Chapter 585: Like Making Withered Trees Bloom

As we pressed a little deeper into the forest, the corrupted land finally came into view.

Even though she had clearly braced herself for it today, Sophia-sama still let out a faint groan—“Ugh…”—at the sight. But unlike before, she didn’t collapse. Fabienne, for her part, seemed to have grown somewhat accustomed to it; she merely frowned slightly, her expression tightening for a moment before settling again.

“Then let us begin the purification of the corrupted land. I will use wind magic to carry the purification powder farther ahead, so everyone, please scatter it into the air.”

“Understood!”

“Leave it to us!”

Voices rang out with energy, echoing through the trees. Sophia-sama, though visibly a little tense, accepted a portion of the purification powder from Fabienne. The task itself was simple—just take a handful and toss it into the air.

The alchemists were already prepared, standing by as they waited for Sophia-sama to begin.

The moment she cast the powder into the sky, everyone else followed suit.

At that same instant, wind magic surged to life.

The scattered particles were caught by the currents and carried outward, spreading across the corrupted land. Glittering faintly as they drifted, the particles shimmered like dusted light, flowing deeper and deeper into the forest.

“What a mysterious sight… It’s almost as if a curtain of green is unfurling before us.”

Sophia-sama’s voice was soft with wonder as she watched the powder spread. Fabienne, too, seemed captivated, her gaze fixed on the sparkling display.

The alchemists, perhaps already used to the sight, didn’t react as strongly this time. No voices of awe rose from them now—only quiet focus.

“With Julius-sama here, the work progresses so much faster. Yesterday took far longer.”

“Indeed. Even using the wind magic he taught us, we couldn’t manage it this efficiently. As expected of Julius-sama.”

…They were really laying it on thick.

Maybe it was because they’d just witnessed that sudden burst of greenery earlier. Everyone seemed brimming with motivation, and I decided it would be best not to dampen their spirits.

And so, we continued the purification work across the corrupted land.

Of course, as each section was completed, we scattered Rapid-Growth fertilizer over it. Sophia-sama seemed to have gotten the hang of things; she chatted cheerfully with the others as she worked.

Perhaps… this was something she had always wanted.

To work alongside others like this, sharing in the same effort.

During official duties, she was likely always alone—or at most, accompanied only by Erwin-sama. This kind of shared labor, this sense of camaraderie… it might have been new to her.

We took several breaks along the way, pacing ourselves as we worked.

And just as I began to think it might be about time to head back to the village for lunch, a voice rang out from one of the alchemists.

“We’ve run out of purification powder!”

“Then all that’s left is to spread the Rapid-Growth, and today’s work is done. That was much faster than expected.”

“That’s because Julius-sama is here. Naturally.”

Still with the Julius praise, huh…

I let out a small, wry smile at that, when suddenly Sophia-sama approached me. Her clothes were slightly soiled, and yet her face—her expression—was filled with unmistakable satisfaction.

It was the look of someone who had truly accomplished something.

“Let us return to the village and have lunch. Now that we’ve run out of purification powder, we cannot continue purifying the corrupted land any further.”

“Yes, that sounds good. Let’s head back. Erwin-sama and the others might have returned as well.”

And so, after finishing the remaining fertilizer, we turned back along the path we had come. With our load significantly lighter, the return journey was quicker than before.

Unfortunately, Erwin-sama and his group had not yet returned to the village.

Instead, we received word that they would be eating lunch in the mountains.

“It seems they haven’t encountered any monsters so far.”

“That appears to be the case… They did say they intended to finish their investigation today, but I do hope they aren’t pushing themselves too hard…”

Sophia-sama’s expression grew troubled, concern evident in her eyes. But there was nothing we could do from here.

All we could do was hope for their safe return.

As we ate lunch, we began discussing what to do next.

First, regarding the alchemists—since they had run out of purification powder, there was little more they could accomplish here. It seemed they intended to return to the royal capital as soon as possible.

As for us… what should we do?

I was a little concerned about the magic stone crushing team back in the capital, as well as the alchemists and gardeners there.

“What will you do, Sophia-sama?”

“Let’s see… first, I will wait for Erwin-sama to return. After that, I believe we should head back to the neighboring town. Staying in this village seems to place quite a burden on everyone here.”

That was certainly true.

A small village like this wasn’t exactly meant to host a princess. At this rate, the village chief might very well develop a hole in his stomach from the stress.

Erwin-sama would likely return by evening.

Which meant Sophia-sama and the others would probably leave the village tomorrow.

…Alright.

I was curious not only about their findings, but also about the state of the forest—and the Forest Spirit.

In that case, it made sense to return together with Sophia-sama’s group. It would likely put her at ease as well.

“Then we’ll wait with you. I’m curious about the situation in the mountains too.”

“Having you stay with us is very reassuring, Julius-sama.”

And just like that, our departure was set for the next day.

…Ah.

I hadn’t actually consulted Fabienne before making that decision. Was that okay?

When I asked her again, she nodded without hesitation—it was no problem.

It seemed she, too, was curious about the state of the mountain. And besides, leaving without properly greeting the Forest Spirit would feel… inappropriate.

That was true.

We might be forgiven with an offering of dried fruit, perhaps—but it still wouldn’t feel right to leave things unsettled.

After lunch, the alchemists departed from the village. If they traveled now, they would reach the neighboring town before nightfall. Tomorrow, they planned to return to the capital and immediately resume their work—reporting and crafting more magical medicines.

They were tough.

And since they were all doing it willingly, it was rather difficult to stop them. In the end, all I could do was offer a simple piece of advice:

“Don’t overdo it.”

With Erwin-sama and the others still away, we suddenly found ourselves with nothing in particular to do.

Well… taking it easy once in a while wasn’t so bad.

We decided to spend some quiet time in the village. Sophia-sama, perhaps fatigued, retired to her room for a nap.

Maybe I should take a nap too.

Next to Fabienne.

…Or better yet, maybe I could have her let me rest on her lap—

As I entertained such thoroughly improper thoughts, it turned out things wouldn’t go quite so smoothly.

Before I could even make the request, Fabienne had already fallen asleep.

She had seemed perfectly fine on the surface, but it appeared she had been far more exhausted than she let on.

…I still wasn’t being attentive enough toward her.

Sorry, Fabienne.

Thinking that, I gently draped a blanket over her.

As I sat beside her, drifting in and out of a light doze myself, a sudden commotion arose from outside the village.

It seemed Erwin-sama and the others had returned.

Curious about what they had discovered in the mountains, we headed toward the commotion to find out.