Chapter 19: Three women desert trip? ?
This is a trip without Regulus and Liese, only with Uru and Fricka. I think the st time we have done this pairing was in Alness Forest.
Although it was quieter than when they were there (or rather, Regulus was more noisy than most), that doesn't mean there wasn't any conversation, and even if the conversation died down it wasn't an awkward silence.
Lately they've been asking me a lot of questions about me. I am from another world, after all. Unless they really have no interest in me or the world I came from, they should be curious about all the unknown things.
The difference between the two is that while Uru is simply impressed by unfamiliar concepts, Fricka is trying to get to know me through them... I think there is probably a big difference between the 'me' then and the 'me' now, you know? I was not a miko after all.
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"Since it's about Rion, I thought she's been doing strange things since she was a child."
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“What on earth do you think I am!?”
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I feel relieved that I no longer have to hide it, but it seems that my image is being affected. I hope the others correct their understanding.
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"... Rion-sama, shouldn't you just admit that you are 'strange'...?"
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"I understand that the difference between common sense in my original world and Asteria has caused some strange misunderstandings to happen, but...!"
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From Fricka's perspective, it wasn't as shocking as when I brought a monster (Zephyr) home, but trying to converse with a monster (Jizu) seemed 'unbelievable' to her.
To the people living in this Asteria, monsters are enemies... but in Japan, there are tons of stories about turning monsters into friends... However, that's only in fictional stories, not in actual reality, and in the first pce monsters don't even exist there. It would be troubling if people thought that this was "normal for Japanese people."
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"W-Well, fighting it was not an option, was it?"
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"Even so, I think the first option that would come to mind would be to run away..."
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... That certainly makes sense.
However, judging from the Earth God's reaction, although she hadn't expected me to encounter Jizu, she didn't seem surprised that we had a conversation.
There was talk of the Beasts of the Apocalypse, and the Earth God is aware of the existence of 'rational monsters.' But a resident of this world (Fricka) doesn't know.
Maybe she hasn't told them for some reason, or maybe the gods have been sealed away for so long that many things have become lost...
I feel like if we don't get a good grasp on this discrepancy in perception, it could cause trouble ter, but I don't know what is normal or strange... Should I talk to her regurly and get her to report anything that seems strange or unusual to her?
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"I find that most of Rion's actions are strange."
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"Hey Uru?!"
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Gununu...!
That being said, those strange things might actually lie behind a huge difference in our perception.
It would be no good if my behavior was so strange that it caused trouble for everyone, so I'd better have them point it out every time... Whether I can fix it or not is another matter.
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"Okay, that's it."
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We are at a small oasis, currently taking a break.
The water shows signs of contamination, and the surrounding pnts are withered. However, there's no miasma overflowing, so they must have been affected by the dungeon I purified the other day.
I purified the water, collected seeds from the withered pnts, and pnted them with fertilizer, praying that they would grow back into beautiful greenery. I can't keep watching the progress forever, so this is all I can do, but it's certainly better than doing nothing.
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"Rion, thank you for your hard work. You should also rest."
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"Okay. How is Fricka doing?"
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"... I'm feeling better now..."
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I sit next to Uru, who is rexing under the tent, and look at Fricka, who is lying down. Her complexion is better than before, but she is still a little red.
No matter how much we've prepared for the heat, it's not perfect, I've finally prepared something resembling snowshoes, which has made walking a little easier, but Fricka is still not used to traveling and has little stamina, so she has fallen ill.
I had said we should use the Return Stone to go back, but Fricka insisted that we should move to a location where the next statue can be pced, as returning now would mean wasting days, so we can't go back. I think we will spend the night here.
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"I'm sorry..."
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"It's okay, don't worry about it."
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Fricka muttered with a weakened look on her face, so I smiled back to try and reassure her a little.
Hmm, I wish we had some kind of transportation. It going to be difficult to find a wild camel, so I wish I could have made a golem cart...
Damn, now that I think about it, it's a shame we didn't get the magic stone Jizu had. That would have been a good engine.
Maybe once the purification of this area is finished, we should start looking for the wind god's sealing nd in earnest. I have no idea where he is, so in the end I'll just have to venture into uncharted territory.
While thinking about many things, I soaked the warm towel in cold water, wrung it out tightly, and wiped Fricka's face and neck.
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"Is there anything else you want me to do?"
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"... My whole body is sticky..."
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"... Ah... Let me wipe you."
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Only Uru is here, but even still doing that outside is no good. I carry Fricka into the tent and then take off her clothes to wipe the sweat off her.
... I don't feel any lewdness in a situation like this (or even if it wasn't like this), but I still feel embarrassed to look at her naked body. For now.
I wiped her off in silence, my eyes wandering subtly, then I put some dry clothes on her. Perhaps feeling dry now made her feel more refreshed, Fricka let out a deep sigh.
Now, I need to make sure she gets some fluids and nutrients.
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"Here, Fricka, eat."
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I brought a slice of cold fruit full of juice to her mouth, and Fricka blinked a few times before opening her mouth and taking a bite--
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"Eh?!"
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She then licked my finger, and something like an electric current ran through my whole body.
I wanted to believe that the reason Fricka's face was red as she smirked was because the heat and not because of other reasons.
Well, considering our retionship, it might not be a problem, but...!
As I continued to think strange things in my head... A further confusing blow is added.
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"Rion-sama."
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"Y-yes?"
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"... Are you not going to give me any more?"
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"..."
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There's something really appealing about a beautiful girl looking up at you and pleading!
What is this, a new kind of torture?! Are you telling me to put my hands on you?!
... I'm going to give to her is the fruit! Calm down, me!
Wait, we're outside! Well, it doesn't have to be outside!
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As I became absent-minded, ignoring the feeling clinging to my fingers, I fed her fruit several times.
Fricka let out a contented, somewhat seductive sigh, then y down and fell asleep. Unlike before, her breathing was steady.
... I was relieved that she didn't push me down or implicitly ask me to do so...
No, we were outside... Fricka was feeling unwell and this was not the time for this... My head must have been boiling from the heat as well... As proof of this was when I ter thought, "I should have used a fork...".
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"Rion, has Fricka gone to sleep?... Wait, why you look so tired...?"
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"... Hahaha..."
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As I went outside, trying to calm my heart, Uru, who had been daydreaming and staring the sky tilted her head and said this to me.
Knowing Uru, I don't think she couldn't have heard the sounds from inside the tent... Maybe she just wasn't paying attention and didn't stay... I am relieved.
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After that, we spent the time rexing and chatting, had dinner, and then the three of us, this time with Uru, went into the tent to sleep.
The night went on without incident. Of course nothing happened.
