Chapter 32

"Ugh, kuh!"

Under the morning sun streaming in through the open window, Zenjiro, who had taken off his pajamas for the first time in eight days and changed into a T-shirt and pants, stretched his body as if to loosen up all the stiffness.

The still slightly reddish morning sun and the cool breeze blowing in through the window gently caressed Zenjiro's body.

"Ah, the saying 'health is the greatest wealth' may be a cliché, but it's true."

Under the morning sun, Zenjiro cracked his neck and muttered with a mix of emotions.

The seven days since the onset of 'Forest's Blessing.' He received a clean bill of health from the doctor just yesterday. Because the examination was delayed, he had a proper bath for the first time in seven days last night and then went to bed early.

Therefore, Zenjiro felt that his return to normal life was more pronounced from this moment on.

"By the way, today's temperature... Oh, it's still 25°C. It's dropped quite a bit. No wonder it feels cool."

Zenjiro looked at the thermometer on the wall, read the scale where the red liquid had risen, and let out a slightly surprised voice. Even in the cool early morning, 25°C was quite comfortable.

At this rate, he might be able to spend the day without using ice or a fan.

When the temperature exceeds body temperature, there's no room for argument, but if the maximum temperature stays in the low 30s, it's necessary to endure a bit and acclimate his body to the climate of this country.

"After all, we don't know how long the fans and refrigerators will last."

He didn't want to think about it, but the lifespan of electrical appliances is shorter than that of humans. Without spares, there will eventually come a time when he will have to give up on electrical appliances.

Even if the appliances still worked, if he stepped out of the harem, it would be the scorching Kingdom of Carpia. If outsiders like Princess Isabella visited, he would need to hide the appliances. It would be wise to acclimate his body to the climate of this country while he still had the time.

"Ah, as expected, my body feels like it's deteriorated. Maybe I should do some strength training and lifting?

I remember I brought a soccer ball and a pump from my university days."

Zenjiro patted his body over his T-shirt and pants and muttered to himself. After seven days in bed, it wouldn't be surprising if his body had not only stiffened but also started to deteriorate.

If he returned to his reclusive life as it was, it would be dangerous. He didn't want to end up out of breath just from getting up or walking. Zenjiro felt the need for self-training.

"Would it be okay to go out to the courtyard where the generator is installed? After all, I need to move my body to some extent."

Zenjiro bounced a black and white soccer ball on the carpet, checking the air pressure, and muttered. Although he had enjoyed his reclusive life, thinking "My body is getting stiff," he realized the importance of maintaining his physical strength after being bedridden.

"Lifting is probably a bit dangerous here."

After a few lifts with the top of his left foot, Zenjiro caught the ball in mid-air and looked around the room, interrupting his lifting.

This room, which Zenjiro used as a living room, could be described as "ridiculously large" by Japanese standards. However, various electrical cords from the courtyard stretched across the room in a tangled mess.

He tried to keep them to the side to avoid tripping, but due to the placement of the appliances and the length of the cords, some cords still crossed the room.

If he tripped over one of those cords, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Maybe I should get a spare room prepared. There should be plenty of rooms available, after all."

Just as Zenjiro muttered this, he heard a knock on the entrance door followed by a voice.

"Excuse me, Zenjiro-sama. I have brought what you requested."

Zenjiro immediately reacted to the voice.

"Yes, I'll open it now."

Zenjiro placed the soccer ball he was holding under his arm on the sofa and headed for the door. Although it was usually the maids' job to open the door, Zenjiro deduced that the maids were busy and decided to open it himself.

Sure enough, a young maid with blonde hair, rare in the Kingdom of Carpia, stood there, holding a large wooden tray with her back straight.

"I asked the kitchen to prepare it as you instructed."

On the wooden tray the maid held were thinly sliced bananas fried in oil, seasoned only with coarse salt.

'Banana chips' are a snack that exists in modern Japan, but this was more of a substitute for potato chips.

The mashed banana sauce he was fed while bedridden tasted similar to potatoes, so he had the kitchen try to prepare the cooking bananas as a potato chip substitute.

"Let me see, I'll take one."

Zenjiro took a banana chip from the tray the maid offered and put it in his mouth, crunching the warm chip.

"Hmm..."

The simple taste of salt and good oil spread in Zenjiro's mouth. Although the base material was slightly different, it was a satisfying substitute for potato chips.

"How is it, Zenjiro-sama?"

"It's good, but a bit thick. Could you ask them to cut them a bit thinner next time?"

"Understood, I will pass that on."

"Thanks."

Zenjiro took the wooden tray from the maid, who bowed slightly, and returned to the room.

Zenjiro placed the wooden tray on a low table in front of the sofa and sat down.

"Hmm, a bit hard, but it's a good substitute for potato chips. It doesn't have the sweetness of a dessert banana."

The taste was more nostalgic than delicious.

Zenjiro had been in this world for a few months. He thought it was too early to miss Japan, but it was a fact that he had often recalled Japanese food while bedridden.

Zenjiro thought he wasn't particularly picky about food, and in fact, he had never felt dissatisfied with the food in this world. However, he realized that when his body and mind were weak, things were different.

He didn't intend to indulge in luxury or whims, but if it was within the realm of possibility to ask the harem or the head chef to recreate Japanese dishes, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

Zenjiro, who had hardly eaten snacks since becoming an adult, now found these potato chip substitutes "delicious," which showed that the longing for home based on taste was something that couldn't be ignored.

"Fortunately, sugar seems to be commonly used in this country, so maybe I can try various confections? But, eggs are one thing, dairy products are very expensive, right? Without using any milk or butter, what kind of confections can I make... Hmm. Do I have any recipes for that?"

The livestock in the Kingdom of Carpia, which has a climate similar to a tropical rainforest, is 80% 'dragons'—reptiles. Naturally, reptiles do not produce milk. They do lay eggs, but they are quite different from bird eggs.

However, as is evident from countries like those in equatorial Africa and India, which are even hotter than the Kingdom of Carpia but still raise cattle and pigs, it's not fundamentally impossible to raise mammals.

The reason why mammals are not commonly raised in the southern continent is more likely due to the ecosystem of the continent rather than the temperature.

However, in reality, there are few cows or goats in the Kingdom of Carpia, and dairy products are precious. Especially without centrifuges, butter and cream are extremely expensive.

"Moreover, there's no hand mixer or electric oven, so there's almost nothing I can make on my own."

Although he had experience living alone, he was, after all, a young man living alone. His cooking repertoire was limited to "curry," "stew," "hayashi rice," and some stir-fried dishes.

"Maybe I can try fruits? If there's something similar to apples, I could probably make an apple pie. But apples are a fruit from the far north, aren't they?"

Sitting on the sofa and picking up a banana chip, Zenjiro turned on the TV and started watching a DVD for entertainment while muttering.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

That night, after finishing dinner and bathing, Aura and Zenjiro spent a private moment in one of the harem rooms for the first time in seven days.

"So, you want to move your body enough to not get stiff, right?"

"Yeah, in simple terms, that's about it. What do you think? Can I use one of the rooms in the courtyard or a room in the harem as my exercise room?"

Aura and Zenjiro sat side by side on a sofa, close enough to embrace each other's shoulders, discussing the topic of 'building a healthy body' that Zenjiro had been thinking about all morning.

As the master of the harem, Zenjiro didn't need anyone's permission to tidy up a room for lifting or to dribble in the courtyard, but his lack of awareness as the 'master of the harem' was evident in his asking Aura for permission.

"I don't know what kind of exercise this 'soccer' is, but if you want to keep your body from getting stiff, why not try martial arts? The 'Ten Arts' are worth learning."

Aura said this while taking a banana chip from the wooden tray on the table.

"Ten Arts?"

"Yes. The ten martial arts that warriors in the Kingdom of Carpia should master: running, spear, bow, dragon riding, tree climbing, water, camping, stone throwing, sword, and unarmed combat. However, only a few knights can master all ten. The essential ones are running, spear, and bow. If you aim to be a cavalryman, you should also learn dragon riding, and the rest can be learned as special skills to be versatile."

"Wow..."

Zenjiro was impressed. It was like the 'eighteen martial arts' of old Japan. Although he was well past twenty and didn't think he could master them now, he was interested. However, he thought for a