Chapter 58
The narrow windows set high near the Guild’s vaulted ceiling let shafts of morning sunlight stream in, casting a chilly glow over the stone hall.
In stark contrast, the area in front of the request board was filled with adventurers’ ragged breathing and irritation.
“Hey, the reward for gathering medicinal herbs has shot up today!”
“Out of the way! I spotted it first!”
“Just hand some over to us, too!”
The shadows of men scrambling for the request slips swayed wildly across the floor.
“Quite the commotion this early in the morning. I’ll go grab a request slip.”
Before the words were out of his mouth, Lyle’s back was swallowed by the crowd of adventurers, and he was out of sight in an instant.
“Got it!”
Soon, Lyle returned proudly holding up a request slip for herb gathering.
We accepted the request at the counter, then headed for the north gate.
As we approached the gate, small roadside stalls began to catch our eye.
“I looked into it in the archive room yesterday. The northern area is marshland, so let’s have some grease applied to our boots before we head out.”
At my suggestion, Lyle immediately headed for a nearby stall.
“Hey, mister, do ours, too!”
At Lyle’s spirited call, an old man wearing a leather apron nodded silently.
A wooden tub sat on the stall’s counter, giving off the peculiar smell of boiled-down animal fat. With practiced movements, the old man rubbed the sticky grease into the seams and leather surfaces of our boots.
I paid the old man a few copper coins, then passed through the gate with my companions, all of us now carrying the smell of grease.
Beyond the gate stretched a vast expanse of mud, as if the stone streets of the city had never existed.
A milky-white fog hung low, concealing the black muddy water.
When I raised my gaze slightly, I could make out the wavering silhouettes of adventurers beyond the curtain of fog.
“There seem to be bottomless bogs scattered around, too. Stay close behind me.”
I took a step forward. The mud swallowed my feet up to the ankles, and my greased boots splashed black, murky water.
I probed the ground with my staff as I proceeded carefully.
After passing a stretch of water lined with eerily standing dead trees, a vivid blue came into view beyond the fog.
In the shadow of a fallen tree, a patch of grass had risen like a small island, isolated from the surrounding mud.
“Hey, over there! Isn’t that the herb?”
I hurriedly grabbed Lyle by the shoulder and stopped him as he started to run.
“Wait, Lyle. Look closely. That island is surrounded by a bottomless bog.”
I thrust the staff in my hand into the ground.
It sank all the way to its base without meeting the slightest resistance.
“...Whoa! Seriously? My staff disappeared...”
Lyle backed away, his face twisting.
“Elena, please.”
At my call, Elena nodded and stepped forward.
Elena held a hand over the mud and concentrated her mana.
A series of dry cracks rang out as the surface of the black mud turned white all at once.
The freezing spread like ripples, forming a path beneath our feet.
I tapped the frozen ground with the staff I’d just pulled free, checking how solid it felt.
“It seems safe. Let’s cross quickly.”
I stepped onto the frozen ground.
A faint creaking sound reached the soles of my feet, but the ice showed no sign of giving way.
“...Please don’t break.”
Lyle grumbled as he moved ahead, and Kai followed silently.
Once I’d made sure everyone had crossed, I finally let out a breath.
“...Whew. I thought I was a goner.”
Lyle’s shoulders slumped as he let out an exaggerated sigh.
Beyond the bottomless bog, a small island floated in the mire. There, at the base of a fallen tree, was what we’d come for.
Translucent cobalt-blue petals. Beneath them sat small, heart-shaped leaves beaded with dew.
—No doubt about it.
It was the potion ingredient mentioned in the records.
“So this is Lapis Dewgrass.”
I crouched down and carefully slipped my knife beneath it.
“Leave the roots intact and carefully cut the stems with your knife.”
I showed them how, placing the blade at the base of a stem. With a crisp snip, the translucent blue flower settled into my palm.
“All right, let’s split up and gather them.”
At Lyle’s words, Kai and Elena crouched down, too.
Only the sound of knives echoed through the quiet marsh.
“...That’s the last one. Now let’s look for another patch.”
Lyle stood and stretched his back.
But I shook my head and touched the plant we’d just harvested with my fingertips.
“No, the Guild seems to be in a real bind, so let’s gather these efficiently and turn in a large quantity.”
As I said that, I cast ‘Heal’ toward the roots.
The Lapis Dewgrass we’d just harvested began to grow back, as if time were running in reverse.
The stems quickly grew, the leaves spread, and the plant returned to its original state.
“...W-whoa, haha. Seriously? You can use it like that? That’s amazing, Noah.”
Lyle stared, wide-eyed with astonishment.
“...Sigh. I knew Noah’s ‘Heal’ was beyond normal, but this is ridiculous.”
Elena let out a deep sigh, looking exasperated.
“But this will solve the Guild’s medicine shortage, and we’ll make money, too. It’s a win-win.”
As I spoke, I slid my knife along one of the fresh, dewy stems.