Chapter 57: Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru Chapte

【73rd day】

It was the dead of night, and we had gathered in the royal castle’s kitchen again.

The king, Otou-san and me.

Lanseal isn’t present today. There is probably a reason for that. It’s none of my business.

「For some reason, it got categorized as a high-class dish. Anchovy pasta. Please enjoy」

It was a simple supper, which was anchovies mixed with pasta aglio olio e peperoncino.

「Umu, Souya. For some reason, there’s a peculiar smell……」

King Lemuria frowned at the smell of the anchovies. I had mixed the anchovies in and heated them up when I was in the process of frying the garlic in olive oil, but humans are creatures that are sensitive to unfamiliar smells.

「Should I add white wine to erase the smell?」

「I’m okay with this」

Otou-san was eating it without minding the smell. Sluurpp, came the sound of pasta being slurped.

「Certainly, it has a peculiar fishy smell, but when it’s washed down with this wine………………」

He drank the wine directly from the bottle.

「Kuh………………Puhaa. It’s absolutely wonderful」

「Medimu, that’s a wine that I’m not familiar with」

「I bought this from the Eruomea merchant company. At 30 gold coins per bottle, it’s expensive, but I believe that its taste lives up to its price. It has this clear and abyss-like deep taste」

It’s a wine that I’m familiar with.

「That wine is something that the fishmen salvaged from sunken ships. It had aged slowly at low temperatures on the seabed, and I hear that it’s truly a taste with depth」

「Oh yes, that's it. That explains why it matches well with fish」

「It’s a royal order, Medimu. Share that with me too」

What a cheap royal order.

「Just a little, alright? Pay up if you drink too much. Or rather, buy it yourself」

「Don't be so fussy about the minor details」

I was signaled to bring him a glass.

Also, to pour the wine to the brim for the king.

He bit the bullet and ate one mouth of the pasta. And then, he drank the wine in one go.

「Mu……………… The fishy flavor became delicious all of a sudden. That’s not all. This quiet and refreshing taste that’s reminiscent of the ocean depths. The sweetness that soaks in. It’s almost like taking a bite of the bottom of the deep seabed, moist and yet, in some respects, it has a calming depth. Umu」

He poured another glass.

「Hey」

He had filled it about halfway before Otou-san snatched the bottle back.

「That’s being disrespectful, Medimu」

「In the first place, what kind of king steals the wine of his people?」

「What belongs to the people, belongs to the king」

It’s Gianism[1] of the alternate world.

As things like fights between Ossans(old men) are nothing but unsightly, I’ll put a stop to it.

「In that case, in place of the wine, I’ll add something special for the king」

『What?』

For some reason, Otou-san also responded.

I took out a chicken egg that had been put in water. I broke it and dropped its contents on the king's pasta.

「What’s this?」

「It’s onsen(hot springs) egg[2], a chicken egg that has been boiled until it has a runny feel」

It’s something that’s difficult to make using the large eggs, which are the mainstream eggs here.

On it, I sprinkled an “imitation” Krazy Salt[3], which was made by rubbing and mixing various dried herbs, dried garlic, and rock salt.

「Please eat while mixing it lightly」

「Umu」

When he split the onsen egg in half with his fork, the king had a child-like expression. It seemed that it was novel after all. He mixed it lightly and brought it to his mouth along with the pasta.

「Oh, the taste changed. It’s rich and easy to eat. Or rather, isn't this egg tasty no matter what you match it with? Leave the ingredients and notes so that it can be prepared for breakfast tomorrow」

「Understood」

Certainly, adding onsen eggs will make anything delicious. But it's dangerous. Because everything will be covered up by the onsen eggs. In a sense, it can even be called a blasphemy to cooking.

「Souya, to be sure, there are more eggs, right?」

「There are, but……」

At Otou-san’s question, I glanced repeatedly at King Lemuria.

「Medimu, if you fill the remaining half of the glass with your wine, I’ll share my eggs with you」

「It’s really only half, alright?!」

They were chicken eggs that I had prepared, but I’ll let it pass. I don't want to see things like ugly fights between Ossans.

I dropped an onsen egg on top of Otou-san’s pasta as well, sprinkled Krazy Salt over it too, and at the same time, poured wine into the king’s glass.

After that, they ate and drank peacefully.

Act your age, for crying out loud. Good grief.

The edamame to round things off was boiled by me today. I removed the beans from the pods, put them in a small bowl, added one onsen egg, sprinkled powdered red peppers, and then drizzled a splash of fish sauce over it.

I prepared Otou-san’s portion too so that they wouldn’t quarrel, and after sticking spoons into the small bowls, I presented them.

「As it seems to be to your tastes, it’s edamame with onsen egg dropped on top」

「Umu」

The two of them ate it peacefully.

「Uumu, it tastes different again. But to think that such delicious beans exist in this world…… Moreover, I’ve been finding the vegetables that I eat recently delicious…… Is it my age?」

The king seemed to like it.

Otou-san bolted it down in one go and swallowed.

「Is your fussiness over food finally cured at this old age? That guy Melm had desperately tried to feed you all sorts of things in the past, but his son-in-law is the one who cured you, huh? What an odd coincidence」

Melm.

It’s the name of Rana's father. The marriage between Rana and me hasn’t been recognized by him. Or rather, it’s a spur of the moment sham marriage, so it’ll complicate matters if he actually recognized it.

One of these days, I’ll need to talk to him about the reason and the sequence of events of everything. It would be great if he’s an understanding person though.

「Melm, huh? There’s no end to that guy’s worries as well. The forest has also suddenly become troubled. The sisters are forever――――――No, that isn’t a topic for today, I suppose」

The king elegantly bolted the beans down and swallowed.

I didn’t say it out loud, but I wanted to warn the two of them.

Chew well when eating.

「Well then, Souya. The matter of Libera. What happened?」

The king broached the main subject.

Now, who knows what will happen. I made my report.

「He was an agent of Elysium. The details are unclear, but he was connected to two of the Popes. Being driven out was also a pretense. His objective was to take advantage of the situation to insert himself into the anti-Elysium forces, and then tear them apart from the inside」

「Why didn't you kill him? I can’t imagine that the man who slaughtered a beast of Elysium would have a hard time against the likes of a spy」

「The beast was killed using a technique from foreign lands. It has various prerequisites. It’s not a technique that can be used against human opponents or in the city」

「A technique from foreign lands, huh?」

The king’s eyes lit up with greed.

I can’t tell the king and Otou-san about either the power of the Lycans or Misuranika-sama’s power. No, I can’t tell anyone. I can never talk about it.

Wild Hunt.

That power pollutes the surroundings.

To be precise, the cursed words used as the trigger are the cause. It’s a curse of death. Just by hearing them, the curse plunged living things into death.

The place where I had fought had become black and withered. Even now, not a single blade of grass has grown.

It’s obvious, but something like this can't be used in public. If a chain of curses occurs between people, there is even a risk of wiping Lemuria out.

The power that I had obtained to protect my party member’s fame can’t be used to protect the other party members. On the contrary, it leads to ruin.

Truly, the works of the gods are full of irony.

「Lemuria, allow me to offer you advice」

Otou-san spoke to the king with a slight air of respect.

「Don't ask Souya what kind of technique he used to defeat the beast. Don’t look into it. You’ve heard the story of the warehouse district being blown up, right? That’s the work of this guy. When foreign knowledge or techniques get stolen, they go “Boom”. Will the royal castle get blown up and rebuilt? Needless to say, the king will also end up being replaced」

「You’re right」

The look in the king’s eyes changed.

「Medimu, I’ll take your advice. Souya, I swear to you. I will not steal the foreign knowledge and techniques. If there is anyone who aims to steal them, by royal order, they will be punished」

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「Thank you very much. That helps a lot」

Because Makina has security measures, she won’t give knowledge to those who would use it for bad purposes.

If she’s normal, probably.

「As for the reason why I didn’t kill Libera, it’s because I had broken him mentally. I made him promise to never come near Lemuria again. Under the fishmen’s supervision, he’ll be sent out to sea by ship. For now, I had him head for the Azorido archipelago, and from there, he’ll probably board a ship headed straight for the left continent or something. I believe that he'll never come back here」

「What did you do?」

When Otou-san asked, I hesitated over whether to answer or not, but……

「I showed him an illusion. I showed him the sight of his companions being massacred」

……I went straight to the point.

「What a terrible person you are」

「………………」

Being told that by someone is more of a relief than being told I was right.

The best is silence though.

「The hundred-odd slaves that Libera left behind can be used for various jobs, such as farming. I’ll have them mass-produce the wheat from the left continent too. Just in case, I’ll gather just the slaves and let them earn their keep. It’s easier to keep an eye on them that way. Besides, while they are slaves, they weren’t born slaves」

「Mu, what do you mean?」

I answered the king's question.

「Upon questioning, I found out that most of the slaves were the people of the Myriad Kingdoms who had curried favor with the black elf for a time before being re-conquered by Elysium. Mixed in with them are also tradesmen from the center continent who were arrested for lese-majesty[4] and then enslaved. I believe that if people patronize their stores, it’ll also become a good pretext for lighting a fire under Lemuria’s merchant companies」

「And, which merchant company will manage their businesses?」

「It’s the Zavua merchant company」

「Souya, that’s……」

The king’s expression became unreadable.

「Isn’t it fine, Lemuria? As a mere adventurer, this guy has performed exceptional work. Overlook something like the profiteering of the merchant companies that he’s on good terms with」

「………………Umu, uumu………………Souya. Very well. You can do as you like. However, if you slip up, the country will take control of them. Got it?」

「Yes, thank you very much」

To tell the truth, it’s for me to keep watch over them. While it’s small, there’s a chance that Libera’s spies may still be mixed in with them.

In addition, my information gathering capabilities have to be kept secret. If the king found out about this power, he would likely have only two choices; crush or steal.

I broached the main subject.

「King Lemuria, how goes the matter of Arianne?」

「That matter, huh?」

With a pompous air, the king took out a small scroll used for messages.

「The replies from Elysium remain unchanged. However, I got in touch with the Fifth Pope, whom I’m on good terms with, and told him about your work and the matter of Arianne・Foz・Gasim. The rest depends on his actions. I'm sorry, this is all a mere king can do」

「Yes………………No, thank you very much」

It’s still awaiting progress, I see.

Should I make a move, or should I trust them and wait, I wonder?

It's a difficult choice.

「It's not to say that this is to make up for that, but I'll give you a reward. The right to manage Libera’s slaves alone is inadequate compared to your exceptional work. In another room――」

「King Lemuria, about that, I have a request」

「Umu. Let’s hear it」

That was close.

I would have been checkmated if I had let him finish. Or rather, there’s also a chance of getting checkmated by what is said from now on. There’s also the reason for why Lanseal isn’t here right now.

「I’ve grown tired of my wife's body, you see? I want you to present me a woman. If possible, a beastkin with a good lineage. It’ll be great if she’s a beautiful, obedient, and "slutty" beastkin who takes my thing in anywhere and moans passionately」

I said with an insanely insolent attitude.

I desperately sent looks of『If worse comes to worst, save me!』at Otou-san. He was holding back his laughter at an angle where the king couldn’t see.

This Otou-san has a side to him where he enjoys seeing the misery of others.

「………………………………Unfortunately, there is no woman like that among my subordinates. Medimu, chose for him a suitable prostitute from your brothel」

I was being glared at with a terrible look.

Scary.

If I hadn’t curried favor with him using the food, I would have been slashed to death.

「Understood, Your Majesty」

「Hmpt, my mood has been dampened. I’m going to bed」

The king stole Otou-san’s wine and then went out of the kitchen. After his loud footsteps had faded away, I deflated and slumped into a chair.

「Kukukuku」

Otou-san laughed with a wicked-looking expression.

「Did you see Lemuria’s face? Well, when he’s told to hand over a slutty woman, he can’t send his own daughter, can he?」

「No, it’s not funny. It’s not funny at all. M, my knees are starting to shake」

「On top of that, the guy who said it is a virgin who hasn’t even done the deed with his beautiful and big-boobed elven wife」

「Wha―, who did you hear that from?!」

Wh, who’s a virgin?!

「From your god. She’s worried that you’re impotent, I think」

It's the worst! My personal information!

「That’s a truly interesting topic to talk about. It’s regrettable that I can’t tell anyone. ………………How about changing just the setting and talking about it?」

「S・T・O・P・・I・T!」

I’ll be executed~.

「Let’s put the joking aside」

It seemed like you were laughing from the bottom of your heart though. What part of that was a joke?

「You're not thinking of things like seizing the country, right?」

「Huh?」

What’s this all of a sudden?

That was so far off the mark that I was at a loss for words.

「The pasta has been well-received. The menu that you proposed is also popular. Moreover, variants of it are starting to be seen. It’ll likely become a new addition to the mainstream diet. Even if our relationship with Elysium turns sour, it can fill in for bread. The diverse culture of food that you’ve brought to this country in a short period of time is remarkable. This is a young country in a remote region. The right continent itself has also been devastated repeatedly, so there are many gaps in terms of culture. You’ve started the ball rolling on filling those gaps completely」

The thought that, it would be fine if it’s just food, had been naive.

It’s something that the president had emphasized. Don't give rise to technological singularities, he had said. I’ve given rise to one. Proudly, and without thinking at that.

What have I done?

「I don't know what that expression on your face means. However, the food that you’ve spread will eventually be sublimated by the people and become securely established culture. It’ll probably generate tremendous profits. So much that it can be used for negotiations with foreign countries. The thing called a nation ultimately follows the person who feeds it. With Libera’s slaves in your hand, I had been watching you as I believed that you would make a move to usurp the throne, but well, I don’t see that happening. If my remaining eye isn’t blind, that is」

「Otou-san, I’ll hand over the management of the farmers to King Lemuria from now on――」

「It’s no use. You’ll fall over if you stop in a strange manner. It’s something that you did because you thought it was justice, right? Take responsibility and suffer until the end. Advice offered to the king isn’t something that’s easy to take back」

Justice, huh? That’s a word that can eat dirt.

I screwed up. It's a failure.

Is this the limit of an amateur’s shallow wit? It’s utterly and completely lacking.

「But――」

「?」

Otou-san stood up, and as he left, he said.

「You’re someone who is doing very well. To that extent that you’ve gone much too far, I suppose. ………It’ll be great if that doesn’t bring misfortune upon you. Well, you had better pray fervently to the god of misdeeds」

After giving me another bad feeling, Otou-san left.

I set about washing up, and then wrote down notes for the king’s breakfast. Led out by a maid that I had met several time before, I left the royal castle behind me.

Even though I’ve solved the troubles, it doesn’t feel like it at all.

[1] Gian is a character in Doraemon, and "Gianism" is in reference to his motto, which is "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine”. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, author referenced Doraemon.

[2] Onsen Tamago, or Hot Springs Eggs, is sorta like a reverse soft-boiled egg. The yolk is a little hard, but the egg white is still soft and runny. The traditional way of cooking it is to put it in a hot spring for approximately 30 mins, hence the name.

[3] Krazy Salt, also known as Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt. It’s a seasoning mix sold since 1960, and it first hit Japanese shelves in 1969.

[4] Lese-majesty is the crime of disrespecting or slandering the monarch/ruler/etc or treason.

The part where the king talked about the sisters, then cut himself off, and then Souya said that he wanted to warn the two of them, I fully thought that he meant the 2 sisters, so when the warning turned out to be “Chew well when eating” I fell off my chair lol.

By the way, all the “umu”s that the king utters doesn’t mean anything, it’s like “hmm”, but sounds a bit different from that, so I kept it as is. He does that a lot in causal settings if you’ve noticed.

It kinda showed with Varner, but Souya kinda has a potty mouth in his head. Lots of pretty severe cussing which I softened, especially after he finds out that he messed up. But surprisingly, I was able to translate pretty much word for word what he says to the king. He’s just barely “safe” there. The meaning is far from safe though. It’s exactly as vulgar as it sounds. And in case that part wasn’t clear, the king had Lanseal ready and waiting in a separate room to do the deed with Souya from the very beginning, and Souya was desperately doing what he could to avoid outright rejecting the king, so he cut him off before he could offer, then made it difficult for him to offer up his daughter by making such a demand. Funny thing is, to Souya, Libera wasn't worth getting on the king's bad side, but rejecting Lanseal with all his might was. But not because he didn't like her, it's because of her feelings. So in a sense, Lanseal was worth it for him to incur the king's wrath for. So it's actually a pretty loving gesture.

Another chapter with a lot of Souya’s thoughts. And if you thought, how can food be such a big deal? the events of this arc have a tremendous effect on the setting of the world. You’ll see it happen slowly in the background as the novel goes on, but the eventual change is pretty big. Well, one more chapter to go till the arc ends.

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