Translator: Z

Editor: Shizukuku

Read at Watashi Wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 083 –  Everyone is Stubborn. Of Course, Even Me

“Huh, is Vidello-san here?”

When I arrived at the gate, I immediately asked the gatekeeper if Vidello-san was there.

And the answer that came back was, “He’s not here.”

“Are you here to see Vidello-san? Sorry about that, but he doesn’t work at this gate. He’ll be at the inner gate.”

“Is that so?”

“Ahh, if you have some business at the inner gate, you could always go there… though it might be difficult. Compared to this gate, they are a lot stricter over there. Right now, just calling out to the gatekeeper can lead to him being recognized as a suspicious person.”

“…I understand, thank you.”

I had been overly excited, thinking that Vidello-san would be standing there but, as soon as I realized he wasn’t, I felt like all my energy had been completely sapped from me.

I wondered if my terrible expression was too noticeable. Even the gatekeeper, who I had just met for the first time, asked me, “Are you okay?” in a worried voice.

I nodded and went through the gate for the time being.

I heard a voice from behind me telling me to do my best. Yes, I’ll do my best. For the time being, let’s take a quick peek inside the gate and then I can decide what to do next.

I passed through the city and arrived in front of the gate of the aristocrats’ district, located in the middle of the high walls.

At a glance, Vidello-san didn’t appear to be standing at the gate right now. Since I had received a clear warning, I just passed by and continued on from the gate.

I opened my quest column for the time being.

I reopened the quest for the farm in Sei that Kyle-san had told me about.

『Let’s hear what the owner of Sei’s Castle Town Farm has to say!

　There’s a strange plant growing on the farm in Sei’s Castle Town.

　Go to the farm in Sei’s Castle Town, talk to the farm owner, Monto, and solve his problem.

　Clear Reward: Limone fruit, ??? seed』

The quest didn’t have a deadline or penalty. I guess that means, even if I can’t solve the problem, it won’t be an automatic failure. This will be pretty easy, if that’s the case.

Limone fruit is the berry that Tream-san mixed in when he was making salad dressing. I wonder if he’ll sell some to me. Or will that only happen after the quest is cleared?

I did my best to lift my spirits up a little, then, with the help of a map, I proceeded along the wall until the farm came into view. The big wall disappeared once I neared the farm. Could it be that this farm is between the main town and the aristocrats’ district? Maybe that’s why Monto-san, the owner of the farm, is used to dealing with the aristocrats.

Convinced, I stood in front of the farm gate, facing the direction of the civic district, and rang the bell that served as the doorbell. I was a little surprised when I heard a rather thick rumbling sound when I rang it.

“Yes, it’s open.”

A thick voice that sounded just like the bell greeted me, and the person who came out was a slightly mischievous-looking man with a mustache.

I wonder if this person, who looks like he might be an actor or something, is Monto-san…

“Do you need something? We have a lot of stuff inside, so come on in. You can find the good stuff by seeing it with your own eyes.”

“Ahh, yes. Thank you.”

I quickly entered through the gate and gingerly made my way to Monto-san’s side. Monto-san gave me a wicked grin and guided me toward the farm.

“Wow, there’s an orchard here too. Those look like lemons!”

There were lots of these yellow fruits growing on the trees, and I couldn’t help but let out a shout of joy. Next to me, Monto-san said, “Here,” and picked one of the berries from the nearest tree.

“It’s a Limone fruit. It’s a great fruit with sourness and a kick to it. If you can eat it raw, then you’re a real man. It’s an excellent product that can be used for cooking, sweets, and drinks.”

“It looks so delicious! I want to squeeze it into tea and drink it! I want to dip it in honey and eat it! Then I want to squeeze it on sashimi and eat it like that too~~”

“Wait, what is that sashimi thing? I’ve never heard of squeezing something like this onto a meal. You’re not a fool, boy, to know a dish I don’t know.”

Monto-san reacted to my excited words with a twitch. Lemon on sashimi is delicious! But is the sashimi itself not available? I guess I’ll have to go fishing in Quattro.

“Sashimi is raw fish. It’s really delicious. It’s the best! Can you sell me some of those Limone fruits? My name is Mac. Pleased to meet you.”

When I introduced myself and bowed my head, Monto-san raised his eyebrows and then clapped his hands as if remembering something.

“Ah! The savior of Tream and Kyle’s farms? I didn’t know what kind of guy he would be, but to think that he was just a boy. To be frank, everyone on Tream’s farm had given up, so you saved me.”

“It just so happened that a pesticide I know how to make was the cure-all.”

“But it was a growth inhibition disease. That’s nothing new to me either. I have fruits too. It’s a disease that only affects trees.”

“I’ve run out of materials, but would you like me to leave you with the recipe for the medicine?”

When I said that it would be fine because it was for a pharmacist’s quest, Monto-san replied with a serious face, “No, Mac, if it ever comes to that, then you should be the one to come and make it.”

He said that the effects of anything made by a pharmacist would be totally different from those made by a non-pharmacist. I thought that was just for potions, or something like that, but it’s the same for this kind of thing. Let’s go raise that pharmacist level!

“Come to think of it, did you hear anything from Kyle?”

“Ahh, yes. I heard that you had a strange plant growing.”

When I nodded, Monto-san said, “This way,” and led me in the direction of where the strange plant was growing. I hope it’s not an i-insect.

“This is the one,” said Monto-san, showing me a slender stalk about the size of a finger. It was an odd-looking plant with no leaves or buds growing from it. The plant was green in color and it seemed to be capable of normal photosynthesis. But this was the first time I’d seen something like this. It was a small plant with just a few green stalks growing out of the ground.

“What is this?”

I asked without a second thought. I’d never seen a plant in this form before.

I squatted down and stretched out my hand towards it.

When I stroked its surface with my finger, it felt like I was stroking an aloe vera plant.

“…Eh”

The tip of the finger that touched it had suddenly become colder, and it felt strange.

As I twisted my head to see what was causing it, my finger started cooling down at a more rapid speed.

I suddenly glanced at my status and saw that my MP had decreased slightly for some reason.

Huh, wasn’t my MP full just now?!

Could it be that the plant took it?!

I hurriedly pulled my finger away.

“Appraisal”

『Taruar grass: Carnivorous plant family. It uses MP to grow and can grow to a size of about 3 meters. It does not move, but the ivy can move on its own volition. The fluid is sweet and hallucinogenic. Overdose is dangerous.』

After reading the description, I felt my blood rushing through my veins.

Is this a tentacle…? Is it really a plant? To think that it will move on its own once it grows…

“Hey Mac, what’s wrong? Your face looks a little pale. Is this plant that dangerous?”

“To say that it’s dangerous…”

Hesitantly, I read Monto-san the description from my appraisal of the plant.

“Oh. Looks like I’ve got something interesting growing here. I’ve never even heard of this Taruar grass. Seems like I need to go find some books about it. If I find any good books, I’ll look into how to get rid of this guy. Ah~ I feel relieved. Thanks, Mac. Just knowing its name makes things easier.”

“I am glad to be of help. But… Should I really leave this alone?”

“Hahaha!” 

Monto-san, who laughed heartily, didn’t seem to care about anything in particular. Even though the idea of tentacles created such a monster-like image. Hallucinogenic effects and overdose are dangerous. …There are a lot of erotic books out there about this kind of thing. Though I’ve never read one before.

“Ya know, as long as you don’t give it any more MP, it won’t grow. It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll plant some grass around it so I can’t see it, and I’ll look for a way to deal with it.”

“Haa…”

Monto-san, who was as lively as he looked, made me think that it was in his nature to do so. It’s true that you have to give it MP for it to grow, and it’ll probably be okay, maybe for a while.

“You went out of your way to help with something like this. As an apology, I’ll give you as many Limone fruits as you like.”

“Ahh, yes. Thank you.”

Huh? Does this mean I cleared the quest?

Monto-san began picking fruits from different trees and passing them to me. But the ping sound for the quest being cleared didn’t go off.

While tilting my head, I looked down at the Limone fruit I had received.

My arms were piled high with the fruits, to the extent that it seemed a little strange to receive so much just for appraising something.

“Monto-san, I can’t receive this much. All I did was appraise it. You should sell these.”

“Oh? Don’t hold back.”

“It’s not like I’m holding back. The effort just doesn’t match the reward.”

Plus, the fact that the quest isn’t cleared means that there’s still something going on. If I get the reward now, I feel like the quest will end halfway through.

When I stubbornly refused to put the fruit away, Monto-san stared down at me, then he snorted and crossed his arms.

“You’re stubborn, just like Kyle said. If you are given something, you should just take it obediently.”

As soon as he said that, Monto-san opened the bag attached to my waist and started shoving the fruits into it, one after another. Aahh, it’s filling up my entire inventory. So there is such a forceful approach.

Why are all the farm owners so stubborn? So I thought I’d do the same thing back and prepared the requisite high potions in my completely emptied hand.

And then, one by one, I stuffed them into Monto-san’s pockets, which was quite a sight to behold. It was like the saying, an eye for an eye.

When I was completely satisfied with my filling of his pockets with high potions, Monto-san suddenly started laughing hysterically.

“Hahahaha! You’ve caught my interest, Mac!”

“Huh?”

“Once you’ve figured this guy out to some extent, please help me in dealing with it.”

Monto-san said this as he pointed at the Taruar grass. Ah, if I clear this, it’ll be my first time clearing this type of quest. I realized that my earlier intuition was not off, so I said with all my might, “Yes!”

“I’m going to do some research now,” Monto-san said and he quickly disappeared into the building.

While thinking about what to do next, I somehow continued to walk along the wall.

Half unconsciously, I headed back to the gate.

Then I saw him.

“It’s Vidello-san…”

There stood the one whom I never stopped longing for, wearing far more splendid armor than when he was at the gates of Tre.