Chapter 21: Kudzu and The Meeting

We continued our journey early in the morning. We ate pinal fruit for breakfast. I feel energetic after eating one. We slip a lunchtime in, this time it is my turn to treat them with a handmade instant soup dissolved with water, with crackers boiled into it. Chloe is really into it.

Due to the war, there’s a high demand tendency for preserved foods. I’ve been considering to make this a specialty product, along with pastries.

Then, true to Chloe’s words, we reach our destination before evening.

“So this is the spirit village.”

The spirit village is located in an open space very deep in the forest. It’s encircled by wooden fences, and on the outer circle of lines of wooden houses , there are orchards thriving about. There’s a unique outstanding clear stream canal, while around the canal, lush plants with large leaves grow in abundance. Those plants are hanging around the fences or wrapping around the trees, exuding a sweet smell and producing light pink flowers.

If I’m not mistaken… I pick the grass, overcome with faint anticipation.

“As I thought, it’s kudzu. So even this kind of thing is grown here. Moreover, it’s grown well. Without the cleanest water, it won’t be able to turn out like this.”

What a superb kudzu. Kudzu has a deep connection that can’t be severed from pastries. It’s famous as the ingredient for Japanese confectionery from time immemorial, but recently, the wondrous trait of this plant has been widely known and used in western pastries as well.

Agar and gelatin is separated by its “hardening” or “not hardening” use, but kudzu starch can delicately change its hardness according to the water portion added. It’s a complete freedom to choose from springy texture similar to mizu mochi and goma dofu to soft and velvety jelly. On top of that, the taste won’t become muddy at all. Furthermore, when making cakes, it can be used as a substitute for wheat flour. If I use this, I can create an appealing mouthfeel texture.

“Un? That weed? It can clog up the water, so we trim them regularly. The flowers are pretty and it smells nice, but since it’s growing on its own, it’s a nuisance we’ve been troubled with.”

However, in contrast with my high spirit, Chloe the elf oddly tilts her head.

“Kudzu is a weed!?”

Kudzu is an extremely useful plant that can be used in food, as medicine, and for feeding the horses and goats. It’s to the extent that I want to bring it and grow it in Arnold fief.

……Ah, no, it should be impossible. To grow them, a large amount of pure water is needed. In the Arnold fief, it will only die.

“So human is changing. Wanting that kind of thing, you can just pick as much as you like and bring it home.”
“I thank you beforehand.”

I decide to bring them home as much as possible. With these superb kudzu, I’ll be able to get naturally great kudzu starch. Since they’ll be heavy, I should make the starch in this village before going home. Fresh kudzu is bulky after all, so I don’t have any other choice.

“Then, from here, I’ll bring you to Colt-ojisa… Cough, to the head. I’ll warn you that he’s a bit hard to please.”

With that, we enter the village while following Chloe.

☘

“Chloe, so you’re safe and well!”
“You said that you were going to a human village, so we were really worried about you.”

When Chloe enters the village, the elves and beastkin call her out one after another. It seems that she’s a popular one here.

“I’m sorry to make everyone worried. But, thanks to that, I’ve returned with a human doctor.”

When she says that, many head turns at me. Being at the receiving end of such excessive attention, I feel uncomfortable.

“I came as the doctor, Kurt. I’ll be troubling you for a short while.”

Or so the greeting goes, but I feel the distance already. They don’t really welcome humans, it seems. I’ve been warned though, so I don’t feel discouraged.

“Everyone, don’t make those faces. He’s the human doctor that I brought back after much hardship. Please.”

Even with Chloe’s desperate plea to amend the situation, the reaction from the surrounding crowd doesn’t change.

“But, Chloe, the one you brought here is a human.”
“Elder told us not to have anything to do with humans.”
“That’s right. If we just wait a bit longer the village shaman can pray the sickness to go away..”

One by one, the residents of the spirit village voice their objections.

Seeing them, Chloe’s voice turns thick with anger.

“What things are you saying!? We couldn’t do anything by ourselves, so we could only ask for help from humans. It’s a sickness, can’t you see? Nothing will change by praying! If we have that much free time, we should cook something that will make the sick people healthy, we should encourage them!”

That’s the most natural thing to do, but I can’t tell them those words. I tap Chloe’s shoulder instead.

“I don’t put that in my mind, it’s okay. More importantly, we should hurry and go to the head’s place, remember?”
“Sorry, even though you’ve been troubled by coming here.”
“I’ve predicted this much at least, it’s okay.”

With that, we continue walking under the stares of the surrounding crowd. The interesting part is that Tina keeps receiving a different kind of showering stares than mine. The villagers’ eyes show astonishment and endearment. They seem to want to call Tina over, but since she makes herself small behind me while gripping the hem of her clothes, they hesitate to do so.

Just what exact kind of existence was Tina’s mother to this village?

☘

We are guided towards a large one-floored wooden building in the village. It’s obviously befitting of the village head’s building.

“Colt-ojisa…. cough, the head lives here. Wait a moment, okay?”

Chloe knocks on the door. Then, the door opens. There’s a female elf. She seems to be in her twenties.

“Chloe, what are you coming here today for?”
“Farina-san. I have two people whom I’d like to bring to the head. Would you please call him for me?”
“That’s not a problem, but,”

Saying that, the female elf looks at me and lets out a faint shriek. After that, she looks at Tina, and her eyes go open wide. She looks flustered as she goes inside the establishment.

Dozens of minutes later, we can hear thudding sound of quite lively footsteps. The one who shows up is a silver-haired fox-eared male who looks around 35 years old. He has a sturdy body and seems to possess an odd presence.

The moment he lays his eyes upon Tina, he smiles with tears running down his face.

“Culrina, you have finally come home, haven’t you, Culrina?”

Then, he turns and rushes over to Tina’s side.

Tina lets out a small “hii” sound and hides behind my back.

But that still doesn’t stop the man.

“I was lonely, I was truly lonely. Finally you have returned to Papa’s place. It must have been hard on you to go out of the village, right? Right now, you should get plenty of rest.”

He’s wailing while hugging not Tina, but me.

It’s quite uncomfortable.

“The struggle must have been hard on you, to become all muscles like this…… wait, what kind of hardship could, this is…”

After a while, it seems like he finally realizes that Tina isn’t the one he’s currently hugging.

“Uhm, nice to meet you. I’m Kurt, a human. I came here to heed Chloe’s call.”

When I said that, the man before my eyes shoves himself away. Then, after wearing a terribly disappointed face, he turns serious.

“This is truly impolite. Human…… no, Kurt. Talk later. There’s an urgent matter that I need to address now.”

I was certain that he would have lashed out, but he unexpectedly became calm instead. Then his gaze is locked on Tina for the second time.

“Culrinaaaaaaaaa!”

Then he rushes for the second time.

This time, Chloe opens her arms and stands to block him in front of Tina.

“Colt-ojisan, stop! This girl is a spitting image of Culrina-anesama, but they’re different people.”

As soon as Colt hears that, he hits the brake. His face is frigid, due to the extreme shock, his silver fox ears are flattening. It’s the same as Tina’s depressed look, but he looks like on the verge of a smile.

“But, no matter how I see her”
“She’s Tina. Culrina-anesama’s daughter.”

The moment he hears Chloe’s words, he’s showing a disappointed yet happy face, a complicated expression.

“I see, you’re not Culrina. But, her daughter. …… Has it been that long?”

The words he spit out are full of bitterness. I could tell what kind of person he is from the development so far. Silver ears, the same as Tina’s. Then, the adoring words for Culrina the moment he thought she had come back home.

Most likely, he’s Tina’s grandfather.

He looks only as old as 35, but beastkin’s age cannot be predicted by how old they look.

Until 15 or 16, they grow even faster than humans, but after that, it’s a slow growth for them. Their lifespan is the same as humans, but their unique trait is that they look young until they die. In reality, Tina’s grandfather should be close to fifty years old, but he looks young.

“Once again, let me introduce myself. I’m Kurt. As a doctor, I came to the spirit village for the sake of healing the epidemic upon Chloe’s request. And this girl is Tina. She’s my assistant.”

Because the situation has calmed down, I do another introduction.

Colt, Tina’s grandfather, inhales deeply to calm down further before speaking.

“I am Colt, head of the spirit village. Thank you for specially coming to this village. Then, I’m deeply grateful to you for bringing my granddaughter here. Let’s talk more inside the house. There are a lot of things that I wish to hear about.”

With that, we are invited to enter the house of the head of the spirit village, Tina’s grandfather.