The Gardener's Questions
Even as I stared at the old man with wide eyes, the only response I got was a faint smile without a single word. That smile—whether pleased or mocking—made me imagine he was thinking, 'This kid's just bullshitting because he doesn't know anything.'
My mind spun frantically through the sudden situation until one idea flashed through my brain.
"M-multiple choice!"
"Hmm?"
The old man widened his eyes at the three words I'd blurted out. He gazed at me quietly, clearly not thinking I'd given the right answer. Feeling awkward after shouting so confidently, I muttered in a voice that barely reached the floor.
"I-I mean, a question where I can choose..."
"Ah, was the old man being inconsiderate? Heh heh."
The old man chuckled slyly at my lack of confidence. Still, he seemed to appreciate my honesty about not knowing, so he continued.
"Then... among Windflower, Bounceflower, Explosion Herb, and Frostflower, which one bursts its own buds to spread its seeds?"
'Ah, this question...!'
The answer that hadn't come to me when I only heard the question suddenly became clear once the options were given. My eyes widened as the answer flashed in my mind. It was the same question I'd gotten wrong the first time by guessing Explosion Herb, thinking the name sounded obvious.
"Bounceflower."
"Oh, so you do have some interest? Then the next question is..."
Once I got the first one right, the old gardener's expression brightened noticeably as he excitedly prepared the next question. I'm not interested. I'm interested in the equipment you're giving out. I grumbled the retort I couldn't say out loud and waited for the next question. Just two more. My heart pounded. A baseless confidence washed over me that I could answer most questions correctly as long as they weren't short-answer.
In that positive tension, the next question followed.
"Do you know the name of the plant with flowers that bloom and wither in a single day? The options are Daylily Herb, Mossflower, Fragrant Flame Herb, and Nightshade Weed."
"Nightshade Weed."
The answer to the question about flowers that bloom and fade in one day. I remembered memorizing it as the four-letter option without even using my brain. Just like before, the memory had been hazy, but it came back the moment I heard the question. By now, I was wondering if I'd remember the last question before even hearing it. I'd memorized it with some keyword to make it easier... what was it again? While I was thinking, the old gardener continued.
"Correct. This one might be a bit difficult. Choose the plant that cannot be used as medicine from these four: Needle Weed, Cloudflower, Rabbitfoot Weed, and Lantern..."
"Lanternflower!"
I shouted the answer the moment I heard the first syllable. I had no idea why, but I'd memorized it as 'Lantern Angler,' some deep-sea fish. The old man looked startled for a moment at my sudden, joyful cry, then returned to his usual dignified expression and laughed heartily.
"Heh heh, even if you're that happy, I don't have much to give... Well, if something like this is acceptable, would you take it?"
Along with the formal words about not having much to give, the old man handed me a pair of dirt-stained gloves from his basket. Anyone else might wonder why he was giving away used gloves as a reward, but I, who knew their true value, accepted them eagerly and bowed my head.
"Thank you!"
"No need for thanks... They're made of decent leather, so they'll last a while."
The old man spoke as if it wasn't worth thanking him for and resumed trimming the garden with his shears, looking indifferent. In contrast to his attitude, these gloves had a unique effect among all equipment: they improved the quality of gathered items. That included not just herbs and medicinal plants, but also certain monster drops. Even legendary plants occasionally found during adventures weren't exceptions. They were equipment I'd wear almost constantly outside of combat. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this kind of joy. The thrill of holding a known item in my hands was still exhilarating, even though I'd experienced it before.
After lightly brushing off the dirt, I carried the pair of gloves back to the classroom with a spring in my step. Though it was far from a proper substitute for an inventory, I stuffed the gloves into my bag and smiled contentedly. Even without mercenary requests, there were quite a few quests that dealt with high-quality specific items. Sometimes, the presence or absence of these gloves could change how much time was spent in the process.
'Should I try gathering requests again...?'
Despite my earlier resolution after the gathering incident, my motivation surged once more. I was still no expert on plants or flowers, just like before, but...
'Why did I say it wasn't the right season back then...'
Along with obtaining the gloves, a baseless confidence overflowed and wrapped around me. Considering it was the season when End-roll Grass appeared, finding even one colony wasn't bad for a non-expert, was it? Gathering requests paid well if you found a lot. "Should I, or shouldn't I, hmm."
Honestly, if I was good at finding them, the earnings seemed like they could be much higher than simple hunting. I sat down, crossed my arms, and pondered.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
While I was deep in thought, a clear, polite voice came from right beside me, directed straight at me. My private dilemma must have slipped out as a small mutter. Startled, I looked toward the voice.
At the end of my gaze was the girl sitting next to me, who had turned her head and was looking at me with pure curiosity.
"Oh, it's just... I was talking to myself."
Even though we were the same age, her polite question came without any sense of awkwardness, so I answered just as politely, though my words felt stiff and awkward. Still, the girl asked with genuine kindness along with her curiosity.
"Hmm, but you do have something on your mind, don't you? I'd like to hear about it if you don't mind."
"I-I'm sorry, but... it's something I can't talk about."
Worried that a longer conversation would reveal my usual lifestyle, I shook my head with my palm raised defensively, as if to say I didn't want to continue. The girl's pure kindness felt like poison right now.
'I can't talk about it...'
I swallowed the words I wanted to snap out and squeezed my eyes shut with a troubled expression. I was sitting here pretending to be the child of a decent family, after all. I couldn't possibly say I was torn between gathering herbs and hunting monsters. The only person I could have this conversation with was Kair, the one who'd brought me here and who somewhat understood my situation.
"Now that I think about it, we've been sitting this close but never really talked, have we?"
Seeming to sense my difficulty in answering, the girl next to me didn't press further. Instead, she smoothly changed the subject, mentioning that we'd never properly spoken despite being seatmates, and smiled faintly.
'As expected, educated people have a different way of putting things.'
To express something as simple as not being close in such an elegant way. While I was momentarily impressed by the difference in our environments, she continued.
"My name is Arian. If it's not too rude, may I ask your name?"
"Ah, I'm Shen."
At her sudden introduction and question, I gave my name as politely as I could manage, though it still came out awkward and stiff. I'd tried to match her dignified demeanor, but my speech remained clumsy no matter what. Arian seemed genuinely curious about something, because she kept asking more questions after that. What I usually did on holidays, whether I had a favorite class. Even how I'd managed to sit next to her without saying a word until now. Before I knew it, we'd had quite a long conversation—enough to make me think about that last question.
On holidays I exercised and explored the city, and my favorite class was alchemy, at least. For a country bumpkin mercenary's lies, they seemed fairly plausible.
"Whew."
After starting the walk home from school, I let out a sigh of relief. As expected, talking to someone from a high position was difficult. Not being able to show my true self was exhausting. If I had to have long conversations like this in the future, I'd need to at least speak more smoothly.
'Who could I learn this from?'
The person who would know this kind of conversation best was probably Kair. But even he was hard to run into except at the academy... Still, as the child of a wealthy family, I couldn't just drop by his mansion like visiting a friend's house. Tomorrow will work out somehow... With that thought, I changed into my combat gear at home and headed out to the streets to start mercenary work.
Starting today, my new weapon was a one-handed sword. I wasn't as used to it as my dagger yet, but it should be fine for monsters near the capital. Thinking that, I walked straight toward the request office.
"I grabbed it first!"
"You two mercenaries over there! Please don't fight! We can impose penalties!"
"Tch..."
'There are tons of gathering requests...'
While popular requests were being fought over by mercenaries, I looked at the requests that had been overlooked at the bottom after losing the brutal competition. Perhaps because spring had just arrived, there were far more herb-related requests compared to before. Still, having gained confidence from last time, I accepted the request for End-roll Grass, which I remembered gathering. Unlike the previous request, this one emphasized 'wild-grown!' rather than greenhouse-cultivated End-roll Grass, and it ended once submitted to the office.
As they say, the first time is the hardest. Once you've done something once, you develop a knack for it. For my second End-roll Grass gathering request, I was able to fill my bag by picking every one I saw without wandering around the mountains. Unlike the first gathering request, which had me returning in the middle of the night, I made it back to the streets before sunset. Of course, I didn't forget to try out the gloves I'd obtained today.
'At this rate, I'll get more than ten silver coins...?'
The amount of End-roll Grass seemed to be about two to two and a half times what I'd gathered last time. I mentally calculated while grinning. With cheerful steps, I carried the gathering bag back to the request office. At a nearby reception desk, someone wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low was standing right up against it.
"Is it still going to take a while...?"
"It's been quite some time since the mercenary accepted the request, so they'll be here soon."
I unintentionally overheard the conversation with the receptionist. The woman standing in front was the client waiting for the request to be completed. The receptionist tried to calm her as she fidgeted anxiously.
"Please don't be impatient and just wait a little longer... Ah! The mercenary in the back, what brings you here?"
"I'm here to submit a completed request."
Then she noticed me standing quietly behind and called out, asking what I'd come for. I held out my registration card and bag between them and answered in a flat tone. When I extended the card and bag past the client, the woman with the hat pulled low silently began to move away from her spot.
"Yes, Shen? Gathering request complete... Ah! Client over there! This is the End-roll Grass you requested!"
While the receptionist was about to hand over the money after processing the completion, she suddenly shouted. It turned out the woman who'd just been urging about when the request would be done was the client for the gathering request I'd accepted. But she didn't hear and walked out the door of the request office. What an incredible coincidence.
"I'll deliver it for you."
"Ah, would you...? I pocketed the dozen or so silver coins that had been on the reception desk, received the bag I'd extended, and left the office. I followed the eye-catching wide-brimmed hat that I couldn't possibly miss and grabbed her shoulder...
"Kyaa...?!"
"...Huh?"
Along with a short, torn scream, the face revealed beneath the hat. For a moment, our bewildered gazes met. It was Arian—the one I'd never expected to meet outside the academy.