Chapter 8

Unfastening the cords at the front of my chest and stomach, I took off the deep green jacket. The long-sleeved jacket was a bit stiff but made of thick, sturdy material. Even though it had become quite warm, there were still some cold days, so I was forced to wear it when I left the village.

My belongings were placed on Mr. Reimer’s cart, so now I was really just in my clothes. The only tool I had was the knife given to me by that beautiful older sister. ...But, being in just my clothes meant, in reverse, that I had clothes.

“Hmm... still no good.”

I bent a thin, soft branch into a U-shape and tied it with the cord from my clothes to give it shape. Then, tying the ends of the sleeves to make handles, I tried to make an impromptu handbag... but it didn’t work. The balance was off, and even when I held the tied part, it would still hang vertically. This would just spill the contents, so it couldn’t be used as a bag.

After thinking for a moment, I inserted the sleeves between the cords that tied the branch and tied them short at the elbows instead of the ends.

“Yeah, this should do.”

When I tried it, it was still a bit tilted, and it looked too awkward to be a bag. However, it seemed to be useful as a poor-quality basket. At the very least, it would be better than carrying the herbs by hand.

I put the herbs I had collected into the makeshift jacket basket and stood up. There was a reason I had gone to the trouble of making this. When I first found the herb with round, yellow-green leaves, I noticed that there were more of the same herbs growing nearby. I carefully collected them... and then I realized something.

I could only carry a little with my hands.

Herb gathering should require carrying a lot to make a meal. So, I came up with the idea of using my clothes as a bag, which turned out to be a rather awkward basket. Still, it was a step forward to be able to carry more. ...The greenish sap oozing from the cut stems was a bit off-putting, but I decided not to worry about it.

“Alright, let’s gather more.”

I said this out loud to psych myself up and resumed gathering. The sun had already passed its zenith. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, and my throat was parched, and my stomach was past being empty and was starting to feel sick. Still, I felt a surge of energy.

However, no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find any herbs within sight of the town gates.

“Not good...”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my dirt-covered hand. The rough sensation. But I had no time to worry about the dirt.

As the sun began to set, I felt a growing sense of urgency. I had to be back before the gates closed in the evening, but I hadn’t found any herbs except for the first ones. I had searched a fairly wide area, but I hadn’t been able to collect any of the four plants I remembered.

At this point, with time running out, I finally realized something. Finding herbs in that spot was probably just luck. But it was just luck, not an indication that there were many in this area.

I should have realized this sooner. If they could be found in abundance near the town, there would be no need to pay others to gather them. It made sense. They were probably more common in the distant forests and hills, and it was rare to find them around here. It was far and time-consuming, and the forests were dangerous. That’s why they relied on adventurers. Herb gathering was likely such a request.

“What should I do... Should I go to the forest now...?”

I bit my lower lip and hesitated, feeling bitter. I was frustrated with my own foolishness.

Finding herbs near the town had backfired. I had assumed they could be found nearby and wasted time searching, only to find nothing. If I hadn’t found anything at first, I would have ventured further. Luck and misfortune were two sides of the same coin, or a thin line. Luck was something that could not be controlled, and one should not be swayed by it... I remembered the priest’s words. I hadn’t understood them at the time, but now I could finally grasp their meaning... but I didn’t want to understand it now.

...No, it’s no use to regret. What I need now is to decide what to do next.

Probably, there was still time to go to the forest and return. But even if I went now, I wouldn’t have enough time to search properly, and there was no guarantee that there would be many herbs there.

In that case, it might be better to search around here again and hope for another stroke of luck.

What should I do?

“Ugh... Wasting time thinking is no good. I’ve decided.”

It wasn’t a conclusion reached after much deliberation. Rather, I was too hungry to think clearly.

I headed towards the forest. ...However, I didn’t go all the way. If I extended my legs that far, I would have to walk on the road.

Valuable herbs probably wouldn’t grow by the roadside.

In the end, I chose a middle option. If they didn’t grow near the town, the probability of finding them would increase as I moved further away. ...Then, instead of searching the area near the town as I had been doing, I would extend my search as far as time allowed.

In other words, I would walk off the road to search for herbs while heading towards the forest.

The soldier said the gates would close in the evening. But when exactly?

If the sky started to change color, I would have to cut my search short. But the western sky would still be bright for a while after the sun set, so if the gates were open until then, I could push my search a bit longer.

“I should have asked for the time.”

I regretted it again. If I had asked at the gate, they would have told me. I was so useless.

It was frustrating, but I had to cut my search short for today. There was nothing I could do if I couldn’t find more.

I searched the ground with my eyes, pushed forward by my growing anxiety, and walked a bit faster.

I wasn’t even on guard for anything. I had gotten used to being outside the town, and if there were many monsters, Mr. Reimer wouldn’t be able to travel alone as a merchant. I thought it would be fine as long as I was near the town and had a good view.

I guess I was a bit too determined.

I had been out since morning, made a makeshift basket to carry more, and spent so much time, but only gathered this much. It was embarrassing and frustrating. If this was my first job, people might think I was slacking off. This would disappoint that scary-faced person. Wayne would probably laugh at me, and that beautiful older sister might ask for the knife back.

I couldn’t go back like this. The thought was strong, but time was running out, and I was getting anxious.

“Whoa!”

Even though I was looking down, I tripped over a small step hidden by the grass and fell flat.

“...Ouch.”

I groaned as I got up. I instinctively put my hands out to catch myself, but I ended up scraping my palms. My knees hurt, but they didn’t seem to be bleeding.

Oh, no... I sat down on the spot to check for other injuries and brushed off the pebbles and dirt from my palms. When I licked the scraped area, the taste of blood and sand made me spit it out onto the ground. Then, tears started to well up.

Why did it come to this? I should have been an apprentice at a merchant’s shop in town by now.

Why was I out here, searching for herbs that couldn’t be found near the town?

I tried to stand up, but I lacked the energy to move, and my stomach was empty. I didn’t even want to sit anymore and felt like collapsing on the ground. I wondered if this was all a bad dream and if I could sleep here and wake up back in the village...

“Ah...”

Then, I found it.

“It’s Hishiku grass...”

A herb with large, lush leaves and small buds.