Lorina’s value was a large gold coin.

In other words, it was said to be over 10 gold.

I ruled out the possibility of the girl lying.

I didn’t want to doubt her too. Even if the girl’s words were false, only a part of them needed to be true.

At the very least, it was enough if the equivalent exchange was true.

An alchemist is a mage. And a high-ranking mage at that.

Even if Lorina’s value decreased, it would still be over 1 gold.

I was looking forward to what kind of reward I would receive for that.

Perhaps I might receive items that only mages use.

If Lorina’s words were true, I thought I might receive proper magic items.

He recalled what the Old Man in his dream had said in passing.

He said that while Mages’ own skill was important, the presence or absence of Magic items was also crucial.

He added that if skill was seven, then tools were three.

The Old Man also said he would give him a Magic staff if he reached a satisfactory level by a certain time. Dream Self was diligently training every day because of that.

From that sight, it seemed that a Magic staff was very important to a Mage.

Unfortunately, Protagonist didn’t know how great it was, but he hoped to receive a Magic staff as a reward for saving Lorina.

Since the Alchemist was a high-ranking Mage, he probably also had a Magic staff.

Still, he didn’t have high hopes.

At most, it would end with receiving a few gold coins in the Capital City.

The Old Man in his dream said that Magic staffs were very expensive, so it was possible the Alchemist didn’t have one in the Capital City.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, he remembered what Lorina had said.

“Lorina.”

“Why?”

“About what you said about the large gold coin the other day.”

“Yes.”

“You said that was the case if you abandoned Protagonist.”

The girl said that ‘if Protagonist was abandoned,’ it was when he was made to do something that wouldn’t make the large gold coin seem wasted. It was as if her Father had assumed he would abandon the girl.

“That’s right.”

“Do you think Father abandoned you, Lorina?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“If Father really cared about me, he would have assigned a Guard. The fact that there isn’t one means I was abandoned, Beggar.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’re worthless?”

Not caring meant not being needed. Not being needed by Father was the same as being worthless.

But Lorina shook her head.

“That’s not it. Father probably used me as bait.”

“Bait? For what?”

“I don’t know either. I’m just guessing. Father is a scary person.”

“A scary person…”

I remembered meeting the Alchemist. I didn’t quite understand his expression. I didn’t know why. But now it seemed he might have been deceiving the Protagonist.

I had a hunch that Lorina’s Father knew in advance that the Mercenaries would attack. And that the Protagonist would go to the Deep Forest. Not in detail, but he knew. I was completely fooled.

Why on earth?

I didn’t know the reason, but thinking that way somewhat alleviated the uneasy feeling I had during our first encounter. I thought about asking him later if I could.

Rael was very curious. Whether it was because of his young age or because he was practicing Magic, that’s how he was.

That’s when it happened.

Someone spoke to him.

It was one of the people in the Carriage.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Is there a reason why two young people, a man and a woman, are out alone?”

His gaze wasn’t strange. It’s boring to be in a Carriage. So he tried to pass the time by striking up a conversation.

“Well…”

The people’s eyes were curved.

They were smiling. They seemed a little playful.

It seemed they thought the two of them were lovers who had eloped at night.

The conclusions they drew were largely due to Lorina’s attractive face and the fact that two young people, a man and a woman, had embarked on a journey of over a month.

Most people never left the hometown where they were born and raised. Considering that, it was a reasonable assumption.

Unfortunately, there was no story they wanted to hear.

And he didn’t have the eloquence to make up such a story.

Instead, there was Magic.

He chanted a spell and created a Water Mass.

The shaking of the Carriage disrupted his concentration, but after fighting Goblins, it didn’t really matter anymore.

The Middle-aged man who spoke to him opened his eyes wide.

“A mage?”

“I’m traveling.”

“I see.”

He nodded.

If a child were traveling, it wouldn’t make sense, but if it was a mage, that was a different story.

Some of those in the carriage looked disappointed. They seemed to be the type who expected juicy stories.

But they soon lit up, asking many questions.

Mages were rare.

So, few people truly knew about them. Mages were a race shrouded in mystery from beginning to end.

The questions were ordinary. Trivial questions like how they trained their magic or who taught them.

Rael answered them one by one.

After all, they were all equally bored on the journey.

He found it amusing how people’s attitudes changed and they asked him various things just because he was a mage.

More than anything, if he didn’t focus on these things, Bruno’s shouts kept coming back to him. He felt like it was going to become a trauma.

Even though the mercenaries were dead and he was alone, he was scared.

Time passed quickly as they talked.

Around that time, the carriage slowly stopped.

It was time to make camp.

They had to eat dinner.

The mercenaries scattered.

They were going to gather firewood for a bonfire.

It was no different for the other people. Everyone went into the forest to gather firewood. Since there were many people, they only needed to gather as much as they could carry.

After they returned, they lit a bonfire. One of the mercenaries walked around with a torch, lighting the fires. It felt convenient.

The mercenaries gathered in small groups, chewing on jerky they had taken out. Some poured water into pots and boiled soup.

Those in the carriage also set out their pots to eat soup. However, people looked at each other hesitantly and didn’t take out their waterskins.

It was because they hadn’t found a place with water.

It was awkward to use water when they couldn’t replenish it immediately.

On a journey, water was also money.

He could get it from the Merchant Guild, but he had to pay for it.

Everyone stared at the Protagonist.

It was because he had made water when he showed his Magic earlier.

He sighed, looking at their gazes. He felt like he shouldn’t have shown it.

He created water.

It was boiling water. He poured it into a pot.

Everyone put in the ingredients they had.

Only then did the Protagonist realize he had nothing to eat. Lorina took out some Herbs from her pocket and put them in. It seemed she had some left.

Perhaps because it was boiling water, the soup was completed in an instant. Everyone took out their wooden bowls and spoons and ate it.

As he watched them, the man offered him a wooden bowl.

It was the man who had spoken to him earlier.

He looked around cautiously, then scooped some soup into the bowl.

He brought it to his mouth slightly and ate it slowly.

People around him glanced at him but didn’t say anything. It seemed to be because he had made the water. That was all money.

It was an unspoken deal.

The Protagonist made water and ate soup. And they put in ingredients and ate soup. It was a mutually beneficial deal.

If he hadn’t been able to make water, he would have starved. It was fortunate, looking back.

After the meal, people cleaned up.

There wasn’t much to do, actually.

He picked up more dry branches. He had to make sure the bonfire didn’t go out.

Since the Night Watch was being covered by the Mercenaries, he thought he could sleep comfortably.

Everyone gathered around the bonfire and wrapped themselves in blankets.

Seeing that, he thought he should buy a Cloak when he returned to the Castle.

Most of the Mercenaries were wrapped in Cloaks to avoid the cold. They could also fold them up and use them as pillows in the Capital City.

He boiled water in the pot.

Even without soup, warm water melted away the cold from their bodies.

The man he was drinking with let out a pleasant breath and spoke.

“The water is nice and warm. It would be great if it were water with tea leaves.”

“Tea leaves?”

“Can’t you make water? So I thought you could also make Delicious Water.”

“Hmm…”

“I apologize if I said something unnecessary.”

“No, I think it’s a good idea.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He nodded.

Something suddenly occurred to him from the man’s thoughtless remark.

He remembered the Sleep that the Old Man in his dream had taught him.

Magic was nothing special.

It was mostly about creating Mist. But there was a separate method for including sleep in that Mist. The Old Man called it bestowing an attribute.

He wondered what it would be like if he could bestow that attribute on Water Spell Magic as well.

Every day since then, he smelled the tea leaves to remember their scent.

Lorina had some tea leaves.

He had to engrave the scent of mana in his mind.

And he vividly recalled it when creating a Water Mass.

He didn’t really understand the theory the Old Man spoke of anyway. For the Protagonist, it was much easier to reproduce the scent of mana this way.

This seemed to be the right path. In less than ten days, he was able to create the ‘Delicious Water’ the man had mentioned.

It was an incredible feat.

The Old Man said that bestowing attributes was difficult.

But the Protagonist had his own method.

It was to reproduce the scent and succeed.

It meant he could do other things too.

This was just the beginning.

He cast the spell again.

I recalled the scent of the Potion I had encountered before.

If I could recreate its scent, perhaps I could make a Potion with Water Spell Magic.

‘It’s too difficult.’

But it was impossible.

The scent I had smelled back then was too complex. Frankly, I couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

Still, there was a possibility.

Even a low-quality Potion cost 10 Silver.

If I could practice like this and recreate complex scents like those of Potions, earning money would become as easy as breathing.

For now, just making a moderately tasty drink would be enough.

I could sell it for money.

I wondered if I could sell it to inns or similar places when I returned to Langs Castle.

It seemed like money would come in without even having to dig for Herbs. Thinking that made me feel good.

I had dreams on the journey.

Most of the dreams featured the Old Man, but occasionally others appeared too.

It was Bruno.

He was riding a horse, chasing after the Protagonist.

I was so afraid.

The Protagonist couldn’t defeat him. It seemed impossible unless they could create an Ice Spear like they did with the Goblin. So I was very scared.

Bruno would always catch the Protagonist and say, “Got you.” Each time, Rael screamed.

“Aaaaaaah!!”

I woke up.

Around me, people were asleep wrapped in blankets. Fortunately, it seemed I hadn’t actually screamed.

I was covered in a cold sweat.

It was satisfying, except for the times Bruno appeared in my dreams.

It was a leisurely journey.

The path was well-maintained. I rarely encountered Monsters.

I tasted peace after a long time. Lorina also regained her vitality.

Practicing the bestowal of the inner castle, a month passed in an instant. I even thought it would be wonderful to travel like this for the rest of my life.

At that moment, a horse came galloping from behind.

I instinctively flinched. I wondered if it might be Bruno.

I was afraid.

The man on the horse seemed to be saying something to the caravan master. I couldn’t see his face well. I prayed it wasn’t him.

Fortunately, the man rode away. Only then did I let out a breath.

During a break, I went to the caravan master and asked. I felt I needed to know who it was to feel at ease.

“He said he was a messenger. Why do you ask?”

“It’s nothing.”

I pretended it was nothing, but inwardly, I was relieved.

It felt like Bruno could come after me at any moment.

But he didn’t come. I didn’t know why, but it was a relief.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, I thought it was the end.”

“Me too.”

“It’s thanks to you. I’ll speak well of you to my father.”

“About what?”

“The things you’ve done. Fighting goblins. And saving my life.”

Lorina smiled.

I smiled back.

The sunlight was warm.

When I came with Dorian.

The scenery of the castle, which I had seen for the first time, came into view.