I told the others I wanted to try growing the agility seeds, so I took a few that were already sprouting, then split the rest between the other three. Apparently, they were a rare item that adventurers loved, like nuts you could eat for a quick agility boost. There were other types of seeds too, like strength seeds, wisdom seeds that powered up your mana, and defense seeds. All of them were fairly rare and usually saved for emergencies.
“Most people don’t bother trying to grow them because it’s so difficult. If you actually managed it, that’d be huge. Having rare drops you could just buy at a shop?!” Mark and Letia clearly had high hopes for me.
If they were in that high of a demand, I could ask the nature fairies for help with cultivating them.
We left the cavern and followed the path Mark cleared back to the road, where there was a soft meadow where we decided to make camp. We must have spent longer in that cavern than we thought, because the sky had turned a deep orange.
Mark and Letia worked quickly, pitching two tents and setting up cooking gear taken from their magic bags. They were such experts that neither Lynn nor I needed to do a thing. No wonder they were A-rank adventurers.
Since I’d used up nearly all my mana melting the ice golem disguised as a cavern, I was so drained I could hardly move. I told the others I was going to rest and curled up against Leaf, still in his Fenrir form, like a puppy tucked close to its mother.
A little way off, Lynn was playing with Leon, who’d become a lion cub again. She dangled a green foxtail in front of him as he batted at it with his paws.
Leon, you’re supposed to be a sacred beast! Don’t you think that’s a little undignified?
“It’s unusual for anyone to think of using Alchemy as a weapon in battle. You really saved us back there,” Letia said as she used a knife to butcher one of the evil boars we fought back in the forest. Beside her, a fire was already crackling. A pot of bubbling broth hung over it, filled with mushrooms and root veggies we’d gathered before coming here.
“I was never very good at fire magic, but I’m used to dissolving metals with Alchemy, so I thought I could do the same thing there. But the cave was so much bigger than my cauldron, it drained nearly all my mana,” I replied with a yawn. I was completely worn out, but Leaf’s warmth was incredibly soothing.
“We wouldn’t have gotten any of those items if you hadn’t had that idea. Honestly, it would’ve been a miracle to get out of there in one piece!” Lynn said. She stopped playing with Leon, walked over, and patted my head. “You did great, Daisy. Go ahead and sleep. You’re still a kid, after all. Don’t push yourself so hard.”
I nodded, feeling her palm still atop my head. The moment I did, my breathing relaxed, and I drifted off almost instantly. I didn’t even have the energy left to protest being called a kid.
“Mm…”
When I woke again, the air was filled with the savory smell of roasted meat. It was already pitch black, the campfire the only light around us.
I looked up and saw the entire sky filled with sparkling stars. There was no moon tonight.
“Wow, it’s gorgeous! I’ve never seen the night sky like this!”
Back in the royal capital, all the magic lanterns lining the street for safety drowned out the light from the stars, so it was hard to see any in the city. The night sky usually looked indigo from there, but here, it was a pure, velvety black, dotted with countless shimmering stars of all sizes. There was even a spot so thick with stars, it looked like a river flowing across the sky.
“Oh, you’re awake!” Letia called over as she sliced up the meat that had been roasting over the fire. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Hey, Letia? See those stars that look like a river in the sky? Does that have a name?” I asked, sitting up and pointing at it.
“That’s the River of the God’s Tears,” she said. “There’s an old legend that says a beautiful apostle once beloved by the gods committed a terrible sin and fell from grace. The gods wept for them, and their tears became a river of stars.”
“Wow…” I had never heard that story before. I stared up at the night sky, dazed, until someone tapped me on my shoulder.
“Here’s your dinner.” Letia set down a sturdy leaf holding a thick cut of the roasted evil boar, a fork, and a cup of steaming soup.
“Thank you! I can’t wait to eat it.” I picked up a piece of the roast with my fork and took a bite. The browned crust was seasoned well with salt and pepper, so there wasn’t a trace of gaminess left. The meat was cooked through but still moist, and rich juices burst out with each bite. It was delicious.
The soup was simple with mushrooms and veggies in a light, salty broth, but it warmed me from the inside out.
“Once you’re finished eating, you and Lynn should get some rest for tomorrow,” Mark said. “Don’t worry about taking turns keeping watch. Letia and I can take care of that.”
“If I may, we’re a special type of familiar,” Leon said. “We have no need for sleep. Please leave the watch to us.”
Leaf nodded in agreement.
In the end, Mark and Letia decided to accept the divine beasts’ offer, and we all slept inside the tents that night. I shared mine with Lynn, and Mark and Letia, used to sharing a tent on their adventures, took the other one.