Chapter 335: Tales of the Past
「Our first meeting wasn’t really that remarkable. I happened to pick up Emmy — Emille — by a lake ridge and she was with me for around 5 years. 」
Eh, like Momotaro?* And Granny’s name is Emille, huh.
「Mm, I heard that she was supposedly a child sacrificed to the River God. 」
Ash.
「Yes. Normally, the water carries you downstream, but perhaps the fish spirits swimming in the river took her upstream for their amusement. 」
Uh, like how salmon swim upstream or something?
「She was favored by the spirits, but she didn’t have any talent for magic. She grew the most unique herb I’ve ever seen when I made her grow some medicinal herbs, but it was also extremely, out-of-this-world bitter. 」
Hauron’s eyebrows knitted a bit. Eh, was it that bitter!?
「She managed to strengthen her body, so I made her learn swordsmanship and martial arts. She learned how to earn money, so I eventually sent her to one of my acquaintances who is an apothecary — she was talented in cultivating plants but mediocre when it comes to doing other things. And yet, before we knew it, she fell in love and dated the prince, which led to her going on an adventure in search of the King’s Bough. Noth happened to accompany her back then. 」
「I think you already know this, but in order to receive the guidance of the spirit that will lead one to the King’s Bough, you have to pass the test of the spirit, right? I just lent a hand; I helped them, but only a bit — wait, why are you turning away? 」
「Ah, no, it’s nothing. 」
I only asked Khadar while we were in the orchard, that’s it.
「Receive the guidance of the spirit? What does that mean? What were they tasked to do? 」
Retze asked, so Hauron continued.
「You have to gain the trust of the spirit and it will guide you to the path that leads to the Spirit Tree. Well, the task depends on the spirit. They might order quests such as obtaining a ‘Teardrop’ from that spirit’s kin, slaying a magical beast and retrieving its manastone, resolving the water drought of the west — 」
「Indeed, we were sent all over the place. 」
Butler reminisced.
Folks who know the ins and outs of the King’s Bough Quest will never be able to get the Bough. Oh, does that mean the people who already experienced it are forbidden from saying the specific place too?
「By the way, I was shocked by how Leora — Ash really resembles Emmy. If Ash is a little more delicate-looking then they can practically pass as two peas in a pod. 」
「Her Grandmother leaned more towards the image of a sweet and pure beauty. 」
Sweet!? Ah, no, I mean, Ash is also cute while picking the marshmallows, but sweet? Ash?
Eh, then what about the scary face? Oh no, I might dig my own grave if I continued down this rabbit hole of a topic.
「What about Shiva and Hauron, how did you meet? 」
I turned towards Shiva.
「That’s — 」
「I met Master Hauron through commissions, the first time was because of the kingdom, second time was because of Noth, and that’s it. 」
Shiva cut off Hauron with a smile.
Ahh, a topic that shouldn’t be touched, is it!?
I already saw her bring her opponents down, and even heard that she went to kill Dinosso, so what on earth is she hiding? Perhaps something embarrassing?
「I thought you softened a lot compared back then, but it looks like you’ve become more blackbellied… 」
「Fufu. If it’s for my husband and children then I can be cruel, you know? 」
Shiva retorted to Hauron’s mumblings.
「What about you, Jean? If you were involved with the heroes, then you must’ve come from the same world as them, right? Do you wanna see them again? 」
「Nah, I totally don’t. I’d be glad if they’re ruined as soon as possible. 」
I replied to Hauron’s questions with a grin.
「Oh my, you’re unexpectedly acrimonious. But then, that Changeling doll will soon stand out, so don’t regret it later, alright? 」
「Stand out, is it? 」
Butler asked.
「I’m keeping tabs on the heroes since they’re the ones most likely to look for the King’s Bough. I was bothered about the 【Teleport】matter the other day, so I went to check on them yesterday. The doll mingling with the heroes has become more powerful — the spirits he gobbled up have an effect on him, so I’m sure he’ll slay his masters soon. Well, he shouldn’t be able to lay a hand on his masters without their consent, but based on how things are looking up, it should be sooner or later. 」
Hauron sighed while holding his cup of black tea with his fingertips in front of his face.
「Like the saying ‘I want to eat your heart’, huh. 」
Retze said.
「Oh, so you know about that too. Indeed, dolls cannot maintain their form if their master dies, but if they eat their heart, they won’t disappear but be freed instead. Normally, there’s a limit to the amount of spirits he could consume… It was just a peek, but he even devoured the spirits he used to ‘See’, it was terrible. 」
「Urgh. 」
Did he eat them while wearing my face? Plus, my doll version seemed to be gorging himself with spirits as usual, huh.
「There’s one thing I want to ask. What will happen when the doll meets the original? 」
「He’ll probably try to eat the genuine one. 」
Hauron shortly replied to Retze.
「It’d probably be fine, the face and appearance are totally different, after all. 」
Ash froze in the middle of getting a marshmallow, so I reassured her.
「Eh? No way, are you that…? Wait, why is the prototype completely different from the original!? What the heck happened for you to become this puffy!? 」
「Have my own circumstances. And why puffy, huh, what’s with the ‘puffy’ comment!? 」
Notes
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T/N: Momotaro, or Peach Boy — Japanese folklore hero. He was allegedly born from a giant peach, which an old, childless woman found floating down a river while she was washing clothes. The boy went on an adventure later on. I remember reading it when I was a little kid XD..
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I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
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Thanks for the treat.