Rain,
a Cave, and the Truth 10
The
water source was located just under an hour's climb up a mountain path from the
village. I had braced myself quite a bit for it, but with the well-trodden
earth and gentle incline, we reached it without much difficulty.
That
place, which serves as a playground for children during the summer, lay quietly
surrounded by a grove of trees. Flowing thinly and tricklingly from a crack in
the rock near the ground, the water volume was so small it was a wonder if it
actually became the river at the bottom of the cliff. Perhaps there were
several other tributaries connecting to that river.
「Village chief, we will draw some
water.」
「Yes, please take as much as you
like.」
When
I heard about the Water God, I thought it was an object of indigenous worship,
but it didn't seem to be the case. They cherish it, but they don't show a
single sign of displeasure at outsiders drawing water. On the contrary, he even
asked me, 「Do you want to try drinking it?」
When
I dipped both hands into the water, it was colder than I expected. Hearing that
the melted snow remaining near the summit seeps into the ground and comes out
from here, it made sense. When I took the scooped-up water into my mouth, it
was clean and free of any peculiar taste.
「It's delicious.」
「Right?」
The
village chief nodded boastfully.
The
taste of the water spread softly over my tongue. It literally seeped into my
body, which was tired from last night and sweating from the early summer
mountain climb. I could clearly feel the sensation of the cold water passing
through my throat and dropping into my stomach.
Looking
next to me, Ashren-sama also drank the water, and even poured it over
his head, shaking himself brrr like a puppy. So this is what they mean
by a handsome man even when dripping wet. The sensuality of him brushing up his
wet bangs could easily make any young lady present faint.
Myself
included. Normally I could make a light joke, but today my mouth was twitching,
and I let my gaze wander, wondering where to look. I am trying my best to at
least not let it show on my face, though.
「Layla, what are we going to do with the
soil around here?」
Completely
unaware of my feelings, Ashren-sama asked calmly.
「R-Right. I want to collect a little.
Also, if we have time, may I look for medicinal herbs that can only be
harvested at high altitudes?」
For
a while now, I had been curious about the vine entwined around the tree over
there, thinking it might be a rare medicinal herb. Receiving permission for
just thirty minutes from Ashren-sama, I stepped into the bushes.
「Just as I thought, this is a
powerful antidote. To think there's so much of it, and the leaves are
magnificent too.」
The
leaves can be dried to make oral medicine, and the stems can be mashed into an
ointment—an excellent plant. I immediately took a knife out of my backpack, cut
the vine, peeled it off the tree, and rapidly stuffed it into my backpack.
Before
long, Ashren-sama and Mark-sama came and helped me. Of course, Ashren-sama
knew what this was, and was surprised that such an expensive thing was growing
here.
「It has nothing to do with the mass
withering of wheat, but this is quite a lucky find.」
「It's frustrating that we can only
carry as much as fits in the backpack, isn't it.」
I
only packed what was needed right now into the backpack and left the rest at
the village chief's house, so there was plenty of room. But the purpose of this
trip is to investigate the mass withering of wheat. This is strictly a bonus.
「Once we return to the laboratory,
let's send someone to collect more. There might be other rare medicinal herbs
too.」
「In that case, we'll need someone
knowledgeable about medicinal herbs as well.」
「True. Shall we send Tick?
He's young and has energy to spare. Since he's a man, he can camp out in the
worst-case scenario.」
Setting
aside whether this could be called getting dragged into things, between Ashren-sama
and me, Tick's trip to Liebel Village became a decided matter.
Unexpected
harvests seem to be the unique joy of field research. Yes, definitely. It was
tough getting here, but I can't help but think I want to go again.
「Layla, you look like you're having fun.」
「Yes. I only knew about conducting
medicinal herb research in a laboratory. I thought actually visiting the site
was important, but I never imagined there would be this much of a harvest.」
「This is the first time I've seen you
this lively, Layla. The sparkle in your eyes is different from when we
met in the Jilgista Kingdom.」
At
his gently narrowed ice-blue eyes, my heartbeat jumped.
「Is that so?」
As
always, I don't know how to make a cute reaction. But.
「Since coming to this country, I am
feeling the joy of research anew. For me, research used to be a solitary thing,
but in the laboratory, everyone helps each other, we work hard together, and
every day is stimulating.」
「If you say that, the others are
receiving far more stimulation.」
「Being able to come to the field like
this, it was tough, but it's very fulfilling. Ashren-sama, thank you for
scouting me to the Kanista Kingdom.」
Feeling
bewildered about what to do, I held out my hand. Ashren-sama widened his
eyes, then floated a full smile and firmly gripped my hand in return.
「That is my line. Layla, I
look forward to working with you from here on out.」
「Yes.」
What
I put into our connected hands was a feeling of trust. I still don't know what
to do with anything beyond that.
Having brought it up myself yet looking down in embarrassment, I never noticed the feelings that floated in Ashren-sama's eyes, nor Mark-sama watching over us from afar.
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