Chapter 110: A Mass of Art

“Geo-kun! I’ve been waiting for you! Come on, come on—please, you must try my fish dishes before you go!”

“Ah—yes, thank you very much.”

Whenever I visit the secondary family garden, Io-san almost always insists on feeding me something she’s cooked herself. Apparently, the way I blissfully devoured her sashimi the other day made her unbelievably happy.

Fresh fish is a rare luxury for me, so I honestly appreciate it. …Maybe I should make some for Sena next time.

“Huh? Io-san, what’s that over there?”

Right beside Io-san’s house, something new had appeared—a huge pool of water that definitely hadn’t been there before.

“Ah, that’s an ikese.”

“An ikese…?”

When I stepped closer, I saw a pool surrounded by large stones. Fish were swimming lazily inside the clear water.

“It’s a place where you keep fish alive temporarily before cooking them.”

“Wait… you actually made this yourself?”

“Yep.”

The fish grown in my garden are… well, surreal. They sprout right out of the ground like plants. And stranger still, they’re perfectly alive and fresh when harvested.

The downside is that they die quickly if left alone. So until now, the only option was to grow exactly what I planned to eat, right when I needed it.

“But with this, I can keep them alive for a while.”

“I see…”

“Though it’s not seawater, so they won’t last for too long.”

“Oh, I have seawater, actually.”

“…You do?”

Yep. I can grow seawater too.

So I immediately cultivated a batch and swapped out the pool water.

Io-san nodded in deep satisfaction.

“…There! Now these little ones can stay healthy much longer! All thanks to you, Geo-kun!”

You’re still going to eat them, though —not something I should say out loud.

“Well then, today we’re having fugu!’”

“Fugu? Blowfish?”

I knew the name because it appeared in the list of cultivable fish, but I’d never seen one.

“Look, that one.”

Io-san pointed at something in the water— a fish shaped like a square box.

She scooped it up with a net.

“Uwah!? It puffed up—like really puffed up!?”

“Hahaha! That’s the fugu’s special trait. It inflates its body to scare off enemies.”

“Huh…”

To be honest, it didn’t look particularly appetizing.

“By the way, fugu contains deadly poison. It’s dangerous for amateurs to prepare.”

“What? Is… is this really safe then…?”

“Leave it to me.”

W-well… in the worst case, I can just drink an Anti-Poison Potion, right…?

It was much tastier than I expected. But yeah… I definitely shouldn’t try cooking it myself. No way I could ever handle dealing with that poison.

After enjoying Io-san’s fugu dish, I headed over to Wide-san’s place.

…To be honest, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. But as the manager of the family garden, I should at least check on him occasionally.

“…What… is this…?”

The moment I teleported near Wide-san’s home, my eyes were assaulted by a structure so gaudy and brightly colored it almost hurt to look at.

There wasn’t a single flat surface or straight line anywhere. Everything—walls, pillars, roof—was made of curves and warped shapes, twisting and undulating in ways that stirred an indescribable sense of unease.

And it was enormous. Bigger than a two-story house. At this point, calling it an “art piece” felt insufficient—it was undeniably a full-blown building.

And this thing had appeared in my garden.

…Thank goodness it wasn’t in the first garden, at least.

“Wait—where’s the house?”

Wide-san’s original home was gone. It should’ve been right here, exactly where this bizarre structure stood…

“Oh! Geo-dono! Behold this magnificent creation!”

Wide-san spotted me standing frozen and rushed over excitedly.

“Y-yes… it’s certainly… something. Don’t tell me this too is…”

“Made entirely of adamantite!”

…Every blacksmith in the world would scream.

“Um… what happened to your house?”

“I remodeled it into this!”

Remodeled!? This thing doesn’t resemble the original at all!

“Wait—does that mean we can actually go inside?”

“Indeed! Allow me to guide you!”

I wanted to say No thank you, but with Wide-san sparkling like a child, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

He grabbed my arm with his superhuman strength and pulled me toward the structure.

“Where is the entrance? I don’t see anything like a door…”

“This is it!”

He pointed to a section near the bottom—painted bright pink, shaped like a squashed slime. If I looked closely, I could just barely spot a doorknob.

“Oh… so it really opens…”

But it was low. Wide-san barely fit through; I had to crouch to enter.

“Welcome to my home!”

“R-right…”

I went inside… but it didn’t feel much different from the outside.

The entire interior was the same chaotic nightmare of garish colors and twisting, curving surfaces.

Even the floor warped unpredictably, making walking a challenge. Tables, sofas, cabinets—every piece of furniture was the same distorted riot of curves and colors.

If someone lived here long-term… their mind might actually break.

“How about it? Isn’t it a true masterpiece of art? Living in such a home has been my dream since long ago!”

…This dwarf might already be broken.

I desperately wanted to leave. More than anything, that was the only thought in my mind.