When I found out that the solution to my problem had been right next to me all this time, I couldn't remain indifferent.

One gold coin was enough to feed an ordinary family for two weeks.

In other words, for a commoner to find such a mushroom was like discovering a gold treasure. He could provide not only for himself, but also for his relatives for several generations to come. For the aristocrats, of course, the prices were somewhat different. But this did not change the essence of the matter.

With the help of these weeds, I could build a good business. And why did I find out about such a profitable idea only now?!

Perhaps the universe itself has blessed me. It's not enough that I was born into a noble family. So also a real gold mine turned out to be under my nose! What is it, if not a gift of fate?

According to Elisha, frosty mushrooms were considered so valuable for a reason. Not only could they cure any disease. But they were also extremely rare. It takes at least fifty years for such a mushroom to fully mature. Otherwise, an immature frosty mushroom may become not a medicine, but a poison.

It so happened that in the whole empire, frost mushrooms grew only in one place. And this forest was located in the same place as the territory of the estate of the de Walt estate.

After hunters collected and sold almost everything in pursuit of profit, frosty mushrooms became an endangered species. Then the former emperor issued a decree according to which their collection was prohibited on pain of death.

Anyone caught doing this will have their hands chopped off.

In addition, my grandfather also invented the legend of wolves to scare off unscrupulous smugglers.

Frost mushrooms were forbidden to be harvested for the next five hundred years in order to restore their population. And it was possible to violate this decree only if the emperor's own health was at risk.

That's a cunning grandfather. So he can, but everyone else can't? I decided that this was a complete injustice.

Therefore, even a loud article in the law on this issue did not stop me.

When I told Elisha about my intention to collect frosty mushrooms, she was horrified.

— My Lady, but you can't do that…!

— Why is that?

— H-how come? It's illegal…

— If we do everything quietly, no one will know.

I decided that it was necessary to act today. It was a rare chance when Yufil and my father were absent from the estate at the same time. Otherwise, the Duke will certainly punish me. If he doesn't hand it over to prison with his own hands.

To be successful, our «sortie» had to be kept secret. After that, I was going to sell frosty mushrooms on the black market and make a good fortune out of it. Well, what about it? Money doesn't smell like it.

Besides, it's been over fifty years. I was hoping that I would be able to harvest a good harvest.

Elisha tried to dissuade me from this «unreasonable» idea until the last minute. And then, when she realized that I would not give up, she took a deep breath. In any case, letting me go alone was even more dangerous. With a heavy heart, the maid decided to go with me.

After all, before the Duke and my older brother returned, we were going to do everything quickly.

Since I didn't know what frosty mushrooms were, I took the usual mushroom picking equipment with me. A basket and a penknife. I took off all my jewelry and put on simple, comfortable clothes.

— Oh!

At the very last moment, when we had already climbed over the fence and were standing in front of the entrance to the forest, the maid suddenly panicked.

— What happened?

«My Lady, I forgot to bring my gloves!»

— Gloves?

— You can't touch frosty mushrooms with your bare hands! — she explained, — Otherwise it can lead to frostbite of the limbs. We need special leather gloves.

— Oh, I see.

I nodded my head slowly.

«My Lady, please wait here. I'll go get them.»

— good.

— Don't go far away!

I sighed.

— I understand everything. You don't have to worry.

When Elisha ran back to the manor, I stood there for a while, waiting for her. But more than ten minutes had passed, and still the maid had not returned.

What took her so long?

Meanwhile, it would be dangerous to wait any longer. After all, the Duke and Yufil could come at any moment, and then I definitely won't be able to get away.

In the end, I decided to go a little further and see what this Wolf Forest is like. According to Elisha, all the stories about this place were nonsense, and there were actually no demonic beasts here.

Well, I was going to come in and make sure of it in person.

But it so happened that I managed to walk quite a bit. Pushing through the undergrowth to clear a path for myself, I almost tripped over something hard. At first I thought it was a branch.

The crunch.

I turned my head in the direction of the sound when I realized it was coming from below me.

I stared for a couple of moments, trying to make out in the semi-darkness exactly what my shoe had accidentally stepped on. And then I recognized the outline of a human hand.

— AAAAAAAAA!

Forgetting about the lady's elegance, I instinctively screamed at the whole forest like a victim.

I think I just came across someone's corpse.