Ch.93 Honey-san's Story. Bottle 1

Cern's POV

You never know what's going to happen in life.

Therefore, the words that follow that phrase are, for me, hopeful predictions that include both anticipation and a little anxiety about the uncertain future, and are based on the premise that tomorrow will come.

The original meaning of this phrase is that it's impossible for humans to predict whether future events will be good or bad, or whether something unexpected will happen, as there is no way for humans to foresee or know what will happen. However, who would want to live with anxiety about tomorrow and the future?

At least I would rather feel reassurance and hope than anxiety and despair.

But a single thought or action can determine one's destiny, and the present moment, influenced by that thought, can change the future. That's a fact.

What happened is real, what didn't happen is unreal. Possible futures are now just crossroads in the past that no longer exist; they are mere fiction.

It's too late to regret it now; I can't overturn the choice I made back then.

The future that awaited me after the choices my body, which had lived for thirteen years and a few months, had taught me was a terribly transparent ending.

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"Are you going to Auri-chan's place again today?"

As I left my room and headed towards the kitchen's back door, Papa called out to me. He had stopped preparing fish and was facing me.

There's another apprentice in the kitchen, a young dwarf demigod, but he silently continues cooking without listening to anything. He's working hard to gain Papa's approval.

"That's right."

This place is an inn called "Kumahachi Pavilion". It's the home of Papa, Mama, me, and Aguri.

My younger sister Aguri's name is only one letter different from my friend's.

The shop's name comes from the fact that Papa has a bear-like physique. The "eight" apparently represents his furrowed eyebrows. (TL: kuma = bear, hachi = eight)

"Be back before dinner."

As Mama picked up the plates to serve the finished dishes to the customers, she began her usual worried nagging.

"I know. Well, I'm off."

"Be careful."

"Take care"

"Take care, Cern-chan."

With the voices of the three behind me, I opened the back door and headed out into the town.

◇◆◇

My destination is my friend's house, where Auri and Seedal are. However, our ultimate destination is somewhere else.

One of the famous mountains in the Koakyuyou Empire, located between Kanadil and the neighboring city of Slakina.

It is a mountain known as the Fairy Mountain.

They say there are fairies there, and they live in a town they built somewhere in the mountains.

It seems to be a beautiful place with flower fields and lakes. I say "seems to be" because no one has actually seen it.

It's the kind of information you'd get from a fairy if you asked them, like asking a person, "Where do you live?", but no one has ever actually been there . No one has ever seen it. Only the information is circulating.

Even if they wanted to go, the mountains are infested with monsters and demons, making it difficult to proceed. And even if they could make it, the town where the fairies supposedly live is nowhere to be seen.

So, at the time, there were all sorts of rumors flying around, like maybe the fairies were using magic or something to keep humans, who are bigger than them, out of the town, or maybe the gods were being considerate and made it so that the fairies, being smaller than other races, could live normally because it would be inconvenient for them otherwise.

No matter how much they searched, they couldn't find it, and no conclusion was reached. Decades passed, and at some point, the place came to be known as Fairy Mountain.

The fairy town is still said to be undiscovered, but perhaps it's as simple as saying that someone actually found it but didn't tell anyone else, or that they told someone but no one believed them, so the story never spread.

If one were to follow the fairy back to the mountains, they should be able to find it easily, and I'm sure they will.

Or perhaps no one has ever tried that method? It seems like the first thing that would come to mind, so it's hard to believe no one has tried it...

It's such a strange and intriguing story that it's been so hard to find.

A dreamy , mystical, and exciting fairy tale.

From the moment my parents told me about it when I was little, a desire and dream to visit the fairy town began to sprout in my heart.

Originally, I wasn't interested in things like playing with dolls or playing house, things you could do while sitting down, like other girls.

I don't really like cute things. I'm not a fan of skirts either.

My favorite things are swinging around tree branches and wooden swords, running races, and generally being physically active.

Because of that, I couldn't get along with girls, and all my friends were boys.

The only exception is my best friend, Auri, who is a girl. Auri's twin brother and another childhood friend and best friend of mine, Seedal, is a boy..

My hobbies and preferences never changed, even as I grew older.

As usual, all my friends are boys, and Auri is the only girl.

That doesn't mean I have any desire to become a boy or anything like that. I simply like those kinds of things and activities as a girl.

So, when it came to playing, exploration was the main activity. My friends and I would go into Fairy Mountain under the guise of adventure, using the fields and mountains as our playground.

My parents told me not to go there because it was dangerous, but as is the way of the human mind, when you're told not to go somewhere, you want to go there even more. I spent my days adventuring and exploring, my heart filled with excitement.

Fortunately, only small animals like raccoons, foxes, and rabbits have ever appeared.

Since no animals big enough to be considered dangerous appeared, and I never encountered any monsters, the mountain gradually became ingrained in my mind as a safe place, and I forgot all the warnings I had received.

◇◆◇

The adventure began with the desire to find a fairy town, but it proved difficult to find, and now, 13 years and a few months have passed. The incident occurred when I was approaching adulthood.

It was two days before Papa's birthday.

I can't remember how old I was when It started, but on Papa's birthday, I have a tradition of making homemade sweets as a present because he loves french toast with honey, and I always kept the honey I use for it carefully stored on a shelf in my room.

I was careful about where I put things because I share a room with my sister, but thanks to Air conditioner, even though it's now the summer season where cicadas make noises, this room is still cool.

I was worried that the heat might have affected the honey, so I took it out of the drawer to check on it. Just as I picked it up, Aguri clung to my leg, almost tackling me.

"Nee Nee—!" (Author: It means older sister) (TL: Yes, the author made that note)

"Whoa!?"

My younger sister is only 7 years old, but her sudden attack made my body stumble.

The honey jar, having slipped from my hand, flew through the air and crashed to the floor. It might not have shattered if it had landed on the carpet, but unfortunately, it landed on the hardwood floor.

Honey splattered along with glass fragments, creating a horrific scene.

I quickly picked up my sister and carried her to the living room, so she didn't get hurt by stepping on the glass, but the honey I was going to give as a gift went bad.

My younger sister is still young, so these things happen. I can't vent, but I can't help but feel down.

It's a special birthday gift that I saved up my allowance to buy, and it's high-quality honey, a specialty product of the fairy town.

The fairies live in symbiosis with bees, and occasionally come down to town to sell the honey they collect.

Boasting a sweeter flavor than beekeepers' honey, it's treated as a luxury item and sold at a high price. It's not something you can easily buy.

I check my wallet, but it looks like I won't be able to afford it with the money I have left. I hate to say it myself, but I'm the type of person who buys things as soon as I want them, so my money runs out quickly like this.

I can only manage to save money when a special day like my birthday is approaching.

I could buy the cheap honey, but I wouldn't want to use it on a special occasion.

But the again, I don't have the money to buy this same one again, so it's a vicious cycle.

Just like I make it every year, to make the French toast using the same ingredients, I absolutely need that honey.

So, I chose to take a gamble.

Dad's birthday is in two days. It's impossible to save up my allowance instantly from now. So I've decided to go there. To Fairy Mountain.

I'll spend tomorrow searching for the fairy town. If I find it, I can buy things directly from them. They don't need to bring it to the city themselves, so I should be able to get it for a bit cheaper.

Harvesting honey from wild beehives is dangerous, and if the beehives are in a symbiotic relationship with fairies, it could cause problems later, so I don't think it's something that can be obtained for free.

And best of all, if I can find it, I'll become a celebrity in town. I'll be popular.

If I can't find any, then I'll just buy some cheap honey the next day, on Papa's birthday, and make French toast with it as a last resort. That's what I'll do.

For today, I threw the evidence away into the corner of my room before they can find it and focused my thoughts on tomorrow's exploration.

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〘Consumable Item: Fairy Sealed Bottle of Honey〙

A glass bottle containing 500g of honey.

This precious honey is made by a bee called Honey Hibeene, which is about 1 meter long and collects nectar from flowers.

The taste varies depending on the type of flower, but the bees aren't particularly picky, and the fairies don't force them to choose specific flowers, so the resulting honey often has a pleasant sweetness and a clean aftertaste.

While it fetches a high price in the market, other varieties are rare and sell for even higher prices.

The front of the bottle has a cute, stylized sticker of a fairy and a bee the same height as the fairy shaking hands, suggesting that the rumors of symbiosis are not a lie.

A small picture of a fairy and some letters are engraved on the bottom of the bottle. This is what is known as the Fairy Seal.

〘Koakyuyou Empire〙

A technologically advanced nation with a very high rate of fairy appearances, where 80% of the population consists of humans and dwarves, and where electrical and magical products form the pillars of its economy.

Everything in the territory is state-of-the-art. It's overflowing with even more advanced technology than what you'd see in the real world, making it feel like the near future. There are even things like aerial elevators and flying magic ships.

However, because the products are bought and sold at prices commensurate with the technology, they are all more expensive than those from any other country.

There are a fair number of tourist attractions, but they are only enjoyable for the upper class or the wealthy.

Area 6 to Area 10 constitute their territory.

〘The 8th City: Canadil〙

The capital city of the Koakyuyou Empire, a futuristic city that has developed to the point of being known as a technological metropolis.

Electrical appliances and magical items are particularly popular, and many people buy them as souvenirs despite their high prices.

Additionally, speaking with a couple who run an inn there triggers a bonding event related to Cern's appearance in the beta version's opening movie.

Entrance fee: 1000 Monies

〘The 9th City: Slakina〙

A town surrounded by natural rock formations, where many people who engage in mining live, as it is a place where magic iron and gems can be found.

The quality of the magic iron ore mined here is excellent, and merchants often come directly to negotiate trades. A fair number of people also come to purchase the raw gems before they're polished.

Entrance fee: 850 Monies

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