The Devil's Plant

"Huh?" Ashina had yet to react.

Field threw himself onto Ashina, burying his face in her neck. The delicate fragrance unique to a Chosen One filled his senses.

Then Field pressed himself hard against her.

Her waist was soft and slender, small enough to encircle with his hands.

"My lord, don't!" Feeling his hot, damp breath against her neck, Ashina glanced around in panic. Despite her protest, she made no real effort to push him away.

She even had to restrain the powerful divine energy within her, lest it surge out of control and injure her lord.

Field's breath sent a tingling sensation down Ashina's spine, weakening her legs. The next instant, his wandering hand reached toward the censored area.

"How did things end up like this?"

Ashina did not know whether to laugh or cry. She had to resist the pleasure coursing through her while controlling her divine energy to keep it from running wild.

Dividing her attention only made her more sensitive.

"We can't do this."

Ashina lightly bit the tip of her tongue, clearing her head a little, and quickly drew back.

"Mmm, it feels strangely good, but no! What am I thinking? This is too weird!"

After all, nobody liked reading anything too explicit.

"There's something wrong with that plant. Nothing but the devil's work comes out of the Gray Fog."

Ashina was filled with regret. If only she had burned that suspicious thing earlier.

"Lord Field! Where are you?" Having discovered that Field was no longer in the village center, the guards had come looking for him in mounting panic.

"Oh, heavens!" Panic instantly crossed Ashina's flushed, bashful face.

In her panic, Ashina broke free of his hold and channeled divine energy into a touch between Field's eyebrows. The pure divine energy immediately dispelled the magic plant's effects.

"Ugh, I'm so dizzy."

Holding his head, Field gradually came to his senses, reason suppressing his animal lust. He saw that Ashina's face was so red it looked ready to drip, yet she was still pretending to admire the scenery.

"I'm fine."

A guard found them, and Field waved him away, signaling for him to wait outside.

"I don't think I've examined that little green plant yet." Frowning, Field felt as though he had already done this. He shook out his weak, aching arm, then bent down and reached to pluck a sample. "So, is this a magic plant?"

"Don't! Goddess of Deep Winter above!" Ashina was nearly beside herself. If it happened again, she might not be able to hold out. She would even have to change her skirt when she got back. How could she let Field put her through that again? "You already examined it. This plant is extremely dangerous."

Helplessly, Ashina leaned close to Field's ear and whispered everything that had just happened.

"What a perverted plant." Field was shocked, but then he sighed. "What a shame. I don't remember any of it."

"What do you mean, a shame? You scared me half to death! If this plant devoured souls, what would happen to the territory?" Ashina wagged a finger angrily. "Even if you want me, you don't have to resort to something like this, uh, ahem."

Realizing her slip, Ashina immediately fell silent.

"Right, burn it! Burning it will foil the devil's plan." Ashina gritted her teeth, her red eyes seeming to burn like those of a zealous villager at a witch hunt.

Watching Ashina fluster about, Field found it rather amusing. "Don't rush. We should be patient and open-minded about new things. Think about it. What would happen if we gave this to horses and cattle?"

Ashina's beautiful eyes widened, and she crossed her hands in refusal. "That's so perverted! You can't crossbreed them! Uh, I mean, cattle and horses can't, but humans and demihumans can."

"Pfft." Field burst out laughing. His behavior had clearly left Ashina too flustered to think straight. "I mean breeding livestock. With this herb, breeding our animals will be much easier."

"Once we have enough cattle and sheep, we'll have more meat than we can eat." Field snapped his fingers happily.

Chosen Ones had strong magical resistance. Imperial scholars had conducted experiments showing that ordinary Chosen Ones could negate 35%-70% of magical damage. Those specializing in defense could even be completely immune to magic, or reflect it.

Field handed Ashina a jar and had her collect three specimens, soil and all.

The monetary haul was far less impressive.

The guards searched all of Rum Village and found a total of twenty-one silver coins and eighty-seven copper coins.

"This village is too poor, and we're not its first visitors." Field picked up an old silver coin and gently brushed off the dirt, revealing its beautiful pattern once more. "Whenever war breaks out between the Empire and the orcs, both sides come to plunder Rum Village. It's no surprise there are so few coins."

As for the remaining spoils, there was one barely usable chair, a chest, a dozen or so cracked clay pots, and a large pile of firewood stripped from the furniture inside the houses.

Fortunately, the return journey went smoothly, without any monster attacks.

The moment he entered his territory, Field's eyes lit up. The farmland was free of writhing tentacles and lumps of flesh. It looked as fresh and clean as a back scrubbed thoroughly of every trace of grime.

Only toxin-laden soil and the ashes of burned corrupted creatures remained in the fields.

"My lord, we've cleared all the corruption from the territory and burned it to ashes." A slave stooped before him with an ingratiating expression.

Sitting on his horse, Field surveyed the area and nodded. "Well done. Every one of you will be rewarded."

The slaves beamed with joy.

"Your next task is to repair my grand Winery. Scrape away the remnants of corruption, replace the rotten wood, and patch the collapsed sections and holes." Field had already made his plans. Living somewhere full of drafts and the stench of monster urine was torture for the body, even if his residence was the best place in Nightfall Territory.

"But, my lord, I don't know carpentry."

Field paused. He seemed to have forgotten that detail. He immediately called out, "Does anyone here know carpentry, masonry, or smithing?"

There was utter silence. Kao, the steward, spoke bluntly. "My lord, anyone with a trade is a Freeman. Slaves are all useless."

"Then we'll recruit some. I was planning to visit a city outside the Gray Fog anyway. Which city was closest again? Right, Mapleleaf City in Highcastle Province. It's bound to have what we need."

The steward looked regretful. "The craftsmen in every city belong to their own Artisans' Guild, under the lord's direct jurisdiction. Money alone won't let you recruit them. Besides, I don't think any craftsman would be willing to come to Nightfall Territory."

"I'll go there myself." Field shrugged. Kao only ever raised objections instead of trying to solve problems. He was used to it by now.