The smoking room stood beside the granary, a squat timber building that served to dry meat and herbs so they wouldn’t spoil too quickly. When Lina and Aila pushed the door open, a wave of heat and smoke rolled out to meet them.

  The air inside was thick and heavy. Salt, ash, and the faint ghost of old herbs mingled in the air—scents baked deep into the wood from years of drying and curing. Smoke curled upward in slow ribbons, catching on thin shafts of sunlight that slipped through the vents near the roof. The sound of smoldering logs filled the silence, a steady crackle beneath the labored breaths of the room.

  Below them hung the modest catch from yesterday—small game that Vierna and Fenric had hunted: rabbits, pheasants, a few squirrels. The carcasses dangled low from hooks near the hearth, their skins darkened and stiff from the smoke. The sharp scent of oakwood mixed with the fat and salt of the meat, warm but heavy enough to sting the eyes.

  At the far corner stood several unopened crates—bundles of food and herbs that Vierna had taken from the cultist camp. They hadn’t been unpacked yet; Loran’del had ordered them to be checked for poison or anything suspicious. But Aila, being the only healer in Rolbart, simply hadn’t had the time to test them all.

  Lina looked upward. The beams were almost bare—only a few withered stems hung there, swaying in the draft. The faint smell of herbs that lingered in the room came not from them but from the wood itself, steeped in the scent of seasons past. The people of Rolbart must have stripped what little stock remained, grinding and boiling whatever they could find into crude medicines of their own. They couldn’t wait for Aila forever.

  “So few herbs left here…” Aila murmured, her voice soft under the crackle of fire. “I hope Vierna’s batch will last for a while. If not, I’ll have to go gathering again.”

  “You’re also the herbalist here?”

  Aila’s ears drooped slightly. “Yeah… had to do everything by myself.”

  “Well, let’s start with the crates they brought yesterday,” Lina said.

  Aila sighed, brushing soot from her sleeve. “Loran’del also told me to check the food Vierna brought. At this rate, we’ll be here until nightfall.”

  “I can check the herbs while you handle the food,” Lina replied. “I’m not good with poison-detecting magic, but I can tell herbs apart by their scent.”

  “Really? That would help me so much—thank you.”

  “No worries, Aila. Though I’ll need to move the crates outside first. With all this smoke, I can’t tell a weed from a healing root.”

  “Haha, okay then. Oh, right—just to be sure, let me teach you a poison-detecting spell so you can check the herbs more easily.”

  Lina blinked, surprised she still had the energy to teach after such a long day. But, judging from her note, it seems that Aila was thorough to a fault. Besides, if Lina could handle this properly, it would save her from having to recheck everything later.

  Both Aila and Lina carried a bundle of herbs from Vierna’s crate outside. Aila then conjured her runes and set out two small bowls. Lina immediately recognized the smell—it was wolfsbane, a common poison. Aila took a bit of Vierna’s herb, placed it in a bowl, and conjured a pestle to grind it. When she was done, she took a small portion of it and mixed it with the wolfsbane, placing the mixture in one bowl. She then set the untouched sample in the other.

  “Now, pay attention to the rune formation.”

  Aila traced a rune in the air; its cursive lines glowed with a bluish hue. “Detect,” she murmured. Her eyes began to shine faint blue. “When the spell succeeds, you’ll see a change in the herbs’ color. It’s a simple spell, but I’ve modified the inscription a little. Now you try it—and don’t look, I’m going to shuffle the bowls.”

  Lina turned away and began tracing her own runes. Her days of studying under Albrecht finally paid off—she could recall simple spells instantly. When she finished, her eyes glowed the same faint blue as Aila’s. She looked toward the bowls Aila had switched and immediately noticed the difference: the one with wolfsbane shimmered with a darker hue, while the clean sample glowed softly.

  “The one on the right has wolfsbane,” Lina said.

  “Wow. Even I needed some practice before I could do that so precisely. Are you always that quick with magic?” Aila asked, impressed.

  “Ahaha, I had a scary mentor who punished me whenever I couldn’t memorize a spell on the first try.” Lina chuckled, though the memory of Albrecht’s sharp gaze when he taught her fire magic sent an involuntary chill down her spine. Despite how relaxed Albrecht seemed, when he told you to learn something, he expected you to do it quickly—otherwise, another round of drill awaited you.

  “Well then, also please inventory those herbs too so we got the precise number of the stock.”

  “Okay.”

  Both girls went back inside. Lina carried the crates out from the smokehouse, stacking them neatly beneath the eaves where the air was clearer. There weren’t many—three crates at most. It looked as though something had broken the rest during their arrival, perhaps collateral damage from Vierna’s clash with the cultists.

  When Lina pried one open, the mingled scent of herbs rose to meet her like an old acquaintance. Some smelled sharp and bitter, others earthy or faintly sweet. She leaned closer, letting the familiar aroma guide her memory—wormroot, fennelspine, shadowmint… and a few she didn’t immediately recognize.

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  Pulling out her notebook, she began counting the pots one by one, murmuring under her breath as she tallied them. Then, recalling Aila’s instructions, Lina inhaled softly, centered her mana, and traced the rune in the air. The line glowed with a faint blue hum—Detect.

  Her eyes shimmered blue as the spell took hold. The herbs before her responded in kind, their colors deepening under the glow. Most of them remained unchanged, but one bundle near the bottom pulsed with a faint dark hue—the telltale sign of contamination.

  “Rotten or poisoned…” she muttered, setting it aside carefully. The rest she arranged in neat rows, noting their names, conditions, and quantities in her book.

  It was meticulous work, but quiet—only the soft scratch of her quill and the distant crackle of fire broke the silence.

  Most of the herbs gathered there were in pristine condition. From the scent alone, Lina could tell they had been intended for Rolbart. The realization unsettled her—those people really were Leopold’s agents, and these were supplies meant to win Rolbart’s trust.

  Still, Lina didn’t let panic cloud her thoughts. She had already made her peace. If Leopold truly meant to punish Vierna, then she would share that punishment as well. Vierna seemed like the kind who would shoulder the blame alone, but Lina wasn’t worried. Just as she had defended Lina from Korrn, she was certain Vierna would share the burden when the time came.

  From the quantities she’d recorded, it seemed that, despite everything, the herbs would last for a while. Which meant there would be no real reason for her to go out gathering ingredients. Just her luck—the Fengworth extract wasn’t among them either.

  Lina glanced around. Aila was still busy with the food crates. An idea began to take shape in her mind.

  She carefully stored several bundles of herbs into her storage rune, the faint shimmer swallowing them one by one. She prioritized the ones that naturally grew along the border between Schattwald Forest and Rolbart’s outer woods—plants like dawnwillow, ashmire bloom, and veilfern. While those species didn’t grow only on the border, that area was where they were most commonly found, so Lina could easily claim that gathering there would be more time-efficient for her—when in truth, it was because the Fengworth flower grew only there.

  It was a difficult choice. She knew her actions would put Rolbart’s apothecary in jeopardy, yet she steeled her resolve. It was for her and for Vierna—and if she had to sacrifice a village for Vierna’s sake, she would. Even as regret settled on her shoulders like a cross, she accepted it. In a way, she thought that it made her and Vierna alike: both carrying the heavy burden of being spies, traitors to a village that had shown them kindness.

  When she was done with her quiet manipulation, Lina rewrote the inventory records—the numbers adjusted and neat, nothing out of place.

  “Hi, Aila. I’ve finished with the inventory.”

  “Wow, that’s fast… I haven’t even finished half of these. How did we do?”

  “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you’ll need to gather some herbs.”

  “Yeah, figured as much. It was only three small crates, after all. But could we wait until the weekend? I still haven’t had time to do my house calls.”

  “I don’t think so. Here, check the numbers.”

  Aila took Lina’s list, her brows knitting together as she examined it.

  “Are you sure this is correct? From the number of pots, it seems off.”

  Lina felt a bead of sweat form on her temple. “It is. Most of the pots were half empty when I checked them—you can double-check if you want.”

  Aila studied Lina for a long moment, the paper still in her hands. Her brows furrowed as if she meant to say something, but then she only sighed. “Oh well. I only made a rough estimate from the number of pots and bushes, so I’ll take your word for it.”

  Lina exhaled quietly. Whether it was the workload wearing Aila down or genuine trust, she didn’t know—but she was relieved the woman wasn’t as meticulous as Loran’del.

  “I could go gathering if you want,” Lina offered. “But could you tell me where these plants usually grow?”

  Aila looked at Lina. “Well, for Dawnwillow, you could try near the western creek, close to where the water bends around the moss cliffs. They like damp soil and morning light.

  As for Ashmire Bloom, it grows deeper in—around the old hollow where the mist never clears. The petals close during the day, so you’ll have to spot them by their smell; it’s sharp, like burnt sap.

  And Veilfern… that one’s trickier. Look for it near the fallen stones under the black pines. It hides from direct light and only unfurls when it’s quiet. If the wind stops, that’s where you’ll find it.”

  “Are those places close?”

  Aila shook her head. “Not really. They’re pretty far apart.”

  Lina had struck gold. She had chosen those three plants only because there was one place where all of them grew together—the same place as the Fengworth Flower. She hadn’t considered the alternative spots where they might grow, but she was lucky; the actual locations were far apart, giving her the perfect guise to go to the edge of the forest.

  “Maybe I misread,” Lina said carefully, “but don’t those plants grow near the edge of Rolbart’s forest?”

  Aila’s ears perked up. “The border with Schattwald Forest? Yes, they all grow there. But are you sure you want to go that far? Schattwald’s creepy—just standing outside it gives me chills.”

  “Well, we don’t have much time, right? Besides, those herbs are essential for fever and stomachache remedies. We need to stock up while we can—and as soon as possible.”

  Aila studied Lina’s face, searching for hesitation, but Lina kept her expression calm and sincere. In a way, it wasn’t even a lie; she did want to help the village.

  “Are you sure? Maybe you should take someone with you. Do you want me to tell you the way?”

  “It’s fine,” Lina said, shaking her head. “You got a lot to do, besides it’s a good opportunity to talk with Livia.”

  “Livia? You’ve met her? Haha she is a good girl, well if you don’t mind then thanks Aline, really appreciate it.”

  “Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do for Rolbart. Though, could I take a few bundles? I still owe that pig Korrn.”

  “Of course. It’s been a while since I last went to the border—there should be plenty of herbs there. But don’t step into Schattwald Forest, all right? It’s dangerous. And when you’re near the border, keep your eyes open. Sometimes a mana beast wanders out from the woods.”

  “Don’t worry, Aila. I graduated from Arkanpfad Academy—I can handle a mana beast or two.”

  Aila gave her a look, still unconvinced. “Okay then… just make sure you’re back before sunset, understood?”

  “Got it. I’ll be off now.”

  Lina waved to Aila and turned toward the hall. Finally, she could do something to help cure Vierna’s condition. She gathered a few supplies for the trip, her thoughts fixed on the border of the forest—and the hope that the Fengworth flower would be easy to find.

  Just before she went out, she noticed the object they had taken from Leopold’s agent—it was still there, faintly emitting a violet trail from behind the cracked wall where they’d hidden it. For some reason, the object couldn’t be stored in a storage rune, so they had found a narrow fissure in the wall and pushed a desk over it to keep it out of sight. She took it with her. If something bad happened, she hoped the trail would lead Vierna to her.