CH 124

The Path to the Holy Sanctuary? – i novels

()x11-14 minutes

We collected aquatic plants and animals from the spring, and entrusted them to Silphy to quickly return to the spring house… Well, it’s all up to Silphy, so Sara and I are leisurely watching the four pots. I feel a little sorry for Silphy, but there’s nothing we can do about it.

Sara and the others seem to have had a lot of fun freely swimming in the beautiful spring, and they are excitedly talking about what happened in the spring. We have obtained what we needed, and if the children enjoyed themselves, then this plan is a great success, right?

We arrived at the spring house in no time, thanks to Silphy’s fast pace. We greeted Bell and the others who welcomed us and quickly moved to the pond in the forest, suppressing our desire for physical contact.

We need to prepare the environment quickly, or else the plants and animals will weaken. The problem is when moving fish or other creatures, I vaguely remember reading somewhere that there is a process called acclimation… I don’t remember the details. As someone who has only had goldfish from the goldfish scooping game, I’m filled with anxiety. Let’s do what we can for now.

I asked Dyne and Rain to put the collected mud into the pond, making sure the water doesn’t get muddy. Next, we took out only the aquatic plants from the pots and planted them in the pond together.

Since I still have the underwater breathing magic, I finished planting the plants without any problems. What else can I do? Can I release the animals now?

“Ah, Dyne, can you make the water in the pond the same temperature as the water in the pots?”

I think sudden temperature changes wouldn’t be good for the fish. At least, I think so.

“It’s easy. I just need to make them the same temperature. Done!”

That was fast!

“Ah, thank you.”

I can’t think of anything else to do. We’ve done everything we could, so let’s leave it to fate. With Sara and the others’ help, we slowly submerge the pots into the pond and gently release the aquatic animals inside. The small fish, frogs, shrimps, crabs, and insects that were in the pots scatter into the pond.

“Yuta, will the fish grow?”

Bell, who was peering into the pond with me, asked. That’s a really difficult question.

“Well, I don’t know. I’ve done everything I can, so now it’s up to the fish to do their best. Oh, and we shouldn’t play with Rain in the waterway for a while so as not to startle the fish.”

“Okay! Bell will support the fish!”

She flew above the pond and looked into it with a serious expression. Is she cheering them on?

“Master, what are we going to do next?”

“It’s getting dark soon. Let’s have dinner and call it a day. Tomorrow, I’ll continue with the exploration, and Sara and the others will focus on training.”

I’ll ask Silphy to help Sara and the others in clearing out the undead nests. It might be tough for them to handle the King Liches, and Generals, but even fighting against Knights and Mages should provide good training in group battles. Dealing with a large number of enemies can be challenging.

There’s nothing more we can do by simply staring at the pond. I trust in the vitality of the creatures and plants, so let’s return home.

“Silphy, Dyne, Dolly, thank you for today. I’ll serve drinks tonight, what would you like?”

They’ve helped me a lot today too. I should offer them some drinks. The three of them… and somehow, Nomos has joined us, making it a group of four for the discussion. Didn’t Nomos say he had something to attend to?

“Yuta, how many barrels of alcohol will you provide?”

…Asking for barrels of alcohol, they must be in a desperate state. Spirits don’t become alcoholics, right?

“Since we have tomorrow as well, how about one barrel?”

Upon hearing my words, the Greater Spirits huddled together and began discussing. I wonder why. While it’s heartwarming to see Bell and the others gathering and discussing with excitement, when the Greater Spirits do it, it looks as if barrels of alcohol are floating around. As I observed the scene, Dyne approached me with a determined expression.

“Yuta, it’s Onee-chan’s request. One more barrel!”

…Behind Dyne, the Greater Spirits were looking at me with hopeful eyes. Is that acceptable for Greater Spirits? Well, one barrel of alcohol is just a minor expense for them, considering the help they’ve provided. Perhaps I should have stocked up on more barrels of alcohol?

“Alright, I got it. I’ll add another barrel.”

The Greater Spirits cheered with excitement. In a way, it’s quite cost-effective and helpful. Now, I’ll calm down the enthusiastic Greater Spirits and inform them that they’ll have the drinks after dinner. It wouldn’t be good for Sara and the others to witness the scene of alcohol being consumed so eagerly in mid-air, as it sets a bad example.

After finishing dinner and putting Sara, Bell, and the others to bed, I brought out ale, white wine, and some snacks, and the party began.

“Oh, Yuta, you’re drinking tonight too?”

Silphy looked at me with surprise. It’s unusual for me to drink, since I haven’t been drinking much since coming here.

“Ah, just a little bit. I want to know what’s happening in the Holy Sanctuary. Nomos, can you tell us the situation?”

“Hm? As long as we can drink while talking, I don’t mind.”

Their eyes are practically saying, “Hurry up and bring out the drinks.” It seems like the conversation won’t progress unless we’re drinking. So, I take out the requested barrels of ale and white wine, and arrange the glass mugs.

“Dyne, can you chill the barrel of ale?”

“Sure thing!”

Dyne happily freezes the area around the barrel.

“Dyne, since you’ve already changed the temperature of the pond water, couldn’t you just lower the temperature of the barrel without freezing it?”

“Hm? I did lower the temperature. But if I leave it as it is, it’ll warm up quickly, so I freeze the surroundings to maintain a low temperature. Isn’t it amazing?”

Dyne proudly puffs her chest. It’s certainly impressive.

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Well, that’s amazing, Dyne.”

I give her praise for now. Nomos starts getting restless, urging us to start drinking. They start pouring ale directly from the barrel into the mugs and we raise a toast.

We gulp down the ale, making gulping sounds. The chilled ale against the scorching wasteland. It’s a pity there’s no carbonation, but it’s still irresistible.

“Ahh, but Yuta is right. The taste of the alcohol is better in glass mugs, isn’t it?”

Silphy praises with a cheerful expression. She also complimented the glass mugs during the drinking party at the inn, so she must really like them. Though it was actually Nomos who made them.

“Yes, the refreshing appearance is nice, and the absence of the woody scent in the mouthfeel is wonderful.”

Dolly is also smiling. Well, there’s no escaping the scent of the wooden barrel, but even just having a different mug can change the impression quite a bit. By the way, Dyne and Nomos, who aren’t praising, have already downed their second glass.

“Yes, not only glass, but cups made of pottery are also suitable for drinking alcohol.”

“Oh, pottery cups? I’d love to try that.”

“What do you mean? Tell us more about it.”

After Silphy, Nomos also becomes interested in pottery cups. He won’t give his opinions, but if it’s a conversation about making alcohol taste better, he will join in.

“Well, let’s talk about that later. Before that, tell me about the Holy Sanctuary.”

“Hm? Ah, right. Well, not much progress has been made. I spoke with the Spirit King, but it seems that this place doesn’t meet the criteria to be designated as a Holy Sanctuary.”

“Huh? So, this place won’t become a Holy Sanctuary then.”

A mix of relief and disappointment. If it became a Holy Sanctuary, the spirits would be able to materialize more easily, and it would have been a good learning experience for Bell and Sara.

…Thinking about it, it’s a bit disappointing. If they could interact directly with Fuka-chan and the others, Sara and the spirits could have become even closer.

“For now, as I said. We still don’t know what lies ahead. However, from our conversation, it didn’t seem bad. The Spirit King mentioned that it would be good to have at least one place where the broken balance of nature can be restored and the spirits can freely move. It all depends on your efforts from now on, so I’m counting on you.”

Hmm, so that means there’s a possibility it can become a Holy Sanctuary if I work hard on exploration. It feels a bit presumptuous to talk about a Holy Sanctuary, but if it allows Silphy and the others to enjoy themselves without any issues, it’s worth the effort.

I had already planned to continue with the exploration, and I’ll work diligently while taking into account the opinions of Nomos and the others.

“Understood. Give me your advice on what I should focus on first. Are there any urgent matters I should take care of?”

“Well, there’s nothing specific that you need to do. If you continue with the exploration and gain the approval of the Spirit Kings, it will become a Holy Sanctuary. So, just do what you want without thinking too much. But we prefer places where the balance of nature is maintained.”

Does that mean there’s no clear answer? It seems to depend on the Spirit Kings’ mood. It’s even more complicated with their request to prioritize nature while telling me to do as I please.

…Simply put, I should continue the exploration while prioritizing nature. Well, before considering the importance of nature, I need to increase its presence. It’s actually quite challenging.

…Anyway, let’s drink. Yeah, that’s it. I want to escape with alcohol for now.

————-

“You really should get some rest before you exhaust yourself.”

“I know, but I can’t help being curious about the dishes. Martha, this dish is amazing. I feel infinite possibilities in it.”

“I understand because I tasted it too. Indeed, that fried dish is delicious, but if you overexert yourself, it’s going to be a problem. Go to sleep already!”

My husband, with lingering eyes on the kitchen, is forcefully escorted to the bedroom while I clean up the kitchen. It has been two days since he received the recipe from Yuta, and my husband has been researching fried dishes without a wink of sleep.

The thickness of the ingredients, temperature of the oil, frying time, amount of breadcrumbs, seasonings… Once he starts thinking about it, he can’t stop, and he contemplates it with an even scarier expression on his face.

If it were me or Kalk, I would understand that my husband is delighted, so it’s fine, but recently, we’ve been getting more female customers, and we can’t afford to show them this side of him. They would be scared and stop coming.

But ever since I met Yuta, things have become quite unusual. He had a strange aura with unusual attire, so I asked him about it, and he taught me dishes I had never seen or heard of before.

Since Yuta, the inn’s guests have decreased due to the conflict with the Adventurers Guild, but we’ve gained even more customers coming for meals, doubling our profits. Should we just convert the inn into a restaurant?

Even this fried dish is shockingly delicious. My husband still feels like he hasn’t done enough research, but maybe I should contact that gourmet girl from the Merchant Guild after a while.

Yuta had asked me to inform him if I learned any new dishes, and once she approves, not only the guild staff but also many customers will come rushing in. It’ll get busy again.

However, after receiving the recipe for the fried dish, I’m worried about the commotion Yuta has caused in the Adventurers Guild. It seems he defeated a Fire Dragon, and though he doesn’t seem strong, I was surprised to learn that he’s actually a remarkable fighter. Is he okay?

He has children too, so I hope he doesn’t do anything reckless. I wonder what lies ahead for Yuta. It’s worrisome.