Privera Forests and Herbs Gathering

After a brief lesson from Rorona, Shirou managed to learn the Tamitaya spell. It went off without a hitch, and particularly the easiest spell he had ever learn. Not Rorona a good teacher though, at least not yet. She's an earnest young girl, from what he heard, she's currently managed the workshop as her master went off somewhere leaving the poor, innocent girl to shoulder the debt alone the workshop owned to the Kingdom.

It will make her learn faster she said, being put under pressure of debt.

Shirou couldn't do a thing but shook his head, a bit of anger to the Rorona Master but that's normal, he had to admit. Even in the clocktower, the magus association back in his old world, students have to learn the hard way.

A bit of frown came to his mind, pitting students against dead apostles, tricking students to hand their family magic crest, extortion… to name a few, a normal thing indeed. Cutthroat politics and mindset at its finest.

He shook his head, brooding over something won't make everything solved.

Back again, it seems anyone can cast magic in this world. Key, Cast, not learn. They can buy a tome that been engraved with a specific spell, provided they had Rune energy inside their body, they can cast magic as easily as anyone, by citing the spell.

And surprisingly they're fairly cheap, for the basic fireball tome, it only cost a few dozen coins of Seeds.

There are three basic currencies in this world. in the form of coinage.

Respectively from the lowest to highest value; The Seeds, Grains, and Petals.

They draw the value respectively from their materials, Copper, Silver, and Gold imbued with brand magic signature and enhancement to prevent counterfeiting.

10 Seeds are equal to 1 Grain.

And 1 Petal is equal to 10 Grains or 100 Seeds.

The average price for a loaf of bread is 5 Seeds. A lodging at average Inn would cost 15 Seeds.

Add to any other convenience articles, for an average citizen they need about 2400 – 3000 Seeds or 240 – 300 Grains to spend for food and any other basic needs in a year.

And don't forget a year only consists of 120 days, divided in four months or in this case season.

Shirou mused to himself, smiling in the imagination of his economical knowledge. Though it somehow shallow, at least this is the general outline if he wanted to buy or trade something. Sakuya pounded him relentlessly, after all, teaching him these basic pieces of knowledge every night.

This is the world, where there's no established price to refer to. The market could fluctuate at any time, and swindling is a very flourishing business to trick the less knowledgeable mind. Unlike the modern world, where you can access the price of a product at any given time.

He opened his eyes, sensing something was rustling in the bushes nearby. The forest was in tranquil, birds are singing in their nests, bringing food to feed their children, and various animal sounds can be heard throughout the ceiling of the forests.

He smells the scent of water nearby. It means whether he already reaches the entrance to the lake or he's nearby a river. Though, he assured it will be the former, since a river scent will be much fresh, and he should be at least heard the water current.

Preparing the hilt of his katana, Shirou twisted, facing his back.

A few rustles, and falling leaves, then it came out. A fluff balls of white, and soft fur. It had an adorable ashen face, adorned with a pair of giant ears that flopped as it wobbles toward him.

He tried to appear as harmless as possible, before reinforcing his body if there's an attack. Caution is warranted. Different world, different rules. For all he knew, the furball could have a hidden mechanism, such as its… adorable appearances to lower the guard of its prey, and then with a big Snap! A jaw protruded with thousands of dirty serrated fangs that hidden in its fur and splits the stomach to devour his entire being.

Yeah, that horrid imagination is straight out of Zelretch toy closet.

He focused on the sorts of fusion between sheep and rabbit that still wobbled to him. Then it gave the same cute cry.

"Shyuu… Shyuu!"

Shirou was dumb… no to be exact he didn't understand at all, what the little critters are saying. From the tone, it seems a greeting or something, with a happy undertone.

Then its tiny hand pointed to a waist detachable satchel that he currently wore as the little furballs happily jumped up and down. The cape couldn't flutter any more since it been held back by a large basket, Rorona gave him to gather the herb, on Shirou back.

Realizing what it's wanted, Shirou brought out the lunch leftover Shara gave her. It still the same assortment of Flower salad with Yoghurt dressing.

Though it gave a happy shrill when Shirou crouched down, and place the lunch box on the ground.

"Shyuu! Shyuu!"

It brought a smile to Shirou face, and bewilderment when many others, four to be exact are suddenly popped out from the bushes around and gave Shirou another cry as expressing gratitude then scarf down the Lunch box.

Leaving the pack of the Furball alone with their food, Shirou proceeds further to the forests. He was greeted with a large clearing. The grass was lush with a healthy green leaf and few avoid the gravel area where rocks and stone were strewn around in the corner of the clearings.

A silhouette of reflecting water could be seen from the between the gap of the forests as a comfortable wind passed through it. Shirou gave no mind, as he spotted various grasses were growing nearby a tree.

Among the colorful mix of the grass herbs, there's also grown various types of wildflowers. Butterflies and bees busied themselves with it, going around eating or gathering nectar. He crouched down, picking the best herb to pick, that is ready and mature enough.

The most basic principles when gathering natural food sources found in the wild, specifically in the mountain or forests, are to never pick and gather excessively. Doing so would lead to less food left to grow, or may not grow anymore in that area as there's nothing left to reproduce.

He gathered them one by one, picking it as carefully as possible to not damage the herbs. As it may also, reduce the quality, shredded leaf, rotten and mixed with dirt, to name a few of the examples.

Is that moment, he heard something snap behind.

Swoosh!

An arrow was cleanly split into in the middle, as it lost its inertia and fell behind Shirou. Sword drew out of its scabbard. A frown marred his face.

A frustrated growl was to be heard behind the tree, revealing a hideous monster. An orc, its face was like a twisted mockery of a boar standing on its hind leg. It was armored in a fur leather, and metal plate protecting its vital area such as the chest, and the knee.

Another arrow knocked to its wooden bow, despite the obvious distance the Orc didn't draw the dagger on its hip, a rather fatal decision when it lost the element of surprise.

Shirou, reinforcing his leg to give a brief boost to his speed, instead slash another Orc that was hiding behind the trees and then in a quick concussive slash the Orc Archer near the second Orc.

Its been waiting in an ambush, in case the bow orc failed to kill him with the preemptive strike before. A smart move for such primitive appearances. Though It was a futile thing to do as he could tell from the horrid scent of the Orc alone, to perceive its location.

There's no blood spurted from the wound, only a red long slash of a wound visible underneath its armor, as it gives the last cry before fading away.

He then twisted his back, dodging the mace of a newly arrived orc that crushed a small patch of dirt beneath, and gave it a strong kick to its face. It stumbled to three Orcs that running to its trajectory path.

Giving them no respite, Shirou in a flash step tried to behead the four orcs in their confusion.

Slash!

Again, there's no blood much even a rolling head, but a gash wound appeared on each Orcs throat. The Tamitaya spell was rather working wonderfully, but despite all of that there's another growl directed to his way.

There's no end to them.

Right! The gateway, how could he forget a piece of important information.

Reinforcing his jump, ignoring the charging orc and a hail of arrow below, he ran from branches to other branches of the trees, to the source of the scent.

The gateway is a magical construct powered by rune, it's an easy task for Shirou to smell the scent and located it.

The Gate was swirling undisturbed, leaving it open and unguarded by the less intelligent Orcs that still charged madly to his direction. The Red swirling mass of light, as it sucked the air away and then puffing it out, the gate spawned other Orcs, sensing the swordsman intent to destroy it.

Jumping directly to the gate, he slashed consecutively to the gate. The sensation was like hitting balls of rubber with a stick, it bounced back but there's definitely reaction when he hit it with a mundane katana.

Then, it gave a brief spark, stinging the grass below and flashed out of existence as it never been floating there in the first place, leaving a red crystal dropped to the ground.

Then it leaves the Orcs alone to deal. Shirou, standing on the path where the gate once floats, giving the best condescending smirk he could give, which successfully earn an outcry of rages from the Orcs.

Good, they have been lured.

He leads the flailing mad orcs to the clearing, with an intent to finish them at all once.

Once they were outside of the safeties between the trees, to the plain clearing in front of them and their target.

Trace on!

30 Magic circuits flared to life, sparking a green show of spark lining Shirou face like a circuitry board in modern electronics.

A dozen of blades in a blue flash traced behind him. Floating lazily, its blade pointed to the still charging Orcs.

It was cheaper to trace than he expected, even if its mundane steel blade nevertheless it's still cheap. The world instead encouraged his tracing. Like a mother guiding its child, but still capable to scold him and took away his toy once she deemed enough time for playing.

It's cheap, but there's still a timeframe for it to disappear.

A rather generous mother she is, for she let him play with his toy for a full week before disappearing.

Fire!

He gave the signal, as a fury of slashed wind hailed the path of the orcs with a dozen steel piercing their bodies. He still capable to incorporate the Tamitaya spell to his tracing, albeit only in the mundane blade, not his noble phantasm, just yet.

The rain of swords was flaying the bodies of the orcs as they disappear in a light one by one before even touching the ground.

Various articles were dropped where the Orcs once stood.

He still glancing warily to the surrounding in case there's still another gate, or Orcs hiding between.

A minute passed.

With a swipe of his hand, the blades protruding the ground and the one he traced on his back in case of additional firepower, were fading away in blue motes.

Shirou let a sigh, before resuming his herb gathering and collect those items the Orc and the gate dropped before.

The forest still in its tranquil states, it seems something like this was a very ordinary occurrence. Or so he thought and gathering the herb again.