Chapter 82: Roast Whole Fox
Previously in the Royal City, I had a few practice sessions that gave me a preliminary understanding of the ability called “Oblivion.” I barely scratched the surface before I hit the brakes, leaving many concepts half-baked, and I never dared to use it on anyone, fearing things might go wrong.
So I just tested it on the heretics.
The results were… less than stellar.
Hoping for the best, I thought, why not mislead him by implanting some information? Maybe if I made him think I was a jester, I could pry some secrets from him. But when I tried, it was a total bust.
No matter how hard I convinced myself I was a jester or hypnotically told the heretic, “What you see now is a jester,” it didn’t work. I couldn’t picture what a jester looked like, making it impossible to bring him to life. And “Oblivion” isn’t hypnosis; I can’t just waltz in there and change someone’s thoughts and perceptions.
Realizing this made me rethink my strategy. I considered summoning the Romani Doctor in front of the heretic instead. But after brainstorming, I discovered that creating a person in my mind was tremendously difficult. It’s not just about their size or shape; I simply couldn’t form a coherent face. No matter how hard I tried, it came out crooked and monstrous, making even the heretic gawk in shock—no wonder Irush had mentioned she couldn’t picture a person either. Now I finally understood why.
We can’t completely and clearly recreate someone’s appearance in our minds.
Even the people closest to us, those we see every day, if I closed my eyes and tried to remember them, I would always find some gaps in my memory—like, how curved her eyebrows were, how big her eyes were, or the height of her nose. Humans are far too complex, and our ability to recognize our kind is just too sharp. I can conjure a terrifying monster in a dream, but there’s no way I can picture someone familiar, not even another version of myself—unless I had a mirror in front of me, then I’d manage to visualize a reflection.
But I still remembered that after Irush transformed into a monster, I saw Edward and my mother in the dream she conjured.
How that happened, I couldn’t say…
Anyway, upon realizing I couldn’t visualize living beings, I decided to put my nose to the grindstone and attempt to recreate the cave from my memories.
I wanted the heretic to see it and observe his reaction… but before I could, the heretic bit the dust.
When he died, the dream shattered in an instant.
Then I jumped down, recalling how Isaac had said to me, “Why’d you linger up there for so long…”
So when I was in the dream, time was still ticking away in reality…
…………
Heavy rain poured down.
The wind swept a chilling current from the nearby Cold Edge Mountain, gradually forming a layer of ice on the pooling water beneath my feet. It felt as though half the village was caught in the frostbite of winter.
The knights extended their search to the village outskirts, their calls echoed back, sounding as though they hadn’t found a thing.
Feeling the ice on my skirt slightly melting, I shook off the chill, got off my backside, flapped my hands, stomped my feet, and rubbed my slightly rumbling belly before quickly heading toward the giant beast that was foraging for grass, hopping on its back, and galloping toward the quiet hill forest behind the village.
“Miss Silvya, have you found anything?”
I ran into two knights outside the hill forest. Judging by their appearance, they looked like they’d already made a huge loop around the outer edge of the forest, and happened to bump into me. One of them respectfully asked, and I shook my head lightly. The other spoke up, “We’ve already checked the west side of the forest; there’s no path! Continuing west leads straight into the mountain! We can only look east now!”
I nodded and called out, “Any luck? Survivors?”
“Not yet!”
“Keep searching, and watch for footprints.”
“Understood!”
“Miss! The slope here is steep and slippery; please be careful!”
“Got it.”
The two knights urged their steed onward. I watched them disappear into the rain, squeezed my legs against the giant beast’s side, held the reins tightly, and stepped into the hill forest.
I was really hungry…
The landscape in the hill forest undulated, with muddy slush taking over the ground, strewn with fallen leaves, making it even harder to traverse than the outside paths. Tall trees surrounded me, standing three to four meters high, making it easy to lose my way… although I wasn’t too worried about that.
I rode the giant beast deeper into the forest, the air filled with the scent of rotting wood.
Ugh…
I couldn’t help but lift a hand to cover my nose, frowning. Luckily, the thick canopy of leaves above provided some shelter from the rain, making the raindrops falling on me less intense. That lifted my mood a bit while I ventured deeper into the hill forest, sharpening my senses as I scanned the area, my ears perked up to listen closely for sounds around me.
Rustle, rustle…
There’s something moving to my left!
I quickly turned in the direction of the noise and saw a horned fox popping out from the bushes, head tilted back, looking right at me.
My eyes instantly sparkled with excitement.
Oblivion!
I swiftly jumped off the beast before the fox could even blink. It paused for a moment, then turned to dash away, but just as it did, a dirt wall materialized right in front of it. Wham! The fox collided with it, swaying dizzily for a couple of steps before tumbling into a puddle.
Great, now it’s in the illusion…
But aside from that dirt wall, nothing around me had changed.
The trees, the grass, the mud—I’d seen it all before entering the illusion. So conjuring them should take just a split second.
As for “imagination,” it’s just a moment if there’s something to reference…
I walked briskly toward the fallen fox, watching it wobble back onto its feet, shaking off the mud and attempting to avoid the wall to escape. But then, the muck beneath its feet suddenly transformed into a blue lake.
In it went, the fox splashing around, looking back at me before swimming even faster.
Dirt wall, water…
These basic things, I could conjure instantly…
I walked on the water’s surface, getting closer to the fox.
A cage…
With a snap, the fox found itself trapped in a square iron cage.
“Yip, yip!”
The iron cage floated half on the water, and the fox frantically squealed.
I squatted down in front of the cage, watching the little guy struggle and thought of another fox—sure enough, with a splash, another fox leaped from the water.
The first fox inside the cage seemed stunned, pausing its struggles, staring wide-eyed at the duplicate just outside.
Hmm…
As long as I have something to reference, be it an object or an animal, I can visualize it in an instant…
Humans, too, should be possible…
I focused on the fox outside the cage, imagining it coming closer… Sure enough, it did, their little noses touching as they cautiously sniffed each other.
Next, let’s try something I haven’t done before…
Hmm…
How about turning it into a lion?
But there’s no reference for a lion… let’s see… golden fur, sharp claws… and the face…
“Roar—”
Suddenly, the fox outside let out a roar, its body rapidly swelling, golden fur sprouting, its sharp little mouth morphing into something more intimidating, showcasing its fangs…
I backed away, trying to picture every detail of a lion… The fox in the cage was panicking, desperately biting at the bars to escape, while the other fox transformed, sprouting a lion’s mane and tail… it started to look more and more like a lion.
“Oh wow! Impressive…”
Just then, my stomach grumbled loudly.
…I’m so hungry.
But I had given all my rations to the kids and wouldn’t have anything to eat until tonight.
I should roast this fox after catching it… whatever it is, I’ve never tried fox meat, would it smell delicious roasted?
Juicy and succulent…
Lost in thought, I suddenly noticed the not-yet-formed lion shrinking in front of me, the golden fur fading, its massive head retreating into its body, then the skin started to vanish, the aroma of roasted meat wafted into my nose. As I blinked, I suddenly found that the lion had transformed into what I imagined—a sizzling roasted fox.
Whole roasted fox…
“……”
I froze.
Watching that glistening roasted meat, with a splash, it fell into the water, snapping me back to reality.
“Ah, the meat!”
The lake was deep, and the roasted meat disappeared quickly. I instinctively reached out, a wave of regret washing over me just as that whole roasted fox reappeared, dangling from my grip, steaming hot.
!!!
It smells so good!
I quickly opened my mouth wide, eyes bulging, and took a massive bite.
The meat was tender, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, tasting somewhat like Peking duck, with oil bursting in my mouth—so good that I could hardly keep my tongue straight… this was beyond any spice this world could conjure!
Seriously! This is amazing!
Not caring about the illusion anymore, I plopped down cross-legged on the water’s surface, clinging to the whole roasted fox and munching away, even chomping on the bones, making loud crunching sounds, my cheeks stuffed and greasy hands smearing my face. Feeling a bit unsatisfied after the first one, I thought for a moment, and out of nowhere, a big plate of Captain Gray appeared in my arms.
!
I locked eyes with Captain Gray, feeling my eyes light up.
Discovered a new land!
I love this ability!
“Nom nom nom…”
After finishing Captain Gray, I devoured Osmelure Cake, followed by pie, then indulged in some crayfish—everything I could think of, I stuffed myself with, before finally slurping up a comforting bowl of noodles…
Patting my belly and licking my lips, I stood up, narrowing my eyes in contentment.
Heavenly!
I actually felt a tad stuffed…
I missed this feeling so much!
“Yip yip!”
The fox was still struggling in the cage.
…How long has it been?
Surely no one has come looking…
Oh well, let’s exit the illusion first.
With a thought, I slowly closed my eyes and then opened them again.
Everything around me had returned to normal.
I was still perched on the giant beast’s back, gazing towards where the fox’s head had popped out from the bushes, and that fox was still staring right at me. Both beast and I looked pretty much the same as before I initiated “Oblivion.”
But the giant beast had clearly moved…
It had almost polished off that patch of grass…
“Hmm…”
Sudden head pain made me instinctively cover my forehead, the dizziness swirling around threatening to make me sick.
Grrr—
Hunger struck again, and my little stomach let out a sad rumble.
Whole roasted fox…
I glared at the fox.
It was spinning its head in confusion, looking a bit dazed as if it was wondering why the cage was gone. Suddenly, sensing my gaze, it darted back into the bushes.
“Don’t you dare run!”
I hopped off the beast’s back and sprinted after it, fueled by the Moon Step.
