The Other World Dining Hall (WN) Chapter 95

Candied Sweet Potato

In the depths of deep, deep forest of Western Continent, Selena felt burning pain on her skin and opened her eyes for the first time in a while.

(Fumu… what happened?)

She felt the burning sensation to her bone, while stroking the burned spots on her white arms, she stood up.

For Selena, who was a user of the technique to integrate with the forest and to divide her life force with the forest in order to make her life permanent, this forest itself was her life.

As long as this forest existed, death due to end of lifespan would not come to Selena. However, once this forest was gone, it would be impossible for her life to continue to spin.

Therefore, Selena tried to preserve the forest by creating tree dolls (wood golems) to prevent the trees from withering.

They would cut old trees that had died and planted young trees instead. They would prune the leaves of tall trees so that sunlight was able to reach the undergrowth.

They sprinkled water on withering plants during sunny season, moderately uprooted gra.s.ses that sprouted too much and made sure the remaining plants were healthy.

Like Selena, as long as it's in the forest, the life provided by magical power wouldn't run out and the tree dolls who were not unsatisfied with the care of everlasting remained silent and continued with their work of keeping the forest alive.

But if it was a situation that couldn't be handled by the tree dolls… Selena experienced pain when there was a storm, fire, something like dragons and demons that came and vandaled the forest, she would then stop her meditation and dealt with it herself.

Using the magical power received from the forest, she converted it into old powerful magic in order to protect the forest.

When Selena departed from the center of the forest and rushed to the disturbed part, the forest was stained red with flames.

[This is… a forest fire.]

Selena calmly wondered what was happening, receiving pain that burned the body in a literal sense.

Perhaps it was due to lightning or something had lit a fire and it spread out.

Dancing red flames burned the trees and flowers, scorching everything in its path.

(If it's something of this scale, half of the forest would be burned down if I leave it be, huh.)

It had been 3,000 years since Selena started to live in this forest, a burning fire of this scale had only occurred 5 or 6 times before.

Seeing some of the tree dolls had been burned down, she took some water from the spring in order to extinguish the flames.

[Well, let's end this quickly.]

However, even if she restored everything back to normal, she could only prevent this to some extent.

Selena decided to put out the fire.

(…I see, it seems that it hasn't rained for some time.)

First of all, when she tried to attract nearby rain clouds, she noticed that there's no rain clouds around there.

[Oh well, during such a time…]

However Selena did not rush, she completed the magic to deal with this problem.

For a moment, the air froze, the flames that was burning vigorously had its momentum easily reduced.

(Umu, this is a problem.)

A wide area magic that affected the flow of wind, it took away air from a specific place and could kill those that needed to breathe to live.

Originally, it was a technique that had been devised to annihilate those who had weak magical powers like the giants and people of the Southern Continent, especially those that were capable of turning into dragons, but as air was necessary for fire to continue to burn, she noticed that it could be used to extinguish flames after she started living in this forest.

While carefully thinking such a thing, she applied defense magic on herself while she walked towards the center of the flames and using her magic to choke out the flames.

Eventually Selena reached the center of the burning forest fire and finished extinguis.h.i.+ng all of the fire.

After all the flames had disappeared, she felt a little loneliness as she looked at the big black charcoal left behind.

(Once again an "elder" has decreased.)

After she lived for 3,000 years, she regarded the forest trees that she had taken care of carefully as young even to the extent of those that had unusually lived for a thousand years.

After the end of their lives, all the trees that had died were cut down by the hands of the tree dolls, making the foundation for the next growing young trees and material for a new tree doll.

Therefore, only the trees that survived for 3,000 years since Selena settled down were counted.

The one that was burned by the fire was one of them.

(Maa, there's nothing I can do about it… un?)

Selena shook off that feeling and noticed when she was attempting to go back to her residence at the center of the forest.

There was something black that was different from the black burnt trees.

The black was different from the charcoal, glossy black with a cat picture.

[I see, so today is Satur's Day.]

Perhaps when the trees were burning, the flow of magical power had changed.

Selena then approached the door that appeared in the forest.

(Certainly, there's no s.h.i.+ruko.)

Selena remembered while feeling a little disappointed, reminiscing about the warm sweetness of that soup.

There's still about a month until the year changed. She had heard that it would only be served when the year had changed, so she would probably be unable to order it.

(Oh well, surely there must be something. Lately, many strange things are being served.)

While thinking such, she opened the door.

'Chirinchirin', while listening to the bell sound, Selena stepped through the door and visited the otherworld dining hall.

Faldania causally looked up when she heard the bell sound and inhaled sharply.

(What is that… that's, an elf, right?)

It was a female elf that quietly came inside as silent as a ghost.

Brilliant straight black hair like polished obsidian and snow white skin.

A woman with long ears clothed in dirty Western Continent style clothes.

[Waa, she's beautiful~]

Alice who also saw the female elf reflexively leaked her impression.

Alice who just started to learn magic from Faldania did not notice it.

(Such an earth-shattering magical power…)

It was the strength of the magical power that surprised Faldania.

Frankly speaking, her magical power was even beyond the realm of strong elves.

Faldania thought that it could surpa.s.s the strongest demon, no, even a dragon.

Besides, she couldn't read her age.

Not only was her magical power too enormous, Faldania's eyes couldn't even roughly discern her age, it was simply too much to see.

(I know that there are many strange people in this restaurant…)

Her only chance was to ask the absent human magician whom she had met recently.

Because there were many medicine materials that could be harvested from the bottom of the sea in this time of the year, she would leave her house for about a month and she requested Faldania to keep watch of her house during such time.

She was told that she didn't mind her using her house if she cleaned it properly and received the guests that came occasionally.

That was a nice suggestion for Faldania.

A long journey with Alice who was still a child of 30 years was seriously tough.

Since she wanted to study about sea creatures, Faldania accepted and she and Alice had decided to take it a bit slowly at the cape house.

And since Alice wanted to visit the restaurant, she was forced to go there once in 7 days.

[The girl over there, do you have a business with me?]

She was surprised by the unexpected elven customer and realized that they were watching her.

The black haired elf looked at Faldania and Alice.

[No, nothing…]

Faldania gulped and shrunk from the strong atmosphere before looking away.

[Fumu, is that so.]

The elf… Selena glanced at Faldania while she replied and sat down on an appropriate seat.

[Welcome. How unusual… sorry, but today there's no s.h.i.+ruko.]

It was the owner, not the waitress that greeted her earlier, that approached Selena.

[Umu, it's a pity that there's no s.h.i.+ruko, but it can't be helped.]

Selena understood that.

It was only 3 decades ago that the previous owner explained to her that it was only made once a year during the beginning of the year.

And she was aware that that day was still early for New Year.

[I would like an alternative, something that is sweet. Something warm would be nice if it's possible.]

However, at the same time, Selena also believed.

Since the customer always changed every time she came and the restaurant offered a variety of food, surely there would be something that fit the criteria.

[Well then…]

To those words, the owner thought about a dish that would fit.

Something warm and sweet.

If it's just that, he could serve hot cakes, but there's something else that's important.

The customer in front of him was a race that seemed to be called an elf.

He did not know whether the elves were religious or allergic, but they extremely hated animal ingredients.

Then the food served to elves must be made only with plant ingredients.

[That's right.]

After thinking for some time, the owner thought of a suitable dish.

It was something served during his predecessor's era, which was not in the menu right now, but he was confident that he could make it deliciously.

[Then how about candied sweet potatoes? It will take some time to make though if it's fine with you.]

[That is fine.]

Selena nodded and permitted the owner's suggestion.

She did not know what kind of dish that was, but when it came to food, the owner had more knowledge and skill than Selena.

It would be sweet, warm and had no animal smell.

[…Well then, I wonder what kind of dish will come out.]

While being watched by the elder of the two elven girls, Selena waited in peace while stroking her appet.i.te and curiosity.

For Selena who spent most of the year in thought and meditation, waiting was never a pain.

The food came after a while.

[Thank you for waiting. Here's your candied sweet potatoes.]

The dish was placed before Selena.

[Hou. This is… I see. This candied sweet potatoes used k.u.mara.]

Selena felt nostalgic when she saw the yellow tuber with purple skin, wearing gorgeous golden coating with black seeds sprinkled on it.

It was the main lead of the dish, it was a vegetable found in neither Eastern nor Western Continent, and it was a vegetable that was eaten by the terrible followers of the evil dragon of Southern Continent.

(I was still young at that time…)

Selena who continued to live a life exceeding thrice the lifespan of ordinary elves recalled a distant memory.

When Selena was still pursuing her quest in the capital, Selena also went to the Southern Continent.

At that time, in order to complete the immortality magic that she sought, she wished to study the supreme king that was literally immortal and its followers.

Even for Selena, who was already referred as a magical genius among the elves, it was a dangerous journey where she almost died several times, but with her comrades who also dedicated themselves with this quest, she was able to make new discoveries and further completing her quest.

(That Altrode guy liked this if I'm not wrong…)

Her elven peers that liked k.u.mara brought back the plants from the Southern Continent in large quant.i.ties and planted them in a facility that magically reproduced the same environment as the Southern Continent.

She especially remembered that she smiled when the k.u.mara she brought home was sweet and different from fruits when it was roasted.

(Well, well, time goes around, huh.)

That Altrode died from old age a long time ago.

For Selena, it was a good thing that he did not become a lich, but she was saddened by the death of a familiar person.

(…Well, I suppose I should start to eat.)

She felt nostalgic for a while, but this was food. It would be sacrilegious not to eat it.

Selena used chopsticks to gently pick a piece up.

Simple brown honey dripped down onto the plate.

The still warm k.u.mara had a fragrant and sweet scent, stimulating Selena's empty stomach.

(It's poisonous even when I'm just looking at it.)

Having thought that, Selena ate the candied sweet potatoes that had been cut into bite size.

(Hou… this is not just sweet.)

She rolled it over her tongue to enjoy the taste and aroma.

Sweet sugar taste and fragrant black seeds, Selena also felt that it contained different things.

It was salty and had a slightly familiar flavor that was probably not originally sweet.

Its taste tightened the sweetness that these candied sweet potatoes were dressed in.

(Umu, such excellent texture… I see, this truly is k.u.mara.)

Once she chewed on it, it had comfortable mouth-feel.

It seemed that the surface of the k.u.mara, which was coated in hardened honey with slightly fragrant flavor, had chewy texture.

And beyond the crunchiness was the k.u.mara itself, which was slightly sweet and softly crumbled in her mouth.

The faint sweetness of k.u.mara, which was crumbling in her mouth, mixed with the sweet honey left in her mouth, and it became another taste.

Honey that was sweet, salty and fragrant, combined with the crumbling faintly sweet k.u.mara, at the moment they combined, the candied sweet potatoes was complete.

[…Delicious.]

She murmured one word that conveyed her opinion.

s.h.i.+ruko was tasty, but this candied sweet potatoes was not inferior and was also delicious.

(Well then, I'm looking forward to New Year.)

When she came next time, she would order this with s.h.i.+ruko.

[Excuse me, that candied sweet potatoes, I'd like to order that please.]

[It looks delicious. I want to eat it too.]

Selena quietly taste the candied sweet potatoes while listening to the chatter of the neighboring elves.