The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 3: The Material-Gathering Pro

Episode 3: The Material-Gathering Pro

I hadn’t planned to spend too much time gathering materials—just a way to kill time before dinner. With that in mind, we headed into the nearby forest.

Near the forest entrance, the density of trees wasn’t too thick. Bright light filtered all the way to the ground. 

There were no signs of monsters nearby. But I sensed a few small wild animals in the treetops. When I looked up, a small striped-tailed animal was watching us from between the branches. 

“Lilia, I think you might be its target.” 

“What are you talking about? Something that small is no match for my dazzling magic.” 

However, the source of the magic power for that magic was me. In other words, when it came down to it, it wasn’t Lilia’s magic but mine. That meant that if Lilia used flashy spells, I’d have to replenish her magic later. Which would be a real hassle. 

“Try to show some mercy with that generous heart of yours, Lilia. Anyway, let’s start gathering materials.” 

“Hmm… Looks like this area has already been picked clean by others. Not much left.” 

Lilia had already activated a search spell. She crossed her arms and shook her head. 

“I see……… Well, let’s not go too deep into the forest. At least on our first day in town, I’d like to have a proper meal.” 

“Okay, then let’s quickly grab what we can.” 

I used the spell Analyze. As my magic spread out, the targeted materials lit up in red, blue, and yellow. All we had to do was collect the ones that were marked. Simple. Anyone could do it. 

Looking closely, it seemed there were quite a few materials that others had missed. 

“Hmm, hmm~ Oh! Mana grass! If I remember right, this one sells for a high price. We should prioritize collecting it.” 

“At this rate, if we go deeper into the forest, we might find even more. This could be a good way to earn some pocket money.” 

“Pocket money, huh? One day, I want to make a big score.” 

“Ufufu, your chance will come someday, I’m sure.” 

As we talked, I sensed the presence of monsters. Three Goblins were moving a little further ahead. A perfect opportunity to collect some magic stones. 

“Lilia, there are Goblins. I’m thinking of hunting them.” 

“Sure, go ahead. They probably won’t even be a challenge.” 

Lilia whispered as she perched on my shoulder. And we crept closer to where the reaction had come from. Through the trees, I caught sight of the Goblins’ green skin. 

The Goblins hadn’t noticed us. They were walking without any sense of caution. 

“Lilia, let’s attack them simultaneously with Wind Arrows.” 

“Can’t you handle it alone?” 

“Don’t you want to test out your magic freely?” 

“Good point. It’s important to know my own strength. Alright, give me the signal.” 

Moving quietly under the cover of the trees, we positioned ourselves as the Goblins conveniently stepped into a clearing. 

“Here we go, Lilia. Wind Arrow!” 

“Got it! Wind Arrow!” 

Dozens of Wind Arrows shot toward the Goblins, piercing through them. The Goblins turned into particles of light one after another. While the ground and surrounding trees became riddled with holes. 

Even without anyone saying it, it was obvious—we overdid it. 

I casually used Gaia Control to close the holes in the ground. But there was no fixing the damage to the trees. 

“Yeah… using magic at full power is a bad idea. We need to hold back. What now?” 

“I guess I’ll have to suppress my magic as much as possible… It’s going to be tough. More importantly, what do we do about these trees?” 

“Hmm… Let’s cut them down, break them into small pieces, and bury them to cover up the evidence.” 

Following Lilia’s suggestion, we got rid of the traces. We had no idea how long we’d be staying in Colibri, but we didn’t want any strange rumors spreading. 

After taking care of the evidence, we collected the Goblins’ magic stones—small, black, iridescent gems about the size of a thumbnail. It was strange to think that these were used to power magical devices. 

“Magic stones are sold based on their weight, right?” 

“Yeah. The ones we got from the Goblins are all the same size and shape. I wonder if that means something?” 

“Oh, that’s because magic stone shapes are fixed depending on the type of monster. These are Goblin magic stones.” 

“I had no idea………. That means it’s easy to tell what kind of monster was defeated.” 

“Fel, lying is bad, you know.”

Since we had tested out some magic, we decided to head back to town. There was still time before sunset. So we’d have no problem getting dinner in time.

As we made our way back in high spirits, I sensed three humans ahead. Like us, they were also returning to town. 

“Looks like we’ve got some fellow adventurers.” 

“Fellow adventurers~? Want to make some friends?” 

“You don’t sound too excited about it, Lilia.” 

“I don’t like it, but it’s true that you need some friends, Fel. Let’s go.” 

I was about to suggest we ignore them. But Lilia saw right through me and dragged me along. 

Just outside the forest, we came across a party consisting of one male and two females. They seemed to be around my age, about fifteen. 

“Hello,” 

I said, summoning up my courage to speak to the swordsman leading the group. 

“Yo, I don’t recognize you. Are you a rookie adventurer?” 

“Yeah, I just became one a little while ago.” 

The two girls behind him approached us. Judging by their equipment, one was a mage, and the other was a hunter. Their eyes quickly landed on Lilia, who was perched on my shoulder. And they pointed at her in surprise. 

“Hey, is that… a Fairy?” 

“That’s right. I’m Fel, and this is Lilia.” 

“Nice to meet you.” 

“Wow, she talked! A real Fairy! I’m Luciana, and this is Bales.” 

The one dressed as a mage was Luciana. She introduced herself enthusiastically. While Bales, the hunter, gave a small nod. She had a bow slung over her back. A large knife and a quiver were hanging from her waist. 

“I’m Liner. Were you out gathering materials?” 

“Yeah, mostly gathering materials and hunting a few monsters along the way. But mainly gathering.” 

“We did a lot of that back when we started out. Perfect for beginners.” 

Liner grinned. He didn’t seem like a bad guy—his smile felt genuine. 

“Hey, can I touch Lilia?” 

“No. I don’t like being touched,” 

Lilia replied bluntly. She then quickly hid behind me. 

“Aww, that’s a shame,”

Luciana pouted. 

I didn’t intervene. If Lilia didn’t like it, I wasn’t going to force her. 

Still, I hadn’t realized she disliked being touched. She never complained when I touched her—had she just been enduring it this whole time? 

…Then again, right now, she was clinging to my head. What was going on? I’d never understand a girl’s heart. 

Since all three of them were also heading back to Colibri, we decided to walk together. 

“You were hunting Forest Wolves, right? How big are their magic stones?” 

“About three times the size of a Goblin’s.” 

Liner held one up for me to see. Sure enough, it was about three times as large. 

“So one Forest Wolf is worth three Goblins… Maybe I should venture deeper into the forest sometime.” 

“Going alone would be tough. It’s best to have a party—you’re less likely to get caught off guard that way.” 

Liner’s advice made sense. There was only so much I could do alone. At some point, I’d have to form a proper party. It might be a good idea to start gaining experience by joining different parties now. 

That is, if Lilia didn’t mind.