The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-44

“Monmider.”

“Yes… Yes?!”

When Davey called Monmider, who was staring into space, the man looked back at him with a startled expression.

“I’m counting on you to manage and supervise the work.”

“Leave… Leave it to me!”

Monmider wasn’t stupid, just vigilant. No matter how ridiculous the situation seemed, he had a clear head to make good judgments.

“You will probably be better at managing them than me.”

“Um… Sir.”

“Hm?”

“So, what are you planning to plant here…?”

As the residents were cultivating a large area at once, Monmider probably thought that there weren't enough wheat seedlings for the entire field. He seemingly wondered why Davey acted like he was going to yield crops right away when he also knew this for a fact.

“What do you think a poor territory needs to do in order to get rich fast?”

Monmider thought hard. “That is…”

“We’re going to plant moon grass. On this entire field.”

“Moon…grass?” Monmider couldn’t believe his ears. He looked at Davey in bewilderment, but Davey didn’t bother explaining any further.

Moon grass required particular weather and ground conditions, so it couldn’t possibly grow in the continent’s eastern region because of the temperature changes. Since it was used in the wizard towers, school of alchemy, and potion-making temples, the eastern region imported moon grass from the western region even though it was costly. Not only was moon grass expensive, but it was also in high demand; it was the blue ocean market of the agricultural sector!

Normally, no one would ever imagine harvesting moon grass here in the east… But all Davey had to do was change the climate to a condition where moon grass could thrive, and that would be it.

Monmider was worrisome because he didn’t know that Davey could control the climate and conditions of the province however he wanted. In fact, no one knew except for Davey himself.

“Sir, with all due respect, moon grass cannot grow in places with distinct seasons.”

‘Of course, since it only grows in the tropical areas of the western region.’

“It’s okay. Since the heavens were pleased, it’ll be tropical here for a while.”

Monmider thought that was ridiculous, but Davey didn’t explain any further.

“So, I guess all that’s left to do is find where the vegetarians of this forest live.”

-Those long-ears are unbelievably stubborn. I’m not too fond of that picky species. It’s best not to get involved with them.

“I agree with you.”

Of course, the problem was Bow Lord Apollo, who was also an elf.

“That guy humiliated the species all by himself.”

-From his actions left in your memory, I don’t really want him around me, either.

Perserque’s shudder was real. Davey didn’t know if Apollo had the same effect on men, but he had a way of making women feel a strong sense of repulsion.

Davey got on his horse right away and started heading toward the goblin-filled forest.

* * *

Someone had entered the forest, which had a serene atmosphere and unrivaled beauty. The forest had seemingly been blessed by the spirits.

“May the blessing of nature be with you. I heard of your visit from the spirit’s calling, Madis.”

“May the blessing of nature be with you. Miss Yuria, please forgive my rudeness for visiting without sending word beforehand.”

The girl smiled weakly at the old, blond man. “I always welcome a teacher’s visit. Come in. I have just received some quality tea leaves.”

At Yuria’s offer, the man called Madis quietly sat on the tree stump chair and stared at the girl in front of him. The girl, who had glimmering sky-blue hair and sparkling emerald-green eyes, was stunningly beautiful. She appeared to be in her late teens, but her species didn’t age after becoming adults, so their age couldn’t be determined by their appearance. In fact, the relaxed girl in front of Madis was actually the leader of the inhabitants of this forest.

They were elves: the ones who believed in the spirit’s blessing and called the forest their home. They were the forest’s kind with long ears, which were distinct from humans.

“Yuria, my friend. I had a dream.” Seemingly frustrated, Madis, who was staring into his teacup, cut to the chase.

“My teacher, a dream, you say? What kind of dream did you have that made you come all this way in such a hurry?”

As Yuria asked with ease, Madis bit his lip and said, “I had a dream that this forest was cursed by the spirits, Yuria, my friend.”

Yuria stayed silent, then said, “Teacher, you said a long time ago, that the spirit’s workings are the course of nature. You said that it is a natural phenomenon.”

“Yuria… That’s…”

Yuria looked like she was about to cry as she glanced at Madis with a depressed expression.

“The forest is drying up. It cannot live any longer. Let’s all go back to the divine tree, our home,” Madis offered.

“Madis, my teacher.” Yuria smiled. “This place is now our home. That place no longer wants me.”

“Yuria…”

“However, it’s probably a good idea to take the others there. At least they won’t be affected by the spirit’s curse.”

“Everyone might die if they stay here,” Madis explained. He was keeping his composure until just a moment ago.

“That, too, is the course of nature.”

At Yuria’s frustratingly easygoing attitude, Madis let out a deep sigh. All she did was stare out into the forest and quietly mumble, saying, “You never know, someone might save us. The winds are energetic today; it’s a sign that we will meet someone good.”

“That’s…”

“Anyway, how is the cricket wing tea? I was pretty confident in the recipe.”

“Sputter!!” As Madis heard Yuria, he threw his dignity out the window and spat out what was in his mouth. Then, he looked up at her with a deadpan look on his face. He had forgotten why the elves called Yuria a psycho or the black sheep. There was not a hint of malice in Yuria’s bright smile.

“The winds are energetic today. It must be a precious visitor.”

19. Harvesting Stacks of Money!

Crunch… Crunch… There was no presence of anyone on the quiet forest trail. Wild animals used to live in this forest, but they had been mostly eradicated as the goblins settled here. Since Davey had cleared the goblins from this forest with the militia, the forest was nothing but silent now.

-It definitely isn’t a small forest, but it’s surprising that elves live here.

Elves were an extremely rare species because there weren’t many left in the continent to begin with. Furthermore, since most elves went into hiding following a certain incident about three hundred years ago, most people had never seen an elf in their lives. Some probably didn’t even know that elves existed.

It was a little better for beastfolk, orcs, and dwarves. There weren’t a lot of beastfolk, but some kingdoms secretly hired them as warriors because of their outstanding natural physical abilities. In addition, dwarves interacted with humans the most, because of their exceptional skills and talents. However, it wasn’t the same for the fairies of the forest.

‘Being too outstanding at something isn’t that great either.’ Elves were a species of beauty, and they were targeted by many because of their beautiful appearance. The reason was as simple as that, and that was why they were so difficult to find. However, Davey noticed their presence not long after arriving here.

“Hm… I think it was here somewhere.” Davey stared into the quiet forest and picked up a pebble. After looking around attentively, he threw it into the air. The pebble wasn’t fast or powerful since he threw it lightly, but the mana surrounding it was quite bizarre.

Buzz! The pebble flew into the air and disappeared with a small spark. At the same time, an eerie wind began blowing in the pebble’s direction like it was sending an alert.

Davey could feel the spirit’s power in the wind. ‘I guess that’s normal for the forest of the elves, since they live among the spirits.’

-I’m hoping we don’t meet any elves, but we could encounter some while trying to find seedlings of moon grass.

“Well, we’ll just have to keep going even if we do.” An arrow could fly toward him at any time, but Davey wasn’t going to back out in fear. He lightly stepped over the forcefield, which was letting out a faint wave.

* * *

The forest of elves had a completely different ecosystem from regular forests; perhaps it was because the concentration of the spirit’s power was overwhelmingly different from other places.

“It really is an amazing forest.”

The forest was filled with fascinating plants and trees that could not be seen in the human realm. The place seemed normal at first, but the surroundings turned starry and bright once Davey stepped into the forcefield.

The blue, greenery-filled forest sky glittered with mystical specks of purple light, and between them, Davey could see faint and blurry figures of some kind. He couldn’t clearly see the spirits since he wasn’t bonded to them, but he was able to find this place because he could still feel their presence.

The spirits were free and highly curious beings. Thanks to Davey catching a glimpse of some of them when they had come to watch him and the militia slaughter the goblins, Davey had already figured out that elves lived in this forest as well.

And piecing together Perserque’s memories and the stories about the forest of elves that he had heard from the Bow Lord Apollo, Davey believed that what he wanted was here.

-But do you think you will be able to recognize the moon flower, which has the moon grass seed? I don’t know about it that well.

“I should be able to, since Apollo would say anything once he had a drink.”

Although Davey did say that Apollo ruined the name of elves, he didn’t detest him. The anger Davey felt while talking to him was also a mere memory.

As Davey walked with silent footsteps and looked around, he began to see animals that were not hostile toward humans. There were elkdeers, which had gigantic antlers compared to normal deers, and fairy dragons, which were herbivores that coexisted with the spirits.

“I guess that means that it has everything it needs even though it’s a small forest.”

Davey reached out to the elkdeers that were staring at him with innocent eyes, and they began gathering and rubbing against his hand. They were quite friendly; perhaps it was because they had interacted with elves before.

-But they should know the difference between humans and elves.