Character Descriptions
Ashura: A massive skeletal creature with three faces, six arms, and four legs.
Yor: A member of the Mercury race from Village Four. She is in charge of armaments and currently serves as the manager of the teleportation gate at the hot springs.
Flora: A vampire and Lulushi’s cousin.
Morning.
I decided to put everything that had happened from yesterday afternoon through the night out of my mind and set off for my rounds around the village.
I spotted Lilius, Rigul, and Ratte engaged in high-speed running drills. They were moving at a remarkable pace—likely part of their physical conditioning. Hakuren mentioned she’d given them a challenge, though I hadn’t actually heard the details yet. As long as it wasn’t something too reckless, I was fine with it. I made a mental note to double-check the specifics later.
My plan for the day was to head to the hot springs for some work. I usually travel there via the teleportation gate inside the Great Tree Dungeon. However, since the Universal Ship’s dock was located near that dungeon, the emotions of Kuro’s children—who weren't exactly fond of high places—were an absolute roller coaster. Even though I told them repeatedly that our destination was the hot springs, their pace slowed and their spirits plummeted as we neared the dock. Once we passed it and entered the dungeon, however, they perked up to an almost exaggerated degree. It felt a bit rude to find it funny, but their light, skipping steps were genuinely amusing to watch.
When we arrived at the hot springs, Ashura came out to meet us. He seemed to have fully integrated into the community there. I was glad to see him getting along well with the flying lion family, the Death Knights, and Yor, who managed the gate. The Death Mage was currently away, commuting to the Village of the Great Tree as a teacher, but she kept a research lab here. Apparently, Lu, Flora, and Tia would occasionally stop by to conduct experiments together.
My purpose for coming here today was something of an inspection—or rather, a response to a petition. First thing this morning, Yor and the lion family had begged me to do something about a terrible stench coming from the lab. Even if it was located on the edge of the hot spring area, a foul odor was never a good sign. A nasty smell is a warning signal, especially when the cause is unknown. I wasn’t necessarily there to investigate it personally; I was more of an initial scout. I had intended to ask for details, but the Death Mage was teaching, Lu and Tia were working, and Flora was nowhere to be found.
I assumed some experiment had simply failed. With that thought, I approached the lab. The young wolves who had accompanied me let out pathetic, high-pitched whimpers.
The smell was definitely there. It was a sharp, nose-stinging odor. It must have been particularly hard on the wolves’ sensitive noses. However, since they were acting as my escort, they couldn't leave my side. They kept looking at me with pleading eyes, practically begging me to turn back. I felt bad, but I had to confirm the source. I offered to head back and swap them out for some of Zabuton's children, but they seemed to refuse that as well.
"Alright then," I said. "Let's keep going."
To be honest, my resolve nearly crumbled twice. It was a literal wall of stench. The kind that made your nose curl in on itself. But I persevered and reached the door of the research lab. When no one answered my knock, I pulled it open.
A violent, concentrated blast of foul air assaulted me. The smell leaking into the hallway was nothing compared to the source. It was like being physically struck. I actually staggered from the impact. Beside me, one of the younger wolves let out a cry and collapsed. Being young, he lacked the experience to hold his breath; he had taken a full, deep lungful of it. He started having convulsions.
This was bad! I scooped up the fallen wolf and retreated immediately. Once we were in a spot where the air was clearer, I used a World Tree leaf on him. Fortunately, he recovered without any issues.
I took a moment to assess the situation. Even though we were quite far from the lab now, the smell lingered. I wondered if it was clinging to my clothes, but then I realized the problem: in my panic, I hadn't closed the lab door. If it stayed open, the stench would surely engulf the entire hot spring area. I had to shut it.
The thought of going back there made my heart sink. My resolve was gone, and the wolves were clearly finished for the day. I had to call for help. Yor and the lions had been the ones to complain, so I couldn't ask them. I didn't want to force Ashura to do it either since he was still new.
My only hope lay with the Death Knights. I asked if they could perceive smells. They told me they were fine as long as they didn't focus their consciousness on it. I felt genuinely guilty as they set off, but I asked them to close the door for me.
When the Death Knight returned, he was carrying an unconscious Flora.
Apparently, she had been inside the lab the whole time. I panicked, wondering if she was alright or if I should use a World Tree leaf. I wasn't sure if those were safe for vampires; I really should have asked Lu about that. While I was debating whether to carry her back to the village—despite the incredible smell clinging to her—she started to stir.
"Ah... I'm... okay. I'm sorry," she murmured.
As I moved to take her from the Death Knight, she stood up on her own. She immediately used magic to cleanse the scent from me, the Death Knight, and the wolves. Finally, she purged the odor from herself and the area surrounding the lab. I took a deep, grateful breath. Magic really was incredible.
When I asked about the inside of the room, she admitted it was still a disaster zone because the source was still there. We’d have to think of countermeasures, like double doors or better seals.
"So, what caused this exactly?" I asked.
"Ahaha... it was research into fermented food," she explained.
Flora told me she had been conducting her experiments here because of the other residents. I pointed out that miso, natto, and cheese research was usually handled back at the village.
"Yes, but Ann and Ramurias are pregnant, aren't they? I'd heard that sense of smell becomes very sensitive during pregnancy."
So she had known it would be pungent.
"It is fermented food, after all," she said with a sheepish smile. "I had taken precautions with magic, but... I never imagined the smell would become potent enough to actually break the spell."
The stench had literally shattered her protective magic. It was so powerful it had knocked her out cold.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" she added, her eyes sparkling. "It's a new weapon!"
"This was supposed to be food research, wasn't it?" I reminded her.
To summarize, Flora had been trying to create a fermented fish product. She’d tried to suppress the odor with magic, but the smell proved stronger than the spell, leading to the leak. We agreed to strengthen the magical seals and renovate the lab to be airtight. I promised to ask the High Elves to handle the construction.
Finally, I suggested we go apologize to Yor and the lion family together. Since she had been trying to be considerate of the pregnant maids, I didn't want her to take all the blame, but she insisted on taking responsibility.
And so, the great stench incident was resolved. Or so I thought.
A few days later, Flora came to see me. "That fermented fish... I thought it was a failure, but it was actually delicious when I grilled it!"
I was impressed she’d actually tried eating it, and glad to hear it tasted good. However, I had to ask about the smell during the cooking process.
"Eh? Ah—well, you see..."
"It got worse, didn't it?"
"It was more than just worse," she admitted. "It broke the new, strengthened magic seals."
"Right. That's it. It's officially banned from the Village of the Great Tree."
"Whaaaat?!"
Naturally, word got around.
Lu: "I heard a powerful new weapon was developed!" Village Head: "I'm not letting anyone use a weapon that smells that bad." Lu: "Whaaaat?!"
Yor: "I heard you created a terrifying new weapon!" Village Head: "It’s a weapon that attacks people with that stench." Yor: "Do you not have a human heart?! That's far too cruel!"
Miyo: "A potential use? Perhaps for riot suppression?"
Yoko: "I'd like a few samples. It should be safe enough if we keep them under a seal normally."
Galf: "The fact that the usage area is so limited is what scares me."
Daga: "We'd have to be extremely careful with the wind direction. It would be a disaster if it blew back toward our own lines."
Village Head: "Everyone, stop trying to find ways to use it!"