Let the Games Begin

New Mission

"Your Grace, I do not think this is such a good idea. We are surrounded by inferior beings who lack the capacity to think of anyone else but themselves. I believe we should return back to the safety of the fortress." Noface whispered near my ear.

"They are called humans, Noface. Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained right?" I continue to walk forward never taking my eyes off the road.

"I am not familiar with this saying, I apologize Your Grace." Noface places his hand on his chest and bows slightly, drawing the attention of some people. Their faces are amusing, but at this time we must be blending in.

Cough. "Noface, blend in. I'm not your superior but a companion working as a potioneer." I quickly correct him.

"Oh, forgive me. It feels unnatural to not bow to the Great One, it is just a habit." He laughed. Normally a blob, he was a normal-looking human walking down the rocky road. Noface's ability to shapeshift truly comes in handy.

"Please que me in on this special mission that we are on." His face turns serious.

"Of course. We are potioneers traveling the lands, looking for rare herbs to increase our knowledge of healing potions and of such. It is vital for us to gather more information on this Momon and others like him, so staying low profile is vital."

"I see, as expected of the Great One. Leave it to you to come up with a brilliant plan. But why potioneers?" Noface questions

"Adventurers go on missions all the time, they need revitalization and HP potions don't they? And who will they go to for vital potions? Us!" I remark excitedly as I bend down to pick up some herbs growing from the side of the road. Before leaving the castle I had brushed up on some of the potion ingredients needed to make some basic health potions. Luckily, the supplies seem to grow in abundance. The bigger problem is finding ingredients for the more advanced potions.

"As expected Your Grace! Brilliant plan." Noface remarks with no worry on his face, gleefully strolling beside me.

Gathering baskets full of herbs is easy work. Carrying them to a town, was a little harder. Trying to sell them for a decent price, is very hard.

"Aw, in the end, we only got a handful of copper and some silver coins." I frowned. "We are going to need many more baskets if we want to afford a horse and cart.

I puffed my cheeks, the last time I had to work this hard was in my last life before getting stuck in this game. I worked overtime every night finishing up the work of two people, mine and my bosses. If I hadn't been sucked into this game I think I would have died from overworking in the other world.

'Huh? My past life?' Why did I refer to it as my past life, isn't it still my life? My current life?

What am I holding on to exactly?

Why do I so desperately want to go back, and what do I even have back there for me? I guess my sister and family but I had nothing else going for me. No partner, no place to call my own, no dreams or ambitions. Did I start anew without knowing it, with new companions and experiences?

Since when did I get so used to living in this new world?

I stared at the open field, walking away from the small village we had momentarily stopped to sell our herbs to. The golden wheat in front of me swayed in the wind, dancing lazily.

For now, I should just keep walking forward.

Her Grace has been quiet for a while, picking herbs and flowers for the potions. Sometimes we encounter a rare herb for intermediate potions and she picked up again, but all other times she is working in silence or staring off into the distance. It almost seems like she is traveling somewhere far away where we can't reach her. Seeing her so far away is painful for a guardian as if she is slipping away lie the rest of the Original Ten.

Noface kept staring at his distracted Master, filling his basket little by little.

"Your Grace?"

"Oh, yes, sorry. Yes?" Asteria turned around to look at Noface, holding his two baskets in front.

"I think we have gathered enough herbs, for now, look, you're even overfilling yours." He pointed at the basket, filled with different weeds, flowers, and mushrooms.

"Oh, well. Um, yes. I was just thinking about... I'm not sure what about. I guess I just have a lot to think about." Asteria smiled at Noface faintly, closing the basket after stuffing the rest of the product in.

"I think I see a small village not too far away from here. We should go and sell our wares there. Maybe now we can afford a horse and cart!" Flipping the heavy baskets around the shoulder, Asteria and Noface continued their walk toward a small village that was fenced in with goblins as their guards.

"Who goes there?" A rough voice shouted from the top of the lookout towers.

"Um, we are traveling potioneers looking to sell our herbs and wares. Would it be possible to enter?" I shouted back, cupping my hands around my mouth. The walls that surrounded the village stretched to the skies.

"I will be right back and let you know. Stay here." The rough voice responded, followed by what sounded like quick footsteps that faded away.

Noface grumbled next to me, displeased by the wait.

"How could they make you wait, Your Grace? Should I teach them a lesson?" Noface's expression turned dark and twisted, eyes peering.

"No, no! We must stay low profile remember? Stand down and stop being so aggressive, this is just how they conduct business. I think." I sigh while scolding Noface.

"Yes, Your Grace." With a slight nod, he relaxed. Still, his displeasure could be slightly noted on his face.

With the heavy thuds coming closer, the wooden gates started to heave open in front of us.

"Alright, come in you two."