C284: DESTRUCTION ANGEL’S RUMOR

I gradually hit it off with the giant mushroom.
Wait, I think their name was Matan-GO, right?

“So, you can recreate anything once the mycelium’s fused with you?”
“Yes! And at a super-fast speed! Leave the rest to me!”

I activated the Hand of Supremacy to test things out and grew different kinds of mushrooms.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Here they comeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

Matan-GO seemed to sense the presence of various mycelium even before they grew into mushrooms. Then, they identified and remembered all of them.

Soon after, various mushrooms grow from the log: bunashimeji, eryngii, maitake, nameko, mukitake, enokitake, and matsutake.

…
Huh?
Matsutake too?!
They’re popping one after the other.

“Ohhhh! They keep growing no matter how much I pick! An endless mushroom harveeeeeeeeeeeest!”
“There’s more where that came frooooooooom!!!”

A mushroom festival is going on.
Come to think of it, we can’t eat all of these mushrooms at once.

“What am I supposed to do with this many of them…”

I can dry the shiitakes, but what about the rest?
Do we have to eat them all by today?

“…Guess I’ll make everyone try it.”

I came to the obvious conclusion.

“What dishes have mushrooms in them?”

I don’t think many dishes use them as an ingredient. It’s not that a dish is incomplete without mushrooms, but I’m sure they would add a unique flavor to it.

The safest way is to use them in soup or tempura.

Almost anything can go in a soup. Similarly, anything tastes great when made into tempura.
I can also stir-fry or put them in a hot pot.
…Hm, there’s something hearty about a mushroom-only soup or hotpot.

“Tasters.”
“Present.”

And as always, Platy and Veil show up even before I start cooking.

“You’re cooking something, Dear? It’s not even time for dinner yet.”
“Oh, Oh! I know! It’s times like these when Master cooks a new dish!”

I also know you two will show up even if I don’t call you.

I’ve already prepared the cooked ones for you to taste.
There’s maitake and bunashimeji mushroom tempura.

“What? Tempura again? What’s new about that?”
“We just had them the other day.”

Nonetheless, they knew that tempura was delicious, so they didn’t hesitate to eat it.

“What is this chewineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess?!”
“It’s a texture that’s neither meat nor vegetable! What is this?!”

They make such good reactions; they can be trusted to do food reviews for a show.
And as the usual pattern goes, Orkubo and the others would gather around, lured by their voices.

“Oh, what’s this?”
“Where the madams make merry, there is My Lord’s new dish.”
“Soup, tempura, and stir-fry. They look similar, but…”
“Is it the ingredients that are new?”

It’s the same old thing, so everyone nonchalantly takes a piece.
Mushroom tempura, miso soup with as many mushrooms as ramen noodles, butter sautéed of various mushrooms, mushroom hot pot, and so on.

“Oh! This is a fresh texture.”
“It has such a unique mouthfeel to it!”
“So juicy soaked in the broth or sauce!”
“The crunchiness of the tempura coating goes perfectly!”

Even they’ve gotten better at giving food reviews.

“My Lord! What’s this completely new ingredient?!”
“Mushrooms.”

…

“…”
“……!”
“…?”
“………?!”

Huh?
Why the sudden silence?

“M-Mushrooms?”
“Mushrooms, as in…”

What’s wrong, guys? Your faces are all pale.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I’m going to dieee!”
“I ate a mushroom! I ate a mushrooooooooooom!!!”
“I’m going to die from the poison!”

Oh.
I warned everyone not to carelessly eat wild mushrooms so as not to get poisoned.
To them, all mushrooms are poisonous!　
They didn’t know that, so they thought they were going to die just from eating it.

“Are you planning a mass poisoning, Lord Saint?!”

No, I’m not.

“Don’t tell me, you’re going to poison everyone to abruptly end this farm once and for all?!”

No! No such cruel thing!
This farm will go on forever!
I had a hard time explaining that some mushrooms aren’t poisonous and that the mushrooms I cooked were personally grown and thus are safe.

“So these mushrooms are safe, huh?”
“I’ll have another, then.”

As soon as they understood that, they started eating more mushrooms without any worries.

“Hah-hah-ha! Lord Saint…”
“Matan-GO?!”

Why and how is this giant, supposedly-immovable mushroom here in the kitchen?!

“Never underestimate my evolution.”
“It’s got legs!”

From its stem’s hard tip!

“I think I’ve proven myself useful enough…”
“Yeah. I have to admit, you’re the best!”

We high-five each other in recognition.
Wait, high-five?
You grew arms too, mushroom?!

Thus, thanks to the giant mushroom Matan-GO, our farm no longer needs to worry about needing edible mushrooms of any kind at any time.

“Still…”

I suddenly wonder.

“Why are you trying so hard to be useful to me?”

It seems a bit of a bizarre dedication to me.
It’s not like it’s returning the favor or something, right?

“It’s because I wanted you to recognize me…”

And what are you going to do with my recognition?

“I have an opponent that I would like to defeat after gaining your approval. I want to use my power to defeat my sworn enemy fighting for the forest’s top…”

Sworn enemy?
Where did this disturbing story come from all of a sudden?

“You’re fighting someone?”
“Yes, I have to settle the score with them. We are destined to fight. As long as I’m a mushroom, I can’t approve of myself unless I fight them.”

You’re getting all worked up again.
Who exactly are you fighting?

“Yes… Their name is…”

…Bamboo Shoot Fiend Takenokkon.