kscans

Chapter 4 - A Survival Plan Begins from the Hideout

After confirming the safety of her surroundings, Mireille decided to make this old tower her new base.

"I’ll rebuild my life here. And once I’ve saved up enough money, I’m definitely getting out of this country..."

She swore this to herself with all her heart.

Her body, covered in wounds from the harsh interrogation, was far from healed with just a single Potion.

But securing food was an urgent matter.

She couldn’t just sit still. She had to move....

Relying only on the moonlight, she moved to a small room on the second floor.

She gently lifted a cloth, revealing a dust covered bed.

Next to it was a magic stone lamp, and she was finally able to light it.

"Master... thank you. ...Well, I guess I’m in this mess because of you."

Whispering to herself, Mireille quickly drank a High Potion from the shelf.

On the shelf next to the bed, the Potions and antidotes her master had prepared were neatly arranged.

She could see scattered documents, but for now, she would focus only on resting her body.

She collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. Mireille sank into a deep sleep, as if falling into a bottomless abyss.

---

She awoke and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"...A dream? No, I don’t think I was dreaming at all."

So much had happened, she wished she could have at least dreamed of her master.

"Still... with no shop to run and no preparations to make, this might be the first time I’ve woken up this slowly."

The effect of the High Potion was incredible. The pain in her body had completely vanished.

However, its effect on alleviating hunger was practically nil.

She opened the window, only to find it completely covered by a thick wall of ivy.

"I can’t even see outside like this... Is it morning? Noon? Or night?"

Her sense of time hadn't returned yet.

"First, something to cut with..."

Searching the shelves, she found a small knife in an adventurer’s kit.

"This will work!"

She hacked away at the ivy with the knife.

It was clumsy work, but with each bundle she cut down, light streamed in. She could finally tell it was morning.

Many of the vines were withered, and she was relieved that they cut through surprisingly easily.

---

Downstairs, the potatoes grown with her master’s Growth Acceleration Kit had grown enough to be eaten overnight, not in a few days.

"Master, you’re amazing! If I had done this, it would have taken at least three days for them to grow!"

The beans looked like they would be ready for harvest by evening, and her hopes swelled.

She took out a flint and steel and carefully started a fire. She fed it dried leaves and twigs, and the bonfire began to burn with a gentle flicker.

She drew water from the lake and boiled it in a pot, ready to cook the potatoes.

"Alright, with this, I can at least manage a basic life."

Just as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Huh...?"

Suddenly, the area filled with smoke. A thick black cloud rose from the bonfire.

"Kyaaaah!! This is bad! From the outside, it’ll look like a fire! They’ll definitely find me!"

In a panic, she tipped over a bucket of water, desperately dousing the flames.

The water hissed and crackled, and she finally caught her breath as the smoke cleared.

"Haa... that was close. Starting a fire is harder than I thought."

Mireille murmured with a sigh.

"It’s just starting a fire, but it’s a big deal..."

The relief of extinguishing the fire was short lived as exhaustion washed over her, leaving her at a loss.

Behind her, unbeknownst to her.

The magic circle she had used to teleport here last night began to glow, quietly but surely.