Chapter 59

That evening.

The sun had hidden half of its body behind the mountains, and the surroundings were beginning to grow dim.

In the midst of this, Zirconia and Isaac were among the dozens of villagers gathered at the entrance to the Gricia village's mixed forest, busily filling cloth bags with the compost piled on the ground like a small hill, working in pairs.

Next to them, a large number of compost bags were already piled up, and it would probably take only a few more minutes of work to finish bagging them.

Next to the piled compost bags, there were gasoline drums and portable gasoline cans, a mountain of lime bags, and a large number of cardboard boxes of various sizes.

Ichirou was not present; he had gone to Japan to fetch the last big item, the refrigerator.

Havel was a little further away, sitting on the bed of a horse-drawn carriage he had brought, receiving the compost bags from the villagers and stacking them at the back of the carriage.

"Still, it's an incredible amount... I wonder what's inside those boxes."

Zirconia, who had been leaning on a shovel borrowed from a villager, took a breath and turned her gaze to the group of cardboard boxes next to the compost bags.

Isaac, who had been holding the mouth of a cloth bag open, also turned his eyes to the cardboard boxes, following Zirconia's lead.

"I was told by Kazura-sama this morning that the contents of those boxes are the food he usually eats in the Land of the Gods and tools like the lantern I saw before. We were instructed to handle them as carefully as possible."

"Hmm... I can understand the tools, but to bring so much food... I wonder if our cooking didn't suit his taste."

"Yes... The canned food I served to Kazura-sama the other day was quite strongly seasoned. Perhaps the food we usually eat tastes too bland to him."

"Indeed, it was quite strongly seasoned... I should consult with Kazura about the seasoning of the dishes later."

When Zirconia and Ichirou were dining together in Isteria, Ichirou did not seem particularly dissatisfied with the dishes served.

However, with such a large amount of food brought, it made Zirconia wonder if he had been considerate of them and pretended to enjoy the food.

"I heard from Havel that when Kazura-sama stayed at Havel's mansion, he seemed to really enjoy the dishes served. For matters related to cooking, it would be best to consult with Havel."

"Oh, that's right. Then, I'll consult with Havel later. It would be helpful if we could bring the person who prepared the dishes here."

"That would be the most straightforward way."

As Zirconia and Isaac were having this conversation, a loud noise began to echo from deep within the mixed forest.

A few minutes later, Ichirou, driving an agricultural transport vehicle, appeared from deep within the mixed forest.

On the bed of the agricultural transport vehicle, a large rectangular box was laid sideways.

Under the box, several blankets were spread, perhaps to absorb the vibrations from the vehicle's movement.

When Ichirou arrived at the entrance to the mixed forest, he turned off the engine of the agricultural transport vehicle, got out of the driver's seat, and stretched.

"Ah, finally done."

"Kazura, you must be tired. Here, have some water."

As soon as Ichirou arrived, Barretta ran over with a leather bag of water.

Ichirou thanked her with a smile, took the water, and drank it, making a gulping sound.

Seeing this, Zirconia spoke to Isaac in a low voice.

"I've been thinking for a while, but it seems Kazura likes that girl, doesn't he?"

"Yes, it seems so. When we heard the news of the bandit attack in Isteria, his first words were to check on Barretta's safety."

"..."

Zirconia, perhaps thinking about something, tilted her head while watching Ichirou and Barretta from a distance.

Isaac, seeming to understand what Zirconia was thinking, sighed and tied the mouth of a filled cloth bag.

"Milady Zirconia, I will take the bag to the carriage."

"Either way... Ah, I see. I'll follow you later."

After bowing and sending Isaac off to Havel's carriage with the compost bag, Zirconia walked over to where Ichirou and Barretta were chatting.

"Kazura, is that all the luggage?"

When Zirconia called out to Ichirou, he nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I've finally finished moving everything. Now, we just need to load these onto the carriage. However, it's getting dark, so let's call it a day and continue tomorrow."

The total weight of the large amount of luggage Ichirou had moved, including the compost and lime, was just over 52 tons.

If the carriage was brought here and the villagers worked together to load it, it would probably take only an hour to load all the items planned to be taken to Isteria.

However, since it was already getting dark, it would be better to continue the work in the morning.

By the way, the total amount of compost brought was 50 tons, but only about 45 tons could be bagged.

The remaining compost was to be used in Gricia village.

"Understood. However, I plan to bring the carriage here tomorrow, but I cannot allow the driver to enter the village. So, I would like to ask some of the villagers to help pull the carriage."

Normally, I would instruct the driver to bring the carriage into the village, but the village's appearance has been drastically changed by the enlargement of crops.

Since it cannot be shown to anyone other than the villagers, it is inevitable that there will not be enough manpower to bring the carriage into the village.

"Then, I will inform the villagers. I will ask them to come here in the morning."

"Thank you. Then, we will return to the campsite."

Zirconia thanked Ichirou and walked over to where Isaac and the others were loading the compost bags into the carriage.

A few hours later.

In the living room of the Barin residence, Ichirou and Barretta were sitting side by side in front of the hearth, drinking herbal tea and chatting.

In front of them, dozens of small bottles of essential oils were lined up, and a full-color professional book detailing their effects was spread out.

Currently, Barin was not at the mansion; he had gone to guard the luggage left in the mixed forest.

He said he would return after midnight, so until then, Ichirou and Barretta were alone in the mansion.

"Essential oils are amazing. I didn't know they had so many effects..."

Barretta, reading the effects of essential oils listed in the professional book, showed a look of amazement.

The professional book listed the effects of dozens of types of essential oils and provided reference recipes for blending them.

It also included various ways to use essential oils and methods for their purification.

"There are many types of essential oils, and it's interesting to try them out. However, I'm not quite sure how effective they are for the people in this world..."

Considering the incredible effects of the food and Lipodrink Ichirou had brought, it wouldn't be surprising if essential oils also had effects far beyond what is normally expected.

However, he had used essential oils on Isaac and Marie before, but it was not clear to what extent the effects were.

When he used lavender essential oil, which has antidepressant and calming effects, on Isaac, who was extremely depressed, Isaac seemed to recover in just a few minutes.

However, at that time, he also gave Isaac herbal tea with antidepressant and relaxing effects, and Ichirou himself had talked to Isaac, so it was not clear which effect made Isaac recover.

When he used essential oils on Marie, who had motion sickness, she quickly felt better and became energetic, but the time it took for the effects to kick in was the same as when he used essential oils in Japan.

Since it was originally a method with immediate effects, it was natural that it worked, but the degree of effectiveness was not clear.

"Food and nutritional drinks take about two hours to show effects, but how about essential oils? Since they don't need to be digested and absorbed, the way they work might be different."

"I wonder... If essential oils have immediate and strong effects, they could be quite convenient to use. However, if used incorrectly, it could be quite dangerous."

"Would you like to try using them on me here? That way, we could quickly determine the effects."

After thinking for a moment, Ichirou nodded at Barretta's offer to be a human guinea pig.

Since it wasn't a poison, there was no particular risk of adverse effects.

Moreover, since essential oils had already been used on Isaac and Marie, it was even safer to conduct the experiment.

However, Barretta's body had already been enhanced by the food Ichirou had brought.

Therefore, the results of the experiment to be conducted now must be considered separately as the effects of essential oils on an enhanced human.

However, if the essential oils had a significant effect on Barretta, it could be expected that they would have an equal or greater effect on a non-enhanced human.

The significance of conducting the experiment was sufficient.

"Alright. Then, please choose something from the items there. The scents are listed in the book, so you can use that as a reference."

"Understood. Which one should I choose..."

Barretta flipped through the book, skimming the effects and scents.

Then, she picked up one of the essential oil bottles that caught her attention.

"...I'll try this one. I just need to drop one drop, right?"

"Ah, before you do that, you need to add some water."

Ichirou went down to the earthen floor, scooped water from a bottle in the corner with a dipper, and poured it into the water dish of the candle-style aromatherapy pot in front of Barretta.

When the dish was filled with water, Barretta opened the cap of the essential oil bottle and dropped one drop into the dish.

Then, she lit the candle at the bottom of the pot with a lighter.

After a while, the water in the dish was heated by the candle and began to evaporate, spreading a sweet scent of essential oil in the air.

"That's it... Hmm, what is this? I can't tell."

Ichirou sniffed the faint sweet scent of the essential oil and tried to guess the type.

However, it seemed to be an essential oil he had not used much, and he couldn't identify it.

"I used clary sage. If it has an incredible effect like the food, I think I'll feel very relaxed. And maybe a bit sleepy..."

"Wow, it has that effect?"

The effect did not seem to kick in immediately after smelling the scent, and there was no change in Barretta's appearance for the time being.

While waiting for the effects to show on Barretta, Ichirou and Barretta chatted about the progress of the village construction and Ichirou's shopping trip in Japan.

About 10 minutes after the essential oil was burned, a change was observed in Barretta.

"Hmm... I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy..."

Barretta said this and looked at Ichirou with a slightly drowsy gaze.

Her expression, illuminated by the fire of the burning logs in the hearth, was slightly red and had a peculiar allure.

"Is it starting to work? Is the drowsiness strong?"

"It's not that strong, but... I can't really explain it... If I lay down now, I feel like I could fall asleep comfortably. It's like a warm, cozy feeling."

After hearing about the changes in Barretta's physical and mental state, Ichirou opened a university notebook he had placed nearby.

He then wrote down the effects Barretta was experiencing and the time it took for the effects to kick in with a ballpoint pen.

"I see, I see. So, when I used essential oils on Isaac before, they were effective to some extent... There might be individual differences."

When he used lavender essential oil on Isaac, there was a more sudden change in Isaac's appearance.

However, if the symptoms that appeared in Barretta were of this level, it would be difficult to say that the change was due to the effects of the essential oils alone.

There might also be a difference in whether the body was enhanced by the food or not, so it couldn't be concluded definitively in this situation.

In any case, it seemed that the effects of essential oils on the people in this world, while not as strong as the food, were somewhat stronger.

Depending on the concentration and frequency of use, different results might be obtained.

"Kazura, can I ask you for one thing?"

While Ichirou was nodding and writing notes in his university notebook, Barretta, who had been watching him, spoke up.

"Hmm, what is it?"

"...I want you to hug me, like last time."

Ichirou, shocked by Barretta's sudden and shocking request, dropped the ballpoint pen he was holding and froze.

He doubted his ears, wondering if he had heard wrong, and slowly turned his face toward Barretta, as if his neck was making a creaking sound.

"..."

Barretta was looking at Ichirou with a slightly flushed expression.

The only sounds Ichirou could hear were the crackling of the logs in the hearth and the rapid beating of his own heart.

The distance between Ichirou and Barretta was only a few dozen centimeters.

If he reached out, he could touch her at any moment.

A very good atmosphere dominated the living room.

"(...Eh, really? Is it that kind of thing!? ...But, wasn't the last time a landmine!?! What's going on!?)"

Ichirou, inwardly very flustered, tried his best to maintain a calm expression.

"...Is it not okay?"

Perhaps sensing something from Ichirou's appearance, Barretta asked again with a worried look, her eyes slightly moist.

"...Come here."

Ichirou pulled Barretta closer by her shoulders and gently hugged her small body.

Barretta, perhaps nervous, shuddered and stiffened when Ichirou hugged her.

However, as time passed, she gradually relaxed, and after a while, she completely let go of her tension and leaned into Ichirou's chest.

Then, without saying anything to each other, a few minutes passed.

"Kazura..."

Ichirou, feeling a bit uncomfortable due to the position, was considering whether to speak to Barretta when she suddenly called his name.

"Yes?"

"..."

Ichirou responded, but Barretta did not respond.

After waiting for a while with no response, Ichirou, thinking she might be asleep, gently placed his hand on Barretta's shoulder and looked at her face.

"..."

Sure enough, Barretta was already sound asleep, breathing softly.

Her expression was very happy, and it made Ichirou smile, feeling a sense of fulfillment.

Ichirou, smiling wryly at the cliché development, scratched his head and thought for a moment about what to do.

Then, he gently laid Barretta down on the spot and went to her bedroom to prepare a futon.