Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: The Pinaru Fruit

After deciding to head towards the Spirit Village, Tina and I quickly returned home to prepare ourselves and immediately left the pioneering village.

Guiding us along the way is Chloe, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed elf.

We’re not using a carriage.

The Spirit Village seems to be deep within the forest we are currently developing, with no proper roads leading to it.

Since I can enhance my physical abilities with magic, Tina and I are faster on foot.

“Should we slow down the pace a bit? Can you guys keep up?”

Chloe, leading the way, asks.

“I’m fine. How about you, Tina?”

“Yes, thanks to being behind Kurt-sama, I can keep up easily.”

Tina has been sticking close to my back for a while now.

As the speed increases, air resistance becomes significantly larger. For example, at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour, it consumes about half of the kinetic energy to counteract air resistance.

Tina is reducing her energy consumption by acting as a windbreak for me.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Chloe? Honestly, I’m worried since you collapsed from hunger earlier.”

“Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine. Tina’s milk porridge was delicious, and besides, elves thrive in the forest.”

I chuckle.

Watching her footsteps, it’s clear she’s not just putting on a brave face.

Elves are almost always magic users, and they seem to be familiar and accustomed to using magic. In fact, their magical prowess is extraordinary, so their energy consumption is likely minimal.

The three of us dash through the forest.

Though not as accustomed to the forest as elves, both Tina and I are familiar enough that a little fatigue isn’t a problem.

If we had brought Farne along, we would have been significantly delayed.

After running for a while, Chloe pulls out a round, pale red fruit from her backpack and tosses it to us.

“You must be getting tired. It’s for nutrition and hydration. Eating this will refresh you.”

I pass the fruit I received to Tina, and Chloe tosses another one.

Chloe bites into her fruit with relish.

The sweet-smelling fruit unmistakably resembles a peach.

“Thank you, we’ll gladly accept. But if you had food with you, why did you collapse?”

“This was brought along in exchange for medicine. I couldn’t think of anything humans in the Spirit Village would be happier to receive than these Pinaru fruits. I considered eating some myself a few times, but I couldn’t bring myself to when I thought about reducing the amount of medicine that could help everyone.”

Chloe gives a complicated smile.

So that’s the situation.

Though a little air-headed, she’s undoubtedly a good person.

I sink my teeth into the Pinaru fruit, which looks nothing but peach-like. Its incredibly sweet aroma was too much to resist.

A sweet and sour flavor fills my mouth.

The texture is pleasing, firm but yielding, until it snaps at a certain point, releasing a burst of juice.

The taste of the Pinaru fruit permeates my tired body.

It’s a familiar taste. It resembles the taste of the White Phoenix, a premium variety of peach cultivated in my past life’s hometown. Its flesh is dense and juicy, with strong sweetness and subtle acidity. When you bite into it, the juice drips generously.
With this, I might be able to recreate my specialty confectionery.

In my past life, while studying abroad, I won several contests with my specialty confections made from fruits from my hometown in Yamanashi.

With this Pinaru fruit, I can reproduce them.

“How is it? Delicious?”

Chloe turns around confidently.

“It’s the best fruit. I’ve never tasted anything this delicious in this world.”

I wanted to retort a little, but when you eat such a wonderful fruit, there’s nothing to do but admit it sincerely.

When I turn around, Tina’s mouth is smeared with juice, and yet she’s still licking the juice off her hands, clearly enjoying it.

Tina notices my gaze and blushes, hiding her hands behind her back.

Being praised so much for just the ingredients makes me feel unworthy as a pastry chef.

Next time, I vow silently to make confections using this Pinaru fruit that are even better than fresh.

“I’m the one who grew these Pinarus.”

Chloe says proudly.

I had heard that fruits made by elves were amazing in stories, but I didn’t expect them to be this good.

After all, fruits on Earth have been refined through decades of breeding, becoming more and more delicious works of art.

In comparison, the fruits in this world all seemed lacking.

However, the Pinaru fruit Chloe gave me rivals that deliciousness.

I can do anything to obtain this fruit.

“Chloe grew them? That’s amazing. Are there any other fruits?”

“Yeah, there are. Papuru is probably the one that’s most abundant.”

“What kind of fruit is it?”

“Well, it’s a bunch of small fruits wrapped in purple skin. When you peel it, you can see the green fruit inside.”

It’s definitely grapes.

So, peaches and grapes…

For me, as someone from Yamanashi in my past life, both are like soul food. My expectations are even higher now.

“Chloe, if I manage to solve the epidemic, would you be willing to give me one-tenth of the fruits harvested from the Elf Village every year?”

I propose the condition upfront.

I’m expecting to be turned down.

Ideally, I’d like to receive ongoing benefits. However, asking for one-tenth of the harvest might be too much.

“Yeah, sure. That’s fine! The final decision will be up to the Chief, but it’s no problem at all.”

“…Wait a minute. I think that’s quite a generous offer.”

“Do you think so? We usually end up composting about thirty percent of the fruits in the Elf Village. So, one-tenth is totally fine. It’d actually be a relief.”

Chloe responds casually.

They’re wasting thirty percent of such wonderful fruits!?

What a waste.

And then, I realized my mistake.

If I had known, I would have asked for one-third from the beginning.

While pondering over such matters, our journey to the Elf Village continues.

◇

As the sun began to set, we decided to make camp.

Chloe says we’ll arrive by evening if we set off early tomorrow morning.

It’s surprising that it takes two days for magic wielders to travel this distance. It’s unexpectedly close, and I wonder why I never noticed before.

Perhaps it’s because it’s uncharted territory. If we had been pioneering for a few more years, we might have noticed sooner.

We start a fire and boil water.

As accustomed to the forest as we are, nights in the woods are still eerie. Plus, we’ve expended quite a bit of magic and our stamina is precarious. It’s crucial to rest properly and recover.

“It’s convenient, isn’t it? Water magic.”

“From my perspective, earth and fire magic are also incredibly handy.”

Tina uses her fire magic to start the fire, I use my earth magic to create a makeshift stone pot, and Chloe pours water into it with her water magic.

When users of fire, earth, and water magic come together, we can manage most things.

“Are water magic users common among the elves?”

“It’s about half water and half wind, I’d say. Conversely, most Lunarl are fire users, with the occasional earth user.”

“Lunarl?”

“That’s what they call the people with fox ears in the Elf Village. Like Tina.”

In human villages, races with animal ears and tails are collectively referred to as beastkin.

This is the first time I’ve heard the term “Lunarl.”

“Are there other races besides elves and Lunarl?”

“Yeah, there are quite a few. Like the bunny-eared Vanifa, or the dog-like Cobor. The Elf Village is a gathering of various non-human races.”

“Non-human, huh…”

“Because humans take land and lives from other races. That’s what we’re taught. Maybe there’s been even more dislike toward humans since Sister Kururina ran away with and nursed back to health a human who collapsed and was left to die.”

In a way, that makes sense.

Humans can be greedy, for better or for worse. And the latter part of what you said is intriguing.

“Has Tina’s father ever been to the Elf Village?”

“Yeah, when I was little, I collapsed in the forest and Sister Kururina found me. She took me in and told me lots of stories about the outside world. Some people wanted to kill me to prevent the Elf Village’s secrets from getting out, but Sister Kururina protected me and allowed me to stay in the village until I recovered, on the condition that I wouldn’t reveal anything about the village.”

That explains it.

I wonder what Tina’s father did for a living.

Tina has been brought up well. You can tell by her manners and gestures. Without a certain level of education from both parents, a child wouldn’t grow up like this.

“Could it be dangerous for me to enter the Elf Village?”

“Normally, yes. But it’s an emergency situation now. I’ll guarantee Kurt’s safety.”

That’s reassuring.

For a moment, I was worried I might be disposed of.

“In fact, Tina might be in more danger than Kurt.”

“Huh?”

Tina, who had been warming herself by the fire, tilted her head.

“Am I in danger? Is it because I’m a half-blood?”

“That’s not the issue. In the case of half-bloods, they only inherit one side’s characteristics, so Tina is a full Lunarl. But because Tina is Sister Kururina’s daughter, that person might…”

I stopped myself before saying more.

“I’m curious, so please continue.”

“Well, um, you see, it’ll be okay.”

Chloe evades the question.

I can pretty much guess. It’s probably related to Tina’s biological family.

Maybe they’ll try to detain Tina.

“Kurt-sama.”

Tina looks up at my face and tightly grasps the hem of my clothes.

“It’ll be okay.”

I stroke Tina’s head, enjoying the soft texture of her hair and fox ears.

When the time comes, it comes.

If Tina chooses me, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back. And if she desires it, I’ll send her to the Elf Village, where there are many companions and relatives.

I love Tina, and it’s sad to be apart from her.

But I won’t ignore Tina’s feelings.

Besides, even if she chooses the Elf Village, we can always meet again.

And so, the night passes.

Tomorrow, we’ll finally reach the Elf Village.

Encounters with new fruits, battles against diseases, meeting Tina’s relatives.

Various things await us in the Elf Village.