O Month X Day

Among the souls that came to me today was a traveling merchant. Cause of death: Bandit attack. Rather than sad or distraught, he seemed… disappointed that he had died, but even that was shrugged off quickly. What stood out about him was how talkative he was. Even in front of a goddess, he wasn't shy at all, and happily recounted the many things he'd seen in his travels. It may have been unprofessional, but I listened to his stories for hours, hanging on every word. Though I can see many things in the surface world from up here in heaven, it can't possibly compare to visiting those places in person. For the foreseeable future, I'll be remaining here, performing my duties, and I will gladly do so… but, maybe someday…

The merchant chose to reincarnate, without even a shred of hesitation. Despite the dangers and hardships of this world, he was in love with every bit of it. Though it is unbecoming of a goddess, I can't help but envy him.

We didn't talk much on the way back to Accelia. I was still reeling from the shock, and Sirius, though he acted like he was fine, also seemed a bit shaken. The journey back was quite a bit easier though, due to the cabbages having carved out a path through the forest. As we got closer to the edge, the path narrowed and there were fewer destroyed trees.

Seems like the forest had partly diminished the force of the… horde? Swarm? What do you call a group of cabbages anyway? Would they still be called a cabbage patch if they're in the sky?

By the end of the day, we were once again in sight of the city. Littered along the cabbage's path were several giant toad corpses. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any people among them. As Sirius had said, they would've seen the patch approaching from a long way away and would've had time to take cover.

The walls were rather beaten up, but there weren't any structural failures anywhere. There were cabbage leaves everywhere, though; it was quite a mess. Adventurers were working on cleaning up while construction workers were already starting on repairs to the battered walls. The mood was noticeably subdued; after all, the cabbage harvest should've been a joyous event. Nevertheless, everyone responding promptly was an inspiring sight. Humans really are stronger than they look.

We headed over to the Adventurer's Guild. Though we hadn't killed the goblins ourselves, Sirius suggested the old practice of bringing their right ears to prove that they were exterminated, which allowed us to still redeem the quest.

"Well, that was quite a day, huh Chris?"

"…"

"Do you wanna grab a drink? It'd help us unwind a bit."

"… sorry, but I think I'll just head to bed tonight."

"Understandable. I'm guessing you don't plan to head out on another quest tomorrow?"

I silently nodded.

"Alright. I'll be training at my home for the next few days, so if you need anything feel free to stop by."

"Thanks."

I went up to my room and crawled into bed, but despite my fatigue I couldn't sleep. Thinking back, my entire existence as a goddess had been relatively peaceful. While I certainly felt many different emotions as I talked to the millions, no, billions of souls that came to me, I had never been in danger myself before. The despair I felt at being helplessly pinned by the onslaught, having no option but to wait and hope that I'd survive, was something I'd never felt before.

I forced myself to calm down and think rationally. Even if I had perished, it would only be my vessel. It would be a setback, and would definitely not have been painless, but I would've gotten through it eventually.

But Sirius wouldn't've. Even as tough as he is, he might've perished there. I shook that thought away as soon as I had it. Regardless of what could've happened, we both got through it. And even the townspeople managed to get through unscathed, so I should be happy, right?

Eventually I managed to drift off to sleep.

I spent most of the next day helping in the clean-up efforts. Other adventurers who didn't have any plans also pitched in, as did the members of my own church. Seeing them selflessly working filled me with pride, but then I felt embarrassed since it felt like patting myself on the back. Among the debris, there were a surprising number of cabbages that were nearly intact, and as we collected them the mood in town started to recover. At first I still recoiled when I had to touch the cabbage leaves, but once I reassured myself that they weren't going to blow my head off, it became easier.

During all of this I noticed the members of Aqua-senpai's Axis Church also lending a hand. Though, they seemed to be mostly ignoring the debris and focusing on collecting cabbage for themselves. And all the while they were praising Aqua-senpai for delivering high-quality cabbages right to them.

As it turned out, the cabbages were indeed extremely high-quality. No, it would be more accurate to say that they were the tastiest, crispiest, and most nutritious and experience point-rich cabbages that have ever been seen in this city. Some people are even starting to say that they preferred this year's "harvest" to the normal harvests, despite all the extra cleanup it entailed.

Many others, however, weren't so keen. While the vegetables were delicious, they haven't forgotten the sheer despair they had felt yesterday as the harvest they had been eagerly waiting for turned into a natural disaster that they had no choice but to cower from.

When I returned to the guild to turn in the cabbage I'd collected, I noticed a group of researchers and mages discussing how this event could've come about. Being curious myself, I ended up listening in.

"– said there was that much mana in them? There's no way that's correct!"

"These are cutting edge instruments, I assure you they are accurate readings."

"Well in that case it can't be natural, right?"

"Not just that, but the chefs are reporting that their crispiness, while delicious, is beyond what should be possible for a cabbage."

"… they are extremely tasty."

"So something has been influencing the cabbages?"

"We can't say for sure, but either way this requires investigation."

"But what could've cause them to grow so much stronger, faster, and healthier?"

"Maybe the farmers used some sort of elixir on them?"

"Even so, this is too extreme, isn't it?"

Stronger, faster, healthier… for some reason, those words stuck in my head.

That night, I decided to eat out for a change and headed to a popular café. They had a limited time special of sautéed cabbage. It was the best thing I'd ever tasted.

The next morning, there was a large notice on the bulletin board. A special quest put out by the Agricultural Guild to travel to the cabbage fields and find out what caused this incident. The reward was quite generous too, but I imagine that not many adventurers in this beginner's town would be willing to embark on such a long journey. The cabbage fields are halfway across the continent, after all.

The words I had heard yesterday were still hanging in my mind. I kept turning them over as I drank a mug of neroid. Stronger, faster, healthier, tougher, smarter…

My chair crashed to the ground as I leapt to my feet. Could it be…? I might be jumping to conclusions, but all the pieces fit.

This… could be the work of a certain divine relic. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems. I remember the hero that owned this relic clearly. He… was someone who lacked faith in himself, and as a result was ultimately unable to defeat the demon king, despite the power of the relic. At that time I was more concerned with helping him pass, but thinking back now, wouldn't that have meant the relic would've fallen into the hands of the demon king? And now innocent people are being terrorized.

Then again, that was about a century ago in this world. For it to lay dormant for so long and only now make an appearance…

"Um, excuse me miss, but was there a problem with the drink?"

"Eh?"

I then remembered that I was still standing in the guild's dining area, my chair on the ground.

My face started to feel hot.

"O-Oh, no, everything's f-fine, I just remembered I have something I need to do here's the payment keep the change bye."

After rushing out of the guild, I took a moment to compose myself. Though it isn't certain yet, this is my best lead at the moment and I can't let it slip away. The quest notice had said for those interested to meet a representative from the Agricultural Guild at the gate in two days, and that they would provide transportation for a party of up to 4 adventurers of the representative's choice. Before I start packing, though…

I nervously knocked on the door of the Dustiness manor. The entire estate was rather impressive, as expected of a top noble family. As Chris, I am just an unremarkable commoner, so it was a bit nerve-wracking to casually stroll here like this.

The door opened, revealing a neat-looking old butler.

"May I help you, young lady?"

"Hi, yes, my name's Chris, and I'm here to ask Sirius to come on a quest with me."

"Pardon, you're Chris? The young master's new party member?"

For some reason, the butler was staring at me with a look of utter disbelief.

"Um… yes?"

He then held his head in his hand, and muttered something under his breath. What's with him? Isn't he being kind of rude?

After a few seconds he looked back up at me.

"Please excuse me, I simply had something on my mind. The young master is out training in the back, I'll take you to him now."

"Ah, thank you…"

"The name's Sebastian."

"Thank you, Sebastian."

Sebastian lead me to the courtyard. It was a rather nice open space, flanked on two sides by buildings and on a third by a large pond. It would be rather tranquil if not for the loud grunts and shouts coming from the center. Sirius was currently in full berserk mode, unleashing a flurry of attacks on a wooden post with a wooden practice weapon. There was a small pile of similar weapons lying broken next to him. Sirius was standing on top of a large metal square of some sort.

Rather than call out to him, Sebastian walked over to a lever situated near the edge of the square, and pulled it. The wild-eyed noble was instantly dropped into a pool of water as the trapdoor underneath him swung open. By the time he climbed out, he seemed to have returned to his senses.

"Oh, Chris! You're looking a bit better now. Ah, thanks for showing Chris in, Sebastian."

"Of course, young master. If there's nothing else, then I shall return to my other duties."

Once I thought he was out of earshot, I whispered to Sirius.

"You have a rather rude butler there."

"Haha, well despite how he acts he's been the most reliable butler we've ever had. So, what's up?"

"I've got a quest I want to take on."

"Oh, really? Already? And what quest would this be?"

"To go investigate the reason why the patch of cabbages that came here was so abnormal."

He seemed a bit taken aback.

"… you sure bounced back quickly, huh? Not two days ago you were saying you never wanted to see a live cabbage again, and now you want to go to their source?"

Huh. He's right. Now that I think about it, the moment I thought I found a lead, my apprehension had vanished into thin air. Instead, all I felt was excitement and anticipation.

"… I'm over that now. Rather than that, I want to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. Who knows, next time it could be even worse!"

"Well, you're not wrong. If you're sure about this, then you can count me in!"

He gave a thumbs up and flashed a smile. It was super cheesy, yet he had practiced it to the point where it was hard to point out any flaws in it.

"I still have one question, though."

"Mm, what's that?"

"What did you mean earlier by a 'patch' of cabbages?"

"Eh? Isn't that what you call a group of cabbages?"

"Only when they're in the fields. Once they take off, they're called a school."

"Eh? Seriously? Like a school of mackerel pike?"

"What, no, mackerel pike are measured in bushels."

"… eh?"

Two days later, we were in front of the gate as instructed, meeting with the representative. When we arrived, to my surprise, there were already six adventurers there. I had thought that the long journey involved in this quest would make it unpopular, but it seemed like we would have to compete for the spots after all.

Or so I thought, but as we approached and they caught sight of us, or more specifically, Sirius, four of them suddenly had more pressing matters to attend to and left immediately. It seems like the Mad Dog's reputation can come in handy sometimes. The remaining two didn't seem fazed in the slightest, though. Well, there's enough slots now for all of us so I don't mind, but it means I'll have to keep a close eye on my companion to avoid any incidents.

Eventually the representative arrived in a carriage and greeted us. He was a polite-looking young man, with short brown hair and a felt hat.

"I'm glad you've all come here today. My name is Filman, and I'm the representative of the Agricultural Guild assigned to this task. The journey to our destination shouldn't be particularly dangerous, but it is quite long, so I hope we will get along well."

"My name is Dustiness Ford Sirius. I look forward to working with you."

"Oh my, to think I'd be escorted by a celebrity such as yourself. I'm honored to make your acquaintance."

He didn't seem to react negatively to Sirius's identity. Well, I suppose those who don't know of his behavior in battle wouldn't have any reason to think poorly of him.

"I'm his partner, the Thief Chris. I also look forward to working with you."

"And a pleasure to meet you too, Chris."

Filman turned to the other two. They haven't said anything since we arrived, so this would also be my first time learning their names.

The first was a young woman, with shoulder length black hair and dark eyes. She was equipped with armor, and had a shortsword hanging at her left hip, and a wand at her right.

"Pax. Spellsword."

"… not one for conversation, eh? Well, that's fine too."

A Spellsword? That's a rather rare job, isn't it.

The last person was a young man. His face might've been considered handsome, if not for the eerie lack of expression on it. His right eye was black, but his left was pure white, and he had long hair that flowed down the back of his head.

He bowed as he introduced himself.

"My pleasure to meet you all. I am known as Maxwell, and I am quite looking forward to this journey."