Earth's Sanctuary and the Perfect Bait
The fresh, verdant scent of the forest, brimming with greenery, tickled the tip of my nose. Warm sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of leaves, casting a cool glow on the soft dirt path. The leisurely chirping of birds provided a peaceful, natural BGM that drifted into our ears as we strolled along the woodland trail.
It wasn't just for elves or beastkin—anyone who appreciated a serene atmosphere would love this forest. In fact, this sanctuary was a famous date spot, even though it was quite a ways from the academy.
"Not too tired?"
But in front of the iron-blooded instructor before me, even this romantic date course was just a rough dirt path. Bernehardt's steel-hard body forged ahead relentlessly, like she had wheels attached.
Once we entered the forest proper, her pace had picked up even more. Probably excited about brewing that hornet liquor. I had to stay focused to keep up, or the distance between us would widen with the slightest lapse.
Still, the view of her from behind is killer.
The skintight leggings clung perfectly to Bernehardt's firm, plump ass, boldly on display. If an ordinary woman shook her hips like that in front of me dressed like this, I'd take it as a nonverbal invitation to fuck her brains out.
But Bernehardt was definitely just wearing what was comfortable. She probably didn't even realize she had an ass that could kill a virgin on sight.
"Hm. Nothing special here. Looks like we'll have to stray off the path."
"Do we really need to hunt blood hornets that students don't usually encounter?"
"Better safe than sorry. Some kids wander off the trail foraging for herbs. I did it back in my school days too."
"I see."
We left the cozy dirt path and pushed into overgrown wilds where the grass reached our ankles. Roots and rocks dotted the ground, demanding careful steps. Of course, Bernehardt navigated it all without even glancing down.
"Oh ho. I hear blood hornets over there."
As a demonkin, Bernehardt had animalistic senses. She picked up the sound I couldn't.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into the thicker underbrush.
The sudden physical contact wasn't particularly romantic. It felt more like being towed than a tender handshake. But the rough, callused texture of her palm felt pretty damn good.
Dense trees obstructed our path. Bernehardt's gaze fixed on something behind one. The buzzing of blood hornet wings reached my ears too. Her radar was spot-on.
"There it is!"
Bernehardt pointed to a massive dead tree about 30 meters away—a withered husk without a single leaf. It might already be fully dead.
And there, just as she said, was a fearsome hornet's nest. The shape was like any real-world one, but strikingly blood-red in color. Massive blood hornets, uniformly crimson like the nest, buzzed around it on vigilant patrol.
"This one's a beauty."
Bernehardt licked her lips and pulled a glass jar from her bag. She was clearly thrilled with the nest's size.
"You stay here. Be careful not to get stung. Blood hornet stings are a pain."
"What about you, Instructor?"
"Worried about me?"
She grinned and ruffled my hair with her scarred, rugged palm.
"What a cute student. Even so, I'm an academy sword instructor. If hornets could school me, I'd be a janitor."
"That's job discrimination."
"Jobs have their hierarchies. Not that mine's all that noble, so maybe it's a bit low-class coming from me. Anyway, wait here."
With a face full of confidence, Bernehardt strode toward the nest without hesitation. The blood hornets sensed the intrusion and swarmed her instantly. Their speed was far beyond what any normal person could react to.
Of course, Bernehardt was a superhuman far beyond ordinary limits. The hornets' ambush posed no threat at all.
Whoooosh!
A fierce gust blasted in front of her—not magic, but raw mana expelled forward. The charging blood hornets plummeted to the ground one by one.
She swung the wooden sword slung over her shoulder. In that instant, black sword aura erupted from the blade.
Mana manifestation, sword aura generation, and projection—all three processes flowed seamlessly like a single motion. Even academy graduates struggled with that technique.
It wasn't just fast; every phase harmonized perfectly without a hint of disruption. As the novel described, Bernehardt was a master who outclassed even the real-world me by several levels.
The sharp sword aura sliced the red nest from the tree in one go. Bernehardt extended her hand toward the falling hive, using Air Grasp with mana.
True to her academy instructor status, her mana control was as natural as moving her hand.
A swarm of blood hornets burst from the tumbling nest, wings buzzing furiously as they dove at her.
To Bernehardt, it was like futile moth flutters. She subdued the rebellious hornets mid-air with Air Grasp, then stuffed them into the jar with the nest. To her, they were just ingredients for hornet liquor.
Gazing at the massive hive in the jar, Bernehardt looked immensely satisfied.
"A sturdy one. There must be more. Let's move."
I'd come along for volunteer service, but all I'd done was chase her tail. In an hour, she'd collected five nests. No room for any romantic developments.
"Hmm. Not bad haul. But I feel more nearby."
"Isn't this enough?"
"Lots of instructors love no-hornet liquor... No, students could be at risk, so better eradicate them. Let's grab a couple more then head back."
"How about we split up? I've just been tailing you—no real work."
"You sure? Blood hornets aren't strong, but get careless and you're stung. Always watch pack monsters."
"You know my skills, Instructor. Worst case, I run."
"Fair. You could handle yourself. Fine, go solo. Take these."
Bernehardt pulled a small jar and a conch shell from her bag. The conch was a communication magic item.
"Call me if you find a nest. Just infuse mana and it connects here."
"Got it. What's in the jar?"
"Blood hornet antidote. Rub on stings. It'll itch, but pain goes away—use it quick if needed. Best if you don't."
"Understood!"
Handing me the antidote, Bernehardt headed off for more nests. I watched her firm ass until she vanished from sight. Once she was gone, I headed toward the visible path.
Silnakwon's forest sanctuary held a grand magic spell. Placed by its creator, Hibrisax, most even academy faculty didn't know about it.
The sanctuary has spaces accessible only by special means.
I hadn't planned to visit so soon, but since we were here, why not?
I followed the walkway for about ten minutes until a large boulder appeared. My signpost to the secret space.
"There."
Approaching the rock, I checked a crevice. A small groove inside.
I inserted my hand, rubbed a few times, then walked back the way I'd come. Suddenly, a misty fog enveloped the path, and a flower-filled garden bloomed into view.
One of the sanctuary's secret spaces: Earth's Sanctuary.
This place is packed with rare spirit herbs.
Earth's Sanctuary was the nexus where the forest's auspicious mana converged. Thanks to that prime location, most grasses and flowers here were potent spirit herbs.
It held countless herbs, but sadly, many were specialized for certain races, useless directly for a human like me. No spec boosts from them.
Most benefited spiritfolk or plantkin.
Still, I gathered various flowers and herbs. Handy for scoring points with the heroines later.
Plus, some could make potions. Selling to the alchemy workshop would net a nice profit.
Right, ghost vine's here too.
Among them, purple grass caught my eye. I carefully harvested and stored it in my inventory.
And what I'm after...
Golden flowers. Just as the novel described, they clustered in the shade under a tree.
Golden ginseng blooms. The plant itself gleamed gold. I carefully dug up the roots without damage.
Golden ginseng was what Bernehardt coveted. Not hugely potent as a herb, but brewed into liquor, it made delicious medicinal wine. Perfect gift for an alcoholic like her.
"Good. This'll do."
I harvested ten roots, then exited Earth's Sanctuary.
I wandered aimlessly, pretending to hunt nests. None in sight. Lacked her hearing anyway, and motivation.
Bzzzzt!
Not hornet wings—the conch vibrating. Bernehardt calling. I answered.
The call cut off. Bait dropped, and she bit hard. A grin spread across my face.