Chapter 302: Recognition Obstruction
The one being worshipped is the Goddess of Light and Purity, Namina.
Dinoss said this in the temple.
According to what I heard from Haralfa, the Ball of Light is a Spirit born from battle, a type that upholds its own sense of justice. It governs swordsmanship and offensive magic, but despite its Light Attribute, it struggles with healing magic—
“…Was there a Divine Statue of Namina in the temple?”
“There was. You seemed more focused on the Spirit’s Branch, but it’s not like you could miss that,” Retze replied.
Even after losing its power, Rishu remained a puppy, and Baylis stayed small as well. If there’s a Divine Statue, the theory that it was originally a ball doesn’t hold up. Could the main body be a round ball? No, if that were the case, Ash would have checked why I look like a ball.
“Well, Spirits can be capricious and change their forms. Besides, most Spirits look like faintly glowing balls to me. So don’t go walking around with a zabuton stuck to your backside, okay?” Dinoss said.
Wait! If I’m sitting, that’s one thing, but having a zabuton while walking around is just as amusing as the Jaw Spirit… Fireflies…
I feel like a thought just crossed my mind, but there’s a more pressing issue at hand. It’s fine; right now, Ash is sitting on top of the light. The only ones who might have a zabuton stuck to them while walking around are either me, who spends a lot of time with him, or Retze, who wouldn’t even notice if someone was following him.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I quickly directed my gaze to the floor at an angle.
“Hey, use polite language! That’s not good, you know!?”
“Not being able to see can be a blessing sometimes.”
My face was grabbed with both hands and turned to face forward, but I resisted by looking in a completely different direction.
“Retze-sama is often out and about, after all…”
The butler quietly chimed in.
“Your backside, can you see it glowing? You and your obsession with peach in syrup…”
Even without being able to see, Retze still managed to piece together the information with what little he had.
And once again, my cheeks were being violated. That aside, could you please stop making it sound like I’m fixated on my backside?
Tomorrow is the day to receive my reward at the Guild. If the weather is clear, I’ll leave the Fortress City for Kanum by noon. I usually set out in the morning, but I decided to head back quickly to avoid getting caught up in any trouble.
After drinking for a while, we each retreated to our rooms to sleep. I felt like something was about to come to mind, but I was swallowed by a pleasant drowsiness.
Then, I woke up just in time for Rishu’s walk. But it’s still early; winter is approaching, and the sunrise is getting later.
From below, I could hear Dinoss’s rhythmic breathing. The zabuton is a Light Spirit, so it’s a bit too bright to sleep in the room. That’s why I secretly let it snuggle into Retze’s bedding. It seems to have a healing effect, so it’s just right.
I spent some time listening to the two of them breathing in the hammock before using [Teleportation] to return home.
“Rishu, I’m back!”
Rishu came running and squeezed between my legs. My little one is so cute.
We set off for a walk. It’s warmer here than in Kanum, but it’s winter up in the mountains. I need to do something about the chestnuts I packed in [Storage]. Whether it’s the blessings of the mountains or the fields, I need to observe them daily and harvest them at the peak of their deliciousness—that’s the key to great ingredients.
I’ve been flitting around here and there, so while I’m managing to harvest, I’m falling behind on processing. Once I return from the Fortress City, I’ll need to spend some time grinding flour and preparing things.
“Good morning!”
I greeted Pal, who was in the field.
“Good morning. It seems it’s time to harvest Radicchi.”
“Thank you.”
It seems I’m not the only one observing daily; there are others whose eyes I can trust more than my own regarding the state of the field.
Radicchi is a leafy vegetable with a red-purple exterior and a white core. The red-purple part is crisp and refreshingly sweet, while the white part is crunchy with a slightly bittersweet taste. It adds a nice texture and color to salads.
I quickly inserted my knife at the base and harvested. The freshly picked vegetables went straight into [Storage]. I also gathered several other types. Meanwhile, Pal seemed busy, checking the soil and inspecting between the leaves.
“By the way, what about Namina—oh, there’s a worm!”
Worms are beneficial insects that aerate the soil, so I gently returned it to the earth.
“What is it?”
“…What was it again? Oh right, what’s my status back in the world I came from? The last time I asked Kadal, he said it’s been ‘erased’.”
I didn’t have many ties to my previous world, so I only asked after I had been here for a while.
The answer was that it’s been ‘erased,’ as if I never existed. Well, since there’s no one to mourn for me, it’s fine, but I was a bit surprised that it was altered so thoroughly.
“Indeed, that’s what they say. Since there’s no way to return from here, perhaps they’ve just accepted it, but the truth is hard to say.”
Oh, that’s a possibility too.
And even the Gods seem to know little about summoning people from other worlds?
“Look, Carbolo is looking good too.”
“Yes, yes.”
Carbolo looks like a stout, shriveled spinach but is actually a deep green cabbage. Holding the long stem at the bottom, I pull down with one hand, and the leafy part comes off easily, which I eat. It’s quite delicious.
I’m currently crossbreeding it with Japanese cabbage for the pantry. I want to circulate Japanese cabbage, so I’m working hard on that.
As long as I can produce seeds or seedlings, the merchants from Naruadeid should be able to propagate them in the right places…! Even though they’re called merchants from Naruadeid, they come from various countries.
I need to make sure I don’t misplace my selling targets. It’s great to bring them back to the homeland, but I don’t want to end up in a situation where the climate doesn’t suit them and they can’t grow. Well, I’ll leave that research to Soleil.