Chapter 23: The Righteous Druid Part 1

[Quest: Grand Success in the Rabata Mine Purification!]

Ah, the sound of experience points pouring in is music to my ears…

[Achievement Unlocked: The Revered One]

[Additional Effect: Gain Favor (High) from Neutral Factions]

The rewards are great… Wait, now that I think about it, I didn't even get a chance to look at the Shadow Cloak. The mine has already collapsed; what should I do?

"Bleeeeeech!!"

Just then, I heard El retching violently beside me. Must be motion sickness. I didn't have the strength to pat her back, so I just glanced over and then, huh? What's that…

"Ugh, cough, cough!"

El wiped her dirty mouth with a piece of black worn cloth. I quickly got up and snatched it from her hands.

"Master?"

"…. Where did you get this?"

"It fell into a pool of blood when I was throwing up. I needed something to wipe my mouth with, so I looked around and found this…"

"My goodness…"

"…. Did I do something wrong?"

"No… You did well."

You did really well!

I tightly held the worn and dirty cloth in my hand and patted El's shoulder. El looked at me strangely, but I didn't mind.

"I can just wash it and use it."

That's how I came to possess the somewhat filthy "Shadow Cloak".

***

"I'm full."

I was starting to get tired of top-notch steaks and such. I tossed a calf leg bone, still with some meat on it, to Ayla and picked up my wine glass. The fragrant scent of white wine imported from Lysette tickled my nose. Ah, the wines brewed by elves truly are different. I savored the white wine to my heart's content.

"Haaah…"

As I sank into the plush chair, sleepiness began to wash over me. Ah, it's not good to get too accustomed to this kind of life, especially since I won't be living in Rabata forever. I straightened my back again and refilled my glass with more white wine.

At that moment, I was receiving exceptional hospitality. Not just from the rulers of Rabata but also from the mercenary guild, the miners' guild, the associated merchant guild, and even the temples were all eager to meet with me.

– The righteous druid has purified the mine and vanquished the demon.

Rumors of such nature were already rife throughout the city. From children who had just begun to speak to the elderly on their deathbeds, there wasn't a soul who hadn't heard of the "righteous druid". The Purification Tree, which had burst forth from the mine, quickly became a landmark, and now there were even those who visited to pray there.

Well, to be precise, the parts about being "righteous" and having "defeated a demon" should perhaps be omitted.

Especially the part about defeating a demon was uncertain. Sitra was most likely not dead. If lucky, it might be sealed under the Purification Tree for a few hundred years… but who could say for sure?

After all, demons are notoriously difficult to kill. Destroying their avatars merely sends their essence back to their original realm, the underworld.

Perhaps only the temples might know how to truly kill a demon, though that's no easy feat either.

In any case, I stuck to the facts. Deep within the mine, a cultist ritual was taking place, which summoned a demon, but it was ultimately crushed by the roots of the Purification Tree.

I never once claimed to have "defeated a demon".

Yet, as rumors tend to do, they grew exaggerated, and I unwittingly gained a reputation as the druid who had vanquished a demon.

Not bad at all.

After all, fame can be quite useful in many respects.

Perhaps what was even more useful than money was "fame" itself.

I could very well shift my focus in this direction.

I already had the title [Saint of Purification], but with the title [Nemesis of Evil] added to it, the value of my name was skyrocketing. Furthermore, the tales of my deeds in the cursed lands of Galopic were being added to my legend, which made me more famous with each passing day.

The fact that Rabata was a bustling port city frequented by a large number of people meant that my fame would quickly spread inland and beyond the seas.

With a higher reputation and more people seeking me out, making money would become easier.

Of course, this was assuming my skills were up to par.

I opened the book I placed by the window. Let's see, the title I had just acquired was…

[Nemesis of Evil]

I read the description of my newly acquired title [Nemesis of Evil] with keen interest.

[You will not fall into states of fear, confusion, or shock.]

In other words, I wouldn't be susceptible to being stunned. Nice.

I had suspected the title would be significant, but its effect was quite impressive indeed. It essentially made one lose their sense of fear.

With this, I would be immune to the "stun" effects usually experienced when encountering higher beings like demons or dragons. No longer would I be frozen in fear like a fool, risking a humiliating death with a single blow.

Though, surviving after that is another story…

I flipped through the pages to check the skills section.

Upon reaching level 30, I had acquired two new skills.

[Beast Summoning] and [Green Summoning].

[Beast Summoning] was exactly what it sounded like. It was a skill that allowed me to summon beasts. Though it was more akin to a "call' than a summon, really. Unlike spirit summoners who could conjure spirits on the spot, [Beast Summoning] enabled me to call forth and command nearby beasts and animals.

[Green Summoning] was a skill that imbued plants with consciousness. The skills I had used before, such as [Breath of the Forest], [Blessing of the Forest], and [Song of the Forest], were limited to promoting plant growth and direct manipulation. However, with [Green Summoning], plants could possess a form of "intelligence" meaning that plants could carry out commands with their own will.

Out of curiosity, I decided to try [Beast Summoning]. Given that this was a city, summoning wild beasts was out of the question, so I aimed to gather the nearby animals instead.

-Tap.

-Tap tap.

-Flap flap!

-Flutter!

-Chirp!

As I closed my eyes and concentrated, it wasn't long before a cacophony of sounds erupted from outside the window.

"Ah…"

Outside the window, all sorts of city creatures had gathered—pigeons, sparrows, mice, and even cockroaches.

The mice were one thing, but cockroaches were a bit too much. Disappear. I quickly deactivated the skill.

-Rustle rustle!

As if nothing had happened, the animals and insects simply went on their way…

"Well, not bad. I should test it out in the forest as well."

Next, I decided to try [Green Summoning].

In a more quiet atmosphere, I closed my eyes and quietly recited the "Forest's Poem" that I had learned from the old woman.

The "Forest's Poem" composed in Druidic language was akin to a prayer offered to nature. Druids believed that nature itself was a living being and thus, communication with the forest was possible. Perhaps thanks to this belief druids were truly capable of "communicating" with the forest. The "Forest's Poem" was one such form of communication.

Of course, at this moment, I wasn't engaging in grand communication with the forest but merely with a single potted plant.

"I am the green emissary of Lynshaka, goddess of the forest and the earth. Child of the mother, respond to my call."

When I opened my eyes, the silver eucalyptus that had grown from the pot seemed to flutter its branches. And then as if lifting its head, its leaves stood upright while "looking" at me.

"Clap your hands."

-Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The silver eucalyptus branches knocked against each other, mimicking a clapping. Good, this much was definitely possible.

"Now, greet."

The silver eucalyptus bowed deeply, mimicking a greeting. I was worried it might break, but it seemed that plants summoned with [Green Summoning] faced few restrictions in their movements.

That old woman used to do various things with this.

Creating plant servants to clean, do laundry, or even cook…

Of course, directing delicate actions like cooking required a certain knack.

Back then, I merely watched in wonder, but now I've grown enough to use [Green Summoning] myself.

"Attack any intruder entering this room."

Putting my reminiscence aside, I gave a simple command to the silver eucalyptus and observed. It was about time for El, who had been sent on an errand, to return. I quietly watched the door.

-Creak.

"Master…"

Before El could finish her words, the silver eucalyptus swung its branches, hurling sharp leaves at her. She must have never imagined that she would be attacked when she entered my room, and all those leaves hit her. Unlike ordinary leaves, some embedded themselves in El's clothing. Had they hit exposed skin such as her face, they might have caused injury.

"Hmm, good."

I realized I needed to test this with other plants as well. While I used a small potted plant this time, employing a larger plant like a tree would likely enhance the attack power significantly. Besides, such plants could also be used for traps or tracking…

"Ah, ouch."

El looked at me in disbelief as she plucked the leaves off her clothes.

"I was… conducting a test."

I responded with a shameless smile and gently patted El's shoulder.

"Please warn me next time."

"If you had known, you would have dodged. That would defeat the purpose."

"Tch… Anyway, here. Your cloak is clean."

"Oh, already?"

"Yes. It dried quickly in the nice sunlight."

I tried on the cloak El handed me. Hmm, it feels light? Almost as if I'm not wearing anything.

El looked at me with a look that seemed to ask why I was wearing such an old cloak. Kuku. I chuckled a bit and then whispered.

"Don't be surprised."

I then retreated to a shadowy corner of the room where the light didn't reach and flipped the hood over my head. And then…

"Ah! Master!"

My figure blended perfectly into the shadows. It would have been flawless if it were night, but even now, the sight of it melting into the shadows was quite convincing.

Though the cloak was dark in color, it subtly changed its color to match its surroundings. So would it turn green in the forest?

"I thought you used magic!"

El couldn't contain her excitement and she exclaimed. She seemed quite surprised.

"This is a stealth item that can blend perfectly with the shadows. How you managed to find it is beyond me… But thank you, El."

I removed the hood and flicked a gold coin from my pocket towards El. With a clink, she caught it and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"Isn't this too much?"

When El was a noble bearing the name Reinhardt, a single gold coin would have been trivial. Now I felt sorry for her now that she was looking so surprised at the coin… fortunes do change.

"It's actually less than what it's worth. Keep it."

"Wow, thank you!"

The value of the shadow cloak far exceeded a hundred gold coins, so a single coin was hardly significant in comparison. However, that's only true if one recognizes the item's true worth. El had used the cloak to clean up her vomit after all…

…I feel a bit uncomfortable.

I briefly pressed my nose into the cloak and sniffed. Fortunately, it only smelled of sunlight.

Nonetheless, this incident brought me a useful skill, a valuable item, and even fame. If the future continues to be this promising, I could ask for nothing more.