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“Flora. You shouldn’t eat that!”

“Porong♩?”

I wondered why that phrase wasn’t coming out.

In the meantime, Flora, with a puzzled expression, emptied a smaller leather pouch from her dress pocket into her palm, revealing a handful of shimmering Fairy Dust.

“Wait a second.”

“Contractor. But—”

Flora secured the pouch containing the mint-green Fairy Dust at her waist while lightly covering the other hand that held the Fairy Dust.

“Let’s just watch what’s happening for now.”

Before Catherine’s words had even finished, a gentle mint green glow burst out from the space between Flora’s clasped hands. The life force of the forest and earth, nurtured and amplified by Flora, pulsed vibrantly.

Wuuuuuuung—

The life force gathered into Flora’s hands. Grasses, trees, flowers, moss, and vines shed their vitality. It was as if pollen scattered in the wind had gathered into a single spot.

After some time had passed, the life force settled back down, and the slowly flickering Bolton Forest returned to its original state.

“Porong♪!”

A sound that seemed to signal the end. As Flora removed her hand, the sunlight hit the dust, making it sparkle brilliantly in mint-green hues. Flora quickly tossed it into her mouth.

Tada-da-da!

A series of small explosive sounds echoed out.

“Flora. Let me say it again, you shouldn’t eat that!”

“Porong♩? Porong porong♩. Porong~♪”

“You can’t just thrust that at me—stay away!”

This isn’t that kind of thing, I said, stepping back like I was seeing a cockroach while Flora kept pushing it toward me.

Whether they were making a comedy skit or not, Catherine showed curiosity and seemed intrigued.

“Hmm, that Fairy Dust concentrated with life force.”

“What kind of effect does that have?”

“Fairy Dust itself acts as an enhancer that amplifies effects when properly added to potions or catalysts.”

So, it’s like amplifying a potion that restores 100 HP to restore 120, Karem pointed to the shimmering green powder rushing at Mary.

“So, what’s the effect of that?”

“I don’t know.”

“That one?”

“I told you, I’m seeing it for the first time too.”

Catherine crossed her arms, looking like she wanted to pinch something—pinch!—yet her fingers kept getting blocked by Flora’s fingertips.

“If it were to be refined, I could understand, but I’ve never seen life force injected into Fairy Dust like that in my life.”

“Have you never heard of it?”

“Hmm… no.”

“Do you think it won’t have any effect if I eat it?”

Swoosh—

Even with her chin lifted in skepticism, Karem shrugged, thinking what could possibly be wrong.

Upon seeing that, Catherine let out a sigh.

At this point, there’s no convincing that would work.

‘That child wouldn’t refrain from eating it just because I told her not to.’

Fairy Dust itself has no effect.

No matter how much one eats, it gets expelled from the body as is.

This has been cross-verified by those who have eaten Fairy Dust in the past, including the current wizards—Catherine among them—through their own bodies.

Of course, it was a foolish action.

Also, being human, one can’t help it.

It’s light enough to scatter in a breeze.

A size slightly smaller than a grain of sand.

An inherent lack of effect leads to a decrease in caution.

So, it’s common to wipe one’s lips unknowingly, reflexively lick the residue with the tongue, and curiously pop it into one’s mouth.

(Of course, just because it has no effect doesn’t mean they won’t do that.)

Catherine was bold about this.

When people clean, dust ends up in their mouths, and it’s instinctual to lick sauce off one’s hands while cooking.

In any case, the concern stems from what effects might arise from potential alterations.

The life force injected into the Fairy Dust could have changed it externally. It was clear it was altered. It was still sparkling.

What the effect might be was why she was trying to dissuade it—

“No, since they ate it right in front of me and nothing harmful happened, I think if I see it once more, I’ll get a grip on it—”

“Flora. Let’s leave the ones who don’t like it behind. I want to try it too.”

“Hey, you little rascal.”

While some were worried, Catherine raised her head, flustered.

“My goodness. Are you really going to eat that? Seriously?”

Though it was already too late.

“Porong~♬?”

“Where, oh where—”

Karem carefully placed the mint-green Fairy Dust Flora had, right into his mouth.

Tada-da-da—!

“Uhm!? Hmm!?”

The powder began to explode as if it was fireworks.

The entire handful erupted in all directions inside their mouths, bouncing off the cheeks, roof of the mouth, and teeth, creating a continuous series of explosions.

“Haah… okay.”

Catherine swept her face as if tired.

“So, does it taste good?”

“Uhm, uhm? Hm?”

“Is it bad?”

Tada-da-da! Tada! Tada-da!

Gulp—

“It’s literally tasteless, no flavor at all.”

“So what’s that sound then?”

“As soon as this powder gets in my mouth, it goes pop-popping. It doesn’t hurt; it’s just stronger than when you drink cola—”

“Porong?”

“Oh, I’ll give you some later. For now, let’s try a bit more.”

Karem reached out for more dust from Flora, as if to say he would revisit. As Catherine stepped closer, he tossed it into his mouth.

Tada-da-da! Tada! Pow! Tada-da!

The popping continued, launching into the air. The sound reached outside, and Catherine’s eyes shone with curiosity.

“Hmm…”

“…Gasp. Contractor. I want to believe it’s not what I expect, but you don’t really mean to eat that, do you?”

“If there were toxins, the enhancement effect would have shown up long ago—”

Whether Mary was making a fuss or not.

Karem was lost deep in thought.

‘This seems familiar.’

It had been so long since he last tasted it, the memory was faint.

Not talking about flavor.

The Fairy Dust Flora had just shown in that process was tasteless and odorless.

No taste, no scent.

Yet this popping and exploding sensation… That… the name… yeah. He remembered.

Popping Candy.

It felt exactly like the popping candy you feel when you eat that signature ice cream from Baskin-X-Vince, the one whose name he couldn’t quite remember.

Of course, the popping doesn’t last forever, but that sensation lingered.

Tada-da-da! Tada! Tada-da!

“Oh, this is. Quite a fascinating yet familiar sensation. I feel like it’s more intense when drinking cola.”

Before he knew it, Catherine had joined Karem, sampling Flora’s Fairy Dust one pinch at a time.

“Plus, that bursting vitality felt when it pops in your mouth—”

“Even so, I am never eating that.”

To Mary’s more than pleasant reaction, she took a step back. Flora eyed her with a frown.

“Flora. Give me some of what’s in that pouch.”

“Porong~♪!”

Flora nodded, then hesitated, tilting her head for a moment.

“Porong♩?”

“I’ll make something tasty.”

As soon as those words dropped, Flora hastily threw the pouch she had tied at her waist to Karem.

“Oh, my Titania. Karem, my junior.”

Mary, who had been calming down from their conversation and Flora’s actions, was struck with shock again.

“Karem, my junior. Please don’t tell me you’re going to use that Fairy Dust to make some sort of dish or dessert!”

“Huh? I’m making ice cream.”

“Why on earth?”

“This popping sensation is just too fun, isn’t it?”

“Does that mean you’re going to just use material from Vermin in cooking?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

With an expressionless serious disdain, Mary looked displeased while Catherine alternated glances between both sides. Karem, leaving them behind, headed straight into the heart of Bolton Forest.

Seeing Mary’s serious dislike, there would be no help there. Though in the past, he would have delicately coaxed her, that wouldn’t work now.

“I have all the ingredients.”

The storage cabin in Bolton Forest was largely unchanged from his last visit. Karem immediately swept the ingredients into a wooden box.

Fresh cream and butter for making heavy cream, vanilla for flavor and color, raspberry jam, lemon, Mint’s Affair, Amadeus, a bag of sugar, and a small jar of salt.

It wasn’t perfect, but given he had something similar to popping candy, it should turn out alright, and he got straight to work.

Swoosh—

Just then, Mary, with tableware, quietly approached.

“Weren’t you the one who disliked mint?”

“I keep saying, I dislike hot Mint’s Affair, okay?”

“I’ll make the heavy cream.”

Mary quickly placed the tableware on the table and grabbed the butter pot and cream jar.

“But you’re trying to help? I thought you’d just sit idly since you hate it.”

“Ice cream has no sins.”

“Well, true.”

“And right now, Karem, my junior, is about to commit a grievous sin against ice cream.”

Mary’s wooden spatula thudded energetically against the pot.

“Are you sure you don’t want to think this over one more time?”

Even saying that, Karem reached out with a blank expression toward the melted butter Mary offered.

Cooling the butter with divine power, he muttered one phrase.

“Just do as you’re told.”

Karem spoke decisively, like a seashell under a spell.

With no hesitation in refusal, Mary made heavy cream with a gloomy expression, unable to overlook the impending contamination of cream as a house fairy.

In that way, sugar and salt were added to the heavy cream. After setting some aside and mixing each ingredient in, the liquid ice cream solution became four different flavors.

With vanilla ice cream at the center, the other three ice cream solutions and raspberry jam were slowly mixed by Mary. Just before it mixed completely, Karem grabbed the pot and channeled his divine power.

Saaaaaaah— Ssssss—

The ice cream liquid filled in the pot thickened and began to freeze slowly.

“Porong~♬”

At Flora’s cry, Mary closed her eyes.

How painful it was to hear that sound indicating it was all ready.

“Alright, pour it in slowly here.”

“Karem, my junior—”

But Flora wouldn’t wait for Mary.

Chururururururu—

Above the whirls of white, yellow, mint green, red, and brown, mint green glistening Fairy Dust poured down in a cascade, reflecting Mary’s dismal heart.

“Ah, Mary. My hand is slowing down.”

“Karem, my junior. I can’t bear to see this beautiful ice cream becoming contaminated.”

“Shall I stir instead?”

“But just because I close my eyes doesn’t mean I can’t do my job.”

With Karem shrugging to let things happen as they may, Mary watched the appetizing ice cream helplessly come together right in front of her eyes.

The white vanilla, yellow lemon, mint green mint, and deep brown Amadeus swirled together, with the red raspberry jam weaving between them, ultimately shimmering mint green, sprinkled with Fairy Dust.

What was completely frozen looked like ice cream spilling over like the Milky Way beginning to melt in the clear night sky.

“Shall we call it Pop Star Ice Cream?”

“Pop Star?”

“Is this name any good?”

At those words, Catherine shot a glance at Karem.

“The popping part is fine, but I don’t understand why there’s a star in it. It’s not bad though, but I’m just saying, is it really alright to mix it like this even if it’s a bit late?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Isn’t it going to be a flavor that’s neither here nor there?”

“It’s fine. I made sure it wouldn’t completely mix together.”

Karem scooped the brightly colored ice cream without hesitation, shaping it round and stacking it neatly in the bowl.

“Pororong~♬”

“Are you happy?”

“Porong.”

Flora, unconcerned with Mary’s mood, nodded. The pair of seedlings growing from her head danced along with her nodding.

“I’m glad you’re happy. Unlike me, who feels utterly disheartened.”

“Pororong~♪”

Flora casually dismissed Mary’s comment.

There was something far more important in this moment.

“Pororong-♪ Pororong-♩ Porong-♬”

Flora stared intently between the four chunks of ice cream in the bowl and Karem.

“Okay. Just eat it already.”

“!!!”

As soon as the words fell, Flora grabbed the bowl, and Karem picked up the remaining one along with a small spoon. Catherine was already seated at the table, waiting.

“Here comes the ice cream.”

“Hmm? Where’s Mary?”

Karem pointed slightly at the side. Mary, sitting next to him, was staring at the pot as if the floor had fallen through. Ah, Catherine understood at once.

“But there’s only one bowl. And a spoon?”

“Since we’ve gotten this far, let’s eat together. Given how Mary is right now.”

With a smirk, Catherine lightly chuckled, and Karem, feigning ignorance, presented the overflowing ice cream grandly.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Catherine chuckled softly as she enjoyed the ice cream.

 

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