Tree Fruit
Northern Plateau.
The Viesen Mountains.
The sky was foggy, and it looked like it could rain at any moment.
Rienta three walked along a steep mountain path.
On the way, after turning a corner...
There's someone up ahead.
Frieren's voice rang out.
Rienta also saw the man standing at the edge of the mountain road, gazing at the sky.
The man was wearing a thick robe, had long hair, and a beard that looked like he hadn't been groomed for a long time. He looked a little decadent.
At this moment, the man also noticed Rienta and the others, turned around, and looked at everyone.
"Nice to meet you, adventurers."
"I am a herbalist from a nearby village."
Frieren asked, "What are you doing here?"
The man replied, "I was just observing the sky."
"Sky?"
Frieren turned her head and looked up at the misty sky.
The man didn't explain, but instead asked, "Are you a magician? Can you fly?"
Frieren replied, "I'd say that's acceptable."
Rienta frowned; he could smell the scent of a commission.
As expected, after hearing Frieren's answer, the man immediately said:
"I have something I'd like to ask you..."
In a village located halfway up a mountain.
The man, who claimed to be a herbalist, led Rienta and the others to his home.
The room was filled with all sorts of green plants.
The man took out a tree fruit and handed it to Frieren.
"Please take a look at this first."
After taking the fruit, Frieren examined it carefully.
Rienta and the others were also curious, so they gathered around Frieren to observe her.
Fern frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Judging from its vibrant color, this fruit seems to originate from the Southern Countries, but it's rather small and has a very hard skin."
Frieren nodded; she shared Fern's opinion.
After gesturing for Fern to return the fruit to the man, she said, "Apart from its color, this fruit is very much in line with the characteristics of a cold region."
"It looks fine."
The man took the fruit and explained, "This kind of fruit doesn't grow in this area. I've been a herbalist here for over thirty years, and I've never seen a plant that bears this kind of fruit."
Upon hearing this, Rienta asked, "So, where did you find this tree fruit?"
The man looked at Rienta and said, "The villagers found it in the nearby woods."
At this point, the man paused, then continued, "According to the villager who found the fruit, it fell from the sky."
At this point, Stark offered his own suggestion. "Could it have been brought over by migratory birds?"
The man shook his head; he had naturally considered that possibility as well.
"In that case, there should be marks on the surface of the fruit."
"These kinds of things have happened occasionally in this area since a long time ago, around my grandfather's time."
Everyone in the village wants to know the reason for this phenomenon.
"Because occasionally, we find tree fruits or leaves that can be used in medicine. If we can solve this mystery, it would surely help many people."
Helping others?
Rienta silently tapped the wooden fish a few times in her mind.
After all, when he heard the first part of the man's last sentence, his first thought was that the village was about to become rich.
Unexpectedly, the man said, "It can help a lot of people..."
Judging from his expression, there's a 90% chance he's telling the truth.
This herbalist, who sincerely wanted to help others, was actually subjected to Malice speculation.
It is truly a sin.
'Knock knock knock.'
Hey~ it really did knock.
It's just that only Rienta can see it.
Amazing, isn't it?
[Special Effects Magic] is that convenient and quick.
Even silent repentance can immediately create the necessary atmosphere.
Frieren pondered for a moment and then said, "Based on the reward you can offer, I can consider it."
The man pondered for a moment, then said, "I can provide some magic potion recipes."
"Leave this to us!"
Rienta and Frieren said in unison.
Frieren's idea was simple: she would accept any commission if there was payment.
Even something like [the magic that makes paper airplanes fly very far].
So she agreed without hesitation.
Rienta agreed for a simple reason: it was the first time he had received a commission for which the reward was a 'magic potion recipe'.
So it's understandable that some people would be curious.
Anyway, it's definitely better than [the magic that makes paper airplanes fly very far].
"Then, let's start by gathering intelligence."
"How about we grab a bite to eat first?"
"That makes sense!"*3.
The intelligence gathering work lasted all day.
They questioned every villager in the entire village who had ever picked up any unknown tree fruit or leaves.
However, no useful information was collected.
Evening.
Still empty-handed Rienta hurried towards the agreed meeting place.
Frieren and the others were already there waiting for him.
Without him even asking, he could tell from their expressions that, like him, Frieren and the others hadn't found anything.
Rienta couldn't help but sigh.
Could it be a feng shui issue related to the compensation?
If you don't want the recipe for magic potions, then you can use those useless folk magics instead.
Will this request be simpler?
Rienta was lost in thought, Fern suddenly spoke up.
"Come to think of it, it seems like it's been cloudy almost every day since we arrived here."
Frieren sat on the edge of the flowerbed and explained, "The Viesen Mountains block the flow of air, making the weather in this area very unstable."
As altitude increases, the influence of wind becomes more and more significant.
Even with Rienta's Telekinesis, things can go wrong if one isn't careful.
This is why the group didn't choose to use [Flight Magic] but instead obtained information through questioning.
Speaking of the weather, Stark suddenly remembered something.
"Some people say they've seen a dragon fly by on a sunny day."
"However, after all, this is the Northern Plateau, so seeing one or two dragons shouldn't be too surprising."
Upon hearing Rienta, Rin'enta's heart stirred.
This intelligence from Stark is crucial.
Seeing dragons in the Northern Plateau is not a particularly unusual thing.
Their team alone has encountered hordes of dragons several times.
But.
This is the border between the Empire and the Northern Plateau.
There are almost no powerful Magical Beast in the vicinity of the Lennest Region.
Not to mention the Viesen Mountains, which are even closer to the Empire.
Even if the terrain prevents the deployment of a large-scale army to clear out the Magical Beast.
There shouldn't be such a dangerous and conspicuous Magical Beast as a dragon.
"... I saw a dragon." Frieren murmured thoughtfully, "Maybe..."
Frieren didn't directly voice her suspicions.
Seeing that it was getting late, he looked at everyone and said:
"Go back and rest first, and wait patiently for the sunny weather to arrive."