Kays Translations

Chapter 447: A Paradise of Medicinal Herbs

Dinner was a luxurious barbecue. Well, of course it was. There were two high-ranking nobles present. Saying “let’s gnaw on some dried meat” wouldn’t really be appropriate. Leon was happily eating, but I hope he doesn’t think this is what camp food is normally like.

“This really is good meat.”

Axel smiled as he ate. The others nodded in agreement. It truly was high-quality meat. The more you chewed, the more flavour emerged—a rich, wild taste. It was certainly not the sort of food one expected while camping.

“It’s a three-day round trip, after all. With that distance, we can still guarantee the freshness of the food. That’s why we can eat meat this good.”

“That makes sense. If it were a longer trip, we’d be eating preserved food, I guess.”

“Is preserved food not tasty?”

Leon, intrigued, asked the question. We probably won’t be eating it during this expedition, but trying it back at the estate might be a good idea. It would give him a taste of what real travel is like.

“It’s tough and salty. Though, the more you chew, the more flavour you get.”

“Hmm, that does not sound very appetising.”

“Just having food at all is a blessing, you know.”

I wonder whether Leon understood that this was what travelling was really like. A journey is manageable when one is mentally prepared, but setting out without resolve can break a person’s spirit surprisingly quickly.

Naturally, we weren’t assigned as night watch. The children all slept together in a tent. Axel seemed a bit dissatisfied—maybe he wanted to try standing night watch. I soothed him as we went to sleep.

The next morning, we departed immediately after breakfast. According to the plan, we were to travel from this camp to the mana-stagnation site and return the same day. We were prepared to camp at the site if necessary, but ideally, we wanted to come back here. The area around the mana stagnation might be dangerous.

Rocky terrain came into view. Up close, it was bigger than I expected. Naturally, there was no path. The knights searched for passable spots, and we simply followed behind them.

After climbing a little, Leon was already out of breath.

“How long is this going to go on?”

“We’ve still got a long way to go. And don’t forget, we have to come back, too.”

“How are you still so energetic…?”

Leon’s feeble voice made me chuckle. I had thought that he had built up at least some stamina, but clearly I had been too optimistic. It was time to bring out my contingency: a basic stamina-recovery potion made specially for Leon.

“I made this special potion just for you, Lord Leon.”

“This is a basic stamina-recovery potion, isn’t it? But the colour looks darker.”

“As expected of you, Lord Leon. You noticed. I made it more concentrated to strengthen the effect.”

Leon stared at the basic stamina-recovery potion I handed him. Curious, Axel and the others gathered around. None of them seemed short of breath, as expected of people who trained every day.

“That is a basic stamina-recovery potion, right? Drinking one when you are exhausted makes sense, but… is it not a little early?”

“Axel is right, but I feel like waiting until he collapses would be too late. At this distance, it’d be faster to go back.”

I looked back. The place we had camped was still visible in the distance. We’d definitely have to send a small group of knights to escort him back. That would reduce our numbers, and with the dangers ahead, we want to avoid splitting our forces.

“Yeah, you may be right.”

“I’ll drink it. I said I’d push through no matter what. I can’t afford to hold everyone back.”

“It’s a bit spicy, so be prepared.”

Leon nodded solemnly. He probably had not expected the potion to have any distinctive flavour and must have assumed it would resemble the sweetened version. After hesitating briefly, he swallowed it in one gulp while everyone watched.

“Spicy! Though, it’s still way more drinkable than the old potions… Huh? Whoa! I’m fired up!”

Leon’s energy suddenly surged. The rest of us instinctively stepped back. Perhaps giving him the undiluted original formula had been a mistake.

Reinvigorated, Leon energetically moved forward. He soon joined Marquis Mulan and Margrave Draken up ahead and started chatting with them cheerfully.

“…Julius, if I begin to feel as though I cannot continue, could you share some of that potion with me?”

“I don’t mind, but…”

It looked as though Ijidol might be next, although perhaps he should try the sweetened version first.

With that little episode behind us, we finally reached our destination.

Beyond the rocky area, the landscape turned into forest again. A little way into the forest lay our destination.

“So this is the mana-stagnation site. It is nothing but grass.”

As Axel said, the clearing was covered in grass reaching roughly to our shins. Strangely, not a single tree grew in this one place. Could that be connected to the mana stagnation?

“It may only be grass, but every plant here can be used as a magic-potion ingredient.”

“Master is right! This place is a paradise of medicinal herbs!”

Leon shouted excitedly. Admittedly, it was not a sight one encountered every day. Using Magic Detection, I could sense the mana stagnation. The mana grew denser towards the centre, though no one knew why. Perhaps it had something to do with the ley lines.

The knights were checking the surroundings and exchanging information with those who had been monitoring the area before we arrived. Looks like it’s not my turn to act just yet.

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