Chapter 12: Pure Bliss! At Long Last...Mia Picks a Mushroom!

Now, back to the forest...

After enjoying a bit of flirting with Abel, Mia discovered that even more bliss awaited her.

“O-Oooh my...”

Trancelike, she walked toward the mushroom that had caught her attention. Slowly she extended her arm, only to freeze mid-motion. A sense of conditioned unease washed over her. Surely, someone would get in the way again. In Remno, the hunter Muzic had intervened. On the deserted island, Keithwood had subtly parried all her attempts and, in the end, allowed her to pick only herbs. Even when she was back home, the head chef had emphatically told her to stay away from mushrooms. But now... Now! At long last!

Her hand trembled as it inched closer to the mycologic MacGuffin, only to freeze again a hair’s breadth away. She turned toward Citrina, remembering the red-colored menace she’d once seen.

What was that mushroom called? Salamandrake, I think? Apparently, even touching that thing can ruin your day...

She looked hesitantly at Citrina, who glanced down at the object before them. The young girl nodded. Mia’s expression promptly blossomed. She pressed her hand to the mushroom.

Ah... So this is what mushrooms feel like... A little chilly to the touch. And coarser than I thought. But...it’s a mushroom!

Moved by this momentous occasion, she gently picked her prize from the ground. It was a craggy brown thing bearing more than a passing resemblance to a rock.

“Congratulations, Your Highness. That’s a brown rock fungus,” said Citrina.

“Brown rock fungus... Is it edible?”

“It’s a little bitter, but it’s edible.”

Mia felt a wave of emotion well up in her chest.

Aaah... I did it... I finally picked an edible mushroom with my own hands!

It had taken more than a year of dogged persistence, but she’d finally gotten a taste of the forbidden fruit that was mushroom hunting. And it was fantastic! Profoundly delighted by the thrill of plucking her first fungus from the soil, she exclaimed, “Marvelous! Let’s get picking, then!”

Cap after cap she collected, working with the quiet but intense concentration of a master artisan. When she brushed aside a patch of yellow leaves and pulled out a blue mushroom, Citrina chimed in with some advice.

“Ah, that’s a similar species to the brown rock fungus. It’s called blue rock fungus, and it’s very tough. If you stew it for a long time, it should become a little softer. It’s edible though.”

“Hm, I see. So this is a blue rock fungus. I remember reading about them in a book...” mumbled the self-proclaimed mushroom guide before moving on to her next target.

It was a good thing they had an actual mushroom guide with them. The route Citrina had picked for them proved perfect for the occasion, leading the group through numerous patches of different mushrooms. Mia all but squealed at the sheer variety on display.

“Look! There’s a different kind over here!”

The next mushroom she discovered was a gigantic one the size of her hat.

“Wow! Impressive, Your Highness. That’s a demonstone cap, and it’s rare to find one this big. It’s...technically edible, though it’s got a touch of acridity and tastes pretty bland otherwise.”

Following that, she dashed over to an equally gigantic blue mushroom. Citrina promptly followed, dispensing advice with the accuracy and detail of a true veteran.

“And that’s a blue demonstone cap. It’s a cousin of the demonstone cap, and it’s sort of bitter. Still, it’s...possible to make it edible with enough effort.”

“Oho ho, what a haul!”

After thoroughly plundering the local mushroom population, Mia was all but walking on air. A thought, however, suddenly occurred to her, dragging her back down to earth.

Hold on a minute... Is it just me, or have I not had any chances to demonstrate my expertise?

Reflecting on the day so far, she realized that she’d done little but run around picking mushrooms. She was supposed to be showcasing the wisdom of the Great Sage of the Empire, but that hadn’t happened at all. The cause, she decided, was Citrina, whose commentary kept beating her to the punch.

Hm... As a girl of the forest, I certainly know a good thing or two about mushrooms, but researching them isn’t exactly my main job. When it comes to sheer knowledge, I suppose it makes sense that I’d end up playing second fiddle...

Not that it was Citrina’s main job either, but anyway... In order to keep her pride as a girl of the forest from suffering any further dents, she turned to Citrina.

“Just so you know, Rina, you don’t have to stay with me the whole day. I’m sure the others would appreciate some advice from a knowledgeable guide like yourself as well.”

“Yes, I know that, Your Highness.”

Citrina smiled her sweet smile. And...just kept smiling. She made no attempt to leave or pick any mushrooms for herself. For some reason, it almost seemed like she was keeping an eye on Mia. Like a guard. Of course, as the daughter of a Tearmoon noble, it was entirely appropriate for Citrina to stay by the side of the Tearmoon princess. The problem was that her constant presence disrupted the whole dynamic, making it seem like Mia was a little rich kid on a field trip, and Citrina was the knowledgeable guardian who had to amuse her while keeping her from hurting herself. Mia considered herself a girl of mushrooms. She did not need adult supervision. Her pride would not stand for such treatment.

Not that Mia was actually a girl of mushrooms. Or the forest. But anyway... The thought cooled the mushroom hunting fervor that had consumed her mind. With her wits back about her, she realized something else too.

Hold on another minute... Is it just me, or are all the mushrooms I picked...sort of sketchy? They’re all a little bitter or bland or hard to chew.

In fact, upon closer review, Citrina’s choice of wording for every single one of her mushrooms had been “edible.” That was no way to describe food!

But no, this can’t be my fault. It has to be because only sketchy mushrooms grow around here. The location is bad, that’s all!

Just then, she heard her granddaughter’s voice.

“Rina, how’s this one?” asked Bel, holding up a mushroom.

“Ah, nice one, Bel. That’s called caviar fungus. They’re very tasty, especially when stewed. One sip, and you’ll be craving more for days to come.”

It’s the location! The location is bad!

Grandmother Mia suffered a terrible blow to her pride.

Gah! All right, well, it looks like I have no choice. Time to go deeper into the forest where tastier ones grow. Exquisite mushrooms, here I come!

“Mia, shall we stop for lunch soon?”

Until Rafina’s prompting, Mia had been utterly focused on the hunt. As a matter of fact, the extreme concentration she displayed was so daunting that multiple people had already attempted to ask her to stop, only to wither before her silent intensity. Rafina was the only person who dared disturb her. As a result, the basket Anne carried on her back was now overflowing with mushrooms. At least sixty percent of them were the “a little bitter but edible” kind. About twenty percent were straight up acrid. Only ten percent were reasonably palatable. Faced with this highly questionable collection, Mia couldn’t help but grimace. As a veteran mushroom guide, this was far from acceptable.

“Hold on... Just a little longer...”

Rafina frowned.

“I certainly understand that as the organizer of this event, you feel a responsibility to deliver good results...but I think a break would do us all some good. Look at poor Anne. She must be exhausted.”

Mia froze, eyes widening at the reminder. She’d been so focused on finding mushrooms that she’d forgotten about Anne. Running around picking was one thing, but having to lug her spoils around was something else entirely.

“Moons, you’re right... Anne... I’ve been terribly thoughtless.” Mia felt a tinge of regret. “I’m sorry. You must be very tired.”

“Nonsense, milady. I can do this for days,” said Anne, laughing brightly as she gave her chest a confident thump. Then, her voice grew more sober. “But that’s me. I think you should take a break, milady. No good will come of you overexerting yourself.”

Seeing the concern in her maid’s face, Mia found herself moved.

Such devotion... Anne truly is special. I’ve put her through all this, and she still won’t say a single bad thing about me.

She was so moved that...

Anne’s a forest novice. It must have been terribly difficult for her to keep up with a girl of the forest like me...

That...

She deserves to be rewarded for her unwavering devotion. And I know just the thing. I’m going to treat her to some exquisite mushroom stew if it’s the last thing I do!

...Her resolve to find better mushrooms only hardened.

Mia came to the clearing where the rest of the group had already finished lunch preparations. A mat was spread on the ground, upon which her friends had loosely arranged themselves and were now engaged in friendly conversation. Her pretextual goal of promoting solidarity among student council members through this event was, to her profound surprise, proving remarkably successful. Who would have thought? Not her, at least!

The collaborative cooking episode, in particular, had strengthened the bond between the boys. This was especially beneficial for Sapphias, who’d always had trouble fitting in. Now, he was chatting merrily away with casual confidence. The girls were not to be beaten though. Roused by the forest’s enchanting atmosphere, their volume and pace of conversation rivaled if not surpassed that of their counterparts.

“Mmm. Not a bad sight, if I do say so myself,” said Mia, regarding the scene.

The organic camaraderie on display was infectious, and she soon felt a growing desire to partake in the fun. Needless to say, her life during the previous timeline had been devoid of such pleasant activities as lunchtime picnics in a forest.

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Rafina. Her smile was gentle, but her voice was charged with emotion. “To see everyone, nobles and commoners alike, sitting level with each other, enjoying sandwiches in a forest clearing... What a wonderful lunch this is. And it’s all thanks to you, Mia.”

Bel, seeing that Mia’d arrived, beckoned excitedly.

“Miss Mia, come on! Over here!”

Mia complied, seating herself on the mat. With, by the way, Abel on one side and Sion on the other. What, did you think she was going to sit beside Bel? Of course not. Mia was here to revel in youth. The season might be autumn, but her spring was in full bloom. Positioned comfortably between two handsome boys, she was ready to have the time of her life! Before anyone starts imagining this scene though, let it be restated that Mia was still wearing her peculiar mushroom getup. Therefore, it looked more like Mushroom Princess Mia being waited upon by a pair of handsome human servants who used to be princes of kingdoms that had fallen to her fungal onslaught.

Further down, Bel sat beside Sion, and Citrina beside her. Bel, for her part, was delighted by the seating arrangement.

“Well,” Sion quipped at Mia as soon as she sat down, “now that we’ve waged a good campaign against the fungi, I think it’s time to compare our spoils. How’s yours, Mia? Will Tearmoon’s dignity survive intact?”

Mia regarded him, considered this rare outburst of lighthearted humor from the Sunkland prince, and smirked.

Oho ho. Oh, Sion, Sion, Sion. You try so hard to put on a serious face all the time, but a little picnic, a little atmosphere, and you revert right back to the child you are!

Whether her own mental maturity was sufficient to warrant such a belittling stance was debatable, but in any case, she replied defiantly, “Oh, I don’t know, but it’s probably in better shape than Sunkland’s.”

“Oh really? I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you...” he said, glancing toward his own basket.

Mia followed his gaze to discover a mound of mushrooms protruding from the top. Most of them, if she remembered correctly, were ones Citrina had deemed “tasty.” She growled and looked at the mound of mushrooms protruding from her own basket. Most of them were ones Citrina had deemed “not poisonous.”

“I’ll have you know... This battle’s not over yet. It’s only just begun...” she said with a sullen snarl.

Sion chuckled with delight.

“Fair enough. In that case, you’d better rest up and recharge so you can put up a better fight in the afternoon.”

Before she could snarl again at his infuriating attitude, a glass of water slid into view before her.

“Here, have a sip, Mia.”

“My, Abel. Thank you.”

“Yeah, that outfit of yours looks pretty hot. I figured you’d appreciate a drink.”

“I certainly would.”

Her clothes were a little on the hot side. She dabbed some sweat from her brow and took a sip. Refreshingly cool water flowed down her throat. She gulped down a few more mouthfuls and let out a satisfied breath.

I didn’t realize before, but I think I’m actually pretty tired. I really should get some rest before going for round two in the afternoon, she thought as she turned her attention toward the food on display. Before that though...I need to pass some judgment. All right, boys, let’s see what you’ve got.

She stared at the sandwiches with the kind of intensity usually reserved for protagonists who’d finally found the villain who’d murdered their parents.

“Time to give these a try,” she said, picking up one of the sandwiches.

Hm... Shape-wise, there’s nothing remarkable. It’s just the usual shape of bread... Minus one point for lack of originality.

With that snobbish initial assessment, she proceeded to rip a piece of just the bread off and put it in her mouth.

“Hmm... It’s pretty good. There’s a gentle sweetness to it that’s quite delectable.”

Mia’s taste buds were generally of the same maturity as herself. That is to say, she had the palate of a child, which bore an unconditional love for all things sweet.

“Ha ha, it’s an honor to receive such high praise from you.”

Sion flashed a courteous smile her way.

“...Ah, right. You made the dough, didn’t you?”

“He sure did!” Bel piped up. “Isn’t he talented, Miss Mia?”

She gave her granddaughter an icy look.

All right, simmer down, girl. It’s just bread. Ugh, she can be such a fangirl sometimes. I mean, yes, it’s pretty good bread, but it’s still just bread. I’m eating a sandwich right now. Sandwiches are all about the harmony between the container and the contents. The bread and the filling! It’s the sum of the parts that determines the whole!

With the hauteur of an armchair expert and the pretension of an overeager foodie, she mentally pontificated about the essence of sandwiches. Then, she bit into it, filling and all. Her eyes immediately doubled in size!

It’s...so good!

The crisp crackle of fresh greens giving way between her teeth was followed by the rich flavor of fried egg, further embellished by a mellow sourness—white sauce, presumably—and the fragrant salty savoriness of smoked meat. The inside of her mouth was transformed into a culinary wonderland.

H-How... How come they can make it taste this good on their first try? This... This is not fair!

“How is it? We tried our best, but...”

She looked up to find Abel’s anxious face. Beside him, three others with equally expectant expressions—Sion, Keithwood, and Sapphias—were all waiting with breath bated to hear her thoughts. As she looked from face to anticipatory face, it finally dawned on her that she’d been defeated. It wasn’t, she realized, about marriageability. She’d been fighting the wrong battle. They, the ones who were wholeheartedly enjoying themselves, were clearly the true winners of the day. That was why, after a brief moment of contemplation, she said...

“It’s...delicious. Absolutely delicious.”

Her earnest compliment elicited earnest smiles. She watched as the boys looked at one another, faces all aglow with pride, and found herself a tad jealous. It lit a fire in her that...

Well, seeing as how they worked so hard to provide us with a tasty lunch, I’d better return the favor...by treating them to some exquisite mushroom stew! Delicious mushrooms, here I come!

...Again, only hardened her resolve.

In fact, that reminds me. This mushroom hunting trip isn’t just fun and games at all. My life is riding on it...

The steady chewing of scrumptious sandwiches, coupled with the accompanying nutrients, activated her non-fungal thought centers again, causing her to recall a rather crucial fact. Why had she proposed a mushroom hunting trip in the first place? Had it been to enjoy a pot of exquisite mushroom stew? Nay! It was to prevent her from succumbing to the allure of other foods on the night of the Holy Eve Festival. By hosting a mushroom stew party with the student council, she was hoping to protect herself from the Chaos Serpents. Specifically, she was relying on the stew’s mind-melting fungal goodness to overwhelm her enemy’s culinary temptations. There was, in fact, a totally serious reason for this trip! She wasn’t picking mushrooms like her life depended on it. She was picking mushrooms because her life did depend on it!

So how, then, did her current finds look from this perspective? If the Serpents assaulted her with exotic sweets, did the mushrooms in her basket possess the fortitude to subdue their saccharine strength? They, with their bitterness and “technical” edibility? What were the chances they could hold her stomach against her foe’s onslaught of dangerous delicacies?

Sadly, the answer was zero. Zip, zilch, nada! She was going to need tastier mushrooms. Much, much tastier... The ones that grew deep in the forest. She needed...Belluga mushrooms. The question was how to get to them.

I can’t exactly bring up the idea with the others. They’ll just shoot it down. And then keep an even closer eye on me. That’ll only make things harder. If I go, I’ll have to go by myself... In which case, I have to figure out how to sneak away... In particular... She eyed the girl next to Bel. Unfortunately, Citrina’s being a good Tearmoon noble and sticking close to me. I’ll have to shake her. But how... Think, Mia, think. What can I do to get my hands on tastier mushrooms? Hm...

“I’m sorry? What was that, Mia?” asked Rafina.

Too absorbed in her own thoughts, Mia failed to hear.

“Yes, tasty mushrooms... Need more... Much more... Tasty tasty...”

Her mumbling trance brought her to her feet, at which point Rafina asked again, “Mia? What’s the matter?”

The second prompt brought Mia back to her senses. She looked around and realized she was the only one standing up, and everyone was staring at her.

“Huh? O-Oh, um... I just, uh...”

She stammered for a few seconds, struggling to find a suitable excuse.

Th-This is bad! I was so focused on getting deeper into the forest that my body just acted on its own!

Panic rose. She could feel it crawling up her increasingly parched throat before ejecting itself in the form of, “F-Felt like going for a stroll. To, um, pick some mushrooms...”

Obviously, that was no excuse. It was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Which was the exact opposite of what she’d wanted!

Gah! I just blurted it out! Now they know I want to go into deeper parts of the forest to pick mushrooms, and they’re going to stop me!

The activation of her thought centers proved woefully short-lived. Though the sandwiches were nutritious, they weren’t up to the task of powering her brain for long. Presumably, if she wanted to get any real thinking done, she’d need proper Mia fuel—sugar. Sadly, there was none available.

Oh no, this is hopeless... I can’t think of a way to talk myself out of this...

Just as she began to give in to despair...

“Pick some mushrooms? What do you— Oh.”

Someone—she wasn’t sure who—uttered the abruptly truncated question that ended in a realization immediately shared by everyone else present. A unanimous “Ooooooh” of understanding made its way through the group. The boys looked away awkwardly. One of them muttered a “just keep an eye out, then.”

“Uh... Okay? Sure?”

Mia scratched her head, not sure what to make of the response. Anne alone made to rise, clearly intending to follow her.

“Wait, Anne, it’s okay. Just stay here and get some rest,” Mia hastily said.

Unlike me, Anne’s a forest novice. It would be unreasonable to make her come with me.

She smiled at Anne to reassure her.

“I’ll be fine on my own.”

Then, she walked off.

Now, for the slightly obtuse among you, some explanation is likely in order. “Going to pick some flowers” was a common euphemism for ladies who had to answer the call of nature while outdoors. The group had all clued in to what—they thought, at least—Mia meant by her statement, figuring she’d taken advantage of the occasion to engage in some wordplay and enhance the euphemistic nature of the phrase. No one expected her to stand up in the middle of lunch...and actually run off to pick mushrooms by herself. That would fly in the face of all common sense—the very common sense that blinded them to her true intention.

“Oho ho! I can’t believe how well that worked!”

Mia hummed as she made her way deeper into the forest, delighted by how she’d managed to give the group the slip.

“I have to say though, they sure let me off easy. I wonder why?”

It seemed baffling to her...until she had a flash of inspiration!

“Oh, what am I talking about? It’s so obvious. I’m a girl of the forest. I can handle myself out here. They’re just finally realizing that now. It must have been the basket of mushrooms I brought back. Taste aside, that was a pretty handsome haul, if I do say so myself.”

Motivated by the thought, she nodded to herself and pressed forward.

“Hm, according to the map, going this way from the clearing should...” she mumbled, parting branches from her path like an intrepid explorer.

Soon, she came upon a precipice that prevented further progress.

“Huh. This cliff...wasn’t on the map.”

Arms crossed in thought, she peered over the edge. Yellow foliage protruded from the cliff side, obscuring her view of what lay below.

“I can’t see down. That’s a problem. Should I try to get down somehow? Or should I go around? Hmm... Where would those mushrooms grow? Down this cliff...? Or somewhere past it...”

The cliff didn’t seem particularly high. With some care, she could probably climb down. After a little thought, she decided to follow her gut.

“The correct choice...is definitely to go around! My veteran mushroom guide instincts say so!”

...It was definitely her instincts. She was just following her heart. It definitely had nothing to do with the climb down seeming like a lot of effort. Just saying.

“All right, let’s try going left along the edge...”

She began walking, keeping the cliff to her right. Barely five steps later, she heard someone call her name.

“Your Highness!”

“My, who’s that?”

Stopping to look in the direction of the voice, she saw Citrina jogging toward her. Her cover was blown, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She waited patiently for Citrina to catch up. The young girl stopped right in front of her and put on her usual angelic smile.

“Jeez, Your Highness, you can’t be running off by yourself like that. Not this deep in the forest...” Citrina said, her lips somehow forming words without ever breaking that sweet smile of hers. “What if something happened to you, hm? What would you do then, Your Highness?”

She just...kept smiling. Even as she spoke. Even as she abruptly gave her head a curious tilt, the motion puppet-like. All the while, her smile remained unchanged. It was so sweet. So endearing. The adorable quirk of a young child. And yet, for some reason...it chilled Mia to the bone.

M-My... Am I getting goosebumps? What’s going on? I feel oddly cold...

“Well? What would you do, Your Highness? If something happened to you? Hm?”

Citrina looked up at Mia with her big doll-like eyes. Mia tensed. She felt a primal urge to back away. Just then...

“Miss Mia! Rina!”

...Bel appeared in the distance behind Citrina, hand waving eagerly as she ran toward them.

“Oh, Bel... I told you to wait for me...” Citrina said under her breath. As she did, Mia felt the chill gripping her wane.

Wh-What in the moons was that?

She frowned at the strange phenomenon, but a shrill shriek broke her contemplation.

“Eek!”

Bel lurched forward, slipping on the yellow carpet of wet leaves.

“Ah—”

The same shocked sound left the mouth of both observers as they watched Bel take a mighty fall. The motion flung a small object from her, sending it in an arc through the air.

“What’s that?”

Mia stared dumbfounded as the object flew past her, revealing itself to be the small troya charm that Bel had put her heart and soul into making. Its trajectory took it out over the edge, but before falling downward, it caught on the branch of a tree growing diagonally outward from the cliff.

“Oh... Thank the moons...”

Mia let out a breath she’d been holding. It coincided with an identical sound nearby. Citrina had evidently done the same.

“Well, how lucky,” Citrina said to Bel after quickly recomposing herself. “That’s not too far out. We should be able to get it back.”

Bel, however, took a look at the protruding tree before giving her head a shake.

“No, it’s too dangerous. If we slip, we’ll fall off the cliff.” She smiled. “It’s all right. I can always make another. After all, it doesn’t matter how tightly you try to hold on to a thing. When it’s time for it to go, it goes. That’s just how it is.”

Her mask of nonchalance was betrayed by a forlorn glance at the dangling troya.

Mia bit her lip. This would never have happened had she not forced the issue and snuck off into the forest herself. Guilt began to bear down on her conscience. It quivered under the weight. Moreover, she knew that Bel had worked hard to make that pair of charms so that she and Citrina could match. True, she could just make another one. But that wasn’t the problem.

That charm is one of a kind. Bel poured her heart and soul into making it. Another couldn’t just take its place. Which means it’s too soon to give up.

Fortunately, the tree that had caught the charm was thick. It would take some careful climbing, but retrieving it seemed well within the realm of possibility. Especially for Mia, since she was a girl of the forest. Having thoroughly convinced herself of her competence in this matter, she turned to Bel and spoke in an assertive tone.

“You’re right, Bel. No matter how much you treasure something, no matter how tightly you hold on to it, when it’s time for it to go, it will certainly go. This is true. But.” She placed a hand on the charm-bearing tree. “That’s no reason to give up without even trying.”

“Miss Mia? What are you doing?” asked Bel, eyes wide with shock.

“What I’m doing,” said Mia, turning to fully face the tree, “is demonstrating the importance of effort, because the possibility of losing something is no excuse for not trying your absolute hardest to hold onto it!”

With that, she leapt onto the trunk. It extended diagonally outward from the cliff at an angle that wasn’t too hard to climb. She wormed her way up, trying not to think about the absence of any visible ground below.

It’s okay. I’m a forest veteran. Well, I’m a mushroom veteran, but that should still mean I can climb trees no problem.

The logical validity of her mushroom-forest equivalence notwithstanding, she was full of confidence. Flashing an intrepid smile at an awe-struck Bel, Grandmother Mia looked every bit the storybook hero about to pull off an incredible feat that would earn the eternal admiration of her breathless granddaughter.

And then she slipped and fell.

“Gaaaaaaaaaah!”