Chapter 32: The Mischief of the Salt Rabbit

Oh.  

So, that thing’s a golem made of coal, huh?  

“Alright. I’ll catch them all and clean this up.”  

I gripped my pickaxe tightly and shouted threateningly.  

“Hey! Don’t you move!”  

But the rabbit golem glanced at me and then bolted away in a flash.  

I chased after it immediately, but it had already vanished from sight.  

“It’s too fast!”  

To make matters worse, there wasn’t just one or two of them.  

Thankfully, the rabbit golems weren’t aggressive, but at this rate, I wouldn’t be able to complete the mission the Floating Island gave me.  

What kind of prank did they play with the coal?  

Am I not going to catch even one?  

The nimble rabbit golems were too fast to hit with a pickaxe, let alone catch with my bare hands.  

Then—  

Hop, hop.  

“What’s that now?”  

A white rabbit darted past me.  

It had a slight pinkish hue.  

Among the pitch-black rabbit golems, this one stood out like a sore thumb.  

“That’s not coal! I’m definitely catching that one! Hey! Stop right there!”  

I’ve got to catch any new mineral I see.  

Before I knew it, I’d tossed my pickaxe aside and was chasing after the white rabbit’s tail.  

“It’s the size of a jujube, but it’s so fast.”  

I was panting heavily, but I had my vitality drink.  

I opened my canteen and gulped down some watermelon juice.  

My tired body gradually felt lighter.  

Think I’ll give up? 

Let’s see who wins, you or me!  

I ran and ran some more.  

“Take that!”  

I even threw a rock, but the agile rabbit dodged it effortlessly.  

“Argh! So annoying!”  

I need to use my head instead.  

Since it’s not a living creature, luring it with food won’t work.  

That leaves driving it into a corner.  

Hop, hop.  

The pinkish rabbit appeared in front of me again.  

“Let’s see…”  

I scanned the surroundings and spotted a recessed area in the wall.  

I could lure it there.  

“Alright! This time, I’ll catch you for sure!”  

I calculated carefully and charged at the rabbit.  

Scurry.  

“Good! Keep running that way!”  

After several attempts, I finally managed to corner the white rabbit.  

“Be good now. Just come here quietly.”  

I slowly tightened the encirclement.  

Then I lunged, arms outstretched to grab the rabbit.  

Boing. Thud!  

“Ow, my mouth!”  

The rabbit sprang up, kicked me in the face, and escaped.  

“Ugh, that hurts. I thought my face was going to break.”  

It really felt like I’d been hit by a rock.  

“Ptoo, ptoo. I got dirt in my mouth. Wait, why does the dirt taste… salty?”  

I licked my lips again.  

It was salty.  

“…Salt?!”  

That’s right. 

The powder the white rabbit left behind wasn’t sand—it was salt.  

“It was a salt rabbit? Pink salt, no less?!”  

The white rabbit’s true identity was rock salt.  

And not just any salt, but the high-end kind—pink salt.  

“It’s really salt?! Wow, this is huge!”  

Pink salt was considered a premium type of salt.  

“You’re mine. I’m going to catch you and make some fermented paste!”  

Shudder.  

The salt rabbit trembled and fled.  

For now, I decided to retreat.  

I hadn’t eaten properly all day, and at this rate, I’d just keep chasing the salt rabbit’s tail.  

I’ll come back better prepared.  

I picked up my discarded pickaxe and headed back to the surface.  

***  

It was already dark outside.  

Elenia swooped over when she saw me.  

“Why are your lips so red? Did you fall?”  

Though her tone was casual, she seemed worried, touching my swollen lips with her tiny hands.  

“I got kicked by a salt rabbit.”  

“You met a rabbit golem? They’re pretty fast, aren’t they? You’ll have a tough time catching them.”  

“No, but what’s with this spirit? Why’s it playing pranks with rocks?”  

“There’s a spirit dwelling deep in the Floating Island’s underground. It considers the underground its domain and doesn’t take kindly to intruders.”  

“So, this spirit or whatever is messing with me because it thinks I’m stealing its minerals?”  

“Probably thinks you’re barging in and taking its resources.”  

“Think I’ll give up? Now that I know the underground is full of resources, I’m going to keep pushing forward!”  

“I’ll cheer you on!”  

“Bbi-ii…!”  

Dorori, half-asleep, perked up at the loud noise, chirped in agreement, then fell back asleep.  

“By the way, this won’t bruise, right?”  

My lips were stinging.  

“It felt like getting hit by a flying rock. I was dizzy for a second.”  

“It looks like it’ll bruise. You’d better ice it.”  

“Yeah, I should.”  

I went to the Ice Cave, snapped off an icicle, and rubbed it around my lips.  

***  

The next day.  

“Yawn! I slept so well!”  

I stretched my arms wide.  

After yesterday’s battle with the rabbit, I’d passed out the moment I lay down.  

But as soon as I woke up, I saw Elenia staring at me.  

“Pfft! Your lips are all swollen!”  

Elenia burst out laughing, clutching her stomach and rolling around.  

“What? That bad?”  

I touched my lips, and they did feel quite swollen.  

I rushed to the well and checked my reflection in the water.  

“Argh! That rabbit! It ruined my handsome face!”  

My lips were bruised, splotched with purple and red.  

“Ow, my stomach! Pfft!”  

“Stop laughing! I’m serious right now!”  

Elenia wiped tears from her eyes.  

“That’s a proper bruise. It’ll take some time to fade.”  

“I can’t go around looking like this. It’s embarrassing. Is there an herb for bruises?”  

“For bruises, herbs that promote blood circulation would help. But it’s uncertain how quickly they’d work.”  

“Ugh.”  

Of all days, I had an appointment at the herb shop today.  

I didn’t want to show my face like this, but I couldn’t break a promise I’d made.  

First, I’d eat a hearty breakfast and think it over.  

I soaked some harvested rice in water and headed to the Ice Cave.  

I grabbed carrots, onions, and potatoes, peeled them, and chopped them finely.  

Then I put a piece of coal in the oven and lit it.  

I added the soaked rice and chopped vegetables to a pot with plenty of water.  

“Are you cooking rice?”  

“Not rice, porridge. I’m making it soupy with extra water.”  

Bubble, bubble.  

As the water boiled, white foam rose, and the savory aroma of rice tickled my nose.  

I carried the pot to the table.  

“Kids, time to eat!”  

“Food!”  

“HOO!”  

I scooped generous portions of porridge into bowls.  

“Try seasoning it with soy sauce.”  

I added a bit of soy sauce and mixed it in.  

Just looking at it made my mouth water.  

I blew on the hot porridge to cool it and took a bite.  

The vegetables and rice grains coated my mouth softly.  

“Mmm! Delicious!”  

My throat felt a bit dry in the morning, but the porridge went down smoothly.  

The soy sauce made all the difference.  

It could’ve been bland, but the soy sauce added a rich, savory flavor.  

I suddenly remembered taking potato pancakes to the Elf Forest after getting some soy sauce last time.  

The elves had gone crazy over the deep flavor of the soy sauce.  

By the way, I’ve saved up quite a bit of saffron.  

I wonder when I’ll be able to buy cypress seeds…  

As I imagined houses popping up around the Floating Island—  

Munch, munch.  

I noticed Elenia gobbling up rice grains as big as her palm.  

“Rice is delicious no matter how you eat it!”  

“They say in the Eastern Continent, people eat digestible porridge when they’re sick. Maybe eating this will help my bruise heal faster?”  

“With nutritious food like this, you’ll recover in no time.”  

With that hope, I scraped the bowl clean.  

 *** 

I had an appointment at the herb shop today, so I covered my bruised lips with a cloth and headed there.  

“Welcome… Wait, who are you?”  

Bernard grabbed a broom from under the counter.  

“Bernard, it’s me!”  

“…Fabir? I thought you were a bandit! Why are you covering your face?”  

“My lips are all swollen.”  

“Oh no. How’d that happen?”  

“I got hit by a flying rock.”  

“Who’d do something so dangerous? We need to catch them and teach them a lesson!”  

“I’m planning to catch it and make some fermented paste.”  

“F-Fermented paste? …Are you from the underworld or something?”  

“What? What do you mean?”  

“N-Nothing. Forget I said anything.”  

Bernard looked flustered.  

“This cloth is stuffy.”  

I took it off.  

“Pretty bad, huh?”  

“Huh? It looks fine to me.”  

“No way.”  

I checked my reflection in a glass window, and my lips looked completely normal.  

“It’s already healed.”  

They say food is the best medicine, and that porridge must’ve done the trick.  

A little later—  

“Since everyone’s here, let’s start the meeting.”  

Cayton arrived, and we sat around the table.  

“I suggested this meeting to hear your opinions on running the shop. Feel free to share any thoughts.”  

Bernard scratched his temple.  

“It’s hard to come up with something on the spot.”  

“Anything about what customers are looking for or any inconveniences? Especially you, Cayton, you’d know what adventurers need.”  

Bernard and Cayton exchanged glances, and Cayton spoke up.  

“There is something, but I’m not sure if I should mention it.”  

“Even the smallest thing is fine. Speak freely.”  

Cayton’s face turned slightly red.  

“It’s, uh, athlete’s foot…”  

“Athlete’s foot?”  

“It’s embarrassing, but I’m struggling with it. Not just me—most adventurers and mercenaries have it. We train in boots or combat shoes, so our feet are always sweaty.”  

Training hard enough to soak their clothes, their airtight shoes must be even worse.  

Bernard cleared his throat and chimed in.  

“Ahem. Actually, I have athlete’s foot too…”  

“You too, Bernard?”  

“It’s not just me. Lots of people deal with minor ailments. But there aren’t many good ways to treat them. Most just endure the discomfort.”  

Doctors are scarce and expensive, so unless it’s a major illness requiring surgery, people avoid hospitals.  

Alchemy shops aren’t much different—mostly selling combat-related items like first-aid potions or temporary buff elixirs.  

“Many customers come to the herb shop complaining about ailments. But herbs are hard to process and use.”  

“Minor ailments…”  

This was a potential market.  

It could also set the herb shop apart from alchemy shops.  

“That’s a great idea. Let’s lean into the herb shop’s strengths. Bernard, please keep passing along customer requests, and Cayton, advise me on behalf of adventurers.”  

Both nodded.  

“And Cayton, could I see the weapon you’re using?”  

“My weapon? Sure, that’s easy.”  

He handed me the weapon at his waist.  

“An iron sword. It’s well-sharpened—you take good care of it.”  

“But why the sudden interest in my weapon?”  

“I’ve been learning blacksmithing lately, so I’ve been really curious about equipment.”  

“B-Blacksmithing?”  

Cayton’s face lit up with excitement.  

“Fabir, is there anything you can’t do?”  

His eyes were filled with expectation.