欧美Tⅴ另类图片

Chapter 258 Part 2

Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”

Southeast from the Spirit Forest. There is a group of small nations that are lumped together as the “Northern Countries”.

It is adjacent to the Spirit Forest, but the road to the Elven Village is narrow and steep due to the steep mountainous terrain in between.

Since the trade routes through the Empire are no longer available, the number of merchants visiting the area has increased rapidly. The countries were in the midst of an unprecedented economic boom.

「It’s gotten quite lively here, isn’t it」

An old man murmurs to himself as he watches the merchants doing business in the town square.

This is the Black Locust country, which is said to be the leader of the northern countries. But even so, from the perspective of the Kingdom, it is no more than a lodging town for commuter golem carriages.

「Don’t you think so too?」

The old man looks up with a gentle expression and calls out to a big, fat, elderly woman.

The old woman’s eyes were pure and innocent, and she was looking at the crowd with her mouth half open.

「Umhoo Umho」

She must have spotted something. She pointed to a spot with her right hand and begged him to go there.

The old man walked along pulled by the hand, with a smile on his face.

(She’s much better now. At this rate, it might not be long before she completely recovered)

The old man is Lightning’s grandfather-in-law and former dojo master. The old woman beside him is his wife, often referred to as the 『Great Madam』 by his students.

She lost her human heart in a certain incident and is now undergoing rehabilitation.

「Mhou!」

「Slow down, the store’s not going anywhere. Calm down」

The Great Madam strongly pulls his hand toward the candy stall. The former dojo owner dragged along with a smile on his face.

Incidentally, he had made up his mind that he would never let go of his wife’s hand while they are outside.

「It’s like we’re having a date like we used to」

His thoughts leaked out, but it didn’t seem to reach the Great Madam. She is busy excitedly holding a piece of candy made in the shape of an animal.

(I feel like I can fall in love with you again. I wonder if you think so too)

The former dojo master thinks to himself as he pays the candy store owner.

After finishing their daily walk, they arrived at the house where they live, a shabby wooden house adjacent to the dojo.

「Now then, it’s time for you to take a nap now」

As he opened the door, he noticed that his wife had stopped walking and was staring at the garden. As he followed her gaze, he noticed something unfamiliar growing in the not-so-large garden.

It was a pure white mushroom. It seemed to have only recently emerged from the ground, and its lace-like umbrella had not yet fully opened.

「…Hou, isn’t this a White Lady?」

It is said that it grows rarely at the bottom of the steep valleys in the mountains adjacent to the Spirit Forest. It is said to be valuable as a magical material and is sold at a high price.

He has only seen it once, when he went into the mountains several times. But he had never imagined that it would appear in my own garden.

「Wait, stop! It’s poisonous!」

He told his wife, who reached her hands with interest in a strong tone of voice and brought his face closer to observe it. Then he turned his attention back to his wife.

Perhaps she thought she was being scolded, the Great Madam slumped her shoulders.

「I’m not angry at you, I just wanted to told you to be more careful.」

He continued while stroking her back.

「I heard it could be worth a lot of money if we sold it, but we don’t need a lot of money now, do we? It’s beautiful to look at, so let’s just leave it here」

The Great Madam gave a small nod while putting her fingers in her mouth. The former dojo master put his hand on her back and led her into the building.

***

A few days later. To his surprise, the White Lady grew to the height of a man.

This is no longer on the level of being called abnormal since it normally grows only to the size of a vertical fist.

「Is this really a White Lady?」

The man who visits the dojo and stares at the white mushrooms with the guards in the garden is a small, round bellied, timid looking old man.

He is the only minister of the Black Locust country and is also an acquaintance of the former dojo owner.

「I think so, since it glows faintly at night, and the features are the same as what I’ve been told」

The former dojo owner crossed his arms and tilted his head. Next to him was his wife, a big, fat, elderly woman, surrounded by the residents of the area.

「It’s poisonous, right?」

The minister looked at the wooden fence surrounding the white mushrooms.

『Do not touch as it will cause a rash』

There was a sign on the outside of the fence with large letters written in calligraphy.

The reason why he did this was because of an old man who lived nearby. He reached out his hand out of curiosity and got a sore on his skin, which became a serious problem.

The reason why no one asked him to remove it since it’s dangerous was probably because this is a countryside.

The old man with his right hand wrapped in a bandage was watching the minister and the guards from a distance without a hint of concern.

Then, the adventurer party that had been summoned showed up.

「How is it? Is this really a white lady?」

The timid-looking minister asked while made his eyebrow into a ハ shape. He had asked an adventurer who was an expert in collecting mushrooms to evaluate the mushroom.

The wild-looking man with the sideburns and beard circled around the white mushroom with a serious expression, then looked back at him with a big sigh.

「The size is unbelievably big, but there’s no mistaking that it is a white lady」

The surrounding crowd let out an impressed shout, and the careless old man raised his right hand that was wrapped in bandages high in pride for some reason.

「If the efficacy of the drug is similar to that of the White Lady, it will be worth enough to buy a country!」

The White Lady, a precious material for potions, is worth more than ten gold coins in the royal and imperial capitals.

If it is this size, even if the price is greatly reduced, it will still be enough to buy a country as big as Black Locust country.

「Mhouu!」

Suddenly, the Great Madam shouted out loud. She looked excited and tried to squeeze the adventurers.

A wide space was created after the surrounding crowds ran away from the thick, log-like arms.

The former dojo master hurriedly blocked her path and called out to her while hugging her.

「That was just an example. They won’t cut it down and take it with them」

The Great Madam is very fond of this mushroom that glows white in the night. She thought they would be sold after she heard what the adventurer said.

She gradually calmed down at her husband’s words.

「Ah, yes, I was only expressing the estimated value. I came here just to appraise it, not take it with me」

The old adventurer, who jumped away, said while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He has heard rumors about the Great Madam, who was once known as the 『Demon of the North』. He had no intention of offending her.

「Why not turn it into a tourist attraction? There’s nothing like it, probably not even in the Spirit Forest」

The small, stout minister nodded deeply at the words of the wild-looking old man.

The fact that there was nothing to see in the country of Black Locust country was a headache.

Receiving a gaze from the minister, the former dojo owner opened his mouth.

「I don’t mind. It’s just that it grew naturally in my garden」

Relieved, the minister spoke up.

「As a national treasure, we have to take measures to prevent it from being stolen. First, we should set up guards to protect it」

The surrounding residents shouted their approval of the minister’s words.

「We’ll look after it too. It’s good to have light at night, and with tourists coming, we can sell stuff」

The neighbors nodded to each other in agreement.

The minister’s face broke into a smile as he realized that this would be more effective than the guards.

「We’ll have to put up an announcement for it later. What shall we call it? How does 『The White Lady of Black Locust country』 sounds?」

The people in the surrounding laughed at the minister’s suggestion, saying, 『Isn’t that too simple, minister?』. As a small country, the distance between the minister and the people is close.

The former dojo owner watched the scene with narrowed eyes.