The Hunter Association’s SUVs disappeared beyond the estate gates.
Only after the last vehicle vanished from sight did the Rowland mansion return to its usual rhythm.
Servants resumed their work.
Knights returned to their patrols.
The brief excitement surrounding the Association’s visit slowly faded.
For everyone else…
It was simply another important meeting.
For Arianne…
It marked the beginning of something much bigger.
She quietly walked back toward the eastern garden.
Not because the System told her to.
Not because there was another quest.
She simply wanted to think.
The old gardener’s words.
The young evaluator.
Gentle Hands.
Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn’t had time to organize her thoughts.
She let out a slow breath.
“…Spirit Gardener…”
Even saying the class name felt different now.
Until yesterday…
She had assumed it was some strange farming class.
Now…
She understood.
It wasn’t about flowers.
It wasn’t about crops.
It wasn’t even about nature.
It was about growth.
Helping something become what it was meant to be.
The realization made her smile.
“…That’s honestly kind of unfair.”
If the class truly worked the way she believed…
Then its greatest strength wasn’t combat.
It was changing lives.
A familiar humming drifted through the garden.
Arianne smiled before she even reached the flower beds.
The old gardener.
He was exactly where she expected him to be.
Kneeling beside a patch of white roses.
Trimming dead leaves one by one.
He didn’t look up.
Instead…
He spoke first.
“You’ve figured something out.”
Arianne stopped walking.
“…How did you know?”
He chuckled.
“Your footsteps.”
“They’re lighter than yesterday.”
“…”
That…
Wasn’t an answer she expected.
The old gardener finally looked at her.
“You’ve stopped asking what your class can do.”
“Now you’re asking why it exists.”
Arianne’s emerald eyes widened.
“…”
He really was frighteningly perceptive.
She slowly sat beside the flower bed.
“I think…”
“I finally understand part of it.”
“Oh?”
“It doesn’t make people stronger.”
“It helps them grow.”
The old gardener smiled.
“A subtle difference.”
“But an important one.”
He returned to pruning the roses.
“Most people confuse strength with growth.”
“They’re rarely the same thing.”
Arianne quietly listened.
“Strength can be borrowed.”
“It can be stolen.”
“It can even be forced.”
“But growth…”
He gently brushed a fallen petal from one of the roses.
“…belongs only to the one who achieves it.”
Silence settled between them.
The morning breeze carried the scent of fresh soil.
For reasons she couldn’t explain…
Talking to this old man always made the world feel quieter.
“…Grandpa.”
“Hm?”
“Have you always been a gardener?”
He laughed.
“What do you think?”
“…”
“I think…”
“You’ve done a lot more than water flowers.”
The old gardener’s smile deepened.
“Perhaps.”
Before Arianne could continue…
A blue window suddenly appeared.
[Daily Objective Updated.]
She blinked.
“…Updated?”
The screen expanded.
[Daily Objective]
[Help one person take a step forward.]
Reward:
???
Arianne stared.
“…”
“That’s it?”
“No explanation?”
The System remained silent.
As always.
The old gardener tilted his head.
“Something wrong?”
“…”
She couldn’t exactly say,
“My mysterious blue window is being cryptic again.”
So she simply shook her head.
“Nothing.”
At least…
Nothing she could explain.
Just then…
A young servant hurried into the garden.
“Master Conrad!”
The old gardener looked up.
“What is it?”
“The head groundskeeper asked me to find you.”
“He says someone damaged the greenhouse.”
The old gardener sighed.
“…Again?”
The servant nodded helplessly.
“It happened this morning.”
“I’ll go.”
He slowly stood before turning toward Arianne.
“It seems our conversation will have to wait.”
Arianne smiled.
“I’ll probably have more questions by then.”
“I’m counting on it.”
The old gardener walked away with the servant.
Leaving Arianne alone in the garden.
She looked back at the System.
Help one person take a step forward.
Such a simple objective.
And yet…
Somehow…
She had a feeling it would be anything but simple.
A soft breeze passed through the flower beds.
The tiny yellow flower she had cared for days ago gently swayed.
It looked noticeably healthier now.
Without thinking…
Arianne smiled.
Maybe…
Growth really did begin with the smallest things.
Arianne remained in the garden long after the old gardener left.
[Help one person take a step forward.]
She read the objective again.
“…You’re becoming lazier.”
“No quest description.”
“No map.”
“No hints.”
“Just…
help someone.”
The System offered no response.
She sighed.
“…Fine.”
“I’ll figure it out myself.”
Rising from the flower bed, Arianne brushed the dirt from her dress.
If the System wanted her to notice people…
Then she’d start paying attention.
Not to the strongest.
Not to the loudest.
To the ones everyone overlooked.
She left the eastern garden and wandered through the estate at an unhurried pace.
The Rowland mansion was enormous.
Most of it remained unfamiliar to her.
Servants passed by carrying folded linens.
A cook wheeled fresh ingredients toward the kitchen.
A pair of young maids struggled to carry a large vase together.
Arianne instinctively moved to help.
Before she reached them…
An older maid stepped in instead.
“…”
One opportunity gone.
She continued walking.
Near the training grounds…
Several apprentice knights were sparring.
Wooden practice swords clashed rhythmically.
An instructor barked corrections.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Until…
One of the younger trainees quietly stepped away.
He sat beneath a tree.
Rubbing his wrist.
No one noticed.
Everyone’s attention remained on the strongest trainee.
The one landing every strike.
“…”
Arianne slowed her pace.
There it was again.
Someone overlooked.
She approached.
“Does it hurt?”
The boy looked up in surprise.
“…Lady Arianne?”
She pointed toward his wrist.
“You’ve been holding it for a while.”
He quickly lowered his hand.
“It’s nothing.”
“I’m just not very good.”
Arianne sat beside him.
“Does your wrist hurt because you’re not good?”
“…”
“…No.”
“It hurts because I fell yesterday.”
“And you kept training anyway?”
He laughed awkwardly.
“If I stop…”
“I’ll fall even further behind.”
Arianne quietly nodded.
She understood that feeling.
Trying to catch people who were already ahead.
It rarely ended well.
“…May I see?”
The boy hesitated.
Then slowly held out his wrist.
There was no serious injury.
Just swelling from overuse.
Arianne gently placed her hand over his wrist.
Nothing flashy happened.
Only a gentle warmth spread beneath her fingertips.
For a heartbeat…
Her burgundy hair shimmered into a soft ash-green.
The color faded almost as quickly as it appeared.
Gentle Hands activated naturally.
The boy blinked.
“…”
He stared at her for a moment.
“…Lady Arianne…”
“Hm?”
“…Did your hair just…”
Arianne’s heart skipped a beat.
“My hair?”
The boy rubbed his eyes.
“…”
“…No.”
“I must’ve imagined it.”
He looked back at his wrist.
His eyes widened.
“…The pain’s almost gone.”
“It should.”
“But don’t train with it today.”
His face immediately fell.
“I can’t.”
“The instructor will think I’m making excuses.”
“…”
Arianne looked toward the training field.
The instructor hadn’t glanced in their direction once.
He was too busy praising the best trainee.
Again…
The strongest received attention.
Everyone else disappeared into the background.
The System quietly chimed.
[Daily Objective Progress]
[Someone has taken one step forward.]
[Progress: 1/1]
Arianne smiled.
“So that’s how it works.”
Not solving someone’s entire life.
Just…
Helping them move one step.
The reward window appeared.
[Reward Received.]
[Spirit Energy 1]
“…”
“Spirit Energy?”
That was new.
Before she could inspect it…
A familiar voice called out.
“There you are.”
Arianne turned.
It was the same maid from yesterday.
She bowed respectfully.
“Lady Rowland has asked that you remain within the estate this afternoon.”
“…Why?”
“The preparations for Lady Fiona’s trip have attracted many visitors.”
“There will be unfamiliar people coming and going.”
Arianne nodded.
That made sense.
A wealthy family’s genius daughter preparing to visit the Capital would naturally attract attention.
The maid hesitated.
“…There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“The Hunter Association called.”
Arianne blinked.
“…Called?”
“Yes.”
“They’re looking for one of yesterday’s evaluators.”
“He never reported back after leaving the estate.”
Silence.
Arianne frowned.
The young evaluator.
The one with the injured hand.
“He didn’t go back?”
The maid shook her head.
“No.”
“They’ve been unable to contact him since yesterday evening.”
A strange feeling settled in Arianne’s chest.
He had been perfectly fine when he left.
So…
Where did he go?
Almost as if answering her question…
The System appeared.
[Main Quest Updated.]
Arianne’s breathing slowed.
The blue window expanded.
[The Second Seed]
[Locate the hidden potential before it disappears.]
Her emerald eyes widened.
“…”
It wasn’t talking about yesterday anymore.
A new Seed had appeared.
And this time…
It was already in danger.
Arianne stared at the quest window.
[The Second Seed]
[Locate the hidden potential before it disappears.]
“…”
Before it disappears.
Those words bothered her.
The first quest had warned that Leon’s future survival probability was only thirteen percent.
Now…
The System wasn’t even showing a location.
Just a warning.
As if…
Time was running out.
“Arianne?”
The maid looked at her curiously.
“Is something wrong?”
Arianne immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
The maid bowed before returning to the mansion.
Once she was alone again…
Arianne reopened the quest.
“No location?”
“No direction?”
“How am I supposed to find someone?”
The blue screen shimmered.
Another line slowly appeared.
[The gardener must first observe.]
“…”
“You’re doing this on purpose.”
Silence.
Of course.
The System wasn’t going to make this easy.
Arianne sighed before heading back toward the mansion.
If the Hunter Association couldn’t find the young evaluator…
Then there wasn’t much an eight-year-old girl could do.
Not yet.
As she stepped inside…
She noticed something unusual.
Several servants stood near the front entrance, whispering among themselves.
“…He disappeared?”
“I heard he never went home.”
“The Association’s been calling since this morning.”
Arianne slowed her pace.
The rumor was already spreading.
One servant lowered her voice.
“They say his phone was found.”
“…”
“But not him.”
Arianne’s heart skipped a beat.
His phone?
Found where?
Unfortunately…
The servants noticed her approaching and immediately fell silent.
“…”
There went that source of information.
She continued walking toward the library.
If she couldn’t search outside…
Then perhaps she could learn something useful inside.
The Rowland family library occupied nearly an entire wing of the mansion.
Thousands of books lined polished wooden shelves.
History.
Magic.
Monsters.
Plants.
Even Hunter Association regulations.
“…”
Now this…
Was her kind of place.
She wandered between the shelves until one particular section caught her attention.
Medicinal Plants.
Her fingers traced the spines one by one.
Eventually…
She pulled out a thick encyclopedia.
The moment she opened it—
[Growth Recognized.]
Arianne blinked.
“…Reading?”
Another notification appeared.
[Knowledge is nourishment.]
[Understanding helps potential bloom.]
“…”
She smiled.
“Even studying counts?”
Somehow…
That suited Spirit Gardener perfectly.
Unlike combat classes…
It encouraged patience.
Observation.
Learning.
She spent the next hour quietly reading.
Not memorizing everything.
Just enough to understand the basics.
How mana affected plant growth.
Why certain herbs responded to elemental energy.
How spirit-rich soil naturally accelerated recovery.
The more she read…
The more she realized something.
Spirit Gardener wasn’t simply magic.
It was…
A way of thinking.
The library doors suddenly opened.
A familiar voice interrupted the silence.
“So this is where you disappeared to.”
Arianne looked up.
Lady Rowland stood at the entrance.
“…Mother.”
Lady Rowland approached slowly.
Her expression remained as composed as ever.
“I’ve been informed that you’ve spent quite a bit of time in the gardens lately.”
“…”
Had someone been watching her?
“I’m just reading.”
“I can see that.”
Lady Rowland glanced at the open encyclopedia.
For a brief moment…
Something almost resembling surprise crossed her face.
“…Medicinal botany?”
Arianne nodded.
“I wanted to learn.”
Silence.
Then…
Lady Rowland quietly closed the book.
“If you’re going to read…”
“Read properly.”
She turned toward another shelf.
Moments later…
She returned carrying three thicker books.
Advanced Medicinal Flora.
Spirit Ecology.
Foundations of Botanical Mana Theory.
Arianne blinked.
“…”
“You…”
Lady Rowland placed the books on the table.
“You’ll only develop bad habits if you start with outdated material.”
She spoke as though discussing the weather.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Then she turned to leave.
Just before reaching the door…
She stopped.
Without looking back…
She quietly said,
“Finish those first.”
“And if you still find the subject interesting…”
“…I’ll have the librarian unlock the restricted collection.”
The door closed.
Leaving Arianne alone.
She stared at the books.
Then at the closed door.
“…”
That…
Was the longest conversation she’d ever had with Lady Rowland.
The System quietly appeared.
[Observation.]
[Even neglected soil may still contain hidden nutrients.]
Arianne laughed.
“…”
“You really do compare everything to gardening.”
For the first time…
The mansion didn’t feel quite as cold.
Not warm.
Not yet.
But perhaps…
There were still things she didn’t understand about the Rowland family.
She looked down at the three books.
Then smiled.
Maybe…
Helping others bloom…
Also meant giving them a chance to surprise you.
END OF CHAPTER 14