Friends who are far away and impossible to meet again.  
Yeoreum understood all too well that Gyeoul’s words were likely a metaphor for something else.  

It must mean that her friends were in a place she could no longer reach—likely because they had passed away.  
It was a tragic situation that no child should have to face, but it didn’t shock Yeoreum as much as when she first learned Gyeoul’s true identity.  
After all, many children lose friends or family at a young age. As heartbreaking as it was, Yeoreum believed Gyeoul could overcome it if she remained strong.

But Yeoreum had made a grave misjudgment.  
Gyeoul had not moved past her friend's death.

"I’m fine. I’ll meet them again someday."

At first, Yeoreum had dismissed these words as a child’s innocent fantasy.  
A belief that her friends were waiting for her in heaven, and that it was okay if she couldn’t meet them right away.

But then, Gyeoul said something that shattered Yeoreum’s assumptions.

"I’m always ready to meet them."

She was ready to meet her dead friends at any moment.  
Gyeoul said this so calmly, as if she had already come to terms with death—like someone who had transcended the fear of it.

Was she planning to take her own life?  
Or did she simply not care if she died?  
Either way, those were thoughts no eight-year-old child should be having.

‘No way...’

Yeoreum had thought Gyeoul’s bravery was unusual for her age.  
But now, she realized that maybe Gyeoul lived the way she did because it didn’t matter to her if she died.  
Yeoreum covered her mouth in shock.

‘Gyeoul has often seemed scared of death...’

Like when they encountered goblins at the beginner's hunting ground, or when they first entered the goblin dungeon.  
Gyeoul had been especially frightened in those moments.

If she wasn’t afraid of death, then why had she been so terrified?  
As Yeoreum pondered this, she suddenly realized something—Gyeoul had only ever shown fear toward goblins.

‘Could it be that her friend was killed by goblins...?’

If that were the case, her fear would make perfect sense.  
Traumas etched into one’s soul were not easily erased.  
Although, even that fear had started to fade recently.

By hunting goblins, Gyeoul had begun to overcome the last of her fears.  
Perhaps that was the worst thing that could’ve happened.

‘This is bad.’

Without fear of death, there was nothing to keep Gyeoul away from danger.  
But Yeoreum couldn’t exactly send her off to die either.

Yeoreum took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

This wasn’t a problem she could solve immediately.  
She needed time—and the help of the others—to figure it out.  
Maybe it was time to give Gyeoul new goals to focus on, new reasons to value her life.

With her lips tightly pressed together, Yeoreum followed Gyeoul back inside the tent.

“What are you doing, Gyeoul?”  
“I’m washing some mugwort. Would you like to have a cup once the tea is ready...?”

“Yeah. I’d love to try it.”

Was it the excitement of someone wanting to try her tea?  
Gyeoul’s tail, which had been hanging limp, wagged weakly from side to side.  
Seeing Gyeoul’s subtle expression of joy, Yeoreum gave a faint smile in return.

It was a day that left her heart aching, as though pricked by tiny needles.

---

There were a lot of things I needed to do to sell tea.  
I needed to register as a business, file a health and safety report with the local government, and much more.  
But without an ID, all of that was impossible for me.

‘I’m done for.’

Collapsing onto the grass in despair, Yeoreum approached me with a helpful suggestion.  
She proposed selling my tea in the guild’s café.

I followed her to the café, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to sell my tea at the guild café?”  
“Yeah. It’s just adding a few new items to the menu. And you’ll be providing all the ingredients.”

“Wow.”

I had been wondering where I could possibly sell my tea.  
Selling it in the café of a busy guild building seemed like a dream come true.  
My tail, which had been drooping earlier, began wagging uncontrollably.

“But there’s one condition.”  
“C-condition...?”  
“Yeah. You have to make sure all the ingredients are clean. People are going to drink it, after all.”

“That’s no problem.”

Washing the ingredients in the pond would make them clean enough to eat, thanks to the item's effects.  
There would be no issues there.

“And the café has already set the prices. Are you okay with that?”  
“Yeah...!”

Since my tea gave mana-boosting buffs, I figured I could sell it for about ten thousand won a cup.  
If I sold ten cups a day, that’d be enough to make me happy.  
But as soon as I entered the café and saw the prices listed on the menu, I was shocked.

---

**Specially Crafted Teas**  
- Dandelion Tea: ₩100,000  
  *Effect: Mana Amplification*  
- Mugwort Tea: ₩50,000  
  *Effect: Poison Resistance*

- These teas contain special buffs.  
- Buff effectiveness varies based on the drinker’s abilities.  
- All buffs can be applied simultaneously.

---

“T-ten thousand won...?”

No matter how special the buffs were, wasn’t this price too high?  
Before I knew it, I turned to look at Yeoreum, who was standing behind me.

“It’s not just regular tea, but tea with buffs.”  
“Still, how can a cup of tea cost one hundred thousand won...?”  
“That’s actually pretty cheap.”

“C-cheap...?”

One hundred thousand won for a cup of tea?  
Unless the world was ending tomorrow, I wouldn’t pay that much.  
Yeoreum shrugged, as if she didn’t understand my concern.

“You insisted that we shouldn’t charge too much, so I lowered the price.”  
“The lowered price is still one hundred thousand won...?”  
“Yep. Your buffs can stack, remember.”

“Stack...?”

Did that mean the effects could be applied more than once?  
My tail curved into a question mark as I tried to understand.

“Normally, you can only have one buff per type. But for some reason, your buffs can stack.”

“So the effects get stronger?”  
“Exactly. That’s why one hundred thousand won is a bargain.”

Well, if Yeoreum said so, I didn’t have much room to argue.  
All I could do was hope the tea sold well and thank the café staff for carrying my product.

“Thank you so much for selling my tea.”  
I bowed humbly, placing my hands over my navel.  
This must’ve looked amusing, because Yeoreum and the café staff burst out laughing.

“I-I’ll do my best.”  
“Huh...?”

The two of them kept chuckling, avoiding my gaze as they laughed.  
It wasn’t a particularly funny situation, so I just tilted my head in confusion.

‘What’s so funny?’

Was there something amusing behind me?  
Just as I turned around to check, Yeoreum tapped my shoulder.

“Gyeoul, I still have some work to do here. Do you want to head back for now?”  
“Head back...?”  
“Yeah. You’ve got a lot of things to do, right?”

“Yeah. I was planning to plant some dandelions in the garden.”

If I wanted to sell a lot of dandelion tea, I would have to grow my own dandelions.  
I pulled out the small shovel from my pocket.

“Really? Want me to help you plant them later?”  
“N-no, I can handle it on my own...”

“Ah, okay.”

This was all to repay my debt to her.  
I couldn’t ask her to do hard work for me.

“I-I’ll get going then...!”  
Waving quickly to Yeoreum, I hurried off to the container, hoping she wouldn’t follow.  
When I arrived at the vegetable garden, I noticed that Sophia was nowhere to be seen.

“Sophia?”

She was usually at home waiting for me.  
Not seeing her made me feel oddly uneasy.

My chest tightened, and I felt a little short of breath.  
Standing there, frozen, I suddenly heard the sound of someone stepping on grass nearby.

*Rustle.*

It was a small sound, one that only someone like Sophia could make.  
When I turned to look, I locked eyes with a girl hiding in the bushes.

“A... unicorn?”

She was a young girl with a horn on her forehead, but it was so small it was barely bigger than my pinky.

The moment our eyes met, the girl jumped in surprise and awkwardly stepped out of the bushes.

“To think someone could spot me while I was hidden... Impressive!”  
“U-uh, I have good hearing...”

But hadn’t she been loud enough for anyone to hear just now?  
I felt too awkward to point that out, so I just nodded.

“As expected, you’re no ordinary foe...!”  
The girl took a cautious step back, clearly wary of me.

She was acting so strangely that I couldn’t help but feel confused.

“And who are you...?”  
“You’re one of

 the aggressive types, huh?”

It wasn’t the girl who answered me.  
When I turned toward the voice, I saw Sophia standing there with a deep frown.

“Sophia, where were you?”  
“I went to buy some dandelion seeds.”

“Ah.”

She must have heard me talking about needing seeds earlier.  
Feeling relieved, I walked over to her.

“But something feels off.”  
“What does?”

“She doesn’t seem like the aggressive type. She looks more like a kid.”

“A kid?”

I had thought the girl was an adult like Sophia, but it seemed she was younger than me.  
In that case, there wasn’t much to be scared of.

“Hmph! You dare to call me simple? I am none other than Levinas, of the great horned rabbit race!”  
“I-I see...”

Is she full of herself?  
Not knowing how to respond, I just fiddled with the contents of my pocket, pulling out the tools I needed to plant the dandelions.

‘Small shovel... water can...’

As I rummaged through my pocket, the boss rabbit’s mana stone got in the way, so I took it out first.  
Once I’d taken out everything I needed, I returned the stone to my pocket.

But when the girl saw the mana stone, she gasped in horror.

“H-hhuh...!”  
“...Huh?”

The girl froze, trembling like a rabbit caught in front of a predator.  
What a strange kid.  
It didn’t seem like she was worth paying much attention to, so I decided to get back to tending the garden.

______________________
 

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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