After lunch, as planned, we set out to collect medicinal herbs. Together, we head toward the Adventurers’ Guild to register. Along the way, Fina greeted the townspeople with a cheerful smile, her face radiant with warmth.
“Good afternoon.”
“Oh my, Fina-sama! Congratulations on the birth of the baby in the mansion.”
“Thank you very much.”
Fina-san answered politely, her smile deepening.
All along the street, people stopped to offer their congratulations on little Arthur’s birth. Fina-san looked truly delighted by every kind word and blessing that came her way. Even after we stepped inside the Adventurers’ Guild, the words of celebration and welcome continued to follow her.
“Oh, if it isn’t Fina-sama! I heard you’ve got yourself a new little brother!”
“So the Margrave family got an heir for the future now, eh?”
“That makes you an aunt, doesn’t it, Fina-sama?”
“That’s not true! Ar-chan is my little brother!”
Fina-san protested, puffing out her cheeks.
“Hahaha, is that so?”
“Honestly, you’re all impossible!”
“Hahaha!”
The adventurers roared in laughter.
The teasing continued for a bit, and Fina-san’s cheeks remained adorably puffed, though it was clear to everyone that neither side meant any harm. Before long, she and the adventurers were laughing together.
The friendly banter filled the guild with warmth and good humor. In the end, it seemed even the adventurers were genuinely happy about baby Arthur’s birth.
Well, that kind of easy camaraderie was only possible because Fina-san got along so well with them.
While they chatted and laughed together, I went ahead and began the formalities for the herb-gathering expedition.
“Oh? You’re accompanied by some beginner adventurers today?
The guild receptionist asked.
“Yes. They happened to be registering right next to me, so I thought—why not invite them along?”
It seemed our escort had struck up a conversation with two young women about the same age as Sue, and they had decided to join us.
“S-s-sorry for suddenly tagging along like this!”
One of them stammered.
“We had no idea you’d be with Fina-sama when we asked!” said the other, her face pale with nervousness.
“It’s all right.”
“There’s no problem at all.”
“I will teach you all sorts of things.”
Fran added cheerfully.
“I will help you too!”
Horn chimed in.
Alongside Fina-san, even Shiro and the others were chatting comfortably with the two women. Though the newcomers looked terribly flustered and nervous, none of us saw any issue with it. Ao and Pearl weren’t showing any signs of alarm either, so it is safe to assume that the women meant no harm.
With that reassuring thought, we continued our journey until the trees of the forest finally came into view.
When we arrived, we found that someone was already there, busy gathering herbs.
“Oh my, if it isn’t Fina-sama.”
“Congratulations on the birth of the baby!”
“Thank you, auntie.”
Fina-san replied with a bright smile.
Even the group of kindly older women who were out gathering herbs called out to Fina-san with warm smiles and congratulations.
All day long, she’d been receiving kind words and cheerful greetings from everyone we met, and her radiant smile never once faded. Before long, we joined the aunties in their work, crouching down among the greenery to begin collecting herbs ourselves.
“This is the one we’re looking for. It’s got a bit of a scent, and if you look closely, there are tiny hairs on the underside of the leaves.”
“Oh, I see! Once we know what to look for, it’s actually easy to tell them apart.”
One of the younger adventurers said, examining the plant carefully.
“And they grow in clusters, don’t they?”
“That’s right. But don’t pull up the roots, okay? Leave those so they can grow back.”
“Yes, we’ll be careful.”
Fina-san and Shiro were teaching the two women how to properly harvest the herbs, patiently explaining each step. Both of them were so eager and kind, their voices gentle as they offered guidance.
“My, Fina-sama has become quite the big sister, hasn’t she?”
“Watching her like this just warms your heart.”
“She looks so adorable, trying so hard.”
The group of kind aunts watched Fina-san with gentle, knowing smiles, their eyes soft as they took in the sight.
Indeed—ever since baby Arthur had been born, Fina-san really had started to carry herself like a big sister.
With our group, the escort, and the watchful “auntie squad” all keeping an eye on Fina-san, the herb gathering went smoothly.
Meanwhile, Ao was teaching Pearl how to collect herbs as well, and honestly, those two turned out to be the day’s most productive harvesters.
As for Fina-san, even though she didn’t gather many herbs herself as she was too focused on guiding the new adventurers—she seemed completely satisfied. Her face glowed with pride, happy simply to have taught them well.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 