ITK C372: The King of Fruits

And then the representative of all the tree spirits in the dungeon orchard appeared.

“I’m the durian spirit.”

He’s the largest tree spirit with countless spike-like protrusions on his skin.
It’s hard to mistake his bizarre appearance for anything else.

A durian is a kind of tropical fruit.
It’s also known as the king of fruits because it has several unique characteristics.

…Is this why they regard him as the most remarkable tree spirit suitable to be appointed as their representative?!

“Yes, durian is the king of the fruits realm. And I, a tree spirit, am the most remarkable in the durian world…”

The durian spirit introduces himself.

“My name is Dorian Kaioh, and this orchard is our utopia. We simply can’t surrender it, even if we have to face a dragon. If you insist, I will fight on behalf of all the tree spirits!”

Like I said, this place has always been Veil’s territory…

“Hah! Fine. I admire your guts to face Grinzel Dragon Veil head-on. In response to that…!”

Veil changes into her dragon form.

“I’ll fight you in my true form and burn all of you down to bring peace back to my dungeon!”

She sounds a lot like a villain here, but the logic is overwhelmingly on her side.
What should I do?

I’m still exhausted from the Martial Swimming Competition, so maybe I’ll just stand by and watch for now.

“Not if I beat you to it first! Take this! Durian headbutt!!!”

The durian spirit, Dorian Kaioh, tackles with his body much bigger, harder, and heavier than any of the fruits.
In addition, his skin is full of spikes, so a direct hit will probably hurt a lot.

But…

“Too bad, it doesn’t work!”

Veil snickers.

“That impact is not enough to break my scales. I’ll show you how stupid you are for daring to fight me.”

Well, it was obvious.
The king of fruits is no match for a dragon.

No matter what Dorian did, he didn’t inflict any damage.
On the other hand, even a graze from Veil’s attack would be enough to kill him instantly.

Since this battle is pretty much an impossible game, I should step in and stop them.
And after calming them down, we can talk about their right of residence.

At least, that’s what I thought…

“As expected of a dragon. But just because I can’t do any damage doesn’t mean I’ve run out of options. Know our strength as tree spirits that use all our trees’ characteristics!”

What more could Dorian Kaioh do when it has already been proven that no attack would work?

No matter how hard he slashes or strikes, Veil’s scales will not get even a scratch.
If there is any way left…

“Take thissssss!”

Dorian Kaioh’s entire fruit body splits open, exposing his flesh.
But before our eyes could even see the flesh…

“It stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinks!”
“GOD, THAT STINKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!”

Veil and I are writhing in agony from the odor!
The heck’s that smell?!
It’s like rotten meat! Actually, much, MUCH worse than that! I don’t want to inhale any more of this stench, I feel like I’m gonna throw up-

“Gross! What’s that smell?! Is it you?!”
“Bingo!” proudly says Dorian Kaioh.

“Oh!”

I jostle my memory for something I heard before.

I’ve never eaten durian in my world.
It must’ve cost a fortune for a fruit, and it was something I couldn’t afford at the time.

More importantly, I couldn’t even find it in my local supermarket.

But there’s another reason why it wasn’t readily available for purchasing: I heard they stink!
Durian is too stinky to be handled in stores like any typical fruit!
The staff would be hearing complaints from Karens in no time!

That’s how infamous durian is!

“Ahhhhhhh! It stinkssssssss! It’s killing meeeeeee!!!”

The stench was super effective against Veil.
Not even dragons, who are immune to slashes and hits, can stand the stench.

“Gross!!! It stinks way more than that fly’s sticky bean dish!”
“Hahaha! See that? Dragons are no match for my fragrance!”
“Shut it! It’s just a scent! Hyaaaaah! But it’s too stinky I can’t get close!”

Dragons having heightened senses backfired this time, since the stench must be 10x stronger for Veil.
Hm, I wonder if a therianthrope like Mr. Silver Wolf would also die from the smell?

“Oh…?”

Will we see a dragon being defeated by a durian today?

“Don’t underestimate meeee! There’s no way I’d lose to thissss!!!”

Veil spreads her wings open.
The wind stirs up like a storm and gives her momentum to fly high up into the sky.

“That smell won’t reach me here! I’ll make it disappear with a long-range attack!”

That’s a dragon for you, all right. They cannot be beaten with smell alone.
With her dragon magic, this match is ultimately one-sided.

Dorian has no more means of attack.

It’s time I stop them.

“Hold ittttttt! Oogh!”

I was still within the range of the stench, so I felt stifled by it.
Fresh air supply and I haven’t been on good terms lately.

“Stop it, Veil! You’ve already won! There’s no point in further destruction!”
“Don’t be stupid, Master! I can tell this smelly fruit is nothing but trouble! I have to kill him with fire before he spreads more malice!”

It’s sad to see that she makes a point.

“No, wait! It’s true that durian smells like a disaster. But the pros more than make up for its cons!”
“And what’s that?”
“It’s delicious!”

Fruits are meant to be eaten.
So, if it tastes good, that’s acceptable enough.

The reason why durian is called the king of fruits lies in its exquisite taste.

Veil lands and reverts to her human form.
Then, she takes a bite of the fruit offered by Dorian Kaioh.

“Oh wow, this tastes niceeeeeeee!”

Does it really?!
I’ve never had it, so…

Wait, why is there a durian tree in the dungeon orchard? Was I the one who planted it, even?
My memory is a little fuzzy on that, but I also took a bite since we’re already here.

“Ohh, you’re right!”

The taste is pretty meaty for a fruit.
But it’s still delicious.

It’s so good I can almost believe people’s stories of going into debt just to eat it.

“Hey, stinkbrain!”
“Y-Yes?!”

Dorian Kaioh flinches at the sudden nickname he was given by the opponent who was about to burn him to death.

“I’ll forgive you in consideration of your taste! From now on, I’ll come to have some of your fruit every day!”
“U-Understood!”

Next to her, I give a verbal warning to the other tree spirits.

“As you can see, Veil is this dungeon’s guardian, so be respectful to her. It’s not nice to cause trouble.”
“OKAY, LORD SAAAAAINT!”

And so, the quarrel ended in peace.
To summarize this event…

Dragons are strong, and durian tastes great.

“Master! Durian’s so good! Let’s have Junior try some too!”
“No.”

Babies are not ready for durian.

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