Chapter 14
“Do you mean the splint? I just… found something suitable at the foot of the mountain and brought it….”
First, I hurriedly channeled a Heal into his leg.
Heal.
Fwoosh!
As the healing magic poured into the injured leg, the twisted limb straightened back into place.
It wasn’t perfect, but the rest would mend with a bit of time.
What I really wanted to check wasn’t Hans’s leg.
It was the splint.
“If you’re careful for about a week, it’ll be as good as new.”
“Sniff…! Thank you, my lord!”
“You won’t need the splint anymore, so give it to me.”
“Uh? The splint? Well… here it is.”
Hans, still bewildered, handed me the splint he’d been using.
I accepted it with the face of someone being awarded a treasured sword.
He looked at me oddly, but I had no time to care.
“Village chief.”
“Yes, young master!”
“What kind of mushroom is this?”
“Mushroom, you say? Where…?”
The chief squinted at the splint.
At its tip, a small white mushroom like a polished pebble had sprouted.
“Hmm… that’s a Yeti’s Toe Mushroom.”
As I thought. My guess was right.
“Is it edible?”
“Yes. We sometimes eat it with meat, but… the aroma is so strong that we don’t eat it often.”
Crunch!
Hearing it was edible, I bit into the mushroom.
Yeti’s Toe Mushroom. What a nasty sense of naming.
Aside from being white and stubby, it didn’t resemble a toe at all.
“Mmm.”
I slowly savored the flavor, recalling a line from a novel:
[Dia finely chopped a lump of white, stubby mushroom and dropped it into the soup.
The bland broth suddenly gained a unique, rich flavor.
After a spoonful, she thought that if it weren’t for the name, it would be quite a fine mushroom.]
I didn’t know exactly what species it was, but I’d tasted something similar before.
Shiitake.
A legendary seasoning that adds deep flavor with just a spoonful of powder.
The taste wasn’t much different.
“Do these grow well around here?”
“Yes. Mostly near dead pine trees.”
A complete stroke of luck.
“Perfect. Starting tomorrow, pay your taxes in Redfin, Bluefin, and these Yeti’s Toe mushrooms.
If you bring them with the stalk still attached, I’ll pay double.”
“Double! Yes, young master! Leave it to me!”
“Good. Work hard.”
“Heh-heh! With this…!”
What’s most important for a good broth?
The stock, of course.
Until now I’d managed to get by with a rough flavor from boar meat, but it was nothing compared to real soup stock.
Pepper would help, but around here pepper cost nearly as much as gold.
I’d been searching for a decent substitute—and now shiitake-like mushrooms had appeared.
A new seasoning that could rival expensive spices?
It had even more potential than fruit.
I’d only planned to pick up a few fruits, but this turned out to be a much better profit.
A few days after returning from Erabel—
“Heh-heh.”
The backyard of the Impera estate was absurdly large for a mere count’s mansion.
“What’s the point? Only three people live here, counting even the maid.”
It hit me again how much work Ilene handled on her own.
Still, the wide grounds meant plenty of unused space.
For example, this cool, shaded spot.
“Perfect for growing mushrooms.”
Yesterday morning, Ram had hauled in a cart piled high with fruit and mushrooms from Erabel.
The cart was larger than the one he’d brought last time, but it was the first day, so he probably put in extra effort.
“How much does this fetch?”
“About… one gold coin.”
“This much?”
“Yes, young master. Heh.”
Indeed, straight from the mountains was cheap.
A cartload for just one gold coin?
At market it would easily cost five.
We wouldn’t be running short on food anytime soon.
“You even brought these.”
On a thick chunk of wood rested a plump white mushroom.
I patted Ram on the back in thanks, and he grinned before heading back to his village.
Then I came straight here.
The perfect place to cultivate mushrooms.
“Hm-hmm~”
Humming, I set the mushroom-embedded logs in the shady area.
I planned to watch their growth carefully and run a few experiments—
to see if they worked like shiitake in cooking, or if eating too many caused any problems.
“First, I’ll ask Ilene to add a piece to the soup…”
“Hm? Here you are, son.”
While planting mushrooms with dirt-stained hands, Father Aemon appeared quietly.
He’d been wondering what the commotion was about since dawn.
“Good morning, Father.”
“Mm. Yes. By the way, what’s with the cart at the front of the mansion?
Why so much fruit…?”
“It came from Erabel village.”
“Erabel?”
“Yes, as a form of tax.”
“What? Tax payment? Why would you…?”
“There’s barely any money to collect anyway. And we need food. Don’t you agree?”
“Mm… That’s true, but…”
Aemon hesitated.
He was human, after all.
Of course he wanted something tasty.
He’d been skimping, eating plain grain porridge to save every coin, and he was tired of it.
Honestly, whether the debt is a hundred thousand or a hundred thousand and one, it’s the same thing.
“You mentioned giving me a gift last time, didn’t you?
I’d like you to grant me the right to collect taxes from Erabel as that gift.”
Aemon looked surprised.
Before, he would have scolded me for nonsense, but since I’d changed for the better, he seemed more willing to trust me.
He offered his thoughts.
“Mm. You’ll have to succeed me eventually. No problem there… but Erabel isn’t exactly a prosperous place…”
“As you say, Father, I’ll have to take over one day.
I’m still inexperienced, so starting with a small village will let me learn.”
“Haha! So that’s what you were thinking?”
Aemon laughed heartily, seemingly proud.
After nodding to himself, he readily agreed.
“Very well. From today, I leave the management of Erabel to you.
Collect taxes in money or goods as you see fit.
My study has the ledgers we’ve used—take them if needed.”
“Yes, Father. And while we’re at it, please try this.”
“Hmm? Mmm!”
When I handed him a Bluefin fruit, his eyes widened.
Ram had said Bluefins were rare outside this region,
their sweetness making them spoil quickly.
That had been a problem at first, but maybe there’d be a solution.
Refrigeration would help, but using ice magic just to chill fruit was too extravagant.
“Mmm. Delicious.”
“Right? That’s all that matters.”
“Haha… indeed. Well, carry on.”
Perhaps thanks to the Bluefin’s sweetness, Aemon left with a faint smile.
He seemed like he wanted to say something more…
There was a trace of sadness in his smile.
If it’s important, he’ll tell me later.
“Grow well, my little ones.”
I misted the mushroom logs with moisture, gazing at them fondly.
Shiitake-like mushrooms had countless uses—
in stews, grilled with meat, and more.
“Heh-heh…”
My mouth watered already.
“Y-young master! Something terrible has happened!”
Just as I was about to start the day with a bowl of soup, Ilene rushed in clutching a letter.
I paused, the mushroom meant for the soup still in hand, and waited for her to speak.
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s…”
The letter she held bore a familiar emblem: a wolf’s paw with sharp claws.
A letter from the judges of the Kingdom of Isother.
“That’s enough.”
Ilene tried to continue, but Aemon cut her off.
He opened the letter first, his expression unsurprised, though clearly not pleased.
“Read it.”
I took the single sheet from Count Aemon and read it carefully.
The letter was full of lofty nonsense about the great Goddess of Duels rendering judgment.
[Decide right and wrong through a trial by combat.]
That was the gist.
In short: fight it out and settle the matter yourselves.
It was exactly as I’d expected, straight from the novel’s plot.
So it’s finally here.
I’d known it was coming, but holding the letter still gave me a strange feeling.
“Wh-what shall we do?”
Ilene looked at me anxiously.
If things stood, either Father or I would have to fight.
Given my reputation as a drunken wastrel barely at magic rank 1,
the duel would naturally fall to Count Aemon, a rank 4 mage.
If he fought, the result was predetermined.
I can’t allow that.
I glanced at my left hand again, remembering what it meant.
[Name: Ian Impera]
Magic Rank: 2
Sword Rank: 2
Still not enough.
In just a few days, I’d gone from ignoring training entirely
to reaching rank 2 in both magic and swordsmanship.
Impressive, but not enough to beat the proxy the Benner family would bring.
“I will fight in the duel.”
Aemon’s voice was firm with resolve.
“…You, Father?”
“Yes. I reached magic rank 4 in my youth.
Perhaps my skills have dulled, but it’s a fight worth attempting.
Count Benner is said to be around sword rank 4. I won’t simply yield.”
He spoke confidently, but there was a faint tremor in his voice.
I was sorry, but he had no chance.
Even if his rank hadn’t dropped, decades of desk work meant his skills were rusty.
And the opponent wouldn’t be Count Benner himself,
but a rank 5 swordsman invited from afar—a monster.
If Father fought, he’d lose an arm at best.
His love for his useless son was touching, but it wouldn’t solve anything.
“It’s all right, Father.”
“Yes, so you… wait, what?”
“If it’s a trial by combat, there’s no problem.
I’ll fight, or I’ll find a proxy.”
“That’s nonsense!”
Aemon exploded at my bold words.
“You, who barely reached magic rank 1, think you can fight a duel?”
“I’m rank 2 now. I leveled up recently.”
“W-what? Are you mocking your own father?
How could you increase your rank when you spent all your time drinking?”
“Here.”
Instead of more words, I demonstrated a spell.
Fwoosh!
A ball of red flame appeared above my palm.
Fireball.
When I’d hunted the horned boar, I’d used Fire Bolt, a mere spark.
This was different: a flaming sphere the size of a fist.
“Gasp!”
Ilene’s eyes widened at the fireball in my hand.
Even if I’d been training quietly, she hadn’t expected this much progress.
Count Aemon was equally shocked.
“H-how did you…?”
His astonishment made me flush slightly with embarrassment.
It was just a Fireball, not Meteor.
But their expectations for me had been so low that even this amazed them.
“B-but you’re still only rank 2! That’s nowhere near enough!”
“When is the duel?”
“It’s… in one month.”
“Then I’ll raise my rank by then.
Up to, say, rank 5.”
“That’s impossible…”
“If I can’t, I’ll hire a proxy.”
“…”
I was so matter-of-fact that Aemon was left speechless.
Where would I find a proxy?
And the money to pay them?
How could anyone reach rank 5 in a month?
Questions swirled in his mind.
But faced with my confidence, he couldn’t argue.
Before long, he reached a conclusion.
“You really have lost your mind.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“…Hah!”
“Just keep that in mind, Father.”
With that, I left the room.
Behind me, Aemon could only stare in silence.
