Chapter 30 : You’re Back!

Lanafit didn’t bother with the group of villagers and instead returned to the village ahead of them.

As she reached the entrance, she saw the old village chief and over a dozen villagers anxiously waiting there.

The moment they saw her, the village chief hurried over, visibly emotional.

“Great Mage, thank you for your hard work!”

“It wasn’t hard. Other than taking a bit of time, it wasn’t much trouble.”

Lanafit waved her hand and glanced over the villagers.

Noticing their worried expressions, she quickly understood — they hadn’t seen her escorting anyone back, so they were understandably uneasy.

“Don’t worry. Everyone in the forest is safe. The soldiers released them all. It won’t be long before they return.”

Hearing this, though a few still seemed uneasy, most of the villagers breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the village chief had already told them that the one going to rescue their children was an incredibly skilled mage — surely someone who would succeed.

“Thank you so much, Great Mage! You’re a true savior of our village!”

The chief was visibly moved.

Though he hadn’t yet seen his son, he had a strong gut feeling that if Lanafit said they were safe, then they really were.

Still, thinking of the strange occurrences in the forest that afternoon, he couldn’t help but ask:

“Great Mage, may I ask what exactly happened in the forest? Everyone saw that beam of light and heard those sounds… but as per your instructions, I didn’t allow anyone to enter.”

From the earlier tremors to the burst of light, the nearby Stat Village had felt it all — and the divine proclamation that echoed throughout the forest was no exception.

At this moment, the soldiers were still gathered at their camp in the forest, not yet having retreated.

The adventurers and local nobles’ forces had already withdrawn, however.

When the Holy Sword appeared, it had been completely surrounded by soldiers, so none of the adventurers or nobles’ men had actually seen it.

That meant the villagers hadn’t been able to learn anything from them, either.

Lanafit had initially wanted to tell the chief outright that she had forged a fake Holy Sword and fabricated a divine prophecy, tricking everyone into believing it was real so they’d take the sword away.

But thinking it over, she realized she couldn’t say that.

After all, she didn’t have any deep relationship with these villagers.

This was their first meeting — strictly a business arrangement.

If word got out that she had faked the Holy Sword, and it reached the ears of the ruling powers of this country… she’d be in serious trouble.

They would absolutely suspect her of hiding the “miracle” for herself, and she’d end up on wanted posters across the empire.

How was she supposed to continue her travels then?

She hadn’t thought that far ahead at the time.

Now that she looked back, Lanafit realized she’d stirred up a huge mess for herself without even realizing it.

Money really wasn’t easy to earn.

If only she’d just accepted all the money in that bag earlier…

She inwardly regretted underpricing herself.

But now, asking for more — let alone whether they’d even give it — she couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth.

She could only sigh inwardly, feeling like she’d been shortchanged.

Next time she’d definitely consider the consequences more carefully before accepting this kind of job.

“It was nothing serious. Just a little trick. The goddesses happened to bless the moment, and the real ‘miracle’ appeared. I merely went along with it.”

She vaguely brushed off the chief’s question.

Feeling a little guilty, Lanafit glanced around at the villagers.

She didn’t feel like lingering any longer, so she turned to the chief and said:

“Um… I used quite a bit of magic and I’m a little tired. Is there an empty house around where I could stay the night? I can pay rent.”

But the chief just smiled at her expression.

“Don’t worry, Great Mage. I’ve already prepared a guest room at my home.

I heard earlier today that you might need a place to stay, so I got it ready in advance.

You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.

As for rent, that’s not necessary.

You saved the lives of our village’s children — even without considering the commission, we’d still want to properly thank you.”

What a wily old man.

Clearly, he’d picked up on the fact that Lanafit was hiding something.

Though he didn’t press for details, he seemed to have figured out that it had something to do with the strange happenings in the forest.

“Annie!”

“Coming!” The chief turned and called toward the gathered villagers, and a young voice responded — though the girl herself wasn’t immediately visible.

A small figure quickly squeezed out from the group, then ran up to him at full speed.

“Grandpa Chief, I’m here!”

It was Annie, the little girl who had run into the chief’s house earlier in the day.

She was still tightly clutching the transparent rose in her hand like it was the most precious treasure in the world.

Annie gave Lanafit a sweet smile, but when she looked directly at her beautiful face, she immediately blushed and lowered her head shyly.

“…Big Sister Mage, thank you for saving Brother Nuohette and the others.”

Lanafit had always liked children, and seeing Annie’s adorable behavior helped ease some of her worries about the future.

She smiled gently at her.

“Annie, could you take the Great Mage to Grandpa’s house?”

The chief’s tone toward Annie was kind and affectionate — it was clear he was quite fond of the girl.

But Annie hesitated.

“…But I want to wait here for Brother Nuohette.”

“Once Nuohette gets back, I’ll send him straight to find you, okay?”

The chief coaxed her gently.

Annie still seemed reluctant, but at that moment, Lanafit stepped forward and pointed at the ice rose clutched in her hand.

“Little Annie, how about I help you tie that ice rose onto a hair ribbon and braid your hair?”

Annie’s eyes lit up instantly at her words.

“Really?”

“Of course,” Lanafit replied with a warm smile. “Something this simple is no problem for me.”

Piercing a hole through the molded ice rose might be impossible for others — after all, it was as hard as the Holy Sword she had made in the forest.

But since Lanafit had crafted the rose herself, she naturally had a way.

“Thank you, Big Sister Mage!”

Annie excitedly held out the rose she had been gripping so tightly, but Lanafit didn’t take it right away.

Instead, she continued:

“But first, you have to take me to Grandpa Chief’s house so we can get some tools. And we’ll need to find a ribbon you like. How about that?”

However, as soon as Lanafit finished speaking, Annie hesitated again.

Lanafit could tell how much the girl cared about that young man named Nuohette, so she changed her approach to gently coax her.

“Once you have the pretty rose in your hair, your Brother Nuohette is sure to say you look adorable. Don’t you want to surprise him with how cute you look?”

As Lanafit painted the image with her words, Annie seemed to picture it too.

Her little face turned red, and she shyly lowered her head without daring to look up — but she still gave a tiny nod.

“…Mm.”

The soft reply was barely audible, but Lanafit heard it.

“Then shall we go? We have to finish before he gets back, you know~.”

Seeing Annie agree, Lanafit let out a small sigh of relief.

She already knew where the village chief’s house was, of course — but out of hospitality, the chief wouldn’t have allowed her to go alone.

And rather than asking another unfamiliar villager to take her, it was much better to have little Annie, who’d already spoken to her a few times, lead the way.

She did feel a little bad for keeping the girl from waiting for someone she clearly liked, but as compensation, Lanafit intended to make her the most beautiful rose hair tie she could.

“Great Mage, I truly apologize for troubling you.”

The chief looked a bit embarrassed, but Lanafit shook her head.

“It’s nothing. Just a small favor. Besides, I really like this child.”

Watching Annie already running ahead, Lanafit smiled from the heart.

“Big Sister Mage, let’s gooo!”

From a distance, Annie shouted cheerfully while waving her hands at Lanafit, clearly unable to wait any longer.

“Coming!” Lanafit called back.

“Then, Chief, I’ll be off for now.” She glanced once more toward the forest not far away. “They’ll be here soon, so there’s no need to worry.”

“I understand. Take your time, Great Mage. My wife has already prepared a meal at home — please enjoy it and get some rest afterward. I won’t bother you any further.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Lanafit gave a heartfelt thanks, then followed Annie away from the village gate, heading toward the chief’s home.

The village chief watched the two of them leave.

But just as they disappeared from view, a villager beside him let out a joyful cry:

“They’re back! They’ve returned!”