When I had first gotten the berry plants, I had not expected them to grow so fast. But my worries were clearly unnecessary because the plant in front of had grown quite big.
They were not yet at a stage where they would fruit, but at their current growth rate, they might start fruiting in a day or two.
However, not all plants had grown at equal speed.
The plants that received direct artificial light were much bigger and more mature compared to the other plants.
"Master, are these plants mana-infused berry trees? Where did you find them... no, but they don’t have any fruit. I am afraid the young ones won’t be able to hold themselves back."
The leader of the fairies told , and I did understand her problem here.
I could already see the younger fairies reaching for the leaves of the plant, but I already had a solution prepared.
"Here, these are so mana-infused berries. They should last you a day or two... if not, you will have to ration them. Tis might be tough for now, but these plants will surely grow to give you more soon. And if not, I will have to clear up more space and plant more for you later."
I looked at the tree-covered garden in the back.
There was no way for to know how far this garden extended... or whether it was even a garden or not.
Truthfully, the back section looked more like a wild forest than a garden. But that was not a thought I wanted to entertain because it would just scare more.
"Hmm, don’t worry, Master. We will try and clear out so more space and plant the seeds we get from these fruits as much as we can."
The leader told , and I felt she was a useful and resourceful creature.
If she was here, then I could leave this place in her care.
"In that case, I’ll bring you so fertilizer. Make sure to give it to the plants every few days and ask for more once I return."
The fairies quickly adapted to their new ho, and I felt that it was safe for to return inside.
Fenrir remained on high alert this whole ti, almost as if he was guarding . But he relaxed once the fairies showed no hostility.
"Alright, that is one thing done. Fenrir’s carrier is packed and loaded as well. I guess all that’s left is to clean up and get moving."
It was quite early, but I knew my current speed.
As expected, it took so ti to clean up the things, and it was ti for to head out and et Duchess Isabella. I made sure to exit in a way that wouldn’t attract attention.
But all my plans were foiled by the appearance of one person.
"Your cute and charming neighbourhood lady here. Ah—are you going sowhere, shopkeeper? Won’t you share the news with ?"
Ann Shirely was waiting for outside my shop, and she imdiately noticed before walking over.
I could not even pretend I hadn’t seen her when she was so vocal and loud about her interest.
"Ah—! It’s nice to et you as well, Miss Shirely. Can I ask why you were waiting for out here?"
I asked her, and the woman just smiled.
"Who said I was waiting for you out here, shopkeeper? It’s all just a coincidence that we t. You can also call it fate if you want to. Sounds romantic, right?"
The woman asked as she winked. But her charm failed to work on because I saw this situation in a completely different light.
’Fate? Romantic? Talk about horror. Nothing about being stalked is anything but negative.’
Stories often portrayed such behaviour as glorified, but it was not sothing to be proud of... and I was not a fan of being stalked either.
"Right... so, what can I do for you?"
I asked, wanting to get rid of her but not showing it on my face.
The woman blinked as she looked at before shifting in place.
"Hmm, you look busy right now, shopkeeper, so I will return later for the favour. I can wait a few days."
She told before she left. I had a feeling she ca here just to keep an eye on and make small talk.
Once she was gone, I left for the station as well. I needed to gather up my faith points since I would not be back for so ti.
I approached the machine and quickly scanned it to get my faith points from it.
[Faith Points acquired. Current Balance: 350]
I got a lot of faith points, despite not much ti having passed. I also had a feeling I knew the reason behind it.
’All these faith points must be from the people who ca here during that rat infestation and epidemic danger. I profited quite a bit from it.’
It was a bittersweet feeling to know that I was profiting from soone else’s misfortune. But since there was nothing I could do, I decided to look the other way.
The balance of 350 coins hung heavy in my inventory, but I knew myself well—it would only feel heavy until I had to use them.
I quickly made my way out of the station and toward the outskirts of the city where the duchess had asked to et her.
My coat covered most of my face, and not many people paid attention to a stranger like . For them, I was just an ordinary person out to get sowhere fast.
The city ended where the town’s fence t the forest. From here on, there was no protection, and everyone was on their own.
And unlike modern tis, if you were to lose your way in there, you would likely never be found.
So people avoided travelling out of town unless necessary.
I was not as worried because I had the duchess with . She was more terrifying than any creature I could et out there... or that was how I felt. But that could just as easily change.
Her guard was waiting for outside her carriage, and he gave a glare for daring to be late.
I just gave the guard a smile in return, and I could tell that his blood was boiling.
But because of his loyalty and the fact that I was the duchess’s guest, he could do nothing but curse under his breath.
"Please co inside. The duchess is waiting for you."
The guard forced those words out of his mouth and opened the door for . The fact that he wasn’t even looking at made it obvious that he thought nothing of .
But if he was doing this to enrage or get a reaction, then he was barking up the wrong tree. I was shaped by a world that was not kind to anyone.
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