Berry returned the card and said,
“The reissue of this card is extremely difficult. Don’t lose it.”
He warned with a rather serious tone, prompting Doah to seriously ask,
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Berry did not miss the chance to show off his knowledge. He cleared his throat, calmed himself, and carefully added,
“They also sell card holders for these cards. There are many cute ones too.”
“Really? Should we go buy one together later?”
“Yes! But I still haven’t finished my homework…”
Looking at her cautiously, it was clear that Doah had no intention of helping him with the homework.
“Alright, then I’ll read the book I bought yesterday in the meantime.”
“Okay…”
Berry quietly returned to his desk, while Doah chuckled, sat down, and pulled out a book titled [A Multidimensional Study of Hero Yiseul].
Even the title sounded academic.
‘Let’s see.’
The beginning described how much the author had researched Yiseul the Hero and her party, as well as the references used.
‘Seems like this person is pretty serious. They recommended a good book.’
What Doah needed now wasn’t fiction but real clues.
She opened the book and began reading slowly.
The content was fascinating.
It was the story of a hero, and knowing that it was a true story, and that Park Yiseul was a modern person, made it even more intriguing to Doah.
But…
But…
Doah let out a sigh as she closed the last page.
‘Ah, this is too much.’
She opened the last page again. There was an illustration, with a brief caption:
[A statue of ‘Yord’ remaining on the southern Egere coastal cliff.]
Yord was an ancient spirit race that no longer existed on the Rencia continent.
Even when Yiseul arrived, the spirit race was already rare.
Their beautiful appearance and delicate voices were still talked about in stories today.
He was a member of Yiseul’s party and, more importantly, her lover.
After everything was over, Yiseul had to return to the southern continent, leaving a promise: ‘I’ll definitely return.’
But she never came back.
Yord waited for 500 years before turning into stone by the sea.
It wasn’t uncommon for the spirit race to become part of nature.
And thus, we have confirmation that this story is true—
This was the story tied to the statue.
‘She promised to return…’
Doah swallowed her sigh.
Surely, she must have come through the World Tree Travel Agency, so how could she promise ‘for sure’ that she would return?
If the agency sends her back to the modern era and declares that the journey is over, then the journey is over.
‘Somehow, I feel guilty as a fellow traveler… It’s heartbreaking.’
Later, I’ll have to ask the customer service how this all happened.
With that thought, Doah picked up the paper next to her. It was the paper where she had written down key information while reading the book.
Even though the story was sad, that wasn’t what mattered most to her.
‘Let’s see…’
After sealing the dungeon, the three relics were divided among the party members.
The spell was passed to the mage, and the relics were given to ‘Tuazit’, ‘Matilda’, and ‘Logo’.
‘Tuazit is a family that still exists.’
The names of the relics had a strangely romantic ring to them:
– The Key of Dawn
– The Key of Noon
– The Key of Dusk
Each of the relics disappeared at some point, with the reasons being the sudden death of the owner or the fall of their family.
Since the relics didn’t appear on the surface, it was all just speculation.
However, it was certain that the mage’s ring had a ‘spell,’ and it was also certain that Tuazit possessed a ‘relic.’
As soon as Doah finished summarizing the information she had read, an alarm went off.
🍓🍓🍓
Main Quest
Chapter 2 [Clue Tracking]
You have obtained the first pieces of information about the three relics and one spell.
The method is up to you.
– Key of Dawn: Disappeared when the Marguerite family perished.
– Key of Noon: Disappeared when Matilda went missing and died.
– Key of Dusk: Might still be held by the Tuazit family.
– One spell: Might be held by the mage’s Circle.
You have completed the first keyword.
Reward: World Tree Essence has been granted.
When you fill in the second keyword, the reward ‘Purification Stone (S-rank)’ will be given.
🍓🍓🍓
‘Oh!’
To think they would count this as the first keyword.
It felt so easy to obtain, and that made her feel even better.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t checked the rewards I’ve received so far. Should I take a look?’
Doah reached into her pocket. The rewards were automatically stored in her magic pouch.
‘Let’s see.’
She pulled out the first reward she had received: an A-grade purification stone.
“Wow…”
It was a beautifully sparkling round disc, resembling an opal.
There was a hole in the middle, like a donut, and it was about the size of a circle formed by pressing her index finger and thumb together.
A cool, refreshing energy radiated from it.
It felt like the air you breathe next to a cool spring in a forest.
The crisp, clear air spread like waves around the purification stone.
Just holding it made her feel as though her mind was becoming clearer.
Berry twitched his whiskers and turned his head to ask,
“Miss Doah, what’s that?”
“This? It’s called a purification stone… Do you want to see?”
Berry widened his eyes.
“A purification stone? I’ve never seen one before!”
“Berry, do you know what a purification stone is?”
Doah asked cautiously. In her studies, she hadn’t encountered any information about a purification stone.
Berry nodded.
“It’s an item that only comes from natural dungeons with a rank of A or higher. It has the power to purify contamination.”
“Ah.”
“And if you carry it, it protects you from contamination.”
“Really?”
Doah examined the purification stone closely and then handed it to Berry.
“Then, I’ll give this to you, Berry.”
Berry’s tail puffed up.
“Oh, no! This is really rare! If I wear this around my neck, people will try to kill me.”
“Is it that rare?”
“Yes!!”
Berry had heard how rare and valuable the item was.
Doah said,
“Then I’ll have to carry it secretly. I should get a locket made for it.”
A simple wooden locket would do, so as not to draw too much attention. They could put it in the locket.
“But…”
“Berry, you’ll be traveling with Khunak soon.”
Berry jumped up in surprise.
“With Khunak?”
“Yes.”
Doah nodded and patted Berry’s head. The way his ears instantly flattened against the back of his head was adorable.
“Even if Khunak is careful, contamination might still leak. It’s better for you to wear protection.”
“But…”
Seeing Berry hesitate, Doah smiled warmly.
“If the purification stone is as powerful as it seems, it’ll be fine. I’ll gather more information as well.”
“Okay.”
“For now, you should keep this with you.”
Doah handed the purification stone to Berry, who stretched out his hands.
Thud.
As soon as the stone lightly fell into his hands, a sense of calm washed over him.
A warm and refreshing energy flowed from it.
Being from the cat tribe, Berry was particularly sensitive to this kind of energy. His heart felt at peace. With this, he no longer felt afraid of Khunak.
“Later, let’s order a necklace when we buy the card holder.”
“Okay.”
Doah nodded and pulled out the next item: World Tree Essence.
Just by looking at it, she knew what it was—amber.
An incredibly rich forest scent began to fill the air. It was crystal clear, glowing with a bright yellow hue, almost like gold.
Berry wrinkled his pink nose and sniffed.
“It smells really good. It smells like a real forest.”
“Yeah.”
Doah nodded.
The scent was like all the vibrant smells of a forest rolled into one.
“This is no ordinary gem.”
Doah rolled the thumb-sized essence in her hands.
‘Should I try using this to make medicine? Come to think of it, one of Rakshasha’s recipes used this kind of essence.’
If it was the essence of the World Tree, it would surely have an incredible effect.
‘Ah! I can use this to make medicine for Khunak.’
It would be highly effective in purification. Doah nodded to herself, deciding to try it on Khunak.
She carefully placed the essence into her Herbalist Set.
Since there was no World Tree in this world, there wouldn’t be any more essence, so she’d have to use it sparingly.
‘I’ll have to use just a little at a time. Too much potency could be a problem.’
Doah shook her head.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, there was a polite knock on the door.
‘Who could that be?’
Doah wondered, as there wasn’t anyone who would visit. Then, the door swung open.
“Were you staying in such a shabby place?”
Doah’s mouth fell open.
Berry jumped up from his seat.
“Your Majesty!”
Berry shouted, and Robern smiled.
“So, there is someone here who knows who I am.”
“Your Majesty? How did you know I was here?”
Doah asked in confusion, and he replied,
“Did you really think you could escape my eyes?”
“No, that’s not the issue here.”
He looked around.
“Staying in a place smaller than the entrance to my mansion—quite fitting for someone of B-rank.”
He strode in confidently and sat in the best seat, his cape billowing dramatically behind him.
Crossing his legs, he said,
“A guest has arrived, and you’re not even offering me tea?”
Though Doah was taken aback, Berry was excited. His tail was curled in a perfect arc, indicating his enthusiasm.
“I’ll bring it right away!”
Berry chirped, dashing out of the room.
Doah, feeling somewhat unsettled, looked at Robern.
“Aren’t you going to sit?”
“I’ll make some coffee.”
Doah opened the window, pulled out the coffee set, and lit the fire.
She needed a caffeine boost to get through this.
Soon, the rich aroma of coffee filled the room.
After gathering her thoughts, Doah asked,
“Why are you interested in me, Your Majesty?”
“Shouldn’t you be happy that I’m showing interest in you?”
“No, that’s not the kind of interest I’m talking about.”
“For a B-rank, you’re quite smart.”
“I know I’m B-rank, but if you keep saying B-rank this and B-rank that, don’t you think it would hurt a B-rank’s feelings?”
“But B-rank is still B-rank.”
Ugh.
Doah felt frustrated. Of course, she was B-rank! But still!
‘Well, whatever.’
It felt annoying to ask him to use her name.
Robern watched Doah quietly as she slowly brewed the coffee.
“It’s been three years since I defeated the evil dragon.”
Doah glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
“Half of the companions who were with me at the time died. Of those who survived, not many can still walk properly.”
Doah straightened her posture.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Robern smiled slightly.
“You don’t need to say that to me. The ones who should be pitied are the dead. I survived, became S-rank, and gained all the fame and power.”
“Anyway,”
Doah shrugged.
Robern continued to observe Doah closely and said,
“I thought that such upheaval would never happen in my life again. So, I figured the rest of my life would be pretty boring.”
His gaze fixed on Doah’s eyes.
“But now, I see an unusual foreigner has appeared. It would be a shame to let you out of my sight.”
“So, you’re saying I’m a refreshing challenge in your life?”
“For a B-rank, you’re pretty sharp.”
Doah felt both bewildered and amused, but then she remembered the main quest.
“So, you want to stay close and be continually challenged?”
“If possible.”
“Then, how about joining me?”
“Why should I?”
“I’m about to start a new adventure, and I want to reach S-rank quickly. Besides, I could use a companion.”
Robern rested his chin on his hand and looked at her just as the door opened and Berry returned.
Berry carefully placed the cups down and lightly scolded Doah.
“Miss Doah, you shouldn’t drink coffee without eating anything first. It’s not good for you.”
“I really need caffeine right now…”
Doah muttered in defense.
Robern elegantly picked up his cup and asked,
“So, what kind of adventure is a B-rank planning to embark on?”
“Hmm?”
“If it’s just a B-rank level adventure, there’s no reason for me to join.”
“Well, my ultimate goal is…”
Doah hesitated, unsure if she should reveal it. But something made her feel like it was okay.
“Maybe the ‘Shining Spring.’”
Berry gasped in surprise, and even Robern widened his eyes in astonishment. His bright blue eyes locked onto her.
Doah smiled, feeling satisfied.
If she could surprise an S-rank, that wasn’t bad at all.
Robern set down his cup and covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling. Then he burst into laughter.
“Ahahahahaha.”
His laughter was loud but strangely refreshing and pleasant to hear.
After a moment, he abruptly stood up.
He walked over to Doah and lightly pulled the coffee pot from her hand, saying,
“I’d gladly join such a crazy party.”
He took a puff from the coffee pipe and laughed.
“That wouldn’t be a bad way to die.”
Doah, with a slightly grumpy face, held out her hand.
“That’s my coffee. And you’re not going to die.”
“The B-rank will be the first to die.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re B-rank.”
He smiled mischievously as he said this, and although Doah felt indignant, she couldn’t help but laugh as well.
“Oh, right. I guess I’d better reach S-rank as quickly as possible, then.”
“Shall I teach you the quickest way to gain fame for a B-rank?”
Doah tilted her head in curiosity at Robern’s words.
“What’s that?”
“It’s very simple.”
Robern grinned widely.
