kscans

Chapter 21 - My Master's Footprints in the Tree Sea

Leonhard and Mireille decided to survey the area within a one-kilometer radius of the tower.

A one-kilometer distance was manageable. Even with slightly poor footing, a normal girl could make the round trip in under an hour. They set the Monster-Repelling Bell to cover only the range they planned to explore.

"We'll survey up to one kilometer, but I'll worry if you get too absorbed in gathering. Try to stay within a 500-meter range if you can."

In the Magic Tree Sea, a compass was completely useless. The mana saturating the land was so strong it threw the needle into a frenzy. Losing one's sense of direction was a death sentence.

That was why Leonhard drove pins into the ground at regular intervals as he walked. They were special pins coated in mana-infused paint. They glowed day and night, serving as semi-permanent markers. The land's own mana would maintain them.

At the 500-meter mark, he drove in a pin of a different color.

Beside him, Mireille crouched down, carefully picking magic herbs and wind-chime grass one by one.

"The ingredients for High Potions are hard to come by, but you can make regular Potions with just these magic herbs and water."

Mireille continued, rolling a plucked leaf between her fingertips.

"The quality of the magic herbs and water determines the effect. The herbs and water here contain more mana than I've ever seen, so they'll surely make good Potions. Oh, and I think I can make a slightly less effective version of a High Potion using the ingredients I found on the third floor the other day."

"Potions will be useful in any situation from now on," Leonhard added, hammering a pin into the ground.

"If I sold them in the Royal Capital... would it still lead back to me?"

"Once the Moonshadow Teahouse is gone, customers will flock to other magic tool shops. Soldiers and the seriously ill will seek out high-quality goods, so if a product from the Moonshadow Teahouse appears, it'll become a rumor in no time. Anyone selling similar items would definitely be investigated."

"...Right."

Mireille's shoulders slumped slightly.

Leonhard glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and said, "If you're going to do it, use materials from this Tree Sea. Monster cores, or those feathers from the other day. Things that normal adventurers sell to the guild are harder to trace."

Mireille thought for a moment, then went back to silently picking magic herbs.

The only sounds that echoed through the Magic Tree Sea were the wind and the metallic clink of the pin being driven into the ground.

---

After making the one-kilometer round trip several times, the sun was high in the sky. They found a watering hole, so they decided to wash their faces and hands and have lunch there.

"Is this water from Sacred Peak Mountain? It looks exactly like the holy water used in High Potions."

Mireille filled a small vial with water, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at it entranced.

"High Potions are expensive partly because they require rare monster materials... but also because this water is so hard to obtain. You have to get past magical beasts to reach the spring water of a mountain called a holy sanctuary, a mountain that 'chooses who may enter'."

"That mountain..."

"It might be Sacred Peak Mountain. I only ever received the materials from my master to make them. Of course, even with the clean water around the tower, I can still make a potion slightly inferior to a High Potion. The ones commonly sold in shops with low efficacy are made with specially selected water."

Mireille was so captivated by the water that she didn't grasp its significance.

This was the king's direct domain, a place where only a select few could enter. To be more precise, it probably meant a mountain only accessible to those unaffected by the recognition-inhibiting magic.

Leonhard thought as he looked at the faintly glowing surface of the water.

(This water... is almost identical to the kind used in High Potions. That means it's highly likely Mireille's master could freely enter and exit this Tree Sea and Sacred Peak Mountain.)

On the other hand, this land wasn't 'off-limits'. It was simply that those who couldn't perceive it couldn't even reach it. So, no one would be reprimanded for coming and going.

...But. The possibility that the Supreme Commander and her master were caught in some trouble here and framed couldn't be ruled out.

Of course, the Supreme Commander must have known about the Magic Tree Sea and the Tree Sea Defense Force.

No, in fact, he was probably involved far more deeply than Leonhard himself.

(...Damn it.)

If possible, he didn't want to leave Mireille all alone in a place like this. He had to find a way... somehow find a way to ensure her safety.