I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought this was a relaxing Farming game.
88

Click. Click.
The door was locked.
“Huh?”
Thinking this was a real bind, I felt along the door in the darkness with my fingertips, searching for the keyhole, when—
Something clattered to the floor inside the iron door.
“……!”
I jumped in alarm and spun around. Then I bolted up the stairs as if fleeing.
‘Did they hear me?’
The belated realization that someone might be inside sent a wave of panic crashing through me.
‘What do I do, what do I do!’
I felt as though the iron door might burst open at any moment.
My thighs burning, I scrambled up the stairs and burst out of the Basement.
The moment I reached the room, I hurriedly shut the door behind me and hastily covered it with the Carpet.
“Gasp, huff…….”
I could feel my blood racing through my veins.
After straightening the Carpet, I staggered to my feet.
Just as I was about to leave Siard’s room, my eyes caught on a ring of Keys hanging behind the door.
I kept glancing back at the Carpet as I approached the Key holder.
And I urgently examined each Key one by one.
Jingle—.
Each Key had a small label attached to it.
‘Of course…….’
I scanned the labels quickly, then froze my hand in front of one Key.

[Basement]

“…….”
Thump, thump, thump.
My heartbeat echoed like footsteps approaching from somewhere.
I looked back and forth between the Key and the Carpet, and in the end, unable to touch anything, I fled Siard’s house.
Only when I reached my own yard was I able to catch my breath, and finally step inside.

Hidden Quest
– Siard’s ???

I muttered while staring at the question marks that refused to disappear.
“The Basement…….”
The clue was unmistakably the Basement hidden beneath Siard’s room.
For the first time, I was certain my instincts were right.

* * *

All the while I stayed at Siard’s house, I cursed my own dullness for not noticing the Basement sooner.
‘Before, when I saw the Keys, I just thought there must be a Basement somewhere and didn’t think much of it.’
Now that I thought about it, I remembered times when I was alone in the house and suddenly heard something fall, only to find it strange.
And how Siard would emerge from the quiet room long afterward, with no sign of anyone else.
Retracing my steps one by one in hindsight, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
‘What could possibly be in that Basement? What does Siard do down there?’
A sense of dread far greater than when I’d discovered the Twins’ Sketchbook washed over me.
‘If Siard finds out I snooped through his room, he’ll be upset with me, won’t he?’
Fear crept in belatedly.
The thought of Siard turning away from me or growing cold made my chest tighten.
I didn’t want to be hated by Siard.
At the same time, another thought occurred to me.
‘What could possibly be strange about a basement? And it’s not just anyone—it’s Siard.’
Even thinking that way, I couldn’t muster the courage to return to Siard’s house.
Worried he might have noticed traces of my visit that day, I kept away from his place entirely for four days.
“Ah…….”
The day the Trading Ship departed.
I let out a groan, holding the Invisibility Potion in my hand.
If I drank this potion, I would become invisible to others’ eyes for thirty minutes, like a ghost.
It was the perfect item to confirm what lay in the basement and slip away undetected.
‘Sigh… when should I use this?’
To check the basement without being found out, I’d need to catch Siard away from home for a long stretch.
‘Should I sneak in while he’s working at the Clinic?’
No—if Siard happened to stop by the house in the meantime…
“For now, let’s not rush.”
If I moved carelessly and got caught, I’d lose all the trust I’d built up until now.
For the moment, I decided to focus on sowing seeds and planting seedlings for the autumn Farming until the right opportunity came along.
“Heave!”
The soil I’d lifted with the spade tumbled down in a shower.

Farming +10
Farming +10
Farming +10

Now that I’d built up some Strength, fieldwork felt far easier than before.
‘Phew, I’m practically becoming a seasoned farmer.’
Entertaining that silly thought, I finished a day’s labor and returned home to catch my breath.
Knock-knock.
Just as I was gulping down some cool water, someone rapped at the front door.
“Who is it?”
The moment I opened the door, a silhouette caught my eye, and I gasped.
“Miel.”
My heart dropped in an instant.
“S-S-Siard.”
“I realized it’s been several days since I last saw your face, so I thought I’d stop by.”
Siard greeted me with an angelic smile.
“Really? You must be busy, yet you came all this way….”
“I happened to pass by and suddenly wanted to see you.”
I studied Siard’s expression carefully.
Perhaps he’d discovered that I’d secretly visited the basement, and came to confront me about it.
‘What do I do? Does he know? Should I apologize first?’
Siard blinked at me.
“Miel?”
Only then did I realize I’d been standing at the door, staring at him blankly.
I quickly stepped aside and gestured for him to come in.
“Please, come inside.”
“I’ll impose upon you.”
As I watched Siard settle gracefully onto the living room sofa, I did my best to appear composed.
“I’ve been so busy preparing for the autumn harvest that I haven’t been in touch. How have you been, Siard?”
“Much the same as always. Though I confess I’ve been rather occupied lately—the Trading Ship made its rounds, after all.”
From what Siard said, it didn’t seem like he’d come here with any particular business.
“You really came just to see me?”
Siard smiled softly and spoke.
“Yes. Last time, you visited without any pressing matter, simply wanting to see my face. So I thought I’d drop by on impulse as well. I do hope I haven’t intruded.”
“Not at all! How could you? I’d just finished my fieldwork and was about to rest anyway.”
“Then the timing was perfect.”
Only then did I let my guard down, greeting him warmly as I always did.
“You’re always welcome, Siard. Would you like some refreshments?”
“Anything will do. By the way, you haven’t been overexerting yourself with the farming, have you? You didn’t injure yourself again like last time…?”
“I’m fine! I have plenty of potions, so I recover my stamina right away whenever it runs low.”
“That’s a relief. Oh, and when will you be coming for the next Herbal Medicine Lesson?”
He casually steered the conversation in a new direction.
I’d already promised to attend the next lesson anyway — I needed an excuse to return to Siard’s house.
“Yes? Um… would the day after tomorrow work?”
I needed time to prepare myself mentally.
“Of course. I’m free all morning the day after tomorrow, so come whenever it suits you.”
I watched his expression carefully throughout our exchange, but his manner remained as warm and composed as ever, which put me at ease.
The night before my Herbal Medicine Lesson, I lay sprawled across my bed, chin propped on my hands, turning over my plan in my mind.
‘Once the lesson ends and Siard leaves for the Clinic, I’ll slip down to the Basement. I can say I want to review what I learned a bit more. But… the key is the problem.’
The key hung right there on the back of the door, which only made matters worse.
What if Siard suddenly came home while I was down in the Basement?
‘He’d definitely notice the key was missing and find it strange.’
I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.
I just wanted to peek inside the Basement and see what was there, then leave.
But if someone caught me in the act… the consequences afterward…
The mere thought made me shudder.
‘Ugh. Horrible.’
Kaies might deal with me without mercy and have me expelled from Node.

Hidden Quest

True to the name of a Hidden Quest, the difficulty was absurdly high no matter how many times I tried.
Letting out a deep sigh, I began rifling through my items one by one, searching for something useful.
“Ah, this!”
I picked up a tool I’d happened upon.
It was something I’d bought thoughtlessly on the Trading Ship, but it seemed it might prove unexpectedly useful for this.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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