Chapter 278: Birthday
“The country is gathering mages as court magicians, and the temple is also establishing suitable positions to gather those capable of using magic. Besides the Divine Child, there are titles like ‘Spirit’s Bud’ that come with honor, respect, and decent rewards, but they hold no real power,” the Butler redirected the conversation.
‘Spirit’s Bud’ was what the woman attached to Daifuku had mentioned back in the mine. It referred to a woman who could use healing and recovery magic by borrowing power from the spirits gathered around the temple. The male counterpart was ‘Spirit’s Leaf,’ if I remember correctly. I might be a bit hazy on the details, but I did my research!
As for using magic, I’ve dabbled in both methods: borrowing power from a contracted spirit or from the spirits around me. Normally, if a spirit is attached to someone, the surrounding spirits won’t lend their power.
If the magic is of the same type, cooperation through the attached spirit is possible, but when they lend their power, they end up taking some of that person’s magic power in return. So, it seems the spirit has to be considerate of the person they like.
That woman I met in the mine, who was all bouncy and cheerful, probably said she wasn’t a bud anymore because she was attached to Daifuku. Maybe it was also because she was too sleepy.
Still, I really want to knead some Daifuku.
“I just want to hand over the glasses from the Twentieth Layer and go home for a bath.”
“You really love baths, huh?”
“You could say I’m a bit of a clean freak!”
From my perspective, I can’t believe people can go over a month without bathing!
Thanks to Kanum and the forest, water and firewood are easy to come by. Plus, Dean and Chris have a habit of bathing, so they’re cleaner than the average guy in town. Ever since I started using a laundromat, I’m no longer a ragged little sparrow. Though, it might also be because I’d barge in and strip them if they didn’t.
Adventurers tend to keep themselves relatively clean, but there are plenty of demon beasts with keen noses around.
“I started bathing regularly thanks to Gene’s suggestion, and I’m feeling great,” Ash said, nodding in agreement with the Butler. I’m glad Ash and the Butler have adopted the bathing habit.
Among the nobles, it seems that cleansing with cloth, known as seishiki, was the norm. Other methods included rinsing hands and mouths with water, wine, or vinegar.
Thanks to the Hero’s efforts, there’s an unprecedented bathing boom in the west, but due to issues with water and firewood, it might not reach the common folk.
Marie Antoinette was called pathologically clean, right? Just washing her body once a month earned her that title, so maybe it’s better than the early modern period in my world.
“You’re quite diligent too. You could just bathe when you get back,” Retze said.
“That would be cheating, so no way.”
Just stepping out of this hole and taking a stroll outside feels like a major cheat. The time I have to endure with Rishu sniffing around is getting longer, and I’m trying to hold back.
When I get home, I’m going to grill some Pacific Saury and enjoy some sake.
“By the way, when are everyone’s birthdays?”
“I’m born in the Month of Water.”
The Month of Water is around February; it rains more during winter here.
I recently learned the names of the months. Before that, I only heard them as January or February, just like in Japan, which is kind of strange.
“What day?”
“I was born in that month, but I can’t recall the exact date. Only royal families keep track of that, I think?”
Huh?
“By the way, we commoners all age up on New Year’s!”
Huh?
“Many local nobles do the same. They age and celebrate together with their subjects. Central nobles have birth announcements, so they probably divided the celebrations by month to avoid overlaps,” the Butler explained.
“When’s yours, Gene?”
“The twenty-second day of the Month of Kagaribi.”
The Month of Kagaribi features a festival at the end of the month where bonfires are lit, and people celebrate all night. There are various reasons given, like ancestors returning or spirits causing a ruckus, but it’s really just a festival.
“Huh, that’s already passed!”
As Ash pointed out, it just slipped by a little while ago.
“Hey, happy belated birthday!” Retze said, placing a nut bar in my hand.
That kicked off a chain of receiving various foods.
In this manner, we, who had been enjoying a peaceful journey, returned to the Twentieth Layer only to face an incident.
“What the heck is that?”
“That’s the Earth-Burrowing Serpent from the Forty-Sixth Layer. Looks like someone accidentally lured it in while investigating a shortcut,” Dinoss said, sounding like he was about to click his tongue.
Though it’s called a serpent, it’s more like a massive Orochi, easily the size of a person. Besides the horns that mark it as a demon beast, there are protrusions on the scales around its head, and its tail has spines.
When we arrived, the first thing we saw was an iron cage being tossed into the air. The cage, which had come loose from its chains, was replaced by the serpent’s head emerging.
From its name, it must be digging its way through. It seems like it fell into the open hole from above the cliff. Or maybe it came out due to all the noise.
If it’s a shortcut for us, it’s a shortcut for demon beasts too. It just so happened that up until now, there hadn’t been any flying types, and the demon beasts preferred tight spaces.