“Quite so. After checking it with the magic tool, I was able to confirm that it was influenced by the glass sphere.”
“So it was… Is there any way to make the wine drinkable again?”
Whether or not the infected wine could be changed… Or rather, whether or not the wine I purchased was of any use at all.
“Well, it could be drinkable, yes. Once you remove the disease from it.”
“How can we do that?”
“It’s simple. Just boil it once so that the magic energy is diffused. And then the magic energy that is responsible for the disease will disappear.”
“And it won’t affect its surroundings?”
“It will not. As you know, magic energy has no power once it disperses. And it is the same even if that energy has a disease.”
“I see…”
So it can be drunk if you kill the bacteria by boiling it…
I didn’t know much about magic energy, but if you thought of it as pathogenic bacteria, then the idea of boiling it to kill the bacteria made sense.
…However, that also means burning off the alcohol…
“It wouldn’t really be wine…”
“Yes, it wouldn’t. But it tastes good, and can be treated like grape juice.”
“You drank it?”
So, Ms. Isabelle had drunk some of it.
Grape juice, huh…? While it was a pity that it wouldn’t be wine anymore, it could still be enjoyed.
That was at least better than throwing it away. And Tilura might be happy to hear it.
…Of course, boiling all of it would also be a hassle.
“We can have Helena deal with it at the mansion. After making it very clear that it must not be drunk before, and managed strictly… Especially from people like Phillip.”
“…Yes…”
I nodded at Sebastian’s words, but I was sure that we didn’t need to worry about Phillip anymore.
He was very repentant after being tied to Leo. Besides, he knew what the wine had caused in the village. There was no way he would want to drink it again if it would make him sick… I think.
“Now, is there anything else you want to ask me? Especially you…uh, Mr. Takumi, is it?”
“Yes.”
“Indeed… Mr. Takumi, I think you better tell Isabelle.”
“Very well.”
Ms. Isabelle had looked at me and seemed to know there was something on my mind. It was true that I wanted to talk to her about Weed Cultivation.
After being encouraged by Sebastian, I told her in detail about how Weed Cultivation had activated while I was battling an orc.
As for Ms. Isabelle, she listened to my explanation without a hint of surprise on her face.
“Hmm… I see. I understand what you are asking. However…”
“Yes…?”
“Did I not tell you before? This Gift… The effect of Weed Cultivation.”
“You…did?”
Uhh… Back then, what Ms. Isabelle said was…
“About being able to make any kind of plant, anywhere, as long as it wasn’t related to farming.”
As I tried to remember, Ms. Isabelle repeated the words for me.
Yes, she had said something to that effect.
And then I remembered.
…Anything and anywhere…
“Anywhere…do you mean…it doesn’t have to be on the ground?”
“Exactly. Your Weed Cultivation can be activated wherever you are. And so you can use an orc as a medium. Though, I don’t know what will ultimately happen to living creatures if you do that.”
“…I see…”
“While it is a convenient ability…it is…”
Apparently, both Sebastian and I had misunderstood Ms. Isabelle’s words.
Anywhere…it wasn’t restricted to the ground, but quite literally anywhere…or anything…
While Sebastian looked quite surprised as he listened, he also came to the same conclusion as I did.
If it could be activated on an orc…then it could on a human as well…
“Are you saying that…it will activate on humans too?”
“Indeed, it will. Anything, whether alive or dead…”
“That…might have its uses, but…”
“A most dangerous ability…”
This meant that it could activate on any human that I touched.
And considering the effect it had on the orc…I did not want to think about what might happen to a human.
I looked down at my hands with a feeling of fear.
“But don’t worry, it won’t be activated that readily.”
“Huh?”
As I looked at my hands fearfully, Ms. Isabelle spoke in a gentle voice.
“Humans have magic energy. Monsters do as well, but…it’s especially weak in orcs. But the magic energy will resist.”
“Resist…?”
“Can magic energy really resist the Gift?”
“Not completely. The Gift is too strong. However, if a person had a lot of magic energy, they should be fine. Think about it. When you activated it with the orc, were you willing it to work harder than usual?”
Upon hearing Ms. Isabelle’s words, I thought back on when it happened.
When activating it, it was true that I was wishing that I had medicinal herbs.
While I was almost always thinking about them in some way or another, regret made me think of them more than usual.
“Yes, I think I was. I was wishing that I had some…”
“That is why. The strength of the wish became the strength of the Gift. I don’t know too much about it, but wishing and the Gift respond to each other.”
“I see…”
“And so Weed Cultivation shouldn’t activate unless you are wishing for it tremendously. After all, it hasn’t been activated when touching people before, has it?”
“Yes…that’s true.”
Both Sebastian and I sighed with relief upon hearing this.
In other words, unless I am touching someone and strongly wishing for Weed Cultivation to be activated, there would be no danger.
It still meant that I had to be careful when touching people, but I didn’t have to worry much when it came to daily interactions, which was a relief.