Chapter 300: Zabuton Wants Me to Ride Him
「Welcome home, Jean. 」
「Yeah, I’m back. 」
Ash poked her head out of the room when Butler talked to me then she went back in. She’s writing a letter, apparently. It’s cold, so she could’ve done that here — oh wait, if it’s a letter about me then it’d be awkward writing it in front of people, I guess.
Khan seems to be somewhere else too. He also went out a lot back when we were in Canum, probably so that he could adjust to the gap between his era and the current one as soon as possible. Bet he’ll be home soon since it can get pretty chilly once the sun sets. Okay, let’s add firewood to the hearth for him.
「Please excuse me, I will brew tea so I’ll get some water first. 」
Butler left the room.
Zabuton loitered behind me as I filled the fireplace with more wood to make the fire burn bigger. I can’t help but wish he’d go somewhere else since it’ll be dangerous if a spark were to land on him.
It started poking me on the butt as soon as I stood up, so I sat on it.
「Hey, stop riding spirits, will you? 」
「Eh, even if you told me that floor cushions are meant to be sat on, right — see, you frightened Zabuton. 」
Zabuton might not have a humanoid form, but he already spent a long time living among humans so he could understand human words. Its four corners were a bit crumpled as it looked down.
「… Then at least refrain from floating. 」
「Huh, can’t be helped then. 『Move to the bench』. 」
Zabuton looked enlightened, then it took me to the bench. It looked like I’m sitting properly now.
「Hey, you shouldn’t float all the more when you’re on the move!! 」
Dinosso’s too naggy!!
「Anyway, Retze’s too much of a workaholic, huh. 」
「Agree, he’s also getting bits of info related to En. Really, what a hardworking guy. All I can do as thanks is to introduce him to my pals from long ago, but I’m wondering if that can really count as thanks… 」
Dinosso immediately replied to my simple musing.
「So you told him about En? 」
「Nah. But he probably knows, based on the info that he’s telling me. 」
「Retze can read minds from time to time, I tell you. 」
「In your case, that’s because you’re totally an open book. 」
How rude!
「It’s easy to get news since I’m pretty famous in the East and the North, but the flipside is that folks will know right away if I tried to gather intel myself, news travels fast. I’d rather directly inquire about the fake hero’s movements when I go to the Guild tomorrow. 」
Dinosso focused on the Magic Forest and the Northern Continent as an adventurer, apparently. His name must be far more widespread than that, but it seems the folks who knew his face were mostly limited to those areas.
Butler returned with water bottles and firewood in his arms. I wonder how he managed to open the door as I took the firewood from him and placed them beside the fireplace.
「Adventurers tend to be quite reckless after all. Retze is way too calm, so from time to time, it makes me feel like he’s the older one. 」
「Nope, that’s totally because of Retze’s beard. 」
Although people possessed by spirits do look younger.
Retze’s complexion looks dull, or maybe I should say it’s like his skin looks pretty tired. The peach compote is doing wonders for it though, making his skin a bit smoother nowadays. We’ve been taking him along to the forest, tunnel and whatnot, but let’s not forget that Retze doesn’t have a spirit, so his stamina is average. Maybe his fatigue’s building up?
I wonder if there’s a rejuvenating recipe that I can make for him? Let’s try sounding out Zabuton’s opinion on helping me out on this later.
「What are you talking about, if I may ask? 」
「It’s about how Retze is such a capable guy. 」
I answered Butler’s query.
「…I see? 」
Butler seemed a bit curious since he returned in the middle of our conversation, but it seems he doesn’t question Retze’s capability too.
We continued talking about Roza while sipping Butler’s tea. Ash also came out of the room and joined us.
「Alrighty, I’ll roast the duck for now. 」
We already had famous pork, chicken and beef dishes in the fortress city yesterday. Let’s grill it on slow fire for now so it’ll be ready when Retze comes back.
「Mm… 」
When I stood up, Zabuton started poking Ash, indicating for her to sit down. I told Zabuton that it shouldn’t poke girls’ butt, so it tapped Ash’s wrist.
By the way, Zabuton only taps Retze, Ash and me. It also chats (?) with Az and Vine since they’re also my spirits in a sense.
Retze’s heart almost stopped in shock the first time it happened. He sat with his knees bent at 90 degrees, his back, hands and feet ramrod straight. Well it can’t be helped since Retze can’t See.
「Spirits don’t favor me! 」, says the person himself, but Daifuku loves to go on top of him, knead and walk all over him. He also likes sticking his butt on Retze.
Daifuku eventually shows himself to the folks he likes, but he still hasn’t done it to Retze, apparently. Maybe it’s not because he doesn’t like to, but that he’s enjoying doing a lot of tricks and playing with Retze while staying invisible.
We continue chatting while I prepare our meal.
So, what should I serve aside from the duck? I’m thinking of making crispy rosti with thinly sliced potatoes and plenty of butter, some roasted yellow and red bell peppers and watercress for side dishes. I want to make sure that they have vegetables when we’re together since that’s the only time they eat veggies, so let’s go with minestrone soup.
Bell peppers taste heavenly if roasted for over an hour, so it’s already set on the fireplace. Ah, but the fresh, juicy ones are also delicious, so let’s serve two variations then.
「I’m back. 」
「Welcome home, Khan. Here, have some wine first while we wait for Retze. 」
When I handed the bottle of red wine to the chilled-looking Khan, Butler also prepared cups enough for everyone.
「Your wine has a deep flavor. 」
Khan likes the red wine from the 『Pantry』.
The preservation method for wines in this world is so-so, so most folks already drink them even when not aged enough. Plus they have a lot of dregs.
「I’m back, whoa, so warm. Hey, lock the door, there’s a lot of those things that folks like me can’t See in this room. 」
Retze immediately warned as soon as he returned. Butler probably has his spirit standing guard somewhere, but it never hurts to be extra careful.
Notes
*Original word is paprika, but did you know that Japanese folks use the term
paprika (パプリカ) for bell peppers, except for green ones which they specifically call piman (ピーマン). Also, I’m not sure if it would taste really great, but won’t roasting bell peppers for over an hour give you charred food instead?
E/N: I’m pretty sure you would need to roast them at a temp/distance that allows them to finish roasting at the hour mark. I’m pretty sure that brings out more sweetness.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.