Chapter 35: The Swamp of Death Part 5

It wasn't like we suffered no damage.

One of the mercenaries died.

It was to be expected, given they were up against five trolls. In fact, the loss was relatively minimal under these circumstances.

"The chances are high that he will turn into a monster if we leave him like this. We must cremate him."

Following my suggestion, the mercenary's body was cremated.

"Excuse me, Sir druid."

One of the mercenaries approached me.

"Could you plant some flowers?"

He said this so that one day, perhaps in the far future, he could return to this spot and find his comrade again.

He wanted flowers planted here to mark the memory of this place; that was his request.

I nodded my head silently and pulled a handful of seeds from my pocket.

Dwarf dandelions.

These little ones were remarkably resilient and tenacious. Once planted, they would bloom year after year at this very spot, so they were the perfect choice for such a memorial.

After scattering the dwarf dandelion seeds over his ashes, I invoked the [Breath of the Forest].

With the addition of [Blessing of the Forest] I endowed them with purification properties, making these dwarf dandelions look almost luxurious.

The bright yellow dandelions that sprouted from the ashes quickly formed a cluster that looked like a golden wave.

"Thank you, Sir druid."

The mercenary, or rather, the mercenaries who witnessed this scene, bowed their heads to me in a gesture of respect.

I once heard that beastkin and barbarians consider bowing their heads a disgrace, yet they were willing to do so, which was quite embarrassing for me.

I bowed my head in return and then left so that they could pay their respects.

A death no one wanted has visited us but it was unstoppable. We all knew that. Leaving the golden wave of dwarf dandelions behind, we pressed forward. I planted the purification ash trees, while the mercenaries and wizards dealt with monsters and demon beasts in various places. El and Ayla also joined the fight and their skills were visibly improving in real time. El, in particular, was receiving training from Jamil in the evenings at camp, so her skills were improving well.

My level has increased considerably as well.

A week had passed since we entered the swamp of death. Thanks to that unexpected encounter with the trolls that helped in leveling up, my level had reached 34.

I had finally acquired the [Protection of the Forest] skill.

The [Protection of the Forest] skill was one I had truly longed for and awaited. As the name suggested, it was a defensive skill. Plants of all kinds—trees, grass, flowers—created a sort of shield to protect the user and its effect was great.

Being a barrier made of natural elements, it was especially advantageous in environments like forests, where it not only protected the body but also increased the likelihood of remaining undetected. Moreover, it was strong enough to resist penetration by most conventional weapons. And the same went for magic attacks. A nearly perfect defense skill that could block even magical attacks by generating waves with the vitality of plants!

Furthermore, since this shield was literally made of living plants, unlike similar skills from other classes, it had the added benefit of being able to regenerate itself.

No matter how fiercely it was attacked, the shield hardly ever broke, so it was certainly a sort of overpowered skill.

The scarcity of Druid players meant that its potentially game-breaking nature had gone largely unnoticed.

Since the skill effect lasted for one day, the skill must be recast every 24 hours, which did expose the caster at that time. However, this drawback was hardly significant enough to be considered a drawback.

I tested it out while we were camping, and the shield was in the shape of a dome about 2 meters long and was quite cozy and comfortable inside.

It could even replace a tent, though that would be a waste of magic.

Considering how I didn't know what we might encounter at the heart of our journey, I was really glad I obtained the [Protection of the Forest] skill in advance.

In about three more days, we were going to reach the center of the swamp of death.

Looking back, I could see the line of purification ash trees I planted, now forming a path that stretched all the way from the entrance to the center of the swamp of death.

If this mission were successful, the restoration of the swamp would likely proceed swiftly.

But the restoration event for the swamp of death seems to be happening too quickly.

In my memory, the swamp of death wasn't restored until at least 50 years later, after a magical prodigy named "Claude" had earned the title of Archmage.

It was then that some significant discoveries were made, which were probably…

…. Wait, could this be because of me?

If it weren't for me, the western magic tower might not have been able to enter the heart of the swamp of death, and so, the restoration would have eventually been accomplished by Archmage Claude.

But since I had gained various titles and built up my reputation, the western magic tower hired me, and as a result, the restoration of the swamp of death was accelerated by decades…

Doesn't this mess up the timeline completely?

The story I knew seemed to be changing, which was troubling.

From now on, I should not touch any major incidents and just quietly proceed with the Origin God quest…

"Master!"

Before I could organize my thoughts, El called out to me.

"The wizards are looking for you. They said they need to discuss tomorrow's plan with you."

"Plan?"

I asked as I rose from my seat, and El nodded her head earnestly.

"Understood. I'll be right back. Have dinner with Ayla."

I headed towards the wizards' tent.

-Swish.

When I opened the tent, I could immediately sense the serious atmosphere created by the wizards seated around the table.

"I heard you were looking for me."

"Ah, Sir Theodore. Please, take a seat here."

I sat down as instructed and waited for the wizards to speak.

"Sir Theodore, you must be aware that we are nearing the heart of the swamp of death."

The wizard called Jacob spoke to me.

"Yes, I've noticed the toxins in the fog have become denser than before."

"Exactly."

When one of the wizards pulled back a cloth from an object, a yellow canary trapped within a cage became visible. The canary was restlessly flying around the cage while chirping loudly.

I understood why they showed me this.

"Canaries are highly sensitive to toxins. Its distress clearly confirms your suspicions."

"You are well-informed, as expected."

Jacob nodded his head in satisfaction and after a brief pause, he began to speak.

"There are three days left, but the toxic fog is already getting worse. This is quite different from what we expected."

What are they getting at? I narrowed my eyes and observed Jacob closely.

"And your point is?"

"We have a favor to ask of you."

"What might that be?"

Jacob smacked his lips and paused for effect. This pig is trying to play games…

"An antidote."

"An antidote?"

As I looked at him with an incomprehensible expression, Jacob cleared his throat.

"Did you think we wouldn't notice? That you've been giving the antidote only to that little boy, your servant, every morning."

…. So that was it.

They were quick on the uptake; I had to give them that.

For the past few days, I have been giving El the antidote produced from the Hydrus totem every morning.

The toxicity of the swamp of death was too much for young El to withstand.

It was sort of a vaccination.

Or should I just have lied and said it was a nutritional tonic?

Since I could only make one a day, I couldn't sell it right now even if I wanted to.

"The toxic fog has indeed become stronger, but you don't necessarily need an antidote…"

"Sir Theodore."

"..."

"We are wizards from the western magic tower. Do you understand what this means?"

"…It means you are wizards from the western magic tower?"

Jacob looked at me with an incredulous expression, as if to question my priorities.

"It means that we are more important than your lowly servant."

"….."

I was quietly listening to Jacob.

"If you are capable of producing an antidote, you should have informed us first. We are willing to pay whatever price you ask…"

"I refuse."

"What?"

"I said no."

I looked at the wizards with a stern gaze.

Certainly, being part of the magic tower, they must be among the elite talents on the continent.

But so what?

What does that have to do with me?

I smirked and enjoyed the bewildered looks on the wizards' faces.

"It's true that the toxicity of the fog has increased, but for now, a detoxifying potion is sufficient to withstand it."

"Sir Theodore."

"Do you really not trust the detoxifying potions made by the esteemed western magic tower?"

"..."

"You made them, didn't you?"

"..."

"I wonder what Lady Agni would think if she knew about this."

If these wizards were included in this matter by the western magic tower, they must be considered some of the most capable individuals there. They would certainly have mastered basic detoxification spells and would be overflowing with potions, yet here they are, already succumbing to fear and trembling at the prospect.

"We're not… It's just that we…"

"To make such a fuss over something so trivial. You seem to be more frightened than the canary."

"..."

Jacob's face was turning a mix of red and purple as he looked at me and then turned away to cover the cage where the canary was crying with a black cloth.

Such funny people.

To think they, who always looked down on druids, are now seeking help from one when faced with a dire situation.

"Don't worry. All of you are 'important' people, after all."

"...Ahem!"

"You'll be fine without the antidote from a druid like me. You're the esteemed talents of the lofty western magic tower, not some lowly servants!"

"..."

I tainted the wizards with exaggerated remarks and then bowed my head slightly in farewell.

"Well then, I must be going. My lowly servant is waiting for me."

"...Of course."

With a faint smile, I made my exit from the wizards' tent.

"Master!"

Not far off, El was waiting for me.

"Why are you here? I told you to have dinner."

"I wanted to wait and eat with you, Master."

"It must have gotten cold by now."

"Not at all. I kept the stew on the fire."

"It must be burnt by now."

"Not at all! I've been stirring it just until now."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Yes! So don't worry, let's go eat together."

"Okay."

"Ayla is waiting for Master too."

A lowly servant, a lowly girl, once the daughter of a nobleman but now the last descendant of the Reinhardt family…

Just an ordinary child.

But she was important enough to me.

Together with El, I headed back to our tent.