Chapter 31: Mana poison

“Speaking of which, Master, did you like the music?”

In response to Rudy’s question, Naomi nodded, swallowing the salmon she was eating.

The salmon she had was cooked to perfection, tender and sweet, with a delicious sour cream sauce. It was so good that her cheeks felt like they were falling off.

“I liked it. Especially the black table you play with sticks. It’s amazing.”

“Is it possibly a piano?”

“Is that the name of the instrument? It’s incredible that it can produce such expressive sounds.”

“In this world, is there no piano?”

“I have never seen or heard of one.”

Naomi replied, tearing a piece of bread and dipping it into the soup. After swallowing the bread, she murmured softly.

“Cream soup and bread go together so well.”

“It also goes well with rice, but that would be an affair.”

“That’s a weird analogy.”

“Master, do you want a piano?”

Rudy brought the conversation back and asked, causing Naomi to tilt her head in contemplation.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I probably would enjoy it if I could play the piano. But even if I were to get a piano, I wouldn’t be able to play it, and I don’t have time to practice. I dislike indulgence, so even if someone offered me an unused instrument, I would politely decline. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“I have this now.”

Saying that, Naomi showed her smartphone to Rudy.

“With this, I can listen to the piano anytime. I don’t need any greater luxury than this.”

“I see.”

Rudy smiled as Naomi proudly waved her smartphone around.

After that, the two of them finished their meal while discussing magic and chemistry as usual. Rudy, slightly intoxicated, stood up.

“Three consecutive hangovers are tough. So, I’ll go to bed quickly.”

“I’ll have a few more drinks before going to sleep.”

“I’ll lend you the drone, so use it however you like.”

“Got it. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

After Rudy left, Naomi, alone, operated her smartphone and played Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude. While sipping on a lemon cocktail made with aquavit, she listened to the composition filled with the composer’s frustration and anger. She thought it was a fitting piece for herself and chuckled to herself.

The next day, the two of them went to Naomi’s house, with Rudy cutting down trees and Naomi keeping watch in the area.

In the morning, they worked without any incidents and returned to the amphibious craft at noon. They had a BLT sandwich and coffee for lunch.

“By the way, Master, the results of yesterday’s medical check-up came out,” Rudy said, starting to talk about last night’s diagnosis after lunch.

“Ah, now that you mention it, I did have my blood drawn last night,” Naomi replied.

“And, Naomi, the amount of mana in your body has decreased compared to before,” Rudy reported.

“Oh, really?” Naomi blinked in surprise.

“I’m not lying,” Rudy said, pouting and turning his face away.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I did use a little magic yesterday afternoon…” Rudy confessed.

“You used magic?” Naomi asked.

“Yeah, you know, that thing Rudy split in half yesterday. One of its halves was still around, and I got rid of it,” Rudy explained.

“There was another one?”

“Yeah.”

Rudy crossed his arms and started to worry.

“Is that the cause? Hmm… Master, this is my hunch. I told you before that you ingest mana through your meals. Do you remember?”

“Oh, right, you did mention that,” Naomi recalled.

“I bring the ingredients for the dishes I make from space,” Rudy added.

Understanding the reason behind Rudy’s worries, Naomi nodded.

“I see. So, those ingredients don’t contain mana, and that means I haven’t been ingesting mana either.”

“Exactly!” Rudy agreed.

“That possibility is certainly plausible,” Naomi agreed.

“It’s fine for now, but at this rate, Master’s mana will keep decreasing little by little,” Rudy said.

“That’s a problem.”

“It is. That’s why I’m thinking of starting a garden.”

Naomi shrugged in exasperation at Rudy’s suggestion.

“Rudy, you always come up with these impulsive plans.”

“I’m aware of that, but I don’t mind,” Rudy replied.

“It’s going to be troublesome later, so I think you should be a little concerned,” Naomi advised.

“I’m managing my tasks. But let’s get back to the topic. Hand over the permission to use your garden, Master.”

“Are you talking about that?” Naomi said, shifting her gaze. Ahead of her was a tiny patch of land, no bigger than a cat’s forehead.

“That’s right.”

“I’m just planting whatever I can find, so it doesn’t really matter, but what are you planning to grow?”

“Medicine.”

“…Medicine?”

Naomi tilted her head in response to Rudy’s answer.

“The plants on this planet contain mana. So, I search for plants with a high mana content and grow them.”

“I see… Continue.”

“Once they’re grown, I extract only the mana from them. Then, I use it to create mana recovery potions.”

After Rudy explained up to this point, Naomi nodded, understanding his thought process.

“I see… However, based on my knowledge, most of the plants that contain a high amount of mana are actually poisonous, so I must warn you that your idea is dangerous.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even without Rudy suggesting it, many people on this planet have been researching how to recover mana, from ancient times to the present.”

“Did you also study that?”

Naomi laughed at the question and shook her head.

“No, I have more mana in my body than others, so I’m not interested in that research. But let’s get back to the topic. When you consume plants or animals that contain a high amount of mana, it causes symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fever, and body tremors, and in the worst cases, it can lead to death.”

“…Do all types of food cause the same symptoms?”

“…There may be some differences, but they are essentially the same.”

After listening to the conversation so far, Rudy came up with an idea and spoke up.

“Hmm… I think it’s probably not poison but rather an excessive intake of mana.”

“Excessive intake?”

“Yes. The people on this planet… they came from space, that much is certain. And the original purpose of mana was to be poisonous. However, in order to survive, humanity developed immunity to mana.”

“I see.”

“In other words, those who can use a lot of magic are humans with a high immunity to mana.”

“That possibility is certainly highly likely. In fact, it’s almost certain.”

“If we understand that, we can create the medicine.”

“…Can you really make it?”

“I can, but do you want to hear about it?”

“Absolutely.”

When Naomi urged him, Rudy began explaining about the medicine he planned to create.