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Though the restoration of the city’s order and livelihood was still far from finished, that didn’t mean the common folks had stopped living their lives.

A week and more had passed since that devastating day. The city was climbing back to its feet, with the abundance of stalls and shops that were back in business as proof of the city’s recovery.

Amid the streets that were laden with booths of plenty of varieties, there were two women who caught nearly the attention of everyone they passed by. They were great beauties but that wasn’t the reason for the attention they garnered.

The reason was their race. To be precise, they were a Faerie-kin and a Wolf-kin, unlikely pair. To anyone’s knowledge, these two races were never warm with each other and yet, they saw such an unlikely pair walking down the street with a cordial air between them.

However, despite the blatant amiability between the two in the onlookers’ perception, the two were currently in a disagreement of sorts.

“Lady Lilian, I have yet to hear a good reason from you for insisting on my company,” Siv said as she walked side by side with Lilian.

“Didn’t I already give you a reason, Sivy?” Lilian said with a titter. The gentle breeze that blew past her and lightly stirred her waist-long green hair enhanced the frivolous nature of her bright smile.

“You gave me a reason, Lady Lilian. It wasn’t a good one,” Siv retorted sharply. Her usual impassive and seemingly detached expression was tinged with annoyance. “And could you please stop calling me Sivy?”

“What’s wrong with that? We are friends, aren’t we? Well, I guess you can say we are more than friends.”

Siv tutted and continued walking. She didn’t know where they were going. Lilian had asked her to accompany them on a stroll through the streets and she had been very insistent about it. Siv had intended to refuse but before Erin left for her appointment, she had hoped Siv would get along with everyone else.

And here Siv was, in the company of a Dryad was a tad too vexing for her to bear.

“My dear Siv, have I done something to offend you?” Lilian asked with an expression that sway between genuine and superficial.

“Your character as a whole vexes me.”

Lilian snickered. “So I have been told.” She sighed. “Just why do people find my optimistic and cheerful attitude so annoying? Do they want to be down in the dumps all the time?”

Siv raised an eyebrow. “So you do realise how annoying you are.”

“Do I really look like someone who lacks any shred of self-awareness?”

Siv cast a sidelong glance at her companion for the day. “I’m sure you know the answer to that question well.”

“I suppose that was rather the point. People say all sorts of things when they think you are inferior to them. It has been very helpful in my experience.”

“But you’re before friends now, is that performance still necessary?”

“Old habits, dear. Besides, my performance will get rusty if I don’t practise it constantly.”

Siv groaned inwardly.

The misfit pair continued their stroll in silence. Lilian was no longer making any flippant remarks but she still had a faint playful smirk on her face.

In such a manner, the two eventually arrived at a small forest after they came out of the market and merchant districts. Though it was called a forest, it was more of a huge tree garden as it was regularly taken care of by the city’s management.

Folks who lived in a city since birth would naturally develop a primal fear towards the world beyond the walls. The numerous tales about the dangers of the outside world certainly did not help in allaying their fears.

And so, an artificial forest was planted and grown in certain parts of the city. People had no cause for worry about the wild animals and dangerous monsters one would normally encounter in a forest.

“We are here,” Lilian said cheerfully as she strode right into the forest path.

“What are we doing here?” Siv asked. “And why did we walk all the way here instead of taking the horses?”

Lilian did not give an answer and kept on walking.

“Lady Lilian, I swear by the honour of the mistress, if you don’t tell—”

“Ah, there it is!” Lilian exclaimed suddenly.

The sudden surge of the Dryad’s fervour drew Siv’s attention and gaze. She looked towards the direction Lilian was pointing with zeal and glee. What she saw made her even more confused.

Lilian was giggling with mirthfulness as she crouched before a fallen log. “Yes, I didn’t think I would find them this easily and without your assistance too, Sivy.”

“I’m sorry?”

Lilian snapped her fingers and the soil around the fallen log waned like the sea in the morning.

“What are those?” Siv asked while staring blankly at the strange-looking plants around the fallen log that was hidden by a layer of soil.

“These?” Lilian plucked one of those strange-looking plants into her hand. “They are truffles, or so I heard they were called.”

“Truffles? What’s a—”

At that moment, the smell of the truffle wafted into Siv’s nose and she froze.

Lilian tittered. “How is it? Is it good?”

“...It’s amazing,” Siv answered when her senses returned. She couldn’t believe what she had just smelled. She had never been much of an enthusiast for vegetables or fruits but these so-called truffles, made her lose her composure for a moment from their scent alone.

Truffles smelled absolutely delectable, Siv came to understand that fact today.

Lilian’s grin widened upon seeing Siv’s reaction. “Is this a good reason?”

Siv nodded. “It is but… I still don’t understand why you need me to accompany you.”

“Truffles are absolute delights. They sell for a lot to the right merchants. But most importantly, they enhance the flavour of dishes tremendously. Seeing as how everyone had gone through so much recently, I figured I would spoil everyone with some homemade dishes.”

“...You know how to cook, Lady Lilian?”

“My my, where did you get the idea that I don’t?”

“...Forget that I ask. But my other question still stands, what do you need me for?”

Lilian fell silent then and she lowered her head.

“Lady Lilian?”

“...Promise me that you won’t get mad if I tell you?”

Though Siv knew not what Lilian would say, she knew she would definitely get mad knowing the kind of person Lilian was. “I promise that I will get mad.”

“Oh, that’s a relief— huh? What did you say?”

“I said I will get mad, so you might as well tell me already before you make this any worse.”

Lilian laughed nervously. “Well… I brought you with me because I need your excellent sense of smell…”

Siv narrowed her eyes. “You intend to use me like a tracking hound? Not to track down someone but some… plants?”

“They’re mushrooms.”

“I don’t care what they are. These mushrooms are the reason for your stubborn insistence on my company?”

“They’re not just any mushrooms, Siv. They’re truffles.”

“And that makes it any better?”

“What if I tell you, a pound of these can yield a solid gold coin?”

Siv’s expression turned blank and her eyes widened. “A gold coin? For just a pound?”

Lilian nodded. “That’s how much they are worth.”

“...Shouldn’t we be more furtive in our search if that's the case?”

“Truffles are not easily found or discovered. Special methods are required. And people certainly won’t expect this here of all places to have truffles. We take everything we can here and bring them back to the estate before anyone finds out.”

“But how are we going to take all of these? My pockets can barely fit four of them and your gown doesn’t seem to have any pockets.”

“No worries, Siv. I came prepared,” Lilian said and produced two pouches from her cleavage.

Siv resisted retorting to that absurd way of storing things.

“Infinite pouches.” Lilian tossed one to Siv. “Transportation will no longer be an issue. Shall we get to it then?”

If it had been given by anyone else, Siv would surely question the origin. But given the circumstances, Siv could guess where Lilian got these extremely convenient pouches from.

“Something the matter?”

“It's nothing.” Siv pocketed the pouch before letting out a sigh. “Our truffle harvesting will have to wait, it seems.”

“Why so? The earlier we finish, the better—” Lilian paused. Her faint smile curled into a frown, before unfolding back into a small grin. “I suppose this is the second reason that I asked for your company, Siv.”

“You were expecting trouble?”

“We are two very desirable maidens, Siv. It’s only natural that we will have some stalkers.”

“Can we even be considered maidens?”

“We are not in any sort of matrimony, no?”

“...I suppose we’re not.” Siv shrugged and drew her twin swords. “Come out, now. Stop hiding.”

At her words, dozens of sordid and unruly-looking men appeared from the shades and behind the trees. None of these men were in clothes that weren’t ragged or tattered. Their faces were covered in numerous scars and old wounds.

One of the men laughed. “Looks like we hit the jackpot today, boys.”

The other men agreed with sneers and vulgar remarks.

“The guards and soldiers are all busy with the city’s restoration,” said the same man as he drew out a crude-looking dagger. “They have no time to spare for a couple of damsels in distress.”

“Oh my, do you people not know who we are?” Lilian asked with an expression devoid of any amusement.

“Oh, we know who you are, alright. Which is why we’re not afraid of you.”

“Hmm? You know who we are but you are not afraid? How odd.”

The man snickered. “By the time we’re done with you two, we would be out of this city before your vixen friend would even know what happened.”

“Ah… I see.” Lilian sighed. “How foolish.”

“Looks like we are being underestimated,” Siv said as she gripped tightly on her swords. “They think we’re just the mistress’ dull shadows.”

“Truly, we are being underestimated. I’m getting very irked by this. How unusual of me.”

The horrid man began to approach the two with a salacious grin. “We are going to have so much fun with the two of you. I have never been with a Fae or a Beast before but there’s a first time for everything. Now, kneel. Undress yourselves or we will do it for you.”

“Do you take us as nothing more than helpless damsels?”

“Then do you take us as mere simple backstreet thugs? The chaos from a week ago was a very… bountiful harvest.”

The realisation struck Lilian. “I see… you have raised your levels by a lot since you killed so many people during the chaos.”

“Glad that you aren’t just another brainless beauty. This will be more fun. Now, surrender your—”

A silver flash streaked across the thug, who seemed to be the leader, and in the next moment, his head slid off his neck and his body collapsed to the ground afterwards.

The rest of the thugs shrieked and flinched in horror.

“Weak,” Siv muttered, flicking her swords to get rid of the blood on the blades. “I don’t know what level he is but he’s nothing compared to a Demoid.”

“Impossible,” shouted the thug that was standing the closest to his now-dead leader. “How are you so—”

“—Strong?” Siv finished his sentence as she appeared right before him in a blink of an eye.

The thug yelped and hurriedly swung his weapon, but he was much too slow in comparison with Siv’s agility and speed. His arms were the first to go. His head followed soon after.

“Don’t make me laugh,” Siv spat. “It’s just that you all are just weak. Clearly that you only go after the ones you deemed weaker. Unfortunately, you made a grave misjudgement this time, all of you did.”

The other thugs, spurred by Siv’s taunt, charged at her while letting out their battle cries. However, vines suddenly grew all around them and each of those vines was covered in deadly barbs. Some of them had already been grazed by the thorns during the vines’ emergence.

The thugs erupted into cries of terror as the vines inched closer to them as if they had minds of their own.

“P-please… spare us…”

Lilian tittered. “Oh, should we?”

“No,” Siv said, bluntly.

“Well, there you have it,” Lilian said and snapped her fingers. The vines then closed in on them.

Needless to say, the growth of the truffles in this forest was no longer a secret after the agonising cries of the thugs attracted the attention of everyone nearby.