Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

59  Just some weeds

"Just a little bit further," Fay's mom announced while leading our small group through the thinner parts of the forest, thus making it more of a simple walk rather than braving through the thick branches and rich vegetation. Now that we moved away from the starlight plains a bit, the flora of the forest grew a little bit thinner in general, as if deprived of some sort of power that allowed it to grow, bigger, stronger, and lusher. And yet, despite having quite a lot to think about, I couldn't help but be stuck on one, awkward realization. 'How exactly am I supposed to refer to Fay's mom?' While it wasn't a problem now and while I could wing it by not referring to her directly for a while… There was a limit to how long I could keep this small ruse up. But looking at it from another point of view… it's been already a few days since I've met that woman, even if it was still in the human fox. As such, now that some time has already passed, and now that Fay's mom was in her human form… It simply grew increasingly awkward to ask the simple question… A question that needed to be asked. "I'm sorry to ask this out of nowhere…" I hesitated a little, only to end up sticking through. Right now, with every passing moment, asking this would grow only increasingly awkward. As such, it was best to get this over with as soon as possible. "But how  exactly am I supposed to refer to you, Ma'am?" I asked, instinctively using the polite form just in case. Fay's mom looked over her shoulder without stopping, not even when her face showed just how baffled she was by my question. Yet, after a single second that seemed like an eternity, I saw her face changing, indicating I wasn't down for one hell of a lecture or mocking session. Still, just looking back at that woman's baffled face was a little bit too much for me to handle. And so, in search of respite, I reached out and grabbed Fay's hand before giving it a tight squeeze. When it came to Fay herself… she seemed to be half-amused and half-curious about the answer. "Well…" Fay's mom finally spoke out, her baffled look giving way to a slightly more serious one. " Thinking about it, I would impose on you quite a bit by having you call me mother," she spoke, her expression softening even further and even giving rise to a small, pitying smile. Seeing that smile, though…

Fay's mom ended up taking a liking to the same late-night dress I saw her wear yesterday. And from the looks of things, she had no plans of changing away from it. For now, though, that made her into one hell of a sexy, mature beauty that now smiled back at me, right as I was at my weakest. Unable to handle the pressure, I tightened my hand over Fay's fingers yet again. Satisfied with my reaction to her face, Fay's mom turned her eyes back to the road. "I'm sorry, but I can't give you the honors of actually giving me a name. I'm not going to force you to call me mother either," the woman spoke, not bothering to grace me with her look again. "So, just not to make things complicated, you can keep calling me Ma'am or Madam."

That was indeed the best solution to this slight problem, even if it cemented our relationship to be quite distant. But I couldn't expect a complete stranger to suddenly accept me for a son and instantly fall in filial love with me?

"Yes, thank you," I replied respectfully while bowing my head, even though Madam couldn't see it. "Sorry for asking so late," I then added, just to be safe. Now that Fay was my woman, I dreaded the very idea of getting on bad terms with her mother. Madam, on the other hand, simply shook her head and rolled her eyes. And before she could express her amusement any further, her body froze for but an instant. Then, a smile grew up on her lips, one so wide I could see it even while walking behind. "We are almost there," Madam claimed before hurrying her steps, now walking with renewed confidence as if she just confirmed something important. Yet, by the time I took a single step and averted my eyes from Madam's presentable bottom, my eyes were drawn to a seemingly ordinary plant growing to the side. "Excuse me, but what are those?" I asked, pointing my hand at the herb that I noticed. And I noticed it not because of some kind of instinct or my wisdom finally acting up and proving not to be just an attribute to dump my spare points on. It was all because I suddenly saw a system window pop out right above that plant, indicating it was likely related to my quest, somehow!

"Ah, those?" Madam turned her head, curiosity brimming in her eyes… Only to die out when she saw what I was pointing my hand at. "Just some wild weeds," she spoke in a disappointed voice while shrugging her shoulders. "Just ignore them," she spoke while rolling her eyes and picking up the pace. 'Well, I can always come back here later,' I thought, opting to follow the guide of the local. And in a mere moment, we finally left the forest undergrowth and walked out into a sizeable clearing… Clearing that was fully covered in beautiful flowers. In the middle of the clearing, there was a small mud hut, its earthen walls covered in grass. Surrounding it, there was an array of particularly beautiful and impressive flowers. "Like I said before, I know some of the herbs around," Madam spoke, referring to her answer to my question about herbs from before. "But if you want to learn more about herbs, there is no better place to learn from but at the source," she added, only to turn towards the hut and gently wave her hand… At the person who stood right outside of the hut, somehow perfectly blending into the backdrop. "Meet Leinei, the divine dryad of the celestial forest."

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