Chapter 7 — A Dawn Date and Pure Drive

Part 1 — Exile, Then Saving the Nation

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Ellie and I hit the market first thing in the morning. The twins stayed home to handle chores. Bill protested until Meg pinned him in a full nelson and shoved us out the door.

We strolled at an easy pace. Compared to the Sazanport morning market, this place barely qualified, but Ellie kept glancing around with sparkling curiosity. Maybe the northern goods were new to her. Seeing her enjoy herself let me relax.

Every so often she tugged my sleeve, pointing out this and that. Her mood had been stellar since dawn. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t about to complain.

We bought the draft horse and cattle as planned, plus chickens because Ellie wanted fresh eggs. The barn was about to get lively. I arranged for delivery while the livestock broker teased, "Newlyweds, huh? Nice."

Ellie leaned in with a mischievous smile. "Maybe we should make that official?" I could barely sputter a reply. Pathetic.

We debated vegetable and herb seeds for a while and settled on carrots, cabbage, lettuce, and turnips. Turnips mature fast, so we can harvest before summer and replant the beds.

Herbs are way out of my wheelhouse, so I left that to Ellie. Listening to her haggle was like overhearing spell names, half the herbs were ones I’d never even heard of.

A few were the ones she’d brewed for me, though I’d only ever seen the dried form. I was honestly curious what they looked like fresh. She looked satisfied with the variety, and that made me happy too.

Maybe it started from a joke, but if Ellie’s going to live in a nowhere frontier, she needs things to enjoy.

"Market errands done," she said. I agreed. She grinned.

"I’ve got somewhere to go."

That face… the “up to no good” face she’s had since we were kids. She grabbed my hand and marched down the street.

"Where are we headed, milady?"

"Right... here!"

We stopped in front of a familiar building.

"The Adventurers' Guild."

"Exactly."

"Why? Going to post a quest?"

"What are you talking about? I want to take quests."

"No way."

"Yes way. I’m becoming an adventurer too."

"Come on—"

"Don’t ‘come on’ me. Are you seriously telling me to sit at home while you all go adventuring?"

"I mean—"

"No. Absolutely not. You wouldn’t dream of having fun without me, right?"

Ah. That smile again.

Sure, I’d thought the more fun she had, the better. But this?

While I was still weighing it, she shoved open the door and vanished inside. All I could do was sigh.

Same old, incorrigible Ellie.

I munched on a skewer from a nearby cart while I waited. Before long, the door burst open and Ellie strode out, silver hair gleaming, brandishing an Adventurer Card.

"Ta-daa! Look! I got my card!"

Great. For the record, anyone can get one unless they’re shackled.

"They tried to register me as B-rank, but I told them to match yours. Let’s raise our ranks together!"

She didn’t hear me mutter that rank wasn’t my priority. She just dragged me back inside to grab a quest. One glance at the board and she’d already picked an herb-gathering job—F-rank, nice and tame.

Ellie must have a permanent buff to her initiative stat. Oh well. We’ll wrap this up in a couple hours before lunch.

◆◆◆

We dropped our purchases at home, grabbed the twins, and headed for the woods.

The job was simple: collect medicinal herbs along the forest edge. No real danger, so the pay was modest—perfect newbie fare.

"Hey, big sis," Bill asked Ellie on the way. "What’s the difference between vegetables, herbs, and medicinal herbs?"

Ellie melted the moment he called her "big sis." Her grin went stupid.

"Hehe, good question."

That face belongs on a lecherous old man, not a saint. Also, Bill, the way you talk to her versus me? I notice. Maybe I should try calling her big sis too. Could be fun.

"Basically, medicinal herbs hold magic, while regular crops don’t."

They also look totally different. Take today’s target, Healing Moss. The name says "grass," but it’s somewhere between moss and fluff. You could walk past it without a second glance.

The biggest difference is the mana content she mentioned. Mana exists everywhere, even in towns, but it concentrates the deeper you go: forests, caves, dungeons. Medicinal herbs grow where mana is dense, and they can’t be cultivated artificially. You have to harvest them in the wild—that’s why guilds post quests for them.

"So we’re gathering potion ingredients," Ellie finished.

"Makes sense now," Bill said. "You really know everything, big sis!"

Ellie squealed. I swear I heard a sound a lady shouldn’t make.

Despite the impromptu lesson, we gathered the herbs easily and were about to head home when it happened.

"Someone, help!"

A scream sliced through the quiet, and our leisurely errand turned into something else entirely.

----- End of chapter -----