An A-Ranked Adventurer's 'Slow-living'

Chapter 30: The Changing Colors of Flowers

Flora and I walked west from my house for about ten minutes, then we arrived at the field of flowers.

「It’s beautiful, isn’t it? 」

「Yeah. It’s beautiful no matter how many times I see this」

After we passed through the path sorrounded by trees, we stopped suddenly when we saw the scene of blooming flowers.

In front of our eyes was a vivid-colored carpet of flowers that spread as far our eyes could see.

When the wind blew, the flowers shook with a sound as if they were welcoming the breeze with their stems and petals. A sweet and refreshing fragrance mixed together with the scent of greenery tickled my nostrils.

With her eyes slightly open, Flora seemed to be enjoying the breeze while she held her straw hat down with one hand. Her golden-colored hair was swaying in the wind.

As I enjoyed the scent of the field of flowers, I noticed that some changes had occurred in the fields when I looked around.

「There are fewer red flowers and more blue ones, huh? 」

Although the change was really subtle, it was still noticeable when I looked at the field as a whole. There was less red and more green and blue. It was not the same as the last few times I dropped by here after hunting and in my spare time.

Perhaps, the color changes were something that happened just recently. I didn’t notice since I have been busy with my farm lately and could not come here.

「Yup, it’s because the season had already started changing from spring to summer. The color of the flowers here changes according to the seasons. Spring is when flowers of red, orange, yellow- those type of warm-colored flowers bloom. And winter is when cool-colored flowers like blue, light blue, dark blue, and purple bloom. So, since we’re heading into summer right now, the red ones are decreasing as the blue ones start to come out around this time」

As we stood next to each other, Flora explained to me with a proud look on her face.

「I’ve heard that some flowers’ colors will change depending on the season, but I didn’t know that much about them. It almost feels like I’m looking at a rainbow」

I feel like the rainbows that you sometimes see after a rainy day would be something like this. The outer layers would have warm colors like red and orange, while towards the inner layers should be cool colors like blue and purple.

「Ehehe, that’s right. Some people call this the rainbow field」

「However, the colors aren’t lined up like a regular rainbow, and there are colors in there that aren’t in a rainbow, so calling this a rainbow might not be the most accurate」

The color migration of the field was like a rainbow’s, but to call this whole field a rainbow would not be the most accurate. The colors did not line up like one nor were they in the same colors of a regular rainbow. Next to the orange was blue, and there was a color that was in-between red and orange in full bloom.

I can’t describe that as too rainbow like.

We stopped for a short while to gaze at the flowers, then we started to walk deeper in after that.

The best place to have lunch at would be under the trees that were located deeper into the fields. We could sit down and relax there, and it’s cool in the shade there too.

We kept on walking as we enjoyed the view of flowers that had a different color than they did in springtime.

In the direction where I was looking, I noticed the tulips that were red until quite recently have become orange. The roses next to them that I remembered from before have become green, and some were even yellow.

It appears that the orange-colored flowers weren’t new flowers that bloomed, but their colors had simply changed.

It was a strange sight to see the flowers you know being in a different color.

When I was admiring that as I kept on walking, Flora bent down next to me and picked out a flower.

「What’s up? 」

Was there an especially beautiful flower there?

「Ah, did you know? Some flowers can be eaten, and some can become herbal medicines」

「…Ohh, is that so? 」

So it’s the same as wild plants and nuts. Although I did not think that it was impossible for flowers to be used as medicines, I had no clue since I have never tried it or see anyone do that.

「Yup. And of course, there are a lot that you can’t eat while there’s also quite a few that you can. This flower here called munnika is one that is good for your skin when consumed」

Flora turned around and showed me the flower that was in her hand with a bright smile on her face.

It was a small, pink colored flower. I see, so this is a munnika.

「… Does this taste good? 」

After I asked her about the flower in her hand, she discarded a few parts of it and rinsed it with water from her water canteen before putting it in her mouth.

I was a bit surprised to see her eating the flower.

Without any distorted expression on her face, she chewed it and gulped it down without any problem.

Ohhh, she ate it.

It didn’t look poisonous, and she doesn’t look sick from eating it either- But rather, she picked out more of the beautiful flowers and rinsed them with water after she discarded the same parts.

When I took a sniff of one before deciding if I want to put it in my mouth, I smelled a sweet, flowery scent. It was the smell of common flowers.

After I finished staring at her, I stopped thinking and tried it as well.

The scent of the flower filled my nostrils when I took a bite. There was no grassy odor and its texture was like lettuce. The sweet nectar of the flower came out with a little bit of bitterness along with it.

Yup, it wouldn’t be strange to think that it was a vegetable that I was eating. It didn’t taste bad and it felt like it was good for the body.

「Yup, it smelled nice and didn’t taste bad, right? Didn’t the texture make you feel like you were eating a vegetable or something?」

Flora asked me with a chuckle. Was I showing a funny-looking face while I was eating it?

「Yeah. I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if I ate this in a salad or together with meat. Also, not only would the flower nectar would make the tea and soups tastier, it would make them look nicer as well」

Oh, that actually sounded like a good idea. Let’s try mixing these in a salad or brew some tea with these sometime.

「By the way, in the language of flowers, the munnika symbolizes “innocence”, ” pureness”, and “genuineness”」

「Ohhh, I see. Then, what about this one? 」

「That’s a konron. The flower symbolizes “reminiscence”, “kindliness”, and “bonds”」

When I pointed at an orange flower that I did not know, Flora answered me like so.

「And that one with the long petals? 」

「That is a shinjo. It symbolizes “yearning”, “friendship”, “companionship” and “elegance”」

Amazing. Do all the flowers here have meanings to them? She can remember their meanings so well even when just one flower has that many meanings to it.

It could cause a misunderstanding if you were to get their meanings wrong.

Speaking of which, I’ve heard stories From Kurune[i] in the past about daughters of nobles receiving flowers from their fiancé that ended in tragedies because they had mistaken the meaning of the flowers they gave them.

That girl was surprisingly a fan of tragic love stories and sad things.

After that, we kept on walking as I pointed to flowers I did not know and asked Flora about their meanings. She would proudly answer me and teach me all about them. Her expression was cute like a little kid’s, as if it were saying “I would never get it wrong”.

「… I feel like I was taught by someone like this nine years ago too…. 」

I started to remember the scenes faintly.

—The flowers there also changed their colors every time the season changed…!

I remember that time I was also taught by that person as we walked through the field of flowers.

That person back then wasn’t someone who was as calm as Flora, and I feel like that person would be a bit younger than she is right now.

We kept on walking as I faintly recalled those distant memories. Then, I heard something falling down from behind.

「Hm? 」

「Ah, I’m sorry! 」

When I looked back, Flora seemed to have dropped her basket and was trying to pick it back up in a hurry. Luckily, the lid was solid and nothing spilled out.

My heart was a little relived from that. However, there were no signs of her picking the basket back up at all. She was only looking downwards.

「…What’s wrong? 」

「…N-no, it’s nothing. A bit of dirt got in my eyes」

Just when I was starting to get worried because she wasn’t standing back up, she rubbed her eyes and stood back up without a problem.

There was a bit of dirt near her eyes. Today is pretty windy, and she most likely touched the soil when she was picking up the munnikas. The dirt probably got in her eyes when the wind blew.

「Sorry, please give me a second」

「*Hau*…! (*≧?≦*)」

I took away her hand that she was using to rub her eyes with and I wiped the dirt from her eyes with a handkerchief I took out from my pocket.

She let out a small shriek out of surprise. Then, she closed her eyes as her face turned red.

I know it’s a little embarrassing, but please hold on ’cause I think this is better than rubbing your eyes with your hands.

「「…………」」

For the next little while, I was carefully getting the dirt out of her eyes. Then, I started to feel embarrassed as I took notice of her fine facial features from up close.

It was like the tense situation of an inexperienced couple who were about to kiss at close range.

I tried to not think of unnecessary things as much as possible and continued to get the dirt out of her eyes.

「It should be fine now」

「Ah… okay. Thank you」

When I finished and pulled back a little, she lowered her head with her ears red.

My face was probably a little red as well.

「「…………」」

A silent awkwardness filled the air.

「…U-um, I… 」

「….*guuu*」

Just when she was about to say something, my stomach rumbled to complain about hunger. Flora stopped and held back on what she was going to say from that.

「Ah..haha, sorry. My stomach is making noises」

I said with a bitter smile on my face. Then, she looked at me and burst out laughing.

「…Ahaha. It is, isn’t it? We can see the trees now, so let’s go have lunch」

Flora then ran under the trees with her hair swaying in the wind. I also started to run after her to follow her.

The awkwardness was gone from having a conversation about my stomach. She looked like she had something to say but I don’t feel like breaking this good mood by dwelling on it.