Mother of the Earth - 1
The moment the Full Moon Stone came into my hands, I tucked it away with storage magic before Chaos could claim it with a lick of his tongue.
“Kiuung…!”
When I didn’t hand it back right away, Chaos’s ears and tail drooped. He gazed up at me with those pleading eyes, but there was nothing I could do. I had another use for the Full Moon Stone.
After I promised I wouldn’t waste it and would deliver a result that would satisfy its original owner, Chaos finally accepted it.
“Hades, I want you to gather every material on this list.”
“Are these medicinal ingredients, by any chance?”
Hades skimmed the list once and immediately recognized them as ingredients for alchemy. As expected of a great mage—she clearly had more than a passing knowledge of pharmacology.
“That’s right. Aside from a few of them, everything can be bought at the market or the black market. You’ve helped me this far, so I’m counting on you again.”
“Ahh…! I will obtain every last one so that I never disappoint my Lord!”
Hades clasped her hands and looked up at me as though in prayer. It was nice not having a knife at my back for once, but the way she worshipped me like a god was still a bit much. I wasn’t nearly as great as she seemed to think.
“What about the materials that can’t be found on the open market?”
“I’ll go collect those myself.”
“Then it would be wiser to start by inquiring about their locations…”
“No need. I already know exactly where every single one is.”
“As expected of my Lord! You finished the preliminary investigation before you even gave me the order!”
“Something like that.”
I hadn’t investigated anything. I’d simply used knowledge from the novel. But I couldn’t say that out loud, so I just played along with Hades’s assumption. Living with secrets was never easy.
“Then where is our next destination?”
“Hmm… let’s see.”
I hadn’t mapped out a full route, but the first stop was already decided. There was only one place in the north that held any of the materials I needed; everything else required heading east or south.
“We’ll start with the closest places, one by one.”
“And that place is?”
“The Elf Forest.”
It was time to begin my new journey.
“Hmm-hmm~!”
“You look happy. Something good enough to make you hum?”
“The thought of revisiting so many old memories has my heart racing.”
“The first time we went to the front lines was only two months ago.”
“Even so, it somehow feels like we’re returning after years have passed.”
Well, every place we’d visited had been packed with chaos, so I could understand the feeling. From dropping out of the academy all the way to taking revenge on Pingchaeng and Kang Junhyuk—less than half a year had gone by. Looking back at everything I’d accomplished in that time was so absurd it only made me laugh. Chronologically we were still around volumes two or three of Adokchoe, yet I already surpassed the final-arc Bern in raw specs. Even if Frach counted as equipment advantage, that power was still mine. If I’d been weak, the magic sword would have swallowed my ego whole.
“In that sense, it’s a little disappointing we had to leave some cities without ever visiting them.”
“There’s a direct route from Ainharden to Lebron. No reason to detour just for sightseeing.”
“True. So the cities we missed can wait for later—ah!”
The carriage lurched to a sudden stop. I caught Rene’s body just as she started to topple sideways. I managed to steady her in time; she wasn’t hurt.
“Rewen is—!”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“R-right.”
Rewen had already grabbed a rope inside the carriage with practiced ease and held himself steady. The improvisational skill born of countless years was nothing short of impressive.
Before I could even ask what had happened, Lin’s face appeared urgently from the driver’s seat.
“M-Master! Are you all right?!”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Luckily no one got hurt.”
“Phew…! I’m so sorry! I was slow to react to the sudden situation.”
“What happened?”
“The carriage running ahead of us overturned after a deer suddenly bolted out of the underbrush.”
So even this world had traffic accidents caused by wildlife. Given how many more wild animals there were compared to modern times, it was probably a common occurrence. I’d have to be extra careful if I ever drove a carriage myself.
“What about the people inside?”
“Almost no casualties, but the carriage is damaged beyond repair.”
“Is that so? At least the human cost is low. That’s a relief.”
“It’s still too early to relax. We’re a long way from Lebron, so traveling on foot would mean camping overnight. But they’re merchants with no escort at all. At this rate, nocturnal magic beasts will target them.”
“Then go tell them they’re welcome to travel with us if they need to.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine with it, but the others…”
I looked at Rene and Rewen. If either of them objected, I’d drop the idea. They both simply nodded without a word—approval to take the merchants along.
“They’re fine with it.”
“Understood. I’ll be right back.”
Lin jumped down from the carriage and ran toward the accident site. While I watched her go, Frach’s voice suddenly reached me, sounding surprised.
[How unusual. You’re volunteering to do a good deed for once.]
‘A good deed?’
[Did you not just offer to help people in trouble?]
‘Help a merchant and something always comes back later. Maybe not an artifact, but free coin or useful information at the very least. You think they’d have the gall to take help and give nothing? If they did, I might get a little hurt and dump them out of the carriage.’
I grinned and eyed the distant merchants like treasure. Frach continued in a tone that said she’d expected exactly that.
[You remain as wicked as ever.]
[As expected of my master! Showing kindness and then discarding them without mercy the moment they’re useless! Amazing! Amazing! Hah-hah!]
After Frach, Chaos had also linked into my mind so we could converse. I needed the connection because there were situations where I had to give orders while keeping Chaos’s existence hidden. Now that we were linked, though, I was starting to regret it a little. The kid was incredibly noisy—hungry, wants to play, wants to lie on my lap—constantly dumping every desire into my head. Frach was already loud enough on occasion; adding Chaos made it pure chaos.
“Haa…”
I let out a long sigh just as Lin returned with the merchants in tow. They were looking at me with the same eyes Hades so often wore.
“Thank you! Truly, thank you! When the carriage overturned we were completely lost, yet you offered help before we even asked…! We’re so moved!”
“We will repay this debt without fail! First we must spread word of this throughout the Merchants’ Guild! That a righteous man equal to a saint extended a hand of salvation to us!”
“I-it’s fine. You don’t have to go that far.”
I hadn’t said a single word about payment, yet they were volunteering to repay the debt themselves. I felt a little embarrassed for having doubted them even briefly. With every concern resolved, the carriage set off again—this time carrying the merchants and all their cargo. The extra weight made the ride considerably bumpier. Rewen and the merchants looked completely unfazed, as if they’d endured countless rough rides before. I envied their adaptability.
“Sir Bern, on behalf of everyone here, allow me to thank you once more. Thanks to you, we should reach Lebron without further incident.”
“It’s nothing. Anyone else would have done the same.”
“Not at all! Most people ignore merchants in distress, demand huge sums, or in the worst cases kill us and loot everything! The kindness you showed, Sir Bern, is true compassion equal to that of a saint!”
My conscience stung a little. I had originally planned to squeeze something out of them myself.
“In any case, what you have done is a truly great deed rarely seen!”
“I-is that so.”
“Yes!”
Their excessive praise made me scratch my cheek. I still wasn’t used to compliments; it felt awkward.
“It may be insufficient as repayment, but we would like to transfer to you and your companions tickets to the Champion Determination Match being held at the Lebron Colosseum!”
“Excuse me…?”
“Hmm?”
When I reacted with confusion at the offer of champion-match tickets as payment, the merchants looked equally puzzled by my reaction.
“Are you not heading to Lebron to watch the Champion Determination Match?”
“We simply planned to spend one night in Lebron on the way to our next destination.”
“Ah…! I’ve made a terrible misunderstanding. How embarrassing.”
“It’s fine. Still, it seems Lebron is heating up over the Champion Determination Match?”
“Indeed! A battle between the few strongest in the world! And this time a major newcomer has appeared, driving the crowds wild!”
“Oh…?”
“The newcomer’s identity is an elf—someone who rarely appears before humans!”
“An elf, huh…”
Considering the average physique of female elves, it was entirely possible. They had bodies that could punch out a lion bare-handed.
“And she’s said to be an incredible beauty! Normally she has a delicate figure, but the moment a fight starts she displays monstrous strength! That’s why they’ve given her the nickname ‘Two-Faced Elf’.”
“……Hmm?”
For some reason, those traits felt strangely familiar.