The brown haired girl clears her throat.
Rosa scoops the last of the porridge into her mouth.
All while Lilia rubs her cheeks with her palms.
The girl smiles proudly as she scratches her nose.
"Well, you see, can I call you Rosa?"
Rosa nods.
"Pauline, was it? Yes, you may"
"Right, Rosa, I assume you already know our farm deals with both vegetation and livestock."
Lilia jumps in, leaning forward.
"Is it escort quest!? Please tell me it's not escort quest!"
Pauline shakes her head.
"It's not. We had our problems with frequent caravan attacks, especially since the kingdom was divided."
She takes a spoonful of porridge and swallows almost immediately.
"But we had our mercenaries especially for that. But this one problem, even they can't figure it out."
Rosa raises her eyebrow. Mercenaries in full parties, plenty of heads combined, can't figure it out.
She tries her best to disassociate the word novel and dangerous from the area named Eisenvalt.
Because those two words ring loudest whenever a mystery like this arises.
"Can you elaborate?"
Pauline softly nods.
"Our crops failed recently. But I know this isn't from the weather."
"You sure no one poured a weird mix of potions in there? When Rosa spilled her quote unquote super fertilizer, the soil she tried on wasn't able to grow anything for months!"
"It is super fertilizer! And the plant was young to begin with! I didn't know it would kill them!"
Pauline blinks blankly.
"Wait, fertilizer? How young are we talking about?"
"...Few days after they sprout, two leaves…"
Pauline's jaw drops, her eyes soften with pity.
Yet somehow, the soft eyes pierce Rosa like a thousand needles.
"It proved my point! It died because it was young! Not because…"
"Rosa… even the grasses around it wilted."
"What kind of grasses?"
Pauline weakly asks with a hollow smile.
"Your usual pave weed."
"T-they died happy! Y-you know, when you ate something so delicious your soul just flies!"
Rosa herself can't believe the pathetic excuse came from her mouth.
"Rosa…"
Pauline grabs Rosa's shoulder.
"You can't go wrong with pave weeds… yet you did…"
How can she not be desperate?
She pulled all nighters for three consecutive weeks for that experiment.
Tried again and again because nothing meaningful happened.
When something happened, all plants died within its radius.
Now the project evolved into a weed killer potion with a more controllable radius with one recurring customer.
For the fertilizer project, postponed until more botanical knowledge gained.
Hence she planted those poppy flowers in her fresh garden, yet for some reason they won't even sprout.
"A-Anyway! Enough with my weed ki- Ahem! What was the cause again!? You said it wasn't weather!"
"Right! I am sure it's not the weather and not whatever Lilia here is suggesting! Our farmers aren't that negligent! Also, we checked the soil and the nutrients were fine!"
Pauline taps her chin and twitches her eyes as if something caught her mind.
"Ah, now that I think about it. Our mage mentioned the mana concentration in the area was lower than usual."
Void Element.
Rosa's eyes immediately jump to Lilia's.
Lilia gives a weak nod. A silent warning.
"Did someone use new fertilizers or some custom made one?"
"We did make our custom fertilizers, but the minerals should be the same as usual."
"Have you checked the magical concentration around them?"
"Well, no, but…"
"Then it's still a possibility."
"As expected of Rosa, running her hippos already."
Rosa sighs yet again.
"Hypothesis, Lilia."
As she returns her gaze to Pauline, she is already looking at Rosa with sparks of amazement in her eyes.
Something flutters in Rosa's chest. She clears her throat, rubs her nose—warmth creeping up her cheeks.
"A-anyway! That's just one possibility! Any other signs?"
"R-right! The crops wilted randomly, a different area each night. It always happened after our livestock disappeared."
"Disappeared? As in, someone broke in?"
Lilia chirps.
"Not someone. Something. We always found tracks on the ground. Animal. Big one!"
"Big animal…"
Rosa's mind has no choice but to go back to Eisenvalt.
Where the giant centipedes are bigger than usual, can camouflage, and coated in void metal.
Could it be the creature is the same? If so, it would make sense since any area it walked would be drained.
But something snagged in her mind. Based on her experience, mana drain from void elements would be slow and gradual.
"Pauline, does the creature stick around for long? Like, do you have any time frame for reference?"
Pauline shakes her head.
"It doesn't stay long. The patrols usually heard the animal cry, then when they rushed in, the pen lock was broken and one of our animals is gone just like that."
Short timeframe.
Lilia sighs in relief.
"Doesn't seem like the case. What do you think? Never saw a fast acting one from my experiments."
It is exactly as Lilia said.
The time frame rules out the possibility of void element, unless there's something she didn't know about the accursed attribute that almost killed her.
Rosa knows she should be prepared for the unexpected.
If only her experiment to recreate the green potion was completed before the still exploded, she wouldn't have to scramble her head like now.
"We still need to be careful here. Anything else, Pauline? Any sight of the creature?"
Pauline tilts her gaze towards the sky.
"Well, there is one. Werner, our mercenary leader, was drunk one night when he said he saw a silhouette of a big wolf standing upright. I don't know if we should believe him though."
"Hmmm, might want to ask him more."
"Does that mean you accept the quest!?"
"With one condition, the quest has to go through the guild"
Lilia nods in agreement.
"Mmhm, agreed. Plus, it's properly recorded."
"Hmmm… Ya bunch seem to be having a good chat over here. May I jump in?"
A voice with the signature rough intonation cuts through them.
An arm wraps around Rosa's shoulder.
So much for personal space today.
"Wh-what is it? Did you smell hunger from us or something? I'm full! My diet is ruined already! What more do you want!?"
Lilia takes a step back with her defensive stance as if ready to throw down.
Except her legs clearly tremble.
A gentle sigh from Akira grabs Rosa's attention.
"Lilia… keep it up and I might reward ya with something nice."
Lilia immediately bows forward, a gesture from Nichigetsu she occasionally uses.
"I'm sorry!"
"So? What brings you here? It's unlike you to eavesdrop."
Rosa raises her eyebrows.
"I ain't no eavesdropping. Just caught something interesting in your conversation."
"Isn't that basically the same thing?"
Akira pulls Rosa closer with her arm.
"Point is, lil squeak,"
Rosa's vein throbs violently in her temple.
Yet she'd rather swallow her complaint than risk Akira's fingers dancing all over her.
"Ya take the quest. Count me in on it."
Lilia perks up.
"Wait, what? You? Quest?"
"What? It ain't nothing new. Church needs money after all."
"Didn't I just give you a ton of coin just now?"
Pauline asks, joining in.
"Just in case ya take it back. I ain't counting my eggs before they hatch."
Akira shrugs.
"Besides, earning it feels more like home."
"Well, I don't think it needs to be said, but I'm automatically in!"
Lilia strikes a victory pose with her signature smile.
Pauline clasps her hands.
"Settled! Shall we head to the guild, then?"
"Don't move things on your own, I haven't said yes yet."
"Ah, right. Rosa, would you accept my quest?"
"One more thing to confirm. How much are we talking about?"
Pauline taps her chin.
"Hmm… more or less fifteen thousand gold?"
Rosa's heart stops for a second.
Her expression freezes, and her jaw slackens.
"F-f-f-f-fifteen!? F-f-fifteen thousand!?"
Lilia stammers, pressing her fingers on her lips.
Another quest with a huge sum of money.
Even with the guild cut and divided by three, that's still four thousand.
Almost covers this month's installment.
Divided by three.
Rosa's eyes land on the nun beside her.
"Ya gonna need me. Unknown beast was it? That happens to be my speciality."
Lilia squints her eyes.
"Do you even have a guild card?"
Akira lets out another sigh.
She swipes a card from her pocket and flaunts it in the air.
"Course I do! This ain't my first ride!"
Of course she has one.
A desperate nun who takes on multiple odd jobs.
She wouldn't miss the obvious unstable hustles.
"So? How is the reward? Is it okay? Or do I need to add more?"
"MORE!?"
Lilia and Rosa shout in unison.
Rosa shakes her head violently.
"I-it's fine! Really! I already…"
"Just tell me if you need more! Grandma told me to spare no expense!"
This girl is serious.
Rosa exchanges glances with both Akira and Lilia.
Three of them nod at the same time.
"Fifteen is… already a lot, really. But if the quest proves too much, we'll settle it post completion."
"If you say so. Then, would you accept the quest, Rosa?"
Pauline's hand flies forward, hanging in the air for a handshake.
She throws her warmest smile.
Butterflies flutter and scramble around Rosa's stomach.
Her throat bobs as she forces her hand forward and gently takes Pauline's hand.
"I accept."
…
Grass. Green grass. Cold air.
And the burning of her lungs.
She takes one breath after another as her chest moves rapidly.
All despite the smell of dairy animals and manure not too far from her.
Lilia's hand already glides on her back. She can't decide whether it's a comforting or mocking gesture.
Knowing her, it's probably both.
"Haaah… haaah…"
"Seems like we're back in the northern region~"
The travel was supposed to take three days. Northern region, near the mountain range.
Way shorter than Eisenvalt, yet probably around the same altitude. Still, they took almost four days to arrive.
Rosa's legs crumble as she slumps to the ground.
Her staff falls to the ground.
Akira stretches, now wearing her adventurer gear.
No habit covers her orange tail and ears.
Hanging on her hips are a pair of strange weapons.
Both shaped like short blades, yet the metal is almost as thin as a rapier.
There are no edges around it, just round and blunt down to the tips.
The guard is extended all the way to either side, forming prongs around the main metal.
"Well, who knew we would deal with FIFTH bandit raid on our trip?"
Pauline rubs the back of her head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't prepare enough spare wheels. I thought four were enough."
"...Haah…Haaah…"
Rosa forces herself to stand up.
Yet her legs are not cooperating.
"Why… why would they always aim for the wheels?"
Rosa's reserve runs thin.
She had to help the other caster just to levi the cart.
"Ho ho ho ho ho"
A familiar laugh hits her ears as the grass rustles in front of her.
"Ah, grandma Ursula!"
Pauline immediately rushes in to hug her.
"Glad you came back safe, Pauline."
Ursula shifts her gaze towards Rosa.
"My, my. What do I have here? Familiar faces."
Then to Lilia.
"Two of them, in fact!"
Lilia leans forward and squints her eyes.
"Have we met before?"
"Watermelon old lady, harvest festival."
Rosa chimes in.
Ursula smiles warmer as Lilia widens her eyes.
"Aaaaah! You're the fruit contest winner! The old lady with watermelon as big as a cow!"
"Bigger than a cow, in fact. Welcome to my farm."
"Pleasure to be here! I am Lilia!"
Rosa clears her throat.
"I haven't properly introduced myself, but I am Rosalina Grace."
"Akira, pleased to meet ya!"
"Ursula. Ursula Hoffman. The current owner of the Hoffman farm."
Hoffman farm. She briefly heard the name before.
One of the largest mana-rich farm product suppliers across the kingdom.
Only dwarfed by the Feldmann farm in terms of quantity.
"Come in, I've prepared the room to talk. You must be exhausted."
Ursula glances the ruined cart.
"Very exhausted. Let me also fetch you some water."
Rosa tries to stand up once more with all of her strength.
Suddenly, Lilia crouches in front of her.
"Hop on, little buddy!"
"Lilia... I can walk."
Rosa's voice comes out low as her vein twitches again.
"Your legs say otherwise~"
A pair of hands pushes Rosa forward from behind.
"Just get on, lil squeak. We ain't got all day."
"I'm not-"
The hands push again. Rosa stumbles onto Lilia's back.
"Akira!"
"What? Ya weren't moving."
Rosa gives up with another sigh as Lilia hoists her up.
"Fine…"
As they walk across the farm, Rosa glances to the other side of the fence.
Cows graze around the grassland. Some moo lazily.
On the adjacent hillside, a flock of sheep wanders within the perimeter.
All while a dog circles the pasture.
As she gazes further, rows of netted enclosures stretch across the field.
The mesh walls wave from the breeze.
A small hut perches at the edge of the orchard, near the hillside where rows of trees line up.
Wooden boxes are stacked neatly beside it.
People in suits made of loose mesh tend them.
Several greenhouses stand in a row further along.
The structure is quite large. What kinds of crops do they plant there?
In the direction they're headed, a large house sits like a lone mansion.
Probably the busiest place across the farm with people coming in and out of the gate.
They enter the house by the front entrance.
Two large oak doors with elven carvings greet them.
One of them is open.
"Lilia... how long do you plan to carry me?"
Lilia doesn't answer.
"Lilia..."
"Until the seat?"
"Three seconds until my hands find-"
"Fine! Fine!"
Lilia reluctantly puts Rosa down.
"You don't have to add threats to everything, you know?"
Rosa ignores her, already eyeing the interior.
Inside, the décor is modest, yet she can tell almost everything runs on mana stones.
Even for mundane things.
The rocking chair has motion glyphs.
Light glyphs are attached almost everywhere and are on even in daytime.
Leaving no dark spots inside the house.
Even the door has both physical locks and a Spheiren sigil.
The alarm system is the same as the one Rosa is using for her shop.
One mechanism in particular grabs her attention.
A list of names, race, physical descriptions, and time of recording.
A snap sigil, one she doesn't recognize, and two archive sigils—connected in sequence. One archive feeds in, the other outputs.
Her eyes track to the bottom of the list.
Pauline, human, brown hair wearing green, 11.37 AM.
Ursula, human, grey hair wearing brown, 11.37 AM
Guest, human, pink hair wearing brown and green, 11.38 AM.
Warning : Weapons detected. Enchanted Knuckles.
Guest, human, black hair wearing red, 11.38 AM
Warning : Weapons detected. Caster Staff.
Guest, kemomimi, orange hair wearing white, 11.38 AM
Warning : Weapons detected. Sai.
"This is…"
"Ho ho ho, don't mind it. Just a security measure. Had to put one after one of our former staff was caught stealing."
Ursula waddles in front of the paper and presses the archive sigil on top of the log.
"Rosa, was it? Can you please step forward?"
Rosa nods and takes the step forward.
The snap sigil glows for a moment.
Then in the spot she presses, a new entry is added to the top archive sigil.
Next one is Lilia, then Akira.
"It's quite difficult to get a permit from the Bureau for this, you know?"
Ursula continues to walk as she guides them.
Rosa knows that too well, complete with both shiver and slight trauma.
The alchemy practice license, quarterly audits, and the bureaucracy needed every time she wanted to add a new product.
All of that documentation she doesn't have time for.
As they arrive in what appears to be the guest room, someone in a proper maid uniform is standing by.
"Welcome back, Madam Ursula. How would you like to serve our guests?"
"The usual, please. Maybe add some ginger cookies and extra water for the little one."
Rosa doesn't have the energy to protest, even in silence.
The maid nods gracefully.
"As you wish, Madam."
"I'll help too!"
Pauline and the maid exit the room.
Ursula turns around and gestures towards the chair.
"Now now, please make yourself at home"
After all of them are seated, Ursula clears her throat.
"Now, I believe you guys are here for the quest, no?"