Holed Up: Rationing Realities and Shivering Schemes
Outside the Fairy Realm was dangerous. Even under threat from those foul-tempered elves, a body still needed fuel to survive.
Four days had passed since Veronica and I got ambushed by the elves, and we'd been hunkered down in the Fairy Realm ever since.
She was royalty, alright. Blankets left crumpled just as she'd wriggled out of them. Underwear and clothes tossed aside haphazardly, never once crossing her mind that she should tidy up. I nearly lost it watching Veronica's complete lack of any housekeeping instinct.
Or batting away her mischievous hands with a fork whenever she'd cling to me insisting on giving me a bath. Still, she picked things up quick when told, so we'd sort through the supplies we'd brought into the Fairy Realm together. We'd each grab a trowel and a little spoon to bury the guards' dog tags and make proper graves.
Barring a few minor hiccups like that, life in the Fairy Realm wasn't particularly grueling or uncomfortable.
「Thank you for the meal.」
Shiver, shiver...
“Th-th-thank you f-for the f-f-food.”
As usual after lunch, I watched Veronica wash the empty jars and dishes in the stream, then scooted a bit closer.
Of course, we hadn't just been lounging around idle for those four days.
We'd huddled together brainstorming additional countermeasures against the elves. Set up traps in case intruders breached the Fairy Realm. Pored over ways I might wield Veronica's magic myself.
I'd even wondered if just knowing how to cast spells wasn't enough, so I'd sat through her full crash course on everything from magical theory and history to ethics and the achievements of past mages—her so-called “essential virtues for magic.”
And the result? Well, as you can see.
[Throwing lv.1 (new!)]
[Patience lv.1] → [Patience lv.3]
[Mana Detection lv.2] → [Mana Detection lv.6]
[Mana Sensitivity lv.4] → [Mana Sensitivity lv.9]
A bunch of miscellaneous skills I'd never use leveled up, but I still couldn't cast even a scrap of the magic Veronica taught me.
Whatever.
Today, too, I focused on shoving the piercing sensations of nature assaulting my body out of my mind. Glancing around idly, my eyes landed on the sack holding the preserved jars.
Shiver, shiver...
“V-Veronica, f-f-food... s-still g-good? G-gurgle... n-none left?”
「I-I'm full enough—!」
Veronica flinched, yanking her hand away from her belly and yelling with a flushed face.
We'd been living off those preserved jars for every meal these past four days.
But thanks to the variety—not just fruits, but ham and salted fish too—we hadn't gotten sick of them yet.
Plus, neither of us were big eaters, and according to Veronica, preservation magic kept them fresh far longer than the usual month's shelf life. If we rationed carefully, we could probably stretch them for months on jars alone.
So she could eat as much as she wanted. But Veronica seemed bothered by how the stock dwindled bit by bit these last few days.
Shiver, shiver...
「...If only I could magic up more jars.」
Preserves were consumables, after all. Gone once eaten. Without resupplying from somewhere, they'd run out eventually—which was why Veronica kept skimping.
I'll send her home before they run dry anyway.
I'd picked up Veronica to learn her magic. But now that lessons proved I couldn't cast just from theory, there was no reason to keep her around.
I wouldn't just dump my former student irresponsibly anywhere, but honestly, I was already angling for a graceful parting whenever the chance arose.
No point explaining all that in detail; the timid little thing wouldn't pig out guilt-free anyway. To convince her, I'd need a real solution.
Shiver, shiver...
“F-Food issue... I-I have a s-s-solution!”
「A solution?」
And the first idea that popped into my head was—
Shiver...
“Fl-Flowers!”
Import sunflower seeds and tree fruits, build a little farm in the Fairy Realm.
Stable, low-risk. Veronica could accelerate harvests with rapid-growth spells whenever her mana recovered.
「Flowers... you mean those flowers?」
“Affirmative! Sunflower start... small fire. Edible. Possible?」
「Flower seeds... oh, roasting them over a fire?」
“Seeds! Fire! R-Roast! Eat!”
If this got off the ground properly, food worries would vanish.
「J-Just eating that...?」
“......” Shiver, shiver...
Even hamsters get nutrient imbalances on sunflower seeds alone. Fruits weren't staple-worthy.
If we found wheat, rice, potatoes, or sweet potatoes, maybe. But self-sufficiency via farming alone? Not happening yet.
Shiver, shiver...
“H-Hunt!”
Hunting animals was another option.
With my arsenal of skills, I could confidently say I'd escaped the bottom of the food chain. Veronica could back me with magic, making catches feasible.
“Just... catch and eat them?」
Shiver...
“Turn animals into food. Drain blood. Make ham. Needs Veronica's effort.」
“M-Me...? I-I don't know how to do th-that! I can't!”
Veronica, raised as a pampered princess, went without saying. Me? Just theoretical knowledge like skinning and hanging upside down to bleed. No hands-on experience.
But practice makes perfect. Someday, Veronica might even class up from princess to butchery master.
Of course, if the process made her teary-eyed with disgust...
Shiver, shiver...
“W-W-Water! Fish, food. Stick, y-you put in!”
「Fishing... that intrigues me a bit.」
Fishing at the streamside worked too. Easier to prep than beasts, worth a shot.
「But... what if elves attack mid-fishing...?」
Shiver...
She had a point. We were at war with the elves.
No telling when an arrow might whistle from behind. No time to lounge waiting for bites.
Were we doomed to tremble in the Fairy Realm, scraping by on jars forever? No real way out of this bind?
Shiver, shiver...
“N-N-Negotiate!”
「Negoti...ate? With wh-who...?」
The answer was yes, there was.
“E-Elves!”
Farming and hunting were side goals. To thrive in the wild, I needed to resolve things with the elves somehow.
Wild rule one: When trouble brews, eliminate the source.
A true supporter clears obstacles to ally growth. A real healer eradicates the root of harm.
So to escape elven threats...
Shiver, shiver...
“Veronica, elves... ugh, cold... language... wh-what's the word? C-Communicate? Needed.」
...No need to spell it out for her. For that first step—
Whoosh—
I stuck one hand outside, pointing at the “letters” left from Veronica's last lesson.
「Talking to elves... communication... writing... elves... D-Diana, do you mean Noseo?」
“N-Noseo...?」
「The elves' language.」
“Affirmative! Elves, language. Veronica, talk. Needed!」
Quick on the uptake, Veronica got it and nailed the answer. I nodded, and after blinking a couple times—
「If it's Noseo conversation— um... something like 'привет,' right?」
A word similar to what I'd heard from the elf days ago slipped out.
That instant—
- New language recognized.
- Attempt to interpret Noseo language using [Analysis lv.4]?
* Mana cost: 5 (Success rate -80%)
* Failed mana not refunded.
The same status window from days ago appeared.
Just hearing elven triggered interpretation attempts.
I'd wondered if it needed direct elf exposure, but nope—even Veronica uttering a word worked.
Success rate: -80%. Up 5% from [Analysis] lv.3 to lv.4 via her lessons. Factoring my racial trait, about 19%.
One in five odds. Decent, or not—debatable.
Shiver...
A-Analyze.
Unlike four days ago, no need to hoard mana now. I triggered it right away.
- Analysis success rate -80%
* Success rate bonus applied!
* [Fairy] gains [Extra Large] bonus to analyzing/interpreting [Target: Language].
* [Insight] holder gains [Small] bonus to analyzing/interpreting [Target: Language].
* Target's language proficiency is extremely low!
… … …
- Analysis success rate -80(-466)%
Race [Fairy] bonus +99
Skill [Insight lv.3] bonus +15
[Target: Veronica]'s Noseo language proficiency -500
… … …
* Interpretation failed. (Analysis success rate -466%)
What the...?
It went smoothly at first, then tanked with a massive penalty right before success.
-500. Basically, “don't even try.” My eyes shifted to the prime culprit.
Shiver, shiver...
“Veronica, elven language... good skill?」
「Uh— no...?」
Elves had lived in the Great Forest forever, developing unique magic. Veronica wasn't totally uninterested.
She'd tried learning Noseo once, but—
「My access to the royal library was limited.」
Shiver, shiver...
Raised under strict tutors, most days were etiquette drills. Library time? Barely two hours.
So many books, so little time. She'd shelved elven language for later, devouring only magic tomes.
「Then recently, needing to come to the Great Forest, I crammed basic greetings.」
Shiver, shiver...
Her Noseo topped out at hellos and self-intros. She fidgeted sheepishly; I sighed softly.
At least I know the cause now.
Target proficiency mattered for analysis. To grok elven, I'd need direct elf contact again.
Shiver, shiver...
No issue there.
We needed elf talks soon anyway.
About a third...
Strip Veronica's penalty: 34% success. One in three. Retryable odds.
Shiver...
Or audit more magic lessons to max [Analysis] and [Insight].
And, uh... yeah... brain's stalling. Limits hit.
「...Diana.」
“...?”
「Aren't you cold?」
Of course not.
“C-C-Cold... y-yes...!”
* * *
That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Spending most waking hours those four days in icy stream water wasn't easy.
[Skills]
[Tenacity lv.1 (new!)]
[Patience lv.3] → [Patience lv.4]
“Huuuuh...”
Still.
- Evolution conditions met!
Finally. Seeing the status confirm my prize, all that suffering felt worth it.