As I left the forest, Quince and the others ca running toward .
“We gathered a lot!”
Saying that, they proudly displayed the fruits of their efforts.
Their leather bags were filled not only with General Grass but also with various wild plants.
On this late autumn day, we had taken a break from making magical tools and blacksmithing to collect materials and go mushroom hunting.
Though Quince and the others usually trained in the backyard, they rarely asked to co along when I said I was heading to the forest. Since it was just a casual outing, I allowed them to join on the condition that they not enter the forest. I entrusted their safety to Rooflord and while I wandered the forest’s outskirts, Quince and the others busied themselves collecting General Grass in the adows.
Taking a quick glance at their bags, I noticed quite a few useless plants mixed in.
They had been learning about materials not only from Lily but also from Elphimia and Lola, though their results were still a bit hit-or-miss.
Once ho, we sorted and processed the gathered plants.
Quince and the others began drying the General Grass in their usual room, while I took the mushrooms and wild vegetables to the kitchen to start cooking, albeit in a rough way.
“I’m back!”
A little later, the adventurer team, led by Ted, arrived.
When I peeked out of the kitchen, Ted and Gemma were carrying a boar split vertically, while Elliot and Nils carried a pole with a deer dangling from it.
The butchering seed to be complete, with only chunks of at remaining.
“Hunting today, huh?”
“No, we were escorting Lady Lola. The ga was just a bonus.”
“Where’s Lola?”
“We dropped her off. She said she’d start processing materials right away.”
With that, Ted and the others carried the at into the kitchen.
In addition to making potions, Lola also helped with the preparation of Tejiryl Grass, the main ingredient for Awakening Water. So days were so busy that she rushed ho the mont her lectures ended.
Her [Mixing] skill had grown to Rank 2 by now. However, despite her constant work on mixing at her family’s business, her progress had co to a halt.
Though she laughed it off, saying, “This is as far as I can go,” reaching [Mixing 2] ant that, even if potion quality wasn’t exceptional, the chance of failure was greatly reduced. It could be said that she had achieved her goal in joining the academy.
Initially, I planned to make a stew with mushrooms and wild vegetables, but at Ted’s suggestion, we decided to throw in chunks of boar and deer at as well.
Since Nails and Nils offered to help, we prepared so at as skewers, and any leftovers would be shared with the neighbors by Ted and the others.
This sharing wasn’t my idea.
They started doing it after hearing about it from Deyna.
She ntioned, “The backyard training is annoying the neighbors,” though the real trigger was likely Emily’s father.
Having good relations with the neighbors ans they can lend a hand when needed or at least provide useful information.
Soon after, Ted and the others returned, accompanied by Lily and Deyna.
The two had t by chance on the main street and joined up with Ted’s group during their at delivery.
Leaving the cooking to the two skilled won, I switched to helping with the skewers.
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“But still, that strike was amazing…”
Nils mumbled between bites of a skewer, speaking to no one in particular.
When I tilted my head in confusion, Elliot filled in the details.
“It was Talvitt-san.”
“That guy, huh? So he joined today too.”
Since eting Ted’s group, Talvitt had occasionally accompanied them on quests.
“What exactly was so amazing?”
“He cleaved a boar in two. Looked like he used a skill.”
Ted spoke as he fished out remnants from the stew.
I thought the cross-section looked crushed—must’ve been a two-handed sword.
“Is that guy interested in becoming an adventurer?”
“Not sure. He never talks about it.”
Ted shook his head and popped another piece of at into his mouth.
If he doesn’t even talk about it, his real goal must be joining the guard unit.
It makes sense—he’s probably at the academy to support his grandfather, the captain of the guard unit. While lower ranks might not require it, those aiming higher need a basic education.
By joining these quests, he’s likely making up for what he misses in lectures and gaining real-world experience.
Following that thread, Quince and Kyle started pestering Ted to talk about today’s quest.
Ted, as usual, began with, “It was nothing special,” and recounted their activities—collecting materials, fighting familiar monsters, and marveling at Talvitt’s strength once again.
When he finished, Ted suddenly seed to rember sothing and began rummaging through his pockets.
“I found a small magic stone.”
He tossed it across the table toward .
It appeared to be a goblin’s magic stone.
“Much appreciated. I’ll settle the paynt later.”
“Consider it for the al.”
“The at was your ga.”
“Yeah, but not the rest. Goblin stones are cheap anyway, so don’t worry about it.”
I smiled wryly. “Then I’ll accept it without hesitation.”
To think Ted would say such a thing.
He may only be E-rank, but still.
They had also sold materials like fur at Lola’s family business, Breos Trading Company, or at the li lady’s store. Ted proudly ntioned they were making a little cash beyond just potion sales.
In addition, the guild’s contributions had beco more balanced after Lanaine joined.
Nils and Jonas, who joined later, struggled to advance to E-rank. Seeing that, Lola discussed it with the group and decided to start officially handling escort requests through the guild.
Though there were fees, it allowed both of them to get promoted.
“By the way—”
Just as Ted finished speaking, Lily suddenly raised a topic.
She turned her gaze toward , prompting to stop sipping my General Tea and respond with a questioning look.
“Alter-sama, I have a question. Does the soil created with One Handful of Soil – Handy Soil disappear over ti?”
“No, it shouldn’t. Wait… did it disappear?”
Tilting her head slightly, Lily gave a small nod.
That’s strange.
I’ve generated a significant amount of water and soil before, and not once have I seen or heard of them vanishing.
When I asked for more details, Lily explained that she didn’t witness the disappearance firsthand.
She had generated soil in a pot using Handy Soil, but when she checked later, so of it was gone.
At first, she thought it was a mistake, but it happened more than once.
If she didn’t see it vanish, could it have been stolen?
But who would steal soil?
Maybe soone was growing plants in a dormitory garden?
There are plenty of students who can use Handy Soil, so why steal it from the garden?
Unless… it was stolen because Lily created it?
I crossed my arms, thinking it over, and turned toward Jonas.
“Give it back, Jonas.”
“Wha—?! Even you, Alter-sama? I’d never steal soil that Lily worked so hard to create! And besides, I already got mine ages ago!”
He raised the small pouch hanging from his neck, only for Elliot to smack him on the head.
Jonas was then forced to bow and awkwardly return the pouch to Lily.
Not that she’d know what to do with it.
In any case, Jonas wasn’t the culprit—just another unrelated incident.
So, the soil really disappeared, huh?
I’d better look into it.
If it can vanish under certain conditions, all the soil I’ve created might be at risk.
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