The herb gathering in the Starshadow Forest began with Professor Aiaie Hekati’s magic class taking the students to the forest entrance.
The gathered students chattered noisily, pairing up with their group members to move around.
Esme, Citrine, and Torlin had already set off ahead of us.
“Now… if I tie the ribbon like this…”
Nicasia, who had been clinging to my back, Murmur, stepped back with a satisfied look.
“Murmur-sama is now wearing a cute apron!”
“Murmur isn’t the only one wearing an apron, you know…”
Nicasia brightly smiled and put aprons on Monica and me.
I had thought about refusing, but since she had already worn one herself, I couldn’t say no.
“With this apron, you can roam the forest freely without any issues. It’s not uncomfortable, right?”
“I feel very comfortable!”
Behind Nicasia, who was proudly showing off her expression, stood the three maids with even more satisfied looks.
“I want to say that Murmur is not a child…”
“Wearing an apron has nothing to do with that, so don’t worry.”
Nicasia said so, but the maids’ expressions clearly showed they were looking at us like children.
Well, even if I don’t know what the material is, it doesn’t seem cumbersome and will definitely protect against dirt, so I’ll endure it.
Besides, seeing Monica and Nicasia in aprons is quite rare.
“Murmur wants to enter the Starshadow Forest quickly.”
“If we’re late, all the herbs might disappear.”
“Alright. Since we’ve finished preparing neatly, shall we head in quickly?”
Contrary to Monica’s worries, it’s unlikely that all the herbs would disappear.
Still, there was no need to dawdle, so I, Murmur, moved my legs faster than Nicasia and Monica.
“Take care, Your Highness!”
“Please be careful!”
“Your Highness! It’s okay if your hands get dirty!!!”
The three maids stood at the entrance until the end, waving and calling out to us.
Seriously, they treat us too much like children.
“By the way, Nicasia, why is there only a sheep drawn on Murmur’s apron?”
“Ah… that? Hehe, it’s a special apron I got just for Murmur. Isn’t it cute?”
…It was Nicasia’s fault!!
Unfortunately, I, Murmur, couldn’t take off the apron myself.
* * *
“I’ve seen this herb before.”
Monica knelt on the ground, looking at my hands as she spoke.
“The leaves are incredibly large, aren’t they? They’re even bigger than my hand, not just Murmur’s palm.”
Nicasia also clung to me, looking at the herb I was gathering.
“Murmur knows the name of this herb. It’s Honeydew Grass.”
“Ah! Hearing that name, I think I know it. I’ve seen Sister Anna often grind it.”
“When you grind Honeydew Grass, it produces a sticky, gooey sap like honey.”
I skillfully plucked the stem of the Honeydew Grass.
From its appearance to the precautions, everything was exactly as I had seen in the game, so there were no difficulties.
“You can mix that sap with other herbs to make a basic ‘Healing Elixir.'”
“I’ve also seen it used as an ointment on bandages!”
“I’ll help gather too… ugh?”
Unlike me, Nicasia grabbed the leaf of the Honeydew Grass and pulled it off.
At that moment, a sticky golden liquid oozed out and clung to Nicasia’s hand.
“When gathering Honeydew Grass, you must always grab the thickest stem and pluck it whole.”
“Ah… ugh, it’s so sticky, what should I do?”
“If you lick it, it’s very bitter. Monica can use Cleanliness Magic to clean it.”
Monica immediately smiled brightly and took Nicasia’s hand.
“Mo, Monica?”
“It’s incredibly sticky~!”
Monica, smiling brightly, played with the gooey sap, stretching it out.
Nicasia was startled at first but soon realized that Cleanliness Magic would remove it, so she joined in, fiddling with Monica’s hand.
“Pfft… look at this. It’s so sticky.”
“Right? The more you touch it, the more it stretches.”
“It’s amazing that such a sticky thing can be made into an elixir.”
While I, Murmur, gathered a lot of Honeydew Grass, Nicasia and Monica played with the sap.
Are they like kids playing with slime or something?
Fortunately, they quickly got bored, and Monica used Cleanliness Magic at the right moment.
“… … But, I really feel like I’m not helping at all.”
“I think Murmur is fine with it.”
Nicasia gave a bitter smile.
Seeing that expression, I brushed off the dirt from my knees and stood up to search for new herbs.
“Do you know why Nicasia and Monica are taking this class at the Academy?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
Monica also nodded.
“It’s because a Hero needs to know these things. That’s why High School Section classes include military studies.”
“Murmur already knows what classes you’ll take in High School?”
“Yeah, because Murmur will become a Hero. I’ll learn a lot and know a lot in advance. That way, I won’t fail.”
I found the second herb faster than expected, so I knelt on the ground again.
“If you become a Hero, you’ll definitely get hurt. You might get sick. Learning about herbs is for those moments.”
I examined the long, glowing red grass as I continued.
“But… the Hero isn’t alone. You’ll act with precious comrades, so it’s okay if the Hero doesn’t know everything. Even if the comrades don’t know, it’s okay if only the Hero knows.”
“Like us, right?”
Nicasia thankfully understood my point.
“Yeah, that’s right. So, it’s not bad that Nicasia doesn’t know much about herbs. In fact, it’s strange to expect everyone to know everything.”
“Murmur sometimes says really mature things.”
“Murmur-sama is amazing.”
Nicasia clung to me in admiration, and Monica did the same.
“This herb looks really red, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know the name of this herb~!”
Monica said with sparkling eyes.
“Ah, really?”
“Really? This herb is called ‘Bloodsuck Flower.'”
“That’s correct. If you crush this flower and rub it on a wound, it stops bleeding quickly.”
Nicasia covered her mouth in admiration.
“There’s a herb with such an effect… Ah, is this also an ingredient for the ‘Healing Elixir’?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Nicasia is getting good at this.”
“Hehehe, as if~”
Nicasia smiled happily, carefully observing my actions, and then gathered the ‘Bloodsuck Flower’ herself.
Thanks to that, we quickly filled one of the apron pockets.
Since the bag Citrine prepared was for unique herbs, we could continue filling the apron pockets with the herbs needed for the assignment.
“There’s still quite a bit left, right?”
“Yeah, about six more.”
Thankfully, the herbs needed for the assignment didn’t overlap at all.
Healing Elixir, Mana Elixir, Strength Elixir.
Each required different ingredients, so we had to gather for quite a while.
“Even after gathering the herbs, it seems like there will be problems.”
“Ah, right… I’ve never made an elixir before.”
“I’ve helped Sister Anna a bit.”
“It’s okay. Murmur will make it all.”
Monica and I brushed off the dirt from our knees and stood up.
Nicasia also stood up, but upon seeing a crimson flower, she smiled.
“Murmur, look at this flower! The petals are so big and pretty, don’t you think?”
“Ah… that’s the ‘Expulsion Flower.'”
“It’s definitely a wildflower… How did it grow so big and beautiful? There are so many healthy plants around it.”
Nicasia happily checked the flower’s scent and fiddled with the petals.
Then, she suddenly blushed and stepped back slightly.
“Nicasia, do you need to go to the bathroom?”
“…Huh? No, not at all. That’s impossible.”
Nicasia shook her head in surprise, but her left hand tightly gripped the apron.
Seeing her slightly bend her waist, it seemed she had fallen victim to the Expulsion Flower’s effect.
Poor princess…
“Just hold on for a bit, and it’ll pass.”
“Could it be… that I feel this way because I smelled the flower?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Smelling that flower makes you want to go to the bathroom.”
“What kind of flower is this?!”
Nicasia’s face turned red as she fanned herself and bit her lip.
Sorry to say, but thanks to that, I found the flower I was looking for.
“But that’s how the flower survives. You shouldn’t think badly of it.”
“What does that have to do with me wanting to go to the bathroom…”
“Ah, I think I know!”
Monica clapped her hands with a bright smile.
“… … I think I know too.”
Nicasia shook her head.
It was a strong and cute appeal that she didn’t want to talk about it.
I reached out to the flower, skillfully broke its stem, and put it in my pocket.
“Huh? Murmur? Do you need that flower too?”
“Yeah, it can have different effects when added to an elixir.”
Nicasia and Monica looked at me in admiration.
Unfortunately, this herb wasn’t needed for the current assignment.
Rather, it was an item needed for my, Murmur’s, grand plan.
“Then…”
I quickly summoned a wind spirit.
Then, I gave the Expulsion Flower to the cute, winged spirit.
If it flies to the guard in the ‘dangerous area’ of the forest, things will go as I planned!
“Murmur? Why did you summon the wind spirit?”
“It might help find hidden herbs.”
I gave the spirit a command as I spoke.
The spirit obediently flew towards the guard as I instructed.
“There must be more herbs over there.”
Monica and Nicasia followed me without any questions.
Since I knew exactly what was in the dangerous area of the Starshadow Forest, I wasn’t really nervous.
The guard, who had fallen victim to the Expulsion Flower’s effect, had left her post as expected, and we were able to enter the deep forest without any hindrance.
“I’ll tell you in advance because I’m a bit worried, Murmur.”
I held both their hands tightly as I spoke.
Actually, there’s no need to say this, but just in case.
“Don’t take a bite just because it looks delicious. Don’t think about taking it just because it looks pretty.”
Nicasia and Monica smiled as if they could naturally follow that rule.
