503 - - Episode 501 Finding Yourself, Postponing

On a whim, I tried to roast a whole ruffbird and ended up being stared at all day long by half-naked, muscular, macho men with eyes like wild beasts. From now on, I'd like to cook time-consuming dishes in a secluded place. I can feel a sense of superiority when I cook for them, but there is a lot of danger in cooking for a long time.

"Yuta-dono, where can I get that food called rice?

The day after the cooking attack, Mr. Becker asked me a question with a serious face.

I thought it would be delicious if I stuffed rice into a roasted whole bird, so I stuffed it into Rough Bird's stomach without thinking, but then I realized that rice is a minor grain in this world.

I had somehow thought that the unveiling of the rice would be in the labyrinth city, but I never thought that I would be unveiling it in a place like this. ......The unconscious is scary.

"Well, if it's rice, I can provide a little bit of it, if you like."

Last night everyone was devouring meat and rice like wild beasts, so I was not aware that rice was rare. Well, they were eating so selflessly that it was hard to believe that the rice was not good for their palates.　

"It was a little heavy for an old man like me, but the younger ones seemed to like it as it filled them up and gave them strength."

......Becker, I saw you refilling your plate several times last night...what kind of a mouthful of crap is too heavy for you? After eating that much bread or naan, of course it's heavy.

But I'm glad you like the taste of home. Huh?　Does a whole roasted bird taste like home?

...... Well, okay. Rice is the soul of Japan and the earth is my home in the big picture. Let's put it that way.

I'll leave a certain amount of rice for you this time as well, and I'll teach you how to cook it easily.

In paradise, I ask Dolly to grow it when she feels like it, so I have plenty of rice stockpiled. We have plenty of rice reserves.

We will need to teach them how to cook it and at least some simple dishes. Cooking is important because I heard that some people don't like the smell of simple plain rice or think it tasteless.

Thank you very much. By the way, do you grow this rice here?　It is a rare grain and I think it could be a new source of income for the group if it could be grown at the site of the ruins where it was cut open. ......"

......Farming on the site of an archaeological site is quite a shocking word. In Japan, there would be a lot of complaints about the protection of archaeological sites.

But still, are they planning to farm on the ruins?

...... is cutting down trees that are in the way and there are no buildings left that need to be touched up but can still be used.

I don't know about the law or other details, but if you build a village and apply for it, you may be able to return to the nobility.

You can get money by excavating ruins and get a territory. It might not be a bad plan. However, I wonder if it's okay that it's inconvenient because it's far away from human settlements.

I'd like to hear more about ......, but I'm afraid I'd get involved if I did.

It's not that I don't want to help Sarah's brother do what he does,...... but we'll have to wait and see. If it looks like it's going to be hard, I'll help out at least a little. I'm busy looking for myself right now.

The other thing I need to do is grow rice. .......　

"I think growing rice might be doable in your climate, but growing rice seems like a lot of work, doesn't it?"

If Dolly hadn't been there, I would have given up too...... No, I would have tried because I couldn't give up rice, but it would have definitely been a mess and a struggle.

It is hard to prepare paddy fields, and even if it is not impossible to grow rice in the field, the mainstream in Japan is paddy fields, so there are probably some disadvantages to growing rice in the field.

If there are some members on Steele's planet who are gifted as spiritists, they might be able to contract with spirits related to plants, but even so, it would be very difficult without any know-how.

"Do you know how difficult it is, Yuta-dono?"

"Let's see......... originally it is a plant that grows in wetlands and needs a lot of water to grow, and I heard that it takes a lot of time and effort to harvest it. It also takes a lot of time and effort to make it edible after harvesting.

Without the cooperation of the spirits, I think it would be very difficult to turn the rice from harvest to white rice.

"Hmmm. I guess we can manage to secure a watering place, but if it takes that much time and effort, it would be difficult to start now. ...... Yuta-dono, when you eventually get a chance to grow rice, would you be willing to help us?"

Even though he understands how hard it is, he has no intention of giving up. Perhaps Mr. Becker has a dim sense of the potential of rice.

Well, I'm glad to see rice spreading, but I can't say I'm OK with it easily because it's definitely a lot of work.

"......If you have a solid foundation for growing a labor-intensive crop, I think I can help. But it's really hard work and the knowledge you have is half-baked, so I can't promise you success, can I?"

"I understand. I understand. But it is important to have a lot of things in mind for the future. I look forward to working with you when the time comes.

His face is so motivated. Even if he can't promise success, he's willing to give it a shot. Can you make it to the paddy fields ...... in the forest?

"Yes, sir."

Well, if you're prepared to fail, I'll help you. I'm sure we can work something out with Dolly's advice.

...... Huh?　I don't think we should rely on Dolly, the spirit of the forest ......, to cut through the forest and make rice paddies.

Well, it will be a long time before the foundation is established, and we are not sure if we will take on the challenge, so we will think about it when the time comes.

Well, I guess Mr. Becker has some work to do, so I'll do something soon. Since the goal is to find myself, I won't find anything if I just sit back and relax.

**

I didn't find anything.

I went to the capital of the Kingdom of Rosofia, but I didn't find anything that tugged at my heartstrings.

I took a walk in the forest, only to be healed, fight demons, or gather food.

I never woke up to fighting or gathering.

Maybe next time I should go to the Kingdom of Beryl?

No, that country is a dangerous paradise for me to fulfill my desires. If I go there now, I'll have to take Gina and Belle and the others with me. I can't do that.

I remember I was incredibly content before I went to the kingdom of Beryl.

...... No, no. I wasn't fulfilled, I was just frustrated in many ways and on the verge of an outburst, not to mention naughty, naughty, naughty, naughty, naughty, naughty.

"Are you still bothered?"

As I was grumbling in the room Mr. Viktor had prepared for me, Sylphy came over to talk to me. She seems to be concerned about me. That makes me a little happy.

"Yeah. I can't find anything that resonates with me."

I said something poetic like "heartbreaking. I wonder if I was so worried that I even developed a literary delicacy.　What can I say, it's sentimental?

"Well, why don't you go to a country you've never been to?　I'll take you to some interesting places, okay?"

A strange country or .......

"Well, it's not quite like that."

In the novels, if you go to a strange place, you're bound to encounter adventures and troubles and get busy, but that's not what I'm looking for.

I don't want to get caught up in the middle of it all, I don't want to have a goal in life, I don't want to have a meaning in life, but I want to have a life that gives me a sense of satisfaction. ......

It's a pain in the ass.

"What?　Sylphy, what did you say?

I'm worried about my life, and Sylphy didn't say anything surprising to me?

"You're a pain in the ass."

I didn't mishear. You know, "bothersome" is a pretty hurtful word, don't you?　Less damaging than "small" or "fast," but still quite hurtful.

"Well, Sylphy, why?"

"Yuta's worries seem to me like he likes to be worried. If you were really worried, you wouldn't be so picky about the means you use, would you?　If I told you I'd take you someplace interesting, you'd jump right on it."　

Sylphy's expression was blank, but she assured me with such force that the word "burn" seemed to be floating behind her.

Well, it's true that I have some kind of frustration in my heart, but what Sylphy says seems to make sense.

I wasn't thinking that it was cool to be worried or something like that, but maybe I was trying to spoil myself because of my worries?

"I have a present for you. You should cultivate paradise and expand the size of your village."

"Why would I do that?"

I think paradise is good enough as it is. There is no inconvenience, and everyone is enjoying it, right?

"I think it's time to do something about the situation where the intermediate level spirits are still being held back. The high level spirits and the great spirits are happy at the sake island, but I feel sorry for the middle level spirits who can't go to either place. If there's nothing to do, why not?"

Intermediate spirits withholding?

...... I remember that the middle class spirits gave up their turn to let the floating spirits and the lower class spirits to go to Paradise.

And even now, I hardly remember seeing the middle class spirits playing in the paradise. It is not so much that I think that they came by chance to take the place of guardians of the little children.

What's that?　As we get used to running the village of spirits, there should be more children coming to play: .......

"What?　Still no turn to intermediate level spirits?　I mean, are there that many floating spirits and lower class spirits?　It's only the children who are clearly conscious that come to play, right?"

Sylphy looked at me, sighed, and shook her head from side to side as if to say, "Oh dear.

"Hey Yuta. Spirits can be found anywhere there is nature, unless it's a dead land. And unlike humans whose survival zone is narrow, they can survive even in the harshest of environments. And the world is a big place, you know?"

It is true that spirits are flying wherever they go, except in the land of the dead. They are so ubiquitous that I have somehow stopped paying attention to them.

I mean, there are so many of them.

"...... I see."

At any rate, I now understand that this is not the time for me to be on a journey of self-discovery. First of all, let's set up a place where intermediate spirits can come and play, and then I will discover myself.