I Became the Burden of a Conscienceless Party

207 – Side Story 2. The Story After, Esmeralda (4)

The story after, Esmeralda (4)

Esmeralda may have a somewhat foolish side, but she is not stupid.

Yes, that means not rashly approaching an obvious danger.

The same goes for the mushrooms she picked instead of the berries. She’s not stupid enough to lightly eat such suspicious mushrooms just because she can’t help it.

So I’ll check to some extent.

“Mr. Jim! Can I eat this… … W, what are you doing?!”

“No, I’m just renovating the cabin like we said.”

Jim was up on the roof of the cabin with his top off.

After the roof was dismantled, it looked like they were working on a crude way to keep the rain from coming in.

Since I had to work outside in the rain, I thought it would be better to take off my clothes rather than get wet.

No matter what, I couldn’t take everything off, so I just took off my top and went up to the roof.

Esmeralda’s screaming at such a natural appearance was revealing her dark intentions.

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s what I said.”

Esmeralda, who realized the fact belatedly, felt her face flush despite the pouring rain.

Esmeralda decided to go into the cabin first with her head down, knowing that she could tell what her own face looked like without even having to look at it or ask for confirmation.

“Oh, I think there’s a little leak in this area.”

“Oh, I see. It looks like the finish on this side is a little off.”

So Esmeralda spent her time inside helping Jim with his work.

Because the time was not short, I was able to manage my reddened face.

By the time I had roughly rebuilt the roof to prevent the rain from leaking in, I had dragged my wet body inside the cabin.

“It’s a little late. But I’m glad I can finish it before nightfall. Oh! What I was going to say earlier… … ?”

“Ahem!”

Esmeralda, who had been stealing glances at Jim’s body, tried to hide her gaze by coughing in vain.

“I tried to get some food from the forest, but the berries were gone.”

“This is the worst.”

“instead…….”

Esmeralda laid out the mushrooms she had brought in front of her luggage.

Yes, Esmeralda has her foolish parts, but she’s not an idiot.

It’s common for people to act based solely on their own intuition and end up in big trouble, as long as they’re part of a party.

To prevent that from happening, it is essential to exchange opinions with each other.

And Esmeralda also knows that Jim is more capable in this regard.

Since he joined the warrior party as a porter, Jim took on all sorts of miscellaneous tasks.

“There were a lot of these mushrooms.”

Esmeralda hesitated and told the whole story.

“Even if there were no fruits, you brought back only mushrooms, which is amazing in another sense. Do you want to die?”

“… … .”

Esmeralda couldn’t raise her head. Once her mind was on that side, she couldn’t look away.

Look here, look there …

Since all she could see was mushrooms, how could she possibly see any other kind of food?

“But, well… … it’s okay. It’s an edible mushroom.”

“Oh, I see.”

Esmeralda felt a sense of relief, but also an inexplicable sense of regret.

I asked because I thought it would be a big problem if it was a poisonous mushroom, but luckily they said it was an edible mushroom.

“I miss it. I remember when we were out in the field cooking and running low on supplies, we would pick these mushrooms and eat them.”

“Military life must have been difficult.”

Esmeralda perked up her ears at the story she heard for the first time. This was the first time Jim had ever talked about his past, especially his time as a demon.

“Rather than military life, the environment of the demon world itself was like that.”

That’s right.

The reason the Demon King prepared for the invasion in the first place was because the environment of the Demon World was so harsh.

Even though the Demon King’s Army was treated well even within the Demon World, that was only the standards of the Demon World, and compared to the human world, even that army could be compared to the poor.

In that sense, this mushroom was the only edible ingredient in the harsh environment of the Demon World.

“This mushroom can certainly grow well in any environment, so it can often be seen in the Demon World. It has a slightly spicy and tangy flavor.”

“Hmm, I see?”

Esmeralda nodded, fingering the mushroom.

It’s edible, so that’s a good thing.

Esmeralda was relieved because she was thinking, “What if it’s some kind of dangerous mushroom like the aphrodisiac?”

At least she thought so.

“Then it’s decided for dinner tonight. What should I eat?”

“I eat it in soups or just grilled.”

“It’s good because it’s simple. Since soup is out of the question, let’s just grill it.”

“I’m perfect at controlling fire, so leave it to me.”

“Then let’s try the food that Jim made after a long time.”

Esmeralda nodded with a bashful smile.

Being lost was hopeless, but the opportunity to reminisce about the past was welcome.

Moreover, isn’t it a secret meeting between just the two of you, with no one else present?

There aren’t many experiences like this. There are checks and balances from everyone, but the two of them have reached too great a position to go back to those days.

So Esmeralda decided to enjoy this moment.

Looking at the crackling bonfire and the mushrooms being roasted on it.

Esmeralda felt her feelings reaffirmed and realized that they were deepening.

‘You probably don’t have anything else to do?’

When I have nothing to do, my thoughts become deeper, and as my thoughts become deeper, my heart also becomes deeper.

“It’s all baked.”

“It looked suspicious at first glance, but now that I look at it, it looks quite delicious.”

“Really? Try it once. I’m not sure if you still feel the same way… … but it was quite a delicacy to me.”

“Then, should we try it just to see Mr. Jim’s sincerity?”

“But besides that, there’s nothing else I can eat.”

“Haha. That’s true. Then I’ll eat it gratefully.”

“Yes, then I’ll start too… … .”

In that way, Esmeralda was able to enjoy this moment.

***

Mushrooms collected by Esmeralda.

It led to a development that didn’t even seem like a coincidence… … .

Unfortunately, it didn’t end with such a peaceful story.

Of course, Jim wasn’t wrong.

The mushrooms that Esmeralda had collected were one of the most widely known foods even in the Demon World, and they were the ones that Jim often ate.

However, the important thing here was that it was a ‘food product that was fairly widely known even in the Demon World.’

The environment of the Demon World is harsh.

It’s not just because it doesn’t rain or the ground is rough, it’s because crops have a hard time growing because of the contamination with magic.

But that mushroom took root even in that demonic realm.

That means… … .

“Umm… … .”

The mushroom itself is an entity that has adapted to the environment of the demon world, that is, to demonic energy.

To begin with, Jim’s common sense is only common sense in the demon world.

It is a different law for ordinary humans, whose physical conditions are different from those of the Demon Race.

so that…….

“Strange… … This is… … .”

After Jim ate the mushrooms.

It wasn’t until I went to bed that I noticed something unusual.

My body felt hot. My head was spinning and blood was rushing to my lower body.

I know what this is.

No, rather, I couldn’t help but know.

Something that Rapha had done many times in the past when trying to stop him.

‘The best effect…?’

Only then did Jim realize.

He is an ordinary human being now.

This means that the food that was eaten normally during the Demon Age can become poisonous.

When I think about it, it’s kind of strange.

It’s a mushroom, but the problem is that it tastes spicy or bitter.

In particular, isn’t it enough to see ‘awkwardness’ as a warning signal?

It was only because the Demon’s strong body was able to digest it.

“haha…….”

The luggage hit the floor.

If things continue like this, it will be dangerous. If it is simply a stimulant effect, then that is fortunate, but if there is a problem beyond that, then this symptom cannot be resolved.

The moment I was trying to think of a solution amidst all that confusion.

“… … .”

Jim felt eyes on him.

And then the thought went crazy.

If you were in this situation right now, what would you do if you ate the same mushroom?

Warrior, what about Esmeralda?

As he thought about that, Jim sensed the gaze directed at him and swallowed dry saliva while lifting his body to look in the direction of the gaze.

What’s there is… … .

“Jim… … Mr… … .”

Brilliant golden hair.

Eyes that shine like emeralds.

The cheeks and rough breathing mentioned above are like his own.

“… … Warrior.”

“no.”

Esmeralda shook her head decisively.

“You should call me Esmeralda.”

“… … .”

And then he just pushed the luggage over and knocked it over.

“Mr. Jim is the one who made me like this. If you don’t take responsibility for it… … .”

Her long-held, dark desire.

It had grown so large that it even covered up fear and shame.