Chapter 15: Strawberries, Saffron, and Maple Syrup

At the center of the elf village, lined with treehouses, was a large plaza where elves gathered to chat or sip tea together.  

Murmur, murmur.  

“Isn’t that a human? How did a human get into the village?”  

“They say he’s Elenia’s messenger.”  

“The human the chieftain allowed into the village?”  

“I heard that too. And she even permitted him to do business here?”  

Word spreads fast.  

It seemed my presence had already become the talk of the elf village.  

“Maybe that’s a good thing?”  

I’d been worried no one would care, but they were already showing keen interest.  

With rumors spreading, their curiosity was at its peak.  

This was an opportunity. 

Their interest in me would extend to the goods I brought.  

This was the opening effect—customers flocking to a newly opened shop.  

Now was the time to promote heavily and win them over.  

Standing in the center of the plaza, I began to shout.  

“Wild strawberries grown on the Floating Island with Dragon Dung fertilizer! One berry is packed with nutrients! Bursting with energy! Sweet and tart, ten wild strawberries for one saffron!”  

As expected, my crops were impressive enough to excite even the gourmet elves.  

“Oh, it’s so sweet!”  

“Why is it this sweet? Tart, sweet, and absolutely amazing!”  

“Wow! So juicy!” 

Saffron piled up in the glass jar—one, then two—and the basket full of wild strawberries soon dwindled to nearly nothing.  

Truthfully, more were consumed as samples than sold, but the positive feedback meant potential customers.  

Not bad for the first day.  

I transferred the five remaining wild strawberries to a leaf and prepared to return to the Floating Island.  

Then—  

“Hey!” 

A familiar voice called from behind.  

Turning around, I saw Mary, the elf girl.  

The one who pointed an arrow at me when I first entered the Elf Forest.  

What’s she here to nitpick about now?  

Still holding a grudge, I responded curtly.  

“What?”  

Mary hesitated, her lips twitching.  

“You called me, so say something. Why are you just standing there?” 

Her gaze shifted to my right arm.  

“…How’s your wound?”  

“What? Oh…”  

I held up my right arm dramatically to emphasize.  

“The one you scratched with your arrow?”  

“Ahem, I’m sorry about that.”  

“Sorry?” 

Her apology caught me off guard, but I was still miffed and pressed further.  

“So you know you were wrong? Thinking about how you pointed an arrow at my face still makes my blood boil!”  

“I-I’m apologizing right now, aren’t I?”  

I twisted my lips.  

“Just words? I could’ve been seriously hurt!”  

“Ugh.”  

Mary groaned and spoke up.  

“So, what do I have to do for you to accept my apology?”  

Oh? 

I expected her to storm off in a huff, but she was surprisingly calm and holding her ground.  

She really meant to apologize.  

“Hmm, what would be good… How about maple syrup!”  

“Maple syrup?”  

“Yeah, maple syrup. If you’re apologizing, that’s the least you can offer!” 

I glanced at her slyly to gauge her reaction.  

“…Hmm.” 

As expected, maple syrup was a precious commodity here too.  

Take that!  

“Bet that’s tough for you.”  

“No, that’s easy enough.”  

“…What?”  

“Wait here. I’ll get it.”

Mary dashed off nimbly and soon returned, her hands full and heavy.  

“Here, take it. This should do, right?”  

“…Y-Yeah.”  

She handed me two fruit husks.  

Opening them revealed they were filled with maple syrup.  

“So, we’re good now?”  

It was that easy?  

I’d planned to demand something harder to mess with her, but it ended anticlimactically.  

I was so dumbfounded my anger fizzled out.  

“Ahem, fine. I’ll accept your apology. Since we’ll probably see each other often, I don’t want things to be awkward.”  

For a proud elf to apologize to another race first was surprising enough.  

I turned to leave, but—  

“Hey, wait.”  

Mary stopped me again.  

“What now?”  

“…Got any wild strawberries left?”  

“Wild strawberries? Oh, so you want some too?”  

“Ahem, do you have any or not?”  

Mary looked oddly pouty.  

Give an inch, and they take a mile, huh? 

But since we’d likely keep crossing paths, I didn’t want tension.  

“Fine, here!”  

I gruffly handed her the wild strawberries, and Mary’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.  

“These are the last five, too few to sell, so I’ll give them to you as a sample. You’re lucky.”  

She stared at my hand before quietly taking the leaf with the strawberries.  

“What are you staring at? Eat them already.” 

Reluctantly, she picked up a strawberry and brought it to her mouth.  

“So? Pretty amazing, right?”  

A subtle smile crept onto her lips as she chewed.  

“Delicious!”  

“Right? Enjoy them this time, but next time you’d better buy some.”  

Mary grinned brightly.  

I hadn’t noticed before, too caught up in the moment, but now I saw her smile was as radiant as sunlight.  

But then, her lips were stained bright red from the strawberries.  

“Pfft!”  

“…?”  

“What’s with your face? That’s hilarious! Hahaha!”  

She looked just like Dorori after stealing strawberries, and I burst into laughter.  

Tremble.  

Suddenly, she boiled over like a kettle, her face flushing red.  

“Don’t you ever look in a mirror? You look like a half-baked Potato!”  

“What? A half-baked Potato? You’re dissing Potatoes? What’s wrong with Potatoes? They’re delicious and nutritious!”  

“Hmph!”  

She snorted and stormed off without looking back.  

“Hey! Where are you going? I’m not done talking!”  

What a fiery temper. 

Getting all sulky just because I teased her a bit.  

Anyway, I got the maple syrup, so mission accomplished.  

Elenia must be eagerly waiting for it, so I should head back.  

I walked away with a light step.  

***  

“I’m back.”  

As soon as I landed on the Floating Island, Elenia zoomed over.  

“How’d it go? I was waiting so long my neck nearly fell off!”  

“Ta-da! Look at this.”  

I pulled out the glass jar from my bag and shook it. The crimson saffron sloshed inside.  

“Isn’t that saffron?”  

“Yup, earned from selling wild strawberries! I’ll collect these to buy the cypress seeds.”  

“Wow! You earned a lot! You’ll get those cypress seeds in no time!”  

“Of course! I’ll keep pushing until I can buy them!”  

“That’s the spirit! I’m rooting for you!”  

“Squawk!”  

A cheerful cry echoed across the Floating Island.  

Thus, my first day of trading in the Elf Forest ended in great success.  

[Acquired 20 saffron]  

[Total saffron accumulated: 20]  

But this was far from enough to buy cypress seeds.  

I couldn’t even guess how many I’d need.  

Still, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 

I’d keep moving forward until the day I owned my own house.  

“By the way…”  

Elenia asked hesitantly.  

“Did you happen to bring anything else from the Elf Forest?”  

“Hm?”  

“Ahem, like… maple syrup?”  

“Maple syrup?”  

“Yes! Maple syrup!”  

Elenia bounced impatiently in the air, tapping her feet.  

She looked so cute I couldn’t resist teasing her a bit.  

“So, your real goal wasn’t the seeds but maple syrup all along?”  

“That’s not important right now! Did you bring maple syrup or not?”  

“Hmm?”  

“Ugh!”  

Elenia pouted, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.  

Feeling bad for teasing her, I quickly gave in.  

“Here, your precious maple syrup.”  

“What?! Maple syrup!”  

I held up a hollow fruit husk filled with sweet maple syrup.  

“I knew I could count on you!”  

Elenia grabbed the husk and immediately dipped her hand in, slurping happily.  

Despite all the trouble in the Elf Forest, seeing Elenia so delighted over maple syrup made it worthwhile.  

“Any good?”  

“So sweet and delicious! Aren’t you having any?”  

“I’m good, so enjoy it without worrying about me.”  

I’d heard fairies loved sweets the most. 

Maybe it’s no coincidence her wings looked like butterflies’.  

“Well, I’ll go check on the fields.”  

The garden grew lusher by the day. 

The crops thrived without weeds just by planting seeds.  

Swish, swish.  

I replanted Potatoes in the harvested field and watered them generously.  

“Grow big and strong!”  

With deliveries to the inn and trading in the Elf Forest, I’d be busy from now on.  

“Hmm… I’ll need to diversify my crops.”

Gourmet elves might quickly tire of wild strawberries.  

To keep trading, I’d need to develop new products.  

The problem was their high standards and small appetites.  

To meet their demands, quality over quantity was key. I needed to supply rare, high-quality crops.  

Lost in thought, I lit a campfire before nightfall.  

Crackle, crackle.

Sitting by the fire’s warmth, I prepared for bed.  

“Yum, yum, so good.”  

“You finished a whole container already?”  

“That’s just the basics.”  

Elenia washed her sticky hands at the well and flew to perch on my shoulder.  

“I heard from Dorori. You had a tough time in the Elf Forest.”  

“Nah, it went smoothly thanks to your connection. Sharin sends her regards.”  

“It’s about time she stepped down as chieftain, but she’s still at it. Is she doing well?”  

“Yeah.”  

Elenia spoke curtly, but her words carried affection.  

“By the way, are you really okay with this?”  

“Hm? With what?”  

“The cypress seeds. I feel like I put you through trouble by bringing it up. If you don’t want to, you can give up on them.”  

“No way. I really want those cypress seeds now. The treehouses in the Elf Forest were so amazing.”  

This wasn’t just to reassure her—it was true.  

A vast blue sky, carefully tended fields, and a majestic treehouse standing tall in the center.  

Doesn’t that sound amazing just imagining it?