Once the commotion settled, Luke had read all the books that Yerna had provided instead of an explanation.
However, the expression on Luke’s face as he closed the book was not one of relief or satisfaction, but rather a deep sense of worry.
How could a mage, who found immense satisfaction in exploring curiosity and resolving it, display such a grim expression after acquiring new information?
The reason was simple.
Having fully understood the concept of valuing mana, Luke realized something.
“It’s a big problem…”
Why was there such a large sum of mana expenses?
It was entirely his own responsibility.
After all, he had diligently meditated every day, accumulating mana in his body to raise his Circle.
So, he had simply accumulated mana as usual.
He just hadn’t realized that it would cost money…
“…”
A cold sweat trickled down.
It felt as though he had stumbled upon information he should not have known.
He knew he should ask for forgiveness immediately, but Luke felt he could not bear to face Yerna after revealing this truth.
Three million gil—how much money was that?
With this small body, he would not be able to earn money even if he worked.
Could he even find a job in the first place?
This era was not the one Luke had known. He did not even know what jobs he could do, and if he were to earn money, he would have no way to answer if Yerna questioned the source.
“What should I do…?”
Luke fidgeted restlessly.
Instead of repaying his benefactor, he was bringing her trouble.
Was there no way out?
However, having never lived a life of poverty, Luke was sorely lacking in information on what he could do to earn money in such a foundationally unstable situation.
Money, after all, was something that came easily to those in high positions, and since the moment he became a grand mage, he had no need to concern himself with material matters, nor had he ever earned money properly.
He had retired in his old age and opened a general store, but honestly, that wasn’t for profit.
His only specialty was magic.
He had heard that a generally impoverished mage would often take on various odd jobs, but Luke, born with a strong magical sight and exceptional talent, and from a decent lineage, had never done such trivial work, nor did he even know where to start.
The only job he was somewhat familiar with was monster hunting.
That was about the only thing he felt confident in.
Moreover, wasn’t the forest a breeding ground for monsters?
Though he was only at Circle 1, he had proven to Dayton that he could cast multiple spells simultaneously, and if successful in hunting, he could sell the materials.
And if he was lucky, he might even find mana plants.
“Luke? Where are you sneaking off to?”
As Luke tried to quietly slip outside, he was stopped by Daphne, who appeared in front of him.
Luke, not wanting to seem flustered, pretended to act nonchalantly.
“Well, I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
“Ah, I see? But the forest is dangerous, so I’ll go with you.”
“…”
Realizing that refusing would be futile, Luke sighed and eventually nodded.
——-
The winter forest was quite cold for a child.
However, with Circle 1 engraved, Luke could use a thin shield on his skin to block the cold wind, so he wasn’t that cold.
Of course, while it blocked the wind, it couldn’t raise the temperature, so he still wore thick clothing.
‘If I can find signs of useful monsters…’
Luke was thinking this as he scanned the surroundings with keen eyes.
Unfortunately, walking through the forest and exhaling white breath while his eyes sparkled, all Daphne could think was that he really seemed to be enjoying being outside.
‘Looks like being outside is really nice for him.’
A child in their prime.
Kids tend to love being outside and surely wouldn’t like being cooped up inside if they had such a past.
“Is it really that good to come out?”
“Well, it’s definitely nice.”
It was true.
The forest was rich in mana; thus, mana was quickly accumulating in his Circle, and the freshness of the open space felt quite pleasant.
With that feeling of satisfaction, he could temporarily shake off the pressing guilt he felt towards Yerna.
“Oh, you just smiled.”
“…”
Had he briefly lifted the corners of his mouth?
Perhaps it was due to his still-unfamiliar body or the novelty of the new sensations, but it was unbecoming for him to smile so easily.
Of course, smiling wasn’t a bad thing…
Still, he felt embarrassed, thinking he wasn’t living up to his age.
As Luke avoided Daphne’s gaze and stared at the ground, he discovered something.
“Hm.”
He spotted traces of mana at his feet.
If he followed those familiar traces, he might be able to find mana plants.
“Over there, let’s check that out.”
“Okay!”
Following a surprisingly energized Luke, Daphne arrived at a spot where blue flowers grew.
The petals slowly transitioning from white to blue were truly beautiful.
“It’s a Manalo.”
This mana plant blooms blue flowers when it absorbs a certain amount of mana.
This was that flower.
“Wow, this is quite rare.”
It was uncommon for wild Manalo to bloom.
After all, it was no easy task for a plant that could absorb mana to survive long enough to bloom in the presence of monsters, and Manalo withers away three days after blooming.
Daphne, watching Luke crouched down inspecting the flower, thought this was quite a feminine sensitivity and smiled.
“By the way, do you know about Manalo?”
“Of course.”
“Really?”
Luke nodded, keeping his eyes focused on the Manalo.
“The flower language of Manalo is regret and apology. Do you know why?”
“Why’s that?”
“When it doesn’t bloom, Manalo absorbs nutrients from surrounding plants to gather mana for itself, but after it blooms, it disperses mana back into the surroundings. Doesn’t that resemble the act of regretting and apologizing?”
“Ah, I see.”
“In the end, Manalo blooms, disperses mana for three days, and then dies. But that apology is already hollow.”
“Why?”
“Mana is a completely useless resource for plants.”
What plants needed were light, water, and the life force contained in the soil.
While plants can produce mana, very few actually require it.
However, a Manalo hoards an excessive amount of nutrients in mana due to momentary greed, only to regret it when no one is left nearby.
“That’s a rather gloomy story for a fairy tale.”
Daphne felt that the story related to Manalo was too melancholic for a child Luke’s age to read.
“But it carries a lesson too.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s the lesson that one should apologize as soon as possible.”
Luke carefully pulled the flower from the ground, ensuring to not damage its roots while channeling mana into it.
‘Thinking of trying to cover up instead of revealing the truth and seeking forgiveness. At this rate, I’m no different from a foolish child.’
He thought that perhaps this flower could at least be a small bit of help.
If he remembered correctly, Manalo was quite a rare flower.
In his time, the technology to cultivate it had not developed, making it difficult to obtain.
Even when found, the flower would wilt in three days without mana, and nobles would use it to show superiority over one another by how many blossoms they could possess.
Thus, it was quite valuable and was a symbol of wealth that was tedious and labor-intensive to grow, often used even when nobles apologizing to one another.
How much it might be worth now, he had no idea, but he thought it might be of some help.
“Let’s go back now.”
“Okay, let’s do that.”
Walking alongside Luke, who was gazing wistfully at the flower, Daphne felt he must really like flowers.
She could see the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
A girl feeling sentimental at the sight of flowers somehow brought a smile to Daphne’s face.
“By the way, how much does this flower usually sell for?”
Suddenly, economic reasoning was tossed at Daphne.
She was momentarily taken aback but then thought it must be due to how much he liked the Manalo and smiled in response.
“Oh, that? You can buy one for 9,000 gil at a flower shop. Why? Are you planning to make a bouquet?”
“…”
“Hey, why the disappointment?”
“It’s nothing.”
Well, it was an era where even the World Tree, once referred to as a divine being, could be artificially created.
Certainly, he’d be able to grow a single flower with ease.
Luke thought that perhaps he could only manage to convey the meaning of apology through the flower.
—–
“Hey, Luke! Were you listening to your sisters?”
Yerna burst through the door with a surprisingly high energy and Luke handed her the single flower he had planted in a paper cup.
“Eh? It’s a Manalo! A wild Manalo too? Where did you find this? You’re giving this to me?”
Yerna seemed very touched and covered her mouth and chest with her hand.
Luke, feeling complicated, continued to speak.
“Yerna, do you know the flower language of Manalo?”
“Of course, it’s apology and regret.”
“Just as I thought, you know it well.”
As Yerna accepted the flower, she glanced at Luke’s expression with a hint of curiosity.
“But why the flower language? Do you want to apologize for something to me?”
“Well, the truth is… It’s about the mana expenses. It wasn’t just a mana leak.”
“What? Then…”
Avoiding Yerna’s ‘no way’ gaze, Luke continued.
“I think it’s my fault. I must have drawn the mana needed to maintain the Circle. I suspect that’s the expense that has been billed.”
“Uh…?”
Yerna was taken aback.
Oh no, the Circle.
I completely overlooked that.
Luke’s body needed to maintain the Circle to survive. Keeping him inside the house without knowing that must have led to this situation.
It probably even incurred progressive charges, raising the amount even higher.
Then who should be blamed for that three million gil…?
Yerna sighed heavily.
“Hah…”
‘Who should I blame, but myself.’
Hearing her sigh, Luke flinched.
He thought Yerna might turn volatile like before with Dayton, and if her rage subsided, he would be willing to take the punishment.
Whatever anyone said, he currently had no means to earn money.
‘They don’t even buy monster materials, what on earth are people doing in this era?’
Luke briefly pondered how he could survive alone in this era.
Should he entrust himself to a facility?
Well, there would likely be mana expense problems there as well.
Then would it be homelessness?
To be honest, it was easy to imagine himself scavenging through back alleys, eating food scraps.
There were far too many orphans like that in his time.
Alternatively, he could go deep into the forest and dig up some roots to eat. He at least knew about edible plants.
If he occasionally hunted monsters that could be eaten…
Yerna, noticing the tension in Luke’s shoulders, called his name.
“Luke.”
Knowing she was about to punish him, Luke immediately hardened his expression and said calmly.
“I’m prepared. Do with me as you wish. Whether you cast me out or hit me, I—”
“Luke!”
He flinched.
Having developed a heightened sensitivity to sounds, Luke was taken aback and stopped talking at the power in Yerna’s voice.
To anger his benefactor was a moment of shame for Luke Ilruce.
However, Yerna’s words were unexpected for him.
“Why on earth would I abandon you?”
“You’re not abandoning me…?”
Luke’s eyes widened in surprise.
As he had initially thought, Yerna was neither a noble nor rich.
Three million gil was a considerable amount, and it was burdensome to pay it willingly to a child she barely knew.
Thus, unable to rationally understand her choice, Luke asked once more.
“Really, you’re not abandoning me?”
The surprise of hearing such kindness directed towards him was hard for him to believe.
Seeing Luke like that, Yerna felt pity and pulled him into an embrace.
“I won’t abandon you. Even if three million gil is a lot, it’s not an amount I can’t handle. Why would I abandon such a young child on such a cold day? If I did, I’d just have bad dreams.”
“…”
Held in Yerna’s embrace, Luke felt his face growing warm for no reason.
Honestly, this situation was far too embarrassing for him.
Wasn’t he, an old man, being cradled in a woman’s arms? It couldn’t be more humiliating.
But the flushed face of Luke still looked unmistakably like a child, so Yerna could only feel delight.
“So don’t worry too much.”
“I understand. I will never forget this debt, and I will repay it without fail.”
“Sure, sure. So, please take good care of me from now on.”
