My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon
Chapter 325

Houttuynia And Mugwort

Farmers’ mornings, needless to say, start early. Rising before the sun, they feed their livestock and head out to the fields without even eating breakfast themselves.

Accompanying Serai-san’s grandfather, we also engaged in farm work. After all, we had promised to help him out while we were here.

By the way, last night Nina-san and Serai-san slept in the new house, while I slept in the car.

Although we’ve been safe so far, we’ve been frequently attacked by mountain goblins. So, we can’t let our guard down. That’s why I spent the night half-asleep and half-alert, alongside Taro.

Hmm, it seems I’m the type who, even if disliked by people, is liked by animals. Taro warmed up to me quickly.

And, of course, lack of sleep is the enemy of beauty. Since I always want Nina-san and Serai-san to stay beautiful, it’s only natural that I take on the role of keeping watch.

However, the fields and rice paddies that the grandfather currently manages are very limited. With the three of us dungeon ability users helping out, the work was finished in no time. As we watched the grandfather drive his tractor back home, Serai-san turned to us.

“Thanks, you two. So, after we eat, should we head to the mountains later?”

But I stopped Serai-san’s proposal in its tracks.

“Huh? Why? Didn’t we decide yesterday to patrol the mountains around here and take out some monsters?”

“Yes, that’s true. But don’t underestimate the mountains, Serai-san. To enter the mountains, we need to prepare thoroughly.”

That’s right. Listen well, the mountains are another world where our common sense doesn’t apply.

Moreover, with dungeon monsters likely running rampant, even dungeon ability users can’t afford to be too optimistic.

“That’s true, but then what should we prepare?”

“Hmm, good question, Nina-san. First, let’s gather some Houttuynia from the rice paddy paths. No matter what we do, we’ll want to have some means of recovery ready.”

Ideally, we’d want recovery potions from Sanada Pharmaceuticals. But unfortunately, we don’t have any on hand. So, as the next best thing, we’ll prepare some Houttuynia tincture.

“Oh, that Houttuynia tincture! Even without recovery potions, the tincture should be enough to treat wounds!”

“But then we’d need alcohol too, right? What about that?”

“If we’re storing it long-term, we’d need alcohol, but for short-term use, it’s not necessary.”

“Oh, but if that’s the case, we could use the high-proof alcohol my dad used to drink. It’s pretty expensive, so he might be sad if it’s gone, but if there’s a little left, it should be fine.”

“Wait, Machi… how good is that alcohol?”

…

As we gathered the Houttuynia from the rice paddy paths and began chopping and boiling it by the well, Serai-san’s grandfather appeared.

“What’s this, a wound remedy? If that’s the case, I’ve got plenty of pre-made mixes of Houttuynia and mugwort at home.”

Wow, as expected of a seasoned farm warrior.

He took one look at us boiling Houttuynia and immediately knew we were making a wound remedy. After disappearing into the shed for a moment, he returned with a honey jar filled with a deep green medicine.

“Ah, that’s nostalgic! That’s the stuff you put on my burn back then, right, Grandpa?”

Oh, so Serai-san has used this medicine before.

“Hahaha, you remember well. My son and Machi’s mother preferred new medicines, so we stopped using it, but for wounds from fieldwork, this stuff still works best.”

Opening the jar to inspect its contents, I saw that besides Houttuynia and mugwort, it also had animal fat mixed in to form an ointment. And according to my aura-based item memory reading, it’s of quite high quality.

“Hmm, impressive. This seems to be several levels above the Houttuynia tincture we were making.”

“Eh, really!?”

“Then it must be pretty effective, huh.”

As we marveled at the grandfather’s homemade ointment, he peered into the pot of boiling Houttuynia and spoke again.

“I’ll take care of the rest. There’s mugwort growing in the garden too.”

“Really, Grandpa!? So you can make more of the same??”

“That’s right~. As long as the fat hasn’t gone bad, but hmm…??”

Before Serai-san’s grandfather could tilt his head in suspicion, our ears caught the sound of something unusual. A harsh, grinding noise, like something being scraped violently, was gradually approaching from afar.

“Grrrr…!”

Hearing the sound, Taro, who was nearby, bared his fangs and growled.

“Grandpa, excuse us for a moment!”

“Ah, I’m coming too!”

Handing the jar to Serai-san, I leaped onto the tall fence. Nina-san followed suit, jumping up beside me.

““Ah!?””

What came into view was a white 4-ton truck with a forestry-style crane attached, dragging a loose bumper along the asphalt as it rounded the corner, sparks flying, heading straight for us.

Screeeech…!

Speeding and pulling a sharp turn, the truck’s rear swung wide, nearly tipping into the field. But despite losing balance, it barely managed to clear the corner. However, something even more outrageous was chasing it.

““Huh!?””

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, it was a boar, ridiculously larger than the 4-ton truck.

“What the heck is that boar!?”

Yeah, I completely agree.

But the bumper-dragging 4-ton truck was honking frantically, warning us as it fled from the massive boar.

“Eh!? Could that be the boar-hunting guy!?”

From Serai-san’s words as she finally made it to the fence, it seemed the truck’s driver was someone she knew. In that case, we couldn’t just leave him be.

Alright, then it’s my time to shine.

“Hyaaah!!”

And so, I jumped down from the fence and landed on the road with tremendous force, just as the 4-ton truck was barreling toward us.