I was planning to say no. Really.
But somehow, I end up agreeing. I guess it’s better than letting the kids try it on their own.
“What am I going to tell Selina...”
I trudge back to the cottage in the Great Forest, shoulders sagging.
At least I have a slice of Pyrebird pie as a peace offering. She won’t be happy about this, but maybe she’ll give me one of her usual grudging approvals?
“Oh, this is delicious! Zoe, make sure you learn properly while you’re there.”
The pie doesn’t look quite as nice as the general store lady’s, and it doesn’t taste quite as nice either—but I keep that to myself.
Perfect. She’s in a good mood.
I’m just about to bring up the whole rainmaking thing when she beats me to it.
“I’m curious about the rest of that book I was reading, so I’ll be heading out tomorrow. I won’t be back for two days. Make sure you replace the barrier stones properly.”
I did replace them properly last time!
When Selina’s here, she maintains the barrier with her own magic. But when she’s away, we use the circle with the stones.
If the color starts to fade, that means they need replacing.
Honestly, this is the best timing I could’ve hoped for!
I really should ask permission, but... well, that seems unlikely.
The next day, after seeing Selina off, I head to Lang Village.
“Maggie!” I burst through the door, breathless—only for her to immediately put a finger to her lips.
Shh? Is Maggie keeping this secret from her parents too?
“Oh, Zoe?” the boss lady says, looking puzzled.
Quickly, I reach into my bag and pull out some medicinal herbs. I always keep a few in my Item Box for moments like this.
“Ah, herbs!”
While the lady counts out coins, Maggie points behind her and mouths, Later!
Back garden. Got it.
I accept the payment and head around to the vegetable garden behind the general store to wait.
“Sorry! I haven’t told Mom,” Maggie whispers when she arrives.
Knew it.
“I haven’t told Selina either.”
“Is that okay?” she asks, looking a little pale. I mean, Selina is the forest witch.
“She’s away today and tomorrow.”
I don’t mention that she’s probably headed to the royal capital. Or maybe the Kingdom of Sarina.
“Then let’s do it tomorrow! Matthew’s gathering the kids.”
Still playing favorites, I see. I’ll leave the organizing to her.
Since I’ll be spending tomorrow in Lang Village, I should finish my cottage chores today—just in case Selina comes home early.
First, I need to cook something for her. Also, Merry and Ben have been eating nothing but herbs lately. Only the soft ones, too.
Since I sold some herbs to the store lady, I’d better gather more.
“Merry, Ben! You need to eat properly!”
I even gave them salt, but they don’t seem excited about anything these days... Maybe they’re just getting old.
Next, I go hunting in the Great Forest and manage to catch a Pyrebird. Even without butter, I can make pie with oil instead.
Once it’s baked, I pop the pie into my Item Box. That’ll keep it fresh.
I nibble a bit of the crust. Just to be sure.
“What should I do about the harp? It’s classier than a flute, but...”
I can dance while playing the flute, but dancing with a harp? Not going to happen.
“If only there was a way to make it repeat automatically...”
Since Selina’s out, I rummage through the Troubadour materials.
I find those sheet music pages again.
“Wait, this Aqua spell… It’s kind of like the summer festival melody.”
The Troubadour music is all short phrases. One of them really does resemble part of the festival tune.
“Maybe the song just evolved over time?”
It would make sense, especially with those old scores that only use black dots.
In my past life, repeating sections were called refrains, right?
I check for any markings like that, but none of the pages have them.
“So much for that.”
Still, if I’m trying to summon rain, maybe I can weave more Aqua phrases into the tune?
Might as well experiment. The garden could use some watering.
I sit on the chair by the well, harp in my lap. I focus on the Aqua phrase and start playing the summer festival melody.
“Whoaaa...”
Water-blue light pours from the harp along with the notes. I feel magic being drawn from me—more than usual.
Water splashes everywhere. Not just on the garden, but on me too!
“Baaah!”
Oops. Merry and Ben got drenched.
I run back inside and fetch an old cloth to dry them off.
“I could dry them with that utility magic Selina taught me, but...”
The last time I tried it on them, early in my training, they hated it. I haven’t dared since.
I pull out more medicinal herbs and offer them to Merry and Ben.
They’ll eat the soft ones but won’t even sniff anything a little tough.
They were never plump—goats aren’t really—but they’re definitely getting thinner.
“You’re still okay, right?”
All living things die eventually... but I want to believe they’ll be fine a while longer.
The next morning, I let Merry and Ben out of the pen and give them fresh water and herbs.
“I’m going to Lang Village today, so make sure you eat some grass too, okay?”
A balanced diet’s probably better than just herbs.
With that, my chores are done. The garden got plenty of water yesterday, so it should be fine.
I teleport to the Lang Village Waymark and, without setting foot in the village, head straight for the waterfall shrine—our secret meeting spot.