Lately, updates have been slow, and I’m terribly sorry about that. Weekly updates… orz
It’s thanks to all of you who keep reading that I’ve been able to keep updating despite my busy days. Thank you so much.
Seven months have passed since I was summoned.
The intensity of the midday sun hasn’t changed, but I’ve started to feel like the days are getting shorter. While watering the herbs every morning as part of my routine, I notice the sunrise coming later, and I think to myself that autumn is almost here.
“Good morning, Sei.”
As I sprinkle water at the base of the herbs with a watering can, Jude approaches after waking up and getting ready. Watering the herbs doesn’t mean I’m tending to the entire herb garden. For one thing, the garden has expanded recently, so managing it all by myself would be impossible from the start. I only take care of a small personal plot I was given in the institute’s herb garden. Many other researchers have their own personal plots too, each managing their own. The rest of the sections are handled daily by several gardeners hired specifically for the herb garden’s upkeep.
“If you’d told me, I’d have helped.”
Jude lowers his brows as he looks at the watering can in my hand. Since he can use water-attribute magic, he can water a wide area without needing a watering can. After learning I water the herbs every morning, he told me about his water magic and even helped me out a few times. But since it’s a daily task, I feel bad asking him every time, so I only let him help when we happen to meet before I start.
“Thanks. I’ll take the sentiment.”
I smile brightly and thank him, and he laughs as if to say, “What am I going to do with you?” I’d just finished watering for the day, so I head back to the institute with Jude in tow. He doesn’t have his own plot, so it seems he comes out here just to help me with mine.
“By the way, isn’t today the day the herbs get delivered from the shop?”
“Oh, right. They said there’d be more than usual today, so the Director told the researchers to help carry them into the storage.”
On the way back, I confirm the day’s schedule with Jude. Ever since we started supplying potions to the Third Knight Corps, the institute’s herb garden alone couldn’t keep up, so we began ordering herbs from a shop. Apparently, that shop is Jude’s family business, and the Director was thrilled that we got a discount thanks to the connection. According to Jude, his family runs a pretty big store in the capital, dealing in all sorts of goods. I only recently learned that the cafeteria’s ingredients come from there too. Since I’ve probably made some unreasonable requests about the cafeteria food, I felt a little guilty about that.
“What time are the goods arriving?”
“Around the third morning bell, I think?”
“Then I’ll head to the storage around then.”
In this world, clocks exist but are still expensive, so only a few people own them. Common folk tell time by the church bells or similar sounds, and the palace follows a schedule of ringing bells too. The third morning bell is about 9 a.m. The storage is right next to the institute, so I can get there in time if I head out after hearing the bell.
When I went to the storage after hearing the third morning bell, there wasn’t anything for me to do. The huge pile of boxes filled with herbs on the wagon was carried into the storage by other researchers and laborers. Since I use most of the herbs, I offered to help, but for some reason, everyone firmly refused. Well, I got to see a rare, rugged side of them that I don’t usually witness, which was a treat for my eyes, but is it okay for me to be the only one enjoying this? Feeling a bit guilty, I decided to stop watching and instead take over the potion delivery to the Third Knight Corps, which someone else was originally scheduled to do. The potion delivery is done with a cart pulled by a donkey, so it’s not exactly hard work. The laborers handle loading and unloading too.
Oh, and I’ve learned how to drive the cart! At first, I was worried about handling the donkey, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. Probably because the donkey is so well-behaved. It’s calm, listens properly, and is just a good kid. Like making potions, this is something I’d never have experienced back in Japan.
“Huh? Sei?”
While the laborers were unloading the potions from the cart at the Third Knight Corps barracks’ service entrance, I ran into some knights who’d just finished training. Maybe because it was training, they weren’t in their usual knight uniforms but in more casual gear. Since we’ve gone on subjugations together and they’ve helped test the effects of my cooking, I’ve gotten pretty friendly with the Third Knight Corps folks. Enough that they call out to me when they spot me like this. The knight who spoke noticed the potions on the cart beside me and figured out I’d brought them.
“You brought the potions?”
“Yes.”
“The institute’s potions are seriously high-quality. They really save us during subjugations.”
“Thank you.”
Since it was right after training, a bunch of knights gathered around me. They’re all taller and more muscular than me, making it feel like I’m surrounded by a wall. A real “meat shield,” haha.
“We always get a decent amount, but isn’t it tough making them? Next time it’s double, right?”
“Huh? It’s increasing?”
“What? You didn’t hear?”
One of the knights mentioned that the next batch would be double the usual amount, but I hadn’t heard anything like that from the Director. Honestly, I could easily make three times the current amount solo, so doubling it isn’t an issue at all. When I asked for details, it turns out the next subjugation will be a joint effort between the Second and Third Knight Corps. Because of that, we’ll be supplying potions to both corps, not just the Third. They figured it’d cause problems if only one corps got high-quality potions, so the Director and the commanders worked it out. That explains why today’s herb delivery was bigger than usual.
“Multiple knight corps joining for a subjugation? Did some powerful beast show up?”
“Not exactly. We’re heading to Gauche Forest next, so they decided to send two corps just to be safe.”
“Oh.”
Gauche Forest is the one where that salamander appeared. They defeated the one that showed up back then, but since there might be more, they’re launching a large-scale subjugation this time.
“The First Knight Corps isn’t going?”
Since they mentioned the Second and Third, I casually asked about the First, assuming it existed. But the moment I did, the knights’ faces turned sour. Wondering if I’d said something wrong, I tilted my head, and one of them reluctantly spoke up.
“The First has to guard Their Highnesses.”
“Their Highnesses?”
“Yeah, Prince Kyle and his group are going to the Eastern Forest for leveling, so the First is guarding them and won’t join this subjugation.”
Kyle, Kyle… Oh, that red-haired prince. It took me a second to place the name, but I remembered the First Prince was called that.
“Their Highnesses must be over level 15 by now, right? Leveling in the Eastern Forest wouldn’t do much at this point…”
“Yeah. If they’re going anywhere, the Southern Forest would be better.”
“With guards, the Southern Forest makes even more sense.”
According to the knights, the Eastern Forest is a beginner area where students up to about level 12 often go to level up. Meanwhile, the First Prince and his companions are mostly around level 15, so leveling there would be inefficient. The Southern Forest has stronger beasts, making it better for levels 12 to 20. As I listened, I learned the First Prince used to go to the Southern Forest too, which made me wonder why he’d switch back to the Eastern Forest now.
“It’s probably because of the Saint, right?”
“Yeah, nine times out of ten, that’s it.”
“The Saint?”
“A girl the prince is protecting. He and his group call her that.”
The word “Saint” made me perk up, and the knights filled me in. I’d guessed it from the mention of the First Prince’s protection, and sure enough, it was Aira. Summing up their story, Aira attends the academy, and the First Prince and his close aides are constantly looking after her. According to him, she’s the Saint, and leveling her up quickly is for the kingdom’s good. Since she enrolled in the Royal Academy later than her peers, they’ve been taking her to the forest to catch her up faster than normal, with the higher-leveled prince and his group boosting her progress. Naturally, since the prince, his aides, and other high-ranking noble kids are involved, the First Knight Corps tags along for safety. They’ve been power-leveling her like this, but even though it’s about time to move to the Southern Forest, the prince insists it’s too dangerous and keeps sticking to the Eastern Forest. Apparently, Aira’s level has caught up to her classmates, so there’s less urgency now too.
“She’s really being treasured, huh?”
Hearing about Aira’s recent situation as someone summoned alongside her—and knowing she’s not suffering—put me at ease a bit. She’s younger, so I was a little worried about her, you know. I must’ve shown my relief, because the knights gave me odd looks. Huh? What?
“The Saint over there’s nice, but Sei feels way more like a Saint to me.”
“The prince has no eye for talent.”
“If you’re ever in trouble, let us know. We’ll do anything we can.”
For some reason, they looked at me with pity and started comforting me, but you don’t need to worry that much! I’m doing what I want and living pretty peacefully and happily.
“Haha, thanks. I’ll let you know if I’m ever in trouble.”
They all say I seem like a Saint, and the funny thing is, I really am status-wise, at least. But I’m not planning to confirm it outright or spread the word. I wouldn’t deny it if it came up someday, though. The day I was summoned still lingers in my mind a little, and part of me doesn’t want to admit it openly. So, until someone figures it out, I just want to live as an ordinary person.
Settings I Couldn’t Fit In Today
- Both Sei and Aira, as summoned individuals, have base and skill levels that rise more easily than normal.
- Aira’s rapid leveling is due to both being summoned and power-leveling.
- The knights don’t know Sei is a Saint, but they’re aware she’s a Saint candidate.
These are settings I couldn’t squeeze in. I hope I can work them in somewhere, someday…