Chapter 37

"Harvest time—"

"Shūkakuda—"

"Kyu—"

"Shūkaku"

"Ku—"

My soul's cry was echoed by Bell and the others. It felt so good.

When I woke up in the morning, Dolly appeared and told me that the Oilleaf was ready to be harvested. My drowsy mind suddenly became alert, leading to my first cry of the day.

"Dolly, is it okay to harvest all of them?"

"Yes, Oilleaf grows quickly, so if you miss the harvest time, it will grow too large and lose its flavor. It's best to harvest all of them and store them in your bag, Yuta-san."

"Got it. Should I leave a few for seeds? Since it's my first time growing vegetables, I want to continue growing them."

"That's a good idea. If you leave a few plants, Tamamo can take care of them, so it's fine to leave them."

It's sad to see the ingredients decrease, but since there are about a hundred plants, and we can go on an expedition and visit the town, it shouldn't be a problem.

"If that's the case, let's leave about three plants, shall we?"

"I think that's enough."

"Then let's leave three plants and harvest the rest. Bell, Rain, Tulu, Tamamo, please help me."

I headed to the field with a light step. The greenery that greeted me was soothing to the eyes. I'm sorry, but I'll harvest them. However, there are no insects, so there might be issues with pollination, but the vegetables look clean.

The other three types of plants I planted at the same time still need a bit more time. When I return from the expedition, maybe one type will be ready to eat?

"Then let's start the long-awaited harvest. I'll store the harvested vegetables right away, so please bring them to me."

"Bring them to me—"

Bell is reacting as if I'm telling her to bring them. Bell isn't the one who collects, though.

"Bell, you'll harvest and bring them to me, okay?"

"Okay."

Does she understand? Well, she seems to be having fun, so it's fine. I'll start harvesting right away.

I carefully grabbed the roots of the lush, green leaves to avoid damaging them, and gently applied force. Oh, it's coming out quite easily. The soil gradually piled up, and it popped out. Wow. It's quite moving. The roots are well-developed, and it seems to be a good harvest.

"Yuta, it's out—"

"Kyu"

"Shūkaku"

"Ku"

As I was moved, Bell and the others had lined up behind me. I must have taken too much time. They were handing me the harvested Oilleaf, so I thanked each of them and patted their heads. After they finished, they rushed to the next plant.

It might be inefficient, but with about a hundred plants, it should be done quickly. I received Oilleaf from Bell and the others while also harvesting some myself.

The harvest was completed more quickly than I expected. It's a bit sad, but since we're not shipping them, the amount is sufficient.

"Kyu. Kyukyu"

"Huh? What's wrong, Rain?"

Rain is trying to tell me something, but I don't understand. Does she not have the ability to communicate telepathically?

"Rain wants to wash the vegetables—"

"Oh, you're going to wash the harvested Oilleaf. Thank you, Rain."

I took out the rock I had stored and placed the Oilleaf on it. Rain enveloped it in a water ball. Wow, the water ball is vibrating slightly?

The soil on the vegetables sank to the bottom of the water ball, making it look like a skilled craftsman's work. When Rain chirped, the rock, which was dirty with soil, was washed clean with water. The clean Oilleaf was placed on the clean rock—very meticulous.

When I checked the Oilleaf, the soil between the roots had fallen off perfectly, and it was shiny and glossy. It looks delicious. How should I eat it?

"Kyu"

"Thank you, Rain. Thanks to you, it looks even more delicious."

I rubbed Rain's cheeks, which are her favorite form of physical contact. Her slightly open mouth is cute.

"It really looks delicious. You're the first to harvest in this deep part of the Land of Death, not in the shallow areas. You should be proud."

Sylphie praised me with a relaxed expression. It might be impressive, but I just grew them out of necessity, so I'm not sure how to feel proud.

"Indeed, growing plants in the Land of Death is very difficult. Even with the help of the spirits, this achievement is something to be proud of."

Dolly joined in. When that happens, of course...

"Yuta-chan, you're so great. I'll praise you a lot."

Dina also joined in. While being patted on the head, I felt the joy of having beautiful women nearby and the humiliation of being patted by Dina. I always struggle with whether to brush her off or accept it.

"Well, it's certainly something to be proud of. However, the wind, water, earth, and plants are all in place. This is a precious place in the Land of Death. It could eventually become a sacred area."

Nomos joined in and started talking about something incomprehensible. Is a sacred area something amazing?

"Oh, that's a good idea. But to make it a sacred area, there are still many things lacking."

Sylphie was enthusiastic. Dina and Dolly also joined the conversation, and a serious discussion among the Great Spirits began.

"Hey, what's a sacred area? I don't understand, so explain it to me."

"That's our discussion. There's still a lot of preparation needed, so I'll explain it to you when the time comes. Yuta, make sure to cook the vegetables you've harvested well."

Nomos said that and returned to the discussion. I could hear words like "sacred area" and "more forest area" and other troublesome things.

I get it. Something troublesome is starting, and I'll probably be involved eventually. Listening to the details might be scary, so I decided to focus on enjoying the vegetables as Nomos suggested.

Now, how should I eat them? I don't have granulated soup stock, so maybe I'll blanch them and eat them with soy sauce. Rain washed the roots thoroughly, so maybe I'll stir-fry them?

Nasturtium roots are edible, but what about Oilleaf?

"Dolly, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can you tell me if the roots of Oilleaf are edible?"

"The roots? They're not poisonous and are edible."

She said that and immediately returned to the discussion. Is it that important? It's a bit scary.

...Well, it's fine. I'll focus on cooking now. First, I'll prepare the roots. I carefully trimmed the fine, beard-like parts with a survival knife. Then, I'll just stir-fry them with salt. It's simple.

If I had more seasonings, I'd make kinpira, but I won't be picky. Blanching the leaves and adding a bit of soy sauce should be simple and delicious.

I boiled water, added a little salt, and blanched the stems first. I quickly blanched the leaves and it was done. I also stir-fried the roots with salt.

"It's ready."

The blanched Oilleaf and salt-stir-fried roots. It's too simple and doesn't look impressive, but it shines to me now. Bell and the others gathered quickly, but the Great Spirits didn't move.

"Hey, Sylphie, Dina, Nomos, Dolly, it's the first harvest. It's not a grand feast, but please enjoy it with me."

"Oh, sorry Yuta. Of course, I'll have some."

"Yuta-chan's first vegetables. I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll have some too."

"Hehe, thank you, Yuta-san."

Finally, everyone gathered, and we started to enjoy the first harvest. I thought dolphins and foxes wouldn't eat vegetables, but since they're spirits, it's not surprising.

"Let's eat."

First, the blanched leaves. Since they were only lightly blanched, they had a crunchy texture and a unique vegetable flavor spread in my mouth.

Hmm. It's not a flavor I usually like, but my body seems to be happy with the nutrients it's been lacking, so it tastes very good.

How about the salt-stir-fried roots? Crunch? Crunch? Hmm, it's like burdock or radish, with a lot of fiber and a good texture. The salt is effective, and the texture is good. This is good too.

"Yeah, it's well done. Yuta, you did a great job."

"Yuta-chan, it's delicious."

"Yuta-san, the simple seasoning brings out the flavor of the vegetables, making them very tasty."

Sylphie, Dina, and Dolly were happy and said it was delicious, but the other spirits had mixed reactions. Nomos seemed to think it wasn't a vegetable and ate it in one bite. The lower spirits...

"I like fish more."

Bell's cute eyebrows were in a V shape. It was a bit of a shock.

"Kyu"

Rain looked disappointed. I was so excited, and they must have had high expectations. It hurts.

"Bitter."

Tulu made a sour face and tried hard to digest the vegetables. I'm sorry.

"Ku"

Tamamo looked at me as if to say, "Do I have to eat it?" It reminded me of a Chihuahua commercial.

The reviews weren't good. Well, it's not a flavor children usually like, so it can't be helped. But it's strange that the earth and forest spirits don't like vegetables.

"Hehe, Bell and the others didn't like it. When we go to the town, I'll try to find more delicious things for you to eat, so look forward to it."

"Promise—"

"Kyu"

"Delicious things"

"Ku"

The lower spirits clung to me, confirming the promise. I promised to keep the promise and patted their heads. I hope there are things they'll like in the town.

But I'm quite satisfied because I was able to enjoy the vegetables. Even if the expedition is successful and we can go to the town, I might not have needed to grow vegetables so desperately, but it's a good thing because it gave me a sense of purpose.

Thank you for reading.