Chapter 90 The Sparkling Stars On The Ground And White And Black
Sara, who had finished regenerating the forest, tried to stop using her light-based magic and erase the light around Rebecca. ...Or so she thought, but the mischievous spirits wouldn't stop shining, and the area was overflowing with sparkling orbs.
What's more, the spirits were even clinging to Sara's soundproof barrier, playing and frolicking in the wind.
"Uh, what do we do? It's not going away, is it?"
"Maybe they'll get bored after a while?"
Sara and Rebecca looked around, chuckling wryly.
However, the spirits didn't get bored at all. In fact, the other spirits living in the forest started imitating this game, and a mysterious phenomenon of sparkling lights began to occur frequently throughout the hunting ground.
As a result, the hunting ground in Grandchester became known domestically and internationally as the "Spirits' Forest." Consequently, nobles and academy researchers who sought the spirits' blessings began to flock to the area. However, since general admission was prohibited except during the hunting tournament, this would lead to problems in the future. ...But at this point, neither Sara nor Rebecca was aware of it.
When the soundproof barrier was dispelled, a loud, boisterous cheer erupted. Having been in a state of silence just moments before, Sara was startled by the sudden noise and trembled with a jerk.
However, Rebecca remained calm, raising her right hand to silence the crowd. The visual impact was still significant, with the sparkling lights still present.
"Everyone, this is not all, but the forest has been regenerated. This light is proof that the spirits are rejoicing. Since we are protected by the spirits, the recovery of the areas that couldn't be regenerated this time will be swift. Please, everyone, don't forget. This is the forest where the spirits live, and it's Grandchester's treasure!"
The crowd erupted in cheers once again at Rebecca's speech.
'This, won't it restore the reputation of the fallen beauty and rekindle the holy maiden legend...?'
Well, whether Rebecca thinks of herself as the "Beauty Who Brings Down a Country" or not, anyone would want to call her a saint when they see her shining like a fallen star on the ground.
'Anyway, she looks young, doesn't she~.'
Sara thought, being a bit rude, but she should reflect on herself a bit more.
* * *
After finishing the forest's regeneration, Sara and Rebecca returned to Baron Walt's mansion. The 2 changed into comfortable dresses, and Robert and Baron Walt invited them to lunch.
'Oh yes. The regeneration of the forest was finished only in the morning.'
Sara thought, heading towards the terrace where lunch was prepared.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
The lunch table was loaded with grilled meat, and Sara was also seated. It was an overwhelming "meat-based" table.
"Yesterday's fire made many animals escape from the forest. Many small animals returned to the forest, but some targeted the harvest in the village's fields."
"I see."
"There were also some that clearly would attack humans, so we took them down."
"Thanks to that, we had some free time, so we processed the meat and made dried meat."
"This is precious food, so we can't waste it. Of course, the fur and other materials are important too."
"And the animal fat can be used as a material for candles."
'I don't want to waste any more lives than necessary.'
As Robert skillfully cut the large meat on the table, the servant standing by cut the meat into slices and served it on plates.
The flavor of the game meat, seasoned with salt and several herbs, was rich and delicious... but Sara felt a sense of incompleteness. In fact, she had been feeling this way since her past life's memories resurfaced.
The food in this world wasn't bad at all. There were many delicious dishes. Sweet things were rare for commoners because sugar was expensive, but since being taken in by Grandchester, she had more opportunities to eat them.
Like the first generation of Grandchester, Sara longed for Japanese food and seasonings. However, Sara had a more serious desire.
'I want pepper! I want to sprinkle salt and pepper on this meat right now!'
In this world, pepper existed, but it was a precious seasoning, even more valuable than sugar, and not something that even high-ranking nobles could eat casually.
At that moment, something crossed Sara's mind.
'That's it, let's cultivate it!'
However, in Sara's memory, pepper was grown in tropical mountain regions, but it was hard to imagine such a place existing in Grandchester.
'If Grandchester is impossible, let's find a suitable place to cultivate it? If there's no suitable place in Avalon, we might have to search abroad?'
Sara sank into the sea of thought.
"Hey, Sophia, what's wrong?"
Called by Robert, Sara resurfaced from the sea of thought to the land of reality.
"Ah, sorry, I was just lost in thought."
"Sophia's thoughts are always so unpredictable and scary."
"I was just thinking about something a bit gluttonous."
Sara smiled at Robert with a hint of mischief.
"You're always thinking about food, Sophia. It's so like you to get lost in thought with meat in front of you."
"It's really nothing. I just wanted pepper, that's all."
"Hmm. Has Lady Sophia ever had pepper before?"
Baron Walt showed interest.
"It was a long time ago, but I've had it before. The flavor was indescribable."
"That's enviable. I've heard rumors, but I've never had it myself."
"Let's hope we both get the chance someday."
Baron Walt and Sara exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
"Pepper, huh. I've had it on meat before, but it didn't leave a strong impression."
"Well, it's just a spice, after all, Lady Rebecca. It's not the main ingredient."
"But it's more expensive than the main ingredient, isn't it?"
"That's true, indeed."
There were people who said that in the Sarasa era, pepper was as valuable as gold, but in reality, it wasn't that expensive. Nevertheless, it's undeniable that pepper was a highly prized spice for a long time. It's amazing to think that the black and white pepper grains, obtained from the earth, were considered precious treasures.
By the way, Rebecca, who was sitting next to Sara, didn't have many good memories of pepper. This was because Prince Adolf, who had once proposed to her, had sprinkled an excessive amount of pepper on his meat, just to show off. Rebecca thought the prince's behavior was tacky, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud at the time.
Still, Rebecca did think that pepper had a nice flavor. She just thought that if you used that much of it, the flavor would be lost.
At that time, Rebecca was thinking, "If Ms. Sara likes it, I'm sure I can honestly say I like the taste of pepper too." However, when Sara actually offered her pepper, she was immediately captivated by its charm and ended up playing the role of a socialite promoting pepper to the masses.
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