I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43
“Uh?”
Where am I?
And who’s that girl with the crimson hair?
‘I’m sure I died.’
My heart raced like crazy.
Yeah, I died.
I held my breath on the dirt ground, feeling the cold rain.
I knew Lionel was saved, and I knew I would be reborn, but still.
Dying was terrifying.
But waking up to this situation…
Is this what they call reincarnation, as the gods say?
As I blinked, unable to grasp the situation, a child with fluffy crimson hair approached cautiously.
“Um, Lady Lottie? Are you okay?”
Lottie? How does this kid know my name?
And do you keep the same name when you’re reincarnated?
As I still couldn’t get my bearings, the child started to sniffle.
“You seem hurt. Please wait a moment! I’ll fetch His Highness Leonard for you!”
Wait, Leonard? Betty?
Ah.
“…Betty?”
“Yes, Lady Lottie!”
Betty, my maid, rushed over and took a seat beside me.
Right, it’s Betty’s place. My maid.
“You don’t have to go to His Highness Leonard.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I just woke up and felt disoriented. Could you give me some water?”
“Of course!”
Eagerly, Betty replied and quickly brought a glass of cold water.
“Here you go, my Lady. Drink slowly.”
“Yeah.”
I cautiously accepted the glass.
Even though Betty intentionally didn’t fill it to the brim, my hands were still shaking.
“Ahh.”
Drinking the water felt like coming back to life. I looked at Betty.
“So, how bad was it this time when I collapsed?”
Betty’s lips pouted out at my question.
Oh, that’s a danger sign.
“How bad was it, you ask? It’s like you knew you collapsed.”
…Since when did our Betty become so sharp?
I carefully glanced at her and continued.
“Um, no. I just had a feeling.”
“Ah, you collapsed right in the corridor this time!”
Thud! Betty slammed the empty water pitcher down with force.
I flinched and swallowed nervously.
Betty glared at me with fierce eyes.
Then…
“I hate you.”
“Huh?”
“Lady Lottie, I really, really hate you!”
With that said, she huffed as if to say listen to me, and stormed out with the empty water pitcher.
The door closed with a loud bang.
Is she really angry?
As I stared at the door for a moment, it quietly opened again.
“…I didn’t mean to close it so loudly. It’s the wind, just the wind.”
A whispered voice flowed through the crack in the door.
The door seemed to have closed harder than I expected.
A giggly laugh escaped me.
“Yeah, got it. Come back quickly with the water. It’s boring here, you know?”
“…Yes.”
With a small voice, the door closed again. I chuckled and lay back down on the soft bed.
“Ha.”
Lying on the plush bed made me feel alive. With my face buried in the pillow, I closed my eyes for a moment.
‘I never thought I’d dream of my first life.’
I’ve lived many lives, but dreaming of past lives has been extremely rare for me.
Even Lionel appeared in my dream.
Lionel.
He was my young disciple, my first disciple, and my last disciple.
And he also became a part of my life all of a sudden.
‘I never intended to take on disciples.’
I knew well that to advance my studies in herbalism, I needed disciples.
So I tried to take on disciples a few times.
‘But strangely, they all fell through.’
It was honestly annoying when people came and went repeatedly.
I even wondered if I didn’t have any destined disciples in this life.
So I planned to take on a disciple later.
And suddenly Lionel appeared.
He was there even in situations where I couldn’t afford to take care of him.
Thanks to that, I reluctantly accepted him as my disciple and stayed with him until the moment of my death.
‘I should have taken care of him until the end.’
And suddenly, I ended up dying.
Thanks to that, I was a little worried, but he didn’t appear in my dreams after all.
‘He appeared today.’
Maybe because I saw a similar person at the temple last time.
The person I’d followed and lost track of looked like Lionel.
More precisely, he was my disciple who would have grown up after my death.
“Hmm.”
I sighed deeply and erased thoughts about Lionel.
With his incredible magical talent, he would have lived well, and being a person from thousands or even hundreds of years ago, he must have already died.
There was nothing for me to worry about now.
‘By the way, how many days have I been unconscious?’
I looked around the room, but there was nothing to gauge the date.
Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.
I’ll ask Betty when she comes back.
“Excuse me, Your Highness.”
There was a knock, and Fordell’s voice came through.
As the door opened frighteningly before he said to come in, Fordell came in holding something in his hand.
“I met a maid in the hallway and she said Your Highness has woken up, so I came to check. May I have a moment to talk?”
“Of course.”
As I tried to get up, Fordell shook his head.
“Ah, please lie down. I know you’re not feeling well.”
“Then I’ll excuse myself.”
Instead, I leaned against the headboard of the bed.
“What’s the matter, Mage Fordell?”
“Well, before anything else, allow me to express my gratitude.”
Fordell bowed lightly.
“As the Master of the Tower and as Leonard’s mentor, I express my gratitude.”
Fordell raised his face and smiled refreshingly.
It was as if he had just finished saying something he wanted to say.
“Was there nothing unusual at the Tower?”
“That’s right. There was nothing outwardly. But inside, isn’t it different, Your Highness?”
Fordell smiled kindly.
“At least, I won’t forget the Tower where nothing happened.”
Alright then.
I chuckled wickedly to myself.
So now, after the temple, will the Tower also be on my side when the time comes?
‘And Leonard will surely view me favorably.’
Leonard and Stella.
I don’t know which of them will become the emperor.
But if I keep both of them close, my future is guaranteed.
Kyahaha!
“I see.”
I innocently nodded my head. And smiled lightly.
“I’m pleased to hear that.”
Fordell’s face brightened even more at my words.
“But what brings you here?”
“I have something to tell you.”
After nodding his head, Fordell continued.
“Let me tell you what you’re most curious about first. Leonard’s condition has improved.”
As expected.
Since I collapsed, it’s only natural that things should get better.
“Not only are his broken circles healed, but his mana is overflowing as well.”
“I see.”
“In the future, Leonard will grow even more.”
Pride flickered on Fordell’s face as he said so.
I knew exactly how Fordell felt, as I had been in a similar position as a teacher for a short time.
“That’s a relief.”
I smiled broadly.
“And this is a gift for Your Highness.”
Fordell extended the item he had been holding in his hand.
It was a small wooden box.
Could it be?
“Is this a leaf from the World Tree?”
“Yes.”
Eek!
I took the box with trembling hands.
Is there really a leaf in here?
There is, there is!
‘It’s a real leaf from the World Tree!’
I was speechless.
Finally, I met a leaf from the World Tree.
‘I’ve been making a fuss about getting one all this time.’
I never thought I’d meet one like this.
Leaves from the World Tree could only be obtained from the World Tree itself.
The World Tree was a unique giant tree in the world, and I had never seen it even once from my first life until now.
The reason was simple.
‘The World Tree was in the territory of the High Elves.’
Elves were divided into three branches.
First, the elves we know well. By the way, that’s where I was reincarnated.
Second, the Dark Elves. I’m not sure because I’ve never seen them, but they’re supposed to be corrupted by the power of darkness.
And the last were the High Elves.
A race with noses higher than dragons and almost immortal.
They were famous for never leaving the forest where the World Tree was located, not even for humans, and hardly had any contact with almost all other races.
The only races they had some interaction with were spirits, dragons, and elves.
There were also half-elves, a mixture of other races and elves, but they were rare, and many died shortly after birth.
‘I couldn’t get fruits or leaves from the World Tree because of the High Elves.’
I shed a few tears.
I once obtained bark from the World Tree that came out through a dark route.
But damn High Elves sent a pursuit team to reclaim it, and I almost died.
‘If I hadn’t given up the bark, I might have died.’
Later, through the Spirit Kings, I even caused a stir trying to get a real withered leaf from the World Tree.
<Sorry!>
<I cannot grant your request.>
<I feel even more sorry…>
<Ugh, I got rejected!>
Even the four Spirit Kings failed to persuade them.
Unable to do anything, I even tried asking that guy, Roy, before he fell asleep.
“Ugh, I dislike those guys because they’re too arrogant.”
After that, I gave up.
Honestly, there was no other way but to give up.
‘But to think I’d get a leaf like this!’
Tears of gratitude streamed down.
I hugged the box tightly and cried.
‘Huh?’
Inside the box, hidden behind the dried leaves, there was something.
A cherry-sized red fruit.
My eyes widened intensely.
“Mage Fordell.”
“Yes.”
Fordell smiled gently, as if saying ‘Did you just notice?’
“The fruit of the World Tree.”
“…!!”
This time, I couldn’t even scream. I just blinked my eyes, mouth agape.
Fruit, following the leaf?
“Th-this, the reward I heard was just the leaf.”
Squeezing out the last bit of conscience, I said, and Fordell nodded lightly.
“That fruit is a personal gift from me.”
“B-but.”
“You, too, have done a lot Your Highness Lottie.”
He was referring to Leonard’s work.
“I heard you’re not feeling well. For the benefactor’s health, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. Please accept it. It would put my mind at ease.”
Well, if you put it that way.
I grinned and hugged the box tightly, now with the fruit inside.
Oh, how lovely!
“But Mage Fordell, where did you get this?”
I gave up on it for over a thousand years, you know.
“Well, you may not believe it, but from a long time ago.”
From a long time ago?
I listened intently to Fordell’s words.
“I received it after helping someone who had collapsed by the roadside.”