore was invisible.

An empty lake! Out with my friend! How wonderful!

That said, we were still gathering herbs separately. We only promised to stay close enough so we wouldn’t lose sight of each other.

“How cute… Is this morning dew grass?!”

“Huh? It’s just a regular herb. It grows around here often…”

Alesia asked curiously, as I was in high spirits.

“It can’t be found in Egdualum. It’s probably too far north. You can get dried ones at the research lab, but this is the first time I’ve seen it fresh!”

I almost said ‘the palace.’ If I let my guard down, I might slip up and reveal too much…

There were also beginner potions, healing herbs, and antidotes growing here. However, I wouldn’t be able to make an intermediate potion with just these.

“I want some other kinds of herbs too… Would it be alright to go a bit deeper into the forest?”

“Hmm… It might be dangerous if I go alone, but I think you’ll be fine, Iriya. As long as you don’t go too deep, the monsters here aren’t that strong, just a bit stronger than what we’ve encountered.”

“Really!? I can go then. If it gets dangerous, I can call on Lord Belial, so I’ll be fine even if giants show up!”

“They won’t show up! …Wait, can you actually summon him?”

“Yes, it’s part of my contract privileges.”

When I explained about magic and summoning, Alesia listened with sparkling eyes.

That’s why I wanted to teach her more. Conversations like these, different from study sessions, were really fun.

We followed a narrow path, slowly advancing deeper into the forest. The fresh scent of trees was pleasant. We found herbs and materials here and there, gathering them, and if any monsters appeared, I would deal with them using magic. The monsters weren’t strong enough to have a core I’d want to collect.

There were some spots where the ground was hard to walk on due to tree roots and rocks, but there weren’t many crossroads, and even if we made a wrong turn, we wouldn’t end up too far off course.

“We’ve gathered quite a bit,” I said.

“These berries look delicious!” Alesia exclaimed.

As we laughed together, we reached a clearing. It seemed to connect to a larger path.

Ahead, there was a small hill, and a cave entrance was visible.

“That cave…”

“Alesia, what’s wrong?”

“The griffons come from inside that cave,” Alesia said, recalling the adventurers we had met yesterday at dusk who had talked about defeating griffons. So this was the place.

“A cave and griffons… It feels like there might be treasure there,” I mused.

I laughed, and Alesia puffed out her cheeks in a playful manner.

“Iriya, it’s a griffon! Adventurers say you should be at least a C-rank to take one down alone. We shouldn’t go inside!” she warned.

“I’m not going in, don’t worry.”

“Griffons at C rank…?” I thought. They weren’t that strong, were they? Oh, it was about taking them down alone, right? I’d forgotten about how flying monsters could be troublesome if you couldn’t use flying magic. Since I can fly, I didn’t think about it much.

“Shall we head back? We didn’t find the materials for the intermediate potion,” Alesia said.

“Not enough, but it can’t be helped. More research is needed.”

We started walking along the wide path in front of the cave. It was a bit of a detour, but it was also a road that led to the town. We decided to explore a bit while heading back. As we walked, we passed the cave, and soon the path sloped gently downward. We had unknowingly climbed the slope while gathering herbs, but since the incline was mild, I hadn’t noticed. On our monster-hunting trips, we had climbed much steeper slopes, so this one felt easy in comparison.

Just a small rise, and the view opened up. The grasslands, the trees, and a small village in the distance. Lenant was hidden by the forest from this angle.

Shrrrk…

A sound like something scraping sand came from behind us. A four-legged beast was approaching.

Before I could turn around, I began chanting.

“Left hand, wind. Right hand, the seed of things. Flame, dwell in my arm. Become a burning sword, a power to destroy the enemy!”

“Iriya…?” Alesia asked, looking at me curiously. But there was no time for an explanation.

“Get down! Flame Sword!”

I turned around immediately and saw a beast-like monster charging toward us. With my right hand extended, the flames wrapping around it sharpened into a sword-like form and lashed out, cutting through the monster’s body from the center, splitting it apart. Its body burned where it was cut.

I confirmed the fallen creature. It had sharp claws, an eagle-like upper body, a lion-like body, and wings on its back. It was about the size of a bear, maybe a little bigger.

“…Ah, the rumored griffon.”

“…Whaaaat!? It’s cut in half!??”

While I collected the monster’s core, a knight riding a horse appeared from the direction we had been heading.

“Get away, it’s dangerous! There have been sightings of a griffon coming out of the cave…”

He stopped abruptly, looking at us. He must have been in a hurry—his golden-brown hair was sticking to his forehead.

“Is this… your doing?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. We were attacked, so we defended ourselves,” I explained, holding the monster core in my hand.

“Ah, no… I’m just glad you’re alright.”

The man dismounted. He seemed to be about my age, with green eyes and a handsome face. He wore white armor, looking every bit like a knight, and his white cloak fluttered in the wind.

“I’ll take you to the town. I’m Zieghardt. I’ve been tasked with guarding Lenant.”

“Thank you very much. I’m Iriya,” I introduced myself.

“I’m Alesia. Um, are you the captain of the guard by any chance!?”

Zieghardt, hand over his chest in a knightly salute, smiled at Alesia, who was grinning widely, her hands on her cheeks.

“Yes, I am. How do you know?”

“We know! You’re famous! The captain of the guard here is young, very handsome, wears golden hair and white armor, looking more like a prince than a knight! It’s just like the rumors said!”

Alesia was in high spirits. It seemed that this man was somewhat of a secret idol to the women of the town.

The way he arrived gallantly on his white horse did make him resemble a prince from a picture book. Though I couldn’t help but wonder, would a prince really come alone without a retinue? And is he really as handsome as everyone says? But I knew better than to voice these thoughts.

We continued on our way to the town together.

I decided to take this opportunity to gather some information.

“Zieghardt-sama, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Zieghardt seemed like he had something he wanted to ask too, but I wanted to get my question out first.

“I went herb gathering to make magical potions, but I couldn’t find all the materials I need. Do you know of any places where I can gather them?”

“Oh, right… Over to the left, the forest has not only herbs but also herbs that grow near the grasslands, as well as some medicinal plants. There’s also a town in the mountains where they mine ores. It’s a bit farther, but there’s a place called the Elf Forest on the other side of the Tisty River in the city-state of Valen. It’s said to have rare herbs.”

I looked in the direction he pointed. The forest on the left stretched along the mountains, and it seemed like there might be more to discover deeper inside. I could see a town in the mountains, so that was probably where the mining took place. The Tisty River flowed further past the royal capital, bending toward the kingdom of Chenkaslar . The forest spread to the north, divided by the river.

“Thank you, that’s very helpful.”

“In the north of this country, there are tree monsters like the Trent, but they’re quite dangerous, so I wouldn’t recommend gathering them yourself.”

“Trents, huh…”

I hadn’t gathered any Trent materials before. It would be interesting to try and bring some back if we defeated them.

“By the way… may I ask you something?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

Zieghardt’s gaze seemed to be probing something about me.

“Are you…”