Reborn As A Maid

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 - The White Sword Hunter ( Part 10)

Golden rays of twilight shone down onto the canopy of the Emerald Forest.

It was over.

The corrupted serpent lay dead on the ground, with its gigantic body slowly dissolving into countless particles of mana.

Unlike ordinary monsters...

Corrupted creatures were not left as a corpse forever.

As soon as their core was destroyed...

The body of the creature started to turn back to mana of the world.

It was as though the forest itself was returning back everything that was taken away.

Jennie silently observed the process.

"...Rest in peace."

Gentle voice of Excalibur sounded in her head.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

"You’ve managed to defeat your enemy with one strike again."

Jennie sighed.

"I was trying not to do it."

"You’ve done it anyway."

"...Have I?"

"That serpent was able to destroy this forest."

"You’ve only defeated the serpent."

Jennie looked around.

The Worldleaf Tree had not suffered any damage.

The shrine was ruined from the previous battle, but it still stood.

Even the flowers growing near the tree had survived.

Even the Guardian Wolf was wounded, but only slightly.

She smiled.

"I guess you are right."

The Guardian Wolf slowly came closer.

Every movement was dignified.

Despite all the blood stains on its silver fur...

It kept its pride.

Finally...

When it got close to Jennie...

It lowered its head.

Neither as a servant.

Neither as a beaten creature.

But just like another guardian.

Jennie put her hand on its forehead.

"...You’ve been protecting this forest by yourself for a long time."

The wolf closed its eyes.

She could sense its exhaustion.

Countless old wounds.

Loneliness.

Gently gathering mana into her fingers...

Jennie made soft blue light appear on her palm.

Unlike combat magic...

This mana was gentle.

Warm.

Pristine.

"Water Healing Art."

The stream of crystal-clear water flowed across the body of the Guardian Wolf.

All the scars slowly started healing.

The broken bones mended.

The poison vanished from its veins.

In a few seconds...

The exhausted guardian stood proudly again.

Its silver fur was shining in the fading sunlight.

The wolf looked at Jennie with obvious gratitude.

Then...

It gently nudged her shoulder with its nose.

Jennie laughed.

"...You’ve become a lot friendlier now."

Nearby...

The Herb Goblins cautiously appeared from the hiding places.

First one.

Then three.

Then all of them.

The little creatures surrounded Jennie, chattering excitedly in their own tongue.

One of them proudly brought her a bundle of freshly picked herbs.

Another presented a tiny flower crown.

The third somehow had managed to bring a mushroom which was almost twice bigger than himself.

Jennie took everything with grateful smile.

"Thank you."

The goblins burst into delighted cheers. frёewebηovel.cѳm

The goblin chief unexpectedly stepped forward.

He gently reached into his leather belt where a pouch was hanging.

After some search...

He took out a beautiful emerald crystal the size of a walnut.

It was glowing faintly with natural mana.

Jennie blinked.

"A mana crystal?"

Excalibur gently corrected.

"No."

"A Forest Spirit Crystal."

"Quite a rare treasure."

The goblin chief respectfully handed it to Jennie.

She was surprised.

"I can’t take anything as valuable as that."

The little chief stubbornly closed her hands and then pointed at the Worldleaf Tree.

At the revived forest.

At her heart.

Jennie smiled gently.

"...A present."

The goblin nodded enthusiastically.

After parting ways with the tiny inhabitants of the forest...

Jennie went towards the remnants of the corrupted serpent.

Most of its body already dissipated.

There was only one thing left.

The deep purple Mana Core.

It was pulsating with the unstable energy.

Jennie picked it up carefully. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Excalibur said.

"Do not touch it directly."

"I know."

She put it into the cloth with enchantment and then into her pouch.

"This should be worth something."

The trip back seemed peaceful.

The Emerald Forest was light-hearted.

Now there were birds.

The small animals timidly started coming out of the hiding places.

The streams were clear again.

Even the wind was lighter.

Jennie smiled quietly.

"This is nice."

By the sunset...

She returned to the Hunter Association headquarters.

It was still busy despite the late hour.

Emily immediately recognized her.

"Miss Raven!"

She quickly approached her.

"You’ve returned safe!"

Jennie nodded.

"I completed the quest."

Emily took the mission report.

"...That was fast."

She glanced at the papers and froze abruptly.

"...Wait."

"Did you also kill the unknown monster responsible?"

Jennie answered frankly.

"Yes."

Emily looked confused.

"Why the report speaks about missing herbs?"

"There happened to be a corrupted serpent."

"...A what?"

Jennie blinked.

"...Is this unusual?"

Emily immediately called another receptionist.

Minutes later...

The senior staff appeared around the report.

One of the officials looked at the violet Mana Core that Jennie had provided as evidence.

His face immediately paled.

"This..."

"This is from a Corrupted Emerald Serpent."

Another official almost fell down because of the shock.

"That monster was estimated to be at least..."

"...B-Rank."

Silence.

Everybody turned around and silently looked at the quiet young hunter.

Jennie awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"...Is there a problem?"

Deep in the association headquarters...

Director Alfred Rowan personally received the report.

He looked at the Mana Core.

At the mission request.

At Jennie’s records.

Finally...

He smiled.

"...Interesting."

He took a pen and wrote one phrase in the confidential file Raven.

> Continue observation. Interesting potential. Recommend promotion after additional field verification.

He closed the file.

"This girl..."

"...Will become remarkable."

While...

Jennie was happily taking her reward of eight silver coins.

She looked inside the pouch.

"...Not bad."

Emily laughed.

"The most of the hunters celebrate their first successful quest."

Jennie raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"Dinner."

Jennie’s eyes twinkled.

"...I like this tradition."

An hour later...

Jennie returned to the Royal Academy with a small paper bag full of freshly baked pastries.

She quietly hummed some song while walking through the academy garden.

Her main concern at the moment...

Was not letting Martha know that she came five minutes later than promised.

She did not know...

That at the same time the highest representatives of the Hunter Association were already talking about the mysterious hunter named Raven.

Nor did she know that the travelers going through the Emerald Forest already started spreading incredible tales.

About a young woman in white clothes.

A hunter with a sword flashing once and monsters falling down.

A hunter who saves the forests instead of destroying them.

A hunter who disappears long before anybody can even know her name.

In a matter of weeks...

That tale will spread beyond the Kingdom of Seraiya.

And every version ends up with the same title.

The White Sword Hunter.

So...

Without fame.

Without ambition.

Without even trying...

Jennie Queens unconsciously took her first step towards becoming one of the greatest legends of the age.