Chapter 20: Pinal Fruit

Since we’ve decided to head to the spirit village, Tina and I went back to the house once, arranged the clothes to pack fast, and went to set off from the pioneering village right away.

Serving as the pathfinder, Chloe the blonde-haired blue-eyed elf is guiding us. We don’t use horse carriages. The spirit village seems to be further away deeper into the forest that we’re currently reclaiming, there’s no open path leading us there.

Both Tina and I can strengthen our physical abilities with mana, so it’s faster to run.

“Slow down a bit? Kurt and Tina can both follow me?”

Running ahead, Chloe’s question comes for us.

“I’m fine. Tina, you’re fine too, right?”
“Yes, I can take it easy since I’m right behind Kurt-sama.”

Tina responds cheerfully. She has been perfectly sticking to my back since earlier.

If we increase the speed, the air resistance will also intensify. For example, countering the air resistance in 40 kmh speed will consume half of existing kinetic energy. Tina uses me as a windbreaker and suppresses her physical strength consumption.

“How about you, Chloe? Honestly, you collapsed not too long ago, I’m still worried.”
“Worried, thank you. But, I’m okay. Milk porridge that Tina made was delicious, and being in the forest makes elves healthy.”

I bitterly smile. I can see that already by how powerful her legs look like.

All of the elves possess mana, almost without exception, plus, they seem to have grown accustomed with it. Really, their mana utilization is superior, of course her energy consumption is minimum with that.

The three of us run past the forest.

Albeit not better than the elf, Tina and I have become familiar with the forest. Getting tired isn’t an issue at all. If I actually brought Faruno, our speed would be largely crippled.

After running for a while, Chloe reaches her knapsack and takes out a round fruit of a pale red color.

“Tiring, right? Plenty rehydrate with nutrition. If you eat this, your tiredness will fly away.”

I receive the fruit and pass it to Tina. As I do so, Chloe takes out another one.

Chloe bites into the delicious looking fruit. No matter how I look at it, the fruit with that sweet scent can only be peach.

“I sincerely thank you. You actually brought more food, so how could you collapse like that before?”
“This, I brought to exchange with the medicine. What can make humans happy from the spirit village, I can only think about this pinal (ピナル) fruit. I thought about eating them so many times, but I didn’t. The part that I eat, will take away more medicine from my people, I’m scared.”

Chloe shows a complicated smile.

So there’s that kind of issue. This girl has a screw loose, but she’s definitely a good girl.

I sink my teeth into this pinal fruit that I can’t differentiate from peach. It really gives off the scent so sweet that I’m at my limit.

Inside my mouth, sweet and sour flavors start to spread.

The biting sensation feels so pleasant. The plumpness that bounces back at my teeth….. when I break it, the fruit juice splashes and fills my mouth. The flavor of pinal fruit pervades my tired body.

What a nostalgic taste. It’s very similar to the breed of peach that I grew in my house of my previous life, the Hakuho breed that’s called to be the most superior among all the peaches.

The flesh is delicate, while there are more than plenty juice. Strongly sweet and mildly sour. The juice is dripping, gushing forth the moment you eat it. With this, I could probably make a specialty pastry. In my previous world, the pastry that crowned me a winner in so many concours that I participated in was a western pastry made from the fruit from my hometown mountain.

If I have this pinal fruit, I can make it again.

“How? Delicious?”

Chloe turns around with unconcealed pride.

“It’s the best fruit. I’ve never tasted a fruit this delicious in this world.”

I want to talk back a little to her, but after eating a fruit this wonderful, I can only earnestly give my full approval.

Turning around, I see that Tina also has the fruit juice dripping from the corner of her mouth, but she’s not discouraged from licking them. It seems that she utterly likes it.

Tina notices that I’m watching, then her face turns red while she hides her hand behind her back. If she’s that pleased with the raw ingredient, there’s no need for a pastry chef, is there? Inside my heart, I swear to make a pastry with this pinal fruit that will definitely be more delicious than the raw ingredient next time.

“This pinal, I grew it.” Chloe stands elatedly.

I’ve heard the stories about how good the fruits grown by the elves were, but I didn’t think it would be this much.

At any rate, fruits from Earth are works of art that become gradually more delicious after accumulating selective breeding for decades. The fruits in this world lack something. And yet, the pinal fruit that Chloe gave to us can rival the fruits back on Earth. For the sake of obtaining this fruit, I will do anything.

“So it’s made by Chloe. It’s amazing. Is there any other fruit?”
“Un, there are. We pick a lot of paples (パプル), I think.”
“What kind of fruit is that?”
“Uhm, let’s see, a lot of small fruits wrapped in purple skin. You can see green flesh if you peel the skin.”

From that description, it has to be grapes. Peaches, and grapes. For me, the resident of Yamanashi prefecture in my previous life, both of them can be said to be my soul food. My anticipation is rising up.

“Chloe, if I can settle the epidemic, will you be able to gather a tenth of one year’s worth of fruits in the spirt village?”

Just in case, I blow the condition out of proportion, under the assumption that the condition will be rejected. It’s better to obtain a continuous supply, if possible. Even a tenth of the harvest is an overcharge, though, as expected.

“Un, I can. It’s good that way! The head will give the final decision, but it’s not a problem at all!”
“……Hold on a second. I think you just blurted out something ridiculous.”
“You think so? The spirit village always has too many to eat, so about 3 out of 10 will be turned into fertilizer. If it’s just a tenth, no problem. You’re helping us, after all.”

Chloe talks indifferently.

Turning 30% of these incredible fruits into fertilizer!? How outrageous. I realized that I lost too. If I knew that, I’d haggle 30% worth out of them from the start.

While thinking so, we continue our journey to the spirit village.

☘

We camp out because the sun has started to sink. From Chloe’s story, if we continue to travel early in the morning, we’ll reach the village by tomorrow evening. A two-day trip by using mana. I’m surprised by how close it is without ever realizing it before.

It should be caused by the undeveloped land. If we continue the reclamation for years, maybe we’ll notice it by ourselves.

I’m boiling water above the campfire. No matter how much we’re used to it, the forest at night is still scary. Moreover, we’ve expended our mana and we can’t rely on merely our stamina. We’ll recover once we properly rest.

“Water magic arte, it’s convenient.”
“From my side, earth and fire magic artes are convenient too, though.”

Tina made the campfire with her fire magic arte, while I used my earth magic arte to make an improvised stone pot, continued by Chloe using her water magic arte to fill it.

With magic artes of Fire・Earth・Water elements in our hands, there’s generally nothing we can’t do.

“Are there many Water attribute users among the elves?”
“We’re split in half between Water and Wind. On the opposite, the lunars (ルナール) are mostly Fire, and sometimes Earth, I think?”
“Lunars?”
“In the spirit village, we call fox-eared folks by lunar. Like Tina.”

In human villages, all people born with animal ears and tails are collectively called beastkin. It’s the first time I meet with the lunar term.

“Are there any other folks beside elves and lunars?”
“Un, plenty. Bunnifas with rabbit ears, Cobals the dogs. The spirit village is a gathering of various races outside humans.”
“Outside humans, huh…”
“Because humans take away the land and lives of other races. Can’t live together. Yes, I’m telling you. Maybe there are more people now who hate humans because Culrina-anesama eloped with the collapsed human she nursed.”

I perfectly grasp what she implies. Whether for good or bad reasons, humans are greedy. I’m also interested in the first half of her words.

“Tina’s father has gone to the spirit village before?”
“Un, when I was small, Culrina-anesama picked up a human who collapsed in the forest. I remember because he told Culrina-anesama and me a lot of things about the outside. There were opinions that we couldn’t let the news about the spirit village leak out so we should kill him, but Culrina-anesama defended him, allowing him to stay in the village under the condition that he wouldn’t tell anything about the spirit village to anyone.”

So that kind of thing happened. I wonder what kind of job Tina’s father did back then. Tina’s upbringing is good. I can tell from her vocabulary and gesture. If both parents weren’t similar, they couldn’t raise her this way.

“Don’t tell me, I cannot get out of the spirit village once I step in?”
“Normally, yes. But, this is an emergency. I guarantee your safety.”

I’m relieved, then. For a second there, I was concerned of getting the worst outcome.

“If there’s anyone in danger, Tina is, more than Kurt.”
“Eh?”

Tina turns around from the campfire’s direction.

“I’m in danger? Could it be because I’m a half human?”
“That is not the issue. Halves will only inherit the traits of one of the parents, so Tina is a full lunar. But, Tina is Culrina-anesama’s daughter, so that person will…”

After going that far, Chloe stops.

“You have my full attention, so I wish you’ll continue the topic.”
“O-oh well, that’s, what happens, happens.”

Chloe becomes ambiguous.

I can imagine it, though. Most likely, it’s an issue from Tina’s blood family. There’s a possibility that they will detain Tina.

“Kurt-sama.”

Tina lifts her head to me, gripping the hem of her clothes.

“It’s all right.”

I rub her head, enjoying the soft feel of her hair and fox ears. When that time comes, I’ll leave it to them. If Tina chooses me, I will take her away no matter what, but if she chooses to be in the spirit village with her kin and blood relatives, I will send her there.

I love Tina, so separating from her is lonesome. However, I don’t have any intention to disregard her feelings. Besides, even if she chooses the spirit village, I can still see her around.

The night blankets down like that. Finally, we’ll reach the spirit village tomorrow. Meeting new fruits, the battle with the disease, Tina’s reunion with her blood relatives.

Each one of us with our expectations of the spirit village.

Credits:

Isecai’s Notes:

Remember the three terms about magic used in this series?

魔力, maryoku, is translated as mana.

魔術, majutsu, is translated as magic skills before (I think. I’m going to have to reread my translation.) But due to the fact that there are more of it mentioned here, I’m going to change the translation into “Magic Arte” or just “Arte” so that it won’t be confused with the third category.

魔法, mahou, is simply Magic. Actually, it’s the rarest form of magic usage in this series (Kurt’s Heal) so I wonder if I should translate it as Arcane or something more fancy. If you have suggestion, I’ll welcome it with open arms.

….And now, to look back at how many times that majutsu appears in this series from the beginning. I’m going to cry now.

Also, the most delicious looking picture I found of Hakuho peach is an ad, so I’ll just add it here lmao: