Me and Bartolo, who were going to fetch water from the spring, had stepped over the single road of the mansion and into the mountains beyond the lake in the woods to the east.

　Naturally, since this is a mountain, there are no gentle signposts such as paths.

　There were countless random trees in the area, with fallen trees and roots sticking out of the ground.

　Since people rarely set foot in the area, you can see that nature is working as it pleases.

　If you look around you, you'll see so many trees, trees, trees that it's easy to lose track of the direction we've been coming from.

　There are trees so tall that they look tens of meters tall, casting a shadow over the mountain.

　Thanks to the lack of sunlight, it's definitely cooler than when walking on the plains or in the forest.

　Bartolo and I walk along the rough road, feeling the cool air on our skin.

'It's pretty quiet,'

Yeah. You don't see too many birds out there today.

　So far, there are no shadows of life around.

　It is very quiet. The occasional breeze was blowing, making the branches and leaves sway ever so slightly.

　Perhaps because of the natural scene, the quiet mountain scene seemed somewhat mysterious.

　It's nice to walk in a quiet place like this. I can calm my mind without thinking about anything.

　As we were enjoying the silence, Bartolo, who was walking in front of us, stopped.

'What's up?'

I was just going to go and get some sap.

　Bartolo said, then looked around and touched the nearby trees to check their condition.

'Wow, you can get sap from the trees around here.

Yeah, it's sweet when you boil it down to a syrup.

　That's right. If you boil down the sap, it can be made into maple syrup.

　This would be a great shaved ice, breakfast bread, pastry, and many other things, I'm sure.

Okay, let's go with this tree.

　As I'm thinking about this, Bartolo bends down and lowers the back basket to the ground.

　He takes out a screw-like sharp object from it and stabs it into the wood and turns a lever-like object to make a hole in it.

　After a while, Bartolo flicks a wet finger as he digs the hole and licks it.

'Whoa, you hit one.

　Apparently, they reached the tube that runs through the sap.

　Bartolo puts away the drilling tool and takes out what looks like a tube.

　It looks a bit like a faucet, but I guess it was modified for collecting sap.

　When Bartolo stuck the tube into the hole, something that looked like sap dripped out.

"Want to lick it up a bit?

Yes.

　I put out my hand and catch the sap in the palm of my hand.

　Surprisingly, it's not sticky or dirty, and there's almost no smell.

　I confirm that and then lick it with my tongue.

'It's not very sweet.'

Ha, that's true. I haven't figured it out yet.

　I had eaten boiled down maple syrup before, but never the undiluted sap.

　It was faintly sweet, but not startlingly sweet or fragrant.

　I guess I shouldn't have known what maple syrup tasted like and imagined such a thing.

　It's wonderful enough, considering it's a natural sweetness from a tree.

　When I finished licking it, Bartolo took the jar out of the basket and started wrapping it around the tree with a rope.

　That's how you get the sap from the tube into the jar.

'You've got quite a bit of stuff in the basket, don't you?

　They found jars, ropes, tools, and other things.

We've come all the way to the mountains!　Besides, this time we have a monk, so we can act without worrying about too much baggage.

　I don't need to carry tools around because I have spatial magic storage. However, since I keep it a secret, I use psychic instead, but it still seems to be useful enough.

　There's a big barrel floating by my side right now, and if you don't think about the efficiency, it's great enough.

　Once the jar is tied to the tree, Bartolo repeats the same process in three more places.

　I was allowed to make one hole in the middle of the process, but I had to remove the sap tube.

　I asked Bartolo for the general location and he told me, but it's hard to guess the location in one shot.

'Okay, as long as we collect this on the way home, we should be good to go.

Once you've boiled it down, you can use ice magic to chill it out and make syrup ice cream or something.

Oh, that's great!

　Me and Bartolo walked around discussing how to use the maple syrup.



　◆



　The path that was once gentle gets steeper and steeper as we go deeper into the mountains.

　Yes, this was a real slope.

　The slope was overgrown with weeds and poor footing, making it difficult to climb.

　But Bartolo had been up here so many times that he walked ahead of me as if it were his garden.

'Boy, are you okay?'

'Yeah, it's a bit of an incline, but we're just going to follow the path Bartolo chose for us.

　It's certainly a difficult climb, but Bartolo is making it easy for me by choosing a route that is easy for me to follow and making sure I'm on the right path.

　If I hadn't known what was going on, I might have had a hard time getting up there on my own.

　I'm sure you're aware of the fact that Elinora's sister was the one who took the initiative to walk in front of us when we climbed the mountain with her, Emma's sister and Sheila.

　Now that I think about it, that was probably just Elinora's way of being kind to me.

　When I was reminiscing about such events, Bartolo asked me with a serious expression.

It's a good thing that you're using magic, or else you'd have to be honest with me if it's too hard.

Yeah, I'm fine. I'm the kind of guy who rests before things get too tight.

　It's too late to take a break after it gets too hard. You must take a rest before your body screams out of control.

　In my past life, I failed to do so and became so overworked that I died without being able to avoid a truck.

　If it gets hard, feel free to take a break.

'Haha, boy was that kind of guy. Well then, you'll be out on the water soon, so good luck with that.

　Bartolo laughed at that and walked forward, slowly stomping the ground.

　Whoa, the river will be in sight soon? If that's the case, it's time to take another step.

　As I was climbing up the slope for a while, I suddenly heard the sound of water.

　The cool sound seemed to invite me to take a break.

　I picked up my pace and climbed up the slope in one go, and all at once the ground became gentle and clean water was flowing.

''Oh, is that spring water?''

It ain't a spring, but that's where the water comes from.

　What, it's not a spring place? But it's so beautiful that I don't care about that.

　When I got close enough to look into the river, the water was so clear that I could clearly see the fishes swimming in it.

　It was as if the fish were swimming right in front of me, and I almost felt as if I could reach out my hand to reach them right away. I reached out to try it out, and sure enough, it escaped.

　Well, I can see it clearly, but it doesn't stop.

'It's okay to drink the water here, right?'

It's all right, but we're almost to the source.

　When I ask him that, Bartolo makes a reluctant face and crosses his arms.

　Kuh, is that so? We came all the way here in search of delicious spring water.

You're right. Well, I'll just drink the spring water at the back of the building.

　Whether it's the innermost or the front innermost, the taste won't be that different, but the sense of accomplishment is different. The feeling has a big influence on the taste.

　You have to taste it when it's at its best.

Yeah, I'll just eat a moist nut for now and be patient.

　When I make such a decision, Bartolo nods in satisfaction and gives me a small nut.

　I don't know when I was even collecting these nuts.

　Maybe while I'm struggling to get up the slope.

　When I put the fruit in my mouth and chewed it, it popped and some juice leaked out from inside.

　Oh, this slight tartness and sweetness is just right. It soaks into my tired body.

　As one piece wasn't enough, I put some in my mouth and chewed it, and the juice exploded in my mouth.

　It's a good substitute for rehydration.

　My feet are a little tired, so I take a break and sit down on a stone, take off my shoes and socks, and soak my feet in the water.

　The cold water wrapped my tired feet in a cool, refreshing feeling.

'Oh, that feels so good,'

Hey, I could use a break.

　I let out an exclamation, and Bartolo sat down on the stone facing me and dipped his feet in the water as well.

'Ooh, that feels so good,'

　Bartolo is ecstatic.

　It's as if he's taking a bath.

'As expected of an old man. You have a stern voice.'

No, the kid sounded much more reluctant than I did. He didn't sound like a little boy.

　We enjoy the cold water while laughing at each other.

　I feel like taking off my clothes and swimming in the water, but it's just not that deep or wide.

　Besides, there is still some distance to the spring, so we have to be patient.

　I look up at the sky while dipping both feet into the water.

　All I could see were tall trees and little light from the sun.

　But the trees, the water, and the atmosphere of being surrounded by nature makes me feel very relaxed.

　When I close my eyes and shut out my vision, all I can hear is the sound of the water flowing.

　The sound of the water is irregular, but somehow comforting.

'Hey, you're right, don't go to sleep, right?

　I was feeling tired and thinking about just letting myself fall asleep, when Bartolo shook me.

What are you talking about? As expected, here.........

You sound like you're having a nervous breakdown. Come on, snap out of it.

"Oh, my God!

　When I'm feeling somewhat fluffy, a coldness suddenly hits my face, forcing my consciousness to wake up.

"Hehe, you're looking a little better now.

　I wiped my face and opened my eyes to see Bartolo grinning at me.

　Apparently Bartolo had splashed me with water.

　Bartolo's heaving face was somewhat annoying, so I went out and scooped up some water and splashed it on my face.

'Bwahaha!　........you did it, kid!

　Bartolo quickly wiped his face and smiled ferociously and kicked the water up with his feet as hard as he could.

　The large amount of water blown by the big feet drenches my entire body.......

''Hahaha, don't say wild things about being a coward, okay?　Body size is one of the weapons. It's going to get you wet--what?　You ain't wet?

　There is no need for a magic-free shield to prevent it from happening.

　I almost fell asleep a moment ago when I was careless, but the battle was already underway.

　The defense is already in place.

''Haha, it's our turn next, isn't it?

　With a grin, I manipulate the water flowing through the water magic method.

　The amount of water, which is an order of magnitude greater than what you can pour with your hands and feet, floats lazily in the air.

''Oh, hey, using magic with a water spell--''

Bartolo wouldn't say "cowardly" as a wild line, would he?　Magic is one of the most admirable weapons, too.

"...no, but still, let me tell you something, kid. That's despicable--Kupe!

　I swallowed with water without letting Bartolo say the last word.