episode_0053

Hearing the screams of the administrator, I too doubted my eyes.

A situation where gold coins were bursting out of a huge sack enough to smash the table.

This… How much is this exactly….

With this amount of money, it’s enough to change the city walls into bookshelves right away.

The Emperor gave such a big gift just for hitting a few slaves in the Central Slave Market…?

The wizard who saw the reaction of the administrator and me chuckled.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“If you’re not surprised even after seeing this, are you really human? And why on earth are you giving so much…?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? So what if the Emperor, who rules over dozens of kingdoms, doesn’t give this much?”

“Well, that’s true….”

“And His Majesty was very pleased with the official document. Originally, it was only half of this, but he added more to please him.”

“Official document?”

The wizard’s words described how our public document, taken by Lieutenant Nellion, contained elegant sentences and calligraphy, causing the Emperor to be delighted.

Come to think of it, although Lieutenant Nellion wrote it, our administrator kept scrutinizing it.

Since the administrator’s words were almost transcribed by Lieutenant Nellion.

I guess he must have passed the Imperial Civil Service Examination.

“Is that all?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve delivered the reward, so my job is done. I’ll be heading back now.”

“Oh, um… Thank you.”

I felt a moment of regret.

In the game, wizards are a common type of profession, but here in reality, they are as rare as hen’s teeth.

Moreover, the fact that an Imperial wizard came to this rural village means that unless something like a demon lord appears, it will never happen.

So it would have been nice to stay for a few days and get some help here and there.

“Goodbye then.”

“Just a moment!”

I called out to the wizard who was about to open a dimensional portal.

“Sorry to bother you, but could you do me a favor?”

“A favor? What is it?”

“We actually need to send an application for city upgrade to the capital, but we can’t do it because of this recent incident. If possible, could you stop by the capital briefly and deliver it on our behalf?”

“What did you say?”

The wizard, who had looked at me with disbelief, changed his mind and reached out his hand.

“Give it here.”

“Here you go.”

“Why is this so thick?”

The wizard, receiving a document the size of a book, became annoyed.

“Thank you very much. When we eventually upgrade to a city, we will erect a statue of you in the square.”

“Haha! That’s funny.”

The wizard, who laughed briefly, didn’t even say goodbye and immediately went through the dimensional portal.

As the portal disappeared, the administrator staggered and sat down on the floor.

Then, with trembling hands, he fumbled with the sack.

“This… Is this a dream…?”

“It’s not a dream, Administrator. But there’s an immediate problem.”

“What is it…?”

“All of this won’t fit in our treasury. What should we do?”

“Well, um…? Hmm…. How about hiding it in Mr. Jack’s room…?”

“That’s a bit risky….”

While pondering, I called for Reberone and had him tear up the floor of the hall and dig a hole.

Reberone is the only person in the village who is strong and trustworthy.

I put the sack of gold coins into the hole and covered it with the floorboards again.

Let’s leave it like this for now and buy a new safe later to put it in.

The city upgrade application went in properly, we received a huge amount of gold coins, and everything went smoothly.

It seems that within this year, I will be able to live the safe and peaceful life I desire.

* * * * *

“Sigh…. Where am I….”

Alaina sighed as she looked around.

The towering trees, growing endlessly, stood in every direction she could see.

The sunlight barely penetrated, and what little did manage to filter through the leaves only served to confuse her vision.

Perhaps that’s why Alaina was starting to doubt if this was the place she had passed by three times earlier.

Tenata Forest.

The map is roughly drawn in a large chunk, and it’s not mentioned in the strategy book given by the old man.

When I asked the lively people for directions, they all jumped and said never to go there, exaggerating that if you enter, you will get lost and die.

I came here because the old man told me to come and find the Witch of Sighs… I wonder if I can find her properly.

My stomach is empty, my legs are starting to ache. It’s natural since I’ve been wandering for three days already.

And above all, the atmosphere of the forest is too unpleasant.

I’ve traveled to various places from the starting village, but there was no place as unpleasant as this.

On top of that, the Witch of Sighs…

But Alaina didn’t give up and continued to wander through the forest.

The old man said she struggled against the Scarlet Dragon because she rushed the adventure too quickly.

Because she only followed the strategy book in a straight line, it means Alaina hasn’t grown enough to step up.

At this rate, the next strategy will definitely be blocked. I have to find the Witch of Sighs somehow.

After wandering for another half day, Alaina sat under a tree and had a late lunch.

Calling it lunch is an overstatement; it consisted of dry bread and twisted jerky.

After roughly filling her stomach and drinking the remaining water from her flask, she suddenly heard rustling from behind.

Thinking it might be a wild animal she could use for food, Alaina quickly drew her bow and stood up.

“Who are you?”

“Huh?!”

Alaina, who was pulling her bowstring, was startled and stepped back.

A tall woman was looking down at Alaina right in front of her.

Tall with black hair tied up to her waist, emotionless blue eyes.

The woman was wearing a rough cloak that made her look like a crow, contrasting with her pale face.

Unlike her black attire, the woman’s face looked unusually pale.

If she had been lying down with her eyes closed, she could have been mistaken for a corpse.

“Who are you?”

“Um, who are you, ma’am…?”

At Alaina’s confused slip of the tongue, the woman’s face quickly hardened.

“Ma’am?”

With a sudden flash, lightning struck Alaina.

“I’m sorry… I misspoke because I was so surprised…”

Alaina quickly bowed her head, apologizing while rubbing her sore head from a broken branch.

Even after hearing Alaina’s apology, the woman didn’t respond at all.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t.

If a girl who remained unfazed even after being hit by magic, anyone would be shocked and speechless.

“What are you…?”

“My name is Alaina… I came in search of the Witch of Sighs but got lost. But, are you… the Witch of Sighs?”

“What…? No, for now…”

The woman looked around and then spoke.

“This doesn’t seem like the right place to share stories. Follow me.”

There was a cabin where the woman was heading. Just until a moment ago, there was nothing there…

The cabin felt very gloomy.

In a forest where sunlight barely reached, the cabin was squeezed between large trees, looking like it could collapse at any moment due to decay.

If one were to glance without realizing there was a cabin, they might mistake it for a moss-covered rock or a pile of rotten logs.

Stepping on fallen leaves and damp soil, the woman led the way towards the cabin.

Her hand protruding from the robe emitted a faint pale light in the dim surroundings.

The almost inaudible sound of footsteps made one wonder if she was not a real being but a ghost or something similar.

After a moment of hesitation, Alaina decided to follow the woman.

As the first person she met here and considering she just used magic, she must be a magician for sure. She must be the Witch of Sighs.

Following the witch, a pleasant fragrance wafted from her. It was a very pleasant smell.

“Come in.”

Following the witch into the cabin, Alaina whispered in amazement.

Contrary to the ominous exterior, the interior was surprisingly cozy.

Unlike outside, the air was dry, and the light from candles and the fireplace gently illuminated the inside.

Next to the fireplace, a frog-shaped statue about the size of a human head crouched.

The flickering flames made it feel alive.

On the opposite wall, shelves and desks woven from warm-colored wood displayed various unknown bottles, objects, and tools neatly arranged.

What caught Alaina’s eye were the incredibly thick books.

Some had golden edges, looking like they could be wielded as weapons.

The kitchen on the other side was immaculately clean, with a large iron cauldron that gleamed as if freshly oiled, typical of a wizard’s study.

One might expect the cauldron to be bubbling like a child’s liver or a frog’s eyes, but surprisingly, there was nothing.

In the corner, a somewhat narrow and steep staircase led up to the next floor.

No matter how much she looked around, the absence of a bed suggested that this floor was likely a bedroom.

The woman took off her robe and hung it on a coat rack before asking,

“So, you’ve come all the way here looking for the Sighing Witch?”

“Yes. Are you the Sighing Witch?”

“No. I am not the Sighing Witch.”

Upon hearing this, Alaina instinctively clenched the hilt of her knife.

Seeing this, the woman chuckled and smiled.

“You don’t think you can do anything, do you?”

“Who are you then?”

“The daughter of the Sighing Witch.”

“What…?”

“Sigh…”

At that moment, a sigh was heard from somewhere.

What is this? What sound is that?

The sound came from inside the room next to the stairs.

With a suspicious look, the woman opened the door and showed the inside.

An extremely old grandmother sat covered with a blanket on a warm bed in the softly burning fireplace room.

“Sigh… One should die when they get old…”

“That’s our mother. As you can see, she has dementia and spends all day sighing like that.”

That… the Sighing Witch…?