Ohanabatake No Maousama Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was a refres.h.i.+ng morning in the forest.

However, on this particular morning, there was something rather foreign sitting in the middle of it.

The thing…looked a lot like a white orchid flower.

However, it would be necessary to add a few words to describe it properly.

First, have you ever heard of the cypripedium macranthos flower?

It is a type of orchid flower that has sack-like petals.

Such was the flower that was blooming in the forest.

Still, the fact that it was there was not terribly unusual.

What was most unusual was its size.

The swollen sack-like petal was so large that an adult human could easily fit inside. Not only that, but it was filled with fibers that resembled cotton.

If only other people could have seen it. There was no doubt that nine out of ten viewers would think of sleeping bags.

This is, of course, based on the a.s.sumption that the tenth person was senile or blind.

All of a sudden, something that appeared to be human skin showed itself from the brim.

It was a human limb. A very muscular arm.

The arm seemed to be searching for something. After a short while, it grabbed the dark-rimmed gla.s.ses it was looking for.

"Phew… It's already morning."

Muttered a voice as a person came out of the flower sleeping bag. It was Kuders.

And he was naked.

That being said, it was not because he had become absorbed in lewd things or decided to return to nature.

It was because he did not want to get his only pair of clothes dirty, since he sweated a lot when he slept.

And so the body that had been strengthened by much farmwork was fully exposed to the morning air. He then put his palms on the ground and unleashed his magic.

"Floracion."

In the next instant, a giant flower appeared.

This one looked like a great bowl, and just like the others, it was big enough to cover a large adult male like Kuders.

A few seconds pa.s.sed.

There were the sounds of bubbling, and then clear liquid started to overflow from the flower.

Now, this was a flower that no one knew of. And so it would be quite difficult to imagine.

But if one were to try, one might say that it was a convenient chimera of a plant that Kuders' magic had brought to life.

"Hmm, seems to be ready."

When there was enough liquid, he lowered his body into the bowl and let out the kind of moan that an old man would while getting into a bath.

Then he rubbed his body in the lukewarm water, cleansing his skin from the sweat and dirt.

"Phew. Yes, I have to start the day by purifying myself. Or else I just feel disgusting."

He cracked the joints in his neck and shoulders and sighed. Yes, it was the sight of an old man.

Once he was finished bathing, he reached for a branch in the tree where a cloth had been hanging, and he wrapped it around his waist.

Now that he had somewhat returned to a civilized appearance, he started to rummage in a nearby bush.

"Hmm. They are nice and chilled."

He said as he pulled out a large, hard fruit that looked like a coconut.

Kuders drove a stake into it to make a hole, then he drank it deliciously.

Coconut water? No. The smell that wafted around him was definitely alcohol. To be accurate, it was chilled beer.

Yes, this old man…had planted a magic beer plant the previous night.

A colossal waste of talent. And to drink first thing in the morning.

It was not the kind of thing to do when you were trying to survive in the wild.

"Now, food, food…"

As Kuders now felt very refreshed, he moved over to something that looked like a pitcher plant and pulled out a small bird he had caught the previous day. Then he hummed to himself as he began to prepare it.

As the bird had been soaked in the digestive fluids, it no longer had any feathers to deal with. Not only that, but the enzymes had softened the meat and even added an appetizing and spicy aroma.

It was a sight to make any cook maddeningly jealous.

Then he just made another one of the flowers he used for his bath and washed out all the guts before throwing the meat into a metal flower.

Then he made a fire with a strange spark-making flower and added vegetables that had the ability to draw salt from the ground… This 'flower field attribute' cooking method went on for the next 30 minutes.

"Hmm. The food tastes great today."

In any case, it was much better than the food in your average inn. Kuders enjoyed eating it all and even grabbed a second coconut beer.

…Degenerate. Yes, it seemed like a good word to describe him.

Who would have thought that this was how he would look after five days had pa.s.sed since he was exiled from his home with only the clothes on his back?

Still, his power had limits.

As far as daily necessities, such as clothes, he had to acquire them soon.

After he finished his breakfast, he returned the sleeping and bathing and other plants that aided his degenerate lifestyle into the dirt. Then Kuders looked at the sun to determine which direction was south, and then he started walking towards it.

His goal was a human settlement.

Of course, there was no actual guarantee that there would be a human settlement in that direction, but as the demon territories were on the north side of the continent, he was at least in no danger of wandering back to the Demon Empire by accident.

After nearly an hour of walking.

"…A road."

After traveling through much wild terrain, a path of bare soil that had clearly been affected by humans now appeared.

Upon finally arriving in human lands, Kuders could not help but raise his head as he closed his eyes and put a hand to his chest.

It was all very moving, but this unfortunate demon had no G.o.d to give thanks to.

"How wonderful! So this is the beginning of my tale of love! The first person I meet… Yes, the person I am destined to be with! What kind of person will it be? A poor maiden who is attacked by a monster while gathering herbs? Or will it be a princess who is traveling in disguise and then attacked by bandits who are really knights from an enemy kingdom? Hehehe. I do not love to fight, but if it is for my future darling, I will do anything!!"

Just the mere whiff of civilization had caused Kuders' flower field braid to go into overdrive.

His cheeks became flushed as his imagination was filled with pa.s.sion. Indeed, the sight of the man standing there among the trees with the dazed expression was quite gross, to put it mildly.

Now, to continue the journey.

He didn't know how much further he would have to walk, but it was clear that he was nearing human civilization.

Or so he told himself as he started to walk. And that is when it happened.

"Hey, old man. If you value your life, surrender, and hand over your valuables! …Uh, what the… Geez, what's with that face. Now even I feel sorry for you!!"

The memorable occasion. The first person destiny had brought to him…was a filthy old man with a knife.