"Ho ho ho, please eat some more."

I had just finished eating my breakfast when Old Moran approached me with a huge smile and a tray full of food. Today he was to teach me the third level of the process to complete the ultimate magic; that of expelling all of the magical energy.

And yet, even Petel would come over to me with his bright smile and a huge bowl of soup. There was no way I could drink that after having eaten so much.

But Old Moran kept bringing more food, and Petel more drinks. …I don't think they had gone senile just yet. There was clearly some plot here.

"Old Moran, isn't this quite valuable food, that Petel had to collect? Is it really alright for me to eat all of it at once?"
"Ho ho ho. It's quite alright. It's quite alright."

What was with this limitless kindness. It was horrifying.

"It's fine nari. I've got plenty of food left nari."

How kind! And how horrifying!

I hesitated, as I had no appet.i.te, but then Eliza appeared from the kitchen wearing an ap.r.o.n.

Apparently, she made these incredibly large servings of food, and Old Moran was carrying them. Eliza's gaze turned towards me and she winked. She was patting her biceps and appealing to me that she still had plenty of dishes left in her. Or was she appealing her skills in cooking?

She clearly knew what was going on as well.

I know they were doing something last night before I went to bed, and now it seemed that they had been sharing some sort of information. It was unsettling. Why wouldn't they tell me…

"Is there perhaps some sort of relation with eating and training?"

Well, that was the only explanation I could think of. Otherwise, surely they wouldn't be wasting their time cooking so leisurely while we raced against the clock. The food stock was also limited.

"Ho ho ho! Now, eat, eat."

The horror!

I won't ask anymore. I'm sure the truth will be revealed later. In that case, I should just keep quiet and eat obediently.

As I had only just finished breakfast, my pace would not be too fast, but it'll go down if I push it. But more than anything, Eliza's food was delicious. I was quite surprised that she was this good at cooking. Well, I couldn't let it go to waste then.

Umph, I'm so stuffed.

But Old Moran kept bringing in more food at the same pace. And Petel too, continued to bring more and more drinks… I'm sure Eliza was in the back, excitedly making more food. Oh well, I better push on.

c.r.a.p, I've eaten so much that I'm about ready to vomit.

…Wait, what if this is what it means to expel all of the magical energy?

Huh? Am I supposed to vomit out all this food? That's stupid. That's what it takes to complete the third step? Could things really work so simply in this world?

"Old Moran, I'm done. I think I'm about to throw up."

Surely, they have some scheme prepared after this. I reported the situation just in case.

"Ah, you must not throw up. Hmm. I think we still need a little more. What about sweets? Are the sweets ready yet?"

"Yeess, coming right uuu-up!"

Eliza's cheery voice echoed from the kitchen. Sweets…I might be able to handle that. But in any case, I was not allowed to throw up. The mystery was only deepening.

"Have an after meal dessert, baked potatoes."
Blech….

Potatoes as a dessert!? Nononono. Surely there were other options for an after meal dessert! Why would it be potatoes!?  I can't eat that.

"Kururi. I have decided to stop hiding behind lies. The truth is, I love potatoes more than any other food in this world!"

"…Right."

I already knew that. I've known it for quite some time now.

"So today, I have put all my heart and soul into baking these. But this is also a new step for me. Please, enjoy it."

Uhh, now there was no way I could do anything but force myself to stuff it in.

There was now zero s.p.a.ce left in my stomach, and now I had to stuff potatoes in it!? And these were extra large. Where did she even dig these from?

…Blarghh.

I will start by saying the results. I beat the potatoes. However, an unbelievable amount of water ran from my eyes and nose. And what was this stuff that dripped from my ears… Sweat? Please tell me that it was sweat.

"Preparations are complete. Well, then, why don't we go on a little walk."

I was being nursed by two old men as the four of us went inside and into the forest.

Now, was I supposed to vomit all this out now that I was so full? If so, I wanted it to be quick. I wanted to release it as soon as possible.

We made our way through the forest for quite some time before reaching an area that had been flattened by cutting down all the trees. There was no gra.s.s or plants here and the dirt was exposed. It seemed to have been done by the hands of humans.

I looked at Old Moran and Petel's faces. Clearly, they were the ones that had prepared this place.

As we got closer, I could also see what else was there.

There was a huge magic circle like I had never seen before carved into the dirt.

It had a kind atmosphere that suggested one might summon a giant monster. I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about magic circles, but I did know that once they are activated, they would continue to automatically use magic. Clearly, I was going to be taking the third step, the expelling of magical energy.

"We are doing this here?"

"Yes, that is right."

"Okay, then let's hurry and get this over with."

"Good. Now, please stand in the center of the circle."

I moved towards the center as I was ordered. As I stood there, they told me that I should lie down. Apparently, it was better to be relaxed and comfortable.

Close by, Old Moran and Petel were standing on opposite sides of the circle.

"Young Kururi, from here you will expel all of the magical energy stored inside of you. The magical circle was already completed a long time ago. I and Petel only had to draw it here. This is an important circle that will suck in all of the magic."

"Right, I think I understand that."

"Additionally, I am sorry to inform you so late, but this will be an incredible burden on your body. Unfortunately, you must sleep for about one week. During that time, all of the magic should be expelled from your body."

One week…? What? Is that what he just said? I have to lie on the ground here for a week?

"Well then, let us activate the magic circle…"

The two placed their hands over the circle and were about to start the activation process.

"Wai-, wait! Is that what the food was for!? To survive for a week…"

"Ho hohohoho."

That's a yes! That laugh was clearly an acknowledgment!

Ahh, I was finished. I feel my consciousness drift away…

As the scenery began to fade, I could sense that Eliza was approaching me from the side. In the end, I saw her face for a second before my awareness was gone.

Well, as long as she was watching over me…

"It should be okay to just leave him here. He'll stay put for a whole week."

"In that case, let's go and play a board game again nari!"

"Fu fu fu. It seems that you still haven't learned to pick your battles."

The three of them abandoned Kururi in the forest and went back to the house.