Chapter 19

Before I know it, it was already noon.

Thank you!

Please read it with a light heart.

"Al! Let's go eat a snack!"

As usual, Elinora-nee-san came into my room without knocking.

"Why don't we just have Baltro make it?"

"No way, I feel like eating fruit today."

What a queen!

"Then how about the berries from the trees in the forest behind us?"

"No, it's the forest where Al builds weird huts and stone houses."

"You mean the forest by the plains? And they're not weird houses."

The forest behind the mansion is very close and safe, as the name suggests. There are no large animals, and I've never seen any monsters. The animals are just small ones like rabbits and weasels. In return, the plants and fruits are also small, like strawberries, but the villagers sometimes come in to gather them because they are safe.

On the other hand, the forest by the plains has boars, large snakes, and wolf-like monsters deeper in. In return, you can find delicious mushrooms, large juicy fruits, and plenty of blueberries.

I guess animals are drawn to where there's good food.

"It's fine as long as we don't go deep in."

"Okay, let's go then!"

Well, it's safe as long as Elinora-nee-san is with me.

I'll inform Father Nord and Mother Elna just in case. Father Nord apparently defeated a Wind Wolf, a monster, yesterday, so it should be safe.

Protecting the people from bandits and monsters is the lord's duty. Usually, they hire knights, adventurers, mercenaries, or vigilantes to deal with such threats. In our case, we hire and train vigilantes and have them patrol the forest regularly.

Thanks to Father Nord, the strongest lord, personally training them, our vigilantes are said to be very tough.

There are people patrolling today, so it's reassuring.

We head to the forest with cloths and baskets to carry the harvested food. Of course, I carry the basket.

We walk along the path near the base I built.

"Oh, there are Meg fruits."

"Where?"

"Over there."

I look in the direction Elinora-nee-san points.

...Where exactly?

"See, they're around the roots of that tree, right?"

I squint, but I can't see anything. Aren't Meg fruits red? Shouldn't they stand out? I can't see them at all. By the way, my eyesight isn't bad; I have 1.5 vision in both eyes.

In any case, it doesn't change the fact that we need to pick them, so I approach the tree Elinora-nee-san pointed at.

What? It's still far? Did she point twenty meters ahead?

"There they are."

"See?"

Sure enough, they were there. But they were about fifty meters from where we found them.

And there were just a few red grains at the base of the tree.

Meg fruits are shaped like wheat, with many red berries, just like wheat.

If I could see the whole plant, it would be different, but it's impressive that she spotted these few red grains. What kind of ethnicity is she? Does she have 2.0 vision or something?

I carefully pick the small, round grains from the base of the plant.

There were many more, so I pick them in moderation. It's no good to pick too many and waste them, nor is it good to pick them all. It's the rule of the mountain.

After we finish picking the Meg fruits, Elinora-nee-san brings something over.

"What's this?"

A mysterious object with black, frilly edges. It reflects the light and looks glossy. It feels a bit rough to the touch.

I've never seen it before. A mountain vegetable? A mushroom?

"It's Black Devil's Ear. It's rare to find, but it's crunchy and delicious."

"Is that so? Well, if it's delicious, that's fine."

I put it in the basket.

After that, Elinora-nee-san keeps finding things and putting them in the basket. They are all things I've never seen before, in small quantities.

Are they really edible?

We continue searching. This time, we're looking for a specific fruit. I feel like we're going a bit deeper than before.

By the way, the fruit we're looking for is called Libra. It's shaped like a peach but with a skin color. It bruises easily if you touch it too much. The fruit grows high up, making it hard to pick.

When you eat it, the juice bursts in your mouth, and it tastes like a mix of juices. If it's rotten, it tastes a bit like vomit, so you have to be careful.

It's a rare fruit that I don't often see.

Elinora-nee-san says, "If you see a Fork Beetle or a Spoon Beetle, let me know," and starts walking around.

I don't know the official name, but I call the ones near my base Fork Beetles, so that's what we call them.

I guess everyone in the village knows them.

What? Those beetles blend in with the trees and are hard to spot.

I'm a bit tired, so I sit down against a nearby tree.

"Ah, I'm tired."

I look up and take a deep breath.

"Oh... it's a Fork Beetle."

It's definitely the same as the ones near my base. But isn't it a bit too spiky? The fork part could cause bleeding if it pierces you.

No, don't panic, Alfrid. The aggressive ones are the Spoon Beetles. The females. They are aggressive and strong, whether it's humans, mantises, or beetles here. Males are friends, so this one isn't scary, even if it has a trident-like horn that goes beyond a fork.

"Elinora-nee-san, there's a Fork Beetle."

"Really? Then there should be Libra there."

"Why?"

"The Fork Beetles often perch on Libra trees. I found Libra by chasing flying Fork Beetles in my free time."

"Wow, that's interesting."

Sure enough, there are a few Libra fruits up there.

Still, Elinora-nee-san chasing those beetles is pretty daring.

"Al, can you pick them?"

"What? Me? Shouldn't you pick them?"

"There's no way I can reach that high."

"But... Elinora-nee-san, you can climb like a monkey..."

"I'll punch you if you say any more."

"Okay, I'll pick them."

"That's why I brought you!"

Elinora-nee-san puffs out her chest as if it's the most obvious thing.

Damn, making her little brother do the work.

Is it always the case that younger brothers are made to do the work by their older sisters?

Especially during the elementary to middle school years, older sisters are strong. Why? Because girls grow faster during that time. So, they are physically larger and stronger, and there's no way to resist. By the time we become high schoolers, we learn from past experiences that girls are unreasonable. Even if we catch up in height and strength, we never resist because we know it's futile. In other words, we can never win.

We, the younger brothers, are perfectly trained by our sisters and the world.

If only boys' physical growth was a bit faster...

I suppress my frustration and go to the spot right below the Libra fruits. I then use earth magic to raise the ground to the height of the fruits.

"I got one!"

"Good job, Al! Be careful!"

Right now, you were only worried about the Libra, weren't you?

I slowly lower the ground back to its original position.

I need about three more, so I repeat the process to pick the Libra fruits.

"This is the last one. The leaves are in the way..."

I push aside the branches and leaves. Then,

"Ah! A Spoon Beetle!"

It's a female.

This is bad! She's aggressive! Elinora-nee-san—

She's already running away with the basket.

The Spoon Beetle flaps its wings angrily.

Instantly, quickly, immediately, I say it three times. I pick the Libra fruit and store it using space magic.

I use rapid earth magic to lower the ground and dash back to the surface!

The sound of flapping wings behind me is scary.

It probably feels like, "What did you do to our love nest!"

After running for dozens of meters, I realize:

—Why didn't I just teleport away?

That's exactly what I should have done. I was too flustered.

Once I calm down, I slow down and teleport back to my base, which is my home.

I didn't get caught this time. I've grown since last time.

I didn't get caught this time. I'm looking forward to more daily requests like this. I might use them in the story if they don't interfere with the plot.