Chapter 12 …
Angelica went into the forest to search for herbs and, with the help of the trees and the rabbits, was able to find them.
Yesterday, when she had searched for the Miracle Life Herb, the rabbit that had helped her came back with friends to find her.
A snow-white rabbit, a spotted rabbit, and a gray rabbit.
Angelica’s face couldn’t stop smiling as she met all her rabbit friends.
She wanted to spend more time with her cute forest companions, but thinking of her grandmother waiting at the cabin made her quicken her pace.
Angelica emerged from the forest with her master, carrying a basket filled with five different kinds of herbs.
“You know, Master,”
Holding the basket to her chest, Angelica asked the question that had piqued her curiosity while gathering the herbs.
“The Miracle Life Herb spoke to me, but the other herbs didn’t. Why is that?”
Her eyes full of curiosity, her master replied:
[The Miracle Life Herb is a special herb.]
“A special herb?”
[Yes. The Miracle Life Herb is rarer and more extraordinary than the herbs you gathered today. For ordinary people, it would be normal never to even see one in a lifetime.]
“I see…”
With the brief conversation over, Angelica and her master arrived at the cabin.
“I-I’m back.”
Stepping inside, Angelica spoke in a nervous voice.
No one besides herself had ever entered this cabin before, so this was the first time she’d ever greeted someone when arriving home.
It made her heart race and her nerves tingle.
‘Am I even supposed to greet her, since she’s not my grandmother or family?’
Just as Angelica’s shoulders tensed, a gentle and kind voice reached her ears.
“I see. Did you have a good trip?”
Hearing her grandmother’s reply, Angelica lifted her bowed head.
“Yes!”
A bright smile blossomed on the child’s face.
Afterward, Angelica carefully boiled the herbs she had collected from the forest.
Though the bitter smell of the herbs spread throughout the cabin, the child didn’t mind at all.
“So these herbs help relieve back pain, restore energy, and replenish nutrients,”
Angelica spoke clearly and carefully to Olivier as she handed him the bowl, making sure not to mispronounce anything.
She spoke with the pride and confidence of a doctor, yet in a soft, gentle tone.
Her demeanor was so adorable that a smile crept onto Olivier’s face—but when he looked at the contents of the bowl, his expression shifted to one of dismay.
The herbal decoction was a deep green color and smelled extremely bitter.
‘I’ve never even taken anything like this at the mansion…’
But since the child had prepared it for him with such care, he couldn’t refuse it.
“Thank you, Angelica.”
Olivier closed his eyes tightly and drank the herbal decoction. As expected, it was extremely bitter and astringent.
Yet he could feel the effort and sincerity of the child who had gone to the forest and prepared the herbs just for him.
‘The effects may not appear immediately, but with Angelica’s dedication, I can’t leave it unfinished.’
Olivier gulped down the herbal decoction in one go.
“How is it, Grandmother? Do you feel a little better?”
Seeing the empty bowl, Angelica asked immediately. Her eyes sparkled, and a gentle smile spread across Olivier’s lips.
“Well… the effects of herbs don’t appear instantly, so we’ll have to wait a little to know for sure.”
“I suppose so…”
At Olivier’s reply, Angelica’s shoulders slumped.
She had actually expected the herbs to work instantly, just like the Miracle Life Herb had when she gave it to Olivier.
‘Perhaps that was only possible because it was the Miracle Life Herb.’
It was disappointing, but there was nothing she could do. Just then, Olivier moved her waist with a slightly surprised look.
“Why are you doing that?”
“It’s fascinating. Somehow, my body feels lighter. And the pain is less than before.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. It seems the herbs are taking effect quickly.”
Angelica’s face lit up at her grandmother’s words, and Olivier smiled along with her.
To be honest, Olivier was quite surprised.
He hadn’t expected the herbs to work so quickly.
However, if he showed his shock, the child would likely be surprised as well, so he kept it to himself.
‘Even the herbs given by doctors didn’t work this fast…’
But that wasn’t the end of what astonished her.
“Wow!”
“My goodness…”
The next day, when Olivier opened the cabin door, she couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Yesterday, she had tried to conceal her surprise, worried it might startle the child, but now she failed.
The sight before her was truly remarkable.
Olivier’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She still remembered Angelica planting seeds in the field just yesterday.
And yet, in just a single day, the field was full of crops.
“What on earth…?”
Olivier couldn’t find words as she looked at the abundant plants hanging from the trellises.
They weren’t unripe—they were fully grown and ready to harvest.
‘Am I dreaming?’
It felt unreal. Seeds planted just last night had grown and even borne fruit overnight.
And that wasn’t all.
The herbs that Angelica had brought with such quick efficacy…
Everything connected to the child was miraculous and extraordinary.
‘It’s definitely not a dream. Could it be…’
Once the initial shock subsided, Olivier’s mind began to work quickly.
Among those she knew, only wizards could achieve such astonishing feats.
But Angelica was using a type of power entirely different from any wizard she had seen.
‘If it’s similar magic, there’s his magic…’
A certain person came to Olivier’s mind—her husband, who had already passed from this world.
There were many kinds of wizards in the world.
They used magic associated with fire, water, wind, lightning, each with their own attributes. Olivier’s husband had possessed powerful earth magic.
However, the magic he mostly used was offensive, based on manipulating the earth.
He didn’t have the power to enhance the effects of herbs or make crops grow faster, like Angelica did.
And Olivier had never seen a wizard with that ability.
‘It seems to involve earth magic, but in a completely different direction…’
Magic was a discipline that was still continuously studied.
Through research, new spells could be developed, and previously hidden magic could be revealed.
Olivier wasn’t a wizard, but she knew a little about magic.
That’s why she thought Angelica’s power was a type of magic that had never appeared in the world before.
‘I wish he were here right now.’
Her husband, the strongest earth wizard in the empire’s history—Harren Lespel.
He might have been able to figure out what kind of power Angelica possessed.
But he was already gone from the world.
‘If he were here, he would have been so happy to see Angelica.’
Olivier could picture Harren’s smiling face in her mind.
‘He would have called her a treasure, since earth wizards are so rare…’
“…!”
Suddenly, Olivier’s eyes widened.
The dream she had remembered from last night and the events of today began to intertwine.
The suspicions she had yesterday now became certainty.
She finally understood why her husband had said those things in her dream.
Olivier took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart as she looked at the child.
Angelica was happily harvesting the abundant crops, smiling brightly.
To her, all of this seemed completely natural.
Growing plants in a single day, enhancing the potency of herbs…
It all appeared ordinary to her.
‘That’s why she needs protection.’
To ensure this kind and gentle child isn’t harmed by villains.
To safeguard her powers and her joy entirely.
Olivier looked at Angelica with a soft smile and called her gently.
“Rika.”
