Chapter 37: The suspicions won't go away.?

  "Huh?"

  ?

  "Hey, wait a second, I'm not supposed to drink this!"

  ?

  Regulus' mouth dropped open at my answer, and Liese almost kicked her chair away when she stood up.

  Well, I was the one who made them do that, but if they spoke too loudly someone would come, so hurriedly I put my finger over my mouth and urged them to calm down.

  ?

  "Sorry, there's no need to panic. 'This' is fine. It will just recover fatigue, so it won't cause addiction."

  ?

  The two of them were puzzled, so I expined what I meant.

  If rokaru leaves are dried, chopped up, and brewed into tea, it has the effect of relieving fatigue. It is dangerous if taken in rge quantities, but even if you drink so much that your stomach feels like it's about to burst, it won't reach the danger zone.

  There's a saying that there's a fine line between medicine and poison, and any food or medicine can be toxic if taken in excess of the appropriate amount. Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, or too much headache medicine can give you a headache.

  Well, unless rokaru leaves are specially processed, they don't turn into a narcotic that can be dangerous even if taken in small amounts.

  ?

  So... Just growing rokaru leaves isn't enough to say that it's suspicious.

  Depending on how you process them, you can also make a potion that will restore a small amount of LP and grant fear resistance.

  ... Although, the fear resistance part makes me feel a bit uneasy, as I recall stories of soldiers in the past ingesting some and using it to commit suicide attacks.

  ?

  In any case, just the fact that it's a drug makes things a little fishy.

  When you take it, it recovers fatigue - your body is filled with energy, but in exchange, it accumutes significant damage inside your body, and if you continue to use it, you'll surely turn into an invalid.

  Once you become addicted, it will take a long time to recover, even with my potions.

  ?

  ... Hmm? In other words, if you use a Miko-made potion to properly remove the side effects, you can only enjoy the benefits...?

  Asteria's sense of ethics is not the same as in my original world, so isn't it wrong to use them when necessary...?

  ?

  ... This alone doesn't tell me anything. I'll ask the Earth God when I get back. If a god has given her approval, there's no point in me interfering.

  That aside... I think I should take some defensive measures just to be safe.

  I take out several types of dried sacred flowers from my item box and pluck the petals. I store my MP in the plucked petals. Finally, I put them all into a small bag and thread a string through it, so I can wear it around my neck.

  ?

  "Okay, you two, hide this somewhere close to your chest so no one else notices."

  ?

  "What is this?"

  ?

  "It's an all-purpose resistance potion. Squeeze the bag and crush the petals to make it effective."

  ?

  "... Is it that easy to make?"

  ?

  Liese gives me a dry ugh, but this is only an all-purpose potion, not a universal potion...

  ?

  "However, the effect only sts for an hour, so use it right before you eat. Also, I said it's all-purpose, but it's a low-ranking all-purpose resistance potion, so it won't be effective against very strong abnormal conditions, so be careful."

  ?

  "... Rion-san, do you think there's going to be poison in our dinner?"

  ?

  "... Just to be sure, just in case."

  ?

  Even if it's not intended to be poisonous, something like rokaru leaves could be put in small amounts into many different foods, resulting in people ingesting rge amounts.

  ?

  "How should I be careful?"

  ?

  "... Hmm... Maybe I should check out food items first, and not eat them straight away even if they offer them to you?"

  ?

  Even though I am inexperienced, there shouldn't be anyone capable of disguising something with such a strong abnormal status that a Miko like me wouldn't be able to detect it.

  ... Although, if Kamil-san was involved, I might be at a loss...

  ?

  Holding my stomach that is starting to ache even though I hadn't eaten anything, we set off to dinner.

  ?

  ?

  The dinner party was held with twenty people.

  The room was arranged lengthwise, with Kamil-san in the center at the head of the table, next to me, and Kassim-san next to Kamil-san on my opposite side.

  Regulus and Liese sat in the corner on my side, and the vilge representatives -- twelve of them, as one is selected for every 100 people -- sat in the remaining open spaces. There were also several waiters milling about busily... And several people carrying weapons were standing firmly in pce, perhaps as guards. If they had been outside it would be understandable, but waiting inside, I wonder what they are guarding against...

  ?

  As a traveling miko, the mood was welcoming, and after introductions the meal began in a friendly atmosphere.

  The meal was Middle Eastern style, with everyone sitting on carpets on the floor, and rge ptes with many dishes lined up in the middle. Everyone took their portion, and the three at the top were served by the waiter. Mmm, it looked really delicious. If I hadn't noticed about the rokaru leaves, I wonder if I would have been able to enjoy the taste purely, which is a bit disappointing.

  With a smile on my face, I checked the food items while talking to Kamil-san, gave Regulus and Liese a nod of OK, and then after putting it in my mouth I chewed it slowly to make sure there were no abnormalities, so I wasn't able to enjoy the food... Damn, next time let's have a big dinner with everyone from the base, let's do that.

  As expected, there were rokaru leaves mixed in, but not to the point where it would be addictive... It's not addictive, but aren't they using too much...? It's not even that tasty. It may be just their culture...

  ?

  The conversation was mostly about the journey I'd been on so far. I was curious about what Kamil-san had made, but my interest was outnumbered by the vilgers and the others (?).

  However, I didn't tell them the whole story honestly. Far from exaggerating, I kept it to a minimum, and didn't mention Zephyr, Jizu, or even freeing the Earth God.

  When I told them I'd been a miko for six years - that included my time in the game, so I was lying about it - most people started to look down on me, saying that I was just like a young girl. It's true that I have little experience, but they might say, "A young girl doesn't deserve the blessing of the Earth God-sama. Bring her to this vilge right now." I doubt they'd be convinced if I told them that's Earth God's wishes.

  Kamil-san was impressed and said with a smile, "You're doing so well for someone so young," but there were only two or three vilgers who were friendly to me, and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

  And... The main cause of this was Kassim.

  Even though he was seated with a young girl -- I wouldn't call myself a young girl on the inside, regardless of appearance, but Liese definitely falls into the young girl category -- he had a beautiful woman wearing a rather revealing outfit standing next to him pouring drinks. What's more, that perverted old man, everyone can see him touching her for a while. And from the fact that no one has warned him - is this a normal sight in this vilge?

  Well, if that was all that he have done, I could have just pretended I didn't see it and let it go, but.

  ?

  "Oh, wow, that must have been really hard. I guess it's not like you are like my brother."

  ?

  "It would have been easy for my brother, but it seems like it must have been really hard."

  ?

  And so on, at every opportunity, he praises his older brother Kamil and puts me down.

  It would be one thing if he was just looking down on me naturally (which would be irritating in itself), but judging by the nasty look in his eyes, it's clear that he's saying it on purpose.

  ... On the other hand, it's probably a good thing that Uru and Fricka weren't here. I can't let them see or hear that... Sigh.

  Even though he belittles me like that, it seems he can't overlook the fact that I'm a miko. Now he started saying some utterly ridiculous things.

  ?

  "By the way, Miko-dono, are you thinking of settling down in this Airo Vilge?"

  ?

  "... What?"

  ?

  I want to be praised for not replying with, "How dare you say that after all the insults you've insulted me?"

  Using all my willpower, I put on a troubled smile and gently refused.

  ?

  "I'm sorry, but I have received orders from the Creator God---"

  ?

  "I know this is rude, but with your current abilities, won't you die soon? Don't you think it would be a good idea for you to study under my brother?"

  ?

  I really want to be praised for not saying "Yeah, that's really rude." to his face. Did you really mean it with kindness? If so, then stop giving me that look, okay?

  It would be very interesting to learn all sorts of things from Kamil-san, but there's no way I have any intention of quitting my journey to grant the creator god's wish. It's hard to believe that someone from a miko' family would say that.

  As I remained silent to stop my mouth from twitching... He continued saying something even more unnecessary.

  ?

  "Right now, I can offer you any number of good-looking men who will serve you, Miko-dono?"

  ?

  ... Aanh?