Aletha returned nearly an hour after she left, and she came carrying her companion, charge, or whatever was the princess-carried woman to her.

My priority should have been to help or maybe check the carried person, but in truth, the first thing I noticed was the lack of the strange voulge-like weapon I had seen before, exchanged for a short sword hanging from her belt.

Only after she laid the young woman on a blanket taken out of the wagon and placed next to the fire I started in her absence did I actually check on the new member of the sleeping corps.

{Holy ponies!} I managed to keep a calm face, more-or-less, but my mind nearly blanked out. Such numbers, and even excluding the average, the stats went and went.

In the end, I concentrated only on the numbers above... 15!

Such threshold is considered something as the master level, according to what I learned from Sepyre before arriving in this world.

And yes, I will never be sure why I thought ponies in place of anything, like anything else.

NAME (AS SEEN BY ME) LEVEL (IF APPLIES) (SKILLS ONLY ABOVE 15!) Baroness, Kingdom of Neverc. - Education 19 Economics 18 State 21 Mapping 22 Identification 25 Being's Lore (Beasts and Monsters) 23 Student 17 Memorization 18 Critical Thinking 20 Nature 16 Spirit 26 Mana Sense 20 Crystalsmith 15 Magic Implements 25 Investigation - Logic - Uncommon Knowledge - Master of Many - Knowledgeable Magician - BASIC CURRENT/MAX Mana 0/0 Stamina 0/100% Magical Affinity 1/1 Afflictions: ???

Just... who or what the hell is she?!

A scholar? Researcher?

A mage with no magic schools or mana?

Magic implements?

That three talents, the same as mine? Knowledgeable Magician, I have the same title, it's being versed in mage lore, but, she did not hide it? As for Master of Many, could it be something like a Jack of all Trades v2?

And, wait, Baroness, but crossed out? First time I see something like that!

My mana sense also tingled as I looked at the young woman, not older than 20 years, which meant she was carrying at least something magical. Maybe that was the reason for her zeroed mana? After all, from what I know and confirmed with Angelique's stats, [Magical Affinity] basically implied having at least one mana point and the ability to sense mana, called [Mana Sense]. Well, the latter was present, and trained as well, still, 0 mana?!

{Anyway, time to stop being frozen like this. Aletha is already wondering what is going on. Thankfully not asking, but it is time to move on to the issues at hand.} Thinking like that, I stopped worrying about the new sleeping beauty and the surprising [Status Screen] I just saw.

I pointed Aletha towards the fire while organizing some food (pieces of grilled sausages with an attempt at a veggie sauce from my cooking spree) and a couple of cups (filled with an unknown wine from the barrel Weral had opened earlier).

"So, Lady... No, Aletha, can you explain what is going on? Why are you two here? And, do you know any methods to end this?"

_______

For the first part of the explanation, Aletha was pretty concise, so I will simply [Record] the main points I learned.

The [Tr'axt Tree] is a magical tree that grows up in random places of the world by itself. Such trees are precious, as the surroundings from where they grew up will end with excellent weather and a notable lack of natural disasters. This latter effect comes from the natural attraction and pacification for all spirits, including the paranormal or natural ones. This boon starts as soon as the sapling emerges, but Aletha isn't aware of the actual reasons. A mature tree always houses a spirit, which would be the one responsible for the calming effect from some point in the tree's growth. Once in a while, about twice per decade, the [Tr'axt Tree] bears a single fruit, during what is called the [Tr'axt Tree's Blossom] period. An interesting fact was that the flower grew on the fruit itself, after it appeared, and not the opposite, as in any other, normal flora. The [Blossom Period] protects the tree until the point the fruit and flower both dry up by sending a mix of sleeping and calming breezes. About one in a thousand people will innately resist the effect, but some spells and treasures can allow the user to approach as well. Usually, even though Aletha wasn't sure of it, the blossoming period would be noticed by local mages beforehand as it would absorb an enormous amount of mana from the surroundings. The tree's fruit is considered a magical treasure. And if one got it before it dried, the blossoming period would end, the tree returning to normal.

Of the not-good points she mentioned, there were two;

Magical beasts, and most animals as well, can awaken mid-blossoming. The period can go for several weeks.

_______

As I finished hearing the explanation, a new question arose. And I immediately asked it, "But if the trees are so precious, would not every decently connected or established mage know about them?"

"Yes, they would. And in fact, my companion told me that all such trees are sought and then mapped. Both by the mage towers and the guild. After all, the fruit is precious, though I do not know why exactly." She nodded in response and explained.

After a short pause, she answered before I could ask the logical follow-up, "Estyr was very happy to find one seemingly uncharted, as it means a good reward and the opportunity to request nearly any service from the Mage Guild."

"Hmm? But why did she think the tree is not on the map you mentioned?" {So her companion's name is Estyr, huh?}

"Well, she said that mages always put a barrier around the trees, so their blossoming period does not affect the surroundings. So, no barrier means the obvious the mages don't know. And considering how it impacts a Kingdom's road, I can not doubt her line of thought." Washing down one of the sausages with wine, Aletha clarified.

"Sounds right. Okay, I got the part about the [Tr'axt Tree], now can we do something about it?"

"Mmm, well, acting on the part that mages should be able to interact with it, I was trying to find someone awake without leaving Estyr alone for much time, send them to Bigradh to seek assistance." Aletha answered, but before I spoke up, she quickly added, "I did not expect to find a mage on the road, though. So, now, maybe you could free all of us? Obviously, while I stay and look after the wagon and our companions."

"Ehh, about that..." Well, no need to play the mystic sage here, so I revealed to Aletha that I was an untrained mage, basically someone with no idea about magic except some basic stuff like utility spells.

But before I could add that there was no way for me to solve the situation, Aletha intercepted me as I continued unto the part of still needing to go and find someone else. "I am unsure what you have to do, but I doubt it will be challenging. Before falling asleep entirely, Estyr only lamented no one of us had mana to feed the tree's spirit, whatever that could mean."

"Mana? I see, but how? What to do? I mean, it's not like having mana or being a mage directly gives you knowledge." {And why is she being so pushy? She wants me to go and solve it right now. Hell, she even already decided it!}

"Well, you should go and see." In place of anything else, she just brushed my objections off.

"Leave the Guild's people and merchandise here? Under your care?" I motioned towards the wagon.

"Why not? I am no bandit or else but a soldier. The tree is a short walk from here, and if you find no way to solve all this, then we can decide who goes to Bigradh, can't we?" She continued pushing me toward going, and I started feeling that something wasn't right about the situation.

_______

So, what to do?

Go?

Not go?

Make Aletha take her companion and go away?

And such questions and doubts weren't the only ones in my mind at that moment. There was also the point that Aletha avoided giving any information about herself, Estyr, their task, or anything related.

Hell, even her companion's name apparently escaped her lips during the talk by mistake. She did not tell it right away after all!

Without mentioning that they clearly had some base or camp nearby while Aletha did not say anything either, even refused when I offered to accompany her.

Oh, how I wish for a divine being (Sepyre, you hear me?) to illuminate me with the wisdom to decide what to do!

Regretfully, I had no one to ask except myself about how to respond to Aletha's pushing. And while I felt her behavior odd, my curiosity was piqued by the fruit, the part of it being a treasure for mages.

Well, if she wanted to assault, kill, or do something like that, she would just have attacked me when I dropped my guard. Estyr is under the same effect as Weral and Aison, so maybe I should?

And I wonder, will the ??? affliction change now that I know what we are dealing with?

Afflictions: Tr'axt Tree Blossom, Spiritual, Resisted.

Oh, it did, for me, and... for the others as well. So all [Status Screen] things are based on what I know at the moment? Then why do I see some skills I haven't heard about? Haa, I wish I could ask someone.

_______

After inwardly deciding that I would go, there was just one thing to clarify. Why the hell she and Estyre were in the wilderness. And if the answer was vague, or Aletha tried to brush it off, I could also not go and search for some other way. Oh yes, like storing the wagon and then somehow carrying the guys out of the zone of effect? Hah!

"I see. There is no harm in going as you say. But before that, I want to hear the answer to one of my previous questions." I looked straight at the woman in front, displaying that the answer would be decisive.

"Well, damned I will be." She suddenly shrugged and then even more unexpectedly sighed before answering, "Estyr is a bit of a touchy subject, and I can not reveal much about her. The point is that I accepted to guard her while she worked on some study of hers. We were planning to go to Churg, and from there towards some new mine nearby. But, she forced me to camp near here, in a bet to meet up with someone of the [Rophe'Graz] tribe."

After confirming that I was still waiting for her to finish explaining, Aletha sighed again, "From there, the story is simple. We set up a camp a step from the road and started looking around, waiting for the demis' to arrive. Four days ago, Estyr found the [Tr'axt Tree] and was so infatuated with it that she spent nearly the entire night near it. Then, well, all this started. Gods, I never could have believed that fruit the size of a human head can pop up in a single moment!"

"In a single moment?" I could not believe it either, forcing me to confirm.

"Yes, I swear I took my eyes for a second, and on the next one, that big round thing was hanging from one of the branches. Estyr said we should move away quickly, but we only made about a hundred steps for the moment it blossomed, and she fell asleep." Aletha shook her head but forced out a smile.

A few seconds later, she continued, "From that moment on, as I told you, I just looked after her, feeding and caring the best I could, as the main danger of the [Blossoming] is that a person is truly asleep, and time passes as normal for them. Meaning, food, bath, and everything else is still needed."

"I... see. Let me take care of my companions, and you will show me the way towards the tree." After listening to her and watching her closely for unusual reactions, I could only conclude that she was telling me the truth.

Thus, it looks like it's time to go and look at the magic tree. Well, after forcing some food and drink down the throats of a dwarf and a bandit-looking secret [Royal Hound].