With her arms full of potions, Rudis headed to the village plaza. She needed to complete the villagers’ quests with approaching deadlines. Once the typhoon hit, it would be difficult to go out for two weeks, so she wanted to finish them in advance.

“Mr. Zimmer. Here are the strawberries.”

Rudis handed over freshly harvested strawberries. Zimmer received them with a bright smile.

“Oh! Thank you, Rudis. I’m always indebted to you. Ah, I found this recently…”

Along with his thanks, Zimmer rummaged through his shabby bag and handed her something. It was a small, worn ornament that seemed insignificant. Rudis put the ornament in her bag with an awkward smile. But soon she bit her lip, deep in thought.

Should I tell him about the typhoon?

Mr. Zimmer lived in a flimsy shack. It was obvious he would suffer the most damage when the typhoon struck. Other villagers mostly lived in sturdy houses so they’d be fine, but Zimmer’s shack would clearly be blown away by strong winds. Rudis gathered her courage and asked carefully.

“Thank you. But do you have somewhere to stay when the typhoon comes?”

“Typhoon? Rudis, what are you talking about? A typhoon?”

Zimmer furrowed his brow, looking perplexed at Rudis’s question.

“What? Typhoon? A typhoon is coming?”

“Really? The weather is so nice. Besides, a typhoon in early summer? That’s nonsense.”

At Zimmer’s voice, people quickly gathered like clouds, each adding their own comment. Most said it was absurd. Rudis lowered her head at their reactions. She was certain a typhoon was coming, but had no way to prove it.

“Then, would it be okay if I built you a house? I have extra materials…”

“Rudis. Don’t talk nonsense. Are you giving me charity?”

Zimmer frowned at Rudis’s words, looking displeased, and left.

“It’s best not to assume that carelessly given kindness will always be received as goodwill.”

Shasha’s words that followed were firm and cold. Unlike before, they weren’t ambiguous at all.

Only then did Rudis realize she had made a mistake. Though her intentions were good, she had forgotten that her words could hurt the other person.

Rudis stopped by the roadside and rubbed her face with her dry hands. Fatigue washed over her. She missed Iska. More desperately than ever.

* * *

It’s past 3 o’clock.

When she rushed home, Iska had already finished work. Rudis lingered in front of Iska’s firmly closed door before quickly turning away. There was still much to do before the typhoon arrived.

“Let’s spray the growth accelerator first.”

Taking the potions she had brought, Rudis went out and evenly sprayed the accelerator on each crop planted across the wide fields. She bent her body, carefully checking that no spot was missed. Before she knew it, dark night had fallen.

Under the sky with a bright round moon, the crops glistening with fertilizer and growth accelerator were indescribably beautiful. After her hard labor, a satisfied smile appeared on Rudis’s face at the sight.

This is perfect.

Thanks to the growth accelerator she bought today, she wouldn’t have to give up any of the planted crops. It was because Noah had provided much more growth accelerator than usual. Or rather, he had given it for free.

Rudis stopped walking and looked up at the sky.

It’s strange, isn’t it? Noah not taking money was very unusual and suspicious. Moreover, it was odd how he seemed prepared, like he knew she was coming.

Did he have some urgent business?

It seemed unlikely that Noah had urgent business outside, as she had never seen him leave the tower. Even the villagers were unaware of Noah’s existence. It wasn’t by chance that Rudis first found Noah’s tower.

If it hadn’t been for the letter Noah sent shortly after Rudis arrived here, it would have taken her a very long time to notice the tower hidden in a corner of the forest.

The letter she received then asked her to come to his tower in the northern forest if she needed anything. Just collect a few pieces of wood and stones and deliver them. Finding where the tower was located was more difficult. There were several quests related to Noah afterward, but most involved collecting materials for devices he needed to make.

Oh, right. The accessories.

With the sudden memory, Rudis recalled the accessories she had left in the tavern basement. The necklace she received after completing Noah’s first quest was there too. She made a mental note to ask for it back when she visited the tower again.

I should go back to the tower.

It was clear that Noah not collecting payment was a mistake. While financially beneficial, it still bothered her. Premium growth accelerator was particularly expensive, and he had given her not just one or two, but thirty. Taking such items for free weighed on her conscience.

I wonder if Mr. Zimmer will be okay…

The day’s events troubled her again. Though she knew Zimmer lived simply by personal conviction and belief, she couldn’t ignore the fact that a typhoon was coming. Even well-built houses would be damaged after a typhoon, resulting in a flurry of quests—there was no way Zimmer’s shack would withstand it. In fact, Zimmer would disappear for a while after typhoons. The large wounds he bore each time he reappeared were another reason for her concern.

I’ll talk to him again tomorrow.

Despite knowing it might be impolite, as Shasha had said, she couldn’t help but worry.

With these thoughts running through her mind, sleep eluded her. Seeing the sun rise, Rudis got up. She figured there was no point in lying down when she couldn’t sleep anyway.

When does Iska wake up?

Rudis muttered as she habitually stood in front of Iska’s door. It remained firmly closed, looking as if it had never been opened. After staring at the tightly closed door for a while, Rudis shook her head.

I’ll organize the storage instead.

Just as she was about to move toward the stairs—

Click.

The front door opened and someone entered. Very quietly.

Iska, who should have been sleeping.

“Iska?”

At Rudis’s voice, Iska visibly flinched and stopped.

Wasn’t he sleeping? Confusion filled Rudis’s face. She had been awake all night. To go outside, Iska would have had to pass by Rudis’s room. Moreover, since the house had originally been a studio before multiple expansions and additions, the entrance was attached to Rudis’s room. If the door had opened, Rudis would have known. This meant Iska had spent the night elsewhere.

“Lady Rudis. You’re awake?”

Rudis wasn’t the only one flustered. Iska also stumbled over his words, fidgeting.

“Yes. Where have you been?”

“Ah…”

Rudis’s gaze shifted to Iska, who was discreetly hiding something behind his back.

A look of perplexity spread across Iska’s face. Many thoughts seemed to flash through his mind in that brief moment. Rudis slowly approached Iska.

“What’s this? Shadow mushrooms.”

Why was he trying to hide this? Rudis tilted her head. She had been surprised, expecting something special, but the basket was full of shadow mushrooms. While they were rare, they were items that even nature-lovers like Zimmer didn’t prefer, so she had stopped collecting them.

“Did you pick these all night?”

Rudis asked, looking at the overflowing basket of shadow mushrooms. Shadow mushrooms weren’t common. Having a basket full meant he had probably picked all the shadow mushrooms in the entire neighborhood.

“Yes… I thought you’d like them.”

Iska answered with his head bowed low to Rudis’s question.

There were a few leaves on his hair, and dirt on his clothes. Imagining Iska wandering the forest all night to pick shadow mushrooms made her heart ache.

“You’re right. Thank you so much.”

Though they weren’t particularly her favorite ingredient, Rudis smiled. She appreciated the sentiment behind him staying up all night to pick mushrooms for her. So she decided to swallow the fact that she had more of them piled up in storage.

“Th-then I’ll make breakfast for you.”

“No. Get some sleep. You probably didn’t get a wink all night.”

Rudis held Iska back. Though she herself hadn’t slept for nearly two days, Rudis could take a potion. It was Iska who needed rest.

“I’m fine. I’ll make it for you right away.”

Iska headed to the kitchen almost like he was escaping, his voice unusually excited and lively.

But Rudis never saw the shadow mushrooms on the dining table.

And for some time after that, she wouldn’t see them at all.