Chapter 82: Chapter 67: A Raging flame growing inside the Cave.

<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Singing Lv. 7] [Dancing Lv. 5] [Musician Lv. 3] [Poison Creation Lv. 6] [Toxic Secretion Lv. 3] [Trap Creation Lv. 5] gained>

<Panguana Meat Stew: A highly nutritious meat stew that uses the vigorous meat of the panguana as its base. Placed in a special liquid of strong seasoning and swamp water to rid the meat from its terrible smell, leaving only a fine steak behind>

It feels like we’ve been wandering underground for nearly a week or so. Haa, a warm meal really is refreshing.

“Mhmm, it’s pretty delicious… but swamp water? Seriously, Saori?” I complained to my friend in Common tongue, instead of English or Japanese. “But, honestly, don’t you want to make something for yourself? You’ve been making things I liked to eat ever since we’ve met.”

“Well, it is my pleasure to serve you something you enjoy. Good food is best eaten when everybody can savor it,” Saori responded back, also in Common tongue.

Saori, Saori, master of the household.

“I know, but don’t you want to… uh, don’t you want to-” I tried to reply back but I couldn’t remember a certain word, forcing me to resort to [Telepathy] to convey my thoughts. [“Don’t you want to make some Japanese cuisine? I like western and eastern cooking equally, so you don’t have to restrict yourself.”]

“Ohhh, isn’t this ‘Japanese’ a country from Earth? I would love to taste your home country’s cooking, Miss Saori,” Tasianna said with expecting eyes.

“You two…” Saori scratched her head in defeat. “It is not like I do not want to make it, it is just that I cannot make it. The ingredients for them were not in the forest, and I would not want a proper breakfast without…. uh, let me say the rest with [Telepathy].”

As much as we were improving with Tasianna’s daily lectures, we still weren’t fluent. Speaking with the lizardmen had widened our horizon enough we could start conversations, but Tasianna did mention our accents were extremely thick. Our pronunciations could use some work.

[“Rice. Without rice, it would not feel very authentic. Grilling some kebabs or cooking a steak is much easier with our current tools, anyways,”] Saori replied.

She was right. Our current cooking tools were just our claws and hands as anything else would be less effective. While cutting was not a problem, anything fancy was practically quite difficult to reproduce. We needed proper pans, maybe a way to bake things, and also just tools to help Saroi cook faster and cleaner.

Speaking about baking, I really had an itch to bake some cookies. Like, something nice and warm, or maybe something super sweet. I knew how to make homemade yeast with fruit and such, so maybe I should try to make some after we got out of this place.

"'Rice'?" Tasianna questioned, tilting her head for a moment, before hitting her open palm with a fist. "Oh, it took a bit for the telepathy to send all the information. Are you speaking of a hard, yellow grain that turns soft and white after you moisten them? They're small and about this big, yes?"

Using her small arms, she imitated the size of a rice kernel.

“Wait  are you meaning to tell me you know about rice?! Rice exists in Peolynca, too?!” Saori burst out in surprise, staring at her in anticipation.

Many fruits and veggies on Peolynca looked similar to ones you could find on earth like strawberries, potatoes, even basil leaves. There were a ton of differences due to mana influencing them, turning the former three into fragassas, toffels, and parshkey respectively. Parshkey, for example, was an antitoxin in this world.

“Oh, yes. According to my adoptive parents, rice is actually one of two national crops the dwarves absolutely adore because you can make strong alcohol from them. I remembered that my father once brought some of that beverage back after he went with His Majesty to the dwarven lands of Ankor-Nazta," Tasianna said while tapping her chin, reminiscing about her childhood. "It reeked as terrible as any other alcohol. Revolting. For some reason that I cannot understand, the elves also like that untasteful liquor.”

‘Ankor-Nazta,’ huh? That’s another count— Wait, what did she just say?!

“Hold on!” Saori shouted at the same time I had that epiphany before grabbing Tasianna with both of her hands. “Rice, did you just say ‘rice?’ I-I understood that! Not as a Common word but as the Japanese one. Huh, what does this… wait, confirm this for me. Sake. S. A. K. E. Sake. Is that the word for this rice liquor?”

Looking at the fanatical Saori, Tasianna could only wince at this bizarre sight, "A-Ah, y-yes, Miss Saori. I do remember it being called sake. Just, that isn’t how you write it in Common."

Tasianna explained both the “rice” and “sake” words to us, helping us realize they were exactly what we thought they would be. While Tasianna’s pronunciation was similar to the Japanese “gohan” and “sake,” the way she wrote them was in Common’s alphabet.

Saori, satisfied with that answer, released Tasianna from her clutch, “Then please answer two more questions for me. Do you know the origin of that name and where exactly is this ‘Ankor-Nazta’ place?”

“Uh, yes, I do in fact. According to my father, rice became a national food due to its history with one of their rulers. They were the one who led the dwarves during the infamous War for the Faefolk and they later on ascended to godhood after their death,” Tasianna explained. “I apologize but I do not remember the name of that specific god. However, the dwarves themselves live northeast from the elves.”

In other words, due to our little kidnapping, we’re too far away now.

“Hestia…” After hearing that, Saori turned around and looked at me with glistening eyes. “Do you remember what that leviathan told us? About somebody who was exactly like us? Coincidence?”

“… I think not.” I smirked after a quick thought. “ ‘Achieved greatness,’ or something like that. If becoming a subordinate god isn’t considered 'greatness,’ then I'm tone-deaf. You aren't thinking what I'm thinking, right?"

“Yes, after we get out of this forest, we should probably make it our goal to visit the dwarves if we get the chance,” Saori stated. “Not only for the rice. Not only for the delicious sake. But I honestly want to know about this person. They might not have much to do with our situation, but I must admit I am curious as both a person and a historian."

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“… Are you serious? Do you know what a dwarf is?” I asked Saori a rhetorical question with worry, hoping she was well-informed about pop-culture. “Tasianna, can you explain to me what a dwarf is?”

“… Apologies but I cannot. Just like how I couldn't describe lizardmen to you before I met them, I also can't tell you what dwarves look like. All I know is that they live under the mountains and that-"

“That’s enough!” I shouted, interrupting Tasianna. “You hear that, Saori! Cave! Underground! Mountain! Darknesssssssssssss!”

“Alright, alright! Please, you have to calm down! I know you do not like being in caves but are you not feeling curious about all of this?" Saori tried to soothe me as I began jumping up and down due to my frustration of still being inside this cave!

I didn’t know how long it has been but we've stayed inside this cave for an extremely long time now! I miss being outside, alright! It was dark, musky, cold, and just a pain to be in! OMG, I wanted out of here.

“Don’t you try that on me! You should know by now how much I hate being inside a cave! I’ve been stuck inside one for a whole month, just by myself! Being forced to speak with myself through my parallel minds! That is not healthy!” I ran around hysterically, finally letting out my frustration. “Arrrgh, I want to get out of here already, so just let me make a hole and we can get back to fresh air! Please!”

“Didn’t you also agree we should not get caught by those wyverns?” Saori pointed out, causing me to freeze up.

The idea of drilling through the mountain to find a way back to the surface wasn’t a one-time thing. We had this discussion before, but I was soundly argued down by Saori due to a single worry — Kargryxmor.

Yes, we were assuming my divine granddaddy wasn’t actually trying to kill me here for usurping his blessing. We got over that, already, but I couldn’t exactly shake away our worries after witnessing how Asterios acted. Bluntly said, he was an asshole. No use mincing words about it.

As such, I was a bit afraid of the unknown and where exactly he was bringing us to. While I wasn’t as suspicious of Kargryxmor like before, I still felt it was better for us to meet up with Aurena first. I didn’t know what the dragon god’s motives were, but I at least knew what Aurena wanted. Besides, the Goddess of Light was his superior, so if he was angry, I had to ask Aurena to help me out before meeting him,

Saori continued after I calmed down. “I do not want to meet that psychopath again. Staying low and not causing a fuss is our only way out, so please, have more patience. I will treat you to whatever you wish once we are out, okay?”

“Urgh…” I groaned at her sound arguments.

It… honestly wasn’t as bad as my first time being stuck inside a cave. Last time, I was completely alone and couldn't really share my annoyance with anybody. The only way to vent was to blast things with magic.

Being together with somebody was reassuring. Saori and Tasianna had made my time inside here much more comfortable. We hadn’t found an underground lake yet but the constant showers Tasianna could conjure up were enough for me to feel clean and relieved.

“Huh?”

“Saori?” Interrupted by Saori’s sudden voice, I stopped thinking about the issue at hand.

“Uhhh, nothing. Just forget it, ok?” Saori said nervously, fidgeting around. “Oh, how about I make you ice cream? Fragassa, those giant strawberries are your favorite, right? Tasianna, could you help me make some?”

“I don’t know what ‘ice cream’ is, but it would be my honor to continue serving Lady Hestia,” Tasianna announced with a proud face.

“Well, I wouldn't mind ice cream, but what is this? I might look like a twelve-year-old, but you don’t have to appease me as if I really was one. I’m not a kid, gu…ys?” At that moment, something felt off.

I’ve already mentioned that it felt like we’ve been in here forever, but how long has it actually been?

“Tasianna, do you remember what the date was when we fled from the wyverns?” I turned to my fairy companion.

“Wait, Tasianna don—!”

“Of course, Lady Hestia. If I counted correctly, it was the 18th of HarvestMoon, the tenth month of our calendar. I always count the days… but as you can see, it is quite hard to do so inside here,” Tasianna said with a quizzical face.

I checked my status board yesterday and I was still six months old…

“Hestia… don’t.”

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