The Relic plate. It's come back.
This time around, once we actually leave this place, I'm going to have to think about the future for real.
Being on my own has its limits when it comes to the secrets I'm carrying.
Luckily, the Relic plate is shared, so that's not the issue.
After that, I casually asked Mineha if she'd like to try using it after all.
She ignored me with a cold look.
Sorry.
Well, for now... let's just take it easy.
We've finally arrived somewhere we can relax, body and soul.
Hoss said this place is safe, in a reassuring tone. I'm grateful for that.
We're leaving the day after tomorrow, so for now we're resting.
Taking it slow.
It already feels like it's over.
But the trip isn't over until we're home, so we can't let our guard down.
A trip, huh.
In my past life, I remember going on a hiking trip as a kid.
At first it was fun. The rice in my bento box tasted great too.
But on the way back. A sudden thunderstorm. We were hit by rain so heavy we couldn't see a thing ahead of us.
Nobody said a word. The scene of us descending the mountain was like a march through snow.
The mountain trail was brutal too. My feet sank into the wet volcanic ash, making it impossible to move properly.
The ditch right beside us had turned into a raging river from the downpour, and flimsy houses were being swept away one after another.
It was the first time in my life I'd felt like I was going to die.
"...No, what am I even thinking..."
What an idiot I was.
Realistically, all that was left now was getting out of here. That's all.
"That's pretty tasty, you know. This."
So Mineha was doing a taste test of the miscellaneous meat soup.
She must have liked it quite a bit. Despite her words, she kept emptying the bowl she'd been served.
For Mineha, the portion was enormous.
It was practically a mountain. And it was vanishing, one after another.
I'm pretty sure it's physically impossible to make it disappear that fast.
"That's insane. That."
"As expected of what seems to be the tenth sister."
Not that it matters, but Rel's sisters seem absurdly multi-talented.
"I'd be happy if you could eat a lot."
"You've got skills. I'm impressed."
Mineha praised Hoss.
Hoss looked rather pleased about it.
This was a scene I never could have imagined when we first entered this dungeon.
I made this tea myself.
It's brewed from dried tea leaves that Hoss brought back from the western temple district's storehouse.
Apparently the storehouse in the temple district has all kinds of ingredients, seasonings, and liquor.
What I'd worried about was whether the freshness would hold up, even if they were technically in a storehouse.
"Things inside a dungeon stay fresh as long as they're not consumed."
"Is that so?"
I'd never really heard anything like that before.
When I asked for more details, it turns out towns and villages inside dungeons aren't that rare.
However, having this many abundant ingredients is unusual.
There are also ingredients that don't exist in the current era, and there are nobles and merchants who put out requests for them.
"That's why it's totally fine to eat 'em."
"Dungeons really are mysterious, aren't they."
Staying perfectly fresh like that — it was like time had stopped.
Well, I'd just chalk it up to the incomprehensible power of dungeons.
Anyway, back to the dried tea leaves from the temple district storehouse.
Man, I really like this kind of thing. It feels just like a slow life.
Lately my life plan has gone so far off the rails it feels like someone hacked it apart without even looking at the blueprints.
What has my dungeon life turned into?
No, no. Time to take it easy.
Hah, this tea is good. I can't help but keep slurping from the cup.
That was something I'd blended using the crescent-shaped vessel.
A so-called blended tea.
The reason being, these were from the blending notes the witch had given me — notes even I could follow.
The very first entry read:
"Tea"
After that, several tea recipes and blending methods were written down.
Tea... At first I chalked it up to the witch's personal fad and was a bit exasperated.
But when I actually tried it, it turned out to be the perfect way to get the hang of blending.
First of all, tea is also medicine. And it's hard to mess up unless you really go out of your way.
Even if you do fail, it's easy to get back on track.
And I learned that the taste changes dramatically depending on how you blend the tea leaves.
Blending different tea leaves together to make something — that's the very essence of the basics of medicine.
No, wait. This is probably the most fundamental of fundamentals.
It's incredibly instructive. I'm grateful for the witch's notes.
Also, I heard that there were large quantities of small black beans stored in the pantry.
Probably cocoa. Or maybe coffee beans.
Coffee... Shall I try making some?
I know how to do it.
"We're back!"
Axe and Alexander, who had gone to investigate the Great Temple, had returned.
"Welcome back. That was quick. Did you find anything?"
I asked, handing Axe a cup of tea. He let out a sigh.
"Nothing. This place really doesn't have any monsters, huh."
"Yet the food supply is incredibly abundant."
The stores had salted preserves and dried meat, too. Dried goods were plentiful as well.
I'd also heard that mushrooms and herbs grew in clusters nearby.
And then there was water. The nearby spring kept flowing without interruption.
There were still plenty of untouched storerooms throughout the Temple District, so food wasn't a concern.
We were leaving tomorrow and never coming back, but that was fine.
"There's no treasure either?"
"We looked around, but honestly, the temple is just too big, way too big."
"We haven't seen all of it either. We were still exploring the Temple District."
"It's really that big?"
"Really that big."
"It is big. But we did figure out what this Grand Temple actually is."
"What god was it dedicated to? Harves, I'm guessing?"
"Nope. It was Generous."
Axe gulped down his tea. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
"Huh?"
"This is good stuff. Ah, well, it's not something we're too familiar with, but Wof — do you know the name 'Generous'?"
"……That's the goddess of Edda, isn't it……?"
My whole body and heart quietly trembled.
Axe grinned.
"You knew, then. This is a great temple dedicated to Generous."
"How did you figure that out?"
"There was a statue of Generous right in the middle of the temple. Alexander said so, so it's definitely the real deal."
"Is that so."
More than "no doubt" — it carried a lot of weight, coming from Alexander.
That Alexander took a puff on his pipe and said:
"There's a huge door in the center of the great temple. A door so tall you'd think a giant must've opened it — your neck hurts just looking up at it. But here's the thing. No matter what anyone tried, that door wouldn't budge. Couldn't open it for love nor money. And yet, somehow, it was already open."
"What? That giant door?"
"There was no way it was opening, I tell you!"
They'd apparently been listening in.
Rel and Hoss looked stunned.
"………………"
There was no way it opened just because I showed up… right…?
"Hmm. Generous, huh? Sounds interesting. I wanna see it."
Mineha flew over and perched on my shoulder.
Of course. I was curious too.
"Let's go, then. Axe — we'll be right back."
"Yeah, you can go, but..."
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm sensing some strange pressure from where Generous is enshrined."
"I felt a prickling sort of thing too."
"I started feeling sick. That's why I turned back early. If you start feeling off, come right back, got it?"
"Y-yes."
"Got it."
That pressure, huh... Feeling a bit uneasy, I headed toward the great temple together with Mineha.