Blanc's Beloved Fruit
My daily routine has changed a little.
To be precise, one of my stalkers has increased.
The Tower Master, Rosalia Edelweiss.
She had somehow persuaded the Emperor to grant her the hastily appointed title of Imperial Magic Advisor and stepped into the palace.
The Emperor had even threatened her with no money, but she declared she needed nothing of the sort and was stalking me under the guise of research data.
Thanks to her, the moment I woke each morning, I had to face a mass of flowing purple hair hanging from the window.
"Saint Beast-nim! Have you awakened? The sleep brain waves from last night were exceptionally stable."
"Kyaa...?"
What the heck is this...
The Tower Master, flashing her monocle, peering into someone else's bedroom. Truly a disaster.
"Hey. You not getting out?"
Cleaning up this disaster was always Kailian's job. With a fierce glare, Kailian grabbed Rosalia by the collar.
"This is your room? Why are you peeking into someone else's bedroom without permission? Do you want to die?"
"Huhu, His Imperial Majesty has already partially approved this."
"Shut it. One more time and I'll cut off that ugly face."
Rosalia waved away Kailian's fierce threat and winked at me.
"Saint Beast-nim, I'll see you later. I've brought something really huge today."
Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits like a reptile's and glowed with an eerie light.
This is bad...
I instinctively curled my tail. The instincts of a beast of prey were screaming that something was about to go wrong.
The incident happened that same afternoon, during teatime.
Warm sunlight bathed the terrace. I was sprawled out, using the Saintess's knees as a pillow, taking a peaceful nap, while Kailian happily stroked my jelly.
The unwelcome guest who shattered this tranquility appeared.
"Ta-da! Tribute for the Saint Beast-nim has arrived!"
With a solemn expression, Rosalia lowered a heavy object onto the table.
Thud—
An oval-shaped fruit the size of a human head. Its surface bristled with spikes like a hammer, looking less like fruit and more like a weapon.
"Kyaa."
This thing would qualify as attempted murder at minimum if you used it as a face mask.
What was even stranger were the complicated magic circles wrapping around the fruit.
What kind of magic is this? I'm completely clueless about magic, so I don't know what kind it is.
Kailian furrowed her brows and spoke irritably.
"What the heck is that abomination? Did you smuggle in a chimera egg from the Tower's basement?"
"Huhu, you don't know, Your Highness. This is a rare fruit called a 'Turian'."
Rosalia stroked my head.
"It's a rare species that only grows in the deep southern demonic realm jungle, where human feet can't reach. It bears fruit once a year, and its scent is so intense that it even attracts demonic beasts within ten li, according to her."
She spoke as if introducing a treasure.
"According to ancient records, especially for beasts, when they smell this scent, they regain their lost wildness and their bodies grow explosively."
I tilted my head curiously, carefully observing the Turian.
Those terrifying spikes. Huge size and overwhelming presence.
I felt like I'd seen something like this before.
A forgotten memory from my previous life flashed through my brain.
Durian?
There was that in this world too. Because it came from the demonic realm, the spikes were far more vicious, but otherwise not so different.
"It looks dangerous. Is it really edible?"
Kailian asked with suspicious eyes.
"Don't worry. I've had the components analyzed to the last detail. They're only the ones that help with growth. I'll open it right away."
Rosalia solemnly dispelled the magic with her staff.
Fwoosh!
The magic circle lost its light and shattered, followed by an explosion.
".....Ugh?!"
".....Kuk?!"
Kailian was the first to react.
She reflexively covered her nose and mouth, writhing, and tumbled backward onto the sofa.
"Hey!! Crazy...! Woah...!"
Overwhelming stench. It went beyond the sense of smell and stimulated the sense of touch with its extreme foulness.
It surpassed the stench of a garbage can lid you'd leave out for a week under blazing summer sun.
It was, in a word, violent.
"Cough! Cough! What is this? Is it poison gas?!"
"Uuuugh...!"
Even self-assured Rosalia turned pale and gagged.
"This... This bad? The book only said 'intense and primal flavor'...! This is biochemical weapon level...!"
"Flavor my ass! This is garbage!"
Kailian screamed. The elegance of the imperial princess vanished under the overwhelming stench.
"Clean it up immediately?! Blanc's sense of smell is sensitive and his nose will get clogged! Are you trying to assassinate Blanc right now?!"
"No! It's a misunderstanding! I'm sure beasts like this... Uuk.."
The flowers around the terrace wilted, and the birds perched on the trees stopped flying and fell. Even Lina, who was standing nearby, twisted her body and was on the verge of fainting.
"Uuk... For the first time today... I wonder if the creation theory is correct..."
Lina had said something sacrilegious that a Saintess shouldn't utter.
In the center of this chaos, I rose from my seat in a daze.
This stench is...?
It's disgusting. My nose feels like it's rotting. But that disgust triggered my hidden primal instincts.
Some genetic thing inside me was telling me to eat the durian.
Without hesitation, I approached the source of the stench.
"Blanc?! Don't go! It's dangerous! Cover your nose and back away!"
Kailian screamed, but I pecked at the spiked fruit with my front paw.
"Kyaa!"
Come on. I want to eat this!
"Wha...?"
"Kyaa!"
Hurry up and peel it! I need to eat this!
Kailian was stunned by my bold demand.
"Blanc, are you crazy? Your nose is paralyzed? That's not edible!"
"Hu... Huhu. Look, Your Highness!"
Rosalia shed tears and smiled victoriously.
You really are a monster.
"The Saint Beast-nim... Uuk, understood it! My theory was correct!"
"Don't talk nonsense! It's just curiosity! If Blanc eats that, he'll die!"
I wagged my tail and looked up at Rosalia.
"Kyaa...?"
You're not going to cut it?
Seeing my pitiful expression, Rosalia trembled as she picked up a dagger and sliced the shell in one go.
The moment the hard shell peeled off and the flesh appeared, the stench intensified even more.
"Kyahaaak!"
Kailian screamed and fled behind the terrace railing, and Lina collapsed in prayer pose, unconscious. But I could see it.
The flesh looked like creamy custard and buttery rich, glowing with mana.
I ignored the stench and bit down in one go.
"Ang!"
The rich texture filled my mouth.
The instant it touched my tongue, it melted smoothly, delivering an intense sweet flavor that stimulated the brain.
Delicious!
The chewy richness of whatever I'd eaten until now felt like fireworks exploding in my mouth. Savory, sweet, soft, creamy.
"Kyaa...! Woong... Woong... Clack, clack."
I mindlessly devoured the flesh. Yellow cream smeared my lips, and my tail wagged wildly.
From afar, watching my figure, Kailian lost strength in her legs and cried.
"False... Blanc... something like that..."
"Hahaha! See! This is precisely the Tower Master's foresight! An imperial princess like you can't understand the world of gourmet food!"
"Gourmet food my ass! It's just because our kid eats everything without picky habits!"
I finished the entire durian in an instant.
"Kyaa..."
My belly swelled pleasantly. A strange heat enveloped my whole body along with a good feeling of fullness.
What is this...? My body got hot for a moment and then settled.
It wasn't anything special.
I smacked my lips and happily drummed my tail against my belly.
I ate well. Rosalia did pretty well?
I had to pay the price for tasting the heavenly flavor.
"Blanc. Open your mouth."
Kailian stood in front of me with the solemn expression of someone about to declare war.
She covered my mouth and nose completely with thick cloth and tied on an apron too.
In her hand was my dedicated toothbrush and an herbal potion substitute for toothpaste.
"Kyaa?"
Why?
When I opened my mouth, Kailian flinched and turned her head away.
"Ugh... The stench... Blanc, I'm sorry, but this won't do. No matter what, I can't forgive this stench. Mama might faint when she smells your mouth."
Her eyes were firm. It wasn't the loving gaze that used to lick at me as usual.
It was the eyes of a quarantine agent trying to remove contaminated material.
"Come here. I have to clean every nook and cranny. Even inside your tongue."
"Kyaa!"
No way! The sweet taste is still in my mouth!
I wanted to enjoy the lingering flavor in my mouth, but Kailian had no mercy.
"No! Open your mouth before I force it open!"
She firmly pinned my chin with one arm.
"Uub... Kyaa!"
"Stay still! The potion's going in!"
Karsion told me to do it! It hurts!
The cruel toothbrush brushing mercilessly washed away my precious durian scent.
"Woob... Weeeek..!"
I sniffled with tears in my eyes and had to endure the toothbrush punishment.
"One more time! The scent is still there!"
Kailian made me brush my teeth three times until the durian scent was completely gone and only the herbal scent remained.
The hellish time ended only after she also removed the scent from my fur.
"Kyaa...!"
The instant I left the bathroom, I slipped from Kailian's arms, went to a corner, and thumped my tail furiously.
I really hate you. You could have been a little gentler...
"Blanc, sorry, are you mad...?"
Kailian, seeing me just twitching my ears in reply instead of answering, finally checked my expression with a guilty look.
"Haa... But there's no choice. Who told you to eat something so gross?"
She hugged my drooping self and rubbed her face against my fluffy belly, sniffing.
"Now you look huggable enough. Snuggle, snuggle! Blanc, don't eat anything like that again, okay?"
I turned my head with a pouty lip.
Tch, I'm not talking to the butler who tormented me.
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