Kays Translations

Chapter 49. That Lethargy After Swim Class

Kaen-san was still talking. And talking.

The explanation was… incredibly long, so Luna ended up falling asleep. She was peacefully snoozing against Jude-san.

Even I was half-dozing with my eyes barely open. It was a long story! I mean, she was explaining things very thoroughly, but she’s starting all the way from there? That far back? Making me wonder; was that part even necessary right now? Then it would suddenly connect and make sense; I’ll realize, ohh, so that’s why she said that part…

To be fair, it was interesting, if you like that kind of thing. Her deep passion for plant breeding really came through. As for why she gets mad if you call her “Kaerin” instead of “Kaen”—apparently “Kaerin” sounds uncomfortably close to her true name. That’s on her, though…

Jude-san was listening with a serious face. Impressive focus. I really hope he’s not just asleep with his eyes open.

The sparkly tree had looked bored after finishing the Lu○○do snacks, but now its head was wobbling sleepily. She’s about to give out any second now.

Mimi, too… oh yeah, lizards close their eyelids from underneath, right? It looked like he was struggling to stay awake—I could see his white nictitating membrane  through his eyes half-closed eyes. Kinda scary, honestly.

You know, there are just some people whose voices are so soothing.

My modern literature teacher back in high school had a deep, soft, almost fuzzy-blanket-like voice. When he read aloud from the textbook… chef’s kiss. Especially after pool class, there was just no staying awake. At least 80% of the class would be knocked out. I still think about recording that voice to help me fall asleep on restless nights.

While I was reminiscing about all that, the part I actually wanted to hear finally came. 

Victory! My patience paid off.

To summarize:

In the Elven homeland, there grows a special, sacred, gigantic known as the World Tree.

It’s nurtured with special Green Magic cast by elves. Technically, regular green magic works too, but it takes a ton of it to make any difference.

Those who can wield this special green magic often have poor compatibility with normal green magic during childhood.

It would be fine if they were completely different, but because it’s so similar, it causes discomfort—kind of like putting regular gas in a car meant for premium.

Also, it doesn’t mix well with leftover magic in meat.

Until your own magic becomes strong enough and you no longer notice it, consuming it can make you feel sick.

Elves usually build up enough magic while still nursing, so this issue is rare and not widely known even among them, considering the conditions that must be met for it to occur.

The World Tree was originally a type of Sacred Tree.

　

There are only a few sacred trees found in various places, and most of with the elves.

As they grow, they absorb a bit of miasma and can amplify green magic.

They make a contract with a special green magic user who takes care of them, and they can change their form according to that person’s wishes.

They’re also good at perception-blocking magic, which helps hide elven villages.

Wait a second.

Something in that explanation didn’t sit right.

I don’t remember forming any kind of contract with that tree. And isn’t Luna the one with the special green magic?

I turned to the sparkly tree, which had just jolted awake.

“We didn’t make any contract, right?”

“Mmm… The moment you woke me up, a provisional contract was formed. Like marking something with spit.”

It replied, albeit sleepily. Spit-marking?! What’s that?

“I didn’t cast any special green magic on you!”

…right?

“You kept showering me with it just a while ago until I said no more, didn’t you?”

That was liquid fertilizer!

And it wasn’t even me who poured it!

…But green magic is meant to promote plant growth. And fertilizer is basically that.

Come to think of it, I have deep faith in Yesponex. I fully believe that if you use it, any plant will thrive. Same for chicken manure—it’s tricky with quantity and timing, but it’s one of the most effective fertilizers out there in my opinion.

So could it be that, to help this world accept foreign substances like otherworldly chicken manure and liquid fertilizer, it takes my strong preconceptions into consideration and interprets it as “a kind of special green magic”?

Thinking back, it was kind of insane how fast that tree grew with just fertilizer…

I’d assumed it was just a special tree, but maybe some of the stuff I’ve pulled out with a Thousand-Yen Repeat are a bit… dangerous?

Is that why the vitamins worked so well? And why the painkillers were almost too effective?

“That special green magic I sensed earlier—that must be it,”

Kaen-san chimed in, confirming my suspicion. Apparently elves, being magically sensitive, can pick up on those subtle differences.

　

“By the way, these have some added effects too,”

I look at the raisins Kaen is holding up.

…Excuse me, what?

Turns out the raisins are, in a way imperceptible to regular humans, special. It’s effective against anemia and constipation.

Oh.

Well, yeah. I do believe raisins help with those things…

But I’ve already handed them out and even sold some. Is that okay?

It’s not harmful, and regular people can’t detect the effect, so… it’s probably fine? I hope? I vaguely remember a certain slime getting really excited over them.

Putting everything together, it seems like the items I summon with 1,000-Yen Repeat take their price from my memory and their effect from my beliefs—at least sometimes.

Unconsciously scary.

Wait… that spice I think of as a “magic powder that makes everything taste good”—is literally magical now and actually makes everything delicious?!

That would be… incredible!

Is that why Grandpa Jill kept saying everything I made was tasty?

Also, my reading glasses—even though they were a weak prescription, he could see really well with them. I’ve always thought, “it’s amazing how glasses make it easy to see!” Maybe that belief played a role too?

By the way, it seems that the Lu○○do, finger biscuits, and Yotsuya Cider—those are just genuinely delicious, but they don’t have any special effects whatsoever.

　

Which makes sense—I’ve never really thought they did. Delicious, but at most, I guess they could cause weight gain if you eat too much… but that’s just only natural.

Now… what about the items I’ve already given to others?

…Oh no. Horse oil.

I gave some to Milia-san at the farm, thinking, “They probably have something similar here.” But I genuinely believe horse oil is a miracle cure-all.

Maybe it’s working really well.

I started to panic a little… but if it makes her hand pain go away, then maybe I want it to be that effective.

Tl note:

Spit-on: marking something/ calling dibs.

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