"I'm exhausted..."
The one who said that wasn't Rei, but Vihera.
Beside her, Anastasia and Fana nodded in agreement, as if to echo the sentiment.
They were standing outside the facility in Gilm where the alchemists who processed Treant Forest wood were gathered. Rei had brought lumber transported from the Treant Forest, but the sharp-eyed alchemists had noticed his presence immediately. Before long, he found himself surrounded—some complaining at him, others pressing him about whether he had any rare Magic Items.
From Rei's perspective, this was simply par for the course whenever he came here. He found it tedious, but he kept that to himself. His attitude, however, made it abundantly clear.
But that was a tolerance born of experience unique to Rei. For Vihera, Anastasia, and Fana, it was an entirely different matter. They had witnessed—and been subjected to—such a scene for the first time with their own eyes. Unlike Rei, who had grown numb to it, it was hardly surprising that they felt overwhelmed.
"Come on, we're about to go see Lord Daskar, so pull yourselves together. Especially you, Anastasia. Do you have any idea how worried you've made him?"
"...What about Fana?"
"Of course he's worried about Fana too, but Lord Daskar's greatest concern is for his benefactor, Anastasia. Besides, you were the one who went to the other world first, right? And Fana wears a mask, so Lord Daskar can't read her expressions—things like that factor in as well."
For some reason, Fana looked slightly stung by Rei's words. Perhaps something he'd said had hit a nerve.
(Normally, the right move would be to report to Lord Daskar first... but given the lumber shortage, coming here first was the correct call.)
For Gilm, which was in the midst of its Expansion Construction, the lumber shortage had become a serious problem. Under normal circumstances, simply sending more workers to transport felled trees would have resolved the issue. But the Treant Forest, with matters like the Birth Tower and the lake, was no longer a place where just anyone could be dispatched.
Even among adventurers, only those trusted by the Guild or those who had already been working in the Treant Forest could be relied upon. Only people like that could be asked to go.
In truth, information about the Treant Forest had already spread quite a bit. As the saying goes, you can't put a door over people's mouths. The workers in the Treant Forest wouldn't go out of their way to spread rumors while sober, but get them drunk on alcohol at a tavern, or share pillow talk with prostitutes at a brothel, and inevitably, someone would let something slip.
Even so, Daskar had resigned himself to this much. No matter how many people he tried to silence, information would always leak. That was precisely why he had dispatched knights and soldiers to prevent anyone without authorization from approaching the Treant Forest.
"Gruu!"
Set let out a cry, urging them to hurry toward the lord's manor. The reason Set was so eager wasn't because he wanted to see Daskar, but because a visit to the lord's manor meant he got to play in the courtyard. And once he was playing in the courtyard, the staff would bring him all sorts of food. Sometimes, he even got to sample the cook's experimental dishes.
That was why Set always looked forward to visiting the lord's manor. Of course, that was purely Set's perspective. For Rei, a conversation with Daskar carried a slight, if manageable, undercurrent of tension. Still, it wasn't as though he could just skip it.
"Right. Let's get going. Lord Daskar's probably waiting for us."
Naturally, all manner of information flowed to Daskar. Given that, it wouldn't be surprising if he'd already learned that Rei—or more precisely, Anastasia—had returned.
"You're right. But... could we buy some fruit water on the way? I'm parched."
Anastasia said this, eyeing a stall a short distance from where the alchemists worked.
Rei was wearing his Dragon Robe, so he didn't feel it himself, but the current temperature had exceeded thirty degrees—no, thirty-five. In Japan, this would be classified as a scorching day. Still, summer here was more bearable than in Japan, likely because the humidity was considerably lower.
Rei wanted to get to Daskar as quickly as possible, but seeing Anastasia sweating, he had to admit they should probably get something to drink. The fact that Fana appeared to be nearing her limit was also a major factor. She wore a mask, which only made the heat seem that much harsher for her.
"Marina could use Water Spirit Magic to block out the heat to some extent, but you can't, Anastasia?"
"...Listen. I can use Spirit Magic, and I think my skill is fairly decent, but that doesn't mean I can do everything."
She was clearly saying that even though she and Marina were both Spirit Mages, there was a significant gap in their respective abilities. Rei had already come to understand this during their time in the other world, so he didn't press the point further and headed toward the stall.
By this time of year, fruit water was sold at many stalls. But under the broad label of "fruit water," there was a wide gulf in quality depending on where you bought it. What fruit juice was used, how many kinds, and in what ratio—these were the determining factors. The truly elaborate stalls—the expensive ones—would even obsess over the shape of the cup.
Whether it was water, fruit water, tea, or alcohol, the shape of the rim where your lips touched could alter the taste. Strictly speaking, it wasn't that the flavor itself changed, but rather the aroma, the mouthfeel, the sensation as it went down your throat—shifts in all of those created the perception of a different taste. Stalls that went to such lengths weren't run as businesses, but rather as hobbies, with owners prepared to operate at a loss.
Regardless, the one thing Rei always checked before buying was whether the stall had a cooling Magic Item for refrigeration. If it were early summer or late summer, it might be one thing, but at the height of summer like now, lukewarm fruit water was simply undrinkable. Though, to be fair, lukewarm fruit water was probably better for the body than the cold variety.
Still, since he had his Misty Ring, Rei wanted to buy in bulk—if cold fruit water was available.
"Welcome! Fruit water is five copper coins a cup."
"...That's expensive."
Anastasia furrowed her brow slightly at the stall owner's words. Ordinary fruit water cost three copper coins at most, and some stalls charged as little as one. Five copper coins was a boldly aggressive price. Of course, Anastasia was a well-known researcher and far from destitute—she had enough assets to be called wealthy. But even so, paying five copper coins at a street stall would make anyone, rich or not, feel like they were being gouged.
The owner, however, smiled at her complaint and spoke up.
"I understand how you feel, miss, but first give it a try. If you drink it and don't think it's worth five copper coins, I'll refund you the difference."
Faced with the owner's utter confidence, Anastasia held back any further complaints and decided to try it for herself. If it turned out not to be worth five copper coins, she resolved to give him a thorough piece of her mind.
She told Rei and the others to wait and watch, paid her five copper coins, and received her fruit water. It came in a wooden cup, but what was surprising was that the drink was half-frozen into a sherbet-like state. Despite being partially frozen, it wasn't solid—she could drink it normally. It had a texture that was neither liquid nor solid, but somewhere in between.
Whether it was the texture or the taste, Anastasia gulped it down vigorously and—
"Ow!"
She stopped mid-drink and clutched her head. It was the classic brain freeze, but it seemed that even the endlessly curious Anastasia was unfamiliar with the phenomenon. She endured the pain, and once it passed, she glared at the stall owner.
The owner, having seen this exact reaction from countless previous customers, showed no sign of alarm and simply explained.
"Some folks get that when they drink my fruit water too fast. Others don't—depends on the person."
"...It's not some kind of trap, is it?"
"Of course not. This Magic Item was made by the alchemists in that building over there."
"That's exactly why I suspect it might be some kind of trap."
Rei, who had been caused no small amount of trouble by the alchemists, muttered this under his breath upon hearing the owner's words. The reason the alchemists were so fixated on Rei, however, was simply that he possessed materials and Magic Items that captured their interest. Even so, why the alchemists would cooperate with a stall owner to this extent was something Rei couldn't quite figure out.
"Still, it's impressive that the alchemists went that far to help out."
The alchemists Rei knew wouldn't lift a finger for someone else's benefit without profit in it for themselves. At least, that was his impression.
"Oh, that's probably because the fruit water I sell here is just that good. I asked them to make me a Magic Item that half-freezes it, and it made it even better."
Hearing that, Rei was convinced. He hadn't tasted the fruit water yet himself, but judging by Anastasia's reaction, the owner's confidence was well-placed.
"So is it safe to say it's worth the five copper coins?"
At Rei's question, Anastasia—her headache finally subsided—nodded.
"Yes. If anything, some people would pay a silver coin for it."
That was how good the fruit water was. Hearing Anastasia's verdict, it was only natural for the rest of them to want to try it. Each paid for their own cup.
For Set and the two deer, Rei had the portions served in containers he'd brought along.
And when Rei finally tasted it...
(A milkshake?)
That was his honest impression. Where Rei had lived in Japan was in the Tohoku countryside. Even so, there had been plenty of hamburger chain restaurants. The globally operating chain hadn't opened until after he started high school, and before that, the only options were expensive burger joints that were delicious but far too costly for a high schooler's allowance. In truth, Rei hadn't actually drunk milkshakes all that many times.
Even so, the fruit water was unmistakably close to a milkshake in flavor.
(Just freezing ordinary fruit water wouldn't produce this. Did they add something like milk? No, but... hmm...)
Rei's palate wasn't particularly refined to begin with. It was true that his five senses had been enhanced since arriving in this body compared to when he'd lived in Japan, but that didn't mean he could deduce what ingredients went into a dish or drink or how it was prepared just by tasting it. He could tell it tasted like a milkshake, but the specifics of how to achieve that result were beyond him.
(I'd ask if I could, but for this stall, that's their bread and butter. There's no way they'd tell me.)
With that judgment, Rei didn't ask about the recipe. Instead, he bought the owner's entire stock and stashed it all in his Misty Ring.
"Are you sure it was okay to buy that much?"
On the way to the lord's manor, Anastasia asked in disbelief. Rei didn't seem particularly bothered.
"The owner was happy about it, so it's fine. I only bought what they had in stock. They said they still have materials left, so even though it'll take some time, they won't sell out."
As they walked and talked, the lord's manor came into view, and Anastasia let the matter drop.