"Alright, let's open it!"
"Wait, you're opening a Pandora Gift? Now?! Are you just going to leave me hanging!?"
As I declared my intent to open the box, Rauya—the only one present who didn't know what was going on—was visibly flustered. Dende promptly brought his fist down on the man's head.
"Watch in silence."
"Y-Yes, sir. Ow..."
While the unconvinced Rauya clutched his head, I quickly opened the Pandora Gift. No grand spectacle occurred; the lid simply popped open with a soft click.
"Eh? Nothing's happening? What?"
"Quiet."
Another fist fell on the noisy Rauya. My companions paid him no mind, leaning in with intense curiosity to peer into the box.
"What is this...?"
"Hmm, I wonder."
Halfa and I tilted our heads in unison. Inside the box was a small bottle that looked utterly unremarkable at first glance. It was made of a translucent, glass-like material that allowed us to see the faint silhouette of its contents. It looked like some kind of powder.
"There's no instruction manual from Ren-kun this time, either."
『I didn't feel any interference from Lord Lamuyadas, did you?』
Usually, when I received an item meant to resolve a crisis, Ren-kun would include an explanation. Since even Shiroru hadn't sensed the other god's involvement, I began to worry. Had I just pulled something completely unrelated...?
『What in the world is this? An item that even I do not recognize...?』
Garna muttered the words softly, but the shock on her face was immense. Her eyes were wide, nearly perfectly round.
"So there are items even you don't know about, Garna."
『No, there are not. At the very least, there should be no item produced within a dungeon that I am unfamiliar with... or so it should be. Unless, of course, it is something another god created personally.』
In other words, this wasn't a standard item, but something crafted by a deity. If anyone was going to do that, it would usually be Ren-kun.
『It wasn't me. If it were, I'd at least have the courtesy to include instructions. I wonder what it could be?』
Hologram Ren-kun appeared at the perfect moment, as if he’d been eavesdropping. Well, he probably had been.
"...And now a transparent person has appeared. Wait... based on the context... a god? First a talking cat, and now this... I don't understand anything anymore!"
"Do not be flustered," Dende said. "You won't understand anything no matter how much you think about it, so it's best to just give up."
"I've already learned to stop questioning it," Jester added.
Rauya, Dende, and Jester all reacted to Ren-kun's sudden appearance. It was amusing to see how their level of composure was directly proportional to how long they'd known me.
"Why don't you try appraising it for now?" Lowell suggested.
"Good idea," Spira agreed. "It might tell us something."
『An Appraisal Loupe would be a waste of time,』 Garna countered. 『How could a dungeon-forged tool identify something that even a god does not recognize?』
Her logic made sense. Dungeon items were crafted from Malice—Garna’s own power. It was hard to imagine the tool's capabilities exceeding those of its creator.
"Well, there's no harm in trying," Halfa said. "If it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."
"I guess so."
Besides, appraising it wouldn't take any effort. I just had to look through the lens. Following Halfa's advice, I peered at the small bottle through the loupe.
"Wait... it worked?"
『What?!』
『No way! Let me see!』
Ren-kun snatched the loupe from my hand the moment the words left my mouth. Despite being a translucent hologram, he could still interact with physical objects when he wanted to.
『I-It's true! But how?』
『You! Go and question the other gods at once!』 Garna commanded.
『Don't order me around! ...But fine, I'm going!』
After a frantic exchange between the two deities, Ren-kun vanished. It seemed he had gone to investigate which god was responsible for the item.
The situation felt like it was spiraling into something much larger, but for the moment, the divine politics didn't concern us. All that mattered was whether this item could stop the Order's Silverization Plan.
『So, what kind of item was it?』 Shiroru asked.
"Oh, right. Well, you see..."
I began explaining the item's properties.
Apparently, this was a bottle of Magic Seasoning. It had an infinite capacity, meaning it would never run out no matter how much I used.
『Oh! How convenient! Just don't use too much pepper, okay? It makes you sneeze.』
"It's certainly handy, but..." Halfa trailed off, looking a bit let down. "I thought Tort would get something even more amazing!"
"Don't give up yet, Halfa-chan! We still have more Pandora Gifts left!" Spira said, trying to cheer her up.
Lowell, on the other hand, had a more understated reaction. He gave a sharp nod, looking satisfied.
"I see. But that's not the whole story, is it?"
"Yeah. I was still in the middle of the explanation."
"I knew it."
Lowell looked strangely proud of himself, while Halfa groaned. "Tell us the rest first, then!" Why was she getting annoyed with me?
『So, what is the effect? Knowing you, it must be something preposterous,』 Garna chimed in. 『Does it make everything silver in the world vanish?』
Garna was setting the bar a bit high. At that point, it wouldn't even be seasoning anymore.
"I hate to disappoint you, but the effect isn't quite that bizarre," I said as a disclaimer before continuing.
As it turned out, you could infuse magic into this seasoning. The flavor would change depending on the type of magic used. More importantly, when someone ate a dish prepared with the seasoning, the infused magic would take effect on them. I was certain we could put this trait to good use.
"And that's why I'm going to make a special Clean Curry!"