I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 41: In Other Words, It's All Rare Materials

Episode 41: In Other Words, It’s All Rare Materials  

The small flower bed had finally stopped growing. It was filled with plants I had never seen before.  

Even so, I had studied numerous encyclopedias in the library to learn more about this world. Naturally, that included botany books.  

Though the illustrations were hand-drawn rather than photographs, they were incredibly detailed. It made it unlikely for me to misidentify anything.  

And yet, none of the plants blooming here were familiar to me.  

“What kind of plants are these? Balt, Ray, do you recognize any of them?”  

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”  

“This is my first time seeing these species.”  

It seemed they were just as clueless. In that case, it couldn’t be helped. The best course of action might be to call Brother Gilliam, who had the Scholar Skill. That might be the best option… but honestly, I was a little scared to ask. Maybe it would be better to pretend nothing happened.  

“Great job, Moguran. This flower bed is truly wonderful.”  

“I’m happy to be praised by the Director.”  

“Aqua, you did great too.”  

“It was nothing special.”  

Seizing the opportunity, I petted both of them. Moguran’s texture was smooth yet slightly coarse—rugged, in a masculine sort of way. Some people might really like that feeling.  

Aqua, on the other hand, was soft and bouncy. It was almost like a gelatinous sphere. Probably even softer than the moss ball Marimo. Sleeping on top of Aqua would surely feel amazing.  

Having finished my task, I returned lightly on my feet to the Summoning Guild.  

From there, I spent the day handling guild master duties—preparing documents and overseeing the training progress of Selvus and Lala. Both of them seemed close to being able to summon a Lightmoth. Fairies, on the other hand, were still out of reach.  

As dinnertime approached, I sent everyone back and headed early to the royal family’s private dining room. Lunch hadn’t tasted very good today, so I was hoping for a delicious dinner. That anticipation might have been why I was walking a little faster than usual.  

However—my hopes were shattered the moment I stepped into the dining room.  

Brother Gilliam was already there.  

Of course, if he had simply arrived early, there wouldn’t have been a problem. The real issue was what he had in his hands.  

It was the same unfamiliar plant I had just seen earlier. Without a doubt, Brother Gilliam had harvested it.  

“Brother Gilliam, what is that?”  

I tried to ask with a smile. But sweat was pouring down my back like a waterfall. Even my underwear was soaked. Good thing I’d be taking a bath later.  

When I spoke, Brother Gilliam gave me an incredibly cheerful smile—his eyes curving like decorative cuts on a shiitake mushroom.  

“Do you want to know? Of course, you do! Rufus, you want to know too, right?”  

“Y-yes, I do. But before that, where did you find it?”  

Please, let it be some rare specimen Brother Gilliam imported from a distant land. That possibility wasn’t entirely out of the question.  

“I found it in the courtyard Mother tends to. I think she must have grown it. It was just about ready to be harvested. And if left any longer, the quality would decline. So I picked it. I’m sure Mother will understand if we explain.”  

No! And worse, Brother Gilliam thinks Mother grew it! This is bad—really bad. How serious this situation is depends entirely on what that plant actually is.  

I don’t want to ask, but I have to. Depending on his answer, I might need to take the blame myself to prevent this from reaching Mother.  

“What is the name of that plant?”  

Gilliam grinned widely. Oh no. This is going to be bad.  

“Let’s start with this leaf. This is a World Tree Leaf.”  

“A World Tree Leaf!? But isn’t that supposed to come from the World Tree itself?”  

“That’s what I thought too, but apparently not. No wonder it’s never been found before.”  

Brother Gilliam nodded repeatedly. He was definitely planning to write a research paper on this.  

But… is that really true? It feels like something is seriously wrong here. Unfortunately, I have no way to verify it.  

I had only ever heard of the World Tree in fairy tales. But knowing about “World Tree Leaves”—that was just like Brother Gilliam.

But I really wish he hadn’t known about them… If he had overlooked them, there was still a chance nothing would have come of it.  

“Next is this flower. It’s a Golden Rose. I had only heard rumors about it, but this is my first time seeing one. Look, take a closer look—the center of the flower glows with a golden light.”  

“W-wow, you’re right. Is that real gold?”  

“It’s far more valuable than gold.”  

Judging by how carefully he was handling it, this flower must be incredibly rare. Other names he mentioned included Enlightenment Herb, Platinum Sonia, Wild Sora, and Revival Herb.  

Yeah… I have no idea what any of these are used for. Are they ingredients for magical potions or something?  

“So, Brother Gilliam. If you were to sell all of these, how much would they be worth?”  

“Sell them? Absolutely not!”  

Brother Gilliam’s eyes widened dramatically as he shouted in protest.  

That much, huh? These materials must be insanely valuable.  

Looks like I’d better turn myself in. And while I’m at it, I should make sure Brother Gilliam keeps quiet.  

If he spills the beans, we’ll never be able to get our hands on these materials again.