The next day, over breakfast at the tavern, I made my declaration to the two of them.
"I'll keep our search along the way brief and make a stop in the Kingdom of Shirone."
The two of them tilted their heads but nodded all the same.
"Understood." "Got it."
They didn't ask why or what for. Not having to explain myself was a relief. I'd decided to keep quiet about the
Her words brought to mind the image of a young girl.
"Yes. She's my respected… teacher."
I'd been about to say "master," but I changed my words at the last moment. Come to think of it, I'd been forbidden from calling her that. Lately I'd been going around telling everyone how amazing my master was, how amazing my master was… Well, whatever.
"Oh, if she's someone Rudeus respects, you should definitely stop by and see her. She might be able to help."
Eris said this and then nodded to herself in agreement, perfectly satisfied.
Roxy. Someone as capable as her would be a powerful ally. No question about it. That said, Roxy was also a court magician. She'd be busy, and I didn't want to impose too much. I was already constantly relying on others, and I didn't want to look pathetic in front of my teacher.
Setting aside the pretext of disaster relief and search efforts, I still wanted to see her. I wanted to thank her for the Demon God dictionary, too. Without it, I might still be stranded on the Demon Continent. I regretted that it had been lost in the Teleportation. It was something that should have been copied and sold worldwide.
"I'd love to meet Rudeus's teacher." "Hmm, I'm interested too."
Eris and Ruijerd both seemed curious. Maybe it was because, even on the road, I'd occasionally brought up Roxy's name and sung her praises. She was a teacher I could be proud of no matter where. And rightly so.
"Then, once we arrive in the Kingdom of Shirone, I'll introduce you."
With that promise made, we set off on our journey.
--- First, we'd head along the main road, passing through the capital of the Dragon Kingdom, Wyvern. From this capital, two roads extended from the Dragon King Mountain—one east, one west. One route went straight north, and the other stretched westward. Naturally, we chose the northern route.
At the capital Wyvern, we ended up staying for about a week, entirely unplanned. Originally we'd planned to leave in three days, but the secondhand carriage we'd just bought was in poor condition and needed repairs. Cheap used goods really weren't worth it.
If something was made of stone or iron, I could manage to fix it myself to some degree, but there was nothing I could do with wood using magic. I paid the repairman a bit extra to have it fixed sooner.
There was no need to rush. In the vision the Man-God had shown me,
I tried to keep my composure. With that in mind, I toured around Wyvern.
The Dragon Kingdom was the third-largest country in this world. A powerhouse in the southern Central Continent, it held four vassal states under its command. It had once been just one of many small nations scattered across the southern Central Continent, but after defeating Kajakt, the ruler of the Dragon King Mountain to the northwest and claiming the vast mineral resources within his territory, it had shot up to become a great power in one fell swoop.
It was the birthplace of the forty-eight Magic Swords scattered across the world, and a place spoken of in sections of the North God Hero's Saga. Despite having numerous legendary tales, it didn't seem to place much importance on tradition. It had a feel to it—diverse, eclectic—like America.
This city had many blacksmiths and sword dojos. I peeked into a few dojos, but most of them were teaching children. Even the dojo masters were typically only at the Advanced class. Eris took one look and scoffed, saying they weren't much to write home about, and Ruijerd scolded her for it.
Anyway, in this city, I set about gathering information on the missing persons. The
After that, I did my usual market research. Wyvern was a city where goods from both the Central Continent and the Millis Continent were sold. The variety of foodstuffs was impressive.
And in that market, I finally spotted it. Rice. Rice for sale. It had a slight yellowish tint, but it was undeniably rice.
The dishes served in restaurants here were things like paella or porridge, designed to be eaten conveniently with a spoon. Not quite what I was after. I wanted white rice. If I couldn't buy it, I'd make it myself—and with that thought, I made an impulse purchase. I had no skill in cooking rice, but I politely asked the shopkeeper for advice.
With the three cups of rice I'd purchased and a carefully crafted clay pot made with Earth Magic, I set about cooking rice using the recipe the shopkeeper had taught me. I had salt and eggs ready on the side.
As I sat there with a dead-serious expression, heating the clay pot, Eris wandered over.
"What are you doing?" "An experiment." "Hmm?"
Eris said this disinterestedly and then started practicing her sword swings right beside me. She kept glancing over. Seemed she was interested after all.
I flipped the hourglass I'd borrowed from the tavern owner and increased the heat. The shopkeeper had told me the trick was to raise the temperature little by little.
I flipped the hourglass about three times, then lowered the heat at the end. Then I flipped it two more times. Finally I cut the heat entirely and flipped it two more times.
"It's done." "Really?"
At my murmur, Eris stopped her practice and squatted down right beside me. The soft scent of Eris drifted over. A pleasant smell. But right now, appetite trumped desire. She was looking at the clay pot with an eager expression. I opened the lid with equal anticipation.
The warm, fragrant aroma of rice wafted up.
"That smells great. As expected of Rudeus." "The taste is what matters."
I murmured that and picked up a few grains of rice with my fingers and put them in my mouth. ……Hmm.
"Forty-five points."
It was miles away from the Koshi○kari and Sasa○shiki of my memory. Even if ranked on a modern Japanese scale, it probably wouldn't reach C grade. Maybe it was because rice wasn't a staple food in this country. It was dry and crumbly, with a strong off-flavor. The color was a bit yellowish, too. My cooking technique was probably part of it, but the raw ingredient itself wasn't great either. It was nothing you could call shiny-white rice. Normally thirty points would be a failing grade, but rice eaten after so long wasn't bad. My chest filled with nostalgia. Adding that in, plus fifteen points. I was going easy on myself.
"I had this last night too, didn't I? What kind of experiment is this?" "Now comes the real thing."
I filled a bowl I'd made with Earth Magic with rice. Then I thoroughly cracked open an egg—one to which I'd carefully applied detoxification magic—and dropped it into a well I'd poked in the center of the rice. I sprinkled salt over the top, picked up the chopsticks I'd crafted from Earth Magic, and put my hands together.
"Itadakimasu." "Huh? Wait, Rudeus, that egg… is raw…"
I opened my mouth wide and took a big bite of the yellow-tinted rice. Mmm, fishy. I'd sprinkled salt on it, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference.
Eating it like this, even the egg itself tasted slightly different. It wasn't the same as the fresh, raw-egg-safe variety you could eat in Japan.
I really needed soy sauce. Would I ever find soy sauce in this world? Or maybe a substitute. Lost in these thoughts, I shoveled rice into my mouth with single-minded focus.
"Hamu, haf haf, haf!!" "…Is it good?"
At Eris's question, I used Earth Magic to create a second bowl. I scooped rice into it, sprinkled salt on top, and held it out to her. I also made her a spoon and handed it over. A beginner's set, first of all.
"…Hey, is this really all there is to it?" "……Gulp."
I nodded quietly. Rice could be eaten on its own. That was exactly what made it a staple food. Not to brag, but back in my prime in my previous life, mountainous heaps of rice had been the main course. Onigiri had been the side dish. There had been a time when I could eat as much rice as I wanted, as long as it was white rice.
"Hmm…"
Eris ate with an uncertain expression, chewing slowly. She was still a child after all. But when she added the egg: "Mm, this is better than before."
She said that while puffing out her cheeks, and finished every last bite. Egg-over-rice really was the ultimate. A complete meal, after all.
We both ate our rice clean, and to finish, we crunched on the crispy scorched rice from the bottom of the pot. A meal complete.
Ruijerd, the one person who hadn't gotten any egg-over-rice, didn't complain at all. He just smiled wryly. He was an adult. But I still felt bad about it. Next time, I'd make sure to let him eat some too.
--- We departed the Dragon Kingdom and headed north along the road. Two countries lay between here and the Kingdom of Shirone: the Kingdom of Sanakia and the Kingdom of Kikka. Both were vassal states of the Dragon Kingdom.
In the Kingdom of Sanakia, rice cultivation was thriving. Maybe it was the climate—the road passed through fields of flooded paddies stretching as far as the eye could see. This area had many rivers, and the climate might have been similar to Japan or East Asia. Tasting it, it was the same as what I'd eaten in the Dragon Kingdom. It looked like the rice grown here was being exported to markets in the Dragon Kingdom. For now, I decided to call it Sanakia rice.
The inn's meals brought out a lot of seafood-based mixed rice. In this world, I'd been practicing moderation, but I couldn't resist the allure of rice. My stomach was full again today. My day was a happy ending.
Recently, at mealtime, Eris had taken to watching me with a vacant stare from time to time. I was usually somewhat particular about food even at meals, so my eating in silence must have struck her as odd.
"What's wrong?" "I always thought you weren't that big an eater, Rudeus."
That's what Eris told me. Back in my previous life, no one had ever called me a light eater. My style had been to eat as much as was available and then ask for seconds. The only reason I'd managed to practice moderation after coming to this world was that the food didn't suit me.
Setting aside the tough, meat-heavy meals of the Demon Continent, even the bread-centered meals in the Kingdom of
Mmm. Rice really was the best.
--- It wasn't just food I was after—I also showed my face at the Adventurer's Guild.
Maybe this was what you'd expect from the Central Continent. Even when I dropped the name Dead End, nobody batted an eye. If anything, it was like how being famous in America didn't mean your name was known all the way in Japan. It was like how plenty of kids knew Superman but didn't know Captain America.
Still, they were adventurers. They'd probably heard the word "Dead End" at least once. But it was like how a celebrity from America could show up in Japan and, aside from hardcore fans, nobody would make a fuss.
Even when they learned we were of the Spell-D race, there didn't seem to be much of a stir. In the end, maybe it all came down to hair color.
The discrimination in this world had a familiar ring to it for modern-day Japanese otaku. "A Spell-D race member doesn't count unless they have green hair"—it was like "a track and field club girl doesn't count unless she's got a black-haired ponytail."
However, being A-ranked apparently drew a fair amount of attention.
"Hey, you lot—you're new faces. A-ranked, huh? Just formed recently?"
The one who approached us was a man who gave off a vibe eerily similar to Nokopara. Experience had taught me I didn't want to get friendly with this type. But brush him off the wrong way and he'd stick to you like a nuisance. Best to handle him smoothly.
"We formed about two years ago." "Huh, never heard of you around here. 'Dead End'—isn't that the name of a demon from the Demon Continent?" "Yes, we traveled here from the Demon Continent." "Heh heh, come on now. Is that guy over there the demon?" "He is, but could you please not call him a demon?" "Why not? Isn't that how he bills himself?" "We keep a low profile—we even shaved his hair—but he's the real deal."
The man laughed again. I kept a straight face. Eris looked about ready to lose her temper, and Ruijerd was clearly displeased. Seeing that, the man broke into a cold sweat.
"Wait, you're serious?" "If you'd like, I can even show you the gem on his forehead?" "No, no, that's fine. Sorry about that. Didn't think he was the real deal. Guess they really do exist out there, the Spell-D race…"
It had been a good thing to reach A-rank while we were still on the Demon Continent. It lent credibility to the claim that Ruijerd was a genuine Spell-D. The Central Continent had harsher attitudes toward demonfolk in general, yet for some reason they feared the Spell-D race less than people on the Demon Continent did. It was about how close the danger felt. People who said bears were harmless were invariably the ones who'd never actually encountered a bear in the mountains.
The name value was no longer much use, but if they weren't afraid of us, the difficulty of rebuilding our reputation would be lower. The outlook was bright. That said, I still couldn't come up with a good plan. Even Ruijerd figures wouldn't be accepted while we were still in the Millis religious sphere.
While I was turning these thoughts over in my mind, Eris was glaring at the man from earlier.
"Eris. Don't start any fights." "I know that." "Good."
Eris hadn't been getting harassed much lately. Over the past year or so, her demeanor had become noticeably sharper. The amateurish quality had worn off. When you could tell at a glance that someone was dangerous, nobody in their right mind would try to pick a fight.
She'd also started to pick up on adventurer-style banter. When someone said something to her, if she recognized it as a familiar phrase she'd heard before, she'd respond with the appropriate comeback—even if she did it with an irritated look on her face. If the other person laughed, Eris would puff out her chest with a smug expression. She was becoming more of an adventurer.
That wasn't to say she never rose to the bait. There were those who, seeing that she was young yet A-ranked, would come at her pretty seriously. Most of them were C-ranked youngsters. They'd provoke her with a "that guy Ruijerd pulled you up, didn't he?" kind of attitude—and then get shut down in one punch.
Every Adventurer's Guild seemed to have that sort of idiot.
For my part, I got bothered too, but I'd just go along with it—yep, it's all thanks to the boss here, we're living the good life—and smoothly deflect. After all, reaching A-rank had indeed relied heavily on Ruijerd. Eris seemed bothered by my attitude, but she wouldn't have made A-rank on her own either.
Let's be humble.
--- We continued northward.
In the Kingdom of Kikka, cultivation of a plant similar to rapeseed was widespread. From the road, we could see fields blanketed in whitish flowers stretching to the horizon.
Incidentally, rice was also the staple food in this country. Comparing them, I could tell that the quality of rice improved the further north we went. The day I found rice to fall in love with at first sight might not be far off. But unfortunately, in the north of the Central Continent, small countries were locked in ongoing skirmishes. Under those conditions, good rice probably couldn't be produced. A real shame.
In this country, a dish called "
It had apparently become a huge hit in the Kingdom of Asura in recent years, and the trend had spread here.
It was apparently difficult to make in any country that couldn't produce cooking oil in large quantities, but this country had a high output of oil.
Something I'd learned since coming here: the rapeseed cultivation was an enterprise that the Dragon Kingdom had forced upon the Kingdom of Kikka. The thriving paddy fields in Sanakia were also at the Dragon Kingdom's direction, apparently. Being a vassal state was rough.
As it happened, this karaage also tasted a bit off. The meat was often lamb or pork rather than chicken, the oil temperature didn't seem right—some pieces were too hard, others mushy. The marinade hadn't been applied properly either. Of course, rock salt, dried herbs, and local sauces added variety to the flavor. So it wasn't bad. You could even call it well done. Even a glutton like me could appreciate the effort that had gone into it. The cooks in this country were doing their best.
But the taste I craved was still a little different. The absence of soy sauce was really what hurt. If only they'd marinated the meat in soy sauce, garlic, and ginger, and made it sweet and savory…
"Rudeus, you've been making such complicated faces at mealtimes lately." "He's fussy about flavors. He's got his thoughts." "I think it's perfectly tasty…"
The two of them chattered like this while shoveling food into their mouths. They weren't picky about food. I wasn't about to act like some elite gastronome here either. But I couldn't help wishing—just a little more, just a little more—for that soy sauce flavor.
"But the texture is interesting, isn't it? Crispy on the outside, and when you bite in, all the juices burst out." "Yeah, it's good."
They ordered seconds and wolfed them down. They were happy people, able to enjoy a new dish on its own terms. Because I knew flavors beyond this, I couldn't just savor it freely. White rice and soy-sauce-flavored karaage. If only I had tofu and miso soup with wakame seaweed alongside it…
--- My tireless pursuit of food. In between, of course, I searched for missing persons just as diligently—and just as fruitlessly, day after day.
We continued on like that for four months.
And at last, we arrived in the Kingdom of Shirone.