Blessing of the Spirits

by Yuri Kitayama

  “Y-Yes... Please.” She looked down, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. Taking the sandwich with two hands, she munched furiously with her small mouth.

  “Sara, your face is red,” Alma said, looking at Sara’s face apathetically from where she sat beside her. Sara startled.

  “W-Wha — That’s not true!”

  “You know that’s not what he meant by ‘like’!” Alma whispered in her ear, low enough that Rio wouldn’t hear it from where he sat across the table.

  “I-Isn’t that obvious?! W-What are you trying to imply?!” Sara’s cheeks reddened even more.

  “Fufu, what are you talking about, Sara?” Orphia asked with an amused smile; she was sitting on the other side of the table just beside Rio.

  “O-Orphia, you’re an elf! You could hear that clearly, couldn’t you?!”

  “Fufu, who knows? Right, Rio? Latifa?” Orphia said, looking at them for their response.

  Rio had been unable to hear their conversation midway, so he tilted his head in confusion. But Latifa, who had been sitting between Rio and Sara on the other side of the table, opened her mouth.

  “You know, Sara actually—”

  “L-Latifa!” Sara stood up in a panic, covering Latifa’s mouth with a hand.

  “Mmph!”

  “I-It’s nothing, Rio! It’s absolutely nothing!”

  Rio nodded, overwhelmed by Sara’s menacing look. “A-All right. But Latifa looks like she’s in pain, so please let go of her,” Rio said, smiling wryly.

  At Rio’s order, Sara hurriedly removed her hand from Latifa’s mouth and apologized. “S-Sorry.”

  “Geez!” Latifa puffed up her cheeks cutely in anger.

  Orphia and Alma giggled at the scene. Rio also chuckled quietly, and Latifa began to giggle with high-pitched laughter, too.

  Sara was the only one who was blushing.

  “Oh, that’s right. Rio, are you aware of the Grand Spirit Festival in two months time?” Orphia suddenly said after laughing for a while.

  “Yes, I’ve heard of it.”

  “About that... Just recently, your cooking was highly praised amongst the council members of the village.”

  “Really?” Rio’s eyes widened. It was the first time he was hearing of this.

  “Yes. I previously made lunch for the council of elders with a recipe I learned from you. It was a huge hit.”

  “I see. But what does that have to do with the Grand Spirit Festival?”

  “There’s a banquet held after the Grand Spirit Festival, so I was thinking of having some of your recipes on the menu. So, Rio... I know this is a lot to ask of you, but would you consider teaching them to the ladies of the village?”

  “Sure, I don’t mind. It would be my pleasure to help,” Rio agreed pleasantly.

  “Thank you very much! Then I’ll set up a cooking class sometime in the near future. I’ll inform you of the details at a later date.”

  Orphia’s expression brightened in delight, her smile like a blooming flower.

  ◇◇◇

  Food from all corners of the continent of Euphelia was cultivated in the village of the spirit folk. The spirit folk themselves were once scattered around the continent, before being persecuted by humans and forced into migrating to the village over time. As part of the migration, they brought foods from different regions with them, resulting in their current state of agriculture.

  The spirit folk had advanced farming technologies, and Dryas, the spirit of the giant tree, oversaw the great forest; its fertile soil was heaven for plant life. This allowed the crops to grow under the best conditions.

  The village truly was a food paradise.

  Rio took advantage of that blessing ever since he started living in the village, using his knowledge from his previous life to painstakingly recreate different foods of every origin — be it Japanese, Western, or Chinese. Furthermore, Orphia — who was particularly enthusiastic about cooking in comparison to the other girls — was learning how to make gourmet spirit folk food. She was very interested in the varieties of food Rio could make, and they spent their time together teaching each other their recipes.

  And so, here in the house where Rio and the others lived, dishes from both Earth and the spirit folk would line the table every day. Occasionally, they’d invite Ursula and the other head elders over, and they’d all smack their lips at Rio’s cooking. Eventually, rumors began to spread, and Orphia ended up treating the elder council to the recipe that she had learned from Rio. The feedback was extremely favorable, and as a result, everyone wanted Rio to hold a cooking class. Rio accepted their request, and it was decided that he would teach his recipes to the ladies of the village.

  Most of the participants were younger ladies; though their species had longer lifespans (they developed at the same rate as humans until their mid-teens, from which their aging dramatically slowed), their appearances didn’t quite match their real ages. There were over fifty of them present.

  At the moment, an appetizing smell was wafting from the food preparation room in the town hall, which was filled with the cheerful voices of apron-clad women. Despite readily agreeing to the whole thing, there were far more participants than he expected, which made Rio feel uncomfortably awkward as the only male in the room.

  That being said, he wasn’t about to back down after already accepting, so he put on his mask of responsibility and devoted himself to playing the role of the teacher.

  After distributing the recipe sheet to each group, he went through each preparation step while giving tips about handling the ingredients and how strong the fire should be. Next, each group went about preparing their own food, following the recipe and Rio’s steps, which they had just observed. Rio and Orphia — his assistant — split up and walked around each group’s table, watching over their students as they worked. Once the cooking started, groups started to come up with questions and obstacles, so he would assist with those, too.

  He spotted one such group just now.

  “Sara, Alma, isn’t this tomato sauce a little too sour?” Latifa asked, licking at the teaspoon of sauce she had scooped up.

  “Mm, that’s true...”

  “The sour taste is a little strong.”

  Sara and Alma’s expressions clouded over as they tasted the sauce.

  “Bleh, the one Rio made was so much smoother, too.” Vera also licked at the sauce, before shaking her ears and tail. That was when Rio appeared.

  “Let it simmer at a lower flame for a while, and hold off on the water. Once it’s boiled through, add water to adjust the thickness. Make sure to taste it frequently. If it doesn’t get any better, add broth and simmer for longer,” he advised after tasting the sauce with a teaspoon.

  “I see... so it hasn’t boiled enough yet.”

  “Tomatoes lose their sourness when they’re heated, after all. It settles the flavor and brings out the sweetness. Also, if you add too much broth, you’ll lose the taste of the tomato sauce, so make sure to only add a little,” Rio added in explanation, making Alma nod in understanding. Latifa and Vera were chatting away noisily beside them.

  “Ehehe, we can eat yummy rice croquette and cabbage rolls with this.”

  “Anya’s group is making cheese omelettes and chicken braised in tomato sauce. Let’s swap some with them later.”

  “Ooh, I can’t wait!”

  The cooking class continued smoothly after that. After some time, completed dishes started to appear amongst the groups.

  “All right, I’m sure all the men are hungry by now, so let’s move the completed dishes to the dining room and serve it before they cool. The only thing left after eating is the cleanup, so please take your time.”

  At Rio’s order, the groups with finished dishes began moving out to the dining room. The groups with more experienced women had finished first, leaving behind the groups formed of mostly younger girls. However, they didn’t appear to be too far behind. Rio walked around the tables while cleaning up what he could, retrieving
any leftover ingredients. With no need for an assistant anymore, he sent Orphia to join Latifa’s group, then took the opportunity to make some food for himself.

  He threw some butter and onion into a frying pan, added some finely chopped chicken thighs, and sauteed them. Once the onions had become translucent, he added tomato sauce and mixed it. Then, he added some leftover butter rice and fried it until it was loose and non-sticky. The chicken rice was completed in no time at all.

  Next, with some swift and bold — yet precise — movements, he moved a frypan in his hand and made an omelette. He placed the completed omelette onto the chicken rice and made a cut down the middle, adding a little tomato sauce on top for the finishing touch. With that, the thick and fluffy omurice was complete.

  With some ingredients left over, he decided to make one omurice, and completed it just as the last two groups wrapped up their cooking. One of the groups was Latifa’s, who came running over.

  “Onii-chan, let’s eat together!”

  “Sara and the others are eating with that other group, right? I’ll be fine, so you should go eat with them,” Rio replied with a troubled expression toward Latifa’s carefree smile. The other group was made up of girls that Rio had never interacted with before, so he thought it was best to avoid getting involved as an outsider.

  “Eeeh... What are you gonna do, Onii-chan?”

  “I’ll just eat by myself.”

  “No, I wanna be with Onii-chan!” Latifa threw a tantrum.

  A werecat girl whose name he didn’t know called out to him from the side. “That’s right. Let’s eat together, Rio... Please?”

  “Umm, are you sure?”

  “Of course! You’ve been living in this village for almost half a year now, but you only ever mingle with Lady Sara’s group. I’ve always wanted to talk to you. Right, everyone?” the werecat said, looking behind her. A group of girls had suddenly formed behind her, nodding along enthusiastically. Everyone looked to be in their mid-teens; probably older than Rio.

  “I understand. I’d be happy to, then.” Unable to reject their offer, Rio accepted the offer to eat with Sara’s group and the older girls. They all moved to the dining room, lining their completed dishes along a free table.

  All the dishes passed in terms of appearance. An appetizing smell wafted through the air, but the girls’ gazes weren’t looking at their own dishes, but rather focused on the omurice Rio had made.

  “Hey, Rio. What kind of dish is this? We didn’t practice making this one,” the werecat girl asked curiously. “It’s omurice!” Latifa answered on Rio’s behalf. Omurice was her favorite.

  “Huh, is this one of the recipes from Strahl too, then?”

  “Yes, though its name varies by area,” Rio lied, glancing at Latifa. “In Latifa’s case, she calls it omurice. I made extra, so feel free to help yourself.”

  Latifa made a sound of vague acknowledgment before giving an awkward smile. Rio heaved a small sigh and pulled his eyes away from her.

  “Yay. Thank you, Rio!” The werecat girl suddenly clung to Rio’s arm. Everyone present looked on with widened eyes.

  “A-Anya, why don’t we start eating now? It’ll get cold,” Sara said in a bit of a panic. The werecat girl was apparently named Anya.

  “Yup, wouldn’t want all this cooking to go to waste. Let’s eat.” Anya happily let go of Rio’s arm with a nod. She took the lead and started to hand out the plates of food. Rio had a strained smile on his face. He had the impression that she was a whimsical and uninhibited kind of person.

  “I’ll serve your share, Onii-chan!” Latifa reached out for Rio’s share before he could move.

  “Having such a devoted and cute little sister must be great, Rio.” Anya said with a grin.

  “Yes, it really is. She’s much too cute for me,” Rio agreed unabashedly.

  “Ehehe, the only boy who calls me cute is you, Onii-chan.” Latifa responded bashfully.

  Eventually, the food was split between everyone, and they finally started eating.

  “Fuwawah! This omurice is so delicious!” Vera took a bite of Rio’s omurice and expressed a somewhat over-exaggerated opinion.

  “I know, right? I told you Onii-chan’s cooking was delicious!” Latifa said.

  “Yup! Not a surprise, considering it’s from Rio!”

  “Thanks, you two.” Rio expressed his gratitude to Latifa and Vera for complimenting his cooking skills.

  “Yup, yup. Rio really is exactly as Lady Sara and the others described,” Anya said, nodding earnestly.

  “In what way is that, may I ask? I’m a little curious,” Rio asked.

  “Oh, well... You’re polite, you’re kind, you’re cool, you’re strong, you’re so smart you learned our language right away, and you’re really good at spirit arts. It was all praise, really!” Anya answered clearly.

  “A-Anya!”

  Sara, Orphia, and Alma all blushed in embarrassment; Sara, in particular, had been rendered speechless. Having their image of Rio exposed like this must have made them feel shy.

  “Ahaha. I’m happy to hear that, even if it’s just flattery.” Rio interpreted Anya’s words as flattery and brushed it off.

  “No Rio, it’s not just flattery.” Anya seemed just a little exasperated.

  The lively atmosphere continued after that, allowing Rio to deepen his relationship with the girls through idle chatter.

  Chapter 7: Uninvited Guest

  On one particular day, after Rio’s life in the village had passed the six month mark...

  In the western parts of the Wilderness, on a particular mountain range, a lone griffin was flapping its wings, soaring far up in the air.

  Griffins were called the lions of the heavens, renowned for being rulers of the skies, second to only the dragon family. They were extremely intelligent creatures, but had wild temperaments, and mostly inhabited mountain areas. As their upper bodies were birds of prey, one of their characteristic traits was their high-pitched screeches. However, to some citizens of the country, they were beasts to be kept as riding animals.

  “M-Mr. Reiss. Is it really okay to be so far out here?”

  Two humans sat upon the back of the griffin. One of them — a small boy with the appearance of an adventurer — asked a question to the black-robed man named Reiss, sitting behind him with the reins in his hands.

  “Yes, it’s fine. However... if this much is enough to scare you, then perhaps you aren’t quite suited to be a member of our mercenary squad after all, hmm?” Reiss heaved a huge sigh, the question being one he had answered numerous times already.

  “N-No, that’s not what I was saying! I-I just wanted to know where we were going. Several days have passed since we entered the Wilderness already.” The boy hurried to explain himself, making him seem all the more scared.

  Nature filled the scenery before their eyes. There wasn’t even as much of a trace of a human presence — only dangerous beasts prowled the area, so it was only natural for a fledgling adventurer like him to be scared.

  Until just recently, the boy had been part of a small adventurer party that fought weak monsters for pocket change. As a fresh newbie on the scene, every day was a hurdle to cross— until one day, he was approached by Reiss, who invited him into the famous mercenary squad named after griffins: The Heavenly Lions. He had considered Reiss to be a rather shady figure at first, but once The Heavenly Lions were brought up and he was told they were scouting out young adventurers to personally train, he decided to at least hear him out.

  Thus, after being shown the insignia of The Heavenly Lions — and even a griffin itself — the boy’s desire to become a hero had been easily piqued, and he found himself cheerfully agreeing to joining the squad before he knew it. Once he did, he was immediately given a mission to complete as an initiation task. Events continued to progress right before his confused eyes, until he eventually found himself casually riding on the back of a griffin, half-regretting everything.

  “Fufu, we’ve arrived at our de
stination. Let’s descend here,” Reiss said, controlling the reins in his hands to lower the griffin down the mountainside. The mountain they landed on was made of exposed bedrock and was lacking much vegetation.

  I-If I’m going to do this, I’ll do it right! I’ll get better! By the time they arrived at their destination and touched down on the ground, the boy had made up his mind.

  “Let’s go,” Reiss said, suddenly walking off.

  “Yes!” the boy nodded with great enthusiasm, running after him.

  After walking towards the summit for around an hour, they came across a large cavern right before the peak.

  “Oh, are we going in there?”

  “That’s right. Preliminary investigations have already been completed. The master of this cave should be out hunting for food at this time, and won’t be returning for a while, so there’s no need to worry,” Reiss explained in a calm tone, making the boy sigh in relief.

  “You can wait here. I shall return in a few minutes.” With that said, Reiss said nothing more and entered the quiet cave. Then, true to his words, he returned from the cave a few minutes later.

  Thank goodness. Now we can go back, the boy thought. But just as relief was flooding through him, he noticed the item Reiss was carrying with both hands and stiffened in shock.

  “M-Mr. Reiss, what is that?”

  “Can’t you tell? It’s an egg,” Reiss answered indifferently.

  “W-What kind of egg?”

  “Oh, are you curious?”

  “Ah, no...” Scared to find out the truth, the boy reflexively shook his head.

  Though it was indeed just an egg, it had a diameter of over 30 centimeters. Its shell was so thick, it looked like it would require a blunt weapon to crack, and its weight was easily 10 kilograms, too.

  “Here. I am handing this to you.”

  “Hweh?” The boy let out a dumbfounded noise.

  “You need to hold this egg — I have to steer the griffin, after all. I’d love to put it in the bag, but we can’t afford to throw away our food for the return journey, now can we?”