The morning chill receded, and dawn broke.

The sun rose and gently warmed the ground. Rael blinked his eyes. Anyone could see his eyes were hollow.

“Why didn’t you wake me up in between?”

Dorian’s complexion was good. It was because he had slept for a long time. He snored deeply in his sleep. He said he was a mercenary, so he seemed used to sleeping outdoors.

“Well, I didn’t know when to wake you up.”

He couldn’t figure out when to change shifts. Thanks to that, he stayed up almost all night alone. It was also because he didn’t know what might happen if he fell asleep.

It was even more so because they were outdoors. The sounds of beasts in the distance made him unnecessarily nervous.

Suddenly, Dorian, who had slept soundly, seemed amazing. He was not an ordinary person.

“About the shift change. You just get a feel for it as you do it.”

“A feeling?”

“If you’re not sure, count the numbers. It’s surprisingly accurate.”

“What if that’s still vague?”

“Look at the movement of the stars.”

“Stars?”

“If you’re not sure, just wake me up.”

After breakfast, I cleaned up. The soup was stuck to the pot. The wooden bowls were even worse. Dorian collected the dishes and handed them over. He didn’t say anything, but it was clear what needed to be done.

Later, a waterskin was thrown over.

“Fill it with water, too.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t forget to check your surroundings.”

“Surroundings?”

“All sorts of beasts gather where there’s water. Some even wait to ambush.”

I almost said it was fine because we weren’t going to the lake. Dorian didn’t know that I could create water with magic. I wondered how he’d react if he found out.

Separately, what he told me was worth noting. Beasts also need to drink water. So, in this forest, lakes were dangerous places. It meant I could encounter a bear if I was unlucky.

I liked the fact that I didn’t have to take such risks. It was just making water, but if I was in a place where drinking water was hard to find, it was a different story. It was useful magic.

I moved to a slightly secluded spot.

I recited the spell as it was. I didn’t know the meaning, but it didn’t matter. I realized that if I focused on the movement of mana, I would succeed.

However, even that was difficult. I barely managed to succeed by concentrating in an empty place. And even then, sending it flying like the old man was unimaginable.

The amount of water was also small. I had a long way to go.

Rael wasn’t impatient. Just a week ago, using magic was unimaginable.

First, I washed the dishes. But it was harder than I thought.

Making the water flow smoothly to wash the dishes required considerable concentration. And having to do that for quite a long time was also tiring.

Compared to washing dishes, filling the waterskin with water was easy. Thinking about it differently, this could also be good training.

Wielding mana was a headache. It also meant that the more my head ached, the more my skill improved. It took me a long time to grunt and groan before I could wash the dishes. The waterskin was much easier than yesterday.

After wiping the dishes with a cloth, I returned to the campsite.

I put out the campfire and covered it with dirt. When I asked why, the answer was that it was good to get into the habit of not leaving traces.

We packed up camp and started moving again. There was no conversation. As I walked aimlessly, thoughts began to pile up. The first thought that came to mind was a job.

Rael is still young. She has no parents, let alone acquaintances to be introduced to. It was doubtful if she could get a decent job.

She knows how to do magic, but it’s still at a pathetic level. It would be laughable to call herself a Mage. For now, she had to make a living doing something else.

“What should I do when I go to the City?”

She realized that she would eventually have to rely on Dorian.

“Well, since you’ve memorized herbs, it would be good to gather them and sell them. There aren’t many people who climb mountains. Those who wander outside are mostly mercenaries, and they try to catch monsters, and few of them are interested in herbs, you see.”

“Is that so?”

She was slightly relieved. She was used to gathering herbs. Knowing that she could do something familiar put her mind at ease.

“If you get a chance, it’s good to get to know an Alchemist.”

“An Alchemist?”

“They are always researching and looking for herbs. They say that Herbalists make a living because of them. That’s why we’re going this time.”

“You’re looking for expensive herbs.”

“Yes.”

Dorian looked around and muttered, “It should be here.” He seemed to have found something and pulled out a plant growing in the bushes. It was a trumpet-shaped flower.

“This is a flower called Hart Herb. It looks common, but its strong scent is its characteristic. Do you know how much this is in the City?”

“No.”

“Three copper coins.”

“Is that expensive?”

“It’s usually enough for one meal at an inn. It’s all over the place, so look carefully.”

She stared at the Hart Herb. At first glance, it was no different from a common flower. It was amazing that something like this had value.

“You didn’t tell me about things like this?”

“That’s because there was no need to use it.”

There was no Alchemist in the Village. He was right.

She stood up. She wasn’t very enthusiastic. Anyway, even if she gathered them, someone else would have them. Then Dorian said,

“If you bring ten, I’ll tell you about new herbs.”

“Herbs?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you about one worth five copper coins.”

“Alright.”

My ears perked up. I walked around with the basket tucked under my arm. It wasn’t hard to find the Flower, as this seemed to be its habitat.

For some reason, it felt easy to find. I could feel a specific mana that only the Flower possessed. If I had to describe it, it was like a lingering scent. Even the Protagonist found it hard to pinpoint and explain.

In any case, practicing mana felt like it was helping.

After making a round and returning, Dorian frowned deeply.

“Why are you back? Have you gotten lazy?”

He looked angry. I hastily held out the basket.

“I’ve dug them all up.”

“What?”

“There are ten of them. Please check.”

“Really?”

Dorian examined the basket. There wasn’t much to examine. There were only ten flowers. One glance was enough to tell. As if that wasn’t enough, he brought his face closer and sniffed them.

“You have a knack for finding Herbs.”

“Me?”

“This might seem easy, but it’s actually not that simple. Some people with poor observation skills might never be able to distinguish them.”

No one in the world disliked compliments. It might have been empty praise, but it didn’t make me feel bad. Hearing his words, I thought it might be right to make a living by digging up and selling Herbs.

“Anyway, since you brought them back properly, I’ll tell you.”

“Really?”

“Did you think I was lying? This time, I’ll just explain, so go find them.”

Dorian spoke about three different Herbs at once.

He added that one of them sold for 10 Copper Coins per flower. Rael listened carefully, memorizing their appearance and characteristics. Every word was vital information.

I looked around again. This time, it didn’t end as quickly as before. Unlike earlier, Dorian didn’t show me the Herbs. To be precise, he didn’t have the Herbs he had mentioned.

I had to rely solely on his description to find them. It was much harder.

Searching blindly only wasted time. Wandering around for no reason was exhausting and mentally draining. Dorian’s earlier words came to mind. Finding Herbs was not an easy task.

If you didn’t know what you were doing, you wouldn’t even break even.

I realized I couldn’t just search aimlessly. I thought about how I had found the Herbs earlier. Come to think of it, I might have felt mana.

I looked around. It was a Forest filled with lush greenery. Relying on my eyes alone to find them was madness.

I was almost wondering how I found the herbs just now. The saying that you need a good eye really hit home.

After a moment of thought, I closed my eyes. I breathed calmly.

As my vision was limited, my other senses slowly sharpened. I especially felt my nose becoming more sensitive.

I walked following the lingering scent of mana. I also scanned my surroundings. If a poisonous snake hidden in the bushes suddenly appeared and bit my leg, there would be no solution.

When I pushed aside the bushes, I saw an old tree.

Flowers bloomed around the tree. Their appearance matched what Dorian had described. They were aphrodisiac, but I also felt the energy of mana.

“5 copper coins!”

I swept the herbs into the basket. My lips curled into a smile, probably out of joy. I retraced my steps. The clear痕迹 of stepping on the bushes meant I didn’t get lost.

Dorian seemed bored. It seemed he thought I had wasted my time, as it had taken quite a while this time.

“I brought 5 copper coins.”

“This is Annel.”

Dorian, who had been looking at me with an incredulous expression, took the herbs. Annel was the name of the herb he had told me about.

The sun rose directly overhead. Since I had walked for a long time, I decided to rest for a while. While Dorian went to check if there was a place nearby to fetch water, I looked for other herbs in the vicinity.

It seemed Dorian knew quite a lot of herbs. I thought it would be good to learn as much as possible before we arrived.

Feeling mana during the search also seemed helpful. Thinking of it as training to enhance my senses, my motivation surged. I calmly moved in the direction where I felt the lingering scent of mana. Herbs appeared everywhere I went.

I saw herbs I had heard descriptions of, but there were many more that I hadn’t.

Each time, I turned my back without hesitation. If he asked how I found them, it would be difficult to answer. There was no way to convince him without explaining about magic.

Among them were herbs that were hard to pass by.

It was a flower emitting a strong mana.

The ones I had seen so far were, at best, faintly perceptible. Even then, they weren’t noticeable unless I concentrated intensely.

But the one I found this time was so strong that it was noticeable even if I tried to ignore it. Its leaves were blue, and it bore fruit that was transparent, looking like water droplets turned to ice. It looked valuable at first glance.