Chapter 113:

Chapter 113: Chapter 113:

Chapter 113:

"I want you to gather ten percent of the Moonlight Grass growing in this clearing, so be careful not to damage the remaining herbs while collecting them."

Hana immediately lowered her head in acknowledgment, because the task was simple enough that she could complete it without needing any further explanation.

"Understood, Master. I will make sure to handle the herbs carefully."

She then moved toward the nearest patch of Moonlight Grass and began gathering the plants, taking care to avoid damaging their roots while collecting enough to meet the quantity her master had requested.

Osborne watched her work for a short while before deciding that there was no need for him to supervise every movement, especially since she seemed to understand the importance of the task and was handling the herbs with reasonable care.

Although he had no intention of trusting either werewolf completely, there was a difference between maintaining caution and treating every simple task as though it required constant supervision, and he preferred to spend his attention on matters that actually demanded it.

While Hana continued gathering the herbs, Osborne occasionally glanced toward the deeper parts of the forest, still remembering the strange leopard that had retreated without warning, but no matter how long he waited, the creature showed no signs of returning.

Nevertheless he still remained as vigilant as ever. Not only did he look out for the demonic beast, but other people as well.

If someone accidentally spotted the Moonlight Herb, his secret stash would be at risk. Not only that, but anyone who spotted him with a demon could end up ruining his reputation thus far.

After some time, Hana finally finished gathering the requested amount and returned to him with the collected Moonlight Grass gathered in a large pile, which was quite the amount.

"Master, I have finished collecting the amount you requested, and I made sure not to damage the remaining plants." She turned to him and said with her head lowered.

Osborne examined the gathered herbs before nodding in satisfaction, because she had completed the task without creating any unnecessary problems, which was exactly what he had expected from someone who had once served as a vassal of a noble household.

"You’ve done splendidly."

The simple words caused Hana to lower her head slightly, and although she did not show any obvious reaction, she felt relieved that she had managed to satisfy his expectations.

Osborne was about to send her and the herbs back, but he paused before completing the process as he remembered something that required his attention.

"One more thing, Hana."

Hana immediately looked up, her posture becoming attentive as she waited for the additional instruction.

"Neither you nor Vanessa are allowed to approach these herbs without permission, and make sure that you and Vanessa keep those creatures away from it as well, regardless of whether they appear harmless or not."

Although the Moonlight Grass would be petrified to preserve it, Osborne had no intention of taking unnecessary chances with such a valuable resource, especially when he had already witnessed how unusual the creatures living in this forest could be.

He could petrify them all to avoid risk, but doing that would ruin his plans to tame the lightning wolves. Plus, having Hana and Vanessa wander about on their own was better than leaving them in such frustrated situations.

"As you wish, Master. I will make sure that no one approaches the herbs without your permission."

Satisfied with her response, Osborne nodded before sending Hana and the gathered Moonlight Grass into the sub-space, leaving him alone in the clearing once more.

With that task completed, he finally felt that he could stop worrying about collecting the herbs himself, because he now had enough Moonlight Grass to make the journey worthwhile, and there was no reason to remain in the forest any longer than necessary.

He took one last look around the clearing, memorizing its location as best he could, before turning toward the path he had followed earlier and beginning his journey out of the forest.

As he moved through the trees, Osborne continued to pay attention to his surroundings, because although the strange leopard had retreated, he had no reason to assume that every other creature in the forest would behave in the same way.

His enhanced sense of smell allowed him to detect the presence of nearby beasts long before they came close enough to attack, and whenever he encountered one that seemed worth collecting, he would kill it quickly before storing its corpse inside his sub-space.

Unfortunately, despite encountering several beasts during the journey, he did not come across another demonic creature, and the absence of anything particularly unusual gradually left him feeling disappointed.

’It seems that the truly interesting creatures are concentrated deeper inside the forest, which means I will probably have to explore further if I want to find more of them.’

Osborne was tempted to turn around and investigate the deeper regions, but he eventually dismissed the thought because he had already spent enough time in the forest, and continuing to explore without a clear objective would only increase the chances of encountering another troublesome opponent.

Besides, he had already captured the lightning wolves and discovered the Moonlight Grass clearing, so returning to town to deal with his current tasks was more important than risking another battle simply because he wanted to find something interesting.

Even though he had not encountered any additional demonic beasts, he still stored the corpses of the ordinary beasts he killed along the way.

By the time Osborne finally left the forest, the trees had begun to thin out, allowing sunlight to fall across the path leading toward the main road, and he felt a noticeable sense of relief as the open space replaced the dark surroundings he had been walking through for hours.

He stepped onto the main road and looked in both directions, checking whether any carriages were approaching before raising his hand to hail one that was making its way along the road.