Chapter 26

It seemed the ‘Herb Appraisal’ skill I’d just acquired had its own unique rank, just like ‘Mushroom Appraisal.’

The method was probably the same, too.

To use the skill, I stepped closer to the nearest herb and crouched down.

Then I fixed my gaze on it, imagining I was appraising it.

And then—

An herb with purification abilities. No one would’ve guessed something like this was growing wild in a contaminated forest.

Surely someone must have tried to cultivate it in bulk to cleanse polluted lands. But considering no one had ever succeeded, it seemed artificially growing it was impossible.

‘If that were possible, the contaminated zones would’ve been purified ages ago.’

Next, I checked what effects it had.

‘This is….’

…It left a strange feeling in my chest.

If Muriel in the original story had taken this herb regularly, would she have avoided dying from an incurable disease?

‘…Pointless speculation, but still.’

I let out a small sigh and continued reading.

‘Oh….’

Minor injuries could be healed in no time with just a few drops of potion.

But deep wounds required an entire bottle—and even then, you’d have to wait a long while for it to fully take effect. Depending on the situation, you might have to pour in several bottles.

And yet this herb could rapidly heal deep wounds. The efficacy was incredible.

Even the flower had its uses.

It was the very definition of a complete herb—nothing wasted.

‘No wonder it’s rare-grade.’

I pulled a hoe from my bag and gripped it. For herbs like this, a two-pronged hoe was most efficient.

“Are you harvesting it?”

“Yeah. It’s an amazing herb. You should start picking some too.”

“Alright, I’ll dig over there. Be careful not to hurt yourself, Muriel.”

And so, we began harvesting in earnest.

For a while, only the steady scrape, scrape of earth being turned echoed at even intervals. Some Violet Cloudflowers had buds rising; others hadn’t yet.

“Leave a few unharvested. That way they’ll grow back.”

“I will.”

This was what it meant to coexist with nature… I’d seen something like it in a documentary once.

Come to think of it, I really am living the life of a naturalist now….

We finished harvesting after about thirty minutes. I’d expected less, but the yield was surprisingly plentiful.

Gazing down at the two baskets piled high with herbs, I wiped the sweat from my brow with satisfaction.

“This feels really rewarding, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It was fun.”

When I was little, I once went gathering wild greens with the orphanage director.

The other kids got bored and ran off to play, but I’d lost track of time, diligently picking greens.

Maybe this kind of life has suited me since childhood. I should just live like this forever. I’m never becoming a lord. Never. Hahaha!

‘Shut up.’

“Muriel, have some water.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I took the glass bottle Lycian handed me and gulped the water down. As my thirst eased, a satisfied “Ahh.” slipped out.

But when I turned to hand the bottle back to him, I was seized by sudden embarrassment.

Avoiding his eyes, I awkwardly held it out. Lycian accepted it—and then, with a strange little smile, brought his lips to the mouth of the bottle.

He tilted his head back and drank. The prominent line of his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

“…….”

Why does this feel so… no, wait.

That’s where I just drank from…!

‘Why are you drinking from the exact same spot?! Aaagh!’

Horrified, I stared at him, mouth agape. After finishing the water, Lycian lowered his head to look at me and smiled sweetly.

“Why are you acting cute….”

I trembled in disbelief.

If Ninabel had been here, she would’ve drenched this shameless fox bastard with a water bomb.

“The water tastes good.”

“…….”

Feigning innocence, Lycian tucked the bottle back into his bag. I almost smacked his back, but decided against it—my hand would probably hurt more than him.

‘Why does he keep pulling this roguish act?’

My heart felt unsettled.

I’d been trying to keep my distance from Lycian. Not get attached to him….

“Haah….”

“Why the sudden sigh, Muriel?”

“It’s because of you….”

I turned to him with narrowed eyes—

“Aaagh!”

A sudden scream tore through the silence.

Whoever it was, the cry was thick with terror. I stiffened instinctively.

Lycian’s expression hardened as he fixed his gaze in the direction of the sound. He quickly stepped to my side and drew his sword.

“Wh-what is that? A person? It has to be a person, right? This is a contaminated zone—who would even be…?”

Rambling in shock, I grabbed his collar. Lycian stared at me for a moment, then reached out.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and said calmly,

“We should go check what’s happening. It’s dangerous to stay alone—let’s go together.”

“O-okay.”

We moved as one, pressed close. He adjusted his pace to match mine.

“Aaagh! Someone save me!”

The scream rang out again, loud enough to shake the forest.

Pushing through the dense trees, we finally caught sight of a boy.

He gripped a sword in an awkward stance, swinging it wildly as he tried to fend off what was closing in on him.

Yes. The boy was surrounded by more than ten monsters.

“G-get away! I said get away! Aaaagh!”

…As if shouting like that would make them turn around and leave. If anything, it only provoked them more.

Still, we’d stumbled upon someone in danger. Of course we had to save him. Go, max-level character!

“Lycian, those monsters—”

“Yeah. Leave them to me.”

Lycian sheathed his sword, then suddenly scooped me up in a princess carry and leapt into a tree.

Startled only for a moment, I watched as he carefully set me down on a thick branch.

“Wait here. I’ll deal with them and come get you.”

And before I could say a word, he jumped down like a bird.

I blinked blankly, then hurriedly snapped back to my senses and looked below.

Somehow, Lycian had already slipped between the boy and the monsters. He moved with agile precision, cutting them down in a swift massacre.

My body began to tremble. The branch he’d placed me on was thick and sturdy—I wasn’t afraid of falling.

Unconsciously, I clung to the trunk and followed the arc of Lycian’s movements with my eyes.

What kind of training would let someone move like that?

Or was it… innate?

He moved like the wind. Every time he swung his sword, the monsters were sliced apart as easily as radishes.

His motions weren’t large or flashy, either. They flowed—smooth and supple—yet carried overwhelming lethality.

Any monster that lunged at him was carved into pieces in the blink of an eye.

I watched, entranced, only realizing long after that the battle was already over.

The monsters lay scattered across the ground as corpses. Lycian shook the blood from his blade and slid it back into its sheath, then looked up at me.

I flinched without meaning to. One of his eyebrows arched slightly.

“…….”

He seemed to check himself over briefly, then looked back at me.

And in a voice so gentle it was hard to believe he’d just committed a massacre, he asked,

“Muriel, may I come get you now?”