Chapter 114: You are telling me to do that?
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“Welcome back, Waka. I was just about to contact you. Truly a good timing” (Tomoe)
“Tomoe. It is surprising that you are in Asora at this time. Is the investigation going well?” (Makoto)
Tomoe, who gives the impression of always slipping into dinner when she returns, has returned quite early to Asora. Really surprising.
After Tomoe finished what I had her do, she said something about the four seasons of Asora and has been strolling around the whole world. She once told me that she wanted a world map we once saw, and I remember giving her the permission to get it.
Even though she goes flying around everywhere every single day, she is able to handle the matters of Asora, and the recreation of j.a.panese-food is proceeding smoothly. I have to tip my hat at that working style. She has efficiency that could even allow her to start a business in the modern world. The map may have been an expensive buy, but I felt like it would be necessary in the future, so I bought it without hesitating too much.
“Well, it is about that. I have found quite the likely candidate. I don’t mind beginning when the festival is over, but I wanted Waka’s approval” (Tomoe)
The school festival huh. When I talked about it, not only Mio, Tomoe also got quite hooked. In the end, it turned into everyone having fun there. I decided to put this week as a holiday in Asora as well. Even if it’s called holiday, in the end, everyone will be pa.s.sing it just like they do every day, is what Ema said while doing a wry smile. Truly diligent people. I told them it is fine to do some service to their families, but I wonder how many will actually do that.
“A likely candidate huh. And what are we going to be specifically doing? If it’s fine with just me opening a gate and returning, I can do it now” (Makoto)
It wouldn’t take much time. In reality, there haven’t been any intruders from the gate remnants, and even if there is one that proves troublesome for Tomoe and the others, I just need to return to Asora and handle it.
“… Waka. It is certainly true that you have obtained power with your own efforts and it is good that you have gained confidence, but overestimating your abilities isn’t recommendable. As the saying goes: at the other side of the light there’s darkness” (Tomoe)
“I don’t intend to be conceited, but Tomoe and the others have recognized it as well. It will give me confidence. What. Is it such a dangerous place?” (Makoto)
I don’t think it is so far as to call it overestimating though. And as long as the G.o.ddess doesn’t suddenly come attacking, Asora also has defensive measures prepared.
“It is in an area that is completely in control of the demon race. It’s a place that even if the hyumans continue winning and advancing, it would still take several years to arrive” (Tomoe)
“…”
What?
“And there’s demons close using the ruins of a hyuman town as their fortress. It would be a foolish plan to leave remnants of an Asora gate in the demon’s base who are more dangerous than hyumans” (Tomoe)
“…”
Really. Just why is it that the place Tomoe is suggesting so dangerous? If it were somewhere in the wasteland, we would be able to go immediately and there wouldn’t be much need to think.
I am also getting a bad feeling about this. Is a misfortune going to happen? A misfortune again?
I also want happiness you know?
“Waka?” (Tomoe)
“… By the way, you… what do you plan on doing? Also, did you make contact with the demon race’s fortress without asking for my approval?” (Makoto)
“What I plan on doing… well, I just plan on securing safety. I actually haven’t gotten close to the fortress at all. From the a.n.a.lysis of the actual site’s investigation and the information, it was possible to do some estimations” (Tomoe)
At the same time as she says that, Tomoe shows me a map rich in color. But it isn’t as if the map itself is in color. It’s just that she colored the areas to divide the places in her climate investigation, so it has become a colorful article. She is coloring an expensive map? That’s not it. This map is a map that Tomoe duplicated to have at hand.
If I remember correctly… tropics, subtropics, temperate zone, Frigid Zone… and there’s even the atmospheric temperature allocation and its similarities to the four seasons of j.a.pan. There’s an incredible amount of information written here. Even I can tell just from looking. I feel like I am looking at the notes of a prodigy who is good at putting together all the main points.
“And, here huh. The disparity between j.a.pan’s temperatures, even if it’s only a conjecture, for it to match 95%… this is pretty impressive” (Makoto)
However, no matter how many times I look at it, this map is mysterious. If the number is just a coincidence, well, that would be it. There’s still discrepancy.
But, the map of this world, no matter how I look at it…
It gives me the impression as if someone made a vague map of j.a.pan based on a history book. The scaling is out of order and there are many parts I want to retort at, just like how the maps in the past were.
For example, Kyuushu (or at least the place I think is), the lower part is spread out like a folding fan and the lower part has not been drawn. This place indicates the wasteland. Tsige’s borders are where Kaimon Straits is. The Gold highway we used is in Sanyo district, new Meishin, and going all the way until the middle of Chuuou, like a freeway road. Further that area, we have Limia kingdom at the west, in the east there’s the Gritonia Empire, and in the north, at the half of Kanto, there’s the territory of the demon race. The ruined country of Elysion doesn’t seem to be drawn that accurately. There’s not a single thing drawn in the Hokkaido region. Is it because it doesn’t exist, or because it hasn’t been discovered yet? It is this similar, so my guess is that it hasn’t been discovered yet.
In place of inland sea, there’s a mountain range that stretches from the Hiroshima area to the Shikoku area. There are no lakes close by there, but in Rotsgard there’s one in the vicinity of Lake Biwa. I can’t tell the actual distance because I moved by teleporting though, but the positions are similar to those of j.a.pan’s geography and makes it pretty easy to remember. It seems the two Seas’ of j.a.pan have been confirmed, but both of them have nothing drawn on what’s further ahead. Is it because there’s nothing ahead, or because they still don’t know if the world extents further? If the resemblance isn’t only in j.a.pan, obviously, all the other lands should be the same, but is the information from the ocean itself thin? I haven’t heard anything of it at all. Root might know something about it.
While looking at the place Tomoe pointed out, I remember a few things I thought about this map. At any rate, this place, if I remember correctly…
“It’s a place I want to secure if possible. Do you mind?” (Tomoe)
It doesn’t go as far as hyperventilating, but Tomoe looks clearly impatient.
“Do you mind, you say? We can’t secure it right? That’s demon race territory” (Makoto)
“No problem. As long as I get permission, I will clean it up in an instant” (Tomoe)
Clean up… So you are fully intent to fight huh.
“It’s a fortress you know? How will you do it?” (Makoto)
“From the front, till I destroy it all. No problem” (Tomoe)
Is she… going to fight? Don’t suggest it as if you are going out for a stroll. As expected, I can’t make a prompt decision of this. I want to say ‘there’s no way there’s no problem’. Yeah, her wording is strange.
“… Let me think a bit” (Makoto)
“Can’t be helped. Understood. I look forward to a good response” (Tomoe)
Tomoe withdraws while looking slightly dissatisfied. It’s not that I don’t trust her. However, to attack a fortress is, as expected, hard to decide. Just what does Tomoe think of their military force? And if she picks a fight with the demon race, it will – without doubt – make them hostile to us. It may set in stone our standing in the future.
“Sorry. Well, while we enjoy the school festival, can you please continue the creation of ingredients in a leisure manner?” (Makoto)
“I will do so. Because of what Waka taught me the other day, I have somehow understood *cultured rice*, so I think I can progress in a few things. If everything goes well, I think I will be able to report of a sake that the company can use as well. Well then” (Tomoe)
“Got it. See you at dinner” (Makoto)
Tomoe leaves. Understanding on cultured rice huh. I don’t understand half of it myself though. Even though I told them in an unclear manner, Tomoe and Shiki seem to have gotten something out of it. Their admiration at that time made me embarra.s.sed. I really didn’t say anything out of this world.
I didn’t talk only about molding. I did an overview explanation of fermentation. That small beings invisible to the naked eye eat the sugar and starch, and that makes the alcohol and flavor spring forth. After, there were some that wanted wine when they tasted the alcohol, so I told them it would be better to discuss about a place to make sake and one to make wine. I remember that it was pretty disorganized miscellaneous knowledge.
Even so, Tomoe and Shiki heard me all the way till the end. ‘Isn’t cultured rice a special medicine or a type of catalyst?’ Is what they said in strange admiration. Sometimes I want to ask them if they get strange misunderstandings when they look at my memories. It isn’t like I investigated in detail, and to accurately find that part of my memory to gather that information which I just grazed, well, it must be pretty difficult. The two of them are so capable that they were able to act with just that over-the-surface information.
Shiki was muttering about microbes in this world that work the same as the ones in my world and wondering if it is possible to use them for this process. He was steadily constructing his thoughts. Lately, Shiki also seems to be getting better at gardening and research of food. Don’t know if that’s good or bad though.
After Tomoe left, I move to where the Forest Onis live to meet Mondo. Ah, now that I think about it, he asked me to have the remaining Forest Onis migrate. He wanted everyone to migrate. One of the elders, named Nirgistori, saw that the young ones that migrated here have grown in an abnormal level and seemed to have convinced the congress. Well, it may have actually been because they found appealing the food and equipment the young ones brought when they visited their village again. Now that the Tree Punishment is possible to recover from, there’s no fear of them anymore. If the other side wants to, I don’t mind letting them. The problem is the forest and a part of the prairies in the wasteland that those guys are in control of. What will they do about those? It is still on hold, but it is practically decided that almost everyone will migrate.
“Wa-Waka-sama?!”
Probably because they caught a presence getting closer, the Forest Onis hurriedly approach and make a surprised voice. It is true that I rarely come alone to the Forest Onis’ dwellings, so I can understand their surprise. Well, I didn’t feel the need to bring Tomoe along, Mio is cooking while humming, and Shiki is in an appointment with Ema and I didn’t want to get in the way. At this time, Komoe-chan is normally napping, so that’s a no as well.
“Long time no see. Is Mondo here?” (Makoto)
“Y-Yes! I will bring him here this instant!”
“No need. I will go. I am the one that has something to talk with him after all” (Makoto)
“Then let me guide you to the place of captain. Over here please!”
I can tell from his body that he is nervous, but he is properly dealing with the situation and guiding me to Mondo’s place. Their reaction is completely different from when we just met. I was able to confirm once again that Tomoe’s tortu-, I mean, training program is quite effective.
“As I thought. Compared to the other races, the residence area here is smaller. When the time comes and the migration of everyone is decided, want to move to a different area?” (Makoto)
It looks more like a lodging house than a village after all. There’s spa.r.s.e amounts of dwellings, but I don’t feel it is a scope big enough to call it a village. It looks exactly like a temporal dwelling.
“You will approve the migration of everyone?!”
“It’s still not definite yet, but it is practically a sealed deal. It looked like the elders from your side were pretty interested after all. Also, I think that in time, you guys will be able to help us learn about the Tree Punishment. You guys have really worked hard. Everyone thinks so, including me” (Makoto)
“?!! Thank you very much!! In the future, we will continue doing our best in missions and face training!!”
Quite the diligent one. Eris should learn from him. How can she survive that h.e.l.lish training and obtain top cla.s.s grades while still maintaining that personality? Even if she is like that, I suppose she can still be considered a genius, in a lot of meanings. Even when Akua was like that, her arrogance thorns were taken off, and her actions have become earnest in the good sense, but it seems that it is not altering in any way the personality of Eris. Ah, I should also ask Mondo his punishment for Eris. Even with all that, she is still popular with the customers and she is also an important employee of Kuzunoha Company. As long as she doesn’t do anything incredibly stupid, I don’t plan on changing her. I am probably being too soft here though.
It didn’t look like they had contact in advance, and yet, Mondo was out at the front of his house. Forest Onis, can’t underestimate them. I lift my hand and inform my visit. He answered me by lowering his head deeply. The other day, in the end, I was unable to treat the Forest Onis with banana milk, so after talking with them, let’s treat them some in today’s dinner. When I arrive to where Mondo is, I tell him about the talk we had of the migration, the work at Rotsgard, and also about the new menu. I continued to talk to him about several topics.
It was truly a meaningful time. Just excepting one thing.
Mondo…
“A contemplation fist and an admonition kick” (Mondo)
The one who asked about Eris’ punishment method was me. But what do you expect me to do after hearing such a response?