I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 319: Aria's Dream

"Caw!"Morning.

With a clear, metallic-sounding caw, the glossy black raven descended from the sky.

Gauss casually cut a piece of meat from the ingredients and tossed it toward Eck.

Eck caught it precisely in his beak and swallowed it whole.

His return meant the letter had already been delivered into the hands of the Adventurers Guild.

Gauss quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

For adventurers, it was best to involve oneself as little as possible in matters outside one's core duties.

Especially complicated matters like this one, tangled with questions of right and wrong.

Sometimes, doing more didn't necessarily mean others would acknowledge your good intentions.

Gauss turned his gaze to the magic pot in front of him.

Ever since acquiring this pot, his interest in cooking had been rekindled.

Even now, he hadn't yet passed the excited phase of having just gotten a "new toy."

"Cucumber, three pounds, seeded and thinly sliced;chicken breast, ten pounds, finely shredded along the grain;a handful of soaked mountain mushrooms, squeezed dry and set aside..."

Gauss held the ordinary parchment recipe book in one hand while skillfully operating with the other.

After adding the ingredients according to the recipe, Gauss picked up a spoon and stirred at a steady pace.

Soon, the mana within the magic pot began to work, and a faint purple mist slowly wafted from it.

Every time he used this magic pot, Gauss felt more like a wizard concocting a potion than someone cooking a meal.

As steam rose, an enticing aroma quickly spread through the mist-shrouded woods.

"Lord Gauss, it smells amazing!"

Albenia emerged from the house and came closer.

"Get ready to eat after you wash up."

She then produced a jug of wine from somewhere.

"Lord Gauss, would you like some? It's my treasured good wine."

Gauss blinked.

Perhaps because they had become more familiar, Albenia was gradually revealing her "true nature" as a tough woman.

"I'll pass, you enjoy it yourself," he said with a smile, shaking his head.

Drinking wine first thing in the morning...

But considering her monstrously robust physique, a few sips of wine probably wouldn't affect her.

"Little sister Abby, would you like some?"

Albenia turned around and bumped right into Abby, who was holding onto the railing and slowly walking out through the main door.

Facing this "giant" who completely overshadowed her, Abby shrank back fearfully, but didn't dare refuse. Instead, she looked at Gauss with a timid gaze.

"Albenia, don't lead the child astray."

"Abby, come have breakfast."

Gauss beckoned to her, and Abby immediately sighed in relief, slowly walking toward Gauss.

Seeing her move with unsteady steps, Gauss didn't get up to support her, merely pulling a wooden chair closer in her direction.

"Thank you."

Abby sat beside Gauss, sniffing the wafting aroma of food, and suddenly felt a deep sense of security.

"Has your father woken up?"

"He's up. Uncle Snake said he needs to check on Dad and told me to come out first."

Abby nodded.

Not long after, the others also emerged one after another, gathering around the pot to wait for today's breakfast.

Abby's father, York, looked much improved, though he still couldn't communicate clearly and coherently. However, the manic excitement had faded, and he simply held his daughter Abby's hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

"Let's eat."

Gauss served food for everyone one by one.

Soon, the already impatient group began to enjoy the meal.

"Mmm!"

"So fragrant~"

Despite being made from the most ordinary ingredients, the processing by the Delicious Magic Pot transformed them into a flavor far surpassing the ingredients themselves.

Beyond the rich aroma, the food, once eaten, made the whole body feel warm and comfortable, a pleasant sensation in the slightly cool early autumn weather.

Gauss put down his bowl.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Abby beside him, her eyes red, two glistening tears tracing down her cheeks.

What happened?

He hadn't put any spicy seasonings in the food.

"Does it not suit your taste?"

"It's fine, Lord Gauss." Abby raised her hand to wipe away the tears.

"I just never thought I'd have another chance to share a meal with my father."

"Thank you, Lord Gauss."

Gauss breathed a sigh of relief, a gratified smile appearing on his face.

...

Full and refreshed, Gauss and his party continued their journey.

For the convenience of Abby and York, Gauss gathered materials from the surrounding woods to build a makeshift carriage compartment.

Then, Silver Wolf Ulfen served as the mount, pulling the compartment carrying the father and daughter.

"Will Ulfen be okay?"

"He can handle it. It's good for him to lose some weight." Aria waved her hand. "Judging by the time, the people from Fisherman's Song Town have probably reached Herbal Medicine Village by now. I wonder how they'll deal with the Village Chief and the others."

She was still concerned about the events in the last village.

"Aria, are you about to break through?" Gauss, having moved on from the Herbal Medicine Village matter, looked Aria up and down as she rode on an ostrich beside him.

"How did you know?" Aria blinked.

She hadn't mentioned it to Gauss, planning to give him a surprise, but he had seen right through it.

"A feeling."

Gauss smiled.

"Gauss..." Aria's expression turned hesitant, and she spoke.

"What's wrong?" Gauss waited for a moment, but she didn't continue. He looked at her, puzzled.

"I... I've been having the same, similar dream frequently these past few days." Aria hadn't planned to mention it, as it wasn't anything crucial. But since the topic of breaking through came up, she didn't know whether this change in her was good or bad, so she wanted to take this chance to talk to Gauss about it.

"A dream? A similar dream?" Gauss became a bit interested.

Even for professionals, this wasn't too common.

Recurring, similar dreams... could they be hinting at some change in physical state in reality?

"Can you talk about the dream's content? Is it a nightmare?"

Gauss inquired.

"No." Aria shook her head.

Having similar dreams for several consecutive days, even she realized something might be off. So, she shared the content of her dreams with Gauss.

"It's not a nightmare."

"As soon as I fall asleep, I dream I've arrived at a place bathed in moonlight. There..."

Aria's voice carried a trace of confusion and vagueness, as if, through recollection and narration, she was once again drifting into that illusory scene.

Gauss noticed this and seemed thoughtful but didn't interrupt her account.

"...it's very vast, but also very... desolate. Underfoot is silvery-gray sand, and overhead is an impossibly huge moon, emitting a soft, clear radiance, occupying almost half the sky."

"The moonlight is bright, yet not glaring at all, illuminating everything clearly. But aside from endless sand all around, there's nothing, terrifyingly quiet."

She paused, seemingly organizing her words.

"Then, from somewhere, I find a seed in my hand. Very small, like a glowing pearl, warm to the touch. In the dream, there's a voice, or rather a feeling, telling me to plant the seed."

"So... you plant a tree in the dream?" Gauss asked softly.

"Mhm." Aria nodded, her brow slightly furrowed.

"It's a very strange dream. In the dream, I can't cast spells, and I don't have any tools on hand, so I can only dig a hole in the sand with my bare hands. I put the seed in, cover it with sand, and then..."

"And then? Did the tree grow?" Gauss pressed.

"The first time I dreamed it, no." Aria shook her head.

"I just sat beside the seed, watching it, wondering if it would sprout. Then the dream ended."

"However, when I slept the next day, I had the same dream again, returning to that place once more."

"I watched over it, not knowing how long passed before a tiny sprout finally emerged."

"In the following nights, I found some water nearby, cupped it in my hands, and sprinkled a little on it. It grew faster after that."

The dream's content sounded plain and simple, without any dramatic "plot twists."

Aria lifted her snow-blue eyes to look at Gauss.

"Gauss, what do you think is really going on? Is it just a strange dream? Or... is it related to me being close to a breakthrough? I've never had such a coherent, such a realistic dream before."

"And, actually, I probably haven't told you this before, Gauss, but since I was little, I've almost never dreamed."

Gauss fell into thought.

This indeed didn't sound like a normal phenomenon.

While Gauss himself didn't dream often in daily life, he occasionally had one or two dreams.

But for someone like Aria who never dreamed to suddenly have consecutive dreams, especially involving planting trees in them...

Connecting it to before, he himself had also had a nightmare, which was later confirmed during the encounter with the Lake God to be the influence of some unknown entity. Thinking about it now, Aria's dreams might also point to an existence of even higher stature.

"From the sound of the dream content, it doesn't seem like a bad thing."

If this were his previous life, Gauss definitely wouldn't jump to conclusions, but this was a world where gods existed.

It might very well be that some deity had cast its attention upon this little druid.

"Keep planting the tree in your dream for now. I think when we reach the next city, we can see if we can find someone to examine you."

"Or perhaps, after we help the Lake God investigate the anomaly on the snowy mountain, when we return to Blue Lake, I can ask the Lake God about your situation for you."

Hearing this, Aria nodded.

She wasn't overly worried about it herself;she just felt more at ease informing Gauss of this abnormal situation.

Even if Gauss hadn't said anything, she planned to continue planting the tree in her dream.

For most druids, they greatly enjoyed planting trees, or rather, "planting" was merely a surface manifestation. Deeper down, it was a means to heal the earth's wounds and restore the balance of nature.

Even though Aria wasn't fanatical about it, sleep time was indispensable anyway. Using it to plant trees in a dream gave her something to do, so why not?

"Swish!!!"

Several wooden arrows shot out from the woods.

Gauss casually batted them away.

Then, the silent shadow clones that had been following the party all along quietly appeared behind several green-skinned imps.

"!!"

Sharp, spike-like shadows pierced through their bodies.

A splash of warmth fell to the ground as these "green-skinned devils," unable to read the situation, slumped softly to the earth.

"Goblins killed * 6"

Sitting in the back of the compartment, Abby slightly averted her gaze.

"Total monsters killed: 9655"

"Don't sympathize with them. They came to take our lives. If we weren't stronger, we'd be the ones lying on the ground right now." Gauss's voice came from beside her. "Abby, your magical talent is very good. Don't waste it."

Abby's magical talent naturally went without saying;otherwise, Witch Megan wouldn't have chosen her as her next body to continue her life.

But to become a qualified professional, innate talent was important, and sometimes, temperament was also an indispensable, crucial quality.

"I understand, Lord Gauss." Abby nodded.

Although Abby was only twelve, people in this era matured early. Plus, having gone through an experience that completely changed her life, making her recognize the world's cruelty and dangers, she was actually far more resilient than her peers.

"I won't be afraid."

Her gaze gradually grew firm.

"I will teach you magic." Gauss said softly.

Abby's body and talent had already been thoroughly "force-ripened" by Megan, which meant she could already begin magical cultivation.

Or rather, she *had* to begin magical cultivation.

Otherwise, this artificially over-stimulated "magical talent" wouldn't bring her benefits but would instead become a terrifying curse.

Without proper guidance, it would rapidly spiral out of control, forming internal mana knots, causing bodily mutations, or even turning her into an unstable bomb.

Of course, normally, her phenomenon wasn't common in a natural state.

"Abby, can you read?"

"Yes, I can." Abby nodded.

Her father, York, taught the village children to read, so she had naturally received literacy education long ago.

"Mhm."

Gauss took out a "Light Cantrip" skill book from his Storage Bag.

"Try learning it on your own first."

He handed the cantrip book to Abby on the compartment.

Among the various cantrips, Light Cantrip was relatively gentle. For stability's sake, he didn't choose offensive spells.

Moreover, he didn't think Abby would be unable to master it.

With the help of his "Enlightenment Technique" and her talent, mastering this cantrip was inevitable.

It was only a matter of speed.

Watching Abby take the cantrip book, lie in her father York's arms, and begin studying seriously, Gauss couldn't help but nod in affirmation.

A loss may turn out to be a gain.

Being captured by Witch Megan and enduring over half a month of confinement was undoubtedly an unfortunate experience. But looking at the outcome now, it was precisely this experience that allowed her to activate her magical talent early and realize the importance of power sooner.

Might she become a genius mage?

Gauss looked at her and inexplicably remembered his first little apprentice, Rhine.

How was that little one's studies progressing now?

Before Gauss left, he had prepared many notes, books, and cantrips for her.

That should be enough for her to study for a while.

Maybe, after completing the investigation of the snowy mountain anomaly and receiving the reward from the Lake God, he should go back and check on her.

Thinking of that last day, seeing the little one's reluctant figure from afar, he suddenly felt a bit nostalgic.

However, by that time, he himself should have already advanced to the Master-level.