Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Heretic of the Magic Tower (2)
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"A new plant?"
"Yeah. I found a hidden space in the labyrinth, and this fruit comes from there."
"It looks pretty suspicious."
"That's why they sent it to the Magic Tower for analysis, I guess."
The fruit Mina set down in front of me was smelly with spikes... Wait, isn't this durian? Aside from eating it a couple of times in my previous life, it was my first time seeing one here, so I didn't recognize it right away.
No, but can I handle this smell?
I had no choice but to put it in a wooden box that was about to be thrown out anyway and head to the back yard.
For now, it looked like it had grown inside the labyrinth, so there were no bug-eaten parts.
Oh, there was a way to open this thing.
As I rummaged through memories from my previous life to recall the method, Mina, who had given it to me, came out following me with Leimi and Dras in tow.
"The smell alone is a knockout."
"That's why we came outside."
"Do you know how to open it?"
"Something like that. Leave it to me!"
I found the split and wedged my fingers in, pulling it open lengthwise. Out came the creamy, mousse-like, squishy flesh.
Of course, once I really pried it open, the aroma intensified.
Mina had already backed away to a safe distance.
"Dras seems okay... Leimi, are you alright?"
"You get used to smells like this when alchemical potions go wrong."
"Exactly. We dwarves deal with smells like this all the time during metal alloying or enchantment work."
Familiarity is scary.
Anyway, from what I knew, the stench of durian came from sulfur compounds—perfectly safe to eat, of course...
I didn't hate it that much, so I scooped out the flesh arranged vertically in the split durian. I tossed the husk into the pit in the back yard to deal with later.
I pulled out the remaining flesh, and feeling a bit mischievous, I fanned it toward Mina.
She freaked out at the smell and fled back into the cafe.
"Even elves have plants they hate."
"If anything, it's like the smell of rotten onions."
"Fair enough. Even vegetarians wouldn't want rotten veggies."
"More importantly, is this really safe to eat?"
"Yeah. If you can stomach the smell, it should be fine?"
No rotten spots, no overripe parts, and since it hadn't been long since harvesting, the smell wasn't as bad as I'd braced for.
One of the culprits, ethanethiol, forms as amino acids break down during ripening, so the longer it ripens, the worse it gets.
For now, until the Magic Tower's research was done, there was no way to remove those sulfur compounds, so I gathered the flesh and stirred it vigorously with a spoon until it formed a cream-like consistency.
First bite for me.
"..."
"How is it?"
"I'm curious too."
"...It's good?"
No joke—this was the signature sweet, subtly tropical flavor of premium durian I'd had in my previous life, during one of my adoptive father's business trips, with a coffee-like aftertaste.
The smell was still there, though.
I roughly described the taste, and both Leimi and Dras looked interested enough to try a bite. They seemed pretty satisfied.
No point taking any back since Mina would just run away, so we decided to finish it here. It disappeared faster than expected.
I should ask Cosetica later if there's any stock left.
It'd probably taste great frozen, with that creamy texture.
Anyway, after polishing it off and heading back inside, Mina looked like she was about to cry.
"You smell like it, Cafe Manager."
"Ouch, that's a hurtful way to put it."
I was about to tease her by reaching out, but her killer line—"you smell"—hit like a truck, so I cast a deodorizing everyday spell multiple times, tweaking the mana settings each go.
Then I spread my arms wide and asked.
"Now?"
"...No smell."
She slipped into my open arms. Honestly, I'd been wanting some distance from romance or marriage stuff for a while, but after venturing out this time, I'd reconsidered a bit.
Better to settle down properly somewhere else.
So I'd decided to keep a more open mind from now on.
Even without the academy, I'd probably have to fight world-ending types eventually. And if they were beatable without Ermina, I could just handle it solo.
If Ermina was needed, leave it to the academy.
Then I could live well without going back. And if that was true, I could spend my whole life outside the kingdom.
Mina looked up at me, puzzled that I wasn't reacting or pushing her away.
"Why?"
"Not pushing me away?"
"Just felt like it."
"Mm."
I patted the back of the much shorter woman, and she rubbed her face against me before bouncing away to sit back down.
Her expressions weren't super animated, but I could tell she felt satisfied somehow.
"What? You two getting married for real?"
"What, marriage already? If I'd stayed at the academy, I'd still be a student."
"True. But sounds like you're seriously thinking of settling here now."
"Yeah. It's not a great story I wanna dredge up, but the guy I beat this time was a high priest—a Demon Worshipper executive. Normally, I'd need that light mage from the academy I mentioned before, but since I won without her, maybe I can manage without in some cases."
"Huh? There's a demon plotting something nasty?"
"Yeah. Since you all know now anyway, the Lebedev territory deals face-to-face with demons. I've met good ones and bad ones, and I knew Demon Worshippers and Demon King revivalists were still around."
"That's what you were worried about. Big trouble if something happens while you're away."
"Yeah. But if I can handle it somehow, maybe I can hang back a bit."
Maybe because it was a bit oily, Leimi asked for coffee to cleanse her palate, so I brewed a fresh batch for her.
The lingering durian stench mixed with coffee aroma created an indescribable vibe in the air.
Gotta open the door.
The bell jingled as the door opened. Unlike the cool interior with its light AC, humid air started flowing in—summer was approaching.
Well, even in summer, this deep inland spot wouldn't be exactly like Korea or Japan.
"Maybe I should just settle here too."
"You were thinking of going somewhere, Mina?"
"Not really planning to, but I was from the Magic Tower originally. Quit over some issues, but lately they've been asking me back. Still, life here's way more fun, even if it's rough."
"Because of me?"
"Keep joking like that, and you'll have woman troubles you can't handle later. Anyway, whatever. Guess I'll stick around here for a while."
"Me? Half my life's been here—it's home."
"Dras, yeah... Hard to imagine you anywhere else."
"What? Among smithing, I love weapon forging best. And this city's demand never ends, so no reason to leave."
Fair point. I nodded along, convinced.
"Guess we'll be seeing this lineup for a while."
"Yep."
"Mm-hmm."
This might give me some breathing room to experiment with stuff. I'd wanted a bakery personally, but bulk regular sourcing for non-coffee ingredients was a hassle, so I'd hesitated.
This time, sourcing fruits from Eli's orchard, various labyrinth produce like fruits and veggies, plus flour—wouldn't be bad.
Costs would rise, so I'd need other income sources.
Not full expansion, but side gigs maybe.
"Oh. Right."
"Hm? What?"
"Haven't contacted the Emperor yet."
"...Do it now!"
Mina just faceplanted on the table like it could wait, but Leimi smacked my back with a grim look.
No, but it's a hassle.
Just thinking about drawn-out chit-chat and the Emperor's random trivia made me want to drop the crystal orb every time I picked it up.
"Tomorrow for sure."
"I'll check."
"Ow, got it. I really will."
Since the Emperor's into coffee, maybe open a specialty shop in the capital and charge training fees or something.
Money's not an issue, so I can mull it over slowly.
Anyway, tomorrow for sure.
A resolution that might fade by then, but I steeled myself.
The Emperor wouldn't blab, so no need for exaggeration. Southern elves value oaths, so I should advise granting rewards for the Demon Worshipper purge: nominal recognition of southern border lands, plus food aid for contamination shortages.
Shouldn't be a big deal.
"Gotta import that fruit occasionally."
"No way!"
Mina objected fiercely, so I decided on a ripening fridge in the back yard and secretly commissioned Dras for it.