The Former Child Prodigy Receives A Direct Request

Several days later—

Raios visited Varnir’s office once again.

Raios was a bald man in his mid-thirties who wore glasses. He had been associated with Varnir for over ten years as one of his subordinates.

“Lord Varnir, these are the high-quality medicinal herbs circulating on the market.”

“Oh?”

The moment he saw the herbs, Varnir involuntarily caught his breath. They were fresh and truly splendid medicinal herbs. Their quality surpassed even the high-quality herbs monopolized by Black Dragon’s Fang.

As he looked through the materials Raios had brought, Raios continued his report.

“As a result of analyzing these herbs, we discovered two unusual points. The first is that these herbs are filled with nutrients to a degree incomparable to ordinary medicinal herbs. The second is that their surface is covered with a magical coating that prevents those nutrients from leaking outside.”

They gathered a great amount of nutrients, and then did not let them escape.

That mechanism, at least, Varnir could understand—but he could not accept the premise behind it.

“…A great amount of nutrients?”

Varnir thought that was impossible.

Because the nutrients in the soil of the great forest were being gathered into Black Dragon’s Fang’s exclusive territory—because Varnir himself had made it so.

Outside that exclusive territory, the nutrients should have been depleted.

“Why would that happen?”

“After investigating the composition, we confirmed traces of minute magic power. We believe some kind of spell may be injecting nutrients from the soil into the herbs before they are gathered.”

In other words, both points were effects produced by magic.

But that did not fit within Varnir’s common sense.

If such a spell existed—a spell that explosively raised the quality of medicinal herbs—then it would amount to a revolution. It would change the very nature of the world.

If it truly existed.

And yet, even Varnir, who had pursued gathering to its utmost limits, neither knew nor could use such a spell.

“Raios, do you know of such a spell?”

“No, of course I do not.”

Faced with an alien power that surpassed his own understanding—Varnir felt a chill run through him.

For a while after that, Varnir shut himself away in the deepest part of the mansion and devoted himself entirely to analyzing the spell cast on the medicinal herbs. All organizational work was either left to others or postponed. He could not allow himself to remain in a state of not knowing this mysterious spell.

He investigated and investigated and investigated—

And Varnir’s talent reached the answer.

That spell truly did exist!

But it was of a difficulty level that even Varnir himself could not use!

Overwhelmed by disbelief, Varnir sank back into his chair in a daze. Varnir was an expert in plant-related magic, and at least in that field, he considered himself among the very best even in the Imperial Capital.

And yet this was a spell so advanced that even he could not construct it!

It felt as though he had been confronted with the limits of his own talent, and the shock struck Varnir hard.

When Varnir summoned Raios, he told him the conclusion he had reached.

Raios too looked at Varnir as though he could not believe it.

“T-that… a spell beyond even your reach, Lord Varnir?”

“It is an astounding practitioner. As one who walks the same path, I am purely interested in that power. But—”

But Varnir had a position to protect.

The position of one of the Eight Stars, a leading figure of the Imperial Capital’s greatest clan, Black Dragon’s Fang.

“There are things I too must protect—pride I must demonstrate.”

He could not simply rejoice and declare it wonderful.

As one of the Eight Stars, as head of his division, he had to produce results. Overwhelming results that would satisfy Orfred, the clan master.

Proof that Black Dragon’s Fang was the finest in the Imperial Capital.

Varnir turned his eyes to Raios.

“Raios, there is something I would ask of you.”

After finishing my usual medicinal herb gathering in the great forest, I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Wow, another huge haul today, a huge haul♪”

Saying that, the purchasing clerk hummed as she priced the herbs I had handed over, and I asked her:

“Do you know Granveil Grass?”

“Yes, I know it, but—w-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?”

The clerk suddenly screamed.

“M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m, do not tell me you managed to get even Granveil Grass!? With that Hand of God of yours!?”

“No, no. I am just looking for it.”

The moment I said that, the clerk let out a sigh.

“Ahh, that startled me. Right, of course. Even with your Hand of God, Mr. Ilvis, Granveil Grass is still out of reach.”

The clerk nodded to herself.

“Granveil Grass is basically impossible to find. These past few years, especially, it has almost never appeared, and even before that, it was only discovered two or three times a year.”

“I see.”

So it really was difficult after all.

“But with your Hand of God, Mr. Ilvis, I think you might be able to find it someday!”

Where did that confidence in me come from…?

“Thanks. I will do my best.”

Well, either way, I had no choice but to try.

At that point, the purchasing clerk changed the subject.

“Oh, right, actually, there is a job request specifically for you, Mr. Ilvis.”

“A request specifically for me?”

A direct request was exactly what it sounded like: a request saying, “We want this adventurer in particular.”

The advantage was that the reward tended to be higher, but more simply, it was also proof that one’s ability had been recognized, so it made me feel proud as an adventurer.

…Had I become that level of adventurer too—

No, wait.

“Even though all I have done is gather medicinal herbs? How do they know my name?”

“Eh? Well, you are fairly well known, Mr. Ilvis. Your actual name is still only known by those who know it, but more in the sense of ‘the man with the Hand of God’ or ‘the man who moves the medicinal herb market with his little finger.’”

…So everyone knew those nicknames…

They were definitely making fun of me. Of me, a rookie adventurer. There was no way someone like me, just a mere gardening committee member, could really be such a master.

This was probably the seniors messing with me—terrifying. So this was society.

The purchasing clerk returned to the point.

“So, about the request. They want to investigate the vegetation of the great forest, and they asked us to assign an adventurer who seems familiar with the land. And so they specifically asked for the famous ‘Hand of God.’”

Saying that, the clerk took out a single sheet of paper and handed it to me.

“This is the request summary.”

I looked over the paper. The details of the request were laid out compactly. So the actual work was to act as a guide and defeat any monsters that appeared along the way. Then I looked at the requester section—

“A medicinal herb merchant named Glantz, huh.”

At that point, I asked the clerk:

“Who is this person?”

“…We do not really know much about him. It is his first time doing business with us. Normally, we refuse direct requests from people like that, but he presented a letter of introduction from an influential person, so we made a special exception and approved it.”

After murmuring “Hmm,” the clerk continued.

“If you do not like it, Mr. Ilvis, you can refuse it. What will you do?”

After thinking for a bit, I answered:

“…I think I will accept it.”

To be honest, as someone with zero cooperativeness, I was not exactly enthusiastic about it, but they had gone out of their way to request me specifically. I should make use of that chance. It was an opportunity to gain experience as an adventurer.

Several days later—

I met up on the outskirts of town with the client who had submitted the request.

“I am Glantz, a medicinal herb merchant. Thank you for accepting the request. I look forward to working with you today.”

Glantz was a bald man in his mid-thirties who wore glasses.

Behind him stood two men who looked like warriors, probably his guards.

As I shook the hand Glantz offered, I smiled pleasantly—the kind of smile I had practiced in front of the mirror all last night, because I had been told that first impressions were important for working adults—and said:

“The pleasure is mine. I look forward to working with you as well.”