The mansion they reached was at a clearing on the outer parts of the city. It was surrounded by lush green gardens while having a grand architecture of its own. The shingles that lined the walls of the mansion each had fine engravings, making the mansion look to be straight out of a fairy tale.
'Is she a noble?' Arthur wondered as he was pushed out of the wagon. A demi-goat in formal clothing came over and talked to the woman from before. 'Even this world has butlers.'
The butler looked at him and the middle-aged man with a frown. He flicked his goatee in pondering as the woman slapped his shoulder with a laugh. With a sigh, the man nodded.
"Ista!" The butler barked after the women went into the mansion. Judging by his gestures, Arthur thought he must be calling out for him. Thus, he followed after the butler and the middle-aged knight.
He was taken to a set of barracks where the middle-aged man was left. The butler pointed at Arthur and gestured to follow after him. Arthur was then taken toward the inner grounds of the castle until he reached a plaza where a giant garden was located.
As he entered the garden, Arthur was amazed by how much mana it produced. This place was comparable to Jerano, but he couldn't make use of that at the moment.
The man pointed toward the gardens and began talking for a long time. Arthur was wondering how he should tell the butler that he didn't understand anything.
"Ra?!" The butler shouted and Arthur flinched. Seeing him unresponsive, the butler twirled his finger and touched Arthur's head.
"Are you a lost one?" Suddenly, Arthur was able to understand what the man was saying. He used a word similar to the one the middle-aged man used: Verniz. Arthur now understood that it meant 'Lost One.'
However, understanding was different than talking. The butler looked annoyed as he continued talking.
"Use your head to answer. Can you talk the Ala language?" Arthur shook his head and the man sighed, exasperated. "So, you're a 'Lost One' as I expected. The Lady picked up a troublesome one..."
"Listen." The butler raised a finger. "The lady thinks you should tend to this garden. Supply it with mana crystals and water, make sure to do it regularly. If you spot any abnormalities, come to me. You can sleep in that cottage over there. If you steal anything, we'll kill you. Understood?"
Arthur nodded hurriedly and the butler kept talking. Arthur enjoyed that he was able to understand. However, the skill that the man used suddenly vanished and Arthur fell back into ignorance.
"Sakal!" The butler sighed and pointed toward the garden as if that was all that Arthur needed to know. Under the butler's eyes, Arthur headed toward the garden and went toward the cottage on the side.
It was a small room, barely enough for Arthur to sleep in. Many shelves lined it and there were many tools and materials. Arthur picked up the watering can and went toward the garden.
There was a gravel trail in the middle of it with plants on both sides. There were herbs, flowers, and a few trees. Arthur had to use the gravel path to reach every one of them.
As he began to water the plants, the afternoon sun slowly went over his head. To put it simply, Arthur had no idea what he was doing.
He was watering when he found a withering plant. Arthur frowned and hoped he wouldn't be held responsible for this. As much as he wanted to escape, he couldn't do anything while he could barely walk.
He held the plan and looked for any worms or parasites that could kill it. As his hand touched the small plant, Arthur felt it move and cling to his skin.
Before he could pull away from his hand, someone grabbed it and allowed the plant to cling to it. Arthur turned to see the snake woman holding his wrist while studying the plant closely.
"Saran," She gestured with her head for Arthur to look at the plant. As he looked at it, he saw the withered leaves turn from black to lush green as they clung to his skin.
'Is it... benefiting from the residue of the creation mana?' Arthur's eyes widened as he came to the only explanation for this phenomenon.
The woman pulled away from his hand and studied. It was calloused under years of digging and menial work. She studied his hand so closely that Arthur could feel her breath. She then sniffed.
"Iv Seika la Vega." Her eyes were filled with amazement and joy, despite looking like the eyes of a predator for Arthur. However, he didn't miss the joy in them. As long as she saw him as useful, she wouldn't hurt him.
That was his thought process until she bit on his finger, drawing out blood. Before Arthur could say anything, her long tongue licked his blood and her body trembled.
'O... kay? Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?' Arthur blinked as the woman closed her eyes, savoring the taste with a blissful expression.
Arthur used this chance to pull away his arm and the woman snapped out of her daze. She looked at him with a frown before using the same skill as the butler.
"Give me your hand." She demanded with a scowl. However, Arthur shook his head. What if she bit his arm off? "I'm not going to hurt you."
Arthur found that was hard to believe, and he conveyed that through his reluctance. The woman sighed, at last, looking very much like a human for a moment, and stood up.
"You are one of the Loved by Stars." She said, the words being Seika la Vega. "You bring life to everything you touch; you should use that to escape your fate. Offer me your blood and I'll take care of you."