Chapter 56

"I have a souvenir."

"For me?"

"Yes, I have a souvenir for Toto."

"Huh?"

I caught Toto, who was watering mysterious plants inside the greenhouse.

He was busy moving around, but he seemed interested in my souvenir.

There were a few things I brought back from the Helan territory to the academy.

Among them was a souvenir for Toto.

It was something that suited him perfectly. I chose it with great confidence.

"Here it is."

I took out a bottle from my pocket, which contained hot spring water from my territory.

"Water?"

"Yes, but it's not just any water. It's hot spring water."

"Eh... why such a thing?"

"You'll understand when you drink it."

"No way. It's probably the water people use to wash their bodies, right?"

"No, I wouldn't give you something like that. It's properly separated for bathing. This is amazing. There are various types of hot springs, but this one is incredible."

"What's so amazing about it? It's scary."

"It's been disinfected and hasn't been exposed to air, so it's hygienic."

"That's not the point. Why is the souvenir hot spring water? Wasn't there anything else?"

"There was, but this is really amazing."

"Ugh..."

Encouraging him, Toto reluctantly took the bottle.

"Will I die?"

"That's rude."

"Ugh, um..."

Determined, Toto opened the bottle, glanced at me, and drank it all in one go.

"How is it?"

"Um, it tasted a bit strange, but it's normal, I guess."

"What I just gave you is hot spring water with enzymes. Enzymes are popular these days."

"No, I don't know about that."

"Maybe I'll call it 'supplement hot spring water.'"

"What's that? Doesn't it sound suspicious?"

"How about it? How does your body feel?"

"No, I don't feel anything."

"What? Maybe it was a bad idea to bring it in a bottle..."

"Hey! Don't use me as an experiment!"

Hmm, I thought it was a good souvenir, but it seems it wasn't.

Still, it's a nice day. Even Toto's loud complaints don't bother me; it feels refreshing.

"On a day like this, even watering the plants feels invigorating."

"You stopped me from doing that, though."

"Using hot spring water on the plants..."

"At least don't do it in my area."

"Well, maybe next time. By the way, I haven't seen her around on such a nice day."

Of course, I'm talking about Iris.

It's impossible for her not to come to the field on such a sunny day.

Just mentioning her, Toto seems to understand it's about Iris.

"She's here."

"But I can't see her."

"She's digging a hole outside."

"Hole!? ...Trap!?"

Not only vegetables, but also prey? Iris, is that appropriate for a heroine?

If the prince sees you catching a wild boar, wouldn't even a hundred years of love cool down!?

By the way, I think you should ask Vine about how to prepare it.

"No, it's not that. She's harvesting vegetables planted before the break."

"Harvesting? That's quick..."

To protect the important vegetables from being taken, is she setting traps? It would be funny if the prince got caught... Let's see what happens.

"You seem to be imagining strange things, but it's probably not that."

"Iris is a strong woman, so I can imagine all sorts of things. What's the real reason she's digging holes?"

"Go see for yourself. I bet you'll get so interested that you'll help her dig."

"Hmm? By the way, I've found hot springs before. I'm pretty good at digging."

"Sure, sure."

Toto returned to his watering work.

Compared to before the break, there were even more plants. Many of them were misshapen.

I hope they can be useful.

Well, should I go see Iris?

According to Toto, I'm also interested. This is exciting.

When I stepped out of the greenhouse, I could hear the sound of digging.

Looking around, I saw a pile of soil.

As I got closer, I could see Iris's beautiful hair moving while covered in dirt.

Indeed, she was digging a hole.

She was working with a satisfied look on her face, holding a spade.

"What are you doing?"

"Eh? Oh, Kururi."

After confirming it was me, Iris patted the side of the hole she was digging.

The sound was not of soil but a fresh, plump sound.

"It's a potato. A potato!"

She replied with a wonderful smile.

"A potato!?"

It looked quite large.

She had dug a hole up to her shoulders, but the potato was still buried in the soil.

Is this even a potato?

"Isn't it big?"

"It's big. And it's early to harvest, which is amazing!"

"Yeah, amazing!"

Someone I know also loves potatoes, and it seems Iris does too.

"Do you have another spade?"

"Yes."

So, as Toto said, we ended up digging potatoes together.

"Toto's vegetables are amazing. I'm so impressed."

"I'm impressed too. I want to see the full length of it."

Digging was really fun.

The silent work felt very comfortable.

"What if it's a potato so big that we can't eat it in a lifetime?"

What kind of potato is that? It feels like opening a lottery ticket, Iris.

"This spade isn't very good. I'll make a better one with an improved tip next time."

"Sure, please do."

It seems the fatigue is raising Iris's spirits.

She might also genuinely want a better spade.

"Hey, when we get the potatoes, I'll make something for you."

"Sure, I'm looking forward to it."

"Maybe we can invite Arc and others too."

"Sure."

I also want to invite Eliza. I think she'll be happy. She loves potatoes.

We dug and dug and dug, and by noon, we finished.

It was a successful potato harvest.

"It was big, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was tough."

"Are you tired? We have some corn we harvested earlier. It's fresh and looks sweet."

"Wow, is that also a big vegetable?"

"Of course! I'll go get it."

A yellow, smooth-skinned one, cleaned with water, was brought over.

As Iris said, it looked fresh and sweet.

And most importantly, it was big.

Iris was hugging the corn to her body.

How will we eat it?

"Since it's big, let's share it among the three of us. Toto said it's a variety that can be eaten raw, so let's eat it raw!"

"That sounds good. Lunch will just be corn. That's not bad."

"I'll go get Toto."

I took the corn, handed to me, and sniffed it.

It had a strong sweet smell. It was heavy, and I could tell it was full inside.

After a hard day's work, my stomach was growling. I felt like biting into it right away.

This is a pretty good vegetable. I might get a bit hooked on big vegetables myself.

"Kururi, go ahead and eat."

When Iris came back, she said this.

"Is there something else you need to do?"

"Yeah, she said she finished everything but her stomach isn't feeling well, so she's going to the bathroom. So, go ahead and eat."

"Haha, he always looks like he has a weak stomach. Probably ate some strange plant during the trial."

"Umm, Toto's vegetables are fresh, and he said he manages his plants well."

"Let's eat, let's eat. This corn smells so good!"

"Sure! I can't wait anymore."

So, the two of us bit into it.

It must feel like a mouse biting into a big piece of cheese. It's a happy feeling.

Maybe mice are surprisingly happy too.

"It's delicious."

"Yeah, really delicious. Toto is amazing."

"Sure, he's a genius. I should thank him someday. By the way, didn't you say you had a souvenir for Toto? Did you give it to him?"

"Yeah, I did. Hot spring water."

"Hot spring water?"

"Yes, hot spring water... Oh..."

I'm sorry!!!

This is a long-awaited update.

I apologize for the delay.

I hope you enjoy it.

By the way, my work, "Since I'm Scheduled to Fall, I'll Aim to Be a Blacksmith,"

has been published by Kadokawa BOOKS.

Thanks to everyone, it seems to be selling quite well.

I'm very grateful.

Thank you so much!!

Even better, I received news that a reprint has been decided.

Thank you so much!!!

A reprint feels like a dream.

This is all thanks to everyone who has supported me.