CH 214

Episode 214 – Conversation While Plant Gathering

It probably took us about three hours from when we began clearing until now to arrive here at the 10th layer. Although I hadn’t participated in the Boss battle, it was my first time being able to maintain such a comfortable state of mind in the Dungeon while clearing it.

There was a moment where it had gotten dangerous, but that situation was handled with the help of Jade’s quick-wittedness… Eugh. Jade did save us, but just remembering that stench makes me want to vomit. Well, that said, although there was a moment where it had gotten dicey and where we had been pitted against a ton of monsters, we were pretty much able to reach the 10th layer without much struggle or fatigue.

―It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this strange view with my own eyes. I thought I’d never see this place again, but it sure brings me back.

“Many adventurers turn back at the 6th layer, so we only happened across one other party from the 7th layer and onward. But in the end, there are still so many people on the 10th floor, huh?” (Lewin)

“Yeah. This is one of the only stopping points in the Dungeon after all. A majority of the people use the Safe Area as a base from which they’d conquer the deeper layers, so naturally there would be a lot of people gathered here.” (Rosalie)

“Mhm. So what are we doing here?” (Aruna)

Just like Aruna, I was also rather curious about this point. It seemed that for some reason we would be staying here on the 10th layer for several days, but then again the only role this layer served was as a resting point.

I listened to Jade as he began to speak about the reasons for staying here, but— it seemed that apparently he wanted to gather plants here on the 10th layer for several days.

Most of the support he was offering from the rear guard, including the healing, was through the use of plants, and he said that he needed plants for that support.

I see… So that’s the reason why he’s able to heal with items even though he’s a beginner adventurer.

As I realized this during our fights today, Jade’s support was essential in this three-person party. Besides, if he said he was going to earn money from this too, then there was no reason to refuse. Besides, I’m just a fill-in, so I don’t have any right to refuse anyway.

The moment Aruna heard about Lewin’s plans, she immediately refused. But after she properly heard out the reasons, she agreed, and we all moved to a hidden area under Jade’s guidance to begin gathering plants. It looks like I’ll be teaching Aruna how to distinguish the plants while she gathers them, and Jade is going to be working on his own.

“Is this one Medical Herb? Magical Grass?” (Aruna)

“Uhh… It’s probably neither of them. As for their special characteristics to watch out for, the veins on the blade of the Magical Grass are slightly purplish, while the root of the Medical Herb is a bit rubbery.” (Rosalie)

“Hm. This looks purple though.” (Aruna)

“Isn’t that just a weed that looks like Magical Grass?” (Rosalie)

Since Jade said to take our time, Aruna and I went back and forth as we disputed the identity of each plant, trying not to make any mistakes. I thought that Aruna, who had a sharp, observant eye, would quickly be able to tell the difference between them as soon as I taught her about the characteristics, but it seemed that was not the case.

“Sigh. They all look the same. Hey… how much does each Medical Herb sell for?” (Aruna)

“If I remember correctly, one stalk of Medical Herb sells for about 2 copper coins .” (Rosalie)

When I told Aruna that, her expressionless face changed, and she looked even less motivated. After working so hard to distinguish between them, she must have completely lost her drive after hearing about how inefficient it was.

“Way too cheap. It’s far easier for me to earn money by working at Araku Village.” (Aruna)

“Even so, the demand for it is much higher than in other cities, so people are still paying relatively more for it.” (Rosalie)

“Hm… I want to hurry and go back to clearing the Dungeon.” (Aruna)

“I agree with you on that point, but… it seems like it would affect Jade-san’s support, so let’s hang in there for these few days.” (Rosalie)

That managed to pacify Aruna, who looked like she was about to throw a fit, and we continued our work of screening the plants. After a few moments of silence, I decided to ask her about something that had been on my mind.

“I asked you briefly when we first met, but who are you really, Aruna-san? I know you’re no normal beginner adventurer, but I’ve never heard of you in Landaust before.” (Rosalie)

“I used to do combat-related work in the imperial capital.” (Aruna)

“In the imperial capital? Then you came to this kingdom from the Empire?” (Rosalie)

She had said “imperial capital” instead of the “Empire”, so I figured that it was probably highly likely that she used to belong to the famous Imperial Holy Knights. Just as I was about to inquire further, several words escaped Aruna’s mouth before I could speak up.

“But Lewin is more amazing than I am.” (Aruna)

When I heard those words, my hands that had been moving continuously as we worked suddenly stopped. I turned to examine her expression closely. I never would have thought that Aruna, who had the ability to overwhelm the Two-Mino alone, would ever say that someone was more amazing than her.

“…Certainly, Jade-san is amazing too. He said that he had received instruction in swordsmanship in Grezesta, but I didn’t think he could fight so well.” (Rosalie)

“Yeah. He can use the sword, but what surprised me was his supporting ability.” (Aruna)

“Ah, the healing? The fact that he can provide healing for you the moment you take a hit is certainly rather astonishing.” (Rosalie)

“That’s not all. Even when you haven’t directly taken a hit, the damage gets healed right away.” (Aruna)

“Indeed, thinking back, he even noticed damage that wasn’t caused by external injury. Does he have a Rare Skill or something like that?” (Rosalie)

“Hm, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure Lewin is a Rare Skill User, but I don’t think it’s a type that detects injuries or anything like that. As for the injuries, it probably comes from his experience.” (Aruna)

His experience, is it…? He said that he used to work for the Healer’s Guild, so maybe it was due to his experience there.

“I see. Even though he’s so young, he must have been through quite the number of fights.” (Rosalie)

“This is the first time I’ve felt that someone was strong due to something that isn’t pure combat ability. At first, I accepted his invitation because I had thought our fight in the back room was interesting, but now I’m glad that I joined the party.” (Aruna)

Still, I was surprised that Aruna, who normally didn’t say much, was suddenly so talkative at the moment… But I was even more astonished to hear Aruna, who had such outstanding strength, say such a thing about Lewin. Perhaps, I might have ended up filling in for one hell of a party.

“…I’ll do my best so I don’t hold you two back.” (Rosalie)

“Yeah. You’re also strong, so I have high hopes for you, Rosalie.”

Our conversation ended there, and we got back to work on gathering plants. I hadn’t done much plant-gathering before, so my pace was slow. But in a few hours, we were able to collect a total of 15 Medical Herb and Magical Grass.