Tempest Winters
The visitors come and go, but their routines don't change.
Youm's party comes back for resupplying as well as more training. Milim comes to play and help out.
Winter finally came.
'...our first snow in Jura...' Yamamoto mused as he got up to open the windows.
Normally, this is a no-no as cold air will flow in, into a house where heating is still weak in winter back in Japan.
But thanks to magic, heating is very cozy here that when cold wind flowed inside, it turned into warm air in a jiffy.
'Yeah, but what extreme snow, it's about to reach our windows!' Ryohei sputtered out, bug-eyed.
'Come on you guys, we have to clear the stuff out! All Flame Users has to help!' Gokudera called out.
'Oh, coming!'
The Snow-Clearing Brigade, are all magic-users.
Benimaru, and the Dying Will Flame users.
Rimuru would have joined in but he was too busy leading for Winter Activity to keep snowy mess off the town.
Rommel was made to do shovel work with his buddies to develop more muscles to defy the tropes that 'Mages are Physically Weak'. The reason Nagi does snow-melting with them instead of shoveling was because a man and woman's muscular structure are different. Thus had to be trained differently or Nagi's future as a woman would be terrible if she trained her body wrong and ate the wrong diet. That Touka set a good example to Nagi so upon adoption by the Kijin Siblings, Shuna cooks her food differently and eats different food from everyone else in the house.
For monsters, diet is of little issue as anything they eat feeds correct evolution so they don't have worries like humans do regarding hormones influencing a body's growth. Touka used to worry about that back when she was human that she took care of her orphanage that they all grew up good-looking by the time they're all thirteen years old, good enough to attend Freedom Academy.
By that, she meant eating well, and the right training.
Because the rich look down on Commoners, because commoners cannot afford education unless you're born into a well-off family.
In medieval times, your status is affected by how educated you are. There's no escaping it.
'You know, I'm starting to get used to the idea but I would have been happier ignorant before,' said Mukuro as because winter is very chilly, communal hotpots are a staple, where everyone eats together at the town square.
As well as giant spider monsters as the main ingredient or giant monster fish enough to make barracudas piss themselves.
'I'm trying to think of it as bland crab, OK?' Gokudera whimpered, crying comical waterfalls. 'Bland crab meat as long as I'm ignoring what's obvious.'
Bland Crab indeed, Yamamoto thought. Spiders have an 'earthy taste' to it as opposed to real crab, even though in regards to taste, it's delicious and fluffy. Crabs have an umami flavor and chewy meat due to being in the ocean.
And considering Gokudera sat in an unfortunate place on their table, where he could see the freaky sight of the giant spider's eyes and mouth peeking from the large pot. That's what he gets for being slow to the table because he was too fussy with his looks.
If not for his vanity, he could have been easily the fastest human in Tempest due to his Art.
But still, monster food is delicious.
Because Jura Forest is a forest thick with magicules that tribes and aggressors thrive here, what was once, human crops mutated to monster crops. Affecting either size or flavor or both depending on mutation.
Heck, they haven't seen leek slices the size of pipes until now, or sweet potatoes that is to die for it made sweet potatoes back in earth seem bland in comparison.
And every after meals, Touka would help their bodies assimilate nutrition by rapid digestion and they eat as much as they can until Vitamin and Mineral RDI Requirements are met. But in Nagi's case, must be treated by both Hibari and Gokudera.
Lessening testosterone levels and increasing estrogen, to safe levels.
Women still need testosterone as it helps with the growth, maintenance, and repair of a woman's reproductive tissues, bone mass, and human behaviors. So just enough is left for her while just enough of estrogen is good to grow up more feminine as years go by, because too much is bad as well, to quote Gokudera who was an 'unlicensed Ph.D scholar' in their group.
The boys also needed 'adjusting' growing up, especially Lambo.
xxx
Rimuru introduced Christmas to Tempest.
'We have Tanabata and now Christmas...what next?' said Ryohei, delighted as everyone wore santa outfits for the day.
'New Year's of course! But I can't make fireworks...' Gokudera pouted. 'So fireworks will be colorful fire magic instead...' he complained.
'It can't be helped.' said Hibari. 'The humans of this world are too war-happy. And there's few civilizations as it is. If we introduced bombs here, we might as well be the cause of Mass Genocide in here.' he reminded him.
'That's true...'
'Anyway, Touka's gonna make a lot of cakes and pastries for Christmas so she's gone to Blumund to buy baking goods.' said Mukuro. 'Stupid people here only know how to make bread. Rimuru and Touka introduced noodles and cakes here.'
'Ohhh...'
And come Christmas Feast?
It was a massive gathering, that even Cabal's party came. Fuze couldn't come as all Branch Guildmasters gather to party in Ingrassia's Main Branch, as well as carrying data regarding their respective Jurisdictions over.
Its not a Christmas Feast for the Freedom Guild but rather 'End-of-the-Year' Feast. Though it doesn't change the fact that they're all required to wear Santa Outfits...
And so, in Tempest...
The happiest was Milim who saw cakes only the wealthy can buy in high-class patisseries!
'WOOOOOOWWWW!' her eyes shone. 'This town is the beeeeest!' she squealed.
'Wow, I doubt even the bigwigs in the capital can afford these!' Youm's eyes popped out as the humans marveled at the cakes.
This, combined with the real-flashy festivities, it even outdone the Royal Capital Festival.
'I'm getting deluded from all this, I think.' said Rommel sheepishly as he was overwhelmed by how bonggacious Tempest Festivals are. It was too amazing for the medieval natives while for the Japanese, this was what was normal back home.
'Well, get used to it.' said Rimuru cheerfully. 'My town is the land of fun and comfort after all!' he bragged to them.
Well, Rimuru wasn't kidding. Life here, is just too cozy and a paradise when before, they had to wonder when their next meal will come.
The goblins have it the hardest. The Orcs somewhat still have food in their days as slaves before their expulsion for not making it in time for taxes and suffered an Exodus Hunger for months and even worse under Orc Lord. The Kijin have it better, being civilized thanks to their Japanese Roots, courtesy of an edo jidai otherworlder in Hakurou's human grandfather that they got better homes, clothes, tools and equipment, training and farming know-how.
'We worked hard on those!' Touka chimed as she and Shuna glowed in pride as even though Touka was clumsy and a poor performer back in Earth, it didn't stop her from reading cookbooks. Hence her knowledge as an Otaku came in handy now, and Shuna learned from Touka. This, combining their Unique Skills, made delicious treats.
Meanwhile in Jistav?
Clayman who was spying on Milim to plan on using her for his future plans found his pride utterly offended as how can a barbaric town of monsters, make better cakes than he?! Milim was happily admiring those works of art which was why she wasn't coming over when invited! He's how twelve turn downs only Frey was coming!
'UUUUUUNNNNFOOOOORRRRRGIIIIIIIVAAAAAAABBBBLLLLLLLLLEEEEE!' he howled in offended rage as he was on fire, startling Laplace who came to visit.
'Oi oi, what got ya howlin' about?' he asked, sweatdropping while carrying a box of Clayman's requested goods.
Laplace found himself complained to by an unhappy Clayman and when he looked at the crystal ball, he choked hard... 'Ya gotta be kiddin' me! How'd they get stuff like those?!'
So at Ingrassia?
'So yes, Clayman's most upset. Fuck, I'm upset too yanno?' Laplace complained gloomily to Yuuki with a whimper. 'There's no shop here in Ingrassia supplyin' those cakes! It's so unfair!'
'Eh? Lemme see lemme see...' Laplace showed Yuuki recorded footages of Tempest's Christmas Party and he choked in jealous dismay.
'No way! I wonder if Yoshida can make these cakes?!'
When asked?
'You gotta be kidding boss, because I was yanked here by this world, I didn't get to finish my last two years in Patisserie School!' Yoshida complained to Yuuki when he saw what's on the crystal balls. 'There's no way I can make those without knowing how!' he wailed in dismay.
'Uweeee...' Yuuki whimpered in disappointment. He couldn't make cakes like those since he was yeeted to this world at the wrong time!
Sooo yes, they can only dream...
xxx
Come New Year's Eve?
Kimonos and Furisodes are a trend. The ladies looked their best as they never had to worry about costs of high-end kimonos and silk was 'very cheap it almost costs NOTHING' because monsters can easily obtain silk, while human adventurers risk life and limb to explore Jura for silk that prices in human nations are astronomical. Especially those fancy combs and hairpins!
Even kimonos for the men are high class.
'Yanno, we usually rent kimonos in Japan and only the rich can wear silk, well-offs like us have to scrimp for cotton or just wear the rough-feeling ones.' said Ryohei, happy that he gets to wear silk for male kimonos. 'I just wish my family can wear these too.' he said, looking at himself in the mirror.
'Well, no way home, that's the problem.' Yamamoto sighed.
He and Ryohei are wondering about their families back home.
The only ones fine about their situation, were Touka, Hibari, Mukuro, Gokudera, Nagi and Lambo.
They already know Touka's situation.
It's just Hibari and a granduncle who he never saw in his life and some servants anyway. As far as he's concerned, he grew up alone. His parents died from a car accident when he was young that it was servants raising him so he didn't miss much.
Gokudera said his family life is 'crazy, dangerous and he would have died if he didn't run'.
Mukuro said 'his life was hell in Italy' he only worried for his fellow orphans back home who were survivors of 'Italian-wannabe Unit 731'. Gokudera was horrified, especially as something like that, still existed. He worries about them since he was their leader and is the reason they could get by.
Lambo who finally 'got smarter' thanks to Mukuro realized how bad his life was and decided running is better than sticking around, he was glad he met 'a lotta good people' who'd actually help him.
Nagi feels she lives with strangers she had to call parents and they don't care back, she was jealous of her peers since Kindergarten. Here, all monster adults treat her well.
So Yamamoto and Ryohei resolved that even if there's no way home, they would live lives they can be proud of to answer their regrets.
xxx
That morning, was the Shrine Prayer. Aaaaand the Council decided Rimuru was the God they'd pray to for good luck instead.
The humans found that WEIRD but unable to comment...heck, even Rimuru was weirded out.
And now?
It's a Hanetsuki Game from Hell and a three way bombastic hell by Shion, Touka and Milim that the saner ones noped themselves out of there. They opted to have a graduation instead for the human kids who learned enough of their new world.
Winter continued, and it will till er, this world's February.
The thing is, a year here, is 16 months as opposed to Earth's 12. That seasons are a lot longer as a result.
'Hey Touka, there's no Setsubun, how come?' Yamamoto asked Touka.
'Er, with Kijin around? I think not.' said Touka wryly. 'The Kijin were Oni before evolving y'know.' the humans gulped. They can imagine what the Kijin would think and feel if Setsubun was invented. 'Rimuru-sama and I dare not.'
Truthfully, Rimuru almost considered it until Touka put her foot down and reminded him just WHO lives in their town.
And soon, Nagi, Lambo and Rommel 'graduated' Touka's hellish course, successfully obtaining Chant Annulment. They all heard the Voice of the World.
'Mm! That's good to know! See what I mean when hearing the Voice of the World?' Touka told her three magic students.
'Yes but, I have no idea obtaining skills is tougher than Arts!' Rommel gasped out, reeling from stress from controlling and using up too much magicules with his staff while Lambo and Nagi are spent on the grounds.
The difference between native humans and otherworlders is that Otherworlder Humans have their own innate magicule pool like majin. Natives on the other hand, rely on magical tools to draw magicules from the atmosphere and manipulate it. The only common thing between native humans, otherworlder humans and majin is that they use mental power and incantations as a medium.
But for magic users with Chant Annulment, they rely on their mental power and their imagination instead as a medium, and projecting them with magicules to cause the phenomena known as magic.
'And I thought Youm-san's training was hellish...this is worse!' Rommel moaned, tasting immense mental stress, but it was all worth it that he cheered up.
'Well, humans trying to obtain skills must undergo incredible hardship while undergoing hard work to obtain a skill.' Touka snorted. 'If you think this is tough, training to be an Enlightened or Saint is a hundred times tougher! However, Skill Training is easier compared to the latter two.'
'Then what's next?' Lambo asked Touka groggily.
'Magic Sense.' Touka grinned. 'It's an is an indispensable skill that has the ability to see 360 degrees around them, without a single blind-spot. With this, even if one's eyes and ears are crushed, one can continue combat.' she told them. 'Ambushes become impossible since the users are aware of their environment in battle even if they are blind ed or rendered deaf. By observing the fluctuation of light-wave and dark waves, one can calculate the appearance of the surrounding. To use this skill one must know what light and darkness look like.' she explained. 'That way, even if some dirty bastard blinded you and ruined your ears, it won't change a thing. You can still see and hear, through magicules.'
'I'll start your training three days from now. You guys rest as any more, you're gonna collapse. Mental Stress and Magical Training Stress is not something that can be cured by Potions y'know. So for three days, bed rest and do nothing but eat, sleep and the bathroom. Have some folks deliver food to you on those days before back to work we go.'
They comically cried tears of joy, glad for a break.
And so...
'Wow, you're like a limp noodle.' said one guy in the men's dorms...which was basically just a tent. Rommel was on his bed, indeed, lying down on his bed limply.
'What we did is no joke, my head feels like its squeezed dry of juice.' said Rommel miserably, the very personification of stress. 'Help me for three days like Touka-san said...'
'Yeah yeah.'
xxx
'We haven't seen you for three days, what happened?' Gokudera asked the pair who came to school lethargic-looking. As of the New Year, they now live in their own house, a house for just the boys, while Nagi and Lambo were adopted by the Kijin Royal Siblings in a bid to 'save their hearts' from themselves by living with a good family.
The boys had it rough, but bounced back because either they had support, or had reason to bounce back on their own, but Lambo and Nagi needed help to bounce back.
'Touka-san said we should rest our magic and mental stress for three days before learning a new skill from her.' said Nagi. 'Obtaining Chant Annulment is really difficult. I spent my time in bed eating and sleeping because the stress was so bad.'
'Lambo-san still tired, but having a Skill helped us somehow.' said Lambo. 'But the energies of the unspent Unique Skill in our body is still crazy. Chant Annulment isn't enough.' he said with a gloomy pout. 'Even Touka-nee can't harmonize it for us due to how the world works, she can't do a thing about it.'
Touka can do almost anything as long as she can harmonize and assimilate it with help from her skill, but she can't help the kids as it's a set rule by the World.
'Rimuru-sensei is still thinking with his Great Sage, so hang in there alright?' Ryohei encouraged the pair. Lambo is now six, while Nagi just turned thirteen. Lambo got to eat plenty of food to his heart's content that from the runt he was once to a proper six year old in body, and Nagi physically matured with a head increase in height.
As for the older boys, they all got chiseled well in training. Slim, but chiseled. It was due to how tough training was, and the fact that Tempest Food was actually more nourishing than human food. They got a head taller than last year, and a lot stronger.
Due to their skills and fighting abilities combined, the boys classify as Rank A in threat levels if they choose to be.
However, the boys also must choose their jobs from here on out.
Ryohei and Yamamoto took to farming and fishing, with Yamamoto getting help from Rimuru in obtaining fish eggs and knowing what's in the lake not far from home to sustain his fish so he would know what to raise. Hibari joined the hunting unit as Tempest was too peaceful for him to patrol in(thus doesn't satisfy his urges to fight). Mukuro took a job in politics, joining the Council as a Foreign Relations Ambassador. Gokudera joined Vesta's Lab since he's good at researching. With his other Unique Skill, he's handy at transporting things around safely.
While Tempest Residents have no need for money, the Dwarves do. Thus as a Researcher, Vesta's monthly salary was 40 gold coins as Lead Researcher. But for Mukuro whose job requires a lot of traveling, earns 70 gold a month in silver, thus has to lug around 7000 silver coins for when he wants something to buy on his travels. Due to that, he stashes the leftovers in his room which he locks well.
So he's outfitted with fancy outfits and shoes befitting an Ambassador that also doubles as his gear.
But naturally, he has an adventurer's attire as one just can't get around in fancy garb in the forest, even if the clothes were made by Shuna with magical enchantments that ensure all his outfits never needs de-odorizing, laundrying and ironing with self-repair function, the fact remains that the wearers of Shuna's clothes still needs baths.
So Mukuro began his mission, gaining intel first, and he's starting out in Blumund's court as his home base, after his journey in studying the western nations politics are over. He will aid Blumund in Politics while still keeping up with Tempest's interests. He will start his journey in Spring as traveling in Jura's Winter Wonderland is asking for trouble even monsters don't dare get around and stray too far from home.
Nagi and Lambo are under Touka's care to become Mages. They will learn magic from her after obtaining Magic Sense, Shadow Travel and Thought Communication.