Episode 18: A Luxurious Meal

“No matter how many times I look at it, it’s mysterious and beautiful.”

I was looking at the luminous nebula spreading across the pre-dawn night sky. A cosmic scenery drawing complex patterns in various colors and shining faintly in the night sky. The more I look at it, the more I feel drawn to its beauty, and my heart feels cleansed. Looking at this supernatural scenery, my worries feel trivial.

Well, having said that, once this moment ends, a harsh survival life awaits again. Yesterday, after finishing skinning the Sabertooth Tiger, I found a gap in the roots of a large tree to use as a bed, ate my fill, and went to sleep early. Thanks to that, I woke up early and am looking at the luminous nebula like this. My injuries have mostly healed, and my depressed mood has settled.

Once it gets bright, I’ll repair the broken shield and depart. The Sabertooth Tiger fur is stiff and heavy since it hasn’t been fully tanned, but I think it will be necessary ahead, so I’ll carry it on my back.

I’m thinking if I use this fur to disguise myself as a Sabertooth Tiger and emit Pressure, I might be able to avoid battles with some monsters. If it works, I’ll be lucky.

I’ve advanced considerably through the forest today. Crossing several ridges and valleys, I’ve reached the middle of the mountain. Perhaps due to the effect of the Sabertooth Tiger fur, beasts don’t attack much.

Beasts like pseudo-panthers and pseudo-Lycaons attacked a few times, but when I spread the Sabertooth Tiger fur, they were surprised, and when I emitted Pressure, they shrank back. I was able to defeat them easily without wasting time. As expected, this Sabertooth Tiger must have been the king of this area. I smirked at the effect exceeding my expectations.

Also, it seems I’ve come to a higher altitude than I thought; the forest trees, which were dense broadleaf trees, are changing to coniferous forests, and I’ve started to feel somewhat chilly. Applying this to central Honshu in Japan, I guess I’ve reached an altitude of about 1700-2000 meters.

However, the summit is still far away. It’s hidden by clouds, but near the summit, vegetation disappears and rock surfaces are exposed. It seems to be over 3000 meters after all. Judging from the current perceived temperature, it will likely drop below 10°C near the summit. It should drop even more at night.

The slope has become quite steep, making it difficult to walk straight toward the summit. Looking for easy places to walk, I advance carefully in a zigzag, step by step. Caution is needed as steep slopes make footing slippery.

As I climb, the gaps between trees open up, and the density of grasses increases. Some resemble Japanese plants, while others don’t at all. It’s a fresh feeling as the atmosphere is completely different from mountain climbing in Japan.

For that very reason, there are many things I don’t understand, so more caution is needed. There might be plants that cause rashes or cuts upon contact. Worst case, I can’t say for sure there aren’t plants that attack.

Since the density of trees dropped, the visible range of the sky expanded, and birds I didn’t notice before are starting to be seen here and there. Birds like bush warblers or skylarks would be fine, but what I see are raptors resembling eagles and hawks. Since they are flying quite high, I can’t tell the size, but they are probably larger than Earth’s. After all, there are even Pterosaurs. I don’t think human size would be a prey target, but it’s better to be careful.

I expanded the range of presence detection using the Field. While walking in the forest avoiding annoying things like leeches and bees, I realized I could sense presence through the Field. Vaguely, but I became able to understand the movement of things somewhat far away. Probably, this is also an ability originally possessed by this body.

Continuing the climb without encountering significant enemies, I came out to a place with exposed rock masses and no vegetation. The view opened up greatly, revealing not only the sky but also the mountain I had climbed and the lake with the cave that was the Goblin dwelling, the starting point of this climb.

It is truly a magnificent view. Below, the dense forest trees became a green carpet covering the shapes of ridges and valleys, and beyond that, lakes appeared to overlap one another. From here, I can’t tell if the lake has a complex shape or if several small lakes are lined up, but the forest and lakes alternate to create a complex terrain.

Come to think of it, the Mikata Five Lakes in Fukui Prefecture felt like this. Mountains surrounded by the sea and five lakes created a complex terrain, and the view from the summit park on that mountain was simply wonderful.

I can’t see the sea with these lakes, but beyond them, a large forest spreads to the horizon. It lacks detail, but in terms of dynamic scale, this scenery is several levels higher. Looking at the lake from such a height and seeing the place where I was until the other day is an indescribable feeling. Thinking I was there, I can even see the lakeshore where I spent time with Lusine.

However, even looking over the whole area like this, I can’t find a place where humans live. In Japan, if you climb a mountain, you can see human towns or traces of life somewhere, but here, only deep mountain nature spreads out.

Human survival zones might be extremely limited in this world. With a civilization level of medieval Japan or Europe, there should be plenty of natural areas where people haven’t stepped foot.

Indulging in such thoughts and neglecting vigilance was a mistake. I didn’t notice the eagle’s approach until I heard the loud sound of wings. I instinctively dropped and hid behind a rock, escaping unharmed, but vicious talons grazed just a few centimeters away.

Looking at the flying eagle, its wingspan is nearly 5 meters, nearly double the Steller’s Sea Eagle considered large on Earth. The talons are over 20cm long. If caught by that, they would dig into internal organs; it would be unbearable.

Reflexively I threw a stone, but it dodged easily as if it had eyes in the back of its head. The eagle accelerated rapidly while moving away from me and soared high into the sky. Recognizing me as prey, it dived and charged again. I stared in amazement at its speed.

Earth’s Golden Eagle is said to have recorded 320km/h, but this eagle feels like it far surpasses that. Using Telekinesis in addition to dive speed, it approaches at a speed my eyes can hardly track. Moreover, with wings folded, it looks like a flying bullet. I threw a stone to intercept, but the trajectory was diverted as expected. There is no time to throw a next stone.

Aiming for the moment the eagle passed, I instinctively hid behind the rock behind me and fired a finger bullet. When catching prey like me, an eagle spreads its wings to brake and reduce speed. Noticing the pebble closing in, it tried to dodge but couldn’t make it in time. Losing posture, it flapped harder to reduce speed further.

At the moment it lost almost all momentum, I applied downward Telekinesis on the eagle. The flight path of the eagle, trying to turn from a dive to a climb, changed, and it crashed straight into the rock.

Hitting its head on the rock, the eagle flapped its wings while writhing. However, unable to fly, it thrashed around on the rock. A large amount of feathers fell out, scattering like a storm of cherry blossoms. I smashed the eagle’s head with the halberd and killed it.

I tried the technique used on me by the Sabertooth Tiger—wrapping the body in Telekinesis and Space Moving it—on the spur of the moment, and it seems to have worked well. Even if the wingspan exceeds 5 meters, the body part is small, probably weighing around 20kg. This much is within the range I can move using Telekinesis.

But I didn’t think I would really be attacked. There are cases in Japan and abroad where children were actually carried off by large eagles, but could it fly carrying me? It must have attacked thinking it could fly, but I think my weight is at least four times this eagle’s… Another world is terrifying.

I cut open the eagle’s neck and took out the Telekinetic Stone, but it was a small one about the size of a pinky finger, bright red in color. Since the Field I felt wasn’t that strong, reddish Telekinetic Stones probably don’t have much power. Being originally a flying animal, maybe it doesn’t need Telekinesis much beyond using it for acceleration.

Seeing eagle feathers spread all over, I wondered if I could make a pillow, but gave up as the amount was too small. Camping is fine, but without a pillow, I often wake up with a stiff neck, which is painful. As anyone who camps knows, the quality of sleep and recovery from fatigue differ significantly depending on whether you have a pillow or not. It might be a luxurious worry, but it’s a pretty important issue. Unavoidably, I have to substitute with rolled-up fur for the time being.

I looked at the panorama woven by the forest and lake once more before departing. From now on, as altitude increases, trees will become sparse, and places with open views like this will likely increase. Since the eye level changes, I look forward to seeing how the current scenery changes. This is one of the real thrills of mountain climbing, but I have to be careful not to neglect vigilance.

I walked for a while, but attacks from beasts almost ceased. Small animals like rabbits and weasels became noticeable, and animals like squirrels and small monkeys could be seen in trees. Those small animals ran away when I approached.

Whether the Sabertooth Tiger’s appearance is terrifying or the Pressure I emit is terrifying, anyway, it’s great there is no trouble. Beasts in this world continue fighting until death once they start, but it seems they don’t force a fight against opponents they think they can’t beat from the start.

I picked and ate tree nuts that an animal resembling a monkey was eating. Small red bumpy fruits in bunches like grapes. At first, I felt bitterness, but sweetness spread as the fruit popped in my mouth. Quite delicious. I picked and collected several. Since I hadn’t eaten anything decent, my mouth felt lonely, so it was perfect.

I climbed mountains many times in Japan, but I never actually ate tree nuts or flowers. I kept it to observation only. So, having had no interest in cooking, I have no idea what plants are edible. I think I should have studied plants more, but it’s too late now. For the future, I intend to pay close attention to what small animals are eating.

Altitude increased further, and the scenery changed to grassy fields with sparse trees. The temperature dropped considerably, so I started feeling cold on my exposed arms and legs.

Perhaps because places to hide disappeared, attacks from raptors like eagles and hawks increased. Raptors don’t seem to care about the Sabertooth Tiger fur. Since eagles and hawks are said to have good eyes, they probably see through the disguise easily.

After fighting several times, I understood there are several patterns to their attacks. Basically, they try to capture using talons while diving, but sometimes they fly close to the ground and stab with their beaks.

If I throw a stone during a dive, they shift the stone to the right while lowering their altitude slightly as if ducking under. At this time, they deploy a Field, so if I throw an additional stone imbued with Will, the Field gets disturbed, and I became able to shoot them down with considerable probability.

When flying close to the ground, the speed is slow, but they try to suppress the prey’s movement by forming a strong Field. However, since the strong Field is only effective against small animals, if I deploy a stronger Field, I can conversely fix their flight path, making them easy to snipe with thrown stones.

I shot down about 10 birds, after which the attacks stopped. Perhaps learning among the eagles and hawks that I am stronger, they disappeared from the sky. That’s good, but since I’m fully visible from above, I prayed the Pterosaur that flew to the lake wouldn’t come. I don’t think I can win against that. The eagle’s talons were huge and thick beyond comparison, so if grabbed by that, my whole body would be crushed.

Also, libido wells up after battles as expected, but releasing it in a place with good visibility is quite—or rather extremely—embarrassing. If I could endure it, that would be fine, but once captivated by lust, my head fills with female bodies until release, making it impossible to think of anything else. Actually, even in normal times, my thoughts are becoming captivated by lust, and I started worrying about what to do.

Walking while suffering from such worries, I came out to a relatively gentle land. Flowers resembling white clover, red clover, and rape blossoms were blooming in profusion, and three-leaf and four-leaf clovers covered the entire area.

Stepping in there, I started seeing mushrooms growing in rings here and there.

What is this?

I recall this is called a “Fairy Ring,” something appearing in European folklore. Traces of fairies dancing in a ring, or something like that? If a person enters, they can never return, or something?

Come to think of it, I saw on TV or something that “Fairy Rings” are made by fungal mycelium. Basically, mushrooms grow and spread radially, but since the old central part dies out, it remains in the shape of a ring.

This can apparently become huge if conditions are met. Normally seen ones are a few meters in diameter at most, but one discovered in France reached 600 meters in diameter and 700 years in age. Nature is truly wondrous.

There seem to be quite a few “Fairy Rings” of 2-3 meters here, but the one that catches the eye most is in the center, appearing to be 20 meters in diameter. Normally composed of one type of mushroom, this large “Fairy Ring” consists of various mushrooms, appearing to draw a mysterious pattern.

I had never seen something like this, so I got interested. As I approached, suddenly children’s laughter echoed.

What?!

I instinctively braced myself, but innocent laughter of several people grew louder, and three fairies appeared. The fairies flew around me, laughing happily. As expected, these fairies also resemble humans but look like dolls, small and adorable.

Wearing hats mimicking mushrooms, they are clad in red and white outfits reminiscent of white and red clover, or yellow outfits reminiscent of rape blossoms. This is a situation similar to when I encountered the “Spirit of the Spring.” Is there a spirit or something here too? The fairies try to invite me into the large “Fairy Ring.”

Since I have the precedent of the “Spirit of the Spring,” I thought about going along with the invitation. But the folklore about “never returning” crossed my mind. If I’m sent somewhere and really can’t return…

Anxiety rushed in. Normally I’d laugh it off, but considering the instantaneous movement by something like a magic circle in that laboratory, it’s not impossible.

The fairies look at me standing still suspiciously and beckon as if saying “come quickly.” But I can’t help feeling suspicious. Following a stranger is dangerous, but wouldn’t following a strange fairy be even more dangerous?

However, it depends on how you look at it. Even if I’m sent somewhere, could the situation get worse than now? If I get eaten by something, well, maybe that can’t be helped. It seemed better than continuing the current situation. Besides, if it’s the same as the “Spirit of the Spring,” I might get my fatigue and injuries healed.

I steeled my resolve and entered the large “Fairy Ring” with the fairies. At that moment, I felt a sensation like passing through some kind of membrane. It resembles the feeling of Fields interfering with each other. Is it some kind of barrier? It also felt similar to the sensation when I was rejected by the “Spirit of the Spring” and couldn’t approach the spring.

Inside the “Fairy Ring” is warm, like a sunny spot in spring. Though invisible from outside, various flowers are blooming in profusion at my feet. Strangely, when I step, the flowers in that part disappear, and when I remove my foot, flowers bloom. Unmistakably a fantasy world.

Captivated by the flowers, a giant crystal-like pillar appeared from within a particularly large flower blooming in the center. It rotated, reflecting light and illuminating the surroundings. The surrounding flowers became vivid and increased in luster, releasing pollen-like particles. Particles of light wrapped around my body. I thought this is bad, but I couldn’t escape and inhaled them.

Then, just like when I drank the water where the “Spirit of the Spring” was, power overflowed in my body, and small injuries and wounds healed visibly. Strangely, while power surged, my libido subsided, and my heart became calm like in “sage time.” I felt relieved by the refreshing feeling visited after a long time and the peace of mind I had almost forgotten.

Satisfied with my condition, before I knew it, a woman who seemed to be a spirit was standing in front of me. No, she is floating slightly in the air, so maybe it’s better to say she exists there.

Should I call her the “Spirit of Flowers”…

The woman is staring at me while smiling gently. Her鶯 (uguisu/olive-green) semi-long hair curls inward and spreads, clad in an atmosphere reminiscent of a mushroom. Every time her hair sways, it changes into various pastel colors.

She is clad in a pale purple robe emitting a faint glow. Even though there is no wind, the robe sways gently, reminiscent of flower petals rustling in a breeze. It’s a mysterious appearance hard to describe.

What is certain is that, like the “Spirit of the Spring,” she has beauty and presence that seem to transcend humanity. She is clad in a transcendent atmosphere that makes one want to worship naturally. I involuntarily kneeled on one knee and stated my thanks.

“Thank you for granting me recovery of injuries and stamina.” “~♪♫♬♪♫♬♪♫♬~”

She seemed to answer something, but as expected, I don’t understand what she is saying. However, from her gentle smile, I sense no hostility, and I think she has no intention of harming me.

Would Lusine have understood the meaning of these words? The intonation feels quite different, but somehow I feel it’s not unlike the language Lusine spoke.

“Feu, Viande, C’est bon. Feu, Viande, C’est bon.”

I lined up the words I learned from Lusine. Directly translated, it is “Fire, Meat, Delicious. Fire, Meat, Delicious.”

For now, let’s call this woman the “Spirit of Flowers.” The “Spirit of Flowers” showed an expression like What’s that? for just a split second. Truly just an instant, probably less than 0.1 seconds, but I didn’t miss her looking dumbfounded. I feel like I saw something very rare. After that instant, she showed a gentle smile as if nothing happened.

“~♪♪♫&♪♪♫♫♫♬%♬≦：♫♬#♬※♬♬▶♪♪♫♫♪♪♫~”

When the “Spirit of Flowers” spoke, flowers disappeared in a radius of about 2 meters around where I was, revealing the ground. Furthermore, a pattern like a small magic circle floated up, and even a “stove” made of stone appeared there.

It looks like nothing but magic, and this surprised me. And it seems my words got through properly. The “Spirit of Flowers” must have understood that I grill meat and eat it. More than magic this or that, I was happier about the fact that words got through.

Humans like Lusine probably communicate with such supernatural beings via language. A world where beings thought to be gods and humans coexist. Is that the way of intelligent life on this planet? If so, what kind of civilization and culture are they nurturing?

I can’t imagine at all, but at least I could communicate with Lusine and experience something like interaction between a man and a woman. Probably, I think there isn’t much difference in human nature. Somehow, an exciting feeling wells up.

While I was moved, the fairies flew around me and started pulling the Sabertooth Tiger fur I was carrying on my back. Looking at it, the fairies only seem to be touching the fur, yet the fur is pulled with considerable force.

“What are you doing, stop!”

I tried to brush the fairies away with my hand, but my hand passed through the fairies’ bodies. Despite that, the fur is pulled. What on earth is going on?

While I was dumbfounded, the fur was snatched away. The fairies carried the fur while flying and presented it to the “Spirit of Flowers.”

“♪♫%&’ ♬♪♫&’ )0( &%$♬♪♫♬”

The “Spirit of Flowers” hummed something and held her hand over the fur. Then, the Sabertooth Tiger fur vanished as if wiped out.

“♪♫#Feu%&♬♪$”&Viande♫%&♬♪♫♬”

The “Spirit of Flowers” smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling. Just now, the “Spirit of Flowers” certainly said “Feu” (Fire) and “Viande” (Meat) in her words.

Then, fire started in the “stove,” and five skewers of meat and plants that looked like salad heaped in a wooden bowl appeared.

“Whoa, what is this!!! Magic! Is it magic!!!”

Surprising is surprising, but I feel like the mystery flew far away all at once. The “Spirit of Flowers” is just smiling happily.

Is this “Spirit of Flowers” a playful prankster? Or did she simply realize the words I said? I somehow feel it’s the latter, but is the price for that the Sabertooth Tiger fur? Does it mean an offering to a god or spirit?

“~♫&♫♬♬▶!♫♬~” “Ah, wait…”

As I stood dumbfounded, the “Spirit of Flowers” said something and transformed into a crystal. I thought to stop her instantly, but held back. It would be unbearable to be kicked out and unable to enter again like with the “Spirit of the Spring.”

Whew………

When the crystal disappeared, the fairies also disappeared while laughing after a while. I exhale deeply to calm myself. Something too outrageous happened, and my head feels like it’s going to explode.

In front of me are fire burning in the “stove,” skewered meat, and salad. What I requested—or rather said—was “Fire, Meat, Delicious.” Surely, “Delicious” doesn’t refer to the salad…

I try a bite. It is certainly delicious. It has a mysterious seasoning different from mayonnaise or dressing. Leaving thinking for later, I try grilling the meat. Politely, there are holes to insert skewers in the stones of the “stove.”

The meat roasts, and a savory smell fills the area. Afraid of parasites and bacteria like pork, I cooked it thoroughly. Taking a bite, juices overflowed and umami spread in my mouth. That deliciousness is a supreme taste I have never experienced before.

“Ha, hahaha… What is this… I’ve never eaten such delicious meat.”

It’s definitely “Delicious” with a meat taste clearly different from high-grade beef or pork. I finished all the meat while savoring it thoroughly. Of course, the salad too.

It probably means meat equivalent to the Sabertooth Tiger fur. I don’t know how much that fur is worth, but since I think it has reasonable value, the meat must be quite expensive too.

There are things to think about and consider, but I ate something delicious for the first time since coming to this world. And probably something supreme. Feeling satisfied, I wanted to immerse myself in the afterglow for a while. Vitality was overflowing, but the happy feeling invited drowsiness.

Feeling a breeze reminiscent of warm spring, I fell asleep.