Buhiik Buhiik Buhiik
A little boar roamed the forest, passing under the green canopy and over the lively blades of grass. It snorted and snorted, nodding its head up and down as it followed the sweet scent of its favorite berries.
Plump, pink, and juicy, the berries were. A delighted expression bloomed across the little boar's face as it buried its face on the bushes, munching its time away, listening to the peaceful symphony of the tranquil forest.
"Waah～! There's so many! And more here too! And here! Oh! Another one!" ［Yuna］
Well, it was tranquil until a certain silver-haired elf came prancing around, running from place to place as she collected herbs and fruits with sparkling eyes, extremely excited like a hyperactive kid who had been let loose in the park.
"L-Lady Yuna! Please wait! You're too fast!" ［Marika］
"Yuna, watch your steps. You might trip with how fast you are going." ［Grey］
Following behind such an energetic person were none other than Grey and Marika. Both had worried expressions on their faces, for entirely different reasons. The latter one, sounding more like an overprotective father than a concerned boyfriend.
The sun had already reached its Zenith, and now, it's slowly descending from the sky. After visiting Lobo village, Marika invited the two in the forest to pick and collect some fruits and herbs they could use.
And as one would expect from Yuna, the overexcited alchemy maniac, the moment she got permission to forage from the forest, she quickly dashed her way through, only leaving trails of dust behind. It was only then that Marika realized her mistake.
If it wasn't for the fact that Yuna quickly got distracted by each and every plant life she saw, she would have already arrived at the other edge of the forest long ago. Marika would have had no chance in catching up to her. She was simply too nimble and fast on her feet.
"Huff... Hufff... La... Lady Yuna... Huff..." ［Marika］
In addition to that, Marika was just a normal person. After chasing the ever so excited Yuna around for several minutes, it was only to be expected that she got exhausted, trying to grasp her breath as her feet stopped moving.
"Are you alright, Marika? You can just rest, you know?" ［Grey］
"A-Ah... Yes... Huff... But Lady Yuna.... Huff..." ［Marika］
"Don't worry about her. I'll watch over her, so you can take a rest." ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's words, Marika could only feel relief flood her chest. She quickly sat down on the soft, green grass, finally able to take a breath of the fresh and fragrant air. There really was no place much more perfect for relaxation than the forest.
Well, even if Marika could finally relax, the same couldn't be said for Grey. If before, all he needed to look after was the clumsy Marika, now, he also needed to look after his hyperactive girlfriend, making sure she won't go overboard. In simpler terms, he was babysitting once again.
If it wasn't for his "Eyes of Heaven", he would have had to follow the excited Yuna around wherever she goes. Though he was a little annoyed at first, now, he couldn't help but thank God for giving him such cheat abilities.
"Still, this forest sure is beautiful, huh... To think so many kinds of plants and fungi are present here. How do I say this... It's quite interesting..." ［Grey］
"Hm? Is that also not the case in other forests, Lord Grey?" ［Marika］
"Well, sure, they're also beautiful, but they're not as diverse as the one here in Torogi. Maybe, about a third of this...?" ［Grey］
Said Grey, ending his statement with a tilt of his head. Though it was just a simple and rough estimate, he wasn't wrong. Despite the diversity of animals remaining about the same, there really were more kinds of flora in Torogi.
Well, it wasn't only plant life. The lake from before was also quite amazing, able to contain even a coral reef and much more life than even the sea from Lista. It was also the reason why the inland villages weren't very affected by the appearance of the Leviathan.
Lastly, contrary to the diversity and quantity of plant and aquatic life, monsters could barely be seen. From yesterday since they arrived, Grey has yet to encounter one in the forest, not even a single slime or goblin.
The more Grey thought of it, the more mysterious and interesting the archipelago became. If there wasn't the threat of the Leviathan, he would have already gone ahead with Yuna and investigated by themselves. It truly is a shame.
"Hmm... The outside world, huh... I wonder what it looks like..." ［Marika］
But just as Grey was interested in Torogi, Marika was also interested about the outside world she never knew of until yesterday. She was a naturally curious child, unable to help but daydream what it's like over the horizon.
"Then, should we take you outside sometime?" ［Grey］
"R-Really?! Would that be okay?!" ［Marika］
"Yeah. I don't see why not. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. As you as we get the Great Chief's permission, that is." ［Grey］
"Th-There's no need to worry about that, Lord Grey. I'm sure Papー I mean, the Great Chief would approve of it. I'm sure of it!" ［Marika］
Excited as a little child, Marika fidgeted as soon as she heard Grey's words. It was as if her previous exhaustion was but a passing lie, now able to talk so fast it was as if her mouth was a machine gun on rapid fire.
Well, it wasn't too bad of a sight to see. Compared to how stiff she was acting before, Marika acting like a child was much more preferable. She has loosened up quite considerably, now able to speak out her mind comfortably.
"Ah! But we'll have to defeat the Evil Beast first, alright? After that, we could take you on a tour around the nearest town, Lista." ［Grey］
"Of course! I'm sure Lord Grey and Lady Yuna can defeat the Evil Beast!" ［Marika］
Marika's voice brimmed with confidence as she declared such words. It didn't even cross her mind how destructive of a battle it would be if ever it really was a Leviathan. She was too excited to care, and that's all that mattered.
"What are you talking about?" ［Yuna］
"Oh, Yuna, you're back. And... those are..." ［Grey］
"Oh! I just found a couple fruits nearby. Do you want some?" ［Yuna］
"Please, and thank you." ［Grey］
Casual as one can be, Yuna invited herself to take a seat beside Marika, sitting on the ground. She then handed a couple fruits to Grey and Marika, from oranges, apples, soursop, berries, and many more.
Well, that's how it would seem. But in reality, Yuna didn't just pick a "couple" of fruits. Inside her storage ring was a mountain load. Grey knew because he was observing the whole time. Still, he decided to keep it to himself, not wanting to spoil Yuna's fun.
"Mmn～! So sweet!" ［Yuna］
"Agreed! Apples really are the best!" ［Marika］
Sweet and satisfied expressions were afloat the forest as the young ladies dug in on the fresh fruits Yuna had just picked. Seeing such faces, there was no need to waste more time. Grey also peeled the cottonfruit he got, feeding himself soon enough.
A surge of sourness filled his mouth as he continued chewing on the fruit's flesh. But something was just not right. He then poured some salt on his hand, dipping the flesh of the cottonfruit on it before he once again took it to his mouth.
'Yup... This is how it should be...' ［Grey］
It was just like how he remembered it. The mix of sourness and saltiness flooding his mouth, sweetness and tartness drifting along it. A taste of his childhood he had almost forgotten. A bittersweet memory was adrift his mind.
Well, his childhood memories weren't the only ones which were jogged. Grey also remembered something given to him just recently. And with it still being high noon, there was no better time. He quickly opened his "Inventory" and got himself a couple of things. A picnic blanket was one of them.
There were no warnings. Grey suddenly whipped the picnic blanket in the air, soon laying it down on the soft, grass-covered forest floor. With Yuna and Marika's eyes on him, he then took out a couple boxes and placed them atop of the blanket.
"Hm? Lord Grey... This is..." ［Marika］
"Oh? Isn't this?" ［Yuna］
"That's right. It's Captain Jack's meal boxes. Shall we dig in?" ［Grey］
There was no time to waste. As soon as Grey asked such words, the two agreed almost immediately, Yuna being the one most excited, still not full after eating a load of fruits she just picked. It's Yuna, after all.
As soon as they opened the boxes, hot steam and an appetizing aroma drifted in the air, wafting through the whole forest. All sorts of seafood dishes were packed in the meal boxes, each and everyone arousing their appetites,
""Thank you for the meal!!""
"A-Ah! Th-Thank you for the mealth!" ［Marika］
Marika was about to eat, but as soon as she saw Grey and Yuna perform some sort of prayer, she immediately stopped on her tracks, mimicking them as much as she could, all the while biting her tongue at the end. The other two could only giggle and chuckle ever so softly.
A warm atmosphere about them, and soon enough, they dug in on the meal boxes, a rush of flavor caressing their tongues. There is nothing more needed to be said. They were simply and truthfully delicious.
"D-Delicious! I've never had something like this before!" ［Marika］
"Hahaha. Have some more." ［Grey］
"Y-Yes! Thank you!" ［Marika］
Grey was a little worried at first, thinking how different the dishes might be from Marika's normal palate. But seeing such a wonderful smile on her face, it seems like such worries were for nothing. She was enjoying herself happily.
As for Yuna, well... Should one say more? It was Yuna, after all. She was stuffing her face full, dish after dish without stopping her hand. Her face was even brighter than Marika's, looking even more excited. It was Yuna, alright.
"Ah, right, Grey, Marika, what were you talking about while I was gone? Was it something interesting?" ［Yuna］
"Hm? Interesting?... I guess you could say that. Marika said she was curious about the outside world, so I said we'd take her there once we defeated the Evil Beasts. That's the jist of it." ［Grey］
"Oh? By that, you meant Lista, right?" ［Yuna］
"That's right. It's the nearest town, after all." ［Grey］
"But that might take some time, doesn't it..." ［Yuna］
Yuna's words were on point, silence swallowing the forest. Not only Grey, Marika's spoon and fork also stopped on their tracks, a slightly crestfallen expression painted on her face as she faced reality from Yuna's words.
While defeating the enemy could be easy, the problem is when it would appear. Though it could appear today, tomorrow, or the day after, it could also take weeks or even months before its reappearance. After years, maybe they could declare it safe again, but that's still too long. Everything was very uncertain.
No more responses came after Yuna's words. Yuna simply fed herself another fried shrimp, her mind wandering elsewhere as she thought of some things. A smile soon formed on her face as a wonderful idea popped inside her head.
"Ah! Then how about we use those? The pictures, I mean." ［Yuna］
"Oh! Good idea!" ［Grey］
Marika still in the dark, Grey and Yuna's minds suddenly synced and Grey opened the "Inventory" once again, taking out dozens of photos they had taken along their adventures. All of which contained amazing places Marika had seen before.
As soon as Marika laid her eyes on the pictures, though she didn't know what they exactly were, she knew that they contained something amazing, full of life and colors. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of them.
"Lord Grey, Lady Yuna, this is..." ［Marika］
"They're pictures. It's a little hard to explain, but you can just think of these as some form of preserved memories or something like that." ［Grey］
"Un! These are amongst the photos we have of our travels and adventures. And as for the town we were talking about just now, this is it." ［Yuna］
Yuna was excitedly rambling on as she pointed from photo to photo. And everytime her index finger moved, Marika's eyes would follow, always sparkling in excitement and curiosity. Happiness was surging deep in her heart.
She looked, she looked, and she looked even more. Whilst they ate lunch, Marika kept staring at the photos, like a mesmerized child. The little sadness she once felt was no more, her eyes gazing at the photos as a smile bloomed on her face.
"Hmm..." ［Marika］
"Is something wrong, Marika?" ［Yuna］
"No.., It's just... Lady Yuna seems ro be always in these photosー" ［Marika］
Cough Cough Cough
Greatly surprised by Marika's words, Grey suddenly coughed and almost choked on his food. Though she knew that Marika had no ill intentions, he just didn't expect his hobby of taking photos of Yuna would come back to bite him. It was all too sudden.
Meanwhile, Yuna, being the one on such photos and also knowing why it was like that, was now furiously blushing, turning her face away to hide the embarrassment. Two birds with one stone.
"A-Are you okay, Lord Grey?!" ［Marika］
"Y-Yeah, just a little surprised is all... Anyway, about the honorifics, don't you think it's about time you drop it? You can just call us by our names, you know?" ［Grey］
He was desperate alright. Grey didn't even think any harder, simply wanting to shift the topic of the conversation to something else before it gets even worse. Thankfully, Marika was an innocent child who was quite easy to trick.
"Uhh... But... How could I dare address the Emissaries of Gods so lightly. It's very impolite and improper." ［Marika］
"How so? We're fine with it, so there's no worries." ［Grey］
"Un! We would also love that! We're friends now, aren't we?" ［Yuna］
At Grey and Yuna's words, Marika was made speechless. Though it was true that she has become more comfortable with them and that they were also open to her, it still hasn't sunk in that they were treating her dearly as a friend. Hearing it, she couldn't be any happier.
"Th... Then... Could I call you Big Brother Grey and Big Sister Yuna?" ［Marika］
Yet another unexpected instance. Grey and Yuna were simply wishing to remove the honorifics attached to their names, but who would have thought that Marika would like to address them as such. They were a little surprised.
Despite her clumsiness, Marika has been very knowledgeable and skilled. So much that Grey and Yuna completely forgot she was still 15 years old. Seeing her act so meek reminded them of Iris when they first met.
"Is... Is it weird, after all?" ［Marika］
"No, not at all. That sounds good to me." ［Grey］
"Un! Looks like we got yet another little sister!" ［Yuna］
A proud declaration rang out in the air as Yuna patted Marika's head, making the latter's face turn even more redder. Though she was the one who suggested it, she didn't think it would be so embarrassing.
Time passed and lunch continued. After cleaning up after themselves, everyone then explored the forest once again. It was still early in the afternoon so they still had a lot of time on their hands, enjoying the forest as much as they could.
And as usual, Yuna was going ham on collecting once again. Though she made sure to mind not depleting the forest of its resources, the amount she gathered is no joke. If Grey could take a peek inside her storage ring, he was sure he'd find mountains upon mountains worth of herbs.
"Ladー I mean, Big Sister Yuna sure loves plants, huh..." ［Marika］
"Well, she's an alchemist, after all." ［Grey］
"An alchemist? Like an herbalist?" ［Marika］
"Well, you could say that... They're people who use plants and other materials to create medicine like potions and ointments." ［Grey］
"I see..." ［Marika］
Hearing Grey's words, Marika could finally understand Yuna's behavior. She herself had met a lot of herbalists in their village, and all of them happened to have a rather extreme liking to herbs, roots, and the likes. Just like Yuna.
The only problem with what Marika is thinking was that even amongst the alchemist and herbalists, Yuna was an extreme case. There's only a few who can compare to her when it comes to gathering herbs and sweeping the forest almost clean. She was unlike any other.
"Ah! Come to think of it! There's 'that place', isn't it?" ［Marika］
"'That place'...?" ［Grey］
"Umm... I haven't been there myself since it's forbidden to enter, but there's a place in Torogi with a lot of strange herbs." ［Marika］
Or so she says, but hearing her words, Grey couldn't think they were simply some "strange herbs" as Marika had said them to be. Grey's intuition was saying that it's not that simple and that they're even more valuable than Marika makes it out to be.
"By strange herbs... You mean those that turn the air cold as ice or sometimes combusting into flames?" ［Grey］
"H-How did you know?! Big Brother Grey, are you a mind reader?" ［Marika］
"Hahaha. I'm not. It's just a hunch, a hunch." ［Grey］
And Grey was right. The "strange herbs" Marika was referring to were none other than magic plants which are very valuable ingredients in alchemy. Very sought out items by both alchemists and collectors alike.
"Yuna! We're going somewhere fun! You in?!" ［Grey］
A large and adventurous smile on his face, Grey called out to Yuna, and the latter simply tilted her head in confusion. But the very moment she heard where they were going, the little confusion she once felt turned into excitement. An extremely high level of excitement.
Led by Marika, the three hit the forest paths once again and traversed the rough and uneven terrain, all the while the forest's peaceful and calming melody played in the background. Only a fun and exciting adventure awaited them.
It didn't take too long before they reached the spot. Rather than in the open forest, it was sheltered inside a large cavern, light only seeping through from the cracks and holes in the ceiling. A very secretive location.
Even then, the place was not dim at all. All sorts of colors, ranging from red to violet, glimmered in the walls as the some of the plants glowed ever so brightly, illuminating the dark and moist cave as the water droplets trickled down the stalactites.
"A... A... Amazing! There's so many magic plants! I haven't seen these! And these ones too! Wait, no, I shouldn't dilly-dally any longer! I need to pick them! Wait! How do I even pick them?!" ［Yuna］
A loud outburst echoed in the air as Yuna's head turned left and right and her eyes swam in all directions. She could barely contain herself, wanting to just dive towards them, pick them up, and store them in her storage ring.
Well, who wouldn't be excited? After all, not only were there flowers which glowed like lanterns, there were also flowers that breathed literal fire, grasses which turns moisture into ice, and even ones which electricity is coiling over. It was a mystical paradise.
"Now, now, Yuna, let's not p get too excited, shall we? You might hurt yourself if you act recklessly. I'll appraise them first." ［Grey］
"A-Ah, of course! Please, and thank you!" ［Yuna］
Grey didn't waste a single second. As soon as he finished his words, he quickly used his eyes and appraised every single plant all at once. And, oh boy, the results are even more shocking than he expected.
Not only were the number of magic plants in the area numbering thousands, possibly much higher, they are also amongst the highest quality as well. Some were even amongst the ingredients to make Divine-Grade items. It was not just a simple cavern, it was a treasure trove.
"Hm? Is something wrong, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"No... Nothing... The magic plants are all safe to pick." ［Grey］
"Yaay～! This is the best!" ［Yuna］
"Ah, right. Just make sure not to pick too much, alright? Or else, we won't be able to get more when we come back. Practice moderation!" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Or so Grey says, but what he was actually worried the most was how the hell did such an island exist. He simply couldn't wrap his head around why such an isolated island was so abundant in resources.
The barriers, the diversity, the absence of monsters, and now, even a place full of magic plants. Torogi just became more and more mysterious the more time passed. The more Grey learnt, the lesser he knew. A total mystery.
'Haah... Just what the hell is this island...' ［Grey］
CHAPTER 231 END