And since we can't exactly neutralize the scent of the potion, we decided try out different baits as alternative. Anything that's smell is overwhelming enough to mask the scent of Lia's drug. We tried mixing it in with strong-scented food such as cheese and fermented fish. But contrary to our expectations, the winner of the lot was actually peanut-b.u.t.ter. We smeared the laced goodies on the vegetables and presented it. After a quick sniff, they mindlessly devoured everything. Not so smart after all.

With that, on the fifth and sixth day we managed to get a whooping total of 78 pigs! That's more than 5 Gold for the rewards, excluding the selling price of the tusks! Of course, we still have to subtract the entire cost of our expenditure including baits, lodgings, and potion ingredients in order to get an accurate sum of our profits. Being an adventurer sure is lucrative, but mostly thanks to Lia's potions. After deciding that we won't be getting any more for the day, I borrowed a cart from one of the farmers and hauled it straight to Rando's house. There, Rando counted the tusks and we piled them up in his house - filling up nearly half of his living room.

The next day, we head to the fields and did our usual gig. But there weren't any more pigs to be found. We had gotten all of them. That night, we had a barbeque on one of the farmer's field in order to celebrate. The main ingredient being the heaps of pork that was the fruits (meat) of our labor. Some of the farmers even went as far as to bring out their own personal secret stash of booze. It seems living in a small town makes you want to use anything as an excuse to drink and party. Me and Rando each held a mug of honeyed-wine in our hands, while Lia held a gla.s.s of orange juice. I took a swig and noticed her staring at our mugs with longing in her eyes. Well, I guess there's no harm in it. I turned to her and she averted her eyes. "Wanna try some?" I offered.

She hesitated.

"Uhh, is there actually a rule in your church that says you can't?" I asked, considering there are plenty religions in my world that prohibits their followers from consuming alcoholic beverages.

"No, it's not that. There isn't actually any written rule that enforces us to abstain from intoxicating drinks. It's just that... I heard that consuming alcohol while in the company of the opposite gender usually leads to sins being committed in the face of the Lord," Lia blushed as she explained.

Rando spat out his wine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "I'm sorry."

Lia looked down in embarra.s.sment. Me and Rando gave each other an understanding nod and decided to let the topic slide. I scanned around and didn't find Sigrid, nor Bastion. I casually mentioned it to Rando and he told me that he had invited Sigrid when she came by, but she replied only with a shrug and left. As for Bastion, it doesn't really require a whole lot of brainpower to know why he isn't present.

The venue of the party was held at the fields near the border of the forest. I looked to the woods and suddenly thought of Bastion's daughter who went missing there.

A few days later after Rando told me about it, I had taken the opportunity to ask him again regarding the details, but unfortunately he wasn't really knowledgeable about it since he only came back to retire from being an adventurer a year after the event. I also learned that he had known Bastion since they were boys, and that Bastion had married a foreigner before having Diana. One day, Bastion and his daughter got into a heated argument and he said too much, causing her to flee to the woods. As soon as Bastion realized where she went, he rushed to the woods to retrieve her but failed to do so. So he ran back to the town to acquire the help of the folks, but apparently it seemed like no one had ever known that he had a daughter. Still, they agreed to help and spent a few weeks combing the woods in daylight. One day, a Seeker pa.s.sed by and he requested her help. She agreed and went to the woods together with Bastion and a few townsfolk. The Seeker spent the whole day searching for any traces of her. But to everyone's surprise, the Seeker had claimed that there wasn't even a trace of her at all. No tracks, no body, no blood, no one had ever seen or even knew his daughter. It was as if she'd never existed in the first place. The outcome was obvious. Everyone agreed that he was delusional and had lost his mind. Even I could tell that Rando half-believed him. The only reason why he did what he did is because they had been best-friends since little and there's no one but him that could stand by Bastion.

At some point of when I interacted with some of the locals, I had asked a bit regarding Bastion's daughter, but learned nothing significant. The locals had been uncomfortable regarding the issue and seemed to fear the forest. I guess it's the common response that comes with the fear of the unknown.

I stared at the forest as I tried imagining what it's like to be spirited away and shuddered. I quickly averted my gaze to allow myself to sleep better at night. As I did, I noticed a brief movement in the woods from the corner of my eye and jerked my head back to catch whatever it is. I squinted at the woods intently, filtering away the swaying trees, hoping to find nothing. "Must've been the wind," I tried convincing myself. I don't really do well with ghost stories. It's not like I believe in ghosts. I don't. It's just that, if they were actually real, I don't believe any deity would actually come down swooping to rescue me. Irrational? Well, fear seldom isn't.

Something tapped my shoulders and I jumped. It was Rando. The meat was well roasted, one of the farmer's wife approached and served us a few plates of it. We sat down on a wooden stump and enjoyed the festive atmosphere of a countryside barbeque. Some of the farmer went back and brought some instruments. A lute, a fiddle, a flute carved from a bone, and a bongo. They discussed the selection of songs and started playing. Everyone started to sing along and danced to the rhythm. I clapped my hands to the beat and found myself missing the songs from my previous world. I should learn to play an instrument. Since I'm also quite decent in singing already, maybe I could make a living by being a bard here.

There were a few youngsters dancing around the fire. Amongst them, a farmer's daughter with brown hair and big green eyes. She smiled at me mischievously as she beckoned me to come join her. I replied her smile with my own and was about to come join until I saw a disapproving frown from Lia. I turned to the girl and gestured apologetically. She responded my refusal with a exaggerated boo-hoo gesture and continued dancing. I checked Lia's expression and saw her nodding smugly, as if accomplis.h.i.+ng something great. I chuckled to myself whilst shaking my head. No sinning for me tonight.

So in order to compensate, I decided to enjoy the night to the fullest by indulging myself in meat and mead. Ignoring the ominous sensation coming from the woods.