Volume 6 Chapter 4 The Path Of Wheat 4️⃣
"Hey, more importantly... Even if I gave it my blessing and planted the Satsuma now, there's no way it would be ready for harvest by New Year's. It wouldn't grow right either. Are you actually thinking this through?"
Sasha picked up one of the neatly arranged Satsuma and pointed it toward Cain, holding it in front of him.
Cain and Gardy flinched ever so slightly. They exchanged glances, sighed, then turned their eyes back to Sasha.
"Sasha," Cain began, tilting his head with a faint smile. "There's spirit magic that helps plants grow, right?"
The moment he said it, Sasha visibly twitched. Her eyes darted around—left, right, up, down—before she forced herself to act calm and answered in a strained voice.
"Magic that speeds up plant growth? Something that convenient? No way such magic exists... right?"
Despite her attempt to deny it, her nervous reaction was all too obvious. Cain, watching her, couldn't help but think to himself: This girl is way too cute. He kept his eyes on her, wanting to see just a bit more of that embarrassed fluster.
"I thought so... But I did see it with my own eyes. An empty Satsuma field, and a month later it was full of leafy trees. It was in a village near the World Tree Forest... Maybe I was just seeing things?"
Sasha looked visibly relieved at his words. But only for a moment. Then, slowly, sweat formed on her brow, and tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.
"Sir Cain, that's enough," Gardy finally stepped in, unable to watch Sasha get backed into a corner any longer. "You're making her look miserable. Don't you think it's time to stop teasing and just tell the truth?"
Cain scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, Sasha. I was just messing around a little. I already heard about the growth magic from Mr. Zain. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that... I'm really sorry."
As Cain turned away, he caught sight of Sasha trembling slightly. He panicked and quickly tried to fix things.
"Sasha? Ms. Sasha? I'm really sorry! Please don't cry, okay? I'll double the reward sweets! You'll get two this time, alright? Please stop crying..."
He sounded desperate now. Just the thought that he might've made her cry was enough to send him into full panic mode. But the moment he offered more sweets, Sasha's body went completely still.
"...Two sweets?"
"Yeah. Two sweets."
"Alright. I accept. I'll be expecting them, okay?"
"...Ms. Sasha?"
"Sir Cain," she said with a sly smile, "don't be so quick to fall for a girl's tears. You're too kind. It honestly worries me."
Cain's jaw dropped in shock. Slowly, he turned to look at Gardy, who had slid down the wall, both palms pressed against it in defeat. Apparently, he had been fooled just as thoroughly.
"Sir Cain, Mr. Gardy," Sasha called out, her voice suddenly brisk. "We don't have time to be dawdling. Even if we can promote growth, we need to plant now or we'll miss the chance. Let's begin with the blessing."
While the two men were still recovering from the emotional whiplash, Sasha moved over to the Satsuma laid out on the table and began casting spirit magic.
She raised her left hand to her chest, crossing her index and middle fingers. Her right palm faced the Satsuma as she began her chant.
"O daughter of the great tree, blessed by the earth—Dryad, heed our contract... [Breath Fate]."
The moment she spoke the incantation, a soft shimmer began to sparkle around her. The sparkling light danced gently in the air before gathering around the Satsuma. Then, with a flash, the light faded away.
To Cain, it looked as if the fruit had suddenly filled with life—almost glowing with vitality. Or maybe he was just imagining it.
"Next is planting them in the field," Sasha explained. "If we use growth magic immediately, it'll sprout fast, but the soil won't have enough nutrients yet. It'll wither. Growth magic burns through a lot of Mana too, so I can only use it once a day."
"Got it. Thanks, Sasha. In that case, I'll ask you to cast it after we've planted the seedlings. And don't worry about your Mana."
Cain reached into his storage bracelet and pulled out a glowing magic stone, handing it to her.
"When it's time, use this. It's loaded with about thirty thousand MP. If you need more, just let me know—I'll prepare however many you need."
"...Wait, what is this?" Sasha asked, her voice almost a whisper. She stared at the magic stone in her hands, eyes wide. "I've never seen one with this much Mana... and you can get more whenever you want?"
She glanced back and forth between the magic stone and Cain, her voice fading into a soft murmur.
Cain and Gardy got to work planting the blessed Satsuma one by one into planters they shaped with Earth magic. The fruit, now blessed, produced seedlings faster than normal—within just three weeks, they'd be ready to replant.
As they worked together, chatting lightly, both of them wondered aloud whether the blessed crops might just grow faster than expected. They harvested the first round of seedlings, carefully preparing the next steps for replanting.
Notes:
• Sasha - Female. A young and energetic warrior. She has a confident demeanor and wears a short sword at her waist. Her appearance is typical of an elf, with pointed ears and a slender build. She is determined to prove her strength and has a playful rivalry with her seniors. She admires Sir Cain and is responsible for waking him gently in the morning.
• Zain - A man in his 30s with long ears, possibly an elf or a similar race. He works in the basement of Ms. Merida's shop and is highly perceptive, noticing Cain's incredible mana from a distance.
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