Chapter 17: A New Life
"...tch."
When I woke up, Grace's sleeping face was right beside me, and for a moment, I felt my heartbeat quicken.
I quickly remembered what happened last night and understood, but it was somewhat stimulating to have someone suddenly appear in my sight without any mental preparation after just waking up... Grace's face feels too perfect. I'm used to seeing it, but it's been a while since we've been this close, face to face.
"...Mm, good morning, Lord Theodore."
Did I wake her up with my movement? Grace opened her eyes slightly and smiled.
"...Yeah, good morning."
Nothing special happened... but it's a bit embarrassing. We slept together on the floor of the master bedroom, laying blankets randomly without even getting into the bed.
"Lord Theodore, are you still resting? If your meal is ready, I will call you."
Saying that, Grace sits up.
Outside the window, it still feels like dawn has just begun. I seem to have woken up a little too early... but I feel refreshed because I was able to sleep deeply.
"I'll help. I'll change and wash my face."
For breakfast, we made vegetable soup with leftovers from the ingredients we bought during our journey, along with black bread. It feels like a standard choice, but we should use up the ingredients before they go bad. The rabbit meat we bought at the market is also in the soup, so the quality is decent.
However, that alone is bland, especially since we've just arrived at the border city. Among the emergency rations and ingredients we bought before delving into the labyrinth yesterday, there was a mushroom monster called Whispermash. So this time, I decided to make it the main ingredient.
Whispermash is, as usual, a mushroom monster that can be collected or rather subjugated in the Twilight Forest.
The actual creature is a walking mushroom about the size of a watermelon. Its physical attacks are not much of a threat, but you need to be slightly cautious of its sleep magic. Also, be aware of the poisonous subspecies... However, it's easy to distinguish them by the color and pattern of the cap, so there shouldn't be a problem.
The items lined up in the market were already dispatched and sliced, but since they were originally the size of watermelons, each slice was large. If we cut one piece and eat it with Grace, it should be just the right amount.
Grace heated a frying pan on the stove and spread a thin layer of olive oil. When it was nicely warmed up, she added mushrooms and bacon. The pleasant sound of sautéing echoed in the frying pan.
Then, she sprinkled salt and spices, and when they were cooked thoroughly, it was ready. It was sautéed Whispermush.
With the main dish on the table, it became breakfast facing each other.
"How is it?"
The taste of Whispermush is quite similar to shiitake mushrooms. It has a crispy texture and a flavorful taste, so it's quite delicious. Grace is skilled at cooking, and the seasoning is just right.
"Yeah, it's delicious."
"Is that so? Thank you."
When I expressed my honest opinion, Grace smiled.
Hmm. From the Sabona Tree sap to Whispermush... I want to arrive at the Twilight Forest early. There are many useful things there that I can use myself, and there is also a high demand, so it can become a stable source of income.
"There were various unfamiliar ingredients yesterday, and I was a bit lost."
"That's unique to the border city, right?"
Whispermush is like that, and there was also Flying Shark's fin. The items available in the market change depending on the adventurers' activities, but I would prefer to avoid worm meat and some other things.
"What are your plans for today?"
"I'll get some information from the guild and then go shopping. I'm thinking of buying furniture... but it might be a bit early to go out. Until then, I'll do some weeding in the garden as a little activity."
"Understood."
And so, it's time to do some weeding after the meal.
I will cut the overgrown grass in the garden from end to end... but I will do it with magic without using tools like a sickle.
Using a staff would quickly deplete its lifespan, so I will use magic with my bare hands... Although it's just weeding, it's not entirely safe.
Even in untouched areas like this, there are sometimes monsters called Evil Weeds lurking, even in the city.
They have buds and flower parts that resemble mouths, and they even have teeth. They are not particularly threatening, but if you touch them, they will bite back... They are weeds with self-defense mechanisms.
They spread their seeds far by spitting them out from their mouths, so they can be found almost anywhere. Due to their nature, they are quite disliked by those who work as gardeners.
Just as its name suggests, it's generally weak for a weed... but if it bites you, it stings a little. Well, maybe "sting" isn't the right word; it's more of an annoying itch. It's the kind of monster that children unknowingly reach out to, get bitten, and come back home crying with blood flowing from tooth marks... that level of creature. Well, it's like being cautious enough not to cut your hand on pampas grass leaves or get pricked by thorns.
In early autumn, in addition to biting, they also have the ability to scatter seeds as an attack, but even that isn't very dangerous. It could be dangerous if it gets into your eyes, but these guys seem reluctant to use their precious seeds for attacks, so they rarely do it.
By the way, you can't expect to extract anything valuable from Evil Weed. Around autumn, you can extract some magical stone components from its seeds, but even if you try to use extraction magic now, it's just a drop in the bucket. Truly, it's just a weed.
"Well then, let's get started."
"Yes, please be careful not to get injured."
"Grace too, since we'll encounter weeds."
"Yes."
Grace is also in a released state from the curse tools, fully prepared for combat. Grace's regenerative abilities decrease under sunlight, so it's not like injuries would heal instantly, making it better to avoid getting hurt.
Now then. Let's start cutting from the edges. The magic I'm using is Water Magic, the third level, Water Cutter. With a blade of water enveloping my palm, I effortlessly cut down the weeds from the roots.
As for Grace, she swings her axe from a safe distance and mows down the grass in a grand manner.
I think it would be better to have a proper sickle... but when released, her tools have no durability and would break immediately. In a sealed state, Grace is on par with an ordinary person, so in the end, it's more efficient for her to swing the axe while released.
A large scythe with a metal handle would clearly be purely for combat, and it feels like a bit of a waste to buy such a thing just for mowing grass.
"I found one!"
"Grreeep!"
As expected, an Evil Weed had sneaked in, and Grace grabbed it by the neck, mercilessly cutting it down from the base with her axe as it screamed.
Meanwhile, I also spotted a weed from the side. I carefully cut it down with the Water Cutter, and using Cyclone, a second-level Wind Magic, I swept up the other weeds and piled them up in a sunny spot.
Hmm... maybe because it's not a utility magic, it's a bit bothersome to use low-level offensive magic in situations like this. Perhaps because I'm focusing a lot on control, it feels like I'm consuming more magical power than necessary.
In the end, my shoulders feel stiff. I really want to learn utility magic as soon as possible.
"Excuse me, is this Mr. Theodore's residence?"
As I continued trimming the grass in the garden, a voice echoed from around the entrance.
When I walked up to the gate, there was the receptionist from the guild yesterday. I'm pretty sure her name was Heather. Behind her were the Forest Birds.
"Yes, this is the right place. Um, Heather, right?"
"Yes. I'm sorry for bothering you while you're busy."
"Oh no, it's just trimming the grass."
After exchanging a few words with Heather, I shifted my gaze to the Forest Birds.
"Good morning, Teo-kun."
"Good morning, Teo-kun."
"Yeah, good morning."
For now, I decided to open the gate and let them into the garden.
"We haven't furnished the house yet, so it's a bit empty inside, but I can offer you some tea if you'd like."
"Oh no, don't worry about it."
Heather chuckled.
"I got all flustered yesterday and ended up forgetting what I was asked to do. Taking a walk on my day off is part of my routine, so I thought why not. Here's an introduction letter and the address."
"Oh, thank you very much for your trouble."
I received a note with the address written on it and a letter. It seemed like Heather had also stopped by the Forest Birds while taking her walk and delivered a message. The Forest Birds must have joined her as well.
Forest Birds waking up early when they don't have a request might be unusual. Fitz, for example, looks a bit sleepy.
"Yesterday was quite an ordeal for both of you."
"Yeah, really. We were surprised to hear we were targeted."
"Yeah, and you came because of that?"
"Well... something like that. We're relieved that neither of you got injured."
Monica said while scratching her cheek, looking embarrassed.
"You two must have been in quite a predicament, so it's no wonder. I guess you turned the tables and launched a surprise attack?"
"It'll be the talk of the adventurers' circle for a while."
They were getting excited talking about it.
Well... I did know that the Forest Birds were a friendly bunch. The fact that they came to worry about me the very next day shows that they're dependable.
I'm the one who should be grateful that they weren't targeted.