Chapter 180

The Succession Ceremony (1)

Thanks to the experts on the Gallery, I managed to extract a considerable amount of honey.

The empty bottles left over from the Elixirs weren’t remotely sufficient, so I bought an entirely new barrel.

It was so large that I could barely wrap both arms around it.

The honeycomb itself was enormous, and the amount of honey inside it was equally staggering.

Even the barrel couldn’t hold all of it, so I poured the remainder into the empty Elixir bottles.

[Wild Grylls: Try some of this honey. It’s incredibly sweet.]

[Heavenly Demon: Thank you. Thanks to you, I am always given opportunities to taste such rare delicacies.]

[Wild Grylls: You give me Fasting Pills, Heavenly Demon. I’m always grateful.]

I gifted the excess honey to the fixed-nick users I was close to.

The first person I sent some to was the Heavenly Demon, followed by SwordMaster.

Since it wasn’t some medicinal treasure but ordinary honey that could be eaten immediately, SwordMaster gladly accepted it too.

[SwordMaster: Can I apply this to my skin?]

[Wild Grylls: Uh... Is honey good for your skin?]

[SwordMaster: I don’t know, but it came from the Forest of Four Seasons. Wouldn’t it be beneficial?]

[Wild Grylls: How would I know? But do you even need skincare, SwordMaster? I heard that becoming incredibly powerful slows down aging.]

[SwordMaster: That is true, but there’s no harm in becoming even prettier, is there? Handsome and beautiful people feel happy just by looking in a mirror.]

[Wild Grylls: If you come here, you could even bathe in honey. Interested?]

[SwordMaster: In truth, appearance alone cannot bring happiness.]

[Wild Grylls: Kek.]

Next, I gave some honey to Passing Dwarf.

[Passing Dwarf: Looks like I’ll be making mead for the first time in ages. Can you give me some of the honeycomb too?]

[Wild Grylls: I can, but are you planning to make alcohol with that too?]

[Passing Dwarf: Nah. I’m going to eat it as a snack. I don’t know whether it’s tree honeycomb or rock honeycomb, but do you have any idea how good that stuff is for your body?]

[Wild Grylls: Nope. No idea.]

Passing Dwarf explained it like this.

A beehive attached to a tree produced tree honey, while one attached to stone produced rock honey.

Honey was created from the nutrients gathered from countless flowers.

That meant the honeycomb containing it must also hold nutrients gathered from the flowers of the Forest of Four Seasons.

[Passing Dwarf: The problem is that we don’t know what kinds of flowers they came from. Some might be poisonous.]

[Wild Grylls: Then isn’t the honey dangerous too?::]

[Passing Dwarf: Nah. I heard the honey should be fine. The honeycomb is the problem. So, can you give me some?]

[Wild Grylls: After hearing that, I think it’s too dangerous to give you.]

[Passing Dwarf: Even if something goes wrong, I’ll probably just get diarrhea. Besides, you said a deer gave it to you, right? If anything happens, go skin the bastard.]

Passing Dwarf’s argument was quite reasonable.

The deer had given me this honeycomb. If it caused a problem, I could simply go after the deer.

Of course, considering the deer’s strength, it would be an extremely difficult fight, but it should be fine.

More importantly, I possessed not only Elixirs but also antidotes. I could prepare for the worst.

[Wild Grylls: Then I’ll try it first and tell you what happens later. That would be safer.]

[Passing Dwarf: Okay, LOL. By the way, can you give me some more honey? I need more if I’m going to make mead...]

[Wild Grylls: Good grief. LOL.]

He begged so desperately that I gave him some more.

It wasn’t as though the amount would make any noticeable difference anyway.

Afterward, I gifted honey to the others as well. Most of them were delighted.

There was only one person I couldn’t send any to: the All-Father. He wasn’t logged into the Gallery.

The All-Father hadn’t been very active recently. It seemed he had some personal matters to attend to.

Once I had finished distributing the honey, I looked at the honeycomb that remained after the extraction.

‘Should I try some?’

I had cut the honeycomb into neat sections to extract the honey.

Despite how much honey I had already collected, it was still dripping from the comb.

The barrel I had purchased was already full, so I had nowhere else to put it.

‘There aren’t any insects inside, right?’

I checked it again and again.

The interior was perfectly clean, without a single insect.

I then cut the honeycomb into bite-sized pieces.

Never in my life had I imagined that I would eat a honeycomb.

Next, I shared some with Speedy and my other animal companions.

If they ate it without any trouble, that meant I could eat it too.

“Nomnomnomnom!”

“Is it good?”

“Nyomnomnom!”

They ate it eagerly.

Even Speedy slowly but thoroughly chewed his piece despite his sluggish pace.

Speedy normally refused to eat anything he found even slightly suspicious, yet he ate the honeycomb without the slightest hesitation.

Judging from that, it probably wasn’t poisonous.

I turned a honey-dripping piece of comb over in my hand before placing it in my mouth.

“Nom. Munch, munch. Hmm?”

The moment I took a bite and savored the flavor, my eyes widened.

I already knew the honey was delicious, but I hadn’t expected the honeycomb itself to taste good too.

Its texture was unusual as well. It felt a little like eating a soft, chewy cookie.

A faint bitterness balanced out the intense sweetness, creating an excellent harmony.

‘It really is like a snack.’

The flavor passed with flying colors.

Still, I couldn’t let my guard down.

With things like this, symptoms often appeared only after some time had passed.

I sincerely hoped nothing would happen.

‘As for storing the honeycomb... I should buy another container.’

I purchased another container to store the honeycomb pieces.

Between this and the barrel of honey, containers were proving extremely useful. I might need to buy even more.

‘The succession ceremony is tomorrow, right?’

I sucked the honey off my fingers as I logged into the Gallery.

Since the succession ceremony was taking place the next day, nearly every post was about it.

None of those posts were helpful to me, but I was still envious.

‘I want to meet people too.’

It had been almost a month since I began living in the Forest of Four Seasons.

I had seen people before, but I had never actually met anyone.

Even the paladin riding the giraffe across the river hadn’t contacted(?) me.

I was beginning to wonder whether that had been my final opportunity.

‘People said that paladin was incredibly powerful... I don’t know.’

I had gone to the river from time to time to check, but the grassland from that day never reappeared.

There was only a different hellscape each time.

As I always thought, I was fortunate to be on this side.

“Hah!”

“Kyuu!”

“Hah!”

“Kyuu!”

As I thought that, I heard Kkobong and Wonmo’s spirited shouts.

I wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing, but Wonmo was moving his arms and legs beside Kkobong as he trained.

Perhaps because he had been born a bear, he had managed to rise onto his two stubby legs.

The sight of him moving his tiny arms in that position brought a smile to my face.

‘Is it because he’s still a baby? It looks like a child imitating what the rest of the family does.’

Until now, Wonmo had done nothing but eat, sleep, and poop.

What would happen if he started trying to imitate martial arts like this?

“Kyuuu...”

“Are you tired? Let’s wash up and go to sleep.”

What else would happen?

He would exhaust himself and go to bed early.

I barely managed to wash Wonmo as he tottered toward me with sleepy eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had spent such a fulfilling day, but he kept nodding off, making the task quite a struggle.

Afterward, I dried his fur until it was soft and fluffy by the campfire, then left him to sleep soundly.

‘I should start getting ready for bed too.’

It was late at night. Even by the Gallery’s time, it was about time to sleep.

I applied insect repellent to Kkobong and sent him outside.
Perhaps he had grown accustomed to sleeping outdoors because he left without a single complaint.

‘Should I build him a shed or something?’

He looked rather pitiful sleeping outside, but I decided to put that off until later.
 He had always slept outdoors, so he would probably be fine.
 He just needed to make sure he wasn’t bitten by any insects.

‘There haven’t been any noticeable symptoms so far.’

Quite some time had passed since I ate the honeycomb, yet no symptoms had appeared.

If anything, I felt more energetic.

Perhaps this was the effect of the nutrients from the flowers that the dwarf had mentioned.

‘More importantly, why did that deer give me the honeycomb?’

I still couldn’t understand why the deer had given me something so precious.

The only thing I had ever done for it was give it a campfire during winter.

‘If that really was the reason...’

Then I should give it another campfire when winter came again.

Alternatively, I could ask the raccoon family to share their fire with it.

The deer was incredibly powerful, so there was no harm in befriending it.

Since I planned to visit the arena again tomorrow, perhaps I could meet it there and try talking to it.

‘I should tell Kkobong to participate.’

With that thought, I closed my eyes.

All the while, I prayed that I would be able to meet another person as soon as possible.

The time had come to welcome the symbol of a new generation and the Empire’s second sun.

The succession ceremony.

It was the symbolic day on which Arnold would ascend to the imperial throne.

Naturally, the Messiah Empire—and its capital in particular—was bustling with preparations for the ceremony.

Every possible precaution had been taken to ensure that not a single mistake occurred during the event.

Of course, that applied only to those organizing the ceremony. The nobles and commoners were busy for entirely different reasons.

The nobles sought to forge new connections through the occasion, while the commoners hoped to earn money and reap various other benefits.

After all, the succession ceremony was practically a festival.

Among those attending the festivities were some truly prominent figures.

“My goodness. What exactly was that honey you ate yesterday? Your skin looks completely different.”

“Maybe it was because of the food you made, Mother, rather than the honey.”

It was Ash, the Swordmaster whose name was invariably mentioned whenever people discussed the strongest individuals on the continent.

Her mother showered her with compliments as she looked at Ash, who was dressed neatly in her formal uniform.

She certainly looked impressive in uniform, but what stood out most was her skin.

“As if. All you ever eat are snacks. Did that honey possess some extraordinary properties?”

“Nothing like that happened. It literally just improved my skin.”

“Just improved your skin? Look at your hands. They used to resemble a turtle’s shell, yet they became smooth overnight.”

Just as her mother said, Ash’s skin had undergone a remarkable transformation in a single day.

Given the heights she had reached, she normally possessed beauty comparable to that of a woman in her twenties.

However, there was one part of her body that had stubbornly refused to improve even after undergoing bodily rebirth.

Her hands.

Hands were essential to human civilization, yet they were also among the most harshly treated parts of the body.

Ash was a martial artist on top of that, so no amount of care had ever been enough to restore her hands.

Furthermore, thanks to her natural talent, she had undergone bodily rebirth at an exceptionally young age.

She had subjected her hands to relentless punishment ever since, leaving them as rough as a turtle’s shell.

“Hmm...”

Ash looked down at her hands after hearing her mother’s words.

Her hands truly were now delicate and graceful.

Only a day had passed since she ate the honey Grylls had given her, yet her skin had improved this dramatically.

‘Honestly, I’m not sure I like it.’

She could always hide her hands beneath gloves, and calluses were the mark of a martial artist.

Calluses also made it surprisingly comfortable to grip a sword.

When she had first started swinging one, the skin on her palms had been completely torn apart.

If she said any of that honestly, however, her mother would deliver a terrifying slap to her back. Ash therefore forced herself to tell a lie.

“That aside, your skin improved too, Mother.”

“Hohoho. You’re right.”

Ash wasn’t the only one who had benefited.

She hadn’t selfishly eaten all the honey herself. She had shared it with her mother.

Thanks to that, her mother’s skin now rivaled that of a young woman.

Even her wrinkles had faded. From a distance, someone might mistake them for sisters.

‘I never imagined its effects would be this powerful...’

Ash maintained a calm exterior, but inwardly, she was deeply shaken.

The honey was far too effective.

Its effects on Ash could be explained by the level she had attained, but the same couldn’t be said for her mother.

Her mother had been born a commoner and endured a lifetime of hardship. Ash was the one who had received the noble title.

Her mother’s appearance had therefore always reflected her true age, yet she now looked considerably younger.

‘Fortunately, Mother doesn’t use the Gallery.’

Ash probably wouldn’t have shared the honey if she did.

Still, seeing her mother so delighted put Ash’s heart at ease.

It felt as though she had finally done something truly meaningful for her mother after such a long time.

Ash walked onward with a contented smile.

“Hey, look over there.”

“My goodness. Isn’t that the House of Duke Mercedes?”

“It seems they’re attending the succession ceremony.”

Ash heard people murmuring as she made her way toward the ceremony.

She was so famous that she was accustomed to hearing people whisper about her.

But hearing them talk about someone else was a different matter.

She turned her head.

Someone was stepping out of a magnificent carriage.

‘The House of Duke Mercedes? So they’re attending too.’

Then again, there was nothing strange about a ducal family attending a succession ceremony.

However, something else was far more conspicuous.

The number of people.

The Duke and Duchess of Mercedes weren’t the only ones who emerged from the carriage. Two other women stepped out behind them.

“Huh? I-Isn’t that young lady...?”

“L-Lady Mercedes? Didn’t they say she was ill?”

“She’s beautiful...”

A beautiful woman reminiscent of snow falling from the heavens stepped out of the carriage.

Even her frosty expression could do nothing to conceal her beauty.

A modest-looking, brown-haired woman followed behind her.

Ash raised an eyebrow.

‘I heard she had an incurable disease. Has she recovered?’

Ash might have spent most of her life shut away at home, but she still knew what was happening in the world.

Moreover, since she used the Gallery regularly, all kinds of rumors reached her ears.

The Princess of Mercedes—Selena—should ordinarily have remained in seclusion because of her incurable illness.

It was exceedingly rare for her to appear in public like this.

‘Judging from her complexion, she doesn’t look sick at all. And her skin... Huh?’

The moment Ash saw Selena’s skin, she looked down at her own hand.

Her skin possessed a subtle radiance thanks to the honey.

Selena’s skin looked remarkably similar.

Selena appeared to notice Ash as well and turned her gaze toward her.

“...?”

Selena tilted her head.

Ash possessed beauty comparable to Selena’s, making her naturally conspicuous.

Yet what caught Selena’s attention even more was Ash’s skin.

“...Huh?”

Just like Ash, Selena alternated between looking at the other woman and examining her own skin.

‘...What is this?’

‘Something feels...’

A peculiar atmosphere formed between the two women.