The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature-Chapter 48 : There's Something You Can Help With

"Long time no see. Glad to see you're doing well from the look on your face."
The person dispatched from the Mage Tower was the wanderer, Colin Sieger.
His light greeting, weightless gestures, and the contrasting ferocious appearance were the same even after time had passed.
If anything, he seemed even more slovenly than before.
The way he sat down on the living room chair without my permission, as if it were his own house, was proof of that.
"If you have any management secrets, could you teach me? As I get older, I can feel myself aging day by day. The kids won't like this."
Slap!
A small hand fearlessly patted the threatening back that would make one automatically lower their eyes if they met on the street.
As the small hand slapped, Colin cringed, unbecoming of his large frame.
"...That hurts, my disciple."
"You shouldn't be rude in someone else's house."
Sage Dailoper nagged in a low voice.
"My disciple, we're not strangers, why would we care about such things?"
"We are strangers. If your face is like that, at least your actions should be gentlemanly."
"That's harsh."
"You should be grateful that at least I'm telling you this. You need to know what to reflect on to improve. Remember how hurt you were when you heard the rumor that the head of the school was threatening someone just by talking to them. That shouldn't happen again."
"..."
It was a merciless, sharp remark, contrary to her thin voice.
Colin, reminded of a sad memory, crossed his brawny arms and looked down at his disciple.
It looked like he was on the verge of physically punishing his impudent disciple, but he wasn't.
Drooping corners of his eyes. Tightly closed lips.
That was an expression of sulking.
...It wasn't a pleasant sight.
"And you, my disciple, why do you sit down without permission?"
"Because I'm not a stranger."
"Hah..."
At the answer that left him speechless, Colin could only let out a sigh.
"...Right?"
Despite her bold nagging, her confidence suddenly hit rock bottom when it came to her own story.
I spoke to the blue eyes that were glancing at me as if seeking approval.
"I even made a room for you to come and play whenever you want."
"…!"
To be precise, it was a guest room, but it didn't cost anything to pay lip service.
"Seeing you two talk, it seems you've gotten quite close."
In fact, rather than getting close, Colin was being unilaterally beaten up.
To point out her rudeness, her reasoning was sound and her logic was clear.
He probably accepted it because he also thought she wasn't wrong.
It was a common relationship between a sharp child and a debauched teacher.
"...My master doesn't act his age."
Still, this time it was clearly a nagging filled with goodwill.
It was much better than the prickly personality of the future who would snap back for the sake of opposition.
"I didn't expect you to come too. Has the Mage Tower's educational policy become so lax as to allow you to go out already?"
The wanderer Colin was probably looking for an excuse to run out of the Mage Tower, so that was expected, but Sage was a surprise.
Isn't it time for her to be learning the basic subjects?
Even though Colin was free-spirited, he wasn't lax in terms of education, so it was even more puzzling.
"No, the Mage Tower's educational policy is the same."
"Yes, I had a really hard time getting permission to go."
"Then how did you come?"
"I learned everything."
"…?"
Sage said something amazing as if it were nothing.
"I passed the test and got permission to go out."
"She absorbed it like a water-soaked cotton. She understands and applies everything I teach her, to the point where I'm afraid she'll steal all my knowledge."
His eyes, looking at his disciple, were full of satisfaction.
...The flaw was that due to his fierce impression, he looked like he was plotting a crime.
He was genuinely pleased with his disciple's talent.
'Is it because her mind is still soft?'
It was a late age to start magic, but it was true that the younger one was, the easier it was to learn.
Since she had entered the Mage Tower several years earlier than in the original story, she was probably demonstrating her genius at its peak, not the genius that had been somewhat dampened.
Although I didn't expect it to be this much.
'If she grows up quickly, it's good for me.'
A high-level mage is a valuable asset.
Not just for artifact creation, but she could be used in any field.
Age was not a problem.
The child was just underdeveloped from not eating well, she wasn't that young.
Among the monsters I knew in this world, there were some younger than Sage.
"..."
"…?"
Sage was staring only at me, completely ignoring her master's gaze.
She was acting as if nothing was wrong, but it was clearly an action of wanting something.
"...Yes, you did well."
As I nodded and praised her, Sage finally stopped looking at me and sat upright.
She clenched her fists and tapped her small feet.
Why is she trying to hide it when she can just be happy?
Is it something like, 'I'm amazing, so I'm not happy about praise'?
It was instinct, not reason, that wanted the praise.
"That's enough about how you've been, let's get to the main point."
The two of them had a friendly relationship with me, but they hadn't come to play.
As a contractor nominated by the Mage Tower, it was time for me to focus on my work.
"Alright, you've probably understood the general outline by reading the request form, right?"
"It's a request with two main objectives. The execution of a traitor and the recovery of an item."
"You've understood it correctly."
Colin laid out several photos on the table.
A photo of a man with a nervous impression and a weapon that emitted an extraordinary glow.
The last photo showed the man running away with the weapon in his arms.
"The priority is the recovery of the item. The execution of the traitor can be given up if it's not feasible."
"It must be an important item."
"Important enough to bend the Mage Tower's pride and make a request to a contractor. It's an item that must be recovered."
Is it that much?
It didn't look that special on the outside.
'...I think I've seen it somewhere.'
I had a sense of déjà vu.
If it was an item I knew and the Mage Tower was desperately looking for it, it was definitely not an ordinary item.
"It's called the Blade Knuckle of Ainsipal. This traitor stole the artifact, which was being researched after being recovered from a ruin, and ran away."
"...Blade Knuckle."
I remembered it when I heard the name.
'Isn't that an infamous weapon?'
It was a weapon used by a member of Madhouse, that infamous armed group.
'It's worth the Mage Tower's effort to recover it.'
The unfortunate thing was that, as far as I knew, the final owner was a member of Madhouse.
The story probably progressed without the Mage Tower recovering it in the game's story.
"What about the Mage Tower's special forces, and why did the request come to me?"
"Those guys are busy chasing the remnants of the Illeman school. The Mage Tower's shame was deeper than I thought."
"Prioritizing the recovery of the item means you'll chase him later even if you miss him."
"That's right. We know his whereabouts, but we're short on hands, so we're borrowing your hands temporarily."
I understood the situation.
I also understood the importance of the request.
It was a case worth my intervention.
'If I can recover the Blade Knuckle and seal it in the Mage Tower, it's a good deal.'
If I could take away the weapon of a Madhouse member, it would be a big long-term gain.
Since they were close to a criminal organization, there was a high probability that I would become hostile to them.
If there was a chance to cut down the enemy's power, it was right to intervene without hesitation.
"If you know his whereabouts, let's leave right away. Where is he?"
"Whoa, don't try to move too hastily."
"…?"
Colin stopped me as I was about to get up.
He had just explained that it was an important item for the Mage Tower, so what's with this?
Don't tell me he can't break his old habit and is trying to slack off.
As I glared at him with narrowed eyes, Colin snorted as if he were wronged and protested.
"He's not someone you can just chase after blindly. If he were, he would have been caught long ago."
"Is he good at running away?"
"He's quick-witted. It's better to catch him in the act if possible."
"In the act?"
"The Blade Knuckle, I mean."
Colin made a circle with his thumb and forefinger.
"The intel is that he's trying to sell it off."
***
"Wow."
Sage's eyes widened in admiration.
Her honest expression of emotion made me feel proud.
"This is the vegetable garden I'm growing. There aren't many plants that have grown properly yet, but they'll grow quickly with time."
The place I brought Sage to was the World Tree's vegetable garden.
It was a place I should have hidden to avoid troublesome arguments, but I secretly wanted to show it off.
Anyway, Sage was someone I could show off to without worry.
Since she had received a lot of help from me, I could explain it with confidence.
"Raspberries, grapes, and tomatoes. You can eat the raspberries."
In fact, they weren't plants to be grown in this season, but the spirits were all-powerful.
The raspberries bore fruit on the first day, and the rest were growing vigorously.
Sage hesitantly picked a raspberry with a careful touch and ate it, then her eyes lit up and she moved her hands like a machine.
It didn't take long for the red bush to become bare.
"...Should I pack some for you to take with you?"
She eats well.
Sage finally stopped her hands and fanned her reddened face with her hand.
"Ahem, no. There aren't that many, are there?"
"It's okay, I can just grow more."
"It's a waste."
Sage grumbled like a child her age.
"If I take them, they'll be snatched by the other kids before I can eat them."
Even as the head of the school's disciple, she basically lives in a dormitory.
It seems even the noble mages are the same in front of food.
"It seems different from the crops I've eaten before."
"I put some effort into it."
The foundation was laid by the World Tree and the spirits, but the subsequent management was thanks to my hard work.
"From now on, I'll be able to provide vegetables and fruits personally without paying a high price."
Her face brightened up, it seems she really liked the fruit she tasted.
It's a new world when you taste it after only eating withered pseudo-vegetables.
Since she was still in her growing period, I was willing to provide her with as much as she wanted, at least while she was staying here.
"It's amazing. It looks good too."
"Right?"
"Yes, I've grown potatoes before, but they've never been this lively."
...I think I see an angle here.
At her sparkling eyes that couldn't hide her curiosity, I subtly brought it up.
"If you're curious, should I explain a little about them? Plants change a lot depending on how you manage them."
"Really?"
"I'm a druid. Trust me."
In fact, it was knowledge I had from before, but it was a good enough excuse.
"Raspberries are woody plants of the rose family."
"Woody plants?"
"Simply put, they are plants with large and hard stems and roots."
"Aha."
"There are thorns on the stem, but they're so small that you don't have to be too careful. The leaves grow alternately, and the tips are pointed, right? This isn't just for them, but it's similar in the same rose family..."
There was a lot to explain.
From the charm of their characteristic appearance and cultivation methods to the academic field, there was no end to it if I were to talk.
At first, Sage listened attentively, but after a while, she seemed to have lost interest and twirled her side hair.
I, who had been excitedly chattering away alone, read the suddenly quiet air and cut my words short.
"...Are you bored?"
"I'm not interested in the details you're blabbering on about."
"..."
No, it's interesting if you listen to it.
But I also knew my mistake.
Proselytizing is usually done slowly and secretly.
I got excited because it had been too long since I had a chance to talk.
Today wasn't the only day.
There would be many opportunities to talk in the future, so I just had to slowly dye her, like paper getting wet in water.
Sage, unaware of my plan, nonchalantly changed the subject.
"If the scale gets bigger, you could do business with this."
"Business?"
"If you try to sell them, people will line up to buy them."
"Hmm..."
Business.
It was an option worth considering.
However, the problems were the establishment of a stable supply chain and maintaining secrecy... It wasn't a problem that could be solved now.
There was still a long way to go to worry about such peripheral parts.
'I should consider it later.'
There was someone I could ask.
It was hard to build a friendship, but if I asked, they would handle it skillfully.
So there was no need to rush into things now.
"Now that you've finished the basic education, you'll be initiated into the school's unique magic."
"Yes, they say the school's magic won't be as easy as the basic theory, so I came out to see your face and get some fresh air before that."
"You don't have to be anxious, you'll do well, so have confidence."
"...Really?"
"I guarantee it."
Sage clenched her fists in front of her chest and boosted her will.
It was like she was finally being initiated into magic that suited her aptitude.
She would find it fun, not difficult enough to tear her hair out.
"If you have difficulties..."
There was only one case.
"It would be the lack of accumulated mana."
"Can't that be overcome with talent?"
"It can be compensated for in terms of efficiency, but the absolute value ultimately depends on time."
No matter how much of a genius one was, a month's work could not be greater than a commoner's several years.
The representative reason why the future Sage was disregarded in the Mage Tower was the lack of mana.
Her situation was better than that now, but it was natural to have difficulties at the beginning.
"Then what should I do?"
"You have to work hard silently."
"...I guess there's no choice."
Sage became sullen and drew a picture on the ground with her finger.
Well, what can't be done, can't be done.
Although her ambition was great, she was not a stubborn person who would force things that couldn't be done.
"But it's not like there's no way at all."
"…?"
"If this request goes as planned, I might be able to get you something that will help you."
It wasn't an empty promise, but a claim with a valid basis.
'The target is planning to put the item up for auction, he said.'
Auction.
The city's largest black market.
In that place where rare items from all over the world gathered, there were also items that could overcome a temporary lack of mana.
"In that sense, there's something you can help with."
"Just say the word."
Sage shot a strong gaze, her motivation burning with excitement.
Her talent was not yet ripe, but it was a task that even she could solve sufficiently.
"Artifact creation. It's similar to before."
If it goes as planned, I would be able to transform the World Tree's new, difficult-to-use ability into something useful for combat.
(End of Chapter)