It looks like Chris’ condition was caused by a steep and sudden loss of magic energy.
Apparently even she didn’t expect to lose so much, because even though she had a mana potion at the ready, her mind got muddy right after she fired the magic and she couldn’t drink it.
And it looks like she fell awkwardly and hurt herself too, but Mia is already healing her.
“I’m sorry.”
Is the first thing Chris says after waking up.
Why? Because the way she utterly destroyed those two minotaurs ruined their magic stones.
I don’t really care. In fact, we managed to finish the minotaurs pretty much without any damage on our end because she took them out so quickly.
When I tell her that, she closes her eyes and falls asleep, seemingly feeling relieved.
Her magic energy should recover by drinking a mana potion, but it looks like the whole thing put a bigger strain on her than any of us expected.
Let’s just let her rest for now. We have things to do in the meantime too.
◇ ◇ ◇
“So this is the laurel tree…”
Says Rurika as she looks up at what looks like a normal tree.
The fruit on the other hand, has the shape of a crescent moon.
“Which ones are ripe?”
Will Appraisal tell me? I try using it, but it’s repelled.
“Eh!?”
I yell without thinking.
Everyone turns my way, and I’m not sure how I should respond.
I can cast Appraisal on the tree itself, but not the fruit.
“What’s wrong?”
Asks Sera, and I answer honestly.
Everything has the same crescent moon shape, so is it all the same?
But as I’m wondering that, I get a response from an unlikely source.
“Laurel tree fruit that are ripe with a lot of magic energy are the ones used as ingredients for medicine.”
“…Why do you know that?”
“Hum, Princess Yuin told me last night.”
I use Magic Energy Detection on each individual fruit, and I can tell the difference.
But how do other people do it? Thankfully, I can use a skill, but are there actually special magic items?
“Ah, and… Each person can take ten.”
I’m confused, so I ask why, and she tells me it’s because people can carry out ten at a time.
I immediately picture a special sale in a supermarket, and apparently this rule was put in place to prevent excessive harvesting. If someone does take more than ten, the tree withers when they leave the dungeon and no one can get laurel tree fruit for a while.
Is that really true? Well, in any case, I’m not testing it. If it does turn out to be true, I’m going to be held responsible.
What would happen if I used the Item Box? No, there’s no point in even thinking about that.
“So each of us should take ten?”
“Yes. Princess Yuini also asked to do that if possible.”
Then I guess we have to climb the tree to get them. Even the ones closest to the ground are three meters away.
That sounds like a lot of trouble if I have to do it alone, but then I remember something. The magic energy seeing glasses. They should be able to see it too with them!
We test them out, and they work perfectly.
“Can you do it, Hikari?”
I hand her the glasses and an item bag.
We’ll both pick enough for everyone. It should be fine if we’re all carrying ten when we leave.
But how do other people pick them? Do they climb the tree too?
Rurika and Sera are watching over our surroundings. Will more minotaurs come? Will other monsters come closer because they sense the minotaurs are dead? I feel like anything could happen in this dungeon.
Hikari doesn’t have trouble picking the fruit, and I look for fruit with the same magic energy that I saw when I put on the glasses.
The ones that have a lot of magic energy feel like they have a glow surrounding them.
In the end, Hikari quickly gathers twice as much as me. Yep, she really is a ninja.
My physical abilities have improved, but I’m still not too confident moving around on branches. Laurel tree branches are about fifty centimeters thick, but this combined with the height makes me nervous.
It’s amazing how Hikari can move around normally on unsteady footing like that.
“Master, I’m done!”
And thus ends our harvest.
“Should we keep moving while we wait for Chris to wake up?”
It took us longer than I expected to harvest the fruit, and the sky is turning dark.
“I don’t sense any more monsters, but…”
Rurika looks worried about Chris. I’m sure she wants to let her rest if possible.
And then, the light disappears completely, and day turns to night.
As our surroundings are draped in darkness, something strange happens.
Light gathers in the roots of the laurel tree, and it seems to be sucked into the trunk, and then spread to the branches and leaves.
Eventually the whole tree is covered in light, and around where fruit was before, flowers bloom and new fruit appears.
The laurel tree keeps glowing, shining a gentle light in this darkness.
“I feel… Holy energy from this light.”
Whispers Mia, sounding surprised.
Holy energy? What do you mean?
“Hn? Are the monsters running away?”
Says Hikari, and I pump magic energy into Map to expand it. I can see reactions from monsters on the edge, and eventually they disappear.
I look up at the glowing laurel tree, and think about what Mia said.
There’s one thing I don’t get. I came near the laurel tree twice when I was scouting, but there was no light.
The only difference between now and then is that the minotaurs are gone, and…
“Is it because we picked fruit?”
Could it be that?
But for now, looking at this wonderful sight without a care as it’s burned into my memory, isn’t bad at all.
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Thanks for the treat.
So keep some for the medicine and sell the rest to the city