Chapter 159: Rustle Rustle
I advanced through the Forest, tapping my Ex-Staff with a rhythmic tap-tap-rustle.
“Looks like you’re having fun, but keep the noise down, alright?” Retze scolded me.
“Sure thing.”
The goal wasn’t just to move forward; we were searching for Demon Beasts or prey, so it made sense. The Demon Beasts around here weren’t strong enough to approach a group of five, and they had enough sense to stay away.
The advance party had already caught a few Great Thunderbirds and a couple of transformed Mountain Quails. The Great Thunderbird looked like a cross between a Pheasant and a Turkey. I wondered if there were any Red Thunderbirds in Agatha Christie’s novels that Poirot missed out on.
“…That’s unusual.”
“Hm?” I signaled Retze to stop with a hand gesture, lowering my voice.
“A fawn… it has horns.”
Dean squinted, confirming what Retze was pointing at.
It seemed to be a Demon Beast fawn. They rarely give birth, except for specific Demon Beasts, so a fawn was quite a rarity. Plus, I heard they were delicious.
“There’s a bit of distance!”
Chris whispered, his tone surprisingly strong despite the quiet.
Given the distance and the open area, it might be tough to get closer.
“I can’t hit it from this distance.”
Ash said, his expression serious.
I had seen him practicing with Water Blades earlier. He could increase the distance by pouring more Magic Power into it, but it would veer off course, making it accurate only up to about ten meters.
The fawn was over thirty meters away.
“Do you think I can reach it?”
Retze said, drawing his sword.
Among the few vines that had sprouted, one began to extend smoothly. He could produce more, but it seemed that having just one would allow him to cover more distance.
“Oh no, that’s not good. If I draw more Magic Power, it could be dangerous.”
It looked like he was running low on Magic Power.
“I’ll lend you my Magic Power!”
As I reached out to touch his sword, the remaining vine retracted.
“…Doesn’t seem like it works?”
“Is that so?”
I didn’t think it was exclusively Retze’s weapon.
“Hm?”
When I reached out to try again, a vine wrapped around my hand. The previously sluggish vine seemed to gain vigor and moved toward the fawn, attempting to ensnare it.
“Is it because you’re the creator?”
“Maybe it’s just a matter of whether it likes you or not?”
Ash and Dean observed the vine and commented.
The vine rustled its leaves, almost as if it were happy.
“—Can I water it later?”
“Is that really the issue?”
Chris asked hesitantly, while Retze made a somewhat sour face.
“The Spirit Sword’s effectiveness depends on the compatibility with the Spirit. I think it’s about whether you’re liked or not.”
“Well, just give it up.”
Ash said with a serious face, while Dean lightly patted Retze’s back, laughing.
Dean finished off the fawn, turning it into delicious meat.
Later, a Great Thunderbird with horns appeared, but Dean incinerated it, so we couldn’t bring it back.
“Hmm, fire has power, but the materials… Normally, I don’t pour Magic Power into it, saving it for when it counts. I practice to face strong enemies, but—King Wolf was so cool.”
It seemed like he was about to start practicing sword techniques by mimicking Dinoss, like a child imitating a hero’s moves.
“My sword seems good for providing light in caves and labyrinths. Using it to blind enemies would be tricky since I’d have to close my eyes and turn away from them. I don’t know if it would work on Wraiths or Undead, but it’s romantic!”
I thought I had given him a quirky sword, but perhaps it was indeed romantic.
After trying the Spirit Sword against a few Demon Beasts, I was now free to tap-tap away.
“Oh?”
While rustling through the fallen leaves at the base of a tree, I discovered a mushroom.
“Ah, it’s a Riyu. It’s that season, huh?”
“Yeah, the last time I got mushrooms, you said you’d bring some next time?”
The [Appraisal] result revealed it was a type of Amigasa Mushroom.
“Exactly. This one is delicious, though you can’t eat it raw.”
Dean informed me, but I was still getting used to the idea of eating raw mushrooms.
“There’s a similar mushroom called Elp, but it doesn’t smell great and is cheaper. This one sells for a higher price.”
Retze rustled through the leaves, finding more Riyu.
So, I just needed to rustle through the slightly elevated fallen leaves to find them. I took a cue from Retze and started rustling.
The Riyu had a honeycomb-like pattern on its cap, hollow inside, and the cap and stem were connected, as if the cap was extending outward rather than sprouting from the center. The Elp, on the other hand, had its cap spreading from the center of the stem.
Instead of tapping with the Ex-Staff, I rustled through the leaves to search for Riyu. Along the way, I dealt with a Demon Beast toad that jumped out, and I ended up with quite a harvest.
“The Ex-Staff is really handy.”
“Isn’t it great?”
I could sit down without having to rustle through the leaves, and I could respond quickly if a Demon Beast jumped out!
I returned with a mountain of Riyu and the fawn in my arms.
“Ah, right, it is that season.”
The Butler was waiting with tea brewed.
“Oh my, what a bountiful harvest!”
When we got back, I was set to make Riyu Cream Pasta while Shiva would prepare a Mountain Quail pie.
We all wanted to gather around the table, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space, so we decided to have them come over when the food was ready.
Maybe I should just convert the guest room on the second floor into a dining area? After all, no one was coming to stay over anyway.