Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 202

After eating the Byron meat, we recovered from fatigue and our muscle strength increased, allowing us to advance rapidly through the giant tree.

By now, even if we look down, we can no longer see the ground. All we can see are branching vines and lush leaves. There is not much sense of fear, and when we look around, we can clearly see the blue sky and white clouds.

It’s rare to feel so close to the sky.

The only sound is that of the wind blowing, making it feel as if this place is in another world entirely.

“We’re almost at the top.”

“Yes! What kind of fruit grows at the top of the giant tree?”

It might be faster to actually see it now that we’re this close, but I can’t help being curious.

“The fruit gathers all the giant tree’s nutrients in one place, making it incredibly condensed. As for its taste, it’s said to be unimaginably delicious.”

“When you say in one place, does that mean there’s only one fruit?”

“Yes, just one! And it only bears fruit once every ten years, making it extremely valuable!”

“…That’s a heavy responsibility.”

If there’s only one fruit, and it can only be harvested once every ten years, the responsibility for failure is significant.

There’s no second chance, it’s a one-shot deal. We must harvest the giant tree’s fruit without a single scratch.

“It’s okay. Shuu-san. At the top, there are many leaves, and I’ve heard there are almost no living creatures. There’s nothing to hinder us from harvesting the fruit.”

Franryule says this confidently when I express my anxiety.

“Franryule-san, do you know that such statements are called ‘flags’?”

“F-flag? Is that some kind of new magic?”

When I asked, Franryule tilted her head in confusion.

She seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.

“No, it’s not that, but based on my experience so far, I feel like there might be monsters at the top.”

“Did your detection skill pick up anything?”

“…Not at the moment.”

Just to be safe, I was conducting a wide-range survey, but there was no sign of any monsters.

There was nothing, but considering the numerous dangerous monsters I’ve encountered before, I couldn’t believe that we would be allowed to harvest the giant tree’s fruit so easily.

There was bound to be some monster exceeding danger level B again.

“Then, it should be fine! Look, the slope disappears over there! Surely, the top is just beyond that! Let’s go!”

Since my skill hadn’t picked up anything, I couldn’t prove the existence of monsters and couldn’t argue strongly with Franryule.

I just had a bad feeling, so I decided to stay extra cautious.

I chased after Franryule, running up the vine-covered slope.

As the slope disappeared, thick vines stretched out, and from there, large leaves extended.

The terrain was so gentle that it almost felt like a hill on the ground.

Due to the high altitude, the sun felt very close, and the sunlight was quite warm.

“Is this the top of the giant tree?”

“This terrain is exactly as I heard!”

“Where exactly is the giant tree’s fruit—”

As I was about to continue speaking, I noticed a rich aroma in the air.

It was a fruity scent, as if various fruits had been blended and concentrated, yet sweet and refined like honey, tickling my nostrils.

Looking toward the direction where the scent was strongest, I saw a round, light yellow fruit shining at the tip of a vine.

“It smells wonderful! Let’s eat it quickly!”

“Y-Yes!”

The moment I smelled the scent, I couldn’t stop drooling.

That must be the giant tree’s fruit.

Our instincts craved the fruit. We wanted nothing more than to eat it.

Taking it back didn’t matter anymore. We wanted to devour it right now.

Driven by instinct, we walked towards the giant tree’s fruit as if being lured.

【Giant Tree’s Fruit – Highest Quality】

Fruit that grows at the top of the giant tree.

It concentrates all the nutrients of the giant tree, making its taste very rich.

Bears fruit only once every ten years.

Its strong aroma has an alluring effect that stimulates appetite, drawing one in unconsciously unless they have strong willpower.

Eating it provides such an exquisite taste that makes anyone’s expression go slack.

Rich in nutrients, a single bite can sustain a person for a month without needing to eat anything else.

Then, lines of text appeared in my field of vision.

As I was annoyed by the large amount of text, my eyes suddenly caught a particular phrase.

—Its strong aroma has an alluring effect that stimulates appetite, drawing one in unconsciously unless they have strong willpower.

“Hey! This is something Artorius-sama requested, what are we thinking trying to eat it ourselves!”

Suddenly snapping back to my senses, I mentally berated myself for my recent thoughts.

That fruit is meant to be harvested and brought back. We can’t just eat it ourselves.

It was a good thing I had the habit of unconsciously appraising materials when I saw them. Thanks to that, I managed to regain my composure.

I had heard about the alluring effect, but I didn’t expect it to be this strong.

Moreover, it’s typical for there to be monsters near such materials.

It’s unthinkable to rush in without properly ensuring safety.

“Franryule-san! We need to confirm it’s safe before harvesting!”

“Let go of me, Shuu-san! I’m going to eat that fruit!”

I grabbed Franryule’s shoulders, but she was completely enthralled, her mind entirely focused on the fruit.

Drool was dripping from the corner of her mouth, and there was no trace of the dignified Franryule.

I felt like I was seeing a side of her that I shouldn’t.

Was my face just as sloppy when I was under the fruit’s influence?

This isn’t the time to be thinking about that.

First, I needed to bring Franryule back to her senses.

“Excuse me!”

“Kyaa!”

I poured ice, created with ice magic, down the back of the unsuspecting Franryule.

Engrossed in the fruit, she arched her back and let out a high-pitched scream.

After shaking the ice out of her uniform, she turned red-faced and protested.

“W-What are you doing, Shuu-san!?”

“Are you back to your senses?”

“Senses… I’m always—wait, what? How did I end up here?”

“You were drawn to the giant tree’s fruit and headed straight for it, trying to eat it.”

“Now that you mention it, I do recall something like that! To think I almost tried to eat what my father requested…”

As I explained, Franryule murmured as if remembering.

It seemed she had returned to her normal self, which was a relief.

“For now, please wipe your drool. Your mouth is in quite a state.”

“!? ”

As I pointed this out while handing her a handkerchief, Franryule quickly took it and wiped around her mouth.

“My apologies. That must have been a very unsightly display. I will give you a new handkerchief when we return to the mansion.”

It was fine if she just washed it, but I understood why she wanted to replace it if our roles were reversed.

“Shuu-san, how’s the presence of monsters?”

Now that we had calmed down, I activated the magic stone investigation.

I released a magical sonar to scan the entire summit.

The result was no response.

“It seems like there aren’t any.”

“Is that so?”

However, based on my past experiences, there was definitely something.

“You seem unconvinced.”

“Yes. Every time I go to gather something, I end up encountering unexpected monsters.”

“What kinds for example?”

“Red Dragon, Dvorak, Kraken, Geinos, and so on.”

“Those are all monsters with danger levels exceeding A. I think I understand a bit why you’d be so wary, Shuu-san.”

Hearing the monsters I had encountered before, Franryule looked aghast.

If only there was prior information suggesting they might appear, we could prepare accordingly.

Even in Monmon Hunter, I had encountered rare and dangerous monsters with low probability.

This kind of bad luck might be beyond even the gods’ control.

“But this time it’s okay. There have been no investigation reports of dangerous monsters at the top of the giant tree.”

“I see. Then, it’s safe, right?”

We looked at each other and laughed, “Haha,” when suddenly black feathers danced around us.