Chapter 82: Store Summoning 11

The men who attacked Ritsu were shackled with restraints sealing their ‘Gifts’ and magic, and put into something like a prison carriage with wheels on a cage. The elves agreed to transport them to a nearby town, where their ‘Gifts’ and magic will be permanently sealed at the town church, and they will be judged again according to the gravity of their crimes. At least attempted murder against Ritsu, attempted injury against me knowing I’m from a Ducal House? Ah, also kidnapping against Oboro? Those crimes exist too. Oboro is also under the custody of the le Philharmonie Ducal House. They tried to kidnap and sell a member of the Ducal House, right. Even if light, undoubtedly sent to the mines. Continuing to work in dark caves for a lifetime while fearing cave-ins at any moment. Depending on other crimes, it might be beheading, the Commander said. After all, they attacked a Ducal House with Imperial blood. That possibility exists too. Not in Symphonia Empire, but in other countries, if a criminal sentenced to beheading has someone bearing a grudge against them, and if that grudge is justifiable, they can buy the right to behead. Paying money like an auction, the highest bidder clears their grudge. Naturally, since many have no experience beheading, they can’t cut off the head properly, and the convict dies suffering, apparently. I didn’t want to hear such a story, Commander… Anyway, leaving the attackers to the elves, we return to the le Philharmonie Ducal House on Oboro. On the way back too, Arisa-san and Tanya-san were stiff with tension, trembling on Oboro‘s back. Well, you don’t get used to this height immediately… Arriving at the territorial capital Harmonia in about three and a half hours flight. Arrived before noon. When I got off Oboro, Father flew over first and picked me up before I could even greet him.

“Are you safe!? Sakuraile!” “I’m fine… Since Kohaku-san is here too, nothing would happen, right?”

Ah, geez… Grateful for the worry, but a little embarrassing… My father is a bit too much of a worrier. Mother also seemed to feel that, wearing an exasperated smile. The next one charging in was Leon who stayed behind.

“Lady Sakuraile! The Spirit Tree leaves!? Did you get the Spirit Tree leaves!?” “Y-Yes. I got them.”

To Leon breathing heavily with excitement, Father distances me a little while holding me as if wary. Asking Father to put me down, I took out the obtained Spirit Tree leaves from the pochette and handed them to Leon.

“Uwaa, these are the Spirit Tree leaves…! To think spiritual power residue is visible…! This is quite a precious material! Ah, must process for preservation before quality degrades! Excuse me!”

Dash! Stating his impressions, he flew off to his father, Viscount Traumerei. Really restless…

“Is the compounding of the dispel potion going smoothly?” “So far. Once ‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’ and ‘Honey of the Moonlight Bee’ are gathered, we can enter compounding of the dispel potion.”

Currently, they are apparently doing processing to improve the effects of ‘Minotaur’s Liver’ and ‘Banshee’s Tears’ ordered from the Royal Capital. ‘Minotaur’s Liver’ is to be crushed finely into powder, but it’s incredibly hard, seemingly grinding it down using magic like a file. Just preparation is troublesome… Well, compounding is generally like that though.

“Ah, right Father. I received a ‘Gift’ blessing again.” “…Again?”

As if tired of being surprised, Father reacts with a ‘Sun…’ (flat) face. No well, I understand the feeling, but hide it a little.

“My, you can summon a new shop again. I wonder if we can eat something delicious again this time.” “Some unusual food would be nice.” “I want to eat something light.”

Contrary to Father, Mother, Grandmother, and the Empress were frolicking kyaikyai like high school girls. Why limited to food shops…? No, totaling shops I stopped by in previous life, I think eating establishments are overwhelmingly numerous though… But probably, convenience stores are the ones I went to most. Furthermore, those convenience stores are different branches. Probability-wise, they should appear easily though… Thinking about it, bathhouses, pawn shops, liquor stores, and model shops are places I rarely went to. Could it be shops visited fewer times appear easily…? If so, convenience stores are hopeless… While thinking about such trivial things, preparations were complete, and I started concentrating magic power in the backyard to summon the new shop.

“[Store Summoning]!”

Inside the vortex of colorful lights, magic power slips out from me. Huh? Not that much… About the same as a kitchen car… No, smaller than that? After the light subsided, what appeared in front of me was a shop with a truly strange appearance. A glass showcase in the front. Beside it, a register counter. Something like a small white noren curtain hanging from the ceiling frame, and nothing on the back of the counter. Shaped like a stall, but this is…

“Sakuraile, this shop is…?” “Umm, a rice ball (onigiri) shop… it is…”

I could only answer Father’s question like that. Inside the showcase, rice balls packed with various ingredients are wrapped in plastic wrap and lined up. This shop is the rice ball specialty shop ‘Musubimaru’ located inside the station of the city where the vocational school I attended was. One of the shops lined up inside the station, and since only that shop is here as if cut out, it has become a truly strange shape. Went around the back and could enter the register counter normally. How is a shop with only a glass showcase and register counter…? No, the station shop was like that too though.

“Is this onigiri? My? This is ‘rice (okome)’, right?” “True, I think it’s the same thing used in fried rice and rice.”

Mother and Grandmother say such things while peering into the glass showcase. Uumu, since everyone already knows the existence of rice at ‘Horakuen’, explaining is easy but…

“In other words, onigiri is portable food made by putting ingredients inside rice and rounding it?” “Yes, that thinking is correct.”

Father places gold coins on the counter with a pachiri as usual.

“They all look the same…” “But this one is a different color?”

Elliott and Jean peering into the glass case say such things. The different color is because that onigiri is mixed rice (mazegohan). The onigiri here aren’t fashionable ones with ingredients sitting on top, but simple onigiri with ingredients inside, sandwiched from below with a single sheet of nori. So what onigiri it is is written on the wrap with stickers respectively, but everyone can’t read Japanese…

“Umm, this one is Salmon. Grilled fish is inside. This is Kelp (Konbu). Seaweed simmered sweet and spicy…”

I explain the contents of onigiri one by one from the end. Maid Arisa-san waiting beside me was taking detailed notes of my explanation to explain to all servants later. Umeboshi (Pickled Plum), Salmon, Tuna Mayo, Kelp, Okaka (Bonito flakes), Takana (Mustard greens), Mentaiko (Spicy cod roe), Negi-Miso (Green onion miso), Niku-Miso (Meat miso), Ikura (Salmon roe), Tarako (Cod roe), Negitoro (Minced tuna with green onion), Shirasu (Whitebait), Chirimen Sansho (Dried young sardines with Japanese pepper), Beef Kalbi, Wasabi-zuke (Pickled wasabi), Pork Kimchi, Leaf Chili Pepper, Salmon Butter, Cheese, Nitamago (Seasoned egg), Edamame, Kyarabuki (Simmered butterbur), Bacon, Tenmusu (Tempura rice ball), Sekihan (Red bean rice), Tori-Gomoku (Chicken mixed rice), Wakame Onigiri (Seaweed rice ball), Yaki Onigiri (Grilled rice ball), Shio-musubi (Salt rice ball). Since there are thirty types, explaining was tough… Salt rice ball was the easiest… After explanation, everyone orders their preferred onigiri. What I ordered is a simple onigiri with Umeboshi inside. Stuffing my cheeks—pakuri—the taste of sour Umeboshi spreads in my mouth. This is it, this. Ah, nostalgic taste… Rice and Umeboshi. The strongest tag team. The Umeboshi here isn’t crunchy small plums, but large authentic Umeboshi. Says homemade Umeboshi or something. Soouuur.

“Simple dish but delicious.” “Using hands is a little bad manners, but easy to eat, and having various ingredients is fun.”

Father and Mother seem to like onigiri too. By the way, Father is eating Salmon, Mother is eating Tuna Mayo. Ah, Miso soup is sold too. I bought instant Miso soup placed at the edge of the counter and asked Arisa-san for hot water from a pot to make it. Kua… Miso soup is delicious… Simple long onion miso soup is delicious. Seeing me drinking miso soup deliciously, everyone started drinking different miso soups respectively. Jean, combination of Meat Kalbi onigiri and Tonjiru (Pork soup). How much do you like meat. Not just miso soup, pickles like Takuan (Pickled radish), Umeboshi, Shibazuke (Pickled cucumber and eggplant) in small plastic containers are also sold. Pickles are essential for onigiri! I bought one Takuan and tasted it—poripori. Ah, this tastes like Shiso. Delicious. Gave some to Father who looked like he wanted Takuan. Eating several—poripori. Seems he liked it.

“Let’s bring some to Viscount Traumerei later. He’s working hard without eating properly.”

Father buys several onigiri and hands them one after another to the maid waiting beside along with Takuan. Want them to rest at least during mealtime, but knowing that parent and child, they seem likely to eat quickly and return to compounding immediately. While being amazed at the herbal otaku parent and child in my heart, I saw the territory mansion steward, Bastian, coming this way.

“Master, the Knight Commander General has arrived. Came to deliver ‘Honey of the Moonlight Bee’…” “What!? Already arrived!?”

Father raises a surprised voice. I’m surprised too. The place with ‘Honey of the Moonlight Bee’ is the furthest from here excluding the elf village, so I thought it would take time. The kitchen car sent to the Royal Capital should have disappeared since twenty-four hours passed… Too fast. No, it’s a good thing though.

“Apparently, they kept running all night on ‘Fast Running Birds (Hayagakedori)’.” “Doing reckless things again…”

According to Father, Fast Running Birds cannot fly like ostriches, but are birds faster than horses. Apparently can produce speed comparable to our kitchen car. Few in number, less than ten in our country. Came riding such birds… However, naturally they are living creatures, so sustaining that speed is difficult. So for long distances, kitchen cars arrive faster. Running such birds all night… Must be tough for both birds and people. While thinking such things, the Knight Commander General in light gear came to the backyard.

“‘Honey of the Moonlight Bee’, I certainly handed it to Viscount Traumerei. Oh, what is it Jean, eating something delicious.” “Dad…”

The Commander General, arriving without showing any fatigue, sees the Beef Kalbi onigiri Jean was eating and calls out smilingly.

“If you like, would Sir Staccato like some too?” “This is grateful. Came from the Royal Capital without eating anything…”

Answering Father’s words with a smile, the Commander General heads to the onigiri shop ‘Musubimaru’s counter. Wiping hands with the wet towel in a bag placed on the counter, after hearing the explanation from Arisa-san who took notes of my explanation, what he chose was the same Beef Kalbi and Meat Miso onigiri as Jean. Do athletic men get drawn to meat after all? While eating Meat Miso onigiri, the Commander General speaks to Father.

“Are all materials for the dispel potion gathered with this?” “No, ‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’ hasn’t arrived yet. Thought it would arrive yesterday…” “Fumu. Was I faster… Must make the dispel potion quickly, otherwise via merchants and travelers, the curse disease will eventually come to the Royal Capital. No, might have entered already. Want to deal with it as soon as possible but… Just in case, told those entering the Royal Capital to undergo infection quarantine with ice water.”

Even if not someone who went directly to the village where Silver Demon Disease occurred, someone infected by contact with such a person might come to the Royal Capital. Ice water check might prevent infection to Royal Capital citizens, but there is a possibility it already entered. After all, must make the dispel potion urgently. However, I feel our Knight Order who went to get ‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’ is late returning. Spirit Mountain Eldora where ‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’ is should be reached in less than half a day if using a kitchen car from here. Obtaining ‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’ from there, borrowing horses in a village or town and returning, as Father said, they should have arrived around yesterday… Around here in the game, it was only explained as ‘Comrades obtained it’…

“Father, what kind of thing is ‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’?” “‘Fruit of the Heavenly God Tree’ is a spiritual tree that grows only around ruins at the foot of Spirit Mountain Eldora in this country. Bears round fruit from spring to summer. Immature ones and seeds contain poison, but the fruit with skin and seeds removed becomes excellent material. Basically, alchemists and apothecaries request adventurers to go get them.”

Eh? Adventurers? In the game, it was passed over smoothly, but is harvesting that difficult?

“There are many magic beasts at the foot of Spirit Mountain Eldora, and rarely undead appear too. Unless you are an adventurer, you can’t get close.”

Undead, huh… That sounds tough. Was the foot of Eldora originally a battlefield? Apparently what appears are Skeletons or Living Mails, not that high-ranking ones though.

“Even so, for those who headed to Eldora to not return yet… This is perhaps…”

The Commander General who finished eating onigiri puts a hand on his chin and ponders. Umu, handsome uncle makes a picture… While I was thinking such trivial things, a single knight jumped into the room looking flustered.

“What happened!?” “D-Dullahan appeared at the Eldora Ruins! Report by carrier pigeon says several knights were injured and returned to a nearby village!” “As I thought…!”

The Commander General grimaces as if to say his bad premonition hit the mark. Dullahan? Dullahan means Headless Knight, right? Why doesn’t it gather smoothly…