Chapter 339 – Mushroom Hunting

The next day. As planned, we all went mushroom gathering. Clear skies. Combined with the autumn coolness, it turned out to be quite a nice day.

Grace was her usual self. When our eyes met, she smiled at me. Hmm.

Since we were in a nearby forest, there was little worry about getting lost, but if anyone got separated from the group, we agreed to head toward the Sirius.

“Mushroom gathering… It’s been since the Dusk Forest, but this is my first time properly gathering edible mushrooms,” Mercedes said with a distant look in her eyes. Mercedes had descended into the labyrinth to search for the seal’s gate and had quite a tough time surrounded by Whisper Mushrooms in the Dusk Forest, hadn’t she?

“Hmm. It seems some people are doing this for the first time, so let me go over a few precautions. Many mushrooms are poisonous, so we’ll operate on the principle of not picking anything that looks ambiguous from the start,” I said, using Earth Magic to create models of the target mushrooms. Shiitake, truffles, matsutake, porcini, maitake, shimeji, and wood ear mushrooms, among others.

“Depending on the type, mushrooms tend to prefer tree roots, trunks, and humid areas. Try searching by brushing aside fallen leaves. If you find one, you’ll often find more nearby. Also, if you leave a bit of the base behind, it’ll be easier to gather mushrooms there again next year,” Grace added, explaining tips for finding mushrooms.

“By the way, these are the poisonous mushrooms,” I said, also using Earth Magic to create models to show everyone. Particularly dangerous ones like Fire Mushroom, Death Angel Mushroom, and Poisonous Sasa Mushroom.

“If you eat them… what happens?”

“Ah. With these, you should assume you won’t survive without Clear Blood. There are magic tools for detoxification too, but it’s best not to eat them at all. Some won’t kill you, but there are mushrooms that cause excruciating pain after a few days, or poisonous mushrooms that bring severe pain lasting for weeks, so absolutely don’t touch any mushrooms other than the edible samples.”

When I emphasized this with specific examples, everyone nodded with solemn expressions. Well, as long as they understood that poisonous mushrooms are dangerous, that’s fine.

“Some are used as ingredients for magic potions. This mushroom… I read in texts that it’s dangerous to even touch with bare hands, so if you find it, just let me know,” was Rosemary’s opinion. The one dangerous to touch must be the Fire Mushroom. Well, it’s red and has a poisonous-looking shape, so avoiding it should be easy enough.

To avoid confusion, I kept only the edible mushroom samples and returned the poisonous mushroom models to lumps of earth.

“Well… if you find any mushrooms not covered in the explanation, don’t pick them; just let me, Grace, or Marie know.”

“Mm, understood.”

“I’ll do my best. I owe mushrooms a debt,” said Sheila, nodding calmly, and Mercedes, who seemed fired up, clenching her fist.

…And so, mushroom gathering in the autumn forest began. We walked through the forest searching for mushrooms.

“Found some,” said Sheila, who had quickly located mushrooms. Partly due to her sharp senses, but apparently she gained experience during her time in the Thieves Guild, fishing and gathering mushrooms around Termwills.

She left the easily found mushrooms to the others and seemed to be aiming for big catches like truffles with Lavigne and Alpha. Well… being able to search by scent is quite an advantage.

“Over here too!”

Harold and Cynthia were putting up a good fight. Having maintained Mother’s house and the area around the grave as gravekeepers, they seemed quite familiar with mushrooms, perhaps from frequently entering the forest. Cynthia smiled as she found shiitake, while Harold skillfully cleared small branches with a mountain knife and gathered wild vegetables. You could really tell they had plenty of experience.

“You two seem quite accustomed to gathering mushrooms.”

“It doesn’t cost anything upfront, and it helps save on food expenses,” Harold said with a laugh.

“This forest is lovely,” said Rosemary in high spirits. It seemed like a place where medicinal herbs, aromatic herbs, mushrooms, and more were free for the taking. She seemed to have found a fly agaric and was quite pleased, stuffing it into her magic bag.

“This is a medicinal herb with analgesic effects. Crushing it and applying it to wounds improves recovery, and it can be eaten too,” Claudia said as she gathered various items with Marlene, Irmhild, Justia, Dominique, and Tephra. Apparently, wild plants and mushrooms grow around the Labyrinth Village too, so she seemed knowledgeable about them. Marlene nodded seriously at Claudia’s words.

“Is this an edible mushroom?”

“Yes. That’s true shimeji. There’s a somewhat similar poisonous mushroom, so Theo omitted explaining it earlier,” Grace said as Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana immediately began asking about mushrooms.

Ashley also seemed to be searching for mushrooms with the two princesses.

“Ah, this is fun. Lately, it’s been all about making magic tools.”

“Indeed. Building airships has been quite taxing too,” Alfred said cheerfully, using Wind Magic to scatter fallen leaves and search for mushrooms. Old Sigmund, Valentina, and Charlotte were also using Wind Magic with Alfred. Having worked together in the workshop and shipyard, they seemed to have grown close.

Hmm. Everyone seemed to be doing various things. I’ll have Caduceus skim the ground over a wide area and gather mushrooms, being careful not to overharvest.

…We continued mushroom gathering in this manner, and as noon approached, we decided to wrap up and return to the lakeside. Since we could view the lake from a high place with a good outlook, we planned to have lunch on the deck of the Sirius. I also promised to show Harold and Cynthia around inside the Sirius.

“Worked hard,” said Sheila, as usual, but I sensed a hint of pride in a job well done.

The basket brought from Mother’s house for gathering was piled high with mushrooms and wild vegetables.

We had ingredients brought from Termwills too, and we’d gathered a fair amount of truffles. Irmhild had even taken down a wild boar… Today’s lunch seemed likely to be quite lavish.

I should check that no poisonous mushrooms have mixed in before cooking. It would also be good to remove dirt and such at that time.

Using Wood Magic, I quickly made a cooking station, and with Earth Magic, a hearth. Everyone divided tasks and started cooking.

“Hmm. Cooking outdoors like this is quite enjoyable.”

“Yes, indeed. The Verdgar Knight Order also used to camp in the forest during training and monster subjugation, so this reminds me of that,” Elmer and Mercedes exchanged words while cutting vegetables. Elmer… seemed quite adept at handling a kitchen knife. I got the impression that the two from the Demon-Slaying Knight Order were accustomed to cooking outdoors.

“We have quite a few truffles. They’ll add fragrance, so let’s try making a sauce and pouring it over sautéed chicken.”

“Hmm. For the boar meat, it would be good to remove the gaminess with herbs and put it in mushroom soup.”

After confirming no poisonous mushrooms were mixed in, we washed them, removed any remaining stem bases, and other prep work, then passed the prepared items one after another to the cooking team. Those cooking were also checking for any poisonous mushrooms, so it should be safe.

An appetizing, savory aroma drifted through the air. We set up tables and chairs on the deck of the Sirius, and our meal began with the truly beautiful scenery of the lake reflecting the landscape like a mirror, the forest beginning to show autumn colors, and the blue sky.

White bread, chicken sauté, mushroom soup. There was also various sautéed mushrooms. Eating under the open sky felt liberating and pleasant.

“This is delicious… It rivals the royal castle’s chefs.”

“Truly. I’d want to welcome you to Silvatoria’s royal castle,” Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana beamed after tasting the chicken sauté.

Hmm. Grace’s cooking skills seem to incorporate techniques from the royal castle’s chefs too. When you put the chicken in your mouth, the truffle’s aroma spreads. The right amount of saltiness and meat juices stimulate the appetite.

…This is really good.

“The mushroom soup is warming.”

“Marie and I made several varieties, so there’s seconds,” Claudia said with a smile, and Rosemary closed her eyes, covering her mouth with a feather fan.

There was a spicy one using spices and a creamy one like white stew. The spicy one seemed to be seasoned by Rosemary. This kind of complex blending must be her specialty. She seems to have researched it well.

“Delicious… I’ve never eaten anything this tasty before.”

“This bubbly drink too… It’s sweet and delicious, Harold,” Harold and Cynthia widened their eyes with each bite. Hmm. Both the mushroom dishes and the carbonated drink seemed to be well-received by the two, which is great. After the meal, I’ll let them rest a bit, then I should show them around inside the ship.