I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 95

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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 supposed to be a healing farming game.
Chapter 95

“Well, I don’t know.”
Kaies opened the office door as if inviting me to enter.
I slipped past him and went straight inside.
Thud.
“That’s not something I’d know about.”
Kaies answered indifferently as he followed me in and shut the door.
“I see.”
“If you’re curious, why not just ask?”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that. I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Kaies pulled back the chair in front of his desk and sat down as he always did.
Rather than head toward the bookshelf, I padded over to stand in front of him.
“What?”
“I’m curious about what you do. Can’t I watch for a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
As if dismissing my request as trivial, Kaies got right to work.
With permission granted, I unabashedly peered at the documents from beside him.

[Village Common Facilities Maintenance Ledger]
[Loan Application Form]
[Pledge Document]
[Village Fund……]

‘All village-related documents, then.’
Nothing particularly special or suspicious about any of them.

– Kaies’s ??

The Hidden Quest list hadn’t changed either.
‘So it’s not in the documents? Or maybe the important ones are stored somewhere else…….’
I still hadn’t given up on imagining the bookshelf swinging open to reveal a secret compartment.
‘I might need to use another X-ray Potion. Those things are ridiculously expensive.’
I wanted to avoid spending that much money on something uncertain, but if there was no other way, the potion would have to do.
Without hesitation, I returned to the sofa and opened the book Kaies had recommended. Even though it was written in letters I knew, I couldn’t understand a word of it.
‘The vocabulary alone is tough.’
Legacy, obfuscation, refactoring, whatever…….
“I have no idea what this says.”
I grumbled but pushed myself to understand it somehow.
He’d said it was a book he especially valued, after all.
“You’re reading awfully hard, princess.”
“Of course I am. I want to read this and then discuss it with Kaies.”
“With that book?”
I ignored Kaies’s skeptical remark and buried myself in the pages again.
My determination burned bright, but my progress was glacial.
It took me over an hour just to parse the parts I could vaguely understand.
“I think I’ll stop here for today…….”
Exhaustion had crept up on me suddenly. I bid Kaies a listless goodbye, gathered my things, and headed downstairs.
The tavern was bustling with people come for their evening meal.
“Two glasses of wine, please. Whatever you’d recommend.”
“Order up.”
Among them were people who ordered nothing and trudged straight down to the basement.
‘There really are a lot of men here.’
Most of them looked like rough laborers.
“Tonight we don’t lose,” someone said.
“You’ve forgotten already? How I cleaned out your pockets last time?”
I found myself eavesdropping on the men’s conversation as I followed them, then stopped short at the top of the stairs.
I looked around carefully, and when our eyes met, the tavern attendants averted their gaze as if by agreement.
It was obvious that the moment I descended into the basement, they’d be rushing to inform Kaies.
‘Maybe it’s because of the previous visitors.’
The residents here seemed to learn about my movements far too quickly.
At first, I’d thought rumors simply traveled fast on a small island, but now it didn’t seem that way at all.
‘They might be watching me to see what I’m planning to do next.’
I stared at the staircase leading down for a long moment, then swallowed my reluctance and left the tavern.
‘I should find a better opportunity before I go down there.’

* * *

The next day, I collected a handful of letters from the mailbox, where an exclamation mark was glowing.
Previously, most of the mail had been notices from the Village Hall, but lately there were far more letters from the residents themselves.
“That must mean we’ve grown closer, right?”
I set the bundle of letters on the table and opened my Information Notebook for the first time in a while.

Information Notebook
Affinity

“Yes, these are high.”
Not only had the Affinity levels of those I was close with risen, but even the ordinary villagers’ favorability had increased across the board.

Priam 7/10 Level
Twins 7/10 Level
Siard 6/10 Level
Kaies 6/10 Level

The gauge that had once been a pale green had transformed into a deep forest green.
Among them, Priam’s Affinity was wavering at the very edge of level seven.
“It’s good, but…”
I was glad they all cared for me and showed interest, but the downside was that attention on me had multiplied.
‘I already stand out as a visitor, and from now on, investigating in secret will only get harder.’
As time passed, the subjective difficulty of the Hidden Quest might rise along with it.
“A double-edged sword.”
Going forward, I’d need to be far more careful not to get caught doing anything suspicious.
I closed the Information Notebook and began checking the letters one by one.
First, I opened a parcel from Siard. Inside lay an armful of pale violet wildflowers.
“Flowers? How lovely.”
While I was admiring the unexpected gift, I noticed a small note tucked between the blooms.

[The wildflowers blooming near the Clinic were so beautiful that I wanted to share them with you.]

I was moved by Siard’s unchanged kindness, yet at the same time my chest ached.
‘I still can’t adjust. What I saw of him in the basement is so different from this.’
Of course, setting that aside, I was genuinely grateful for the thoughtfulness of someone who had taken care to select flowers for me.
‘Is this tender, gentle side just another facet of who Siard is?’
It would be too harsh to dismiss all the sincerity he’d shown so far as lies, simply because there’s another side to him I haven’t witnessed.
‘I don’t want to treat all the kindness Siard has shown me as if it never happened.’
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to quiet the thoughts that were throbbing in my head.
When I opened them again, the wildflowers still bloomed beautifully before me.
‘…Yes. I’ll accept the heart that thought of me, purely and simply.’
Suspecting everything from the start isn’t good for either of us.
I decided to accept Siard’s gift with an open heart.
I floated a few blossoms on the fountain and arranged the rest in a vase.
Next, I opened a letter of concern from Priam.
After reading his short note about recent happenings with affection, I also opened the mail from the Twins.
A small slip of paper fluttered out of the envelope.

[I ordered clothes for Miel at the Clothing Workshop. She’ll need to wear them when she visits our place.]

I picked up a slip of paper that had fallen to the floor, and the words “Clothing Exchange Voucher” caught my eye.
So the Twins had commissioned the outfit personally.
‘What kind of clothes will it be? Something in a style similar to theirs?’
I wasn’t sure if such an elaborate garment would suit me, but……
“Since it’s a gift, I obviously have to wear it well.”
Even though I hadn’t received it yet, my heart was already swelling with anticipation.
Next, I unfolded the letter that had come from my Ranch Colleague.

[I hear you’re studying Herbalism these days? Send me some Rare Feathers. They’re used as materials for advanced potions, so use them wisely.]

“Understood.”
It was a precious material. I held the snow-white, delicate feathers in my hand, turned them over carefully to examine them, then placed them gently in the materials box.
After checking through the letters for a while longer, at last only the mail from the Village Hall remained.

[Village Hall Notice]

I rustled open the notice bearing the Village Hall’s seal.

[Autumn Festival Announcement
Venue: Village Square]

It contained information about Node’s largest autumn festival, which would be held two weeks from now.
‘An autumn festival? Come to think of it, there’s someone with an autumn birthday……’
The thought stirred vaguely in my mind, so I checked the calendar.

[Kaies’s Birthday]

Kaies’s birthday was marked on the calendar. It was only a few days away.
“Oh no, I need to prepare a gift?”
Suddenly, my to-do list had piled up like a mountain.

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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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