Volume 2 Snippet 2.1 (1/2)

Volume 2 Snippet 2.1

Translator: Larkin

Editor: Weasalopes

1 A Day In Lime’s Life..

「Lime！ Let’s go harvesting! 」

「O—kay！ 」

On one early morning when the late spring sun had finally shone its rays, Fum’s younger sister, Lime, had just completed a task when Fum called out to her.

Lime was a five-year-old girl who had been practically raised in a workshop, but despite being a child, playing was by no means the only thing she did. Her small stature and stamina did not allow her to compound materials nor perform other manufacturing tasks but she was able to conduct measurements, collect materials, and other simple tasks.

It goes without saying but Fum and Lime, two children who were not even 10 years old, lived in a world where it wasn’t unusual for children to work. A life with no work and only play was a luxury reserved for children of merchants and nobility. Even within the elves of Ortem, once a child turns five they were expected to babysit and help with the farm work. Contemporary Japanese society would probably find this lifestyle harsh, but actually, the days before Japanese children could live a life without being expected to work wasn’t even that long ago.

「Fum, Lime, while you’re out, buy some spices from market.」

「M’kay！ 」

「Got it.」

「Knowing you two I think you’ll be fine but still be careful okay? 」

Before departing the two of them said their usual goodbyes and made their way towards the east gate.

「Fum-chan, Lime-chan, good morning！ 」

「Good morning, Lumina.」

「Good mor—ning！ 」

Lumina, daughter of Merizza, was a member of their harvesting group. They exchanged good mornings, merged with a group of adventurers and headed toward the harvesting spot, which was an hour on foot if you were a kid.

「One—chan, Lumina-chan, over here! 」

「Ah, Lime, wait! 」

「Don’t go off on your own! 」

But Lime didn’t listen to the two older girls, instead she ran off toward what seemed like a promising harvesting spot. As they looked on the rest of the harvesting group’s shoulders fell in dismay. There was a silent agreement within the group; if all members remained together in one area they could ensure the safety of everyone.

If one were to break this rule there wasn’t an immediate punishment, and if one were to unconsciously break the rule the offender would be let off the hook, however, if one were to deliberately ignore the rule they would receive a social punishment. Because of this even someone foolish wouldn’t dare to make the same mistake.

「Wow, to think that there’s this many ripe timberries……. 」

「My little sister always seems to effortlessly find these things……」

Lime flashed a triumphant smile and puffed up her chest with pride at hearing the girls’ astonished admiration. She had a talent for seeking out rare types of plants.

Incidentally, timberry is a type of perennial plant whose berries take all of summer to ripen; it is also a relative of the strawberry. Usually, one isn’t able to pick berries in March, only on a very rare occasion would anyone be lucky enough to find them. These off-season timberries also possess a powerful magic, they are prized for their medicinal value, as well as acting as a catalyst for enchanting and alchemy. It’s no wonder that they’re such expensive items found only in a select number of levels.

「Well we’ve actually found them so we might as well pick them.」

As they assiduously picked the berries the amount quickly filled their baskets so they transferred the berries to their satchels. While Fum and Lumina worked diligently, Lime climbed a tree and began collecting Dolk leaves to collect the berries in. Dolk leaves were at their finest just as they’re about to fall off the branch. However, a single Dolk leaf wouldn’t be able to withstand their harvest so Lime leaped rapidly from branch to branch collecting the best leaves in earnest. It seemed that meals from the workshop were giving her proper nutrition; it was surprising that a child at her age had this much physical ability.

「Lime! Stop that, it’s dangerous! 」

「O—kay! 」

At Fum’s scolding, Lime obediently got down from the tree. She was mischievously appropriate for a child her age, but she was also reasonable.

「One—chan, over here! 」

「And now you’ve gone and found a splendid Aslin.」

「Digging out roots is hard work isn’t it~?」

Lime was pointing at an Aslin stalk, that was twice its usual size, blooming with lovely white flowers.

Of course, its roots were also double its usual size and could be used as raw material. With their ability and if luck was on their side they could perhaps make a medicine that would level them up by one rank.

In the end they continued to find more rare materials that would allow them to make class seven or class eight potions. Teres was the best at gathering materials, but Lime was by far the best at finding rare materials. Today Lime was on a roll and thanks to her the Azuma workshop had acquired far more and far better material than expected.

「Fum-chan, Lime-chan, let’s play—! 」

It was past lunchtime and they were now faced with a sense of ennui.

「Fum and and I will be back soon! 」

「Wait, can we? 」