Chapter 177: Food culture and the “young lady”
Treatment with Eins went smoothly, and according to his assessment, the patient would recover without any lasting complications if he let it rest. The islanders showered Eins with heartfelt words of gratitude.
Surprisingly, the islanders expressed their gratitude to me as well. As someone they had just met and a “mutant” being, as some on the continent would mockingly call me, it was quite unexpected that they lowered their heads in gratitude. I had only received such gratitude before from my close friends and a handful of people like Marcellus. I found myself confused before I could even feel joy.
To make matters more intriguing, the islanders who considered themselves indebted to their saviors brought Eins and me to one of their homes. Eins politely refused, saying that he was supposed to have dinner at Aiwass’s mansion, but he couldn’t refuse their request for at least a cup of tea.
“When ya stuck that stinger all of a sudden, I gotta admit, I got a bit scared, but it turned out to be a fine move, ya know. Can ya actually tweak the strength of that poison?”
“Yeah, after all, if it was such a weak poison, I couldn’t take down that whale… I believe it was called the Sea Emperor Whale?”
“Haah, quite the skillful one.”
While sipping on the warm, fragrant tea, Eins appeared quite intrigued as he gazed at my tail. Much like him, the islanders also looked at my tail with clear fascination. Even the children seemed curious about having organs they didn’t possess.
I was particularly astonished by Eins’s ability to consume regular food like a normal person. It might sound like a rude thing to say, but I thought it was impossible for him to eat in the normal sense of the word.
Leaving that aside, while I had faced curious glances on the Enzo continent, the gazes directed at me here were not as unpleasant. The reason for this was undoubtedly the emotions that accompanied the curiosity.
In the Empire and other places, curiosity was often mingled with contempt, aversion, fear, and other negative sentiments. However, the islanders did not exhibit such negativity. Instead, I even felt a sense of goodwill from them. Just as Aiwass had mentioned, I realized that this island was most likely a comfortable place for me.
However, this did not waver my determination to return to the Enzo continent. On the contrary, my desire to reunite with my comrades has only grown stronger since my awakening.
“When it comes to being skilled, you’re no different, right? You’re skilled in healing, but judging from your demeanor, I’d bet you can handle combat as well.”
“Well, I’m a jack of all trades, ya see.”
“A jack of all trades?”
“Yeah. Bein’ like us luminous crystalline life forms, ya see, we end up takin’ on the form we wanted as we grow.”
While the islanders brought tea snacks, Eins shared some insights into the ecology of the luminous crystalline life forms. He explained that they were born with crystalline bodies created through Aiwass’s secret arts, and their souls were similarly crafted and placed within these bodies.
At birth, they appeared to be nothing more than fist-sized crystal orbs. As they grew, they observed, heard, and sensed various things, shaping themselves into a form befitting their most intriguing interests.
“I was the most interested in bein’ ‘human’ than anyone else, so I turned into a full-fledged human shape. Zwei, he wanted to dive into research like our master in all sorts of magic and such, so he became a massive crystal orb. And Drei, he had a hankering for the sky, so he turned into a floatin’ disc. In essence, our appearances are tied right back to our inner desires, ya see.”
“So, that’s why you’re siblings despite having completely different forms.”
“That’s the way of it. By the way, for now, we’re seven sibiling’, but the fourth, Vier, and the fifth, Fünf, they’re currently outside the island.”
“Are those two gathering information outside?”
“Let’s just say these two are also gatherin’ information out there.”
With those words, Eins smiled mischievously, showing no intention of revealing all his cards. However, it still seemed quite baffling to think that the luminous crystalline life forms could walk around the continent without drawing excessive attention… but I guess they are taking some kind of countermeasure.
The islanders must have also heard Eins’s story, but they didn’t seem to understand. The children who were playing in the background didn’t seem interested from the start, and many of the adults seemed to dislike difficult conversations.
When Eins finished his story, tea snacks were brought over. What was placed on the wooden plate was a white substance sprinkled with dark grains. It was trembling with a texture that seemed to hover between liquid and solid.
W-what is this…? Is this really food? I’ve seen something similar on the battlefield many times. But the islanders wouldn’t have a reason to offer something strange… Besides, it emits a pleasant, sweet fragrance. Could this be a sweet treat, perhaps?
“Well, that’s the kinda reaction I was expectin’. This here’s a local dish from the island, made by mixin’ goat’s milk and dried seaweed powder. The stuff sprinkled on top, that there’s sugarcane juice reduced to a powder… basically sugar.”
“Sugar… you say…!?”
“On this island, there’s quite a bit of it growin’, and folks ’round here eat it as a matter of course, ya know?”
“In the Enzo continent, it may be considered a luxury,” Eins concluded. Just as he said, sugar was such a renowned luxury that even someone as oblivious to worldly matters as myself had heard of it. And they eat it as a matter of course here? Is this some kind of paradise?
I couldn’t help it, but for a brief moment, the thought of wanting to live here crossed my mind. To think that my will, which had never been shaken, even by the prospect of not being discriminated against, would be shaken now… the temptation of sweetness was truly something to be feared.
Anyway, I decided to try the tea snack in front of me. With a spoon, I scooped up the quivering white substance and cautiously brought it to my mouth. The shock I felt at this moment was akin to the feeling I had when tasting the fruit that was brought to fruition by that God’s curse.
The quivering texture melted smoothly in my mouth, creating a delightful sensation. Simultaneously, the sweet and gentle flavors of goat’s milk and sugar began to spread. Delicious. That was the only word I could find.
And the earthy aroma of the tea complemented it so well. It was so easy to eat as if you could keep going forever, but it would be a waste to rush. I wanted to savor it slowly and express my gratitude to the islanders who had prepared it.
“Phew… I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
“You’ve got a sweet tooth, huh? That’s unexpected.”
“Is that so?”
As I savored each bite, Eins watched me with an amused expression. It seemed that my fondness for sweet flavors had taken him by surprise.
After having a wonderful time in the village, we decided to head south. Eins wanted to check on the progress of the whale transportation operation while guiding me through the island.
I didn’t have any specific place I wanted to go, so I silently followed Eins. Some children wanted to come along, but they were discouraged due to safety concerns during the work. It was clear that Eins was truly beloved by the islanders.
The sandy beach stretching to the south of the island would have been a beautiful sight under normal circumstances. However, that was not the case now. The carcass of the whale that had devoured me, along with its stomach contents and blood flowing from its belly, had stained the beach. The smell was unbearable, and to be honest, it was hard to approach.
“Is everythin’ goin’ well, Sechs and Sieben?”
“…Aah.”
“Ooh! Things goin’ smoothly, big brother!”
Near the whale’s vicinity, the same two giants I saw from the sky had been working. Both of them stood about twice my height, and they appeared to be luminous crystalline life forms like Ein, with skin resembling stone.
Both shared a humanoid form; they were more similar to Eins compared to the crystal orb called Zwei or the disc-shaped Drei. However, their appearances were unique.
First of all, Sechs seemed quiet, with short legs and incredibly long arms that almost touched the ground. He had a generally stocky build, lacking speed but appearing incredibly strong.
On the other hand, Sieben responded cheerfully. Compared to Sechs, he had a much slimmer figure, but he boasted six arms. Each hand held ropes and various tools, seemingly used to tie down the whale’s carcass.
“Oh? big brother, is that the one that popped outta this thing’s belly?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Lemme introduce ’em. These two are Sechs and Sieben.”
“…. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you! Come on, show your face, young lady!”
“…. wawa!”
Sieben, waving one hand, spoke like this and brought something black in front of us by reaching behind his back. It was a small humanoid figure donned in a black hooded robe. The hood momentarily slipped back due to Sieben’s energetic pull, revealing a fraction of their face obscured by long bangs, which made it impossible to discern their face completely.
However, there was something more significant to me than this. It was the fact that I hadn’t even noticed their presence until I laid eyes on them. I had confidence in my reconnaissance abilities, but this individual had completely escaped my senses. Did they possess a way to completely conceal their presence? This one might be someone I need to be wary of.
“Young lady… Did ya go and use that robe again? I told ya to quit it ’cause it’s a darn hassle to find you while wearin’ it.”
“Yeah, it’s true! Master told her to take charge of the retrieval, but she was trying to run away wearing this robe, so I caught her and brought her here.”
“Ugh… even though I have no interest in a carcass like this…”
I take back my previous statement. The person before me seemed to have an aversion to rough tasks, and she appeared to rely on the concealment abilities of the robe. It was unlikely that she would misuse it to attack me.
Nonetheless, I wondered just who this individual might be. Referred to as “young lady” by Eins, it indicated she was a woman and likely had some connection to Aiwass. I considered her to be either a blood relative or a disciple, but which was it?
“Goodness… Oh, right. I should introduce the young lady too. This here is the master’s great-granddaughter and disciple, Miss Hectia.”
“It’s not great-granddaughter! I’m his great-great-granddaughter!”
“Before you start nitpicking every little thing, how ’bout you endure one of master’s requests?”
“…He’s right.”
“Ugh…Ah, by the way!”
It appeared the correct answer was that she was Aiwass’s blood relative and disciple. But a great-great-granddaughter? How many generations separated them? If that were the truth, Aiwass’s age must not be as it appeared.
While Hectia argued with Eins, she even received a reprimand from the normally quiet Sechs, causing her to stumble over her words. However, she soon seemed to recall something and began to fix her gaze on me. Then, from within her robe, she produced a short staff and directed it toward me.
“What…?”
“Hmm, I see. The binding of the soul and body is in perfect condition. As expected of Orvo…!”
A green beam of light was emitted from the tip of the staff, which caused me to tense up, but it wasn’t an attack; it merely illuminated my body. However, for Hectia, it seemed sufficient, and she wore an ecstatic expression as if she had reached a personal understanding. I, on the other hand, could only manage to look perplexed, completely unable to keep up with what was happening.
Nevertheless, the mention of Orvo’s name was something to consider. I fixed my gaze on Eins, silently conveying the request for an explanation. In response, he let out an exasperated sigh and then began to speak.
“Ya see, young lady here is a foremost expert in soul research. She’s made some groundbreakin’ discoveries that even amaze our master… and she probably lent a hand to Sire Orvo in developin’ the technique for synthesizing demons. In other words…”
“It means she’s not unrelated to this, is that it?”
The person responsible for developing the technique to synthesize demons stood right before me. It was fair to say that this woman had played a significant role in me becoming a demon and, as a result, having to continue battling.
To be honest, I had my reservations about it all. But I wasn’t about to resort to violence like an unruly beast driven by my emotions, and above all, I wanted to avoid fighting with Eins and the others. It was a situation that left me grappling with complex emotions.
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