Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 73: Lugan Village (4)

“That’s a damn fine sword you have there, brat. You don’t see many of those around these parts.”

“Can it be repaired?”

“‘Can it be repaired?’ he says... Bah! I’ve been working with swords before you even left your father’s jewels boy! Just leave it here and trust me.”

Thus, Elden left his sword with the gruff blacksmith, and upon hearing the repairs would take a few days to be complete, he borrowed a replacement.

Although it was a bit lacking when compared to his original sword, it wasn’t bad for a temporary(?) replacement.

They then visited the herbalist shop.

“Hello, do you have anything good for restoring vitality?”

As she was still inexperienced with herbs, Ariel asked for some recommendations.

“Hmm, restoring vitality...Those herbs are a little pricier. I happened to have a good one here, should you boil just a single root, the effect is tremendous.”

“Oh, that’s good!”

“Let’s see then~”

The herbalist with a beard long enough that reached his belly button, swung the majestic beard around as he examined his inventory.

Rustling through the herbs as he murmured to himself, the herbalist soon clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Tsk, Tsk-. Ah looks like it’s already sold out. That old bat, she should have told me they were all sold out...Tsk.”

Embarrassed by his earlier confidence, the shopkeeper scolded himself while looking towards the back of the shop.

While Ariel asked him,

“Is there not a single one left?”

“Sigh...With winter approaching it’s becoming difficult to climb the mountains to gather herbs.”

“Is there another herbalist shop that we can visit in the village?”

Although unlikely in a village, Ariel asked just in case.

While she wasn’t as invested as Elden, the bookworm also wished Lumia would recover soon.

Despite not interacting as much back in the day, they were still classmates.

Erenscia Velroc’s pure passion during class was both amazing and sometimes enviable.

But Ariel’s prime motive was rather simple,

Elden dearly wished for Lumia’s recovery.

So, if Lumia regained her strength, Elden would be happy, and that was enough for Ariel to seek medicinal herbs.

Moreover, with good medicine, she was sure to recover even faster.

Until Lumia’s intentions and thoughts were clear, they decided to avoid exposing her to outsiders, preventing her from receiving medical treatment from a professional.

Healing scrolls could only heal minor wounds.

But, despite Ariel’s drive, all she received was a negative reply.

“This is the only herbalist shop in the village.”

“Is that so... Have a good day then.”

Dejected, Ariel turned around to leave.

She understood better than anyone the difficulty of climbing snow-covered mountains as winter approached.

During this time, predators roamed the land in search of prey, and the thick layers of snow made it difficult to find herbs.

Such was the nature of the Northern mountains in November.

Even if she offered multiple times the price, it would be difficult to obtain such herbs.

As she was about to leave the store, Elden, who had been silent, opened his mouth, causing her to halt.

“There isn’t another way to acquire these herbs?”

“Pardon?”

“You just said it yourself, didn’t you? It’s the only place ‘in Lugan Village.’ I’m wondering if there might be someone nearby the village who deals with herbs.”

“Ah...”

Elden’s sharp question made the old herbalist stroke his long beard.

The herbalist cleared his throat for a moment, being rather bad at hiding his embarrassment, perhaps because of his higher sense of integrity.

Like a child hiding candy, the old man’s discomfiture prompted Elden to flick a silver coin towards him, echoing a clinking sound, and landed right in the herbalist’s hands.

“...?”

“Consider it a fee for the information.”

“Ah.”

Understanding the meaning of the silver coin, the elder smiled and quickly pocketed the coin.

A single silver coin was enough to indulge in the village’s best tavern with much to spare.

Tap tap, the elder patted his now secure pocket and approached Elden, rubbing his palms together like a sly fox, wearing a crafty smile.

“Heh-. Actually, I occasionally buy some herbs from a hermit who has no interest in worldly matters, he also sells some items based on the buyer’s call.”

“Oh...So you’re getting a bunch of stuff for cheap and selling them at an inflated price...is that what you’re saying?”

“Hahaha-. Well, you know how the world works...Regardless, that person will definitely have ‘Mandrake roots’. Just don’t tell him I sent you.”

Elden nodded his head at the herbalist’s plea.

“So, he’s a recluse who doesn’t like outsiders, and if he finds you spilled the beans you might lose your access to cheap herbs?”

With only a few exchanged words, Elden already grasped the true meaning of his warning.

As Elden bluntly pointed out such a thing, the herbalist, who could easily pass as Elden’s grandfather burst out in an embarrassed laugh after having his little plot completely seen through.

“Hehehehe-! I like your bluntness, boy.”

“So, where is he?”

After laughing for a bit more, the herbalist gestured to Elden and his companions to follow him.

Stepping outside the shop, the old man pointed towards a mountain about 3 km northeast of the village.

Although not too far from the village, the mountain was fairly large.

“At the base of that mountain, if you walk about...fifty steps west, you’ll find a wooden sign with some markings on it. I put that there myself. Just follow the signs all the way up, and you’ll find a large cave. It’s a place no one dares to tread, since people think a giant monster lives there, but actually, it’s just the hermit.”

Elden, shading his eyes with his hand under the glaring sun, gazed at the distant mountain.

Hm...

A large cave...

Elden felt his resolve weaken a bit as he heard the location,

Just a bit.

“Thank you.”

With those words, Elden promptly set off towards the mountain.

**

Scrunch, Scrunch-.

Thankfully, the clear skies and calm winds made their journey less troublesome.

The snow along the path wasn’t deep, barely different from walking on flat ground.

However, there was one thing,

“There’s really no need, you know? I would have been fine.”

“But it’s boring to go alone, right?”

It was that Ariel and Elden were walking along that path alone.

Elden sent Rendler to inform Rachel that they might be late.

Of course, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

With the always cheerful Ariel, conversation flowed easily, and there wasn’t a single dull moment.

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However, they had never traveled this ‘long’, just the ‘two’ of them over these six months, so a bit of awkwardness crept in.

Wasn’t it like that among friends sometimes?

When a group of four friends that always go together is suddenly reduced to two, an inexplicable awkwardness emerges.

This awkwardness is not necessarily associated with the ‘person’, but the ‘silence’ that blooms with the more relaxed pace of just a duo than a quartet.

Simply put, it was something both weren’t accustomed to.

After all, they had always been a group of four for the past six months.

“...Aren’t you tired? You could have stayed, you know?”

“Nope! It’s my duty to document our grand journey mister Vampire Lord~”

“......”

How could a person ever be awkward around such a cheerful person?

A bright giggle escaped from Ariel as every tiny muscle on her face seemed to radiate ‘Joy’.

While one might wonder about the necessity of having Ariel around, as she fulfilled her ‘duty’, then, they must remember that without her, the Culinary Journey might have been quite dreary.

Perhaps that’s why.

A sudden thought crossed Elden’s mind.

He hadn’t thanked her recently.

So, spurred by that sudden thought, Elden voiced his gratitude.

“Thank you, Ariel.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For...Everything you’ve done?”

As the daughter of the esteemed Count Elrond, Ariel had not only supported my dream of a Culinary Journey but also offered precious company and aid. Even calling her a ‘benefactor’ wouldn’t do justice to all the good she had done.

Had I put aside our fortuitous meeting in the library, what would have become of me, I wondered.

As I shared my honest feelings, Ariel stared at me blankly for a moment, before quickly turning away, her cheeks spouting a heavy blush despite the mild weather.

“T-That...Well...Ah....I’m just doing what I enjoy doing...T-That’s all.”

“By the way, has Count Elrond mentioned anything? He must be worried.”

“Well... he seemed rather happy when I told him I’ve made a precious friend.”

“Really?”

“Hm! He even asked if my friend was a man, and when I said yes, Father expressed his desire to meet you...So I promised him we would do so when we’re nearby.”

It turns out Count Elrond has been communicating more with his youngest daughter than expected.

I even thought that Ariel’s absurd amount of freedom might have come from his disinterest, but...

Perhaps it was more akin to confidence in her than disinterest.

Well,

Regardless, it borders on ‘reckless’ confidence if my theory is true.

Nevertheless, thanks to Count Elrond’s confidence, I could appreciate having such a wonderful companion as Ariel on this culinary journey.

So, there was no reason to refuse.

“That’s great. You said the Elrond estate is in the Eastern Province, right?”

“Yep!”

“Perfect. Once we finish our journey in the north, we should head down to the east. We can stop by then.”

“Really?”

Clap!

Ariel clapped her hands in excitement, looking at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.

Thus, I now had even fewer motives to refuse.

Anything that made Ariel happy was undoubtedly something that ought to be done.

Eventually, we reached the entrance to the snowy mountain and began climbing following the signs.

And then.

We got stranded.

**

Meanwhile,

Back home, as night approached and no one returned, Rachel stood by the window, gazing anxiously at the moon, struggling to dismiss the scandalous thoughts that kept surfacing.

That was a first for her.

During the six-month journey, it was the first time Elden and Ariel hadn’t returned late into the night.

It was also the first time they had ventured out alone together for such an extended period.

......Surely not.

Perhaps that was why.

A strange uneasiness crept into Rachel’s purple pupils, reflecting the moonlight.

And then.

They better come back soon.

And a peculiar(?) resentment also wormed its way into her heart.