19
Chapter 19
Luckily, they don't seem to have found the magic sphere, but things just got complicated.
Not all Elves are the same, but the majority of them despise humans.
This is because many adventurer groups have hunted Elves under the orders of nobles for ages.
Naturally, their goal was to capture the most beautiful Elves to sell as slaves.
Although the Emperor declared a ban on non-human slavery twenty years ago, the sheer beauty of the race means some still seek them out in secret.
Because of this, we're practically enemies, so telling them I'm just here to dig up some wild ginseng wouldn't work at all.
Of course, wasn't there Olivia?
A trainee I taught in Seinti became a Ranger and befriended the Elves, helping cure the Fifth Prince's illness, so they aren't always hostile.
'Will it take long to find Ark again?'
'Is that even a question? Why, are you scared of the pointy-ears?'
Dealing with the Elves in sight wouldn't be that hard.
But since the village is right next door, they'd quickly discover their kin's deaths and keep pursuing me.
Shaking off an Elf's pursuit in the forest is nearly impossible.
Unless I kill every last one of them.
But I'm not a psychopath, and I have no intention of murdering everyone just for some wild ginseng.
In the end, the answer is dialogue.
I raised my hands in the air to show I had no intention of fighting and stepped forward.
"A human?"
"An intruder!"
I hoped they were a tribe friendly to humans, but my wish went unanswered.
The Elves who spotted me drew their longbows and aimed, and the surrounding air churned as if they had summoned Spirits.
I could see five right in front of me, but my magic power detected more than ten presences scattered around.
"I am a civil servant of the Empire and have no intention of fighting you."
After I revealed my identity, they murmured among themselves, and an Elf with silver hair and red eyes stepped forward.
"This is the territory of our Blue Leaf Tribe. If you have no intention of harming us, leave this place immediately."
Oh, it seems mentioning I'm a civil servant helped.
Unlike my fears, they seemed somewhat reasonable, so I told them I just wanted to gather some medicinal herbs nearby, but the Elf frowned.
"How did you know our herb garden was here? Are you truly a civil servant of the Empire?"
A herb garden?
Ark told me that wild ginseng cannot be cultivated artificially, so do the Elves have some special know-how?
"I didn't know these were herbs you grew. If you doubt my identity, I can show you my identification card."
I pulled the identification card from my clothes, but the Elf didn't even glance at it.
"I've heard those can be easily forged. Leave now if you don't want to die."
'What are they talking about?'
'Why?'
'I think you're mistaken; what those pointy-ears are growing probably isn't wild ginseng.'
'What?'
'There's only one root of wild ginseng under that tree over there.'
'Maybe they harvested the rest and only one is left?'
'Hmm, that's possible, but just ask them first.'
"Then, could you confirm one thing for me?"
"Ask your question, human."
"Is the plant you're growing over there wild ginseng?"
I asked while pointing toward the tree, but the Elf's expression turned strange.
"What kind of nonsense is this? We grow Leikid. I've never heard of any herb by that name."
I had assumed it was wild ginseng, but since it was Leikid, Ark was right.
So that means it's not something they grow; maybe I can just dig it up myself?
"What are you talking about?"
He didn't seem to understand at all; the Elves really don't know about wild ginseng.
"The herb I'm looking for is under that tree. Would you like to come and check?"
The Elf hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded and walked with me.
When we reached the tree, it was slightly smaller than the one I saw before and only had one berry, but it was definitely wild ginseng.
Just as I tried to approach, the Elf suddenly tried to crush the ginseng with his foot, so I hurriedly blocked him.
"What are you doing? This is the herb I'm looking for."
"This is a medicinal herb?"
He looked at me with a look of pure disbelief. What's his problem?
"Isn't that a Grint?"
"It is a Grint. Did you seriously come all this way to dig that up?"
It seems they call wild ginseng 'Grint,' and now everyone except the Elf next to me is looking at me like I'm crazy.
"Grint is a poisonous weed."
Wild ginseng is poisonous?
"Human, you seem to be mistaken. This isn't a medicinal herb, it's poison. How ominous that it was here. If I'd known, I would have wiped it out long ago."
He tried to stomp on it again immediately, so I threw my body in the way to stop him.
"Seriously, why do you keep trying to step on it?"
"Because it's poison! If the young Elves accidentally eat it, they could die!"
Maybe the reason wild ginseng is so hard to find is that Elves stomp them all to death whenever they spot one?
It's such a waste to trample something this precious.
"Well, since this is useless to you, can I just dig it up then?"
"How many times must I tell you that it is not a medicinal herb?"
"I'll handle that part myself, so just let me dig it up, okay?"
"What a foolish human. Dig it up or not, do as you wish, but just don't eat it in our territory. I don't feel like cleaning up a corpse."
I replied that I understood and began carefully digging around the ginseng.
It took some time because I was careful not to damage a single root hair, but fortunately, the Elves didn't rush me.
'This looks to be around a hundred years old.'
It is definitely a bit smaller than the one from before.
'Should I look for one more then?'
'No, the previous one was just a rare treasure. This should be enough for May's level, you pig.'
I couldn't help but smile, relieved that I didn't have to search for another one.
I was worried I'd have to go through all that hell again.
Fearing they might find another reason to complain, I covered the soil back up and stood up, only for all the Elves to look at me with pity.
"Oppa, that human is weird. Look at him smiling and acting happy while digging up a Grint."
"As you said, he's a lunatic. Don't go near him."
...Fine. Think whatever you want.
I pulled a small box from my subspace, placed the wild ginseng inside, and stored it back.
"I'm leaving now."
"We clearly warned you that it's a poisonous weed, not a medicinal herb. Don't come complaining to us later."
"I get it."
Just as I was about to head back, I asked the Elf.
"By the way, do you happen to know where these grow in abundance?"
"...I have no interest in such poisonous weeds, so I don't know."
I thought I might be able to snag a few more if I were lucky, which was a shame.
I told him I understood, gave a quick wave, and stepped away.
I could feel someone following me from a distance, but after about twenty minutes of running, the presence vanished, likely because I'd left their territory.
After another thirty minutes of running, the castle gate I had passed through earlier came into view.
I hadn't noticed because the forest was so thick with trees, but it had grown quite dark around me.
I checked my pocket watch; it was 8:00.
Unlike when I entered, the identification process for returning was simple, so I showed my ID and passed through quickly.
By the time I reached the gate, the Arianne Region gate was coincidentally scheduled to activate in five minutes.
They said this was the last trip to the Arianne Region for the day, so I was glad I had hurried.
I took the gate and crossed over to the Peyton Viscountcy in the Arianne Region.
After a moment's thought, I booked a room at a nearby inn.
Transportation carriages were still running, but I would have arrived very late if I'd taken one.
I was exhausted from spending the whole day scouring the East Great Forest for wild ginseng, and I felt more comfortable at an inn than imposing on a trainee's home.
I'd already told them to spend some quality time with their family, so I figured I'd just go pick them up slowly after breakfast tomorrow.
I went into the inn, asked for a room for one night, and requested a bath.
After paying in advance, I went up to the second floor to wash up and then came back down to the first floor for a meal.
Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten breakfast, let alone lunch, today.
I think the effects of the wild ginseng had made me forget, but now that I was conscious of it, hunger surged.
"Would you like to order?"
Instead of the owner I'd seen earlier, a freckled girl with brown hair, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, approached me.
"A cold beer to start. What's the house specialty?"
"Some fresh fish and seafood caught this morning in the Bering Sea just arrived from Sachsen. Would you like that?"
"Sounds great. Make it a feast, and keep the change as a tip."
As I handed over a ten-silver coin, her face instantly lit up.
Since a night's stay including a bath cost only one silver, this must be a huge sum for her.
To me, however, it was pocket change.
I really should live more lavishly, but since I spend most of my time at the Academy, I rarely have a reason to spend money except for the occasional drink with old man Daph.
"By the way, you lot don't know yet, do you?"
I sipped my beer while I waited, and because the place was small, I could clearly hear the conversation of the merchants at the next table.
This is part of the charm of staying at an inn, so I didn't find it particularly bothersome.
"Is there something interesting going on?"
"Baron Marius and Viscount Giltain clashed today."
"Ah, that's because of the mine discovered in the Kalabinz Mountains, right? I heard about that too."
"From what I've heard, Baron Marius requested mediation from Duke Carlos."
A common enough story.
"The mediation probably failed, so they fought a duel."
"Is that so? And who won?"
"Viscount Giltain won, obviously. Even before inheriting his title, he was a famous knight in the Southern Legion."
"I heard Baron Marius also made a name for himself on the Western Front back in the day."
"I heard that was just a rumor. Even if it were true, Viscount Giltain is a Sword Expert. How could he possibly compete? Beon, am I right?"
"The winner was indeed Viscount Giltain. It was a one-sided victory, but he went a bit too far."
"In what way?"
"Even after Baron Marius dropped his sword and the match was decided, he didn't stop. He approached and knocked him down, and then just kept stomping on him."
Normally, once a duel is decided, the winner sheathes their sword.
But when there's a lot of built-up resentment, these things happen.
"He's always been famous for his foul temper. Was Baron Marius badly hurt?"
"One arm and one leg were broken; he couldn't even stand up. I felt sorry for him just watching."
"Ugh, I'd be too terrified to even watch something like that."
...Still, it's not common to go that far as to break bones. He must have really hated the guy.
"Then the mine must have passed to Viscount Giltain."
"That's right. Now the Levi Territory is as good as ruined. They've lost the mine, which was their last lifeline."
"Then we'll have to reduce our trade with that region."
"It's a shame; the Levi Territory had low tolls and light taxes."
Wait, did he say the Levi Territory?
"Hey, let me ask you something for a second."
I pulled out a one-silver coin and flicked it toward the merchant.
"Oh my, look at this! Please, ask whatever you'd like."
"Is the last name of the Baron you mentioned just now Levi?"
"Yes, sir. He's the lord of the territory about two hours by carriage toward the Kalabinz Mountains."
"The lord is much more generous than most, but since the territory is in the rough terrain near the Kalabinz Mountains, farming is difficult and their situation isn't great."
"I heard his wife died young and he only has three daughters. Long ago..."
"That's enough. I've heard plenty."
There was no need to hear more; it was definitely May's family.
"Well, since we've given you the information..."
I pulled out two more one-silver coins and tossed them over.
I had dismissed it as just another common power struggle between lords, but I never dreamed it would be about May's family.
It's too late to leave now, so I'll have to change my plans and set out early tomorrow morning.
'Ark, wake me up at six tomorrow.'
'Oh, are you planning to help May?'
Is that even a question?
Honestly, until recently, I might not have stepped in even if I knew.
Since I was only looking forward to being fired, May was just a slightly annoying trainee to me.
But after teaching her—or more accurately, from the moment she started calling me 'our instructor'—she ceased to be just an annoying trainee.
An instructor can't just ignore his trainee's hardships.