234-210 Forest on Grassland in Dungeon

Oh!　Look!　There's fruit, fruit growing!

Yuki was the one who shouted as soon as we entered the forest.

I looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, there was a tree bearing a round fruit the size of my fist.

The fruit was light green in color, perhaps not yet ripe.

It's a ...... green apple, or is it a pear?　The shape of the butt.

Pears?　It's kind of plain ........ Are they even ripe?

I don't care if it's plain. I like pears, okay?

I'll just pick one.

Before you can stop him, Yuki jumps up to the top of the tree and comes back with two pears.

Before you can stop her, Yuki jumps up the tree, picks up two fruits and returns.

I'm pretty sure it's a pear. It looks like a common fruit because it looks like a [help].

"Are they ripe with that color?

They look unripe, but there are some varieties of green pears, like the Nijisseiki pear, that can be eaten in this state. .......

You'll know it when you try it. So, peel it for me.

"Here you go.

Yuki and Haruka skillfully peeled and cut the skin and offered it to me, and I took a piece.

I took a slice. ...... Ah, it tastes like an icosaur pear.

The size of the fruit itself is a little smaller, but I wouldn't be able to tell the difference if it was served cut up.

I'm not an expert on pears, to be honest. I don't know much about pears. My level is.

It's not bad. It's not bad. ...... I like the taste of this.

I like it when it's hot and chilled.

Yeah. I'll have to pick some up and go home.

It'll sell. I don't think it's worth a dime.

High praise from all.

And it's not too badly profitable.

Now we just need to find out how many of these trees grow in this forest, and how often they produce fruit.

There doesn't seem to be any seasonal changes in the dungeon, but what about that?

So let's get to harvesting, shall we?

But first, we have a visitor. Three of them. They're getting closer.

All right!　Once that's taken care of, we'll have a pear-picking party!

I don't know if it's a party, but I guarantee you it's free.

I'm getting motivated!

A few seconds after Yuki raised her weapon with a smile, the enemy revealed itself.

A few seconds after Yuki raised her weapon with a smile, the enemy appeared, a grasshopper about 50 centimeters in size.

Using its large legs and wings, it uses a tree as a stepping stone to jump up and down.

It doesn't fly very fast, but when it uses a tree as a stepping stone, it jumps very fast.

"Forest hoppers!　I'll take care of one.

I'll take the other one.

When Toya and Natsuki move a bit to provoke them, one of them will move in their direction.

The remaining one jumped straight at us.

Isn't it too straight?

It was fast, but after it jumped from the tree, it just jumped in a straight line.

To be honest, I felt uncomfortable when I saw its mouth moving in a crinkling motion, but if I placed my spear gently on the extension of its mouth, it would automatically jump in a straight line.

It continued to flap its magnificent hind legs as if scratching algae for a while, but it was of no use when it was skewered in midair.

When I saw that it had stopped moving, I swung my spear and threw the corpse to the ground.

"Well, that was easy. It's not too scary unless they surround you and jump on you at the same time, right?

It's a little hard, but only a little.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

But if you aim at the side or something, it might slip on the surface depending on the weapon.

"It's not unbreakable.

When Toya returned, she was holding the body of a Forest Hopper, split in two by its head and body.

The head was half crushed, so he must have smashed it and torn off its head.

Natsuki's body is also split in two, but it is cut in half in the middle of the body and does not appear to have been crushed. I would call it an excellent cut.

Since it's an insect, you might as well aim for the nodes. ...... I'm not saying this because I stabbed it head-on.

The most beautiful one is Nao's. Tohya, what's the selling point of this?

Other than the magic stone, the hind legs.

Back legs?　Those long ones?

Yeah.

They're used for jumping, so they're quite large.

It's about 30 centimeters long when it's bent. But what are you going to use it for?

By the way, they eat.

"'.........'

We all fell silent at Toya's words.

It's not surprising that they eat locusts, so it's not surprising that they eat the legs of these. ...... Are they even good?　I'm not sure.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

I don't want to eat it.　I don't want to eat it.

I don't want to eat it, but it's thick enough that it might be easier to pick out the meat than a crab, but I don't want to eat it myself.

"Let's collect them. Fortunately, all the legs are intact.

"There was no point in killing them cleanly. It was just a coincidence.

As usual, the corpses are stored in the magic bag.

Fortunately, there is no movement in the surrounding demons.

"Well, that's not important. I've got pear picking to do!

You're excited, Yuki?

I'm excited too!　Because I haven't had a real fruit since Dindol!

Haruka nodded with a wry smile at Yuki's strong assertion.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it, but I'm sure I can.

The citrus we harvested was inedible!

That was too sour. I'm salivating just thinking about it. ......

It's a handy substitute for vinegar, though.

Basically, the fruits available in Lahu are expensive and do not last long.

This is understandable when you consider that even today, many fruits are imported by air.

Some fruits are imported by sea, but they are the result of a lot of hard work, such as applying a lot of fungicide, harvesting the fruits while they are still green and hard, and controlling the temperature in containers.

It is not something that can be imitated in our world.

On the other hand, we have special means of transportation such as magic bags, but if you use such means, you will have to pay a very high transportation cost on top of the originally high price of the fruit, and the price will be beyond the reach of ordinary people.

If such fruits were available, we might have bought them, but they would not be affordable for ordinary people, and unfortunately, no merchant would bring them to such a small town if he did not know whether they would sell or not.

It's too risky because it's a perishable foodstuff that can't be preserved.

Inevitably, the fruits available in Rafan are limited to those that can be harvested nearby, and in Rafan, where there are no orchards nearby, only the few fruits that grow in the forest can be sold in the market.

In Rafan, where there are no orchards nearby, only a few fruits from the forest can be found in the market. "Well, I like fruits too, so let's pick them. It's not a very big tree, so why don't Yuki and I pick it?

"Yes!　We'll do our best!

When I say it's not a big tree, I mean it's not as big as the dingdol and the giant trees we've been cutting down all winter. If you look up, it looks like it's at least six meters tall.

I thought pear trees weren't that big, but maybe that's because they were pruned for cultivation, or maybe it's just another world.

Even with such a tree, it's not possible for everyone to climb up and harvest the fruit, so Haruka and Yuki climb up the tree while Natsuki and I pick up the fruit that's being thrown down and put it in our magic bags.

Toya is on the lookout for enemies. However, he may have a certain amount of territory, since the enemies are not approaching him, even though they are within his search range.

It would have been more efficient for me to climb the tree instead of Yuki, but Yuki looked so happy picking pears that there was no reason for me to switch places with her.

"I got a lot of pears..." "It's so beautiful...

In the end, we had harvested more than 100 pieces.

Yuki, who came down in a singing tone, took out some pears and cooled them with the magic of "cold".

This is an offensive spell belonging to fire magic, but it has never been used for actual offense, and it has been very useful in daily life since it became hot.

Both "Cold" and "Heat" can be powerful attack spells depending on how they are used, but it is easier to simply blow off the head with "Fire Arrow" than to aim for freezing to death or heat stroke.

It may be useful in situations where you want to catch someone without damaging them, but since I haven't had the chance to receive such a request yet, I don't think I'll be using it as an offensive magic for a while.

Are you going to eat it?

"Rather, aren't you going to eat it?　One per person is fine.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm fine with half. ....... I'll take it.

I'll have one, too.

When Yuki handed us the whole pear, we bit into it and felt the distinctive crunch of the pear and a lot of juice.

I prefer pears when they are cold.

It was delicious when I ate it earlier, but it was even better when it was well chilled.

The slightly light, cold juice moistens your throat.

"Ah. Thank goodness for this time of year. It's a nice gift for Mary and Mitya.

"Yes. Mary and Mitya don't get to eat much fruit, so it's good.

I see. Souvenirs are the best way to increase sensitivity.

You're really thinking this through, Toya.

Okay, since it's such a good idea, why don't you hand it to him and raise his favorability!

That's the Light Source plan!　Yeah, good food is good for you. Mitya's a bit of a glutton, isn't he?

"You're still talking about it?

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

There's a bit of an age difference, but that's normal in this world.　You don't get married until you're an adult, though.

In our world, 15 years old is about middle school age. ....... I think it's a little early, but it's not a problem.

No, I want to fall in love and get married in a normal way. ......?　And besides, they are children, no matter how you look at it.

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.

I'm not sure what to say.　I'm not sure what to do with it. You can't just say, "I want a beast-eared bride!" and expect to find someone in love.

That's right. You can't fall in love with someone who doesn't exist, like a two-dimensional wife.

As long as you're in this country, it's not impossible that you'll happen to meet a beast of the opposite s*x who happens to be of the right age, and you'll be able to have a romantic relationship with them. ...... Yeah, don't dream about it.

It's reckless to try to fall in love with someone when over 99% of the people you meet are not your target.

You can always move to another country, but it would be more realistic to go for Mary or Mitya or both, wouldn't it?

"But, you know, it depends on how they feel.　If I were to confess, it would be hard to say no, right?　It's hard to say no. I don't like that.

I don't want to do that." Toya said indecisively, and the women pushed her even harder.

If you're in the right place, you won't be hated. ....... At least they won't say they don't want to marry you.

That's right. It's not that easy to get married in love, because love and marriage are different ....... This is why polygamy is allowed in this world. As long as Toya is earning money, I'm sure they'll be happy to marry.

This country seems to be doing relatively well, but the average person is just trying to make it through the day. Unfortunately, they can't afford to fall in love, you know?　That's why women in this world will gladly marry a man who is kind to them and gives them a reasonably good life. Looks are secondary.

"Well, that's the world .......

Tohya is depressed, but in fact, it is common for women to marry the man their parents decide on, regardless of their own intentions. Even jobs are basically by marriage, and it is difficult to change one's place of residence freely.

However, stragglers who have run away from home because they don't want to be married, or those who don't have access to such care, end up as adventurers.

The guild is a place where adventurers gather, so they must go through a lot of trouble to maintain discipline.

After that, you can go to a country where there are slaves and buy a beastman to be your slave. ......

I don't want to do that!　It's like taking advantage of a weakness.　--But if you're asking me to help a girl in trouble, ......

And make her fall in love with you?　It's also similar to ...... No, in a way, it's worse than picking up an orphan, isn't it?

It's not that I happen to be, but that I help them with ulterior motives.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and what you can do to help.

I'm not going to deny it, but it's a little tough to call it normal love.

I don't know if it will ever happen.　I don't know if it's going to happen or not.

I'm probably going to be single for the rest of my life. I'm probably going to be single for the rest of my life, thinking, "Someday I'll meet the beast-eared bride of my dreams.

Toya, you're not a dream girl.

That's harsh!　You're very strict, all three of you!

Even if you're not a maiden, boys dream, too.

"Well, well, well, all three of you. You don't have to shove reality down Toya's throat, do you?　There's still time.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

...... Yes, I know. But you have to decide at least within five years, ...... by the time Mary comes of age.　For her sake.

"Yes, yes. If Toya doesn't marry, we'll need to find someone for Mary to marry.

I'll think about it. ......

I'll think about it." Toya replied, looking a little depressed, but I think the outcome is probably set in stone. The two of them seem to miss each other.

Nevertheless, real life has been more tumultuous than I had expected.

If I remember what happened to us in the past year, I can't deny the possibility that Toya will have a fateful encounter in the next five or six years.

I'll just have to watch quietly.