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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Taste the Filth
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"Looks like it didn't work out, huh?"
The corner of her mouth curled into a smirk she wasn't bothering to hide, and it grated on my nerves.
"That good, huh, Senior?"
"Nah, just funny. You were so sure you'd get a strong Divine Power."
"You say that, but I wasn't really expecting much."
Most people don't even bother checking if they have Divine Power.
It's that rare for someone to be chosen by it, and even if they are, it's usually some useless ability.
But as a reincarnator, I just had a little hope, that's all.
"Pfft, anyone could see you were brimming with expectation."
Isabel's teasing grin only made her more annoying for some reason.
So I decided to strike back a little.
"Fine, I'll admit it. It didn't pan out. Just like all those matchmaking meets you keep failing at, Senior."
My counterattack landed way harder than I'd expected. Isabel's eyes turned icy in an instant.
I must have accidentally hit a sore spot.
"Uh, um... You know I'm just kidding, right?"
"...Heh heh."
Her laugh sent a chill down my spine.
Honestly, I was a bit puzzled myself.
Someone like Isabel—with her outstanding looks, and despite being an orphan, she's diligent and has a solid personality.
If this were the capital full of haughty nobles, maybe, but in a remote village like this? She'd be the top marriage prospect by far.
I wondered what kind of conversations happened at those meets to make them all end in failure.
Well, who knows.
Maybe she has some bizarre quirks that others can't accept.
"Hey, you're thinking something unpleasant right now, aren't you?"
"Just your imagination."
Isabel let out a short sigh and slowly stood up.
"Oh, and I probably won't be able to gather materials tomorrow. Got to head out of the village for a bit."
"...Yeah? Nothing we can do about that."
"Yeah. But next time, I'll bring double."
"No need, don't worry about it. I'm already plenty grateful just for your help."
"Heh heh, this is good pocket money for me too."
I had to finish cleaning the hallways before dinner, so I parted ways with my senior, pushing aside my regrets.
I walked slowly down the shabby corridor, lost in thought.
'Guess I'll have to close up shop tomorrow...'
I could gather herbs and blue moss myself, but Silver Flower Herb growing wild in the forest near the village was hard to get without Isabel's help.
'Wait a sec.'
Thinking about it, I have Divine Power.
The power to make a flower bloom. Couldn't I make Silver Flower Herb with it?
According to the lore, Divine Power isn't something you learn through effort.
It's an instinctive force imprinted on your body the moment it manifests.
Like how people breathe without being taught—Divine Power becomes second nature.
I closed my eyes and clasped my hands together gently, as if in prayer.
I focused my mind on vividly picturing the Silver Flower Herb.
Soon enough, a tickling sensation spread across my palms.
When I opened my eyes again, a single flower with pristine white petals had quietly bloomed in my hands.
"Oh."
I hadn't expected to actually make the flower I wanted.
I closed my eyes again and tried to bloom more, but it seemed one per day was my limit.
Still, it was an unexpected windfall, so I had no real complaints.
Of course, one flower wouldn't even make half my usual amount, but it was better than nothing.
Thinking it over, this might actually be a pretty decent ability.
There's this plant called Mana Herb.
A stroke of luck that expands one's innate mana limits. It fetches a high price from mages.
Sure, the difference is minuscule. In the game, numbers make it obvious, but in reality, you'd hardly notice.
But mages are the type who won't overlook even that tiny bit.
If I could produce one Mana Herb a day, I could make a fortune just sitting around.
I vaguely remembered what it looked like from the game.
A medicinal herb resembling ginseng topped with blue petals.
Worth a shot. I'd try first thing tomorrow morning at dawn.
Of course, I didn't think it'd work.
Even Divine Power isn't omnipotent. There must be special conditions to bloom flowers.
I've handled Silver Flower Herb every day without realizing, so maybe I met those conditions subconsciously.
Even so, if a Mana Herb bloomed in my hand...
I might have to completely reevaluate this Divine Power.
"Pretty clean-looking."
I murmured softly, gazing at the flower in my hand.
No bug bites, perfectly neat and lovely, like it was carefully nurtured in a gentle greenhouse.
Come to think of it, the lore said flowers touched by my saliva become purer.
'...Should I try?'
I didn't know exactly what "purer" meant, but since it involved purity, nothing bad should happen.
Might as well make the most of this Divine Power while I had it.
I gathered saliva on my tongue tip, brought the flower to my lips, and carefully opened my mouth.
A drop of saliva fell with a soft plop onto the flower's head and seeped in quietly.
I waited a moment, but disappointingly, nothing changed.
"Whoa, that's gross."
I heard a young boy's voice while waiting.
A boy about my age stared at me in horror, surrounded by five other kids.
"Ignore him, Eddy."
The boy standing like the leader of the pack was Eddy—the biggest troublemaker at Dayren Orphanage and the one who always picked on me.
"Eww, makes me wanna puke. Why'd you spit your saliva on the flower?"
Eddy mimicked gagging with exaggerated gestures, pulling a face like he was truly disgusted.
His enthusiastic performance had the kids bursting into giggles.
It was blatant mockery, but it didn't faze me.
Instead, a mischievous urge bubbled up inside.
"Heh, this is gross, huh?"
I pointed the saliva-touched flower head at Eddy.
Catching on, Eddy flinched and backed away in panic.
"W-What are you gonna do...!"
"What else."
I flashed my eyes and charged at him.
Holding the flower like a spear, I thrust it toward his face.
"Taste the filth."
"Kyyyaaack!!"
Eddy and his gang screamed and scattered down the corridor like startled birds.
The noisy chaos vanished, leaving sudden silence in its wake.
In the now-quiet hallway, I grinned with satisfaction.
"Pretty effective, huh?"
I'll have to use it whenever Eddy gets annoying from now on.
Maybe prank Isabel with it next.
Watching a near-adult like her freak out could be fun.
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"Five runes."
"What? You sold it for three last time."
"The materials used this time are top quality. Plus, there's a special effect added."
"Special effect?"
"Trade secret."
The middle-aged woman hesitated a bit but ended up buying the incense stick, figuring she'd take the chance.
"I'm buying because your herbs are decent."
I wasn't lying.
According to my Divine Power, the flower was purer than before.
Plus, there's the placebo effect.
Even the same medicine can have wildly different results depending on the claims attached.
"For real? That special effect thing."
Uncle Hans, who'd been guarding me, asked with a puzzled look.
"Of course. I don't lie."
"Hmm... Then why not sell one to your uncle here?"
"Oh, what's this?"
He'd never bought my herbs once so far. Uncle Hans was the type who didn't believe in this kind of stuff at all.
"My wife's been having trouble sleeping lately."
"Is she unwell?"
"Nah, we just had our second kid."
The unexpected good news made my eyes widen.
"Congratulations."
"Haha! So you'll give me a discount?"
I bundled the remaining herbs neatly and offered them to him carefully.
"Nah, just take it."
"What? For real?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
Uncle Hans eyed the bundle with a troubled expression.
"No way. Can't take freebies from a kid. Deduct it from my pay, and I'll settle the rest separately."
He shook his head slowly with a serious gaze.
Just as I'd always seen him, Uncle Hans was honest and upright. That's why he was a connection I couldn't afford to lose.
I'd need to sell herb bundles steadily for the next few years, and without his help, things would get tricky.
"It's fine. Can't I give this much to a friend?"
"Heh, you really only eight?"
Uncle Hans looked down at me with an incredulous expression.
"You're leagues better than my boy. And he's way older than you."
In the end, he accepted my little gift. His eyes brimmed with pride and warm affection toward me.
"Bella, you're gonna go far."
"Obviously."
I flashed a confident smile.
But for some reason, Uncle Hans's gaze didn't look purely happy.
"But... as a parent, it makes me a bit sad."
"Huh? Why?"
"Seeing a kid barely eight wearing such an adult smile."
His words were hard to fully grasp, so I tilted my head slightly.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Kids should grow up like kids—that's what I think."
Not wrong.
But Uncle Hans didn't know I carried memories of a full-grown man inside.
Even in my past life, growing up in an orphanage had made me mature early, so I hardly remembered smiling like a child.
Anyway, I couldn't exactly grin like a real eight-year-old.
"You're worrying about the weirdest things, Uncle."
"...It'd be nice if you had parents."
His thoughts grew heavier.
Feeling the weight, I forced an awkward smile and started packing up.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
I hooked my index and middle fingers to pull the corners of my mouth up.
A forced smile, but it was the easiest in times like this.
"See, I do great on my own."
Just like in my past life.
"Still, smile more sometimes. You look emotionless with that blank face."
Stroking his chin beard, he eyed me with sudden interest.
"Right, my boy's been scared of ghosts lately. You scared of anything?"
"Scared?"
"Yeah, ghosts, witches... or those creepy dark monsters."
Things that scare me.
I held up three fingers in front of Uncle Hans's face.
"Three things. That scare me."
"Oho, what are they?"
Fears carried over from my past life.
Probably the ones I'd fear for life.
"Syringes... and zombies."
"Zombies?"
"Think undead-like beings."
"Oho, and the last one?"
"That's... a secret."
"Hm?"
Even if I died and came back.
That last one, I could never say.
Never.