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Chapter 364 part 1

A partially three-story building at the north end of the downtown area in the royal capital. On a stone in the garden forest on its rooftop, a caterpillar and a dung beetle were sitting side by side as if they were sitting on a bench.

『We are never short of food.』

Imosuke, a spirit beast that looks just like a fifth instar larva of the swallowtail butterfly, said as he gazed at the leaves and flowers of the trees that were receiving the full afternoon sunlight.

『We are never treated poorly too.』

The one who responded was Dangorou, a dung beetle, which is also a spirit beast.
The two animals used to live in the Spirit Forest but were driven away by the elves because the Imosuke was a 『precious leaf eater』 and the Dangoro was 『too unpleasant to look at』.

『I’m glad I was summoned here.』

Dangorou nodded deeply at Imosuke’s words he said with sincerity.
Imosuke, who had been suffering from hunger on the outer edge of the forest where magic power was scarce, was summoned by Tauro and regained his strength.
He then invited his friend Dangorou to join him in the garden forest with the master’s permission.

『Why don’t we send him a gift?』

Feeling thankful, Dangorou suggested the idea.
He has been entrusted with the major role of managing the garden forest where the young World Tree is located, and he has been able to spend his time without starving or being frightened in this place. For this reason, the two animals were so attached to Tauro that the word “respect” was not enough to describe their feelings.

『That’s a good idea, but what should we send?』

Imosuke agreed but asked back. They always offered to produce a crop the master wants when they feel happy, but if possible, they would like to prepare something different each time.
They looked back at the living room, which was unoccupied since the master had gone out, and began discussing what Tauro might like.

***

It was already dark when I arrived at my house, after having been defeated in a game of Yakyuuken rebranded as Slime Game, and having received a very satisfying punishment from the baroness in training at the brothel.
After the usual chat with my familiars, I went to bed and woke up at sunrise.

「Ohh, you specially grow this for me, huh? Thank you.」

And now, while sitting cross-legged on the floor of my living room, I am thanking Imosuke and Dangorou.
Between the two of them and me are the occasional tributes given to me. This time it’s an onion the size of a melon and a whole fat clove of garlic about the same size.
I had never seen these crops in the garden forest before, but they had grown it as a single crop as a test.

「It must’ve been heavy for you guys.」

It was about bringing them all the way here.
When I woke up and first of all pulled open the curtains of the window, I found two of them hiding in the lower frame of the window, along with two vegetables.

『We rolled them here, so it’s nothing.』

Or so the two animals appealed, but Imosuke is 20 centimeters long and Dangorou is 15 centimeters.
The onion and garlic were definitely heavier than the two of them, both of which were too fat to fit in one hand. It must not have been easy.

「I would’ve helped you if you had just asked.」

The two animals nodded at my words, but I have a feeling they would do it again. Maybe they wanted to see the harvest and couldn’t wait until I woke up.
Well, if they have no problem with it, there’s no need to push it any further.

(Now then…)

After having said that, I look over at the two items these two brought and pondered what to do with them.
I look up to see the vice commander and the general, who is the leader of my familiars, emitting waves of anticipation, probably wanting to hear what I think.

(If it were a tomato or a cucumber, then it would’ve been easier to give my impressions.)

I can just eat it as is and say, 『Delish!』, and that would’ve been the end of it. But, as one would expect, there’s no way I can stuff my mouth with raw onions or garlic.
Moreover, these were grown with the help of plant and soil experts. The intensity of the flavor must be far beyond the ordinary ones.

(Still… why did they decide to go with these?)

It’s too different of a category from the fruits and flowers they have grown until now. Since they grow these to please me, there must be a reason why they chose these.

(It’s not Zaratan, that’s for sure.)

The first thing that came to my mind was the long-lived and knowledgeable turtle-shaped Great Spirit Beast that lives in the garden pond. But I immediately dismissed the possibility.
Although he’s an excellent advisor, I don’t think he would talk about this kind of topic.

(If that’s the case, then…)

It was a few beats later after I searched my brain for the answer.

(Ahh… it’s “that” huh?)

With a flash of realization, the culprit was revealed. It was me.
A few nights ago, while eating stir-fried take-out from a food cart in my living room, I commented on the garlic with a smile, saying that it had an 『appetizing savory aroma』 and on the onions, 『this sweetness is just right』 of this.

(But that was onion and garlic as a part of the cooking.)

Not as an individual, raw item. It would be better to tell them honestly here for the future.

「Unlike fruits, they require a little more work in the cooking process before they can be eaten, you see? So let’s put the tasting on hold until lunch.」

They gave out a wave of disappointment, but they seemed to understand.
After that, I went out to the garden and followed after Dangorou crawling on the ground, patrolling with Imosuke on my shoulder. The first flowers to bloom with the morning dew on them were beautiful.
When I return, I grab some onions and garlic and head for the food stall in front of the house.

「Could you please make a meal out of this for lunch today?」

I hand over the huge onion and garlic while ordering a morning set. In this world, it is common for a whole family to order three meals from a food stall, so although it is still early in the morning, there are a considerable number of customers.
The owner of the stall, who I’m already familiar with, accepted my order with a smile on his bearded face.

「Hoo… you brought another amazing thing, huh? And the contents are quite packed too.」

He wasn’t that surprised, probably because I often give some of my harvests to him. I nodded as usual when he asked if he could use the leftovers.
By the way, I don’t intend to cook it myself.

『Good ingredients need to be handled by a professional cook.』

Otherwise, it would be a waste.
After receiving a tray of bread, fried bacon, scrambled eggs, salad, and a drink, I climb the outside stairs to my house, where I enjoy breakfast while chatting with my familiars.
After that, I did laundry, cleaning, and my daily quota, and when lunchtime came, I went back to the food stall.

「What do you think? It has a nice smell, isn’t it?」

Nodding at the bearded man’s confident smile, I return the dishes from this morning and receive the lunch I ordered. Then I returned to the living room to present the professional cooking using the special onions and garlic from to my familiars.
The dish is 『Curry』 by the way, and the staple is saffron rice, a seasoned yellow-colored rice.

「……This is good! It went above my expectations!」

Pouring the curry sauce from the silver container, I scoop a spoonful of the sauce into my mouth along with the rice.
The smile of the stall owner earlier is understandable. The sweetness of the onion is not too overwhelming and the garlic has a rich flavor.

「As expected of Imosuke and Dangorou, anything you make is a special grade.」

My familiars looked so happy when I praise them. My eyes involuntarily narrow at the sight of the two animals moving around on the bath towels laid out on the wooden floor.
Incidentally, this garden forest has everything from flowers, fruits, and vegetables, but there is no rice. This is probably because I have never asked them for it.

(I’m not a guy obsessed with rice after all.)

Of course, I love it, but it’s not a must have item for me.

『Without rice there is no beginning and without rice there is no power.』

A lot of people have such opinions and I used to be one of them. Even on a 10-day trip abroad, I would get a craving for onigiri, and dive into a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant as soon as I returned to Japan while bursting into tears.
But that was only until my third trip.

(It’s about getting used to it, really.)

I became completely fine without it.
My grandmother who was always worried about me suggested that I should eat even just one mouthful of white rice a day, but there are many places in the world that don’t have a rice culture. And it’s not necessarily an essential nutrient for humans.
By the way, I travel once or twice a year for less than two weeks.

『Why do you have so much time and money when you work for a small construction company?』

It may seem that way, but there is a reason for it.

『Take fourteen straight days off after a hundred straight days of work.』

It’s because of instructions from the management.
My job title is site supervisor. When it comes to how to finish a construction project with a tight deadline, 『No rest』 is a surefire way to get it done.
If the construction period is three months, there will be 12 Sundays during that period. If I work on the site even on those Sundays, I can shorten the construction period by two weeks, including holidays.

『I don’t want to pay you for working on your day off, so take the rest of the day off before working on the next site.』

This is a compensatory day off which is not possible in a large company, but only in a 『company with a homely atmosphere that makes you feel a sense of accomplishment』. A company that ignores the extra holiday for consecutive workdays is called black, but a company that gives you a compensatory day off is white.
Because of this lifestyle, of course, I had no money to spend.

(I’d better get going.)

I slept well last night and had a good meal that filled my stomach. After 『Sleep』 and 『Eat』 factors are satisfied, 『Play』 comes next.

「I’m going out then. I’ll leave the house to you guys.」

I told my familiars as I hold the tray with the dishes in my hand. Then, after leaving the house, I headed for the red-light district to fulfill my daily life with a game that I never get tired of, probably because it’s close to the source of my desires.