“It’s fine, um, it’s okay.”
Selene shook her head refusing.
Rena saw right through her psychology.
That thing, that’s it.
There’s interest, but there’s also a reluctance to feel indebted. Even though the other party says it’s fine, worrying about it makes you rather reject the offer.
People who tend to keep thorough distances between individuals often act this way.
Rena respected all life attitudes.
If the other party wanted that way, she wouldn’t attempt to persuade forcefully.
Who am I to press others?
But this time, the situation was a bit different.
“Don’t decline, just take a sip.”
“No, I’ve already received so much. I can’t take on any more debts…”
“It’s really delicious, just one little taste. Hmm?”
There are people who, if they enjoy eating something themselves, will go to all sorts of lengths trying to get others to try it.
Rena was one of those.
For this kind of person, a refusal is simply out of the question.
Ah! This is killing me! No way!
What made it worse was that if you refused too outright, you’d come off as cold-hearted since their offer was based on goodwill.
“Maybe… just one small sip, then.”
After relentless urging, Selene finally gave in.
Mission accomplished.
People like this are weak against persistence.
Rena watched with shining eyes as Selene took the cup.
The liquid, shimmering in the firelight, rippled.
“What is…?”
Selene sniffed, then stiffened her expression, and set the cup down.
She’s not going to drink it.
Rena couldn’t hide her disappointment.
It may be called a drink, but its true identity is fresh monster’s blood.
Even those with delicate palates who say they can’t eat due to queasiness would probably reject something as raw as this.
Even Rena found the initial fishy smell difficult to endure.
But the rich and flavorful taste that followed quickly led to an addiction.
How could someone like Selene, who has evidently been raised to appreciate fine things, possibly eat something like this?
There was a desire to share enjoyment of delicious things, but primarily, there was a mischievous intent.
But it stops right here.
“If it doesn’t taste good when you smell it, admit it, it may not be that great. If you feel you can’t drink it, just give it back to me.”
“Ah, wait…!”
Rena seized the cup back and guzzled it down heartily.
Ah, what a shame not to drink this fine thing.
Rena deliberated over whether to fetch another glass while Selene asked, her tone sharp.
“Out of curiosity, is this drink… monster’s blood?”
“Huh? Yes, how did you guess? Did you try it before?”
At Rena’s calm affirmation, Selene’s mouth dropped open.
Her eyes stretched as wide as they could possibly go, seemingly about to pop out if nudged from behind.
“If you drink that…”
“Ah, stop. I know what you’re going to say. It’s fishy, bitter, and doesn’t taste good, right? That’s because you’ve grown up without hardship.”
Rena continued, smiling and dismissing Selene’s concerns lightheartedly.
“Did you ever try eating leftovers from animals scavenging dead bodies because you had nothing else to eat the next day? Or cutting vines to drink the sap collected inside because you couldn’t find water? If you had lived that way, you’d find this just like a rich drink.”
Selene quickly countered.
“This isn’t about taste…”
“Ah, so I didn’t grow up as well as you? Do I lack pride just because I lack ability?”
“That’s not what I mean…”
Selene felt frustrated.
Monster’s blood? What, consider that a beverage?
It was enough to cause alarm.
“That’s poison!”
Only after screaming this did Rena’s casual remarks fall silent.
Rena blinked her eyes.
“Poison? Is this?”
“Yes.”
Monster blood is poison.
That was common knowledge.
And Rena had never learned common knowledge.
“I’ve been drinking this just fine?”
Rena had been drinking monster’s blood as a beverage for years.
If this were truly potent poison, shouldn’t she have died long ago?
To Rena, these words amounted to nothing more than a joke.
“Are you upset about what I said earlier? Oh, it was just a joke. Don’t worry about it.”
She doesn’t take it seriously at all.
Selene bit her lip.
This is poison, indeed.
If it’s poison, why is Rena fine?
According to Rena’s words, maybe it’s because she grew up too comfortably and hasn’t learned to adapt to such food at the bottom?
Not liking Americanos doesn’t mean you’re immature; people have preferences, doesn’t it?
Instead, she tried to console.
She seems to truly take offense at this.
Selene wracked her brain and came up with a somewhat reasonable hypothesis.
After all, medicine and poison differ by a thread.
It all depends on how you use it: it could be medicine or poison.
Monster blood might even fit into this category.
Since the toxins embedded in the essence of monster’s blood aren’t inherent toxins most organisms possess but rather corrupted concentrated mana.
If you can control it properly, it is no different from drinking elixirs like water.
But that is not as easy as it sounds.
If anyone could do it, monsters would have already been reduced to livestock for blood supply long ago.
Perhaps it’s something Rena can do.
Different beasts acquire different diets depending on the environment.
And it’s said that noble families with many rivals often start feeding their children small amounts of poison from infancy to build resistance.
As Rena grew up in the Great Forest since she was young, might she have unconsciously learned the art of handling mana?
Didn’t her severely injured body heal within a day?
This wasn’t a completely illogical conjecture.
“…”
Upon examination, there seemed to be nothing abnormal about Rena’s body.
However, just because nothing has gone wrong so far doesn’t guarantee it won’t in the future.
As a person of reason and out of genuine concern, Selene firmly corrected Rena’s behavior.
“Drinking beverages is prohibited from now on.”
“?!”
What’s the meaning of this?
Is she telling me I can only drink water at mealtime? Isn’t carbonated soda bad for health?
Having pulled a prank, Rena found herself suddenly scolded like a teenager.
“This isn’t something suitable for you…”
Selene hesitated while trying to explain.
Not good for your health?
If she questions back with the same tone as earlier—how she’s fine herself—what could she possibly answer?
Actually, while everything’s been fine so far, one in ten thousand chance worries lead to advising against it.
After contemplating, Selene saw the answer in the sulky expression of Rena, who looked so young.
“Because, you’re not old enough.”
“Huh? This isn’t alcohol, is it?”
Rena was startled.
Do laws prohibiting alcohol consumption by minors exist in this medieval fantasy world?
That could be possible.
Details can vary even in the same medieval fantasy.
There was a world in Rena’s memory where modern water supply systems were even installed.
As part of the magic omnipotence theory.
Should she clarify her real age now?
Though I may look young, if you combine my age from my previous life, I am middle-aged indeed.
Would it take?
Fortunately, it’d probably be good if people don’t treat me like I’m insane.
“It has nothing to do with that.”
Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be due to laws.
Rena sighed in relief, recalling the time she had wine with snake extract.
“Then why?”
“That… just no.”
Rena’s eyes narrowed.
What’s all these ‘just’ stuffs about?
Isn’t saying ‘not old enough’ a complete bluff?
That’s right, it was a bluff.
There was nothing to answer anyway.
Selene subtly turned her eyes aside.
She’s really bad at lying.
Rena’s eyes sparkled, having pinpointed the weakness.
“Alright.”
“…Huh? Really?”
“Yeah.”
But Rena didn’t insist on arguing.
“Good thinking. You might have had to drink things like this in hard times until now, but once we arrive at the village, there will be much tastier things.”
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely.”
She’s really taking offense.
Rena judged.
If someone who can’t lie is pressing this hard, they’ve said all they need to say.
What if I offend and provoke them into a fight?
Rena was someone with enough common sense to recognize how far pranks can go.
Be mindful when pulling pranks next time.
“By the way, suggesting others try it is also forbidden.”
“Why, there might be people with similar tastes to mine.”
“I said it’s poison. Drinking it can kill people.”
Then, am I not human?
Though Rena wanted to seize on her words, Selene’s expression was distinctly serious.
“You might have eaten anything in the wild to survive, but cities are different. You can avoid things you shouldn’t eat. You won’t starve just because you do.”
The rough meaning is clear.
Even if it’s treated as extreme might be an exaggeration, it seems to be a food widely avoided in common public perception.
That’s why she emphasizes it so repeatedly.
Potatoes are food staples nowadays, but they were once disdained as Devil’s plants.
It’s probably a similar case to this.
Rena respected other cultures as a civilized person.
If someone says not to do it, then she didn’t.
Besides, it only has to appear as if she doesn’t drink it in front of others.
Even kings defame behind closed doors; if you don’t get caught, that’s that.
I’ll enjoy this all by myself.
While making a finger-crossed promise, that was what Rena was thinking.
*
The crackling sound of the bonfire burning away echoed softly.
The encampment was the only illuminated spot amidst the pitch-black landscape, where time had long passed beyond when one should sleep.
Yet, only Selene remained awake.
She was on guard duty.
Beasts fear fire.
But monsters don’t fear it as much.
A bonfire that glowed brightly in the darkness alone was like a signboard advertising that food is present here.
Thus, keeping watch was essential.
Truth be told, Rena, a local resident of the Great Forest, had claimed that she didn’t need to stand guard.
But this time, Selene agreed with her argument.
There was a monster named Baduki in their group.
Most monsters would likely be deterred by its overpowering presence and not approach.
Nonetheless, Selene voluntarily took the watch.
There were complicated reasons behind this decision.
Still being physically weak, there was concern that falling into a deep sleep would lead her to groan and cause worry.
No, that wasn’t it.
It was because her sleeping habits were bad, and she didn’t want to disturb Rena if they shared the same space?
Half of it was right.
Selene’s sleeping habits were rather problematic for someone to share a bed with.
But it wasn’t like she was careful enough to control them herself either.
The correct answer was…
“…If there’s nothing else to do, I should at least do this.”
It was an attempt to prove her own worth!
Guiding the way, Rena did it.
Building the campsite, Rena did it.
Preparing meals, Rena did it.
So far, every aspect of life within the Great Forest had been facilitated by Rena’s help.
In Selene’s opinion, her sole function seemed like that of a parasite.
Rena might say that providing company was enough, but Selene wasn’t crafty enough to let it slide smoothly.
Of course, it’s not that Selene deliberately chose to be a parasite.
She just needed opportunities to step forward.
Selene was a knight.
A knight speaks through the sword.
Had a monster appeared, she could have driven it away and done her part.
The problem was that their journey was too peaceful.
The journey was so peaceful it hardly seemed like they were inside the Great Forest.
They hadn’t even encountered any traces of monsters.
So what could she do?
She might as well stand watch.
No one said anything, but she was the type who felt guilty and chose to suffer for no reason.
