Chapter 587: A Strange Dance
I asked the knights if they could spare a bit of fruit, and they kindly obliged. Unfortunately, it seemed this village didn’t have any fruit of its own, which made me feel a little bad for taking some—but it couldn’t be helped.
I peeled the fruit, carefully separating the flesh from the seeds. As I worked, the Forest Spirit watched intently, her gaze fixed on my hands with open curiosity.
Once I was left with only the fruit’s flesh, I activated my [Drying] skill.
In an instant, the excess moisture was drawn out. The fruit shrank slightly as its sweetness condensed, its flavor intensifying. Within moments, perfectly dried fruit—rich, concentrated, and fragrant—was complete.
“Ohhh! The dried fruit is ready!”
The Forest Spirit’s voice rang out with delight.
Fabienne, Nero, and Lionel, on the other hand, wore somewhat exasperated expressions. Perhaps they were thinking, You’re really using a skill like that for something so trivial…?
But to me, it was simple.
If something could be used, then it should be used.
That was my principle.
“Please, Forest Spirit, go ahead. I’ll prepare more properly once we return to the estate, so there’s no need to hold back.”
“Thank you, Julius. Then I shall accept without hesitation—…Oh?!”
Her eyes flew wide open.
…What was that reaction?
It was just ordinary dried fruit—or at least, it should have been. Maybe because it was freshly made, it tasted better than usual?
But no—
The Forest Spirit turned toward me, her eyes sparkling with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. It was the kind of look someone might give upon meeting their favorite idol in the flesh.
Somehow… that made me feel strangely conflicted.
“Um… was it really that good?”
“Of course it was. This is a supreme delicacy, imbued with your abundant magical power, Julius.”
“What!? That’s the first I’m hearing of this!”
So using a skill to dry something infused it with magic power?
That was… new information.
If that was the case, I’d need to be careful when drying materials for potions. Should I rely on natural drying? Magical tools? Or use skills like this?
Investigating all of that would be a lot of work…
But at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling a thrill of excitement.
There might be new discoveries waiting.
Come to think of it, the reason the Forest Spirit found it so delicious was probably because she was consuming the magic power along with the fruit.
Spirits, after all, vanished when they ran out of magic power.
In that sense, magic was essentially their source of energy.
No wonder she found it “delicious.”
Before long, the Forest Spirit had devoured the dried fruit completely—and yet, she still looked like she wanted more.
Unfortunately, I was out of fruit.
And asking for more from the village… that felt wrong. Fruit was clearly a precious commodity here.
So what could I do?
…Well.
I still had the seeds.
And if I had seeds, then the next question was obvious.
When should I grow them?
Now.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“I’ll come with you,” Fabienne said without hesitation.
As I stood, she rose alongside me. Naturally, Nero and Lionel followed as well—and it seemed the Forest Spirit intended to join us too.
Oh? This was shaping up nicely.
If things went well, I might even be able to pass this off as the Forest Spirit’s doing.
Perfect.
We made our way to an open patch of land near the village chief’s house. The area received plenty of sunlight—ideal for growing fruit trees.
Not that I intended to make a full orchard or anything.
Just something modest.
Using earth magic, I adjusted the soil to a suitable condition, then planted the seeds. After that, I spread a generous amount of Rapid-Growth fertilizer over the area.
…Was that too much?
Would it cause root rot?
Well, this wasn’t ordinary fertilizer. It was practically a magical concoction in its own right. It should be fine.
To finish, I thoroughly watered the soil with water magic.
“That should do it.”
“So you’re planning to grow fruit trees here in the village? I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Fabienne said with a soft smile. “If they bear fruit, I’m sure the villagers will be delighted.”
“I see, so that was your plan,” the Forest Spirit chimed in. “If there is no fruit, then you simply grow it. As expected of you, Julius. In that case… I shall lend my strength as well.”
“…Huh?”
Wait.
Lend your strength?
Given her current appearance, if she “took something off,” that would be… highly inappropriate.
Should I cover Fabienne’s eyes?
What do I even do here?
As I stood there, flustered and unsure, the Forest Spirit suddenly began performing a strange, almost hypnotic dance.
…What was that?
I’d never seen anything like it.
Her movements stretched and contracted in an odd rhythm, as if she were urging something to grow—grow, grow.
A very bad feeling crept over me.
Should I stop her?
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Pop, pop, pop.
Sprouts burst from the ground at an alarming speed.
I knew it!
“Julius-sama! The sprouts have already appeared!”
“Y-Yeah… they have. Nero, I think it’d be better if we stepped back a bit.”
Nero tilted his head in confusion at my words, but obediently followed my instruction.
The very next moment—
CRACK. CREAK.
The sound of wood straining and expanding filled the air as the sprouts shot upward, growing at a visible, unnatural pace.
It seemed the Rapid-Growth and the Forest Spirit’s power were creating some kind of synergistic effect.
…Wait a second.
Wasn’t her power not supposed to affect cultivated fields?
Ah—maybe vegetables were off-limits, but trees were fine?
That sounded ridiculous.
And yet…
Here we were.
The growth couldn’t be stopped now. All we could do was watch.
In the blink of an eye, five fully grown orange trees stood before us.
Each one was sturdy and healthy, their branches heavy with fresh, vibrant fruit.
Oh my God.
I had not expected this.
“Julius-sama, what are you all doing over here? Hmm? Were there always trees like this here?”
It seemed Sophia-sama and Erwin-sama had returned after checking the fields. Noticing the commotion near the village chief’s house, they approached us—only to be greeted by the utterly unbelievable sight before them.