CHAPTER 117: PERSIMO FRUIT

~3rd Person Perspective~

　Toru kneads mana with his whole body. The amount of mana was so great that it was hard to believe that he had just used a purification technique.

　What on earth is he trying to do?

　When Esther tilted her head, Toru put his hand on Esther’s waist.

“Huh, hey, Toru, what the hell are you doing!?” (Esther)

“Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon.” (Toru)

　Esther’s face heats up at the unusually straightforward Toru. Her heart is pounding against her chest, and her breathing sped up.

　She can’t look directly at his face at that moment.

“*Blush-shock*!? Wait, wait, Toru! There are a lot of dangerous monsters here, and this place is kind of scandalous! In the first place, I’m not ready for this—” (Esther)

“But I’m already ready.” (Toru)

“Well, you’ll have to get my parent’s permission before you do anything like that—” (Esther)

“Then let’s go.” (Toru)

“No, well, I’m happy, but I didn’t think Toru would be this aggressive, especially in a place like this—” (Esther)

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　Toru firmly grabbed Esther’s waist.

　The next moment,

“—What the-aaaaah!” (Esther)

　They flew overhead.

　The two of them rose rapidly at a speed that could have been achieved with a catapult. Esther just kept screaming, not understanding what was going on.

　The two ascending humans gradually tilted forward. Below them, they could see the Eternal Flames, which are said to have been burning since the age of the gods.

　The flames were flickering and still burning fiercely. Despite this, Esther’s body, which was directly above them, did not feel the heat at all.

　The two of them fell in a parabolic trajectory to the other side of the river. Just before the collision, the momentum of the two’s footsteps silently drops to the ground.

~Toru’s Perspective~

“I-I thought I-I was going to die!!” (Esther)

“Sorry, my bad.” (Toru)

“Why didn’t you tell me what you were going to do first!?” (Esther)

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot about it.” (Toru)

“Don’t go forgetting such things!” (Esther)

“That hurts!” (Toru)

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　Esther cries and kept beating my chest with her fists.

　The method Toru was thinking of for getting out of the fountain flame was simple.

　A “Vacuum” will protect us from the Eternal Flames, and the “Tornado” will drive away the heat from the sky above. I then launched us up with an “Air Cannon”.

　The speed of our fall is also gradually slowed down by a weak “Air Cannon”. Then an “Air Cushion” is placed on the ground, and we landed safely.

“Is there no other way!?” (Esther)

“Yes, I think that’s probably the right answer.” (Toru)

　Since it was called the Eternal Flames, it would not be extinguished by a little bit of water.

　However, if a large amount of water is thrown, it may cause a steam explosion (since the identity of what is burning is not known).

　If there was a large amount of holy water, which is effective in extinguishing fires, it would be different, but I do not have holy water.

　So, the only safe way left for me was to take flight.

“Absolutely useless. My heart was pounding for nothing!” (Esther)

“Oh, Esther, are you bad at heights?” (Toru)

“That’s not what I meant!” (Esther)

“Ugh!” (Toru)

　For some reason, Esther was outraged, punching me hard in the arm.

(…I don’t understand.) (Toru)

　After regaining our composure, Esther and I continued onward.

　Within half a minute, we found a tree with a lot of fruit on it.

“Oh, could that be?” (Toru)

“It must be the Persimo tree!” (Esther)

　The tree was full of fruit, just like a flower in full bloom.

　The fruit was palm-sized and oval-shaped. The colors ranged from blue to orange.

“I’ve never seen a Persimo before, but they look pretty tasty, don’t they?” (Esther)

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“Yeah, they are delicious.” (Toru)

“Huh? Did Toru know about this fruit?” (Esther)

“I know about this…” (Toru)

　The Persimo fruit was, for all intents and purposes, a persimmon.

　Reuniting with a very nostalgic fruit gradually warms Toru’s heart.

　If even Esther says she’s “never seen one”, Persimo… Persimmon is probably a very rare fruit in Eargard.

　Perhaps it was secretly planted by a Lost who visited Eargard before me.

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　Persimmons do not grow in lands that are too cold.

　Mount Rheitis is so high that it is covered with snow in winter.

　However, in this particular location, the nearby Eternal Flames constantly warm the surrounding area, making it an ideal environment for persimmons to grow.

　I lightly jumped up and secured four persimmons that were close at hand.

　I handed one to Esther and wiped another on my cuff.

“Let’s eat!” (Toru)

　When I took a bite, The mellow aroma and sweetness instantly spread in his mouth.

“Sweet!” (Toru)

“Wow, it’s delicious!” (Esther)

　Esther’s cheeks flushed red upon tasting. It seemed that the persimmon had captured her heart in an instant.

　After enjoying the sweet fruit to our heart’s content, I stored the persimmons in my [Inventory].

“They just need a single Persimo right.” (Toru)

“Come to think of it, they didn’t say how many pieces… How many I can take home.” (Esther)

　Esther’s eyes were shining brightly. She wants to enjoy the persimmons more.

　I, however, do not intend to harvest more than I need.

　Persimmon trees are very fragile. If I accidentally broke one while harvesting, it would be a disaster. This is proof that someone from Earth has lived in Eargard. If I could, I would leave it alone.

“If you feel like eating, you can come back again.” (Toru)

“Yes, I will. I must become strong enough to come back freely.” (Esther)

“Yeah.” (Toru)

　Just as Esther and I were about to return.

“”-!?”” (Esther & Toru)

　Suddenly, from the sky above, they felt a force more powerful than anything they had ever felt before.

　The force was approaching us at a frightening speed.

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“What-what is that…” (Esther)

“… Esther, run away!” (Toru)

“It’s already too late.” (Esther)

　It was approaching faster than we had imagined.

　A strong force appeared directly in front of us.

A/N: There are spells in this chapter (Vacuum, Tornado, Air Canon, Air Cushion), but he did not purchase new scrolls, so these are actually names that describe the effects.

　Toru is only using the beginner’s level [Air Cutter].

(Otherwise, he would have said, ” A [Air Cutter] will protect us from the Eternal Flames, and [Air Cutter] will drive away the heat from the sky above. I then launched us up with an [Air Cutter]. You don’t know what that means. ……)

　Persimo = Persimmon, A katakana of the English word.