Chapter 175:
You’re So Young!
“Hey…Druid, what is this?”
Druid’s mentor stared hard at the beef bowl (though, since we didn’t have beef, it was technically a wild rabbit bowl) and twisted his face in disbelief.
Is something wrong with it? I took a bite, and sure enough, the meat was delicious and not at all gamey. And I’d been getting better and better at steaming rice, so there were no problems there, either. I really liked the subtle heat that tickled the tongue.
“What is this? Meat and veggies over a bowl of ryce, Master. I think it’s wild rabbit.”
Wow, Druid’s smile is filling his entire face. But is it just me, or does he look a bit mischievous?
“Ryce…but that’s animal feed. I’m a human, dammit! I ain’t eatin’ no ryce!” Druid’s mentor snapped, shoving his spoon in Druid’s face.
Wow, now that’s a little over the top. Is it really that bad? You’re missing out, buddy.
“That’s why Ivy asked you before dinner if there was anything you wouldn’t eat. And if I recall correctly, you didn’t say anything. Isn’t that right, Ivy?”
You’re throwing the conversation onto me now, Druid? Well, I did ask him if there was anything he wouldn’t eat and, since he didn’t give me an answer, I was free to assume he was fine with anything. Then again, I’m sure he never imagined I’d serve him animal feed for dinner.
“That’s right, Mr. Druid,” I answered, since it was technically correct.
“And there you have it.”
“Druid…ya duped me.”
It seemed more like Druid’s mentor had duped himself.
“Well, I know you were eager, Master, but you reap what you sow. Come on, eat up. It’s good, I promise.”
“Ugh! Look at me, a distinguished and mature man, eating animal feed…”
Well, gee. If you’re gonna put up such a stink about it, now I’m curious to know why.
“Why don’t you want to eat it, sir?”
“Probably because the older you get, the pickier you become,” Druid answered.
I gave him a strange look. Older people are pickier eaters?
“Hey, I’m still a young man. Don’t treat me like I’m over the hill.”
“Then you can eat it, right, Master? Since you’re so spry and young.”
Ha ha ha! That had to be payback for everything he put up with today. Wow, I’ve never seen Druid so sly and mischievous before.
I quietly turned my attention away from the two men and focused on my own dinner. I was worried that watching them any longer would give me indigestion.
Oh! I still didn’t ask him why he hates rice… Well, I guess I can talk to him about it later. I’d like to avoid asking him anything right now.
“Urggh, dammit!”
Hey, he took a bite! I’d been trying not to look his way, but now I glanced at him out of curiosity. Wow, that’s a deep crease between his eyebrows. Did he not like it?
“It’s…good.”
“Ivy’s cooking is always good. Though I can’t say the same for the ryce’s appearance…”
“Yeah, it looks like maggot larvae.”
“Ha ha ha ha! It’s best to not think about it, Master.”
Hm? Does it really look like maggot larvae? I didn’t know that. I guess that’s why people are repulsed by the sight of it.
“It really is surprisingly good, though. I don’t taste a bit of gaminess in the wild rabbit. I like it.”
Oh, good. He’s enjoying it.
“But, kid, what gave ya the crazy idea to eat ryce?”
“Umm…” What should I tell him?
“Ivy loves experimenting with all sorts of ingredients.”
Thanks, Druid, you’re a lifesaver. I hadn’t actually thought about what I could say to convince him. I’d better thank him properly later.
“Wooo, and you’re so young, too. How did ya make the rabbit not taste gamey? Rabbit’s always got a little twang to it, even when it’s fresh.”
“I use medicinal herbs.”
“Medicinal herbs in cooking? Wow, I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“Even with your extensive knowledge, Master, you’ve never heard of such a thing?”
“Nah. I’m not that interested in food, but I still get told a lot about it. But I ain’t never heard of food with medicinal herbs in it. The only thing I can think of is that wild pigeon soup I’d rather forget.”
Ah. So Druid’s mentor also hates wild pigeon soup.
“Oh, but Ivy’s a wizard who knows how to use medicinal herbs in cooking.”
Hearing him praise me like that felt a little wrong, since I could only cook like this by relying on Past Me. As my eyes darted uncomfortably along the ground, I felt a warm hand on my head. I looked up to see Druid’s mentor looking down at me.
“Mr. Mentor?”
“Ivy, you are so young, yet so amazing.”
Huh…something about his response this time seems a bit different from before. Everything he’s said so far had been passive-aggressive or a backhanded compliment…but not now. He’s being friendly, but I also feel like I’m being sized up… He’s hard to pin down.
“Yes, so amazing…” For just an instant, deep wrinkles formed around Druid’s mentor’s eyes.
Oh! His smile changed. I don’t sense any cynicism behind it. It only lasted for a moment, but he looked genuinely happy.
“Thanks for dinner,” Druid’s mentor said. “It’s been a while since I’ve had something that tasty.”
“Yes, thanks, Ivy. That was delicious. I’ll do the dishes.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll help. It’ll be faster that way.”
“Thanks. I just can’t get the hang of using one arm.”
“It’s not your fault, sir. I’ll wash, you rinse, okay?”
I stacked the dishes, and Druid swiftly picked them all up for me. I thanked him, and we both turned to walk toward the kitchen.
“I thought ya had a mentor-apprentice relationship…but ya seem more like a parent and child to me now.” There was a twinge of teasing in Druid’s mentor’s voice.
Parent and child… The word “parent” did not conjure up good images in my mind. But, huh…Druid as my father…
“I’m happy to have such a kind father. I’ll just fetch the tea now.”
“Huh?!”
I heard a rather strange yelp beside me, but I ignored it. I was free to think what I wanted to think.
“Ha ha ha! Lucky ya got such a sturdy kid, Druid. Ya must be a proud father, eh?”
“Please, keep it down. Do you want to spread bogus rumors again?”
That’s right. I was already the “dumb kid following him everywhere.” What if we added “…who is actually his biological child!” on top of that? Druid’s father would have a heart attack.
“Sorry, it happened aga—”
“It’s not a problem, sir.”
“But don’t you hate rumors? People seem to make up all sorts of silly things about you.”
It’s not worth fighting rumors, so all you can do is ignore them.
“You can’t make a rumor go away. In fact, if you put up a fuss, it’ll only spread further, so it’s best to just ignore it.”
“You’re right…” Druid sighed. “I’m sorry. Me being around you is only making it worse, huh?”
“It’s not your fault, Mr. Druid. Besides, don’t you think a dumb kid following you everywhere is a fun rumor?”
“You think so? Doesn’t it annoy you?”
I looked at Druid and saw his face was lined with anger. He was angry on my behalf, and I realized how blessed I was to have someone like that in my life.
“I don’t mind it because I’ve got you, Mr. Druid.”
“Huh?! Me?”
“Yes. Do you believe the rumors?”
“Of course not.”
“I’ve got somebody who cares about me. He ignores the gossip and sees me for who I really am. That’s more than enough, so the rumors don’t bother me—I don’t care what people say about me anymore.”
“Oh…okay.” Druid sounded embarrassed, which made me feel embarrassed in turn.
“Okay.”
We finished washing the dishes, then we refilled the teapot and returned to my tent. I looked over at my neighbor’s tent and saw he was still out today. I’d borrowed his table and chairs without permission, and I thought I should make him a proper meal soon to thank him for that.
“Master, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Sure thing. This tea is really good.”
“Ivy foraged that tea in the forest. Anyway, do you know why the gurbars have been acting up?”
“In the forest, eh? I’m impressed. Okay, the gurbars… I did look into ’em a bit earlier, but I couldn’t figure them out. But I heard that, in the past, other types of monsters like gurbars started going berserk around here—and it wasn’t because of trash.”
They’re talking about gurbars and tea at the same time…that’s a talent.
“So this happened a while back? Well, if it wasn’t trash, then what made those monsters go berserk back then?”
“Nobody really knows. A book said the monsters went berserk wild because they ate monsters that had died of natural causes. But we know that eating monster meat doesn’t make anybody go berserk.”
“I know, right? But if a book said so…I wonder why that is?”
Monsters that died of natural causes?
Druid gave his mentor a dubious look, but he only shrugged his shoulders in reply. That was probably all he knew. Unfortunately, we hadn’t gotten the clue we needed to solve the puzzle.
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