"Takumi!? Why did you avert your eyes!?"
"Hahaha~"
"Hey!? Don't tell me it's not a common herb!?"
Even though I turned my gaze away because I didn't want to tell the truth, Al-sama wouldn't stop pressing me.
"Well, isn't it fine not to sweat the details~?"
"That's easy for you to say!"
"Al-sama, wouldn't it be better for your own sake not to ask?"
"… That may be true."
Did Najack-san just save me? Or maybe, more accurately, he stopped Al-sama for his own self-preservation.
"By the way, Takumi. How long exactly do we have to hold these Pastel Rabbits?"
"Ah… does it make you uneasy not having your hands free?"
"Yes, exactly."
Following that, Najack-san gestured toward the Pastel Rabbits he was carrying.
As a knight and bodyguard, he must hate having his hands tied, unable to draw his sword right away… Or maybe he just doesn't know what to do with it?
"You can put them down, it's fine."
"Takumi, won't they run away?"
"Well… I think it'll be fine."
Najack-san cautiously set the Pastel Rabbits down on the ground.
Instead of fleeing, the Pastel Rabbits cozied up to his feet, clearly attached to him.
"See, I told you it was fine."
"Why!?"
"… It really is strange, isn't it?"
I can't help but think—wanting to see a Pastel Rabbit actually run away might be a luxury in itself.
"Oniichan, I found more Iceflower Grass!"
"Elena found Zapweed and Tingleweed~"
"I, for my part, gathered mushrooms! How about that, don't they look delicious!"
At some point, even Kaiser had started foraging with the kids.
Well… it seems he only picked up poisonous mushrooms.
""Kaiser, those are all inedible mushrooms~""
"What!? You mean these can't be eaten!?"
""Poison mushrooms~""
"How dreadful!"
Getting scolded by the kids, he must have been just grabbing mushrooms at random without caring about whether they were safe or not.
"Well, some mushrooms can still be used as medicine, so they're not useless."
"… Really?"
You can detoxify some for medicinal use, or use their poison as insecticide. It's rare to find a mushroom with no use at all.
Once I explained that, Kaiser, who had been crushed, seemed to perk back up a little.
"Kaiser, the real work starts now."
"Kaiser, we'll teach you~"
"Mm, if I study properly from now on, I'll memorize them all."
"Uh, Kaiser, wouldn't it be faster to just use Appraisal?"
"""Oh yeah, that exists!"""
Studying to gain knowledge is good, but if you've got a convenient skill, you might as well use it.
"Takumi, what will you do with those poisonous mushrooms? Some are deadly!"
"Al-sama, are you knowledgeable about mushrooms?"
"Not mushrooms in particular, but I've studied many poisons and their antidotes. It's necessary for my position."
"Ah, I see."
Knowledge against poisonings, huh? Being royalty really is tough.
"I'll look for a top-grade status ailment recovery potion in an advanced dungeon next time."
"Those are extremely rare."
"Top-grade ones, yeah~"
"No, not just top-grade. Any kind of status recovery potion hardly circulates."
"Eh, really? Even the low-grade ones?"
"Yes. After all, everyone wants to keep at least one on hand, just in case."
"Huh~…"
I see. For adventurers, stamina and mana potions are must-haves, but for city folk, healing potions and status recovery ones are more important. No wonder they're scarcer.
""Do you want potions~?""
"Yeah, especially antidotes."
""Should we find some?""
"Yeah. Next time we go to a dungeon, let's keep an eye out."
""Okay~""
I guess I should also check with Vivian… she tends to have odd medicines lying around.
"Don't get my hopes up, but if you find some, sell them to me."
"We'll definitely find them!"
"Wait in anticipation!"
"No, wait! When Allen and Elena get too fired up, I get a bad feeling. Just… go easy, alright?"
""We'll give it our all!""
Ahhh, Al-sama just stomped all over their motivation switch.
Looks like we'll be heading to a dungeon again soon.
"Takumi, Takumi! This time I picked edible mushrooms!"
While the conversation had shifted from poisonous mushrooms to potions, Kaiser had gone back out for another round of gathering. He returned beaming, basket full of mushrooms, all properly appraised as edible this time.
"You sure got a lot this time~"
"Indeed! I checked carefully while picking, so these are all edible! Takumi, make something delicious with them."
"Sure, but… mushrooms are usually stir-fried, or in sauces, soups, or rice dishes, you know? Is that fine?"
"Yes, I leave it to you!"
Hmm, mushroom pasta might be good!
Actually, I might be going through a pasta craze right now.
"Ta-Takumi! That—those are legendary mushrooms!"
""""Legendary mushrooms?""""
At Al-sama's words, the kids, Kaiser, and I all tilted our heads.
Legendary? Did Kaiser happen to pick some up?
"Those ones! The Blanc Mushroom and the Noir Mushroom!"
Checking with [Appraisal], I saw they really were Blanc and Noir mushrooms. But they just looked like ordinary white and black mushrooms to me. Nothing in their description marked them as "legendary" or "rare"… oh, but they can be used in medicine.
"Those two are legendary?"
"Yes! With them you can make an antidote effective against all mushroom poisons! But they're incredibly hard to find, and fetch very high prices!"
An antidote that works against all mushroom poisoning, huh? Sounds like a very useful medicine. Legendary or not, it's certainly valuable.
"Kaiser, let's give the Blanc and Noir mushrooms to Al-sama."
"If they're that important for people, then of course. I have no objection."
"You really mean it!?"
Kaiser agreed readily, so we passed the mushrooms to Al-sama.
He hadn't asked outright, but judging from his happy face, he must have wanted them.
Still… is he having that much trouble with poison? Now I'm worried.
"Still, Kaiser, I'm impressed you found these mushrooms~"
"Eh? I grew them myself?"
"… Huh? Wait, what do you mean?"
"I poured mana into the tiny little mushrooms just sprouting!"
"What the heck!?"
"And then they grew quickly into these ones!"
"What!?"
What on earth are you doing!?
Re-checking the Blanc and Noir mushrooms, I saw they were packed with mana.
"Wait… do these mushrooms actually grow with mana!?"
Maybe that explains why they're considered "legendary."