Botan was well rested, well fed, and generally content. It was his last day in Mosden for some time. He had more or less said most of his goodbyes. Or at least he felt that way. The brothers and Tia were talking in private most of the day yesterday and he hadn't seen them at all today.

Botan filled his time with small tasks, like looking through his drop menu. He hadn't looked at it since before the wave. The first thing he rushed to check was to see if the [Heavymetal Hive Queen] dropped an item.

And it did. He was hoping for something awesome, and… well… It was at least useful.

[The Handy Dandy Candy Furnace]: A small metal contraption with a flat top and handle. By placing sweets or anything containing any form of sweetener in the furnace, it'll burn it to produce heat.

"So… it's a sugar radiator, huh. If I heated us with this, Myskel would be pissed at the sacrifice of sweets." Botan thought, stealing a glance at Myskel. In turn, she looked at him. She couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking, but she could sense his worry and tilted her head cutely in concern.

Botan's eyes shifted from her back to his item drop menu. There were more items to be found. A hell of a lot, though, there were only three different kinds of items. Honey, poison honey, and poison daggers.

The easiest decision was to use the poisoned honey as fuel for the heater. The honey would be Myskel's treat. If he ran out of poison honey he'd have to consider upsetting Myskel. But if they were stuck in the cold, she'd relent as well.

The last thing to look at was the poison dagger, which, much to his confusion, wasn't poison. He pulled one from the drop menu and examined it. The weight of the handle was off. Normally the blade and the handle should at least be somewhat even, yet this dagger was very lopsided. Next, he noticed tiny holes in the blade and it all made sense. He immediately turned the weapon around and knew to unscrew the pommel. Inside was a hollow canister.

"It IS a poison dagger, just poison not included. Huh." Botan thought.

He planned to sell those to Will later, maybe keep one. It was always a good idea to keep drop menu items since they weighed nothing until they were pulled out of the menu. The last thing he eyed was the dull green metal he got from Valtor. It was supposedly a rare material, but he was still hesitant to absorb it. "What if absorbing it is a trick? What if it nerfs me?" Botan didn't want to trust the Ivory Company, and therefore he didn't want to trust Valtor. He pocketed the metal and forgot about it for now.

After distracting himself, or more accurately, hiding from what he said he was going to do today, Botan made his way to the market area just outside the castle. Botan promised himself to stop worrying about the future and live in the here and now.

"And that means…" With a deep breath, Botan approached the flower shop he'd been to a few times. The girl currently running the shop was the same girl he'd been rejected by when he was new here.

She had smooth and straight long black hair that fell on and past her shoulders like an onyx waterfall. It contrasted against her bright face and smile. Her hair would probably make a girl look gloomy if it weren't paired with her amber eyes and her big smile. He had heard her name a few times when he came to copy flowers, Iris.

Botan waited in line while collecting himself, but it became his turn too quickly for his liking. "She thought I was a weirdo lying before. I'm sure things will go better if I just go for it… So move. Move you stupid fucking legs! I command you-"

"Oh, Evergreen. It's good to see you. We haven't seen you much since the funeral. Need some flowers?" The girl greeted him first, her head slowly tilting as she waited for a response.

"Um, well… you see I…" He hesitated, but she stood there kindly as he fumbled his words. Seeing that, he just went for it. "Um, this'll be my last day in the capital for a while and I was wondering if you were busy. I-Uh, I wanted to see if you wanted to go on a date… with me." Botan managed after falling over himself again and again.

Iris for her part listened patiently, her hand partially covering her mouth. Her finger lingered on her lips as if trying to decide. She looked to her side and saw her father. Without responding she walked over to her father and whispered something in his ear. She then walked back over with a bit more speed and placed her apron on the counter and came around to meet Botan.

"Sure, where would you like to go?" She asked with a smile.

"Huh?" She said yes. This was outside of Botan's expectations.

Seeing Botan stuck in place, she took him by the hand and pulled him along. Botan's face wasn't catching up to the situation, but his legs thankfully didn't lag behind as much. His feet carried him towards the center of town as his mind slowly caught up.

"So, where are we going?" Iris asked in an upbeat tone.

"..." Botan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he yelled at himself internally. "You fool! You didn't even think this far ahead! Me!? Yeah! You! You don't need every little thing planned out! That's the point of this, right!? To be spontaneous and in the moment! But that doesn't mean not even planning something as simple as where to take her!" Botan screamed at himself further.

Iris heard nothing and stopped to see Botan was clearly deep in thought. She tilted her head a bit and smirked. "It's okay. I've lived here my whole life. If anything, I should show you some cool places." She then continued leading him, half dragging him along.

Botan was infinitely grateful he asked out such a nice girl. If she was any less kind she'd have left him an idiot with no idea what to do. The pair passed several cafes and restaurants as well as two bridges. Botan became confused. All the businesses seemed to be around the castle to a point where, after crossing two bridges, they should be in the residential area.

She guided him to some stairs worked into the side of the road, bringing them close to the water where only three tables could fit. The street served as the roof of the adjacent building built into the ground, a double door and long open window was all that Botan could see.

Botan stared at them for a moment. He'd taken great care to visit the entire city top to bottom. He'd travel by boat and on foot. He'd had weeks, and yet, there were still places he'd failed to find.

A woman poked her head out of the window when she caught sight of them. "Iris? Girl, aren't you supposed to be working right now? Your father will have a fit again." She chided.

Iris simply waved as she motioned for Botan to step forward a bit more for the woman to see. "He knows. Stop worrying so much about me. I came here with the Evergreen if you can believe it."

The girl tilted her head as she eyed Botan. She remembered him from the funeral procession. All eyes were on those carrying the king, so he'd likely be recognised by others far more often now.

"Huh. Well, what are you wasting his time here for?" The woman asked with narrowed eyes, a sly smile replacing her frown.

"First of all, rude. Any time spent with me is a complete delight." Iris said with a pointed finger.

"Debatable." The woman shot quickly.

Iris ignored her snide comment and continued. "Second, this is actually a date and I thought I'd be so kind as to show him the nicest place in town." She asked.

"...But I thought you… nevermind. Fine. Order then." The woman's playful expression was replaced with genuine confusion before dropping it.

Iris drug Botan to a table and sat down, waiting awkwardly for him to do the same. Botan sat there a moment, not sure what to say. Hoping the woman would come out to take their order but she made no motion to do so. The menu was above the window and no one was coming out to take their order.

Seeing his confusion, Iris clarified. "Just shout your order at her, the place doesn't get a lot of traffic."

"Rude." The woman shot again.

"O-Oh…" Botan stared at the menu for a moment. "To be honest, I am still having a really hard time reading anything. Learning a new language is really hard. Alder has been helping but-"

"Alder? He's been your tutor?" Iris asked, finally Botan said something that seemed to catch her interest.

Seeing a chance to actually talk about something, he spoke openly with her. "Yeah. His mom has been giving me dancing lessons and he sorta kept an eye on me the whole time. He's been my most consistent party member. Outside of Myskel, of course." Botan corrected himself.

"Misk~!" She affirmed as he rubbed her head.

"I was going to ask about your pet. It looks so cute." Iris perked up, eyes now glued to Myskel.

"You can pet her if you want. There's no such thing as too much attention with her." Botan couldn't even finish his statement before Iris leaned over to pat Myskel's head.

Botan had to agree that Myskel was a grade A wingman. Cute dogs had nothing on Myskel's ability to draw in girls.

After petting her for entirely too long, Iris pulled back. "So Alder was with you for most of the month?"

"Yeah… for various reasons." Botan answered vaguely.

She formed a soft smile."Well, I'm glad. We hadn't seen him much and with his father dying… It's good to know he wasn't locked up in that castle the entire time."

"He would have if he could have." Botan admitted with a sigh, sitting in a slightly more relaxed manner in his chair.

"Don't I know it? He's really sentimental…" Iris complained, she also relaxed a bit.

There was another long silence, but it wasn't as awkward as the first time.

"You two going to order or are you just going to keep rubbing his hairy snake?" The lady inside yelled out with laughter.

Iris gave the woman a nasty look. "You are the worst… You said you can't read. Mind if I order?" She asked Botan.

"Sure. Something moderately priced, please. No preference. Oh, and something sweet for Myskel." He couldn't not treat Myskel. She was the ultimate wingman.

"Misk~!" She practically begged for candy or dessert.

"Don't worry. I'll order you something great… And don't worry, I'm paying." She added after a brief pause.

At that Botan had to stop her. "Listen, I asked you out. I should be paying." He went to reach for his coin.

"I mean, you say that, but what will you be doing with whatever money you don't spend?" Iris asked, arms crossed.

"I mean, I gotta spend it to keep upgrading my armor, buy materials, all that stuff." Botan stopped and answered.

"Stuff that'll make you better at your job?" She led him in the conversation.

"Yeah…" He admitted.

"Then why would I want you spending any money on me? Use that money wisely." She advised.

Botan considered that. She thought of his money as something of a war fund or charity fund. Something that should be spent meaningfully. Botan hated the idea that he should constantly place himself in a position where he can't indulge himself because of a perceived guilt. But at the same time, she wasn't entirely wrong either.

While Botan thought about this, Iris ordered their food. She asked for two of 'her usual', one for each of them, as well as a custard flan for Myskel. Myskel didn't know what that meant, but she got the idea that Iris was hooking her up. The pair found amusement in how easily excited Myskel was in something she knew nothing about. Soon she was doing a little dance. A 'Imma get some sweets' jig.

With watching Myskel as a centerpiece, the two, specifically Botan, found the silence more bearable.

"So, how long have you worked at your father's flower shop?" He asked.

"Oh… Since I was eight." Iris said with a bit of embarrassment.

"Really? That young?" Botan wasn't expecting that kind of an answer.

"He wouldn't let me help in the greenhouse or fields until I was 14. But he let me sell flowers." She added.

Botan looked back at her with some confusion. "...Wait, that seems kind of backward, doesn't it? He let you handle the money, but not pick and tend to the flowers?" he asked.

Iris gritted her teeth comically. "That sneaky old man." She spoke of her father. "He thought people would have a harder time arguing for lower prices with a little girl. Any time they did, I'd get sad and they'd back off."

"Haha!" That got a genuine laugh out of Botan. "That would have got me too. Cute kid starts crying like you're taking food right off of their plate."

She nodded along. "Exactly! I felt so bad about it, but it worked. I know the flower prices seem kind of high sometimes, but they're useful and once they bloom they don't last very long. We regularly lose half of what we grow. It's a tough business."

"Hmm, so if you could sell to a wider area, you'd actually be able to lower the prices?"

Iris squinted. "Stop that."

Botan just stared a moment. "S-Stop what?"

"That. That thing you're doing. Helping regular people is great, but the only flower that'll stop these waves is yours." Iris told him.

Botan actually pushed back. "...I disagree. Mr. Lokkan probably would have beaten the first wave without me, but that's only after I helped solve their problem with a Grass reaper."

"I did hear about that." Iris commented.

Botan continued. "And despite the loss of the king, his sons are finally seeing eye to eye after I slugged Raucar."

"You attacked the prince!?" Iris half yelled, covering her own mouth, hoping no one heard her. Her eyes looked around and no one seemed to notice. The woman they ordered from was waving her over to grab their food, but Iris was too invested in the conversation now.

"Huh, guess that didn't get spread. The point is that I'm starting to think that the little changes matter more. The flowers your family sells help all kinds of people, and I only know, what, like 30 percent of them do?" He told her.

"That's tru-wait. You still don't know what they all do!? You're the Evergreen!" She quickly abandoned the compliment when she noticed.

"And there's like 150 of those things and they cost a lot!" Botan defended, hands up. Myskel was nodding, agreeing with Botan, not that she understood the conversation.

"Oh, don't give me that! I know you can afford it!" Iris joked.

"Are you kidding me? I have less than two gold to my name!" Botan admitted.

Iris' eyes widened, then she pulled back. A mixture of shock and then something akin to shame. "...Wait, what? But you're the Evergreen? You saved an entire village?"

"...Things are tough right now with the King's passing. Baobab said something about being rewarded after the wave, but… it all got swept up with everything else." Botan brushed it off, wanting to keep a lighter mood.

"...Well… That sucks…" Iris was still annoyed on his behalf. She laid her head in her right hand and posted up on the table with her head sideways. This was one of her thinking stances. She apparently never looked normal when concentrating.

"Yeah…" Botan saw her being weird and took it as a good sign. Like she was comfortable being weird around him.

"..." There was a pause. The woman was losing it, waving for the two to get their butts up there and pick up their food. They were both too stuck in their conversation, even if stalled, to respond to the lady.

"Tell you what. We get back to the stand later, We'll hand you anything you need." Iris offered.

"Don't worry. I'm sure by the time I get back to Mosden I'll have the money to buy what I need." Botan was still a man, yet she was buying him food on the date he asked for. If he accepted more charity, he'd feel all the more shame as a man.

"Anyone ever tell you you need to listen better? We throw away flowers that aren't bought. You saved a town and haven't got a copper for your troubles." She went to lecture.

Their orders came, with the woman now giving up on waving the pair down and instead walking the food out to their table. She sat two identical plates down along with a large yellow flan that made Myskel purr on sight.

Iris eye'd the food before finishing her statement. "So stuff your mouth and accept what little we can offer… I know it isn't much, and we wish we had more to give." She apologized sincerely.

They thanked the woman before she went back to her post, watching the pair from afar. Botan looked down at his plate and his eyes grew large as hunger was suddenly felt.

"This is the Mosden national dish. You can't leave until you tried it." Iris told him.

Botan immediately had to try the food but Myskel kept pulling him to the side. After ignoring her a few times to no avail, he stared at her for a moment. She was in her own crisis. She wanted to stay around his neck, eat her sweets, and not wait. All of it. With a sigh, he grabbed the plate with the flan and rested his left elbow on the table. Now the flan was well within her reach.

With that, Botan turned to his plate with renewed determination. On the plate were two large cuts of meat from an octopus-like monster from what he understood. It was cooked white and colored with an orange sauce made with a fruit glaze, a surprising blend of sweet and spicy he'd have never considered with seafood. "Though, technically it was fresh water." Botan's nerdiness showed for a moment.

Paired with the main dish were these balls of dough, similar to a dumpling. They were stuffed with a mixture of monster meat, cheese from Yoklan, and several vegetables. The closest thing he could compare it to would be ravioli, but the outside was thicker. These had no sauce and appeared as if they might be a bit dry, but once bitten into, he found them to be gushing with juices.

While the pair picked at their food slowly and continued their conversation, they couldn't help but watch Myskel. She wanted to just throw herself into the flan, but she didn't want to get dirty or waste food. Botan handed her a spoon and she took it with a victorious pose. Now armed with what could best be described as an eating shovel, she began to devour the flan without mercy.

"So, Where did you and Alder go in Mosden?" Iris eventually asked, sipping her drink.

"Not too many places. Lokkansted and into the eastern wilderness a few days' journey away." Botan replied.

"So you haven't been to any other cities or the Nine Peaks?" She asked further, twirling her fork.

"No. I really want to explore Mosden, this place is unlike anywhere else I've even heard of. When I am done in Ventus, I really want to explore more of this country more thoroughly." Botan expressed. His arm was getting tired from holding Myskel's plate, but she was nearly done, now just licking the plate.

Iris' face seemed wary. "I know Alder probably said this already, but just avoid the Nine Peaks. Mosden only has about 20 settlements within its border. Just don't get bored and travel northward…" She warned.

"I don't think I'll ever get bored" Botan told her. "Besides, we already beat a Grass Reaper from up that way about 3 weeks ago." Botan tried to assure her.

She suddenly seemed worried. "Alder fought something like that? What was he thinking?" Iris almost looked like she was reprimanding Alder.

"It was attacking the town at night. The town needed help." Botan defended lightly.

"I guess you both had no choice then… But remember that there is a world of difference between fighting because you need to and fighting recklessly." She let it go at that.

"Heh, yeah. That thing was kicked out for being too weak apparently. I assume I'd find dozens of monsters each stronger than that one." He went to agree.

She made an intense look at Botan to grab his attention. "Dozens? It's common knowledge that each peak holds at least 500 monsters. It's not just their individual strength, their numbers are ludicrous." She warned again.

Botan grew quiet. Those numbers and they're stronger than the Grass Reaper? All 4500+ of them? It was hard to grasp.

They finished their meal soon after and Botan had been thinking where to go next. " Follow me." He told her. She became increasingly curious as to where they were going as they traveled. Her curiosity reached new heights as they walked outside the town itself.

"How long are we going?" She asked.

"Less than 5 minutes." He assured her.

As they climbed the stone steps built into the hill, it came into view. "This was actually where they summoned me. Right inside that little temple."

Iris looked around a little shocked for a few reasons. Firstly, she didn't expect such an unknown place to be the summoning site for someone as important as the Evergreen. But even beyond that, she had never seen or heard of this place before, yet it was literally in sight of the capital. The pond and flowers looked well-kept. This means someone must tend to it, right?

"This place is beautiful." She finally said.

"Yeah, but the real beauty is behind us." Botan informed her.

She turned back and saw the capital from on high. The town she'd lived in all her life was being shown to her in a way she'd never seen it. The pair sat on the highest stone steps and watched the town. Of course, they were both petting Myskel because she hadn't had attention in 5 whole minutes.

"It seems I wasn't the only one who had some secret locations to share. This is wonderful." Iris said plainly.

"..." Botan couldn't think of what to add, so he stayed quiet.

"This was a great choice. You were falling apart in the beginning, but you get full marks here." Iris told him.

"Uh, yeah. The first date I have ever been on." Botan admitted.

"Same… I just had more time to plan." Iris also admitted.

"What do you mean by that?" Botan found her word choice odd.

"..." Iris didn't answer.

"..." And Botan wasn't pushing for one.

"Everg-No, Botan." She corrected herself in saying his name. "I agreed to the date because you've helped a lot of people and seem like a good guy…" She was trying to find the words.

"But you're not interested?" Botan guessed.

She put her head down a bit. "I wanted you to have a good last day before you left as a thank you, but no, I'm not interested in you." She admitted.

Well that was disappointing. Really disappointing. His first date was a complete failure. "At least I went on the date. Could the old me have even been able to ask?"

Botan wasn't upset, far from it. "Well as long as you enjoyed it too… Wait!" Botan suddenly shouted.

This caused Iris to flinch. "W-What?"

"Alder!" He randomly shouted.

"What about him?" She asked nervously.

"You like Alder!" Botan said, pointing at her.

"What!? How!? How could you possibly-!?" Iris now looked closer to what Botan did when he asked her out. Blushing, and sputtering, it was hilarious to Botan.

Botan took a pen out and waved it around like a stuck-up professor. "You had a date planned, yet are not interested in me, meaning you're interested in someone else. And during our conversations today, you kept bringing him up. It's kind of obvious." Botan explained his reasoning in a sarcastic manner.

"Shutupshutupshutup!" She squeaked.

"Hehe!" Botan snickered as she wiggled with embarrassment, her fists wrapped around parts of her skirt and moving around.

"Don't you tell a soul!" She said, still squirming with embarrassment.

"Not until we figure out a plan." Botan replied.

"A… plan? A plan for what?" Iris was now even more nervous.

He raised his arm up. "To get Alder to go on a date with you." Botan said matter-of-factly.

Iris paused in confusion for a moment. Having help was great and all, but this was supposed to be a date between the two and she just turned him down, yet… "...Um, you are taking this surprisingly well."

"It is what it is. But if you're interested in Alder, he could really use someone right now." Botan was more proud of himself for trying than the result itself. He'd accept his victories and defeats.

Iris was beginning to see that Botan was a really good guy. And he was willing, she'd not say no to the help. But- "Don't you think now is a bad time? His father just died?" She asked with a low soft voice.

"I think it's the perfect time. I tell you what, let's plan this out now and we'll spring the plan as soon as I get back." Botan replied.

"...What kind of plan do you have in mind?" Iris wasn't going to say no.

Botan responded by opening up his cheap notebook to draft a plan.

And just like that, Botan's first date was a failure, but he was able to pivot into being a wingman for Alder, so it wasn't a complete loss. They returned to the flower shop by dinner time and Iris made good on her promise. She gave Botan more than 100 flowers to copy and absorb. She also explained what each one could do and how to activate them.

Among the weapon forms unlocked, the ones of note were:

.

[Reflowing Flower]

Abilities Locked Equip Effect: MP + 5

Special Equip Effect: Bonus: Skill: HP/MP Exchange

.

[Palette Flower]

Abilities Locked Equip Effect: Skill: Color Change

.

[Mountain Flower]

Abilities Locked Equip Effect: Skill: Sprout

.

[Orange Marsh Flower]

Abilities Locked Equip Effect: Skill: Noxious Fumes

.

[Blood Red Rose]

Abilities Locked Equip Effect: Rope of Thorns

Special Equip Effect: Bonus: Bleed Up (Small)

.

As for the flowers that were useful on their own, most were, but Botan had skills that covered the same use cases. Except two: Flowing Sundews and

Flowing Sundews were a carnivorous plant that secreted such a strong sweet sap that bugs inevitably got stuck and eaten. It produced enough to harvest, just as beekeepers did with bees. It was lower maintenance but not as delicious as honey. Botan found them useful because they could be used to supply his [Handy Dandy Candy Furnace].

The Abundance Flowers were tough flowers that lasted for more than a year before wilting and could heal minor wounds when mixed into a salve. Botan further noticed it increased his HP by 10, a large amount for a single bonus. This led him to believe that there was a lot more to this flower than meets the eye. He asked Iris and she confirmed this flower is originally from Ventus, as only tough plants can handle such a place. This made Botan strongly consider that these flowers were probably an ingredient for the pricy health potions.

He still had the one potion he took from the Champion leader he killed. His flower's gem glowed, indicating that he could absorb it to unlock a form, but he refused. Right now he had way too many weapon forms still left to master, and what if the potion was needed to save a life? For now, he wouldn't absorb it.

He also unlocked enough weapon forms with just stat bonuses that he'd not finish mastering them for 2 months. He did the math and found that these bonuses totaled more than his current stats in their entirety. He was happy, but he had to remind himself that these were like half the flowers he'd ever be able to copy. While new weapon forms from absorbed materials would not stop, he was seeing what he believed to be the majority of weapon copy opportunities he'll ever get.

He tried to explain just how much she had helped him, but since he quickly devolved into math and not providing context, it went in one ear and out the other. Before long his last day in Mosden was up. He let the guards know to have his cart ready by the west gate by dawn. He was going to use as much of the sun as he could in his travels.

He hit up Will and Professor Hemlock before either closed their shops for the day for last minute sales and buys, then set about settling in for the night.

…The next morning he heard nothing from anyone he knew. He was a little disappointed. He wanted to say goodbye, but he could not afford to waste time. He quietly got ready and exited the castle swiftly. He made it to the west gate to find two people waiting for him. Alder and Baobab.

"As early as we thought you'd be." Baobab started, holding out a large bag to Botan.

"What's this?" Botan asked even while reaching out and taking it.

"All the silver we gathered from those Champions a while back, plus an additional 10 gold." Alder answered.

"Isn't that a lot for you guys right now." Botan looked more concerned than grateful.

Alder reached out his hand and shook Botan's hand. "We, and I especially, owe you a lot more." He brought Botan into a hug with his other arm. "Thank you, for everything." He sounded more vulnerable than he'd ever voluntarily allowed himself to be before.

"My thanks as well." Baobab settled with just a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you guys as well… Well, I suck at goodbyes, so I'll see you around." He separated and took hold of his wagon, departing from the town.

After a moment he stopped and turned to Alder. "Do yourself a favor and visit the flower shop today."

"...Why?" Alder was lost as to why he'd suggest something like that so suddenly.

"Haven't you learned by now just to listen to me?" Botan finished with a laugh and left. Alder stood in confusion a bit, but would follow the suggestion.

Botan only made it 50 yards before someone else came from behind a tree to see him off. This time, it was Prince Raucar. "Or I guess, 'King Raucar'."

He took a few steps out, revealing his face. A scar was now shown clearly above his left brow. Botan immediately understood that it was from his punch. He just realized now that he'd not looked Raucar in the face since that day. An odd but not entirely unknown feeling now sat in Botan's stomach.

With him clearly staring at the scar, Raucous spoke up. "Pay it no mind. It was needed…"

"If you say so… What can I do for you?"

You've done enough." Raucar sighed heavily. He relaxed his face and thought it best to just speak plainly. "Getting here without those two knowing was a pain, so I am not going to keep you too long… I just wanted to say, thank you." And he gave a small bow.

"..." Botan didn't say anything in response.

"Well, goodbye." He awkwardly said and turned to leave.

"Um…" Botan started saying something and Raucar stopped. "Things between the three of you seem to be better. I only hit you because of them. If things are resolved with them, I just want you to know I don't hate you or anything."

"Heh, I see. Well, it's fine. I can hate myself enough for the both of us." Raucar went to leave, but Botan grabbed his shoulder, suddenly more lively.

"I can't make you stop hating yourself, but… If those two choose to forgive you, what right do you have to hold a grudge against yourself? You wronged them more than you wronged yourself." Botan told him.

"Huh." Raucar seemed to think something.

"What?" Botan asked.

"Alder spoke about you like you were kind of dumb, but that sounded a little wise." Raucar revealed.

"You can be both!" Botan yelled. It was like he was trying to defend himself from the accusation, but he also seemed to admit it at the same time.

Raucar stared a moment in realization. "So it seems. Goodbye"

Botan, realizing how what he just said came across and made his escape from his embarrassment, pulling his cart along. He traveled much further, sure there were no more goodbyes to be had. But he'd be wrong.

Much further away from the capital, sitting under a tree, was Tia. She must have been there for hours, as she looked asleep before the sounds of the wagon roused her.

"You too?" Botan asked with a smile.

She immediately understood his query. "Of course. No one has more to thank you for than I."

Botan stopped the cart and leaned against it. Tia grew closer as she spoke. "You, in a single month, fixed something that had ruined half of my life."

Botan wasn't as receptive. "But… But Enrich still died. You still hurt. I didn't really do that much for you. You saved my life by summoning me here, yet I've barely begun to pay you back for that."

"You silly boy." Tia reached out and grabbed his cheeks, pinching them. "The bad was going to happen regardless. But had it not been for you, Alder and I would have fled the capital after his death. We might even have left Mosden. We'd have settled somewhere else for peace from Raucar, but peace of mind would never have been ours." She told him.

"Still…" Botan was not ready to accept it.

Tia, still holding his cheeks, raised his head to make him look her in the eye. "I admit to feeling a little lost. More lost than I've ever been in his absence… But I think taking care of those boys, both of his sons, will finally give me peace. And you gave me that." She said with a full smile.

Botan started tearing up again. He felt any praise was unjustly given to him and only served to make him feel even worse. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same.

"When you get tired, come back to us. I can always take care of one more." She promised in a motherly voice, her hand on his head.

"I will." Botan managed.

And soon she left, back to both the boys she had to manage. Myskel rubbed the bottom of his jaw with the top of her head to stop the tears. And while they lingered, a smile overtook him.

"You're right. Let's get going. To Ventus. A whole new country, and even more people to help."

"Misk~!" She chirped with enthusiasm.

.

[Otherworld Index]

In this edition of the Otherworld Index, we'll discuss something centrally important to the world and Botan.

Flowers.

There are just over 300 different flowers that have magical properties in the world. Botan hasn't even reached half of that point, though, he believes that he has. These flowers require them undergoing a change of some kind to trigger their magical effects. Digesting them, burning them, disassembling them in a certain way, spinning them, and more.

These flowers serve an important purpose to many, but none more so than mercenaries and heroes. Those that travel in wild lands and battle monsters throughout. Therefore, it seems appropriate to show some of the many useful flowers that someone like Botan could use.

Ashen Flowers are another tough plant from Ventus. They are incredibly useful for campfires. They are harder to catch fire, but once they have, they burn for a minimum of 4 hours. Granting adventures a reliable and long-lasting fire.

Filter Bellflowers are straight flowers that mimic a cup. They catch water in the flower itself, letting it out through small openings near the stem. It keeps unwanted material from reaching the soil, later picked off by bugs. These are also used by adventurers to filter water. You simply scoop up water and whatever flows down the stem is very clean water.

There are also various flowers used when brewing tea.

Blackened Orchids are used to induces depression and pessimism, used to train the heart and minds of men, or help break prisoners into a confession.

Rancor Zinnias are used to make a brew that cause violent rage and increased strength, recommended not to use with teammates. It is banned in several places.

Mary Marigold are extremely popular for inducing happiness and numbing chronic pain.

Sage's Peonies are used to calm the mind and heart. They lower anxiety, allowing for more logical thinking and helping the drinker to recall memories clearly

Moon Roses Induce sleep, help in recovering stamina, and reduce nightmares and other forms of sleep disruption.

Passion's Carnation are also popular, inducing an increase in sexual desire and sexual prowess. These effects take effect quickly, but usually don't even last an hour if brewed amateurishly.

There are also the two most important flowers to adventurers, ones previously mentioned; Alluring Aster and Shunning Saffron. They both work as incense. As their names suggested, Alluring Aster draws in most monsters, while Shunning Saffron drives them away. Both are a bit more expensive than most.

Because of flowers like these and many more, flowers have been seen as a mandatory part of any adventurer's toolkit. Flowers are seen as not just beautiful, but possessing many abilities and associated with turning an impossible task into something possible. No doubt these additional aspects and functions of flowers helps the people of this world see flowers in a different light than those reading this right now.

[Author's notes]

Botan's date was a failure. She wasn't interested in him and just wanted to be nice for everything he did. But Botan proves to be very observant again and correctly guesses she has a crush on Alder. So Botan immediately switches to Wingman Mode to help his friend out.

It's fine, the girl for Botan isn't that far away, a chapter, maybe two?

And with the conclusion of this chapter, we close the book on the first arc of the story. Botan has his bearings and mostly understands what must be done. He's helped who he could, and in a way only he could. But bigger issues are on their way, with war looming and a meeting with this supposed 'Dark Genius'. Those who read Shield Hero can probably guess what this person is.

And as always please share any thoughts and opinions you have.