CH 45

The next morning. After helping to make breakfast, Maki and Chiharu watched as the soldiers left. All of them would be going at once on the first day.

“This is a health resort, so you should relax and stay low here.”

Edwy insisted.

“Gromble is a big town, so as royals, we will be treated well by the mayor. And when we’re not, we’ll probably be in the dungeons. But then again…I’d be worried if you weren’t nearby as well…”

Edwy was still being a little tedious.

“Well, we are both seven years older than you. So you shouldn’t worry.”

Maki said. He looked a little crestfallen then.

“I do want to stay close to you, Maki and Chiharu. But as a researcher, I must observe the monsters of the dungeon. I believe that it will benefit you two in the long run. Now you two stay safe.”

Aeris said as he hugged them. The magic stones were being created at a much faster pace ever since they reached Gromble. They could now make two in one day.

“Well, I will stay behind.”

“You proved to be surprisingly worthless, after all. But perhaps you are still better than nothing.”

Aeris said, referring to Grudo’s useless guards. Then he and Edwy left together.

“Ah, well. Maki, I’m surprised at how well you can hold your drink.”

That was all Kaider could say.

“Uh, maybe when we get back, we can see who can drink more.”

“Nope. Drink is meant to be tasted and enjoyed.”

“I see.”

“But there is still a lot that we haven’t tasted together. So let’s drink when we get back.”

“Aye.”

I happen to be here too… And I’m just as strong as Maki, you know? Chiharu thought as she watched them and grinned.

“And you Chiharu. Don’t get kidnapped again, alright?”

“Yes, yes. Goodbye Nyran.”

Nyran laughed and brushed the hair away from Chiharu’s face before leaving with Kaider.

“The discrepancy.”

“It’s a gap in prince power.”

“There’s no such thing.”

They started to laugh, as if to try and forget about the loneliness.

“Maki. Chiharu. What are your plans for today?”

Grudo asked.

“We were thinking of taking lunch out with us and seeing the lavender fields.”

“Then I guess I will rest in the inn. You have guards, after all.”

“That’s fine. You can rest. We me be out for a while, as we’re taking food with us.”

“Be careful.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Maki and Chiharu took some sandwiches and water and went out to the lavender fields. They had a guard follow them from a short distance. They still weren’t used to this kind of thing, and didn’t like it at all. But there was no helping it. And they knew that they should be grateful.

The two of them had once visited Hokkaido together. That’s when they had eaten the lavender ice cream in fact. The tourist site was a farm where beautiful fields of lavender grew over vast hills. They were able to walk through it as the wind blew through the flowers.

Maki and Chiharu talked about their memories there as they walked towards the hill. There had been lavender caramel and lavender cookies. It was always food. But there was also soap, purified water and hand cream as well.

“Oh, it’s a lot closer than I thought.”

“Yes, uh, wait. My perspective is messed up.”

“Huh?”

They both looked up at the field in shock. It was as if they were in a jungle.

Was this a field? The lavenders were planted in rows and there were no other plants at all. However, where could they walk? They had been in sunflower mazes that had more obvious paths to walk in. But these lavenders were so tall that neither of them could see ahead.

“Walk…”

“Where can we eat…”

“Eat? What are you two talking about!”

“What!”

“What!”

Something jumped out from the tall lavender plants.

“Is it a Koro-pok-guru?”

“Those mythical things?”

“How dare you. Well, I don’t know what that is, but it sounds rude.”

It was a dwarf girl.

“I was wondering who it was talking so mindlessly during harvesting season. A couple of humans, huh? That’s unusual!”

She was about 130 cm tall. She wore a dwarven one-piece and a white apron tightly around her waist and carried a basket on her back. Her hands were on her hips now and she looked at them up and down with a glare.

“Tourists? Is that what you are?”

“Uh, we came with the Midland soldiers. We help the cooks.”

“But the soldiers just went off to the dungeons? Did they leave you behind?”

“Yes, they will be fed at the inn.”

Perhaps the girl liked that her face was closer to her level, because she only talked to Chiharu.

“So is that why you’re so idle? Oh, that’s not it!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’re all out of work, aren’t you? What about pay? Are you paid daily?”

Chiharu was taken aback. This girl kept pushing and pushing.

“Yes, every day.”

“Then that means!!”

The girl thrust out her finger and pointed at them.

“You two are unemployed!”

Oh. Well, now that she mentioned it…uh… Unemployed… They were supposed to be Saintesses. They even made magic stones.

The girl grinned at them.

“Then I shall tell you something very useful.”

Huh? To us unemployed people?

“It happens to be harvesting season now, but we don’t have enough hands. If you help us, we’ll pay you 5,000 gil a day. What do you think?”

“Uh, but…”

“You two are rather tall. And since we are just harvesting the flowers, I don’t see why we shouldn’t use your height to our advantage.”

Indeed, someone as short as her would not be able to reach them.

But… They had come all this way here to relax. But the girl continued.

“Of course, it includes lunch. We’re all going to gather together and cook some meat.”

Meat! Maki and Chiharu’s faces changed instantly. The girl laughed in triumph.

“You’re still growing, after all. Also, we have snack time in the morning and afternoon.”

“We’ll do it!”

“We’ll do it!”

“Yes! Employees acquired!”

And so Maki and Chiharu were led away by the Koro-pok-guru, no, dwarf girl, and disappeared into the lavender jungle. The guard had no time to stop them.

On the other hand, the Midland team were currently moving through the town of Gromble. The Adventurers who watched them did not seem very welcoming to the soldiers. But why?

This was because, the fact that there were more monsters now meant that they didn’t have to go in very deep in order to acquire magic stones. But what if monsters started to come out of the dungeons? Well, they would just make as much money as they could and then escape Gromble when it became too dangerous.

The inns didn’t mind. They got more customers this way. However, the soldiers did not go out shopping or use money. Would they even sell the stones to the town? People wondered about these things, and so many of them were not too happy about this visit.

Monsters overflowing? That had never happened before. What had the country been thinking? Inviting all of these people.

“I don’t like the feel of this.”

“It must be an effect of the miasma.”

“It makes you only able to think about yourself.”

The miasma made your emotions run wild. It meant more fighting. Not only that, the miasma increased your own greed.

“I don’t remember it being like this before.”

“We’re not even that far from the health resort, but it’s completely different.”

“It really is.”

It was a good thing that Maki and Chiharu were left behind. This would clearly not be an easy job like back in Shiel. That is what the three princes thought.