The specialty of Barca village is thick slices of bacon.

　Surrounded by dense forests and unsuitable for farming, a meat-eating culture inevitably grew up in the village. In this village, they hardly grow vegetables and get most of the essential nutrients from meat.

I heard that if you don't eat vegetables, you will get the Kuru disease?

　Lunamaría asks a simple and naive question, but Zinga replies, "I don't know about that". He doesn't like vegetables and doesn't eat them.

　I'll answer for him.

"Of course the snow people in the far north can't eat vegetables. Normally people get sick if they can't get their vitamins, but these snow people get their vitamins from eating certain things.

"A thing?

"Animal entrails.

　and pointed to the liver of the berserker bull that Zinga gave me earlier.

Well.

　Surprised Luna Maria.

"Actually, animal entrails are full of vitamins. So the snow people get their vitamins by eating the entrails of seals and sea monsters.

But there are some nutrients that you can't take.

Of course. But it's a mystery to people that if that's all they eat, strange bacteria can grow in their intestines, and they can also get the nutrients they need by encouraging fermentation.

No way. You must be very knowledgeable, Mr. Will.

"My dad taught me how to do it,

　And then she and I looked at Zynga, but his tummy was flabby. I wondered if there was some kind of fungus growing there.

　Perhaps because of this curious look, Zinga said, "My a**h*le is itching," and he stood up from his spot.

　He said he's unavailable, so he's going to help me carry the Berserker Bull with the village lads.
　I will try to help, but the chief stops me.

"The village of Barca suffers from having a guest carry its goods.

　Once I was told that, I couldn't force myself to do so.
　So I decided to have tea with Baba, the village chief, on the porch.
　I had a cup of Balka's famous herbal tea and jerky as a snack.

　It was amazing that an old man like Baba could eat the hard jerky.

　Baba showed me his proud teeth, saying, "Woo-hoo-hoo, in this village, the first to die is the one with no teeth. Some teeth are missing, but I am relieved to see that I will still be able to live a healthy life.

　As I was reaffirming that teeth are the key to health, Master Baba suddenly spoke to me.

Thank you for saving Jinga.

"It's what I deserve,

He's a noisy man. And he's a do-gooder.

"...... haha

　Chuckling because he couldn't agree, Master Baba became serious.

He lost his father before he was born. His father died before he was born and his mother raised him alone.

"............

It is difficult for a widow to raise a child by herself in the world below, but not so in Barka village. Every child in the village is a family, and when Zinga's mother, Shizuku, was out hunting, the villagers raised Zinga.

Your mother was a hunter, too.

In this village, women can also use bows.

　Does that mean Master Baba is good with a bow?

"Shizuku was better with the bow than anyone else, and better than anyone else at reading the minds of animals. And he had magical powers.

"Is it a magical power?

Yes. Shizuku saw what most people don't see.

Is it like a ghost or something?

It might be close. It's the Gate of the Otherworld that I saw Shizuku at.

"Gates of the Otherworld: ......

Yes, there is a gate to the other world in this forest. If you wander into it, you'll never come back.

　Master Baba's face becomes mysterious.

There is a place in this forest where the gates of the other world are easily opened. No one from the village comes near it, but on rare occasions, a traveler wanders in and disappears straight into the other world.

"Such a terrible place,

It's there. Shortly after you defeated Berserk Bull.

"...... no way

Very perceptive boy. That's right, Zinga must have gone looking for the gate and ran into Berserker Bull.

It's a dangerous place, isn't it?

"Yes. Even the bravest man can't come back through the gates of the other world.

"How did Ms. Zinga get there?

"He claims it's a great hunting ground,

You mean, Master Baba has a different opinion.

Hmmm, yes. Perhaps, or perhaps not, Zinga is looking for the gates of the other world. To save her mother.

"Save the mother ......?　No way, Shizuku is at the gates of the other world?

That's right.



"But Shizuku-san saw the gates of the other world, right?　Then you could have avoided the gate?

Well, if you're a regular shizuku, you could have. No, he would have. But then Shizuku was in a hurry. Because his only son, whom he loved, was very ill.

Zynga's .......

"The young Zinga was suffering from a high fever. A deadly disease called green fever. A disease that even the village apothecary could not help.

"Green fever: ......

A man with green fever dies within a week. Their brains and organs will boil over. To cure green fever, I needed a secret potion infused with unicorn horn.

The place where the otherworldly gate appears is the perfect hunting ground - you went to hunt the unicorns that live there.

"Nice deduction skills.

　Lord Baba's eyes widened in surprise as they tended to be glazed over.

"As expected of a man raised by the gods.

"It's not that big of a deal. One of my fathers is very good at this kind of thing.

　A sorcerer named Vandal is very fond of this kind of reasoning. Ronin sometimes rolls his eyes because he can deduce the truth from minuscule information.

　As his son, I was also trying to develop my antenna for information on a daily basis so that I could make use of it.

As you may have guessed, Zinga's mother went deep into the forest in search of the unicorn's horn to cure her son's illness. Shizuku would have been able to avoid the gates of the other world with ease, but she was in a hurry. His son's life, and a time limit. Shizuku has crossed a line that should not be crossed.

"You've driven the unicorn deep into the gates, haven't you?

"Hmm. Perhaps--

But why did Zinga-san survive when Shizuku-san was trapped in the other world?

That's the irony of life. As soon as Shizuku left the village, a traveling priest appeared and magically cured Zinga of his illness.

"Such a coincidence.

　No, the irony of fate. A mother enters the forest in a desperate attempt to save her beloved son. As if to switch with her, a saint comes to the village.

　Even Baba says regretfully.

As a result, Jinga was saved, but Shizuku never returned to the village. Perhaps he's still wandering the other world.

Zinga was in that place to find her mother, who was trapped in the other world at an early age to save her.

Yes. . but he doesn't say it.

"Can you rescue your mother from the other world?

He looked hard at it. The fact that he started looking for the gates of the other world tells me that he found some way to do it.

"I see, it's not an inaction.

"You'd be surprised. . a man who seems to have a head on his shoulders and no plan.

No comment on that one.

　As I try to be blunt, I hear Lunamaria's voice calling me from afar.

　The women of the village want me to taste their food.
　Many of the dishes in Barca Village have strong flavors, and they are worried that the guests will not like them.

　I don't have to worry about it, as I can eat Mother Milia's food, but I had no reason to refuse, so I went to the kitchen.

　But as we were leaving, Baba talked to me.

"That girl over there looks like a priestess of the Mother Goddess of Earth.

Good eye. She is a priestess of the Earth Mother Goddess.

I knew it. But a coincidence is inevitable. It was a priestess who saved young Jinga. She was a priestess who stopped by on her way to train and saved Jinga.

That means that Zinga was saved twice by the Mother of Earth, and she never would have met him if Lunamaria hadn't told him to cut through this forest. I never would have met her if she hadn't said she was going to plow through this forest.

I know. He must be loved by the Mother of Earth.

　Then Baba said a prayer. The forest people seem to worship the Mother God.
　Later, he asked me to pray to Lunamaria at the village altar.

　I don't think Lunamaria would refuse, so I promise to tell her, but then I ask her something that has occurred to me.

You know, that priest who saved your village, what's his name?

　I don't need to ask, but I was curious. Master Baba was happy to tell me.

The man's name was Master Flora. She was a very compassionate and beautiful girl.

　He speaks the priest's name nostalgically.
　When I heard the name, I mumbled, "Master Flora ......." It was a name that I had heard somewhere before.

　It's because I think I've heard that name before. It seems like I've heard it just recently.

　The shield in my left hand chuckles as I think about it.

"Did you know that, Will?　The first phenomenon of aging is the inability to remember proper nouns.



　I'm only fifteen years old, I'd like to argue, but I can't remember, so I can't make a strong case.

　I'm a little nervous, but the holy shield says carefree.

It's no big deal that you can't remember. Let's get the Luna Maria out of here. When the men come back, let's parley!　It is.

　Tension Max's Holy Shield . Being inorganic, she is not supposed to be able to eat food or drink. When I gave her that look, she said with a proud face.

"Feasts are fun, even for inorganic objects. People's smiles are the best treat.

　Well, that's a pretty good idea. It's something to learn from.
　While I was admiring these inorganic shields, the village entrance became noisy.
　It seems that the men of the village have returned.
　As if on cue, the party begins.