* * *
“There’s a teleportation circle over there.”
“What?!”
I immediately looked around the room.
Despite the overwhelming smell, there wasn’t a speck of dust on the floor.
There were stacks of ingredients, but aside from the cauldron, no markings or symbols were visible.
She raised a hand and pointed to one corner.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Try going closer.”
Taking her word for it, I stepped toward the wall she indicated.
But no matter how I looked, there wasn’t a single line or mark to be seen.
“Activate.”
“…?”
Her voice echoed low and steady.
Her body shimmered faintly, and then—right before me—symbols began to emerge on the floor.
I couldn’t tell if they were drawings or letters, but they glowed softly in silver as they etched themselves into the surface.
“There was nothing there a moment ago…”
“It’s a hidden passage I rarely use, so I layered an extra spell over the magic circle. It requires my mana to activate, so you don’t need to worry—it’s not something just anyone can use.”
At her words, something sparked in my mind.
The spell circle, completely undetectable until she revealed it…
“So, there’s a spell that conceals other spells? Which means others can’t see them?”
“Yes. Generally, only the spell’s caster—or someone with greater mana—can perceive it. That’s why spellwork by powerful mages is so difficult to detect.”
“…!”
That explains why I couldn’t find the spell in the forest.
I probably don’t have any mana to speak of, so no wonder I couldn’t detect it.
No matter how many times I go back, it’ll be the same.
Which means I’ll need a mage to go with me…
But that only works if I’m allowed to come and go from the forest freely.
“How do I return?”
“I’ll keep the gate open until you come back. No need to worry.”
So this teleportation circle can be turned on and off from this end—convenient.
“What if someone invades while it’s open?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. This place might not look like much, but it’s not weak enough to let intruders just waltz in. If it were, I wouldn’t have put a teleportation circle here in the first place.”
“Ah… right.”
Hard to argue with such firm confidence.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
There’s no one guarding the entrance… is the security really okay?
I didn’t see any obvious mechanisms.
Is it really safe to come and go so easily from outside?
I looked around once more and picked up a basket nearby.
Then I slowly stepped into the center of the magic circle.
“Once you’re outside, head south. You’ll find Lichel there. It’s a bit far, so be careful not to lose your way on the—”
“…?!”
Before she could finish, my vision shook violently.
When it refocused, a completely different landscape unfolded before me—scattered trees, swaying flowers and grass, a wide open view, and clean, fresh air.
This was definitely outside the city.
“So this is teleportation…”
To think I traveled such a great distance in the blink of an eye—how convenient.
It was a bit frustrating not to hear the rest of what the healer was saying, but it probably wasn’t anything important.
She does tend to talk more than necessary.
If I tried responding to everything, I’d just tire myself out.
I looked down at my feet.
The same kind of magic circle I saw in the room was faintly glowing beneath me.
“Hm.”
I quickly stepped out of the circular boundary.
Still, maybe because of some kind of rule I didn’t understand, just standing there didn’t transport me back to the healer’s chamber.
When I lifted my head, I saw the sturdy walls that had protected the city for ages.
I was on the back side of a tree, some distance outside the outer wall.
The trees and grass had grown just enough to cleverly conceal the spell.
Even so, with a bit of caution, the formation was still visible—though from the other side, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable at all.
“Convenient, I guess,” I muttered.
It really was fast and convenient.
But just as much, it was dangerous.
What if someone forgot to close it?
You could head straight into the heart of the fortress, bypassing the thick city walls and every single guard.
The thought made my stomach twist. Were there proper security measures in place?
I glanced around to double-check if the formation was still visible. I moved a few stones, brushed aside some grass, and tried to cover it up a bit better.
“Guess I’ll go look for Lichel.”
Still, none of it gave me peace of mind.
That’s when I realized—what truly helped me relax was when the formation wasn’t visible at all.
The healer had told me not to worry. If I just quickly found what I needed and came back, she’d close it anyway.
I turned and, trusting her words, headed south.
As I walked further, the trees that had appeared only now and then started to grow denser, and small shrubs lined the path.
Eventually, I spotted the trees I was looking for—small ones bearing fruit.
Red berries on one side, yellow ones clear as glass.
But I was looking for the small, bright blue berry that resembled a raspberry.
The color alone made it look anything but edible—more like something that would poison you on contact.
Still, I knew from experience that it had a strangely sweet taste.
“Let’s see… She said I need both the leaves and the berries, right?”
I plucked the broad leaves and carefully cleaned the berries to make sure nothing was stuck to them, then placed them neatly in the basket.
I didn’t forget to divide the basket in half to keep them separate.
Since it was for medicine, I couldn’t just grab anything.
The berries had to be ripe and firm—not mushy—and the leaves had to be fresh. No bug bites, no wilting.
Choosing only the best took longer than I’d expected.
Even then, the basket was barely full.
Should I really fill the whole thing?
Or just take what I need for now?
I gently stroked one of the leaves, thinking.
Unless I planned to make a large batch at once, I probably didn’t need that much.
—Kiiii!
“…?”
Just as I stood there, lost in thought, a sharp screech tore through the air.
I knew that sound from somewhere.
Where…?
Trying to piece it together, I slowly turned my head.
—Kii, kii…
“A goblin?”
A lone monster was sprinting toward me.
Green, filthy skin, long torn ears, short and pudgy with a potbelly—it was definitely a goblin.
My eyes scanned the area.
Goblins usually didn’t come alone. They hunted in packs.
But this one was alone—charging straight at me.
Not a tough monster, not by any means.
“…Huh?”
But when my hand instinctively went to my waist, all I felt was me.
I looked down.
My waist was completely bare.
And that’s when it hit me—I hadn’t armed myself.
Not while I was staying here, and definitely not today. I’d brought nothing. Not even a small dagger.
I’d come out here without a weapon.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me monsters could show up here?”
How could they leave that out of all the things they told me?
…Or maybe it was in the part I didn’t stick around to hear.
As a son of the Caldrich family, I should never be without a sword.
This… was a serious mistake.
* * *
