Chapter 231: Reflection
“The smell is intense. Is that soy sauce?”
Retze said as he dug into the grilled turban shell.
When the juices start to flow from the grilled turban shell, you drizzle some soy sauce over it. Just be careful, as the heat can cause the shell to crack and fly off.
“I’ll stick with this one.”
Dinoss was enjoying a dish where the meat had been removed from the turban shell, the beak and bitter parts discarded, and then mixed with minced garlic before being returned to the shell. It was topped with olive oil and a bit of butter, seasoned in a way familiar to him.
“What’s the Hero doing here?”
“He’s looking for Amedeo, I heard. Probably related to the Demon Sword.”
Ah, that reminds me of the Demon Sword I sold to Amedeo. Chris’s response brought that memory back.
“I heard he came to check out the sewer system. They’re running it through the high-end residential area of the Fortress City. They didn’t mention any names, but apparently, he bought the plumbing blueprints that Gene designed.”
Kanum started off, but since they were doing the sewer work, it seems the scale of the construction has made the Fortress City the topic of conversation.
While the movement of goods and people is slow, information travels quickly through Spirits. With three Japanese people around, can’t they just create it themselves? I wonder why they don’t. The things attributed to the Hero are jewels and dresses, though.
“The real question is how the Hero managed to move. The information I’ve heard about him doesn’t match the travel time to the Fortress City.”
As Retze pointed out, that was indeed concerning.
My Teleportation can only reach areas shown on the map. The places marked on the map are within the range of my Protection and Contracted Spirit. It feels less like magic and more like the Spirits are granting requests; I can’t imagine the Heroes have become close with the Spirits.
However, there might be magic that draws out the same effect from the Spirits. Magic binds Spirits with spells and procedures to extract their power, regardless of whether the Spirits want it or not.
Or perhaps it’s the transfer plate that Karn had. It might be impossible to create a new one, but it’s not out of the question that an old one still exists.
Another possibility that comes to mind is the Spirit Path.
“What was the Hero like?”
“He was a man. Black hair, black eyes, average build, maybe a bit taller? He looked refreshing.”
Dean said, taking a sip from his mug while gazing at the sky, choosing his words carefully.
“But he gave off a creepy vibe. He was soft-spoken, but it felt like he viewed people as objects or something—though that’s just my impression from a distance.”
Chris chimed in.
“Didn’t he have moles under his eyes?”
As the scallops finished cooking, I drizzled more butter and soy sauce over them. The aroma was incredible.
“Yeah, there were two under this eye.”
Dean touched under his left eye with his finger.
“That’s my Changeling.”
“What?”
The group froze in shock.
“If it’s a Changeling made by a Spirit, I wouldn’t be surprised if it could travel through the Spirit Path.”
Honestly, I’d prefer to use the Spirit Path, which takes some time, rather than the scary instant Teleportation or transfer.
“Setting aside the method of movement, doesn’t that impression not match you at all?”
Dinoss, breaking free from his shock, said with a puzzled expression.
“Gene, isn’t your self-assessment a bit off?”
“It’s not off.”
I always thought everyone around my sister was just an extension of her will. I had some superficial interactions with people from different school districts in high school, but…
I probably enjoyed having shallow relationships with no attachments. No, it’s more like whenever I got interested in someone, I’d just crush it.
“When I was over there, I never thought about getting close to the people around me. If it’s based on my sister’s image, then that’s just how it is.”
“You look quite different too, you know?”
“It was either to discard everything from my original world or to recreate it. I just wanted to be myself, and I threw away everything from back there.”
If my appearance has changed, I doubt my sister and the others would recognize me even if we passed by each other.
“Why is it that you’re so straightforward yet your past is so twisted?”
What’s with you, Retze, calling me straightforward?
“I’m not bragging, but I think it’s a bad trait. In any case, I wouldn’t recommend getting involved with any of the four who are called Heroes. The lobster is ready.”
He pulled the Ise lobster from the fireplace and placed it on the table.
Wearing gloves, I twisted the tail. I bit into the part where the tail meat had separated from the head, filled with sweet lobster miso. It was plump and sweet, bursting with flavor. Even if it’s Ise lobster, I’m still dipping it in mayonnaise.
“Ugh. This is a hassle, so I’ll treat you and that as separate entities.”
Dean seemed to abandon his thoughts! And he’s still just eating meat.
“Things really do change, don’t they? Or was the perception around you distorted?”
Chris skillfully peeled the shell. He pressed down on the head to push in the tail and remove the shell.
I tried to mimic him, pressing down and peeling the shell off. I see, it’s easier this way. I hardly ever had the chance to dismantle large shrimp, let alone crabs.
“—It’s about time the Red Pair Fruit has ripened. If our schedules align, I’ll take you to get some.”
“Oh? I’m in, I’m in!”
I jumped at Retze’s words.
The pair refers to pears, which usually don’t turn very red, but apparently, there’s a tree in the Demon Forest that bears bright red pears. I’ve had them once before, and they were delicious.
“Oh, speaking of going, are you interested in the Labyrinth? I’d like some help.”
Dean looked at me and Dinoss.
“Is it for the rank exam?”
“Dean can finally take the exam too, so I thought we could go together. With all the commotion from the Heroes, Amedeo and the others who were stuck in the Labyrinth finally moved.”
Chris replied to Dinoss’s words.
It seems that to reach Gold Rank, strength is required, and one of the promotion tests involves diving into the Labyrinth once you gather a full set of Silver Stars.