Otherworld TRPG Game Master Chapter 29

EP.29

When traveling through the wilderness, the most important thing to pay attention to was staying hydrated. This was especially true in a wasteland where mutants roamed. This is because they pollute nature by leaving behind a nasty slime within their living radius.

The third waterhole that Elaine and her group discovered was a representative example. It was a puddle formed by rainwater behind the rock, and a cloudy black slime was floating on the surface of the water.

Half a day has already passed since the drinking water in the bucket ran out. It was enough for Perrault to use until he escaped the wasteland, but it was not enough because one beautiful woman in nothing but a red dress joined the party.

This was the reason why the two people were squatting down with gloomy expressions and looking at the puddle with sad eyes.

“Can I have a drink?”

“If you’re asking if it’s drinkable… Even if you filter it and drink it, you’ll usually get an upset stomach. I’ve heard that sometimes you may hallucinate or feel hot.”

“…Can I have a drink…?”

“If you’re asking if it’s worth eating… There’s a joke among survivors that they’d rather eat sardine pie than drink mutant slime.”

“I heard it’s a devastated world. Is it possible to make a pie and eat it?”

“I’m missing sugar, salt, sweet strawberry jam, and savory butter, but I can make it.”

“You don’t call that a pie…”

Elaine groaned, covering her face with her bruised hands. It wasn’t clear whether she would find another source of water or not, and she was thirsty. Even a strong person who could easily subdue an ogre could not survive without eating, drinking, and sleeping.

In order to survive, an upset stomach is better than dehydration, so you have to drink muddy water with a topping of mucus that makes you feel sluggish.

“…….”

Even if you know what you need, there are things you don’t want to do.

Is there no other way? Is it okay to dirty the noble mouth that has only eaten delicious dinners all my life like this? How about using Pero as a human water purifier… At the time, thoughts of escaping reality were going around in Elaine’s head.

Pero stirred the muddy water with his hands to remove as much of the slime as possible, and then put the water that looked clean into the canteen. Then I closed my eyes tightly and took a sip.

Gulp.

“…Ugh….”

Pero’s complexion turned pale and tears welled up in his eyes. Because the taste and texture were truly terrible. However, a strange meal is one that stabs you once with the taste and again with the aroma.

As a result, a strong fishy smell, like boiling a frog in a pot, hit Pero’s nasal passages and he looked like he was about to vomit.

A little while ago, the group had just roasted desert rabbit to replenish valuable protein. Since digestion wasn’t finished, I shouldn’t have vomited it up now. That’s a huge loss from the survivor’s perspective.

The princess came forward.

For each other’s sake – she didn’t want to see anyone puking and Pero was in danger of losing nutrients – Elaine hugged Pero from behind and covered the boy’s mouth with a firm hand.

“……!!”

I’d rather make you vomit.

Pero cried loudly and looked at her earnestly, but Elaine did not loosen her hold. This was because it was none of his business and it was a rational decision. So Elaine forced Pero to eat the fishy, squishy liquid.

Three minutes later, Perrault lay down with an ecstatic expression on his face. I took in water and didn’t lose any protein, but it seemed like my soul wasn’t preserved…

Elaine looked at the scene quietly and said softly.

“…I’m not that thirsty.”

“…That’s a lie…”

“I’m not sure because I lost my memory.”

“It has nothing to do with losing your memory… It’s shameful, Elaine!”

Perrault puffed out his cheeks in anger. Then he spread his arms wide and declared, blocking a space of about 160cm horizontally.

“I can’t pass until Elaine drinks too!”

“Do you really have to do that, Pero? Do you think you’ll be satisfied only if you feed me something sticky and smelly?”

“Don’t talk like that!”

During the past two days when they were crossing the wasteland together, if Elaine steered the conversation towards something trivial, Pero was busy raising the white flag and running away.

Was the anger caused by the tasteless slime just that great, or was I finally getting used to it? This time, even though his face turned bright red, he did not back down. It was truly a great step.

But Elaine knows the eternal truth.

The only thing better than firepower is greater firepower.

If being obscene doesn’t work, then what needs to be brought out is being more obscene.

Elaine spread her arms. In order to show the spiciness of an adult to a young boy who was entering a rebellious phase, the Seongjeoljeol, which had been sealed since it was used on Irid, was about to cast 『Hug and Spin』.

Thump and thud.

“…ah.”

“Oh my goodness.”

It rained.

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We went into a small cave and lit a bonfire.

Finding a small cave in the wasteland was simple. First, prepare a strong tool that can cut out rocks with your bare hands. And… when I carefully patted a fairly large rock, a small cave mysteriously appeared.

Perrault’s eyes widened and he gave a standing ovation at the amazing search ability.

The warmth that makes you feel tired, the sound of cool rain falling, the light of the bonfire, and a small space for two people with warm colors. Elaine hummed without realizing it.

Pero shook his head to the beat of the humming song and then looked out the cave and said:

“I’m glad it rained. I have a lot of water to drink… After the rain stops, the sand will settle and the sky will become clear. It will be easy to find the way!”

“That’s right, Pero. I’m so glad it rained at the right time…”

Because I didn’t have to touch the unpleasant mutant mucus on my tongue.

Elaine was serious about teasing the little boy, but she didn’t really mean to go without drinking water. It is true that I dislike it very much, but in the face of survival, everything loses its luster. I probably drank it eventually.

The reason he chewed the meat of a mutant wolf with a strong odor and the reason he and the boy broke through the wasteland to find paradise was solely for survival.

In the world of the First Princess, personal love was a long way behind survival.

Therefore, all of her choices came down to ‘what to throw away’. Abandoning recognition, abandoning expectations, abandoning faith, and…

“──Elaine Elaine?”

“…?”

Before I knew it, Perrault’s face came closer. Perrault put his forehead against Elaine’s and measured the temperature. Elaine’s thoughts stopped for a moment at that bold touch.

“I don’t think you have a fever… Is there anything uncomfortable? There was no answer when I called.”

“No, not really. I’m fine.”

“Your face is a little red.”

“…It’s because of the light from the bonfire.”

“Really? If you’re sick, you shouldn’t hide it. I’ll get some herbs!”

“You’re not doing this knowingly, are you?”

“…?”

Pero tilted his head. Elaine pursed her lips for a moment and then silently widened the distance. You could say it was an operational retreat. Distance from Faroe is about 1m.

The considerate boy probably interpreted Elaine’s behavior as a sign that she wanted to be alone, so he moved to the other side of the bonfire. Distance from Elaine is about 3m.

Perhaps this bothered Elaine, and she narrowed the distance between herself and the boy, pretending to bask closer to the campfire. Distance from Faroe is about 2m.

And movement on both sides stopped. Both Pero and Elaine thought that the 2m distance was very appropriate. It’s not too far and it’s not too close. Because we can see each other, but we can hide each other’s scent.

So the two waited until the rain stopped.

================================================================================= =============

The day has cleared.

The fierce sand wind that was blocking my vision and scratching my skin made me drenched in water. Although the land was still barren and everywhere covered in horrible slime, the sky was blue and clear.

For the first time in a while, I took a deep breath. Refreshing air fills your lungs and comes out with each exhalation. I could feel with my whole body that I was alive.

Perrault took Elaine’s hand, signaled her, and pointed beyond the horizon.

“I guess we walked more than we thought!”

“Oh my… the ground is green, isn’t it? It’s rare, though.”

It’s green grass. It really felt like it had been a while since I had seen you again.

After falling into this desolate world, the only plants I saw were skinny old trees, bunches of disgusting mushrooms growing in the corners, or tumbleweeds. Perrault did not hide his joy and expressed it through his voice.

“I left the wasteland. Ahead is the ‘Plain of Meeting’. Because of the sandstorm, I didn’t even know the exit was right in front of me… hehe.”

“Is there a reason why it was called ‘Plains of Meeting’?”

“It’s a relatively safe place because mutants are rare. Survivors nearby make their routes through this Plain of Meeting. That’s why you can meet a lot of people!”

“Aren’t there people settling down there? If it’s such a nice place to live, it would be nice to use it as a base.”

“Oh, that’s because it’s a plain, so there aren’t enough places to hide or cover…”

Pero paused for a moment. I let out a faint smile.

“Everyone who tried to use this as a base died.”

“Ah….”

Elaine looked at the ‘Plain of Meeting’ with eyes of understanding. If there are good encounters, there are also bad encounters. I realized once again that meeting people is not necessarily a positive thing.

Then suddenly a thought occurred to me.

Pero heard that the people who tried to use this as a base were dead… no, they were dead. He concluded. As if I had seen it in person. Perhaps Perot may be one of those who tried to use the ‘Plain of Meeting’ as a base.

It may be necessary to think about how Perot, who has low combat power and only has various talents necessary for survival, survived.

A small doubt bloomed under Elaine’s eyelids.

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Distance remaining to paradise.

About 320 km.

A word from the author (author review)

I was very busy on the weekend! Such a mistake to forget the author’s words and add it later…

I posted this last time, but I went to take the Japanese language certification test! I just hope that Goddess Luck will be with me.

I was unrivaled in the area of listening comprehension, but the barrier to reading comprehension was very high. Chinese characters… I hate you…!!

On the way back at night, I even got a slight runny nose. Hmm. No, I’m not making excuses… no.

Actually, it’s okay to make excuses. Yeoncham… is difficult! But don’t worry my friends.

The taste… the taste of home… the secret sauce… I treasure it…!!