Ten thousand was a truly staggering number. Even if I shared them with every otherworlder I knew, a massive surplus was inevitable. I was going to have to find a way to use them all.
Since they were technically luxury mushrooms in this world, giving them away as gifts would probably help thin out the stash to some extent. For now, I accepted the Spear Mush Lanza-san had brought. She gave me a firm thumbs-up, a wide smile on her face.
"This year’s harvest season is over, but just say the word and I’ll bring more during next year’s harvest!"
"O-Oh, thank you very much."
Lanza-san’s kindness was touching, but honestly, finishing all of these by next year was a pipe dream. There were ten thousand of them. By my calculations, even if I ate ten every single day, I wouldn’t even clear half the pile. There was no way I’d run out by next year. In fact, it looked like I had a ten-year supply on my hands.
"Oh, that reminds me. I’ve prepared a small token of my thanks. I heard that you don’t eat meals and only drink water, Lanza-san, so I got some high-quality water for you."
"Oh! I feel bad for making you go through the trouble, but I love water, so I am delighted! To think you would show such consideration... I am over-joy... over-kill... over... um... thank you very much!!"
She seemed to be trying for something formal, like "it is an honor beyond words," but she kept tripping over the syllables.
I had initially thought she might be like Blossom-san, but this charming, bouncy aura of hers felt closer to Til-san or Raz-san.
"I didn't know what else you might like, Lanza-san, so I only have water to offer..."
"No, water is more than enough. I am a Spirit, after all, so I don't require food."
"Don't you ever eat for pleasure? Just for the flavor?"
"...Enjoy it for the flavor?"
"Eh? No, I mean... even if it isn't essential for survival, you could enjoy the taste as a form of entertainment..."
Lanza-san looked as though I had just spoken a word that didn't exist in her language. Clearly blindsided by the concept, she fell silent for a moment before muttering softly.
"...The thought never even crossed my mind."
Could it be that Lanza-san was actually quite... no, even thinking that would be rude. Yes, that was it—she was stoic! She was likely the stoic type who had absolutely no interest in anything beyond the bare essentials.
"I see. So that is why Camellia-sama drinks black tea."
"Ah... um... did you not have much interaction with other Spirits before you became Camellia-san’s subordinate?"
"That’s right! I had almost no interaction with anyone outside the Spirits of the Spear-branch Tree. We felt that as long as our own home was kept comfortable, we had no reason to care about the outside world. I suppose you could call us insular. We hadn't even joined Lilliwood-sama’s subordinates until recently. Our only contact with the world was the annual sale of Spear Mush... It felt like we only interacted with the world one day out of every year."
"I see. In that case, it makes sense that you wouldn't know what other Spirits were up to. But joining Lilliwood-san’s faction must have been a huge change for your people."
The Spirits of the Spear-branch Tree seemed similar to the Winged Race, or perhaps even more isolated. From what she said, it sounded like they lived entirely within their own territory, almost never engaging with the world beyond their borders.
"Indeed. I went to challenge Lilliwood-sama but was defeated by Camellia-sama instead. I was so moved by Camellia-sama's strength and kindness that I immediately went back home and proposed we become Lilliwood-sama’s subordinates."
"...Was there no opposition?"
"Oh, there was plenty. However, a small number of us agreed right away. And those who opposed us didn't just reject the idea blindly; they considered the history of the Forest of the Spear-branch Tree and presented the pros and cons of joining Lilliwood-sama’s faction very logi... logi-sil... um..."
"Logically?"
"That’s it! They stated their opposing opinions very logically."
"I see. So you reached an agreement through careful discussion, then."
She stated it casually, but that was actually quite impressive. I didn't know Lanza-san's exact age, but in the Spirit Race, where power usually correlated with age, she was a Count-class powerhouse. That meant she was likely very old. Changing the collective mindset of the Spirits of the Spear-branch Tree—whose traditions were deeply rooted and who had avoided the outside world for eons—must have been an immense undertaking.
I imagined a series of heated, passionate debates...
"No, the conversation was too complicated for me to follow, so I just beat every single opponent into submission and passed the motion by a majority vote! And so, we successfully joined Lilliwood-sama's subordinates the day after I challenged Camellia-sama!!"
She solved it with violence?! And she joined the very next day... Was this woman a monster of pure proactivity?
Honestly, her personality felt less like a World King subordinate and more like a War King subordinate...
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree A: "I acknowledge that the World King is the true Spirit King, and I won't deny the merits of falling under her protection, but such a massive change will bring a proportional burden."
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree B: "In the first place, the Forest of the Spear-branch Tree is functioning perfectly as it is. There is no need to force a change."
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree C: "Exactly. If we list the specific pros and cons, we find that..."
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree D: "Might it not depend on the conditions? If we maintain our current autonomy and become subordinates in name only, I believe the transition would be acceptable."
Lanza: "...I see... I understand everyone’s opinions (she didn't). Very well, from this point forward, anyone opposed to my proposal, clench your fists... Show me your opinions with your strength!!"
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree E: "Wait, wait, wait, hold on—"
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree F: "Stop! Look, you're an idiot—a complete and utter idiot—but you're our representative as a Great Spirit because you're overwhelmingly strong! No one can actually beat you—"
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree G: "This is why I told you to just agree from the start... There’s no way this idiot was ever going to handle a logical discussion..."
Spirit of the Spear-branch Tree H: "Well, since that idiot is ultimately the strongest, I suppose the best move is to let the idiot set the policy while we handle the actual support."