The Forsaken Saintess and her Foodie Roadtrip in Another World (Light Novel), Volume 2 Chapter 3

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This chapter is equivalent to chapters 62-85 of the web version, but with plenty of changes.

Volume Two, Chapter Three

I cower and hold my breath inside the manifested Camping Car. Even though I understand intellectually that the enemy can’t see me, when I catch sight of that ridiculously huge cow-like monster stomping toward us, scraping the ground repeatedly with its hooves in irritation, I can’t help but tense up…

When we descended the stairs leading to the floor below, what spread before us was vast grassland. It really does live up to being called a "realm isolated from reality." Just by changing floors like this, we encounter completely different scenery… Faced with this situation, I’m reminded once again that "dungeons are places that ignore all sorts of natural laws.”

And this floor we’re on now has such an open terrain that we can even see the horizon despite being inside a dungeon… Since there’s nowhere to hide in the grassland covered with knee-high grass, I’m made to promise once more that if anything happens, Gomamiso and I will immediately take refuge in the Camping Car.

And now, having detected the approach of that giant cow, Gomamiso and I have hidden in the Camping Car as promised… that’s what’s happening.

“…Well, even so, it sure is huge…”

‘Cow! This me could handle it with a quick shush-shush!’

“Oh, sure… yes… of course…”

Peeking outside through the window, Gomamiso smugly waves its front paws—thick for a kitten—back and forth.

Actually, that cow. Those crescent moon-curved horns themselves are so big it seems like some kind of joke. That’s why the head and body supporting those horns are proportionally huge too. It looks vicious too, and I feel like if something like that came charging at us, everyone would get hurt…?

I squeeze Gomamiso tightly as it looks ready to excitedly leap out, and look through Survival text. The name is "Wild Ox"—exactly what it looks like—but apparently, "its meat has a perfect balance of lean and fat, and the texture is tender and extremely delicious"!

Even though it’s so big, the meat is tender and extremely delicious! That’s important, so I said it twice!

I really want to hope for drop items… but… Survival also says "the horns and hide become materials for crafting weapons and armor," so I guess not just meat but horns and hide will drop too. Meat… please let meat drop…! No matter what, please let meat drop…!

…And more than anything, please let everyone in the Gourmands who’s facing that monster with those huge horns and massive body finish the battle safely without injuries…!

“…I want my sincere prayers and pure heart back…!”

‘Pure heart? What’s that? Can we eat it too?’

“Hm? What is this about?”

“Just talking to myself! That monster looked so strong, yet you defeated it so easily! I mean, I’m glad no one is hurt! Truly glad! But still!”

I guess he noticed me getting off the Camping Car feeling somewhat let down. Mr. Ville, who hurried over to me, tilts his head, puzzled as he looks at my deflated state.

…I mean, I was worried about how the battle with such a big, ferocious-looking monster would go, but when all was said and done, it ended with the Gourmands’ easy victory.

Just when the giant cow’s bloodshot eyes flashed, it came charging at the party… and then its head cleanly fell off, and it was over—such an anticlimactic ending…

Yup. That "what are you even talking about?" look hurts, but it’s just like I said!

If you look really carefully, Ms. Aria’s threads were spread all around, and Mr. Wild Ox came charging in while shaking its head and ended up in a headless rider state… yup. I thought I knew the power of Ms. Aria’s threads, but witnessing blood and flesh dancing (literally) two days in a row, it’s really something!

Even though it turns to mist and disappears quickly, it’s a gruesome scene! Bad for the eyes!

After the battle ended, Ms. Aria, who was immediately checking the route and surroundings for traps again, must have noticed my gaze because she puffs out her scandalous chest, all smug, and looks at me proudly.

I mean, the smug-cute Ms. Aria is a feast for the eyes, but…!

“? I don’t really get it, but sorry? Well, putting that aside. Look at this, Rin!”

Mr. Ville, who bowed with question marks seemingly flying above his head, grins in the next moment and holds out something with both hands.

“Wh-whoooa! M-Meat! Wild Ox’s supreme meat! And there are two pieces!?”

‘Meat! So big! Me too! Want to eat it too!’

In his right hand is a log-like chunk of meat. In his left hand is thick meat with the bone still attached…!

The chunk has a Survival window floating above it labeled [Wild Ox/Rump (Aged)], and the thick cut says [Wild Ox/T-Bone (Aged)]. Aged means it’s already ready to be deliciously eaten as it is, right?!

Gomamiso is so excited about multiple pieces of meat dropping that it’s been frantically pacing around my feet, insisting, "me too, me too!”

“Ahhh… amazing…! This is really good meat…!”

“It was a large specimen. I was hoping maybe… and sure enough, multiple drops!”

“Th-this… the balance of lean meat and marbling is exquisite…! This is guaranteed to be delicious!”

Mr. Ville hands me the chunk of meat as my hands tremble with joy.

The hefty weight feels so satisfying.

The illustration’s description: Ville shows the meat to Rin, and also Gomamiso is flapping around.

Looking at the chunk of meat again, it has just the right amount of pure white marbling running through the densely packed lean meat, and it looks absolutely delicious. The texture when I touch it has a nice springiness too, and it doesn’t seem like it would turn rock hard when cooked.

I also look at the bone-in meat in Mr. Ville’s hand—it’s thick and big… wouldn’t it be fair to call this a "slab of meat"? The thickness looks to be over five centimeters! Plus, this single piece is a T-bone where I can enjoy both the tender-looking filet and the sirloin section with its beautiful balance of lean and marbling! Since the filet is quite large, does that make it a special "porterhouse" cut?

But even though it just dropped, why is it chilled like meat fresh out of the fridge…?

Well, putting that aside, ever since we came down to this floor, I’ve been surprised and delighted so much that my heart’s going crazy! What if my lifespan gets shortened because of it!?

The T-bone is definitely going to be steak, and the rump should be roast beef, right? The marbling in that lean meat will melt from the heat and finish up nice and moist, won’t it??

‘Something’s coming!’

“…! Mr. Ville!”

What called me back from the world of fantasy I’d accidentally flown off to was Gomamiso’s unusually urgent voice. And Survival’s warning alert. It didn’t come from ahead or behind, but suddenly descended from above… before I could even think, Mr. Ville’s name reflexively burst from my mouth.

“Yes!”

‘GiIIIiii GyaaaAAAAaaAAAAAAA!’

What was knocked away by the blade of the greatsword swung without a moment’s delay was a large bird that would be as big as an adult with its wings spread. Its sharp talons and beak are proof it’s a predator, I suppose.

That said, perhaps the previous blow injures it somewhere, because as it writhes on the ground, it no longer feels like an apex predator.

Mr. Ville approaches the bird struggling and mowing down the surrounding grass and flowers with its wings and body with large strides, then snaps its neck as easily as breaking a twig. The giant bird’s body turns to mist and disappears just like that.

All that remains is a thick leg with sharp claws attached.

Mr. Ville’s palm pats my back as I savor Survival’s competence.

“Good catch, Rin. The momentum of this thing’s dive is pretty intense. Depending on where it hit, you might’ve gotten more than just injured.”

“I’m glad Survival activates even in emergencies when things aren’t in my field of vision… and also, it’s thanks to Gomamiso, I guess.”

I feel bad for Mr. Ville, who’s praising me with his stern face softening, but I don’t think this achievement is mine. Besides Survival, this furball puffing out its chest with an unnecessarily smug face cried out, so you could say that’s why Mr. Ville went on alert…

When I pick up the chest-puffing Gomamiso and hold it out to Mr. Ville, his thick palm gently pats the kitten’s head.

“Now that you mention it, yeah. It was meowing sharply, which is unusual, so I wondered what was up. You protected your master… the Gourmands’ cook well. Good job!”

‘Nnfuu …! This me is a good kitty! Grow when praised!’

I squeeze Gomamiso tight as it rubs its head against Mr. Ville’s palm that’s rubbing it, as if demanding more praise. The uniquely soft, squishy sensation of a cat transmits through my arms.

After being petted by Mr. Ville for a while, Gomamiso now presses its head toward me as if saying pet me too. When I nuzzle my cheek against its smooth forehead, it narrows its eyes and purrs… you’re cute at times like this, Gomamiso. Though your tendency to get carried away is a flaw.

“Mr. Ville, thank you for saving me too! I’m glad you reacted! Please look forward to the next meal!”

That said, the reason I’m ultimately uninjured is that our leader instantly reacted and defeated the enemy even though I just called his name on reflex! When I clench my fist in front of Mr. Ville, his stern face lights up brightly.

I think this meat will be delicious no matter how I cook it! Ah! I’m so looking forward to cooking with this!

For now, in order to enjoy it deliciously… I decide to deliberately leave the meat in the vehicle to bring it to room temperature instead of storing it in the fridge. It’s difficult to cook it deliciously if it stays cold. By the time today’s rest stop is decided, it should be just the right temperature, yup.

Since it’s such good meat, I want to make it as delicious as possible if I can…! Plus, if I’m making roast beef, I feel like I should season it now…

“Mr. Ville, Mr. Ville! While we’re at it, can I at least do some light prep work?”

“Yeah, go ahead. We’ll check our equipment and traps in the meantime.”

“Thank you! I’ll get started right away!”

While manifesting the Camping Car, I get confirmation from the party leader, and he raises his thumb with a determined look.

Mm. I’m glad he seems to be looking forward to it!

I carry the log-like thigh meat and hurry to the kitchen space with Gomamiso clinging to my feet, insisting, "mine, mine!" When I place the meat on the cutting board, I’m once again overwhelmed by its size.

…When you see it at a store, it doesn’t seem like much, but the moment you bring it into a room, its size really stands out, doesn’t it?

That’s exactly what this meat is like…!

“Hmm… first, I need to make the thickness even…”

Looking at it like this, the thickness at both ends is quite different. If I exaggerate, it’s almost cone-shaped—tapering toward one end.

For now, I’ll boldly cut off the thinner part. If the meat I’m cooking has variations in thickness, the heat distribution gets uneven, and it won’t turn out delicious…

‘Heeey, heeey! Is that meat mine!? Mine!?’

“Hmm, what should I do? This meat looks delicious, and I think it would be tasty as a hamburger too!”

I dodge Gomamiso, whose golden eyes are sparkling, wrap the cut-off portion, and store it in the fridge.

Whether I give it to Gomamiso or we eat it ourselves, that won’t be today. If I leave it at room temperature, it’ll spoil!

“Alright! It’s a bit dangerous, so stay back, Miso!”

‘This me is behaving! A good kitty, you know!’

While implicitly giving off the subtext of "so give me a reward," Gomamiso sits down primly a little ways away.

The contrast between the small head and plump lower body…! Are kittens really this teardrop-shaped?

While recalling when my family’s cat was a kitten, I pick up a reasonably sized fork. I’m going to stab the fork in repeatedly so the seasoning soaks in easily!

“Hah! Hyah! Take that!”

When I did this work in the kitchen of my old apartment, the kitchen would shake with thuds, but when I do it in the Camping Car’s kitchen, there’s no sign of shaking at all. Why is it that it shakes when done in a building but doesn’t shake when done in a vehicle…?

“We’re done on our end. How about you, Rin?”

“Ah, Mr. Ville. I’m almost finished too, so sorry, but please wait just a bit longer.”

“Understood. We’re not in a hurry either. Take your time until you’re satisfied.”

As I’m single-mindedly poking holes in the giant meat chunk, the cabin door opens, and Mr. Ville peeks his face in.

For a brief moment, Mr. Ville’s crimson eyes widen in surprise at the sight of me relentlessly stabbing the silent mass of meat with something sharp over and over again… but they soon return to normal, and he watches my work with admiration, saying it looks like I’m attacking it with a mini trident.

Ah. Indeed, with this chunk of meat as the opponent, I have a feeling I could land "critical hits" repeatedly. Well, from the meat’s perspective, it’s probably a "devastating blow," though.

Once the meat is thoroughly riddled with holes, I’ll rub in salt, pepper, and olive oil. When all the work is done, I’ll wrap it and leave it on the counter! If it’s not at room temperature all the way to the core, the heat distribution will be poor again.

“Still… I’m glad the meat dropped already aged…! I really wouldn’t have confidence dismantling a whole carcass.”

“Oh, no need to worry about that, Rin. I can handle just the butchering. Yes, just the butchering.”

As I’m grinning after getting off the Camping Car, having finished the prep work, Mr. Xenon, who’s somehow nearby, nods in greeting while throwing me a wink.

…Ooof…! Who was it that said you get used to beautiful people in three days! Only those who can withstand a direct wink from a classic handsome blond, blue-eyed elf can make that claim!

Me? I couldn’t withstand it! Uwahhh! My heart… my heart hurts!

My companions’ faces are too good-looking, I’m dying!

“Gh…! R-Really…? Where did you learn such knowledge…?”

“We’re long-lived beings also called guardians of the forest, you see. Hunting was an important skill for survival.”

While taking serious damage to both my circulatory system and my sanity, I somehow managed to squeeze out a voice… and what came back was an extremely reasonable answer. …I see. Mr. Xenon is an elf. I’ve been saying handsome elf, handsome elf repeatedly, but my eyes go too much to the handsome part, and I almost forget he’s an elf…

I’m sorry for the stereotypical image, but even though he’s a priest, I wonder if he’s also good with a bow?

“…Wait…? If you can butcher, then by extension you should be able to cook too…?”

“Don’t, Rin. That elf right there is the one who created the abomination known as ‘charred raw meat.’”

I thought if you can butcher meat, then you should be able to cut and grill it too… but Mr. Ville, with a bone-chillingly low voice, jerked his chin toward Mr. Xenon.

“Ah, the notorious contradiction I’ve heard about…”

“It wasn’t just me. Ed and Aria, and Ville, who’s acting all cool over there, also made bundles of contradictions.”

…Oh wow… Mr. Ville was glaring at Mr. Xenon with a look like he was seeing a bug… They say grudges over food are terrifying, but is it that bad…? What flew from Mr. Xenon’s thin, well-shaped lips as he snorted at Mr. Ville’s gaze was another tremendous bombshell.

Oh… I see… everyone made a contradictory dish at least once… huh… Well, no wonder they desperately wanted to keep the cook.

M-Maybe, butchering skill and cooking skill are different? I think there are similarities in the sense of "processing meat" though…?

‘Even raw meat, this me can eat it!’

“Well, that’s true. If it’s Gomamiso, you could probably eat it if I scrape off the burnt outside…”

“What are you talking about, Rin? Of course, we scraped off the burnt parts and ate it too.”

Gomamiso, whose excitement won’t stop at hearing about meat, wags its tail while licking around its mouth. Mr. Ville, petting Gomamiso’s head, has a somewhat harrowing smile on his face.

Hmm… this party has some dark depths…

To begin with, I can cook reasonably well myself, so I don’t really understand where people who "can’t cook" go wrong… Is it the seasoning part where everyone fails? Or do they mess up some steps due to being unfamiliar with cooking? Well, there don’t seem to be any food alchemists around…?

But judging from Mr. Ville’s behavior yesterday, he can at least peel boiled eggs. If I could figure out the cause, maybe I could help everyone learn to cook…?

…Oops… now’s not the time to be thinking about that. I need to stay properly alert…

I push those rambling thoughts to a corner of my mind, hold Gomamiso tightly, and trudge across the endless grassland while personally keeping watch of my surroundings with Survival and relying on Ms. Aria’s scouting.

With trees standing here and there, it’s grassland as far as the eye can see. Clouds drift leisurely across the sky. What I can see hazily in the distance is the horizon.

The rustling grass swaying in the wind grazes my calves and thighs with a rather ticklish sensation. As I look around at the scenery that feels so unreal, words leak out with a sigh:

“Even so, this is… a dungeon… right…? I can’t believe it’s so vast…”

“…Actually, it’s probably not… that big… there’s illusion magic and spatial magic at work… we might not be able to proceed without dispelling them…”

I guess she picked up my dazed murmur. Ms. Aria turns around and twirls the side of her hair swaying in the wind with her fingertips.

…Eh, this is… an illusion…?

This grass that sways, bends, and bounces in response when Gomamiso plays with it, and these red flowers blooming while giving off a sweet fragrance among the greenery are illusions…!?

“Illusion magic… like what the guild staff cast at the entrance? But there’s even physical sensation…”

“It’s similar to that. Probably, the illusion magic is making just our surroundings tangible while hiding the exit to another floor, and using spatial magic to create an infinite corridor… something like that?”

“Essentially a single sheet-like space, with the edges connected into a ring or sphere of sorts…”

Told it’s an illusion, I touch the grass at my feet, and a rough, plant-like texture reaches my fingertips. But even when I try to check it with Survival, no information appears. I never noticed before, but does Survival not react to illusion magic? It’s a problem beyond whether something’s edible or not…

For some reason, Gomamiso also tries biting the grass in front of it, but… it doesn’t seem able to tear it off. This is also because it’s an illusion, I suppose.

“Hmm… so basically, no matter how much we walk, we can’t progress forward and end up back where we started?”

“Normally, yes. Luckily, we have Aria, so we never get lost… But for first-timers, it would be extremely difficult.”

So basically, it’s making a huge, empty room look even larger than it really is… Maybe it’s best to think of it as large-scale, high-resolution projection mapping.

Manipulating space… is a novel concept to me, but well, I’ve challenged dungeons with gimmicks in old RPGs where you’re made to walk infinitely unless you follow a specific route, so I understand it somewhat. Seeing through an illusion this elaborate, and realizing the space has been turned into an infinite corridor… yup, that does seem difficult on a first try. I got lost plenty of times in that dungeon too!

And what we need to do now is destroy the projector-like thing that’s projecting… or rather, generating the illusions, and the magical thing that’s warping space, thereby dispelling the illusion magic and spatial magic… is that it?

“Aria, can you tell if there are places where magical power is concentrated or stagnant?”

“Mm… There are a few spots… If we strike those, it should work… I think. There’s one right nearby too.”

Listening to the conversation between Mr. Xenon and Ms. Aria as they look around, it seems like Ms. Aria’s scouting net is catching some kind of reactions, so maybe we won’t needlessly walk around the room and exhaust ourselves.

Even so, this seems tough…!

There are four places where stagnant magical power has been caught in Ms. Aria’s scouting net. And they aren’t located at the four corners of the dungeon floor, as one might expect.

Is the mechanism such that destroying all of them removes the illusion and spatial distortion, or do we need to find and destroy the single “correct” one among the four…? I don’t know which it is, but considering this exploration is for investigation purposes, it was decided we should check them all out.

“…Either way, it’s safer to assume there are traps of some kind.”

“Eh, really? I thought there wouldn’t be anything if it wasn’t the real one…”

My spine shivered at Mr. Ville’s words, spoken as if it were nothing.

…Doesn’t that mean danger awaits us everywhere we go? No way! This is the kind of thing where we really need to stay on guard, right?

“Even if it’s a decoy location, wouldn’t it make sense to set up something to wear down the enemy’s forces?”

“Ahh… true…”

Honestly, being able to say that without batting an eye means he must have survived some truly hellish situations…

“Rin. We’re getting close to that magical power pool. I don’t want to get you caught up in combat, but just in case, be ready to take refuge immediately.”

“G-Got it…! I’ll prepare to escape with Gomamiso!”

I nod firmly back at Mr. Ville, who turned around with a serious face. The decisive battle ground seems near.

I catch Gomamiso, who is perched on my shoulder looking around, and hold it tightly.

I look around again, but even knowing it’s an illusion, the sensation of grass tickling around my shins and the smell of earth carried by the wind feel strangely real. Magic really is amazing.

Seriously, the Gourmands who can see through such elaborate illusions at first sight might actually be an amazing party…!?

Just as I’m mentally confronted with that terrifying truth I’ve been ignoring, a sharp cracking sound suddenly snaps from beneath my feet.

“Hyah!?”

‘Fumyaaaaa!’

“Damn! The range was wider than expected! Rin, run!”

Mr. Ville shouted loudly enough to drown out the strange cries from Gomamiso and me.

…But it’s already too late.

The moment I turn my body around while holding Gomamiso, something like a translucent light green wall surrounds us. It’s like being trapped inside a dome roughly thirty meters in radius and about fifteen meters high.

At Mr. Ville’s voice sounding unusually flustered, I rush to the wall, but that wall, which looks thin and easily breakable at first glance, doesn’t budge at all, no matter how hard I push or hit it. Even when Gomamiso digs its claws in, they just slide on the smooth surface without leaving a scratch.

Yup. Getting out of here seems a bit impossible…? Actually, I didn’t need to try escaping through the wall at all—I could’ve just manifested the Camping Car.

Because the wall is transparent and I can see outside, my feet instinctively head toward the wall… I need to train myself to make calm judgments too…

As I exhale a shaking breath and try to manifest the Camping Car right nearby… at the inorganic clashing and clanking sounds from behind me, I turn around even though I know I shouldn’t.

“R-Robots?”

“Magitech automatons! Something troublesome has appeared!”

Emerging from an eerie vortex of light on the ground are autonomous machines with a robot-anime-like silhouette—though they’re small in size, they still look about three meters tall.

One unit is white, and one is red. The red one appears to be a mono-eye type, with a single sinister red glow peering out from a black slit in its face.

Just as Gomamiso and I rush into the vehicle in a panic, a laser beam fired from the mono-eye scorches the spot where I was standing moments ago.

‘Umyaaaaaaa!’

“Th-th-th-that was clooooose!!!”

A rumbling tremor and a thunderous explosion echoed as the spot where the laser hit exploded.

Despite the illusion magic, the power that gouges the ground enough to momentarily reveal the earth makes Gomamiso’s fur stand on end all over its body, and cold sweat pours down my back like a waterfall.

What was… what was that just now!? If it had hit us directly, we would’ve died, wouldn’t we!?

…And that red one clearly targets the weakest part of the Gourmands—us!

“Are you okay, Gomamiso!? Are you hurt!?”

‘N-N-No… not hurt…! Me, a strong kitty! This me is fine!’

“That’s right. You are a strong child, Miso…! A very strong child!”

I quietly stroke Gomamiso’s bristling fur as it breathes heavily. I don’t think our voices leak outside, but I end up speaking in a whisper anyway. I hug the small furball tightly to protect it as it flattens its ears and tucks its tail. A heartbeat like an alarm bell transmits through my palm.

While making ominous whirring sounds, the red unit’s mono-eye rotates as if searching the surroundings without even looking at Mr. Ville and the rest. It’s probably searching because my figure disappeared due to the Camping Car’s concealment effect.

…Tch…! It’s not giving up…!

The red one persistently fires lasers around where I disappeared… around where I manifested the Camping Car.

This won’t get us anywhere…! I need to leave this spot anyway…!

Just as I try to climb over the flip-up counter into the driver’s seat while holding the panicking Gomamiso in my arms, there’s a high-pitched metallic clang and the thud of something heavyweight falling.

“You bastard… how dare you target our cook!!!”

“You’ll… regret this…!!!”

“Pay for this with your life!!!”

“Ville, the white one is a close-range type. The outer shell is hard, but the joints seem soft. Ed, Aria, the red one is a long-range type. Before it can take distance, bind it with webs and hit it with lightning magic. Those who trample on the hope of our dining table must receive appropriate retribution.”

What follows is everyone’s angry roars. The ring of blades cuts through the air, and the relentless laser fire abruptly stops.

When I look, Mr. Ville is at the front, handling his drawn greatsword with ease, slashing and carving at the white unit’s joints. Ms. Aria is binding the red unit tightly with threads, and Mr. Ed is slamming lightning-like magic through those threads.

And calmly smiling as he issues precise instructions exploiting both the red and white units’ weaknesses is Mr. Xenon …

…Wait, that greatsword Mr. Ville is wielding… that’s a two-handed sword, right? Why can he handle it with one hand? Ms. Aria too, those threads restraining the red one… haven’t they gone past "web" to become a "cocoon"? And Mr. Ed, that lightning magic… seems to be quite a high-voltage current, right…? …I wonder if he’s okay without high-voltage electrical work training… Contrary to the three raging people, only Mr. Xenon maintains a soft tone and expression, but… is it just my imagination that I can see pale blue anger emanating from his entire body?

Conclusion: grudges over food are terrifying.

‘Everyone’s amazing! If this royal me got serious, it’d be a piece of cake for me too!’

“…Is that so…”

While Gomamiso gets excited watching the red and white robot combo become scrap in the blink of an eye, I am reminded once again of just how important food is to the Gourmands…

“Rin, are you hurt!?”

“I-I’m fine! I got in before getting hurt!”

While stabbing his greatsword into the white unit’s head that’s making light shorting sounds from its severed cross-section, Mr. Ville raises his voice, still seething with anger.

Pathetically, the moment I realized we were safe, my legs gave out, and I couldn’t stand anymore. I crawl across the floor and stick my head out from the open door on all fours, and everyone’s faces on the front lines seem to relax with relief.

“Good, it’s a relief you’re not hurt. You must have been scared, right?”

“Well… they suddenly appeared, it was my first time seeing beams, my first time being shot at, so more than scared, I was just surprised.”

“The activation condition for those magitech automatons must have been entering within a certain radius.”

Being in the rear guard, Mr. Xenon, who was closest, peeks into the vehicle.

He gently takes my hand and smoothly helps me stand up. On top of that, he even supports me when I step down from the Camping Car…

My heart should have fluttered at being treated like a princess in a way I’d never experienced before…

Normally, I should be thinking "Being escorted by a handsome man…!" and getting all excited, but since I used to assist patients with standing up from the floor and going up and down steps, I just keep thinking "I’m being assisted by a handsome man… how grateful, how grateful"…

Mr. Xenon’s kindness just sinks right into me, yes.

“Rin! Are you… okay!?”

“Gweh!”

“My scouting… wasn’t enough… I’m sorry! You were scared, right?”

“N-no… I’m fi… ne… gughhh…”

Ms. Aria rushed over in one lightning-fast leap and hugged me without killing her momentum. At the impact of her slender but speed-laden body, an involuntary croak-like cry leaked from my throat. After that, as usual, came the suffocation combo of being squeezed tight with her scandalous chest pressed against my face.

“Ah, come on, Aria. You’ll squish Rin, so let her go, okay? Rin, that was some impressive fleeing!”

Mr. Ed gently separates Ms. Aria and me while giving me a sharp smile and thumbs up. Even though Ms. Aria and me are the same sex, I guess he doesn’t want to see his beloved wife hugging someone else.

But well, judging from everyone’s reactions, my decision to take refuge in the Camping Car wasn’t wrong.

“Rin… I was a bit too lax. I’m sorry I put you through something frightening.”

Mr. Ville, holding a silver-colored lump with the characteristic luster of metal—probably drop items—looks dejected and bows his head.

“Not at all. In the end, I’m safe without injuries, so all’s well that ends well! Right, Gomamiso!”

‘That’s right! This me, a capable one! Emergency stuff is my specialty!’

Come on now! There’s no way to know at first sight how close you need to get before it activates!

The moment you noticed something wrong, you immediately worried about us and gave instructions, so I have no complaints!

Gomamiso, riding on my shoulder, flapping its tail and wings, seems to be thinking the same as I am. It’s proudly puffing out its chest, saying, "Praise and worship me.”

…Still… the air feels heavy somehow. Everyone seems somewhat consumed by self-blame.

Um, both Gomamiso and I are fine, you know. Rather, I’m grateful that you’re protecting a combat amateur like this during a dungeon raid… Having everyone look so apologetic is harder on me!

…Now… how can I blow away this atmosphere…?

“Um… well… I have a rather bold request—shall we take a short break? With the enemies defeated, this area seems safe, and it feels about time to eat.”

“…M-Meal…!”

It might sound a little deliberate even to me, but I’m not wrong. To lift the morale of fellow gluttons, nothing beats food!

Plus, since the sun’s position doesn’t change, my sense of time is dull, but looking at my watch, we’ve been active for nearly half a day.

We’ve taken short breaks, but when I suggest it might be time for a proper meal soon, Ms. Aria’s face lights up first, and seeing that, Mr. Ed also smiles softly.

“I think the meat should be at a good temperature by now too.”

As if to add to that, when I bring up the topic of that supreme meat, a hint of life returns to Mr. Ville’s red eyes that had been downcast.

“Oh, that meat… that meat…!”

“I recall it was quite thick and looked filling, but what kind of dish will it become?”

“I’m planning steak and roast beef! I also have bread I bought, so I can make sandwiches too!”

Mr. Xenon doesn’t break his gentle smile, but I feel like that smile has gained intensity.

Ah, good! Did their spirits lift a bit?

I can’t talk about others, but gluttons are weak to delicious food…

The stagnation of magical power seems gone, yet the scenery shows no change. Whether it wasn’t the "real one" or it’s because we couldn’t remove all stagnations, I can’t judge, but still, as far as I can see with Survival, no red warning alerts are appearing.

If we eat here and rest well, won’t everyone recover their energy? No matter how depressed you are, eating something delicious and sleeping well will cure it!

“Shall we take a breather here and restore our spirits? I’ll put my skills to work!”

Like tempting lost little lambs, I deepen my smile and clench my fist with emphasis.

Someone’s throat gulps.

The food devil claims victory!

Starting with the sound of someone’s stomach rumbling, everyone looks at each other and bursts out laughing all at once.

…Yup, alright! The gloom has been blown away!

I see off the Ed-Aria couple who run off hand in hand, saying they’ll search for additional ingredients while patrolling, and Mr. Xenon, who says he’ll set up a simple barrier just in case…

“Mr. Ville, could you help me? I’d like some side dishes too…!”

“I can cut down enemies, but ingredients…”

“It’s okay! It’s not that difficult!”

It’s light work like peeling vegetables, so I don’t think it’ll take much effort, yup.

Now then, that supreme meat… how shall I cook it?

Well, I think it’ll be delicious no matter what I do with it!

While firmly nodding back at Mr. Ville, who’s sending me an anxious look, I decide to review the cooking steps once more.

◆◇◆

The meat I left in the Camping Car’s kitchen has reached just the right temperature. It’s glistening alluringly with nicely melted fat, and there’s no drip—tissue fluid similar to blood—so I think it’s in good condition.

I’m about to start preparing the meal, but I forgot to ask everyone something important! We got good meat, but how should I cook it? Should I choose the faster method with some risk, or take the time-consuming but reliable method…?

…Hmm… let’s have the leader decide!

“…Mr. Ville. About the meat, high temperature for a short time or low temperature slowly… which cooking method do you prefer?”

“Does the cooking method make a difference?”

“With high heat, it finishes quickly, so we can eat right away, but if you get the timing wrong, the meat dries out easily. Low heat takes longer, but the result is juicy and delicious.”

“It’s supreme meat. Even if it takes a bit longer, I want it as delicious as possible!”

Yup. As expected from a fellow glutton! I thought you’d choose the method that makes it even a little more delicious! That said, I’ll compromise to some extent and try to balance deliciousness and speed.

For now, I’ll sear the roast beef’s surface in a frying pan, then add heat in the oven, and do the steak with just the frying pan. As for Mr. Ville, I assign him not to help me with food prep, but to the task of holding Gomamiso and playing with it. After all, a kitten walking around rubbing its head against my shins while I’m cooking is an extremely dangerous object that I might accidentally kick or trip over and fall.

‘Me, looove this meeeat!’

“Rin, Rin! I-It’s rumbling quite loudly, is it okay!? Does it have a stomachache!?”

“It’s fine. Miso’s saying it likes the flower lizard meat, so it seems happy.”

I guess holding Gomamiso calmly like this made him notice the purring.

Mr. Ville, stroking the kitten’s potbelly that became round after devouring the mountain of lizard meat in an instant, has frantically looked back and forth between Gomamiso and me, but seeing me gave a thumbs up, he must have judged everything was fine. The cat in question is being held by Mr. Ville, purring contentedly… I’ll have him continue the mission of petting this mercenary little kitten! It’s not a mission anyone can do, so I hope he works hard at it.

“What kind of dish will those potatoes become?”

“I’m planning to cook them with the meat. Today I’ll probably have my hands full taking care of the meat, so I don’t think I can manage anything else… sorry.”

Mr. Ville, who is watching the potatoes being washed one after another, peeks at my hands while fluffing Gomamiso he’s holding.

I intend to bake the potatoes with the skin on together with the meat, but this time I cannot spare attention for other side dishes. I do plan to serve some vegetables to freshen the palate, but it will probably be no more than sliced tomatoes or onion slices.

I feel a bit bad about it and bow my head, but…

“So meat is the main dish today…! Isn’t that the best! No one will complain!”

“Yes, meat! Today is a meat feast.”

‘What about mine!? What about mine!?’

“There’s some for you too, Miso, but not yet. We’ll eat together later, okay?”

For this group of meat lovers, the lack of vegetables does not seem to be an issue worth worrying about.

Mr. Ville, who ran his gaze over the chunk of meat being seasoned and the thick-cut meat waiting its turn, and Gomamiso held in those burly arms, have their eyes sparkling with joy.

Yes, yes. Today’s meal is meat-focused! It’s meat-focused indeed!

“…Now… It’s time for the fun part!”

While starting to preheat the oven, I plop the chunk of meat I’d left alone onto the counter. Immediately, Mr. Ville’s face lights up. Mm. A very carnivorous male reaction indeed.

“Oh! You’re finally grilling it!”

“This is exciting. Personally, I like it cooked rare.”

At the same moment, a cool, unruffled voice casually slips in a request about doneness. When I turn around, Mr. Xenon, carrying a staff in one hand, is climbing the Camping Car’s steps. Not only is he uninjured, but his clothes aren’t even dirty, so the surroundings must have been safe.

Welcome back safely!

“Ah, Mr. Xenon. Welcome back! No monster troubles, I hope?”

‘Welcome back! Do you have a souvenir for me? A souvenir?’

At the return of the first person, Gomamiso leaps out of Mr. Ville’s arms and scampers toward Mr. Xenon, tail standing straight as it clings to his feet. Occasionally, it looks up with sparkling eyes, but… I don’t think Mr. Xenon has any drop items?

You should be grateful just to be petted while seeing the handsome elf’s melting smile up close!

“Xenon… you’re back…”

“My apologies for the intrusion, you youngsters. The area around the vehicle seemed free of any danger, so I came back early.”

While the men banter back and forth, I personally prefer croquettes. Leaving their play-fighting aside, let’s get this meat cooked! Whew, I’m excited!

After melting the fat I cut off in the heated frying pan, let’s cook the edges first.

Fsshhhh! The fat cheerfully splatters and dances, and the part of the meat touching the frying pan tightens. A very fragrant smell spreads all around.

Even the men who were having their friendly quarrel apparently couldn’t resist this blessed smell and lively sound. They quickly approach and position themselves on either side of me, then eagerly peer into the frying pan.

“…Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty! Flip!”

“What are you counting, Rin?”

“At this stage, I don’t want to cook the inside too much, so I’m just putting color on it. Most recipes say one minute, so that’s what I’m doing.”

After cooking that end, I cook the opposite edge too. I said one minute, but I don’t think it needs to be that precise, so I’m self-counting. Once both ends are cooked, I lay the meat chunk on its side, and when it’s cooked I rotate it, when it’s cooked I rotate it… just adding color all over.

“Mr. Xenon, please get that baking sheet! I’m putting the meat on!”

“Ah, this one. I’m very much looking forward to it.”

I have Mr. Xenon get the baking sheet lined with cooking paper that was left on the table by the window, place the seared meat chunk and halved potatoes with skin on it… then push it straight into the oven and slowly cook it thoroughly at the low temperature of 100 degrees.

When you do it at low temperature, the meat finishes moist and fine-textured…!

While I’m at it, let’s sauté onions in this frying pan oozing with meat juices, add soy sauce and lemon juice to make a sauce!

The illustration’s description: Rin is cooking, and Ville and Xenon stand on both of her sides, looking at her work.

Even though I can leave the meat to the oven, there’s a mountain of things to do before the meat feast. In any case, I need to take care of the time-consuming things now…!

While the oven hums in a low tone, I glance at the two men and one creature crowding around it and focus on finishing my own work.

While I am petting Gomamiso, the oven plays its electronic chime to announce that the meat is done. It has probably been roasting for just under an hour.

I stick a metal skewer into the meat chunk I took out to check the internal temperature. I touch the pulled-out skewer to my lips… yup! The heat transmits properly, so the heating is done!

After transferring it to a large plate and covering it with aluminum foil, I gently set it aside to let the meat juices settle. The potatoes I baked together, while not browned, came out nice and fluffy. I’ll set these aside on the meat plate too.

The meat juices pooled on the cooking sheet will add good flavor when mixed into the sauce, so I won’t waste them!

With the roast beef mostly finished, now I’m about to sprinkle salt and pepper on the thick slab-like meat to cook the steak when I suddenly realize something.

“…Aren’t Ms. Aria and Mr. Ed quite late…? I hope they’re not injured…”

I know it’s not my place to say as a rookie baggage carrier, but does nearby scouting and gathering really take this much time?

I look around through the kitchen window, but there is still no sign of anyone near the Camping Car. Did they encounter a strong enemy and are struggling? Are they trapped by some kind of trap and unable to move…?

“Now that you mention it, it has been over an hour… well, it’s those two, so…”

“You don’t need to worry too much. They’re probably off enjoying themselves after going out together for the first time in a while.”

At my murmur that leaked out from worry, Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon, who were playing with Gomamiso, looked up… but… somehow… they don’t really seem worried…?

But hearing the reason, I understand a bit. So they’re flirting while out hunting. Maybe I don’t need to worry too much about injuries?

Steak doesn’t need the juices to settle as much as roast beef, so maybe it’s better to start cooking after the Ed-Aria couple returns, so we all can eat it piping hot, fresh off the pan?

That said, they’ll get hungry while waiting, and they helped me with Gomamiso… so maybe I’ll serve something to tide over Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon’s stomachs.

“Um… well then, I’ll start cooking the steak after those two return. In the meantime, please try tasting this.”

“A-Are you sure!?”

“You helped me! It’s a benefit of being on kitchen duty.”

‘Eh!? Eh!? What about me? What about me?’

To the furball that repeatedly headbutts my shins violently upon hearing that special rewards are being given to the two other males besides itself, I prepare the remaining lizard meat.

For the men, I serve potatoes baked with the meat, topped with the gently simmered sauce, along with a slice of the savory cake I made yesterday. Ordinary people would not eat this much before dinner, but with the Gourmands, there is no worry about being too full for the main meal!

That said, since the savory cake was originally planned as trail food, what I served for tasting were the edge pieces. Personally, I think the edges of things like bread, pound cake, yokan, or castella have a special deliciousness.

“This is… the sauce alone is delicious enough! I can’t wait to see how it goes with the meat.”

“This savory cake thing is good too! Being able to eat meat and cheese together is great!”

While watching the plates emptying in an instant, I wash the used utensils and arrange the sliced vegetables and cheese on plates, moving my body exactly as I rehearse it in my head. The good thing about cooking is that I can manage the work completely at my own discretion, I suppose.

About 20 minutes later, I hear multiple footsteps climbing the cabin steps along with Mr. Ed’s lively voice. It seems Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria have safely returned as well.

“Welcome back! …Wow, that’s quite a haul!”

“Mm! We went all out!”

“It was a date with Aria after so long, you see. It was so fun, I lost track of time! We kept you waiting for the meal, so as an apology, we hunted these too♪.”

The faces of the two who returned holding hands look radiant, as if they fully enjoyed their "date" after so long. But even more noteworthy is the mountain of ingredients—meat and whatnot—carried in the arms opposite from the hands they’re holding.

…Wait, huh? That’s strange?

The dates I remember are things like going for drives, going to aquariums, eating meals, watching movies… that sort of thing, but is there such a thing as a date where you hunt meat, gather vegetables, and catch fish?

Sure, fish could be a fishing date, vegetables could be an outdoor date like fruit picking or a community garden… but hunting… meat… I’ve never heard of a hunting date!

Before my eyes, as I’m caught in a whirlpool of quiet confusion, Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria are building mountains of their date spoils on the counter and dining table.

[Orc Meat/Spare Ribs (Aged)], [Orc Meat/Belly Slices (Aged)], [Stalactite Wasabi], cabbage-like [hajirokanran], [Cave Trout (Large)], [Spiral Fern], [Cave Trout (Small)], etc…

…!

My field of vision is occupied by Survival windows, and I feel a moment of slight dizziness. It’s because an amount of information beyond imagination flowed into my brain.

Something softly supports my swaying back.

“Are you okay, Rin?! Did you overdo it and get tired?”

“A-ah… sorry, Mr. Ville. Thank you. I was just surprised by the unexpectedly large amount. …Even so, that’s an amazing amount!”

“Lots of yummy stuff! Hit the jackpot!”

I thanked Mr. Ville for supporting me and shook my head lightly, and the swaying in my vision settled. As I thought, my brain seems to have had processing issues with the amount of information.

Still, I rub the corners of my eyes as if to loosen the lingering discomfort in the back of my eyeballs, and look at the "souvenirs" again. It seems that if I concentrate only on what I want to see, I can avoid information flooding in all at once like before.

“Didn’t you fight quite a few monsters? Aren’t you tired? Any injuries?”

Drop items can only be obtained by defeating monsters. Yet having this much means… they completed a fair number of battles. Of course, there are probably things they gathered along the way too.

I hastily look Ms. Aria over from top to bottom, but there are no injuries, not even dirt on her clothes.

“We’re not hurt at all♪ . Thanks for worrying, Rin. But more than that, Ville. The ones appearing on this floor are similar to that fire bear.”

“…So they’re all bark and no bite, you mean.”

“Yeah. Otherwise, Aria and I couldn’t have defeated multiple orcs by ourselves.”

“…As I thought, the unnatural weakness of the monsters is concerning. It seems we’ll need to investigate gradually.”

From behind Ms. Aria, who said "I’m hungry" and hugged me, then picked up and nuzzled Gomamiso, I overheard what sounded like a rather serious conversation from the men.

Similar to that fire bear… they look like high-level monsters, but when fought, they’re barely stronger than ordinary ones—a strange phenomenon, no doubt. But for me, the ordeal is… having to figure out what to do with the suddenly increased ingredients…

Should I mince the leftover Wild Ox scraps and the Orc belly slices to make hamburgers? Or should I make ginger pork, taking advantage of the tenderness and richness of the belly meat? The large cave trout looks delicious no matter how we eat it, and the smaller ones would be delicious as tempura or fried…!

While being half-swallowed by my spiraling thought processes, I shove the mountains of meat, fish, and vegetables into the fridge for now. There’s no way I can cook all that amount from here on out! I’ll only keep the stalactite wasabi that could be used as a condiment for today’s menu.

“But first, let’s take care of today’s main dish!”

“Meat! I was looking forward to it!”

When I roll up my sleeves again and face the counter, Ms. Aria looks at me with eyes sparkling brightly. I get it. I really get it! Anyone would look like that when they know they’re about to eat that meat!

“Now that everyone’s gathered, I’ll cook the steak too! Once the meat is fried, let’s eat!”

The cheers that went up at hearing "meat" stop abruptly the moment the words "let’s eat" come out.

After a brief moment of silence…

“Meat! Meeeaat…!”

“That’s the slab-like cut, right!? I can’t wait to see how it turns out when it’s fried!”

“Then, could you prepare the plates and such? From now on, I think I’ll be completely focused on frying the meat…”

Everyone jumps up as if released, taking out plates, getting vegetables from the fridge, changing their expressions, and starting to move.

The power of meat is incredible!

While Mr. Ville and the party members are bustling about, I take on the ultra-thick steak!

…That said, all I do is salt it, pepper it, and fry it—but that “just frying” part is the tricky one…

“First, cut the sinew, then rub salt and pepper on both sides…”

“Rin, what are you going to do with this chunk of meat?”

“I’ll slice it later with the steak! I’m curious to see how it cooks too!”

I raise my voice while trimming excess fat and cutting the sinew so it won’t shrink. I can’t free my hands, but I have enough leeway to move my mouth!

As I spoke to Mr. Ville, who has been wandering around restlessly holding a plate with the meat chunk still wrapped in aluminum foil, everyone else smoothly takes over—bringing out baguettes and small buns from storage, preparing plates… helping out efficiently.

“Rin! Cheese! Can we have cheese too!?”

“As long as you leave some, please help yourself. It’s delicious with apple slices as well.”

As Ms. Aria happily pulled a camembert-like white mold cheese from the fridge, I pointed her toward the apples in the vegetable basket in storage. Thinly sliced apples topped with camembert or cream cheese and drizzled with a bit of honey are delicious… Ah, but I forgot to buy honey! Well, apples and cheese alone are delicious, so let’s… not worry about it…!

Meanwhile, I heat up a slightly thick frying pan… and decide to start searing from the sides. If I start cooking meat this thick from the wide surface, the meat juices will overflow from the sides… so I’ll sear the sides first to create a wall, then cook the wide surfaces!

“…It’s about time… I think!”

When I hold my hand over the heavy-duty frying pan, scorching heat transmits through. The surface temperature will drop when I put the meat in, so I need to preheat it to some degree… but this level of heat should be fine!

I deliberately don’t add oil. The sirloin part has nicely marbled fat, so I think the fat will melt from there. So first, I’ll sear the sirloin side in the frying pan!

Juwaaaa! With a cheerful sound, fat melts from the fatty part touching the frying pan and pools in the pan. I’m holding and supporting it with tongs so the meat doesn’t fall over, but the pepper grains and spilled meat juices are splattering, and it’s hot! But if I think of this as necessary to cook it deliciously, it’s not painful at all!

I sear the surface on high heat, then slowly cook it on low heat… when the time comes, I rotate the meat and cook the still-raw surface… repeating this several times to add color all around. The sweet smell of burning fat and the savory aroma of cooking meat mix together, and an extremely appetite-stimulating fragrance fills the kitchen.

But not yet! It’s not over yet! When cooking the meat surfaces, I’ll add butter to this sea of meat juices!

“What a wonderful aroma… I could drink wine on this alone.”

“I’d have a glass if we weren’t in the middle of a dungeon run.”

“With you guys, one glass would hardly be enough.”

“…Ville… you can’t… talk either…!”

Having finished preparing to some extent, the members with nothing to do gather around the stove.

Well… I won’t say they’re in the way, but when tall people peer over from behind like this… how should I put it… my complex…!

…

…

…I-I’m not short! I’m just a little… just a tiny bit below average height!!!

Argh, dammit! I was just about to enjoy that mellow buttery aroma!!!

Not losing to the reality that’s stabbing my heart roughly, I cook the wide surfaces of the meat whose sides are seared. It’s quite thick, so I’ll add char marks on high heat, then slowly cook it on low heat… that should work.

As the meat cooks with good sizzling sounds, I scoop up the mixture of fat and meat juices with a spoon and pour it over, scoop and pour—this prevents the surface from drying out and finishes it with nice gloss and sheen!

Once the other side is done, I flip it and cook it the same way, then transfer it to double-layered foil to let the residual heat cook it through.

All that’s left is to add red wine to the frying pan filled with golden juices and fat, and let it reduce a bit… there!

“Alright! Once we rest this for about 10 minutes, it’s done! In the meantime, I’ll grate this stalactite wasabi…”

I wash it well with a scrub brush to remove the mud while lightly scraping off the skin, wipe off the moisture… and grate it with a fine grater! A sharkskin grater is supposed to be the best, but even the remarkably well-stocked kitchen of the Camping Car doesn’t include something like that. Wasabi’s spiciness is volatile, so I grate it all now and seal and freeze whatever remains!

“It’s quite pungent… are you sure it’s okay?”

“If it’s the wasabi I know, the fat will neutralize the spiciness, so it’s fine!”

At the sharp aroma that stimulates the nasal membranes, Mr. Ville, who’s been peeking at my hands, looks at me with his face slightly tensing, but beef, wasabi, and soy sauce are best friends forever, so it’s fine!

Without stopping my hand from grating the wasabi, I mentally give a thumbs up, but Mr. Ville’s complexion still isn’t very good.

…To make our veteran leader this apprehensive… just how intense is this stalactite wasabi!

“Alright… I think it’s about ready…!”

With the sauce prepared, I slowly open the foil wrapping the steak I’d been keeping warm. From the meat showing the darker char marks overall with places where meat juices have caramelized and clung here and there, an aroma that’s savory yet sweet—a mixture of butter and meat juices that stimulates the appetite endlessly—drifts out.

…Is it okay now? It’s okay, right?

Under the gaze of eight jewel-like eyes shining with expectation, the steak plate took its place beside the roast beef at the center of the table.

“The meat is ready! Let’s eat!!!”

While hearing the delighted screams that immediately go up, I gently hold the well-maintained carving knife. I smoothly remove the aluminum foil wrapping the roast beef. The slight remnants of heat and steam trapped inside caress my cheeks, and in the next moment, the aroma of the moist, settled meat spreads explosively around us.

Perhaps from resting in the foil, the smell is no longer aggressively hunger-inducing like fresh-off-the-pan meat, but gentle and refined. Is it just my imagination that even the char marks on the surface somehow look softer…?

“W-Well then, I’ll slice it now…!”

While everyone watches with bated breath, I gently insert the knife into the meat chunk—now a proper roast beef. From beyond the light brown meat piece that falls away as if unraveling, rose-colored meat shows its face.

“Ohhhhh! Even I have to say that’s a good color! Good job, me!”

“Such a nice color. It looks truly delicious…!”

“…! Amazing! Meat! Looks delicious!”

The surface with its savory light brown char marks, the middle layer cooked while retaining a slight redness, the center that looks raw but is properly cooked to a rosy color… The meat chunk displaying such a beautiful gradation doesn’t show any sign of spilling meat juices onto the plate, no matter how much I cut, yet it doesn’t look dry in texture either. Because it cooks thoroughly, the fibers of the meat seem to hold on to the juices.

I slice about half thinly… then slice the rest with moderate thickness. Roast beef is wonderful because you can enjoy both the fun of stuffing your mouth with many thin slices and the deliciousness of savoring slightly thicker pieces!

“…Roast beef is done. Now, the steak…!”

Judging that the meat juices have probably settled, I start cutting up the slab-like steak.

Fat and meat juices ooze from where I insert the blade, spreading across the pure white plate. Is this thanks to aiming for a slightly rare doneness? Contrary to the surface cooked to a deep caramel color, the interior of the cut meat is a vivid rose color. The core is glossy as if wet, and the cross-section showing a flushed color is even sensual.

The way meat juices pool on the surface of the cut meat pieces is just…! It’s a bit hard to cut up because of the bone, but they say the meat near the bone is delicious… I’ll scrape it off later.

“Phew… I made about three kinds of sauce for the meat, but I also have salt, pepper, and lemon juice, so please tell me if you prefer those! Please help yourselves to the food!”

Even though I’m just cutting up meat, I’m somehow getting a bit emotional… I take a deep breath as if to release the welling sentimentality… and suddenly notice. The table is packed full with large platters of roast beef and steak, three kinds of sauce, and a plate of pre-torn pull-apart bread. The veggies are left on the now-empty kitchen counter. I should probably buy another table when I get the chance.

“Rin, that’s enough. That’s plenty. Come sit down now.”

“Exactly! Meals taste better when everyone eats together!”

As I pointed at the items that didn’t fit, Mr. Ville and Mr. Ed gently urged me to take a seat, Ms. Aria silently pulled on my sleeve, and I ended up sitting down.

“I’m grateful to have food again today.”

“Itadakimasu!”

Each person expresses their gratitude for the food in their own way… and the table becomes a battlefield. Forks clash sparks like sword fights, and in the blink of an eye, the cut meat disappears into everyone’s stomachs. It feels even more bloodthirsty than fighting monsters, yup.

At my feet, as I feel like I’m watching some kind of sword dance, there’s Gomamiso happily chomping on Wild Ox meat and small cave trout cut into sizes easy for a kitten’s mouth to eat. Sounds of joyful meowing, purring, and munching on meat… it seems quite lively over there too. I’d heard that few big cats eat fish, but Gomamiso seems to be the type who enjoys both meat and fish deliciously.

… Still, it’s really incredible. Just when someone’s arm flashes, the fork gripped in that hand has meat firmly speared on it, and before I can even go "oh," another arm extends from outside my field of vision.

…Eh? How am I eating in all this, you ask? Perhaps being considerate of the cook with zero combat ability, Mr. Ville and Ms. Aria sitting next to me appropriately serve me portions too!

Having companions is what you need… I’m so grateful, so grateful…!

…Now then. First the steak…! Let’s start with the filet.

“…Hafu…! S-So tender!”

Neither piping hot nor lukewarm, I put the meat piece with its alluringly appropriate heat and bewitching color into my mouth. Whether it’s thanks to thoroughly rubbing in salt and pepper, or coating it with butter and meat juices and searing it thoroughly at high temperature… when I bite down, a crispy texture transmits through. But it’s by no means tough. The surface bites cleanly, and juices burst forth, so abundant I want to ask where they were hiding. The filet appeared lean at first glance, but the butter adds richness. The more I chew, the more umami and meat juices gush in my mouth.

After swallowing, a faintly nutty, savory aroma passes through my nose. Filet, being low in fat, dries out quickly if overcooked even a little, but this time it seems to turn out perfectly!

“The heat control is exquisite…! The outside is crisp, yet the inside is moist and tender… exactly my preferred doneness.”

“I thought filet would just dry out when roasted, but I never imagined it could finish this moist…!”

While listening to the extremely satisfied Mr. Xenon chomping on meat and Mr. Ville’s groaning murmur, I try the sirloin portion Ms. Aria served me.

“…Oh? It’s not as heavy as I expected. There’s definitely some fattiness there, but it’s not unpleasant at all…”

“Maybe it’s because the meat itself has power? It feels really well balanced!”

The sirloin’s sweet fat melts smoothly on my tongue, intertwining with the powerful meat juices to moisten my tongue. The meat with moderate marbling is so tender it’s easily chewed through, and slides down my throat in an instant. While having enough bite to feel the meat fibers, when I apply my teeth, it cuts roughly through, and umami-rich meat juices overflow in my mouth.

My mouth doesn’t get greasy at all—rather, it feels savory, not heavy, even light. More than anything, the bliss of stuffing your mouth full with largely cut tender meat and chewing vigorously…!

By the way, what Ms. Aria, who hasn’t spoken a word since saying her respective "Let’s eat," is doing—she’s serving meat to her plate and mine while simply stuffing her mouth with meat. Even without words, seeing her sparkling eyes and faintly rose-flushed cheeks, I can tell she’s eating deliciously…

This is what being a cook is all about!

“You see, Aria doesn’t like talking when eating something delicious—she says it lets the ‘delicious aura’ escape!”

“Didn’t she also say she doesn’t like having delicious food taken by others while she’s talking?”

“She also says it’s better to eat lots rather than waste time chatting, right…?”

“…That’s… not true!”

Ms. Aria, who served a heap of thinly sliced roast beef and one slightly thicker cut piece to both her and my plates, suddenly opened her mouth.

…Oops… there’s sauce around her mouth… but before I can say anything, Mr. Ed is wiping it with a tissue. Perfect coordination or what have you… Well, Mr. Ed looks happy, so let’s call it good!

Ms. Aria puts down the plate, turns toward me, and squeezes my hand tightly. Cold but soft hands.

“I love you… and your cooking…! Thank you… for coming…!”

“I’m glad I got to join everyone too! Come on, first things first, let’s eat? We have to decide on future plans too, right?”

With a cute-type beauty with flushed cheeks smiling sweetly right in front of me… even though we’re the same sex, I can’t help but feel embarrassed! Squeezing Ms. Aria’s hand back partly to hide my embarrassment, I toss the conversation to Mr. Ville, who’s biting into a large steak.

“…Yeah, right. For now, once we finish eating today, we camp here. There are three more magical power pools remaining, but judging by today’s results, we should wrap things up by tomorrow or the day after.”

“Seems like it’ll be quite a forced march. I’ll prepare some rations.”

Mr. Ville, having swallowed his roast beef, roughly lays out the future schedule.

Three more by tomorrow or the day after, huh…

If the distances are close, is he thinking it’s possible to break through by tomorrow…?

In that case, I’ll make something that can be eaten while walking, other than savory cake.

But for now, at least…

“The roast beef is delicious too! Moist! Juicy!”

“The sensation of chewing several thin slices of meat at once is heavenly…!”

“As for me, I like rolling up the slightly thicker slices to make them even thicker before eating ‘em♪!”

When I bring the roast beef still faintly warm to my mouth, the moist, dense, smooth meat pieces seem to cling to my tongue. The surface that would have been crispy when freshly cooked has been nicely steamed in the aluminum foil and has become a soft texture.

As Mr. Ville says, when I put several thinly sliced pieces in my mouth at once, the meat pieces unravel bit by bit with each chew, and umami explosively spreads on my tongue from there. This is the violence of umami!

When I eat the thick-cut one Mr. Ed’s way, this has a firm bite and satisfaction solid enough to call a "steak.”

Of course, the meat is delicious on its own, but it’s flavorful enough to stand up to any sauce too.

Occasionally, eating sliced tomatoes refreshes my mouth, making the next bite of meat taste even more delicious…

I put steak and vegetables on the baguette I buy to make open-faced sandwiches, or roll roast beef to bite-sized rolls to create roast beef balls instead of sushi balls—I’m having a lot of fun doing whatever I like!

But someday I want to bake bread with yeast too… I have apples, so should I start cultivating yeast?

While watching the members casually polish off a high-protein dish of thick-cut roast beef topped with cheese, I reach out my chopsticks to join the battle for meat myself.

◆◇◆

The feast—less a banquet of wine and meat, more a forest of meat upon meat—ends while maintaining the momentum of a frenzied feeding frenzy, and before I know it, I’m being woken up in my bunk bed by a sleepy kitten’s cat punches… and that’s how it goes. The end.

I slowly raise my head while gazing at Gomamiso’s belly, filling my entire field of vision.

“…Huh…? When did I fall asleep…?”

I remember the party members and I completely cleaned out all that roast beef and steak, putting it all neatly in our stomachs, and then polished off the bread and vegetables too… If they ate this well, I’m incredibly happy as the cook, and the Wild Ox would have no regrets as well. Rest in peace.

…I definitely remember saying something along those lines, at least.

I try petting the belly fur of the kitten, who’s now completely forgotten its wild nature, sleeping soundly with its belly exposed and limbs sprawled out. The furball, who seems to be fast asleep, shows no sign of waking up at all.

I’m really trusted, huh… or rather, isn’t this cat just thick-skinned…?

“Mi-so. Wake up. It’s breakfast time.”

Even when I poke its toe beans, even when I bury my face in its belly and breathe in… Gomamiso just keeps its mouth half-open, twitching its ears, continuing to sleep with the most blissful expression.

I judge with my still-sleepy head that this is hopeless, and climb down from the bunk bed, leaving Gomamiso still in dreamland.

I need to start preparing breakfast soon anyway.

In the cabin, Mr. Ville, who seems to have been on watch duty, is sitting on a folding stool, gazing out the window.

According to my wristwatch, it’s early morning, but being inside a dungeon where time seems to stand still, I’m not really sure if you can call this “morning.”

“Good morning, Mr. Ville.”

“Good morning, Rin. Is there anything I can help with?”

“I’m planning to make something simple today, so I’ll just accept your kind thought.”

Mr. Ville is trying to stand up from the stool, but I can’t have the person on watch doing other work! Just your willingness to help is enough! Thank you!

With my head still not working well from just waking up, I’ll make breakfast and travel rations following my desires.

Today’s breakfast will be trout rice mixed with grilled fish scraps, and miso soup with onions and potatoes… as for rations, instead of a salmon burger, I make trout rice sandwiches—onigirazu. If I had eggs to spare, I’d sandwich them together like pork and egg rice balls, but I used quite a bit for tartar sauce, so I want to conserve them a bit.

Just as I roll up my sleeves to start working, I catch sight of Ms. Aria’s sleeping face curled up on the makeshift bed created by extending the sofa. She’s sleeping next to Mr. Ed with an innocent and blissful expression.

Somehow, I feel bad about disturbing this relaxed, leisurely atmosphere with cooking sounds…

“…Ah… would it be bad to wake them with the sound of water…?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. It’s about time for them to wake up anyway.”

“Huh? Isn’t that not much sleep? Are they okay?”

“Normally, these guys are alert enough to wake up at the sign of you stirring… they must be really relaxed right now.”

“I wonder if they trust me a bit as a companion? That makes me happy!”

Adventurers you often see in fantasy novels and manga, are supposed to be pretty sensitive to presences, jumping up into combat readiness the instant someone moves even a little—but is the reason no one wakes up even when I move around that I’m someone who doesn’t possess any advanced skill like “concealing my presence”?

Somehow, I’m deeply touched! Today too, I’ll make food that everyone will say is delicious! But for now, while the rice is cooking, I’ll fillet this massive cave trout that must be 50cm long into three pieces.

Trout don’t have very hard bones, so after removing the head, I lay the blade flat parallel to the cutting board against the backbone, then move the knife in one go along the bone—the bones cut with a pleasant snapping resistance, and just like that, the fillet comes off.

This method leaves some flesh on the backbone, but it’s convenient when you want to process things quickly! Besides, this time I intend to enjoy the flesh around these bones too, so there’s no problem. I plan to salt the scraps, bake them in the oven, and flake the flesh to make salmon flakes… or rather, trout flakes.

As for the fillets, I’ll use these for travel rations. After carefully removing the pin bones with tweezers while taking my time so they don’t break, I’ll cut them into chunks.

“You’re quick as always, Rin.”

“In a way, it’s just habit. I like cooking, and I’ve been doing it forever.”

Mr. Ville murmured admiringly while watching my hands as I worked away.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I peel the onions and potatoes, slice the onions thickly, cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and slowly simmer them starting from cold water. Once they’re cooked through somewhat, I add a small splash of white dashi and turn off the heat. I’ll add the miso after everyone wakes up.

While I’m grilling the chunked thick trout fillets in the frying pan and flaking the grilled scraps, the others who were napping also start stirring awake. In the end, my worry about disturbing their sleep turns out to be unfounded—everyone wakes up right when the food is ready. I’m glad they slept soundly!

“Good morning, everyone. I’ll have food ready in just a moment.”

I call out to the three who’ve woken up while mixing the flaked trout flesh and ginger into the cooked rice. The ginger is raw, by the way. The residual heat of the freshly cooked rice will cook it just right and make it delicious.

Everyone still seems a bit sleepy, but their eyes light up at the word "food." They’ll definitely eat breakfast heartily, yup.

I’ll heat the large pot of pre-miso soup just before boiling, turn off the heat, add the miso, and finish it into miso soup. Still, I’m so glad everyone in Gourmands is okay with fermented foods like miso and soy sauce…! While it’s a familiar taste for Japanese people, there are foreigners who can’t handle the unique flavor… and even Japanese people who resist unfamiliar fermented foods like cheese and fish sauce… Thinking about that, I’m truly grateful that they find food from another world that they’ve probably never eaten before "delicious!”

I thump the inner pot of mixed rice onto the table as is, place the large pot of miso soup onto it too, and plop down the barley tea pot—and my work is done for now.

After that, everyone can serve themselves as much as they can eat!

“Here you go, please help yourselves to rice and miso soup! Add extra ginger to taste if you like.”

“…Waking up to ready-made food… that’s just… bliss…!”

“I know exactly how you feel. This is truly wonderful.”

Right now, before my eyes, Ms. Aria and Mr. Xenon are displaying remarkable appetites despite just waking up, with truly beautiful manners. Can you believe it? Their movements themselves are super graceful and refined, yet the contents of their bowls disappear in the blink of an eye…? It’s disappointing enough to make the sparkling aura around them fade!

“Aria is cute again today…! Thanks, Rin. I want to do anything that makes Aria happy, but somehow cooking just doesn’t agree with me.”

“…I’m bad at cooking too… I don’t want Ed to get an upset stomach anymore…”

“What you two make can hardly be called cooking…”

“Xenon, you’re hardly one to talk.”

Mr. Ed’s words, with his cheeks relaxed enough they might fall off as always, made Ms. Aria droop her shoulders dejectedly with a spoon in her mouth, and then Mr. Ville put a stop to Mr. Xenon piling on—this familiar routine plays out yet again.

“Alright! Let’s coordinate today’s plans while we eat.”

“…That said, we’re going to attack the remaining magical power pools, right?”

“Basically, we’re going to crush all the remaining ones, right?”

While listening to everyone discuss today’s action plan, I first take a sip of the onion and potato miso soup. As the sweet yet salty aroma of miso passes through my nose, the crunchy sweet onions and the gently soft-textured potatoes melt and fall apart in my mouth.

For the cave trout rice, high-end salmon-flake rice is the closest comparison, I guess? Thanks to flaking the collar and scrap parts, it has a moist, fatty quality, but since I mixed in raw ginger, the aftertaste is sharply refreshing. Thanks to using fresh ingredients, there’s no fishy smell at all.

I think this would also be delicious if the base rice were vinegared and mixed with myoga ginger or shiso leaves—probably even lighter and more aromatic. When we return to town, I should look more thoroughly for condiments!

“…So the troublesome part is the forced warps.”

“We’ve grasped the patterns to some extent yesterday, so I think today will go pretty smoothly.”

“Wrong route… leads to teleport…”

Everyone skillfully manipulates their spoons while displaying vigorous enough appetites to polish off the trout rice and miso soup, and information sharing proceeds. I’m glad the food isn’t interfering with the discussion. Sure, having them think "It’s delicious!" is important, but I think being able to eat casually without breaking concentration in situations like this is also important.

…Still, forced warps if you take the wrong route—isn’t that an annoying type of gimmick? No thanks! It’s the type where you encounter enemies while wandering around, going "maybe this way, maybe that way" while hand-drawing maps, and your resources get steadily whittled down! …And of course, that’s exactly when you get ambushed from behind. When the enemy lands a surprise attack, you can’t act on the first turn, which seriously puts you on the brink of a total wipe…! Moreover, if it’s an ambush from behind… a back attack, your formation gets completely disrupted, making it even more troublesome to deal with…! Also, instant death… A back attack leading to an instant death is the worst…!!!

“Are you alright, Rin? You don’t look well?”

“Huh, ah, I’m fine! I just haven’t experienced forced warps before…”

I remember a certain RPG dungeon that wiped out my party countless times, and a chill runs down my spine.

…Did I really look that pale…?

Mr. Xenon, narrowing his blue eyes worriedly, peered at me and asked.

His cool voice brings my consciousness, which had been caught up in ominous recollections, back to the surface. I can hardly bring myself to mention words like "party wipe" and whatnot, so I somehow manage to smile.

“We’ve grasped… the clues… so don’t worry, okay?”

“Exactly! It doesn’t seem like very strong monsters appear either!”

…However, the smile I somehow managed to put on seems to have been quite strained, and I end up being comforted by everyone anyway.

Auuuu… everyone’s consideration hurts! I’m sorry for thinking such strange things!

“Even so, overconfidence is deadly. We’ll advance while carefully scouting and detecting traps.”

“Mm! I’ll do my best today too!”

Starting with Mr. Ville placing his empty bowl on the table, everyone quickly empties the rice pot and soup pot and moves on to checking their gear and belongings.

As usual, Mr. Ed casts cleaning magic on the dishes and cooking utensils after eating.

…For me, someone who loves cooking but hates cleaning up, this environment where I only need to cook is too much like heaven…!

Alright, I’m going to get carried away and cook even more!

“Rin, we’re departing soon.”

“Okay! Coming now!”

I take Mr. Ville’s hand offered outside the door, and plunge back into the dungeon once again.

Whether demons or snakes come out… either way, I’ll cook everything that comes out into tiny pieces!

Ah! I really need to wake up Gomamiso already…!

We’re leaving now!

“Alright! Once we take this down, there’s only one left!”

While casually performing the utterly ridiculous feat of wielding a two-handed greatsword single-handedly, the party leader roared. What got bisected was a giant hedgehog the size of a cow. Ms. Aria had bound its head with threads, blinding it, and in that opening, Mr. Ville split it straight down the middle from head to toe—simple as that.

Another one had appeared too, but Mr. Xenon put it to sleep with magic, and then Mr. Ed roasted it to a crisp. That was the end of that.

…Passing away peacefully while sleeping, or being cut down in the terror of not being able to see anything—compared to its companion, I guess the former is still better… maybe?

The first stagnation we encountered yesterday had autonomous robots called magical automatons. The next location had plants that shot seeds and leaves like airguns and boomerangs. And now giant hedgehogs… there’s no consistency to the monsters that appear at these magical power pools.

Is it set to random spawns?

The gloomy pale blue light that had been swirling on the ground vanishes the moment the hedgehogs dissipate.

When I step down from the Camping Car holding Gomamiso—who’s listless and lacking energy after being woken from its lazy slumber and then having its meal skipped—the barrier-like wall has crumbled, and we can now exit.

“The surroundings look really different now.”

‘Got uglier, right?’

“We’ve been crushing the magical power pools, after all. The illusions probably can’t maintain themselves anymore.”

Once outside, I suddenly notice the formerly pristine scenery has grown quite ragged. The borders are jagged and messy, like anti-aliasing is turned off during rendering… Or maybe the resolution of the scenery itself has dropped?

Compared to the Gourmands members—a collection of beauties and hunks like Ms. Aria and Mr. Xenon—the roughness of the scenery really stands out.

Even when I touch the grass nearby, it’s completely lost the realism I felt before, and it feels like I’m touching hard, rigid polygons. I could only nod in complete agreement with Mr. Ed’s words as he explained with a laugh.

While watching Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon pick up drop items, I casually glance at my watch.

…Oh! About four hours have passed since we ate breakfast…

It seems like a good stopping point, so I’ll hand out the travel rations.

“Now that you’ve moved your bodies, let’s refuel! Here are some trout rice sandwiches and savory cakes!”

“Much appreciated! I was just starting to get hungry.”

“Thank you! It smells good!”

Whether you call it lunch or a snack, the fact that nutrition can be taken in during a short break makes travel rations really convenient.

I hand out the rice sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap—since there’s no nori—and the similarly wrapped savory cakes to the members approaching with beaming smiles. For normal people, either one would probably suffice, but considering everyone’s activity level and appetite, I wonder if even offering both will be enough…

While watching everyone start eating the rations standing up without sitting down anywhere, I also bite into a trout rice sandwich I made a bit smaller for myself.

The skin is crisply grilled, and the flesh is flakily cooked. Rich oils seep out gently from it, but when mixed with the firmly distinct grains of faintly sweet rice, they neutralize each other, so there’s no heavy feeling. Plus, since I seasoned it with soy sauce instead of salt and pepper, the compatibility with the rice is even more perfect! Ahh! Why do rice, soy sauce, and nicely grilled fish go together so incredibly well?

…By the way, if you swap the rice base for an English muffin or baguette, change the soy sauce to Hollandaise sauce, and add a poached egg, this becomes Eggs Benedict!

‘Me, fish, like! Fish is yummy!’

“Mm-hm, good for you. If you don’t wake up properly in the morning, you’ll miss breakfast!”

Since Gomamiso slept until right before departure and missed breakfast, I’m giving it an unseasoned trout fillet I saved, plus haijirokanran cabbage leaves at the cat’s request.

Perhaps truly hungry, Gomamiso gnaws at the fillet single-mindedly.

To be honest, I’d like to let it sleep freely and eat as it pleases, but… I’m not sure if I can dismiss the Camping Car with a living creature still inside. I don’t want anything bad to happen just in case, so even though it’s a bit pitiful, Gomamiso has to stay with us…

While watching Gomamiso happily eating the cave trout and haijirokanran, I bring my portion of savory cake to my mouth. Hmm. It’s been a while, but I think this turned out pretty well too. That said, it’s sweet-salty or salty-sweet, or rather… people who like it will like it, but people who don’t probably won’t, that kind of flavor. I like it though—the saltiness of protein-based things with the sweetness of sugar.

“Tummy full! Thank you, Rin!”

“A cake with cheese in it is quite delicious indeed.”

“The rice one is delicious too! It was worth catching the fish inside with Aria♪.”

“Thanks to you, Rin, our stomachs are settled. Let’s go destroy the last one. It should be not too far from here.”

“My stamina’s still holding up, so I’m fine! And the illusions are getting pretty rough—if we destroy them all, it feels like we can push forward, so my motivation’s solid too!”

I collect the plastic wrap from everyone who devoured the rations in the blink of an eye while saying how delicious it was, and stuff it in my pocket.

Mr. Ville looks at me with a worried gaze, but right now I’m brimming with motivation! Without any feedback, morale would sink, but seeing tangible changes like the degradation of the illusions gives me that “we need to press on” feeling, so now’s the time to advance. After all, I don’t know how long this stamina will last!

Sandwiched between the vanguard and rear guard as usual, I resume dungeon exploration, making full use of Survival.

…I’m planning to make the curry I prepared for today’s meal, but what should I do about future menus? We have plenty of meat, and it’d be good to make something using a simple method… Hamburger steak… ginger pork… fried fish tempura? I wonder whether it’s better to grill or boil the spare ribs.

While staying alert to my surroundings and thinking about the menu in a corner of my mind, before I know it, we’ve arrived at the last magical power pool.

Distance-wise, it seems it wasn’t that far. About an hour on foot, maybe.

As we move through the degraded illusion—its resolution lowered enough that the illusion and real scenery sometimes overlap—a vortex emitting a sinister red-black glow comes into view, unlike the others.

Since they can’t respond if something happens when I’m outside the barrier alone… I also enter the barrier of the magic vortex together with them and rush into the Camping Car immediately.

As usual, several shadows emerge from within the vortex. This time… three, maybe?

Their height is a bit shorter than mine… two equipped with tattered swords and shields, and one wearing an equally tattered robe and holding something like a staff.

According to Survival, they’re "Goblin Soldiers" and a "Goblin Mage," both marked as "inedible.”

…O-ohhh… so we’re getting another fantasy race!

The edibility rating is "inedible," but… well, even if they were hypothetically edible, I wouldn’t want to eat those…

Grating voices like nails on a chalkboard and high-pitched clanging sounds of metal scraping against metal stimulate my eardrums.

This audio is harsh…

“Let’s finish this quickly and move to the next floor! Don’t get in our way!”

“…Mm. Move!”

While drawing his sword and stepping forward with long strides, Mr. Ville closes the distance in one go and mows down one of the ones labeled Goblin Soldier with his greatsword. Despite wearing metal armor and a shield that are somewhat shabby, the goblin that received the tempest-like strike turns into black mist and disappears in an instant.

At the same time, the other one suddenly stops moving and, just like with the flower lizard before, gets crushed with a crumple and burns away along with the space. This one was probably taken down by Mr. Ed’s magic.

Ms. Aria’s threads also entangle the Goblin Mage that should have been in the rear guard, and just like that, it gets strung up and… squeezed… you know. I don’t think it’s my fault at all that BGM from a certain period drama plays in my head. And this one also scatters into black mist on the wind.

…Look, I understand that Mr. Ville in the vanguard can dominate against the vanguard Goblin Soldiers. It’s vanguard versus vanguard, after all. Plus, I also kind of understand the logic behind rear guard Mr. Ed’s magic reaching the vanguard. Enemies good at physical attacks are often weak to magic attacks, so I think it’s not wrong as a strategy. But Ms. Aria, in the vanguard’s attack, reached all the way to the Goblin Mage in the rear guard…! What’s the attack range on those threads? Reversing that logic, enemies specialized in magic tend to be weak to physical attacks, so this is efficient too—but still!

They really are beyond standard specs, the Gourmands…

At the same time, the goblins disappear, the red-black light that had been swirling on the floor also vanishes… and the illusion projected around us also disappears.

“…Whoa… So spaaaacious! And there was really nothing here…!”

“With the illusion gone, this is what it is.”

Spreading before my eyes as I crawl out of the Camping Car is just an incredibly vast space. Let’s see, it’s about the size of a suburban shopping center with a parking lot… I suppose?

A space that wide is spreading out, surrounded by cold, inorganic walls.

Even without illusions, forced warps, or spatial loops to confuse people, it was originally this big… just circling it once would be a decent walk, I bet. …Even so, it’s not so much that you’d want to take a break midway. Thinking about it that way, we really were made to walk quite a distance…

As I look around the room, Survival returns a ping in response. The entrance to the next floor is… probably over there?

The entrance leading to the floor below is positioned in a spot with no particularly noteworthy features in the room. Certainly, finding this with the illusion active would seem difficult…! Still, I have a feeling the Gourmands could find the entrance even with the illusion active, yup. I mean, they’re the Gourmands! It wouldn’t be strange if they could do at least that much.

“The first floor was a cave, the second floor was grassland, or rather, an indoor type… what will the next floor be like?”

I peek into the hole that opened in the ground that probably leads to the floor below. Beyond the first few steps, it’s painted over with darkness—black and hard to see.

…Is there no light on the lower floor?

As I furrow my brows, perhaps picking up on my muttering, Mr. Ville also peers into the hole.

“Who knows. Honestly, dungeons where the space randomly changes as you progress are rare. Prediction is difficult.”

His strawberry-colored eyes stare into the darkness as if probing the floor below. What kind of scenery is reflected in those eyes?

“It is a rather strange dungeon. The gimmicks are a pain, but the enemies aren’t particularly strong…”

“Should we judge it as… having less killing intent?”

As Mr. Ville and I gaze at that hole leading to the lower floor, everyone else gathers too, and it becomes like an observation session. Behind the laughing Mr. Ed, Mr. Xenon tilts his head.

“I’ll scout… the lower floor a bit… so, can you give me some time?”

“Very well… Since we’ve just had a battle, let’s check our equipment while Aria does so.”

“Oh, then I’ll do meal prep while we’ve got time!”

Ms. Aria, who let her threads crawl down the stairs leading to the lower floor, turned back toward us. At her words, Mr. Ville nodded, and the men started checking their weapons, armor, and belongings.

Well then, I’ll prepare the meal to some extent during that time.

Today’s plan is curry using cockatrice thigh meat—CockaCurry for short—so I’ll put a little extra work into the rice too! I think the tomato rice I made before would go well with spicy CockaCurry! While I’m at it, I’ll prep tomorrow’s spare ribs too. That way, we can eat them later without any trouble.

After washing the rice and setting it in the rice cooker with tomatoes, I chop up a mountain of onions for the curry. After that, I take out the orc spare ribs I had stored in the fridge. The spare ribs seem to contain multiple pieces, and wrapped together in a bundle with wooden sheets, they feel like a thick, heavy catalog. Indeed, when I open the package, rather than fatty pork belly with thin red lines of meat between thick layers of fat, there’s good bone-in meat with a certain thickness of fat and meat forming distinct layers packed tightly inside. The contrast between the pure white fat and pink meat is truly beautiful.

“Yup. This certainly looks delicious. Really delicious!”

Before cooking, I check it with Survival, and two lines catch my eye: “The meat is tender, free of greasy or gamey odors, and delicious no matter how it’s cooked,” and “The high-quality fat becomes meltingly soft and sweet when heated, making it exceptionally tasty.”

Ah—this is going to be delicious no matter how I cook it!

Now I’ll put them in a pot with water, ginger, and alcohol and cook them through to the center first. That way, there’s no risk of them being undercooked, and once the surface is nicely browned, they’re ready to eat—perfect, convenient spare ribs for grilling!

It also removes excess fat and scum, so they taste even better when eaten.

“That should about do it, I guess?”

When I stick a toothpick in the meat, and clear meat juice comes out, that’s proof it’s cooked through.

I immediately soak the piping hot meat in the slightly sweet sauce I made while the meat was boiling, based on grated onion, soy sauce, sugar, and the juice squeezed from the remaining orange. Since the taste is said to soak in while it cools, I leave it as is and move it into the fridge.

“Rin, we’re about to depart. Are you all right?”

“Yes. I’ve finished the prep work, so I’m good here!”

While I’m thinking about what vegetables to serve as a side, Mr. Ville pokes his face through the entrance of the Camping Car. Looking at him, it seems everyone has finished checking their weapons and armor and is taking a short break.

Perhaps noticing I’d been using the cooking area, Mr. Ville boards the Camping Car and casts cleaning magic on the cooking utensils I’d used. They become sparkling clean in an instant, and completely dry too—magic really is amazing…

“Were you making something? I smell shoy or something.”

“I was prepping orc meat. Let’s have grilled spare ribs tomorrow!”

“Oh, the one Ed and Aria hunted yesterday.”

“Yes. Just one portion of that mountain of meat!”

I give Mr. Ville a thumbs up as he nods in understanding, and press the rice cooker button, then follow him out of the Camping Car and dismiss it.

…Come to think of it, how does time pass inside the car after it’s dismissed…? Even when I jump, leap, run, or fall, the inside of the summoned Camping Car has never been in a tragic state, so I don’t think the rice cooker will fall over or tip…?

Well, even if time is hypothetically stopped, as long as the rice cooker that’s cooking is safe, there’s not much of a problem! It might take a bit longer, but I can just reheat it… or rather, I just need to manifest it again and let time pass.

…And. When I head over to everyone, somehow Ms. Aria’s expression seems dark…?

“Is something wrong? You seem down…”

“…The lower floor… don’t want, to go.”

“Huh? Did something happen?”

As I approach Ms. Aria, who somehow seems dejected, her hand reaches out and cups my cheek.

“…Cold, it is… look…”

“Yikes!”

Whoa! What’s with this hand! It’s ice!

No, I know Ms. Aria has poor circulation, but isn’t this a bit too cold!? Looking closely, her fingertips have gone beyond pure white and even look blue—this is… bad, bad, isn’t blood not flowing to her fingertips…!?

“Ms. Aria, I’m going to touch your hands for a bit! Why are they so cold!?”

“…Was probing, the lower floor… cold air… was… Your hands, warm…”

After a brief warning, I take Ms. Aria’s hands to check their temperature and color. No temperature difference between left and right. Or rather, not just her hands but even her arms are cold, so this is quite serious.

For now, I urge her with my eyes to "sit down" and have her sit on the ground, then lightly massage each hand and forearm one at a time. They say when your extremities get cold, it affects not just your body but your mind too.

…But wait a minute! If her body got cold all at once while scouting the next floor, that means… the next floor has a cold world spreading out!?

What even is a dungeon, really…?

“…Your hands, warm…”

“Ah, well, you see. I have perpetual summer body temperature. The hand temperature that’s not suited for making pie dough or scones.”

Wanting my body heat to reach Ms. Aria’s hands as she murmurs in a trembling voice, I squeeze her slender white hands tightly.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t have experience with being so cold that it makes me want to cry, but I understand that if your hands and feet got this cold, it would certainly be painful, yup.

It seems my “human-blanket” body heat fits perfectly into the gaps in Ms. Aria’s heart and temperature—she must have been suffering badly from the cold. As warmth gradually returns to her palms bit by bit, perhaps her mental state loosens up too—Ms. Aria starts sniffling and tells me the situation in bits and pieces.

To organize what she said, while she did extend her threads to probe the lower floor, "abnormal coldness" (according to Ms. Aria) was transmitted through those threads. Even so, she couldn’t retreat without knowing the terrain or traps… and as a result of persevering, she got extremely cold.

…Won’t the next floor be a hellish place for Ms. Aria with her poor circulation…?

As I massage her fingers in circles from the base toward the tips, something suddenly flashes in my mind.

“Ah, that’s right! Everyone, can I have a bit of your time? Let’s make warming items!”

“It’ll, get me warm?”

“I think so! I’m going to let go of your hands for a bit!”

Mugwort!

I have a huge stash of the black mugwort that can be used to make moxa, the acupuncturist’s friend!

If we’re heading to a cold place, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make items with at least some warming effect?

Ms. Aria’s eyes light up at the words "warming items.”

“Let’s try making moxa and see if it works!”

“Come to think of it, you mentioned something like that before, but what exactly is moxa?”

As I start to stand up to fetch the pile of black mugwort I gathered and dried during my trial request the other day, Mr. Ville, who’s been listening nearby, tilts his head in confusion.

“Moxa is, how do I put it… Well, it’s a medical product used to warm the body, I guess…”

“It’s a name I’ve never heard, neither in the elf village nor in town… what kind of item it is, and how effective it may be—I’m very interested.”

I thought I’d answered Mr. Ville’s question, but the one who latched onto my explanation was Mr. Xenon.

I see… even Mr. Xenon, who’s lived a long life, doesn’t know about it.

As I thought, moxa probably doesn’t exist in this world…

Moxa is a trade tool of acupuncturists made by refining the fluffy hairs—called trichomes—on the underside of mugwort leaves, and it’s a medical product used as material for "moxibustion." I learned how to make it in class and have made it before, but the real issue is its quality…

“Since it’ll be amateur-made, I don’t think it’s suitable for direct moxibustion, but for indirect use or moxa heat packs, it should be more than enough.”

“From the way you’re talking, the intended use differs depending on the quality of the finished product… is that right?”

“Yes. If the moxa isn’t pure enough, it gets too hot when burned on the skin.”

To be honest, I think it’s a bit difficult to make moxa at an amateur level that can be used for direct moxibustion. If there are many impurities, the temperature when burned gets too high, and there’s a high possibility of burning the skin. In that regard, with warming moxibustion where you don’t apply it directly to the skin, there’s no worry of burns, so I think handmade moxa should be fine…

“First, I’d like to try making it! If I can’t make it, I’ll think of another method.”

“Fair enough. It’s better than giving up without trying.”

“Mm! I’ll help!”

“An unknown medicinal item… my curiosity is endless. I’ll help as well.”

“If it helps Aria feel even a little better, there’s no reason not to lend our strength!”

In front of me, as I bring the dried mugwort, everyone shows me reassuring smiles.

I hope we can make the acupuncturist’s companion…!

Let me state the conclusion. We were able to make moxa perfectly… perfectly!

First, Mr. Ed’s magic pulverized the dried mugwort leaves like an electric mill, then Mr. Ville and I sifted the pulverized material through a sieve while Mr. Xenon blew away debris and impurities with wind magic… we repeated this process several times, and finally managed to extract about a handful of mugwort trichomes—moxa.

The moxa that was initially a blackish-green color had its impurities removed through repeated pulverizing and sifting, and ultimately settled into a color that was "faintly, tinged with green?" It’s fluffy moxa with a faintly refreshing scent rather than a grassy, green smell. Ideally, it should be aged for years to let excess volatile components evaporate, but since the main use this time is moxa packs, there shouldn’t be a problem.

“Thank you very much! With this, I think we can use it for indirect moxibustion and warming moxibustion!”

“So this is moxa… from that mountain of black mugwort, only this much could be made…”

“The yield is, well… not good…”

Next to me bowing my head before the completed moxa, Mr. Ville furrows his brow in thought.

Well, from the amount of mugwort that made a mountain of garbage bags, we finally got just a handful. For a leader who has to think about cost-effectiveness and efficiency, it probably looks inefficient. I understand the feeling, since I’ve also wondered how much mugwort would be needed to make those commercially boxed moxa products, yes.

Next to me, as my gaze involuntarily grew distant, I decided not to hear Gomamiso’s "Pepshoo!" sneeze that sounded problematic from various trademark perspectives.

Incidentally, Ms. Aria, upon hearing "warming item," gleefully spun threads to make the bags to put the essential moxa in. One is a thin bag with a rough, loose weave, though not quite gauze. The other is a thick bag with a tight weave.

I stuffed the thin bag with the moxa I just made, rock salt I bought at the market before the dungeon crushed to pebble size, dried orange peels from the oranges we ate before, and dried wild herbs with a nice fragrance. All that remains is to moisten it with water, heat it in the microwave while watching it… wrap it in thick cloth and just apply it to the area I want to warm!

See, simple, right?

This is a moxa hot pack that a classmate taught me during vocational school, and I personally believe the rock salt has a heat-retention effect, the moxa components have a warming effect, and the orange scent induces a relaxation effect.

I wanted to make moxa sticks if there was leftover moxa, but we definitely didn’t have enough. Moxa sticks are warm and feel good in their own way, so next time I find mugwort, I’ll gather it with the momentum of overharvesting.

Moxa-head acupuncture is also warming, but that requires needles made entirely of stainless steel. Of course, we don’t have metal needles…

“Thank you all for your cooperation! Let me try it right away!”

Now that it’s usable, I re-manifest the Camping Car and warm the moxa pack in the microwave.

While I’m at it, let me find a wrapping cloth, and…

“I’ll warm the area around your pressure points a bit. It’s good for improving poor circulation.”

“Mm! This, warm! Feels good…!”

I wrap the moxa pack in the cloth and wrap it around the back of Ms. Aria’s neck. Position-wise, it’s the DaiZhui… an acupoint between the spinous processes of the seventh cervical vertebra and first thoracic vertebra, said to improve the circulation of Wei Qi—the defensive yang energy that protects the body from various external evils. Plus, the FengMen acupoint, said to be the gateway for colds, is nearby too, so I adjust the moxa pack to cover that as well… Well, the moxa pack is about the size of a pillow, so it naturally covers both DaiZhui and FengMen.

“…Hmm, but since it’s around the neck, it might be hard to move… it would’ve been nice to have something thin like commercial heat packs…”

The illustration’s description: A satisfied Aria with a heat pack around her neck.

“Movement, fine! Rather, warm, so easy to move!”

When I check with Ms. Aria, it doesn’t seem particularly hard to move. Well, I guess you can think of it like having a slightly large hood attached.

If we had time, warming the MingMen area would likely be even more effective. As its name, “Gate of Life,” suggests, it’s a vital point where energy gathers. It’s also an acupoint in the lower back—the body’s pivot—but wrapping a moxa pack there would look like a bustle and make moving in tight spaces difficult.

Next to me, worrying about difficulty moving, Ms. Aria achieves revival. She puffs out her chest proudly.

“Re-vived!”

“Ah, I’m glad. When the moxa pack cools down, tell me, and I’ll warm it again.”

“Mm! Massage, too!”

“Understood. I’ll include a hand massage.”

“Thanks! Then, let’s go, down!”

As Ms. Aria darts around like an ASCII animation from some forum, Mr. Ville lets out a deep sigh, Mr. Xenon smiles calmly, and Mr. Ed hugs Ms. Aria, flirting as he says, “I’m so glad.”

…Well, alright. I guess we’ll go down to the next floor! If push comes to shove, I’ll have her hold the natural heat pack Gomamiso to keep warm.

◆◇◆

“Wow…! It’s completely white…! This is the kind of place where you’d really want proper snow equipment…!”

My words, exhaled along with white breath, are snatched away by the cold wind that blows with a whoosh and scattered in all directions. "The train emerged from the tunnel into snow country" is from Kawabata Yasunari’s famous "Snow Country," but in our case, I suppose the correct version would be "we descended the long dungeon staircase into a snowy plain.”

Perhaps because thick clouds block the sunlight, the surroundings are dimly lit, tinged with a dull grayish color. Fortunately, the wind only blows occasionally, not enough to call it a blizzard. However, large, fluffy snowflakes like peony blossoms falling from the dull gray sky pile up at my feet with soft rustling sounds.

…Hmm. This scenery feels nostalgic. Back home, it was like this during winter.

When I scoop up the snow at my feet, it’s cold as expected, but also surprisingly heavy. It’s peony snow, containing a lot of moisture. When the snow is this heavy, you don’t get ground blizzards, but your feet get stuck when you walk…

At first, Gomamiso was rolling around on the snow out of curiosity, but the cold quickly became too much for it, and it dashed back to me at incredible speed before diving into my chest. …That said, even though I’m wearing a jacket, it’s not thick enough to withstand this kind of cold… For now, I put Gomamiso inside the cloak Mr. Ville lent me and hold it close, and its fur, which had become completely cold at first, quickly regains its warmth. At the same time, I feel a bit warmer too. Thanks to the cloak blocking out the outside air, my own body heat doesn’t escape and stays trapped, and the warmth of Gomamiso nestled in my bosom acts as a hand warmer.

If there’s a problem, it’s my footing… Even though Mr. Ville is walking ahead and packing down the snow, with snow accumulated deep enough to bury up to mid-shin, even high-cut sneakers are far from ideal. If only I had boots, it would be better… Well, I should just be grateful it’s not the sandals I usually wear when I go fishing.

…Come to think of it, Ms. Aria seems to have managed with the moxa packs, but what about the men…?

“Me? Well, I’m pretty bundled up to begin with. I’ve got a cloak too, so I’m fine!”

“I don’t find it particularly cold.”

“Fortunately, my equipment is excellent, so I don’t feel there’s much of a problem.”

Mr. Ed cheerfully laughed as his deep-navy cape fluttered against the white world. Mr. Ville, though lightly dressed, is blessed with muscles—organs crucial for body heat production—and tilted his head in puzzlement. And Mr. Xenon, who looks like he’d be the most vulnerable to cold among the men, seems completely fine too…

I’m glad everyone seems resistant to the cold.

“…Anyway, there’s… a building… over there…”

In the direction Ms. Aria points, I can see what looks like the silhouette of a large building, though it’s being obscured by the falling snow. …However, isn’t it quite far away, and positioned on what looks like a mountain, or rather, a small hill?

We press forward through the snow toward that hill, our feet crunching through it. Have we walked for about thirty minutes? Even so, the distance to the hill doesn’t seem to have shortened. Is that hill pretty far away…?

…Snow march, failed perception check for landmarks, critical failure on route navigation check, failed cold resistance check, maximum damage from cold… ugh, my head…!

…N-no, calm down. Unlike that time, now I have the Camping Car with GPS! Having the Camping Car means no worries about freezing or food!

…Then, I see something red suddenly appear at the edge of my vision.

It’s Survival’s red frame!

“Mr. Ville, Ms. Aria, something on the right…!”

“Rin? Did you say something?”

The wind isn’t blowing hard enough to be called a blizzard, but still, the falling snow absorbs sounds and voices. I thought I spoke up reasonably well, but it seems my voice didn’t reach the vanguard properly. Mr. Ville turns back toward me with a puzzled expression.

Ah! Even while we’re doing this, the red frame is approaching at considerable speed!

“Red frame… enemy! It’s a monster!!!”

“What!? —Tch! That thing!”

When I raised my voice again, he finally perceived both my voice and the approaching enemy. Mr. Ville readied his greatsword, and Ms. Aria adjusted her stance a beat later.

The red frame… the enemy has already closed to a distance where even I can see it clearly. White fur that blends with the snow, powerful legs that kick up the snow, developed tusks and snout for digging through accumulated snow… well, this is one hell of a huge boar!

True to the expression "charging ahead recklessly," the giant boar rushes straight toward us.

…But you know… even if it comes at us straightforwardly like this, we have Ms. Aria’s cutting web…

“…It’s getting… c-colder…”

“A-Are you okay? Your movements are…!”

“This field is just too incompatible for Aria!”

After being in the snow for thirty minutes, even the warming effect of the moxa packs would wear off.

As Ms. Aria droops dejectedly, Mr. Ville sighs half-resignedly and cleaves the boar—what Survival calls a "Snow Boar"—in two with his swung greatsword.

The Snow Boar is split magnificently in two… but unfortunately, it doesn’t dissolve into black mist. When I read Survival’s description more carefully, wondering about this… Ah, this isn’t a monster but a magical creature!

Magical creatures—beings that are half monster, half animal—are different from monsters that drop items and disappear when defeated; their bodies remain. If you butcher or harvest them, you can obtain meat, hide, tusks, and claws, but…

“Best not to touch it this time. Since I split it in two, neither the meat nor the hide will be usable.”

“Right. Rather than spending time harvesting, recovering everyone’s stamina is more important! For now, I’ll bring out the Camping Car, so everyone, please get in! Let’s take a break!”

The boar lying there, staining its white fur and the white snowfield bright red, would indeed just take time to harvest meat from or skin, and we probably wouldn’t get compensation worth that effort.

“Into the car first! Let’s all have something warm to drink.”

I guide everyone into the Camping Car, which appears undaunted by the snowy plain. The inside is warm enough to make me want to cry. For now, let me make something to heal the chill and fatigue from the snow march.

Once everyone’s inside, I close the door to keep the warm air from escaping. Mr. Ed cast a cleaning and drying magic, so the wet clothes, shoes, and socks are all completely dry and warm.

“Goma, so warm…!”

‘Right? Right? My fur is top quality!’

I have Ms. Aria, who’s probably the coldest of us all, hold Gomamiso, who likely has the highest body temperature of this group, to serve as a temporary warmer. Sniffling, Ms. Aria hugs Gomamiso and ruffles its fur while the praised Gomamiso looks utterly pleased, and Mr. Ed is watching them with a look like he wants to bite down on a handkerchief or something…

Please put away that dark aura since your rival is a kitten…!

I sniffle my own runny nose that I didn’t realize had become so bad, and think about what to make. Something warm that helps recover and maintain body temperature, something sweet with calories would be good… Hot herb tea? Rejected. It has no sugar, and even if I add sugar, it probably won’t go well due to the bitterness. Hot wine? Rejected. Even if I evaporate the alcohol, drinking during exploration is a bit… and we don’t have any wine left anyway.

…Um… what else… right… I’ll make caramel hot milk! Fortunately, I bought plenty of milk beforehand, and it’s stored in a large ceramic bottle. Sweet, rich caramel hot milk should warm both body and soul.

“Let’s see… I need sugar, butter… and milk…”

“H-Hey, Rin. You should warm up and rest a bit too, shouldn’t you?”

As I proceeded with preparing the drinks, moved by how much easier it was to move now that my wet shoes and clothes were dry, Mr. Ville tapped my shoulder with a worried expression.

He is such a worrywart, or rather, so considerate… what a grateful leader.

“Thank you! But I’m actually doing okay… look!”

“…Oh… you’re quite warm…”

“I’m pretty resistant to cold by nature.”

When I gently grasp the hand placed on my shoulder, a slightly cool temperature transfers to my hand while Mr. Ville’s eyes widen. Well, if someone’s hand who was just in the snow is warmer than Mr. Ville’s arm, I suppose that reaction makes sense.

But with this, he seems to understand that I’m fine for now. Still, as I resume making the hot milk, Mr. Ville watches me worriedly—he really is a good person.

“All right, let’s start with the caramel, since that’s the key to the flavor.”

“I see. So that’s how you melt the sugar.”

“Yup. If you stir it, the melted sugar will harden again, so you have to resist the urge to fiddle with it and just let it melt!”

I put sugar, a bit of butter, and about two spoonfuls of water in a medium pot and heat it. Mr. Ville makes an impressed sound at the contents of the pot turning liquid before his eyes. This must be his first time seeing caramel made.

As I gently swirl the pot and heat it over medium-high heat, the contents gradually start bubbling, and the transparent sugar syrup gradually takes on color. When it reaches a color between butterscotch candy and caramel—essentially caramel sauce level—that’s when I take it off the heat!

A sweet, fragrant aroma wafts from the pot.

Into this pot, I gradually pour milk that I’ve warmed in the microwave just below boiling, and…

“Hot! So hot!”

“A-Are you okay, Rin?”

“N-No problem! Because of the temperature difference, it splatters…”

After all, the sugar syrup is about 170 degrees Celsius. That’s the same temperature as oil for deep-frying tempura. When you add milk, it splatters.

But well, undaunted by the heat of the splattering milk and the hardening caramel sauce, I keep stirring, and voila—fragrant, sweet, warming caramel hot milk is complete!

Let me pour it into mugs and distribute it!

“Sorry for the wait! Please warm yourselves with caramel hot milk!”

I receive the moxa pack from Ms. Aria, who’s warming herself by holding Gomamiso, and hand her a hot mug in exchange. I should microwave this again.

“Impressive. Once we drink this, shall we challenge the snowy mountains again?”

“If you want, should I drive the Camping Car to around that building?”

“I’d like to do that for Aria’s sake, but unfortunately, this is also an investigation… But thank you, Rin!”

I thought it would be easier if we could use the car, but that’s not possible… I see. Mr. Ed’s words have Ms. Aria nodding repeatedly too—they really are incredibly serious about their work… Well, for adventurers, their reputation directly affects their livelihood, so I suppose that makes sense.

While the moxa pack microwaves, I take a sip of my own caramel hot milk. Even after blowing on it, it’s still hot. But right now, even that heat is a treat in itself. I can feel it warming me from the bottom of my cold stomach. The thick, rich sweetness spreads throughout my mouth as the fragrant sweet aroma passes through my nose. Thanks to the butter I added, it has depth, and it seeps gently into my body, battered by the cold.

“Hmm… For now, it looks like you need to stay warm, Ms. Aria… Anything besides the moxa pack? Want to use a blanket?”

“…Mm… that would make it… hard to move…”

“I suppose so… The other thing I can think of is a hot water bottle? Though you’d have to strap it to your body again…”

I thought Ms. Aria might be warm if she wrapped herself thoroughly in a blanket as I did earlier with the cloak, but that’s not suited for a vanguard role. Her movements would definitely get worse, and it would probably impose penalty modifiers on various skills.

That said, the only other thing I can think of is a hot water bottle, but we don’t have heat-resistant plastic bottles—the kind used for warm tea… But if I use water that’s just a bit hotter than body temperature instead of boiling water—lukewarm water, really—it should be okay, right?

In any case, Ms. Aria’s body seems to need warming, or things will get bad, so there’s no time to hesitate.

I carefully pour Contradictory Mass Part II—lukewarm water that feels somewhat hot—into an empty plastic bottle I’d stuffed into the camping supplies. I adjusted the temperature by mixing half a kettle of boiled water with cold water.

I wrap this in a towel…

“We’ll wrap the moxa pack around your neck, and let’s wrap this around your waist area…”

“Thank… you. …Rin… will you rub my hands too?”

“Of course! Thank you for your hard work in the cold!”

Ms. Aria, having finished her caramel hot milk, timidly offers her hands. Please don’t look so apologetic! I love giving treatments, so don’t worry about it!

I gently take her hands, which are still cool despite having held the warm cup.

…Hmm, I’ve heard that women are prone to getting cold, but Ms. Aria’s case seems abnormal. …I’m really sorry for the terrible bias, but I’ve heard insects are vulnerable to cold—maybe spider people are weak to cold too? If that’s the case, rather than improving her constitution or anything like that, symptomatic treatment would be the main approach.

After massaging for a while, warmth faintly returns even to her cold fingertips. A slight color has returned to her cheeks too, so this should help a bit, right?

“Thank you! Your hands are warm… even though you were in the snow…”

“Ah, I wonder why? My body temperature is like this year-round. Thanks to that, I have trouble making pie dough and brioche dough.”

Ms. Aria looks genuinely puzzled, but I don’t know why I have such cold resistance either. In fact, my feet that got so cold from being wet have now warmed up completely.

Finally, I massage in small circles all the way to the fingertips, then lightly squeeze each nail and release—has the blood circulation mostly returned?

Gomamiso rubs its head against me with a "Me too!", so I pet its head with one hand while slowly working from the base of its neck to around its shoulder blades with the other.

I remember seeing on TV or somewhere that pets use their neck muscles a lot when looking up at their owners… but where did that information come from again?

While I’m at it, I rub and knead around its frequently-moving mouth and jaw area, and its golden eyes narrow pleasurably as its relaxed body begins to stretch out as if melting into goo.

Whoa. Come to think of it, cats are liquid!

“…Ah. I should take snow countermeasures too! Just keeping my skin from getting wet should make a difference.”

“What are you doing, Rin?”

“Oh. I’m wrapping plastic bags around my feet. If I do this, my socks won’t get wet, so my body heat won’t be stolen as easily.”

I gently place Gomamiso, who’s started dozing off with limbs stretched out like melted goo, on the floor and decide to take my own cold countermeasures.

I have some leftover convenience store bags, so… like this… Mr. Ville peers over as I rustle around, but I’m not doing anything special. I put convenience store bags over my socks and secure the tops with rubber bands—a poverty-minded wet-foot countermeasure!

Everyone else has boots, but I’m the only one in sneakers, so snow inevitably gets in! If I do this, even if my shoes get wet, my socks won’t, and if my socks don’t get wet, the rate of body heat loss should be drastically different.

“Ah. Is the break already over? How regrettable… Next time I’d like to enjoy some glühwein.”

Mr. Xenon, having finished his caramel hot milk and sighing with genuine disappointment, casually requests glühwein—basically hot wine.

That would be nice. Next time, I’d love to enjoy snow-viewing drinks somewhere that isn’t a dungeon.

…Does this world have hot springs, I wonder?

“Really, it’s so great to have you here, Rin! Being able to rest without worrying about the cold in this situation is the best!”

“Yeah. I’m grateful we don’t have to worry about freezing to death.”

“The Camping Car can be deployed immediately, so please tell me anytime you want to rest!”

In any case, we’ll need to clear this dungeon first.

Let’s get motivated!

Following everyone who’s geared up and heading outside, I also leap out into the steadily accumulating snow.

As we advance, the large, wet peony snow changes into fine, light powder snow. From time to time, fierce winds and snow cause whiteouts; each time, we retreat into the Camping Car to check our direction on the car navigation system, take breaks when Ms. Aria declares she can’t go on, and eventually manage to reach the building on top of the hill.

Since Ms. Aria was fully occupied just fighting the cold, Survival proved extremely useful along the way! Though there weren’t any traps to speak of with all this snow, we were able to avoid crevasse-like things and snowdrift-like things! We could also spot monsters attacking while camouflaged… Survival is seriously capable!

…That aside, the building we can finally see up close looks like an ancient Greek-style temple. It’s divided into a forecourt area with thick pillars lined up and a main hall area surrounded by walls.

It’s made of white, smooth marble-like stone with a translucent clarity, and I think it would really suit a setting on a verdant little hill overlooking an azure sea and blue sky… but a pure white building standing in all this snow evokes no words other than "desolate and cold"!

Well, actually it’s quite comfortable since no snow falls here and the wind is somewhat blocked!

But the appearance… the appearance, you know!

“A building… or rather, it feels more like a temple.”

“Yes. Judging from the construction, it closely resembles ancient civilization temples…”

Four particularly massive, thick pillars line the entrance, each carved with intricate decorative reliefs.

“Stylistically, it resembles an ancient Herotos temple. The pillars with that slightly bulging middle section are unique to that era.”

Mr. Xenon, who came to stand beside me as I gazed at the temple interior like a country bumpkin, explained while pointing to each pillar one by one.

Oh! Now that he mentions it, it does have that kind of atmosphere.

“…Ah, indeed! The center part is bulging, and the edges are slightly thinner! Still, Mr. Xenon, you’re very knowledgeable.”

“I’m a long-lived elf, so I’m well-versed in such ancient matters.”

“I see! That makes sense.”

I look around, thinking there might be something else, but in the forecourt area, I don’t see anything particularly eye-catching besides these four pillars.

I carefully scan the surroundings with Survival to fill in for Ms. Aria, who seems completely exhausted after being thoroughly done in by the raging wind and snow’s ferocity, but no red frames appear anywhere.

“What do you think, Rin? See anything that looks suspicious?”

“Hmm… as far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of enemies or traps…”

The only thing visible is a door deeper within the columned space, likely leading to the main sanctuary.

“…Seems like there’s no path but to go inside.”

“Yes. Between a snowfield that seems to have nothing and the depths of a temple that clearly seems to have something, exploring the temple depths seems more likely to yield results.”

“Yeah. Even if this temple isn’t the core location, we might at least find a clue about where to go next, right?”

“I think so too. Walking around this snowfield with no clues whatsoever would be close to suicide, so investigating this building seems the better strategy…”

I look around while rubbing Ms. Aria’s back—though we’ve escaped the raging wind and snow’s ferocity to some extent, she seems to have exhausted her stamina.

The forecourt has a roof, but no walls—just pillars lined up. Since there’s a temple in the back, the wind has weakened somewhat, but it can’t be completely blocked. With the Camping Car, holing up is no problem, but I don’t think that would solve anything. In the normal world, as time passes, spring or summer would eventually come, but being inside a dungeon, the season here is most likely perpetually winter.

In that case, no matter how long we hole up in the Camping Car, the snow won’t melt here. Then wouldn’t advancing into the temple depths, where something seems likely be, be more certain in terms of reaching a solution? The back part has proper walls, so the wind should be blocked reasonably well, and I think Ms. Aria’s stamina could recover.

So, it’s decided, then?

Everyone gathers again, and it seems we’re heading into the temple. I scan the surroundings once more, but no red frames appear anywhere, so if we’re going to move, now seems like the best time.

“Aria, can you move? Are you okay?”

“Mm… somehow… Thanks, Eddy.”

I was about to offer her a hand up as she staggered to her feet, but Mr. Ed had already gently lent his before I could move. And Ms. Aria, clinging to his hand, looks somehow happy too. Her ice-colored eyes seem to shine brighter than usual. How beautiful it is when people get along well…

…That said, the real question is whether we will actually discover anything ahead. If we end up on another long search with no clues, it will be tough not only for the already exhausted Ms. Aria but for everyone else as well.

“Um, Mr. Ville … I have a feeling this is not going to let us proceed smoothly…”

“…What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing. I get the sense we will have to explore for a while before advancing…”

“Then why don’t we have a meal here, combining it with a rest before exploring? Even without wind, Ms. Aria won’t last in this temperature, and maintaining body temperature in the cold uses up calories too.”

“That would really help. Thank you, Rin. For suggesting it.”

After various thoughts swirl around in my head—the current situation where we haven’t found any clues, Ms. Aria’s poor complexion, this low temperature—my suggestion ends up being rather commonplace.

Still, a faint smile returns to Ms. Aria’s face, and Mr. Ed smiles with relief too, so the direction of my suggestion seems to have been right.

“You have a point. Come to think of it, I feel quite hungry.”

“The rice is already cooked, so I will get things ready as quickly as possible!”

…Oh! Wait—does the temple interior count as indoor space, or is it treated as outdoors?

I just suddenly thought of this, but if this counts as indoors, I won’t be able to manifest the Camping Car, right!?

I try to manifest it while panicking internally… and it works fine.

…Inside the temple… it looks like indoors, but since it’s fundamentally a dungeon, manifestation works without problems? I’m a bit relieved!

I quickly have everyone enter the Camping Car that appears nearby.

Even in the warm interior, I have Ms. Aria hold Gomamiso, and I make a beeline for the kitchen.

I had planned to make a spicy cockatrice curry using plenty of spice mix and tomatoes, but I’m changing course! Curry spices do improve blood circulation, but I’ve also heard that if it’s too spicy, you sweat and that actually cools your body down… Well… I really didn’t expect that advancing would lead us to a world of extreme cold—that was too unexpected!

But the seasoning works even without curry, so at least it does not go to waste!

“Alright! I’m making tandoori-style cockatrice and wild orc kebabs!”

“Wait, Rin! You should dry your clothes and hair before working!”

Just as I reached for the fridge to take out the spice-and-yogurt-marinated cockatrice meat and other ingredients, I heard Mr. Ville’s urgent voice from behind. At the same time, red and green orbs of light circle around my body. Mr. Ville must have cast drying and cleaning magic on me. When the light disappears, my damp hair, clothes, and even shoes are completely dry.

“Thank you! That helps!”

“It would be a disaster if you got sick because of this situation. Is there anything I can help with?”

Not only did he dry me off, but Mr. Ville also offered to help—I’ll gratefully accept his assistance!

I considered having Mr. Ed chop things up with magic, but I want him by Ms. Aria’s side right now, and hand-chopping makes the texture less uniform, which might make it tastier to eat… that’s also part of my aim.

“Let’s see… I’d appreciate it if you could keep chopping this meat with a knife until it’s minced!”

“Ah, I can do that. I’m used to mincing monsters.”

I place finely cut orc belly meat, and Wild Ox meat scraps on the large cutting board installed in the Camping Car’s kitchen and hand it to Mr. Ville along with the knife…

Well… the explanation he gives, paired with an incredibly cheerful smile, makes me want to ask “Is that the point?” …Is this a cliché adventurer response?

But now is not the time to dwell on that!

I forcibly pull my gaze and attention away from Mr. Ville, who starts chopping the meat with a light rhythm, and get to work on making the meal myself!

First, I chop one onion, a carrot, a potato, and the remaining hajirokanran into one-centimeter cubes. I’ll use these as the soup base. While I’m at it, I roughly mince another onion—I plan to mix this into the kebabs.

“Now then. I’ll start with the soup, I suppose.”

I heat oil in a heavy pot and quickly stir-fry the vegetables I cut earlier. The vegetables, coated in oil and gaining color, look quite beautiful.

Ah! While I’m at it, I’ll add the souvenir spiral ferns I received the other day! It’s a plant whose leaf tips curl up like a fiddlehead fern. It looks a lot like the mountain vegetable kogomi. Grandpa back home used to often gather them in early spring! According to Survival, it’s an easily obtainable food source because it constantly produces new shoots and expands its habitat regardless of season.

I quickly wash these too and add them to the pot. When heated, the green becomes even more vivid. The sound of moisture popping and the sweet, refreshing aroma of heating vegetables fill the interior.

Perhaps drawn by the smell, Mr. Xenon drifts over and narrows his eyes at the contents of the pot sizzling as they’re stir-fried.

“Oh my… what a nice aroma. Will we eat it stir-fried like this?”

I totally get that feeling! The smell alone is enough to make you want a bowl of rice.

“Ah, Mr. Xenon. I’m planning to make this into soup. On a day with weather like this, I thought having warm soup would warm everyone up more…”

When all the vegetables have become vibrantly colored, I add water, canned tomatoes, consommé cubes, and salt and pepper, then let it simmer without a lid for a while.

“Thank you for your consideration, Rin. Truly, we would not have made it this far in this investigation without you.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that! Thank you!”

My chest grows warm at Mr. Xenon’s words as he places a hand on his chest and bows his head.

If you think that, I’m really happy!

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I avert my gaze, and that’s when I suddenly notice that the thud-thud sound of meat being pounded that I’d been hearing until just now has stopped.

“Indeed! Isn’t the greatest achievement on this floor Rin’s?”

The next moment, along with Mr. Ville’s voice, a mountain of coarsely ground meat on the cutting board is presented to me.

“Mr. Ville! Ah, thank you for the meat! With this, I can make one more dish!”

I accept the cutting board with a word of thanks, and even before pounding it, there is already a decent amount of meat—but once it turns into ground meat, the sight is truly impressive.

I put that meat into a large bowl and first knead it thoroughly with just salt, pepper, and a hint of spice mix until it becomes sticky. Since my hands are warm year-round, I have to work even faster.

“If excess heat gets added here, the meat will become too soft, so I have to knead it thoroughly but as quickly as possible.”

“I see… I don’t really understand the logic, but I can tell that you are serious about this, Rin.”

Though he hasn’t quite grasped the full situation, he seems to understand that quick work is necessary. With Mr. Ville nodding seriously beside me, I add the roughly minced onion to the meat mixture that’s become whitish and mix once more.

This time, since I want it to complement the meat-heavy flavor, I deliberately mix the onions in raw! That way it’ll have more of a wild feel, right?

“Alright! Now I just add half of this to the soup… and cook the other half, and we’re done!”

“I see. By changing the cooking method, it becomes a different flavor.”

“Yes. I thought this way would be more satisfying than just vegetable soup.”

As I roll half of the meat mixture into bite-sized balls and drop them into the gently bubbling soup pot, Mr. Ville watches my work while repeatedly shaking his head.

Hehehehe… this way, with one effort, I can provide both a main dish and soup! Isn’t this killing two birds with one stone, two gains in one action?

The remaining meat mixture gets formed into thick, sausage-like sticks and goes into the oven alongside the spice-and-yogurt-marinated cockatrice I’d prepared! I plan to let them bake slowly until they become tandoori-style cockatrice and orc kebabs.

Listening to the bubbling sound of the simmering soup, I turn back toward Ms. Aria. A faint color has returned to the cheeks of Ms. Aria, wrapped in a blanket and squeezing Gomamiso tightly.

“Ms. Aria, how are you feeling? Warmed up a bit?”

“…Mm… thank you, Rin. Goma is warm, so I’m okay now… and it smells good…”

“Sorry for worrying you, Rin! It’s thanks to your Camping Car! Really, thank you so much for coming to the Gourmands!”

“Not at all. It’s a dungeon with this kind of climate. I’m just glad I could be of help!”

There’s energy in her responding voice, and her tone has become much firmer. Hmm hmm… has she finally settled down? Mr. Ed, who had been staying close to Ms. Aria, also bows to me with a smile of deep relief.

…Hehehe… It’s an ability I obtained through force of circumstance, but if I can help everyone like this, nothing could make me happier!

I desperately stifle the creepy laugh that’s about to escape and take Ms. Aria’s still-cool white hands.

“Hmm… they’re still a bit cold. I made lots of warm soup today, so please drink it and warm yourself up!”

“Thank you… thank you, Rin…!”

“You’re welcome! At times like this, we help each other.”

I slowly work on Ms. Aria’s cold hands from her palms to her fingertips as she sniffles.

When your body gets cold, it affects your mental state… Even for me with my year-round tropical body temperature, this floor’s climate is harsh. For Ms. Aria, whose body is always cold, isn’t it like hell?

I want her to be able to eat without feeling weighed down, even just a little.

“May the warmth of my hands transfer to you… may it transfer…”

“…Thank you, Rin… your hands are warm and feel good…”

As I massage Ms. Aria’s cold palms, enveloping them with my hands that are immune to cold, Ms. Aria smiles as if blossoming. With her face taking on a faint redness, narrowing her eyes as if melting… just look at such a beautiful woman’s smile from close range! It’s way beyond heart-fluttering!?

‘Nyaa, nyaa! Me too! Pet me too!’

“Yes, yes. Gomamiso, after I finish with Ms. Aria.”

‘Nooo! Me! Pet me!!!’

“Ah, does Goma want to be petted too? I’ll pet you!”

As I massaged Ms. Aria’s cool hands, Gomamiso slipped smoothly out of Ms. Aria’s arms and bumped its head repeatedly against my waist.

Mr. Ed must have sensed something from that momentum, which could be called a headbutt without exaggeration. He picks up Gomamiso lightly and ruffles its body between his cross-legged legs. Though the movement looks rough at first glance, Gomamiso seems to like it. It immediately narrows its eyes and starts purring. During that time, I also slowly, slowly work on Ms. Aria’s hands…

By the time warmth returns to her palms, amid the fragrant aroma of spices, the oven’s electronic beep announces completion. When I open the oven door, the meat shows its face, bubbling with juices and fat.

The aroma of meat and spices trapped inside delivers a finishing blow to my empty stomach. I swallow the saliva that flows unbidden and call out in victory:

“It’s ready! Let’s eat!”

“Th-thank goodness…! Enduring this smell was nearing my limit…!”

“Ah, sorry for the wait! I guess that cold drained more stamina than expected…”

As I mix a simple sauce of yogurt, salt, and grated garlic, Mr. Ville’s stomach responds loudly to the spicy aroma with a pitiful growl. His face, pressing on his stomach area with a look like a pigeon hit by a peashooter, gradually turns to a wry smile.

Since dishes and cutlery are already set on the table, I place the rice pot and a large plate of meat there for everyone to serve themselves according to their preferences. Also, the barley tea that we usually drink cold has been microwaved today! Cold drinks in this cold would be nothing but cruel!

“Itadakimasu!”

After confirming everyone has served themselves, I also lightly press my palms together before joining the scramble.

The tandoori cockatrice, reddish thanks to the spices, is meat whose plump elasticity I can feel just by picking it up with chopsticks. When I bite into the still-hot piece of meat, sweet fat and rich juices drip abundantly into my mouth the moment my teeth sink in. From the cross-section of the meat, glittering transparent juices run down the chopsticks and drip.

The combination of that cockatrice meat’s umami and the spicy kick of spices is outstanding. Perhaps because the amount of chili pepper in the spice mix was modest, it’s not as spicy as I expected. Though the meat originally had almost no sinew, thanks to marinating it in yogurt, it’s even more tender and easily bites through. I didn’t add much salt, but having thoroughly marinated the cockatrice thigh meat, it’s sufficiently seasoned. Moreover, thanks to that, there’s a nice bonus of being able to really taste the spice aroma and rice’s sweetness!

“This is called tandoori cockatrice? It’s amazing! Rich but still light, I can just keep eating it!”

“For me, this kebab’s satisfying bite is irresistible. It really feels like I’m eating meat…!”

“The soup is hot too… warm… and comforting! It soaks into my stomach…”

As Mr. Ed raised a cheer with a fork stabbed into tandoori cockatrice meat in hand, Mr. Xenon’s face lit up as he stuffed his mouth with Wild Orc kebab. Ms. Aria also seemed unable to stop scooping up the tomato soup with meatballs, emptying her soup bowl in no time while blowing on it.

Amid all this, I suddenly make eye contact with Mr. Ville, who’s been silently biting into tandoori cockatrice.

“…Hey, Rin. Is this really food?”

“Huh? If you ask whether it’s food or not, it is food… Is something wrong?”

“No. It slides down my throat so smoothly that I wondered if it might be a drink or something…”

Seriously!?

I’ve heard "curry is a drink," but I never expected to hear "tandoori cockatrice is a drink"…! True, since I’m using curry powder-based mixed spices, it does taste close to curry… but if you ask whether it’s a drink…?

But, well… since Mr. Ville asks with such earnest eyes while serving himself seconds, all I could answer was "It’s food"… I wonder if curry’s liquification is universal across all worlds… thinking such things vaguely, I reach for the Wild Orc kebab.

This one, too, has turned out to be a meaty kebab that pushes back against my teeth just as I intended when making it. Since I made it without a binder, it has exactly that "I’m eating meat!" taste and texture. But you know, since I used coarsely ground meat instead of chunks, it has a moderate chewiness, yet the more you chew it, the more it breaks apart in your mouth, overflowing with juices…! Despite using marbled Wild Ox scraps and fatty orc belly meat, there’s no greasy or heavy feeling at all. I think it’s because the fragrant, sweet fat and the intensely flavored meat that doesn’t lose to it, maintain just the right balance. Add to that the crunchy texture and sharp spiciness of the roughly minced onion for enhanced texture and flavor, plus exotic spices…! I have nothing more to say. It’s incredibly delicious.

“…I’m getting… warm…!”

“When used in moderation, spices are said to improve blood and energy circulation. I hope this helps the warmth last a bit longer…”

Ms. Aria’s face, having finished several bowls of soup, is flushed a faint rose color.

As expected, the heat production from eating and the moderate blood circulation-promoting effect of spices seem to have been amazing! In fact, even now I can feel warmth spreading from the bottom of my stomach. I’m glad I didn’t get carried away and make curry…!

I try the meatball soup as if to finish things off… but isn’t this also an exquisite result? The meat mixture inside has dissolved its fat and juices into the soup as richness, while still firmly retaining its umami. Moreover, having absorbed the essence of the abundant vegetables, it has a texture that crumbles softly. Even though it was the same meat mixture up to a point, the difference in cooking method makes such a difference in taste…! Combined with the crunchy texture of the vegetables and their crumbly mouthfeel, it slides smoothly into my stomach.

While most of the soup ingredients have become meltingly soft, the spiral ferns I added partway maintain a firm bite. The refreshing flavor of new shoots and a bittersweet aftertaste linger on the tongue. Moreover, probably because the spices mixed into the meat have dissolved, the soup itself has gained a spicy kick, finishing as a flavor that seems likely to warm the body even more.

“This meal was delicious too! Most of all, I feel warmed to the core! Thank you, Rin. You saved us!”

“Yes, yes! With this, I think we can focus on exploring for a while again!”

By the time the table is completely cleared, everyone’s cold and fatigue seems to have vanished completely.

As expected, the power of food is amazing!

“Now then. With our strength restored thanks to Rin, let’s begin exploring!”

Everyone nods vigorously at Mr. Ville’s voice, fully recovered.

Alright! Let’s resume exploration!

“…No traps… it seems.”

“Understood. Then let’s go in.”

After Ms. Aria, who’s been checking for traps in front of the building, nods emphatically, Mr. Ville pushes open the heavy-looking stone door.

“…Huh… It’s huge…!”

Beyond the door that opens with a heavy scraping sound along the floor spreads a vast, expansive space. From what I can see at a glance, it’s made of white marble with no accent colors, making it feel rather cold and desolate. The only decoration worth mentioning is a band of various animal reliefs carved into the walls at about waist height. And in the center of this space, there’s something…?

’In the center of this empty room, surrounded by walls on all sides, stands a single white tree spreading its branches and leaves wide, surrounded by a marble water basin. The only other thing present is the large door you just came through, leading to the temple’s forecourt.

If you want more information, an investigation roll will be required…’

…

…

…Hm? What was that?

Just now, I feel like I heard the GM’s voice in my head…? Don’t tell me my mental TRPG habit is affecting me even here!?

But scenery-wise, it’s exactly as my mental GM described. All I can see is this fountain-like thing surrounding a large tree, and the door we just came through. I thought there’d be something else here, so this feels like a letdown.

“Just like Aria said, there don’t seem to be any traps, but there don’t seem to be any hints either.”

“What… exactly is this room for…?”

“There appears to be writing on the water basin. Shall we take a look at that?”

Everyone seems to feel the same way. Next to Mr. Ed, who’s wearing a wry smile and tapping on the nearby wall, Mr. Ville looks around in a half-dazed state.

Meanwhile, Mr. Xenon appears to notice something and smoothly steps toward the tree. The other members start examining the walls and floor, looking for anything useful.

…Yup… even when I look with Survival, I can’t find any blue or red frames…I guess I’ll head toward the tree, which even to my amateur eye seems to hold the most information.

When I approach with Gomamiso, it’s indeed some kind of fountain device. However, instead of a fountain mechanism, there stands a massive tree—except it’s not real, but a marble sculpture.

‘…Big tree… is it a tree…?’

“So it’s a tree, but made of stone! No wonder it looks so pristine.”

Before us, as we stand with our mouths agape, looking up, there’s a large tree carved in minute detail down to the cracks in the bark and the veins of each individual leaf. Water fills the basin surrounding it, with stonework resembling water lily pads placed here and there like stepping stones. From a distance, it looked like a single tree, but up close, I can see two trees intertwining and fusing together partway up to become one tree.

‘Gonna check it out!’

“Ah, wait! Miso!”

Gomamiso leaps from my arm onto the edge of the water basin, then bounds across the stepping stones with remarkable agility. As expected of a feline…! Quick to act and highly athletic!

I hurriedly follow after Gomamiso, nervously treading across the stepping stones.

The tree sculpture I somehow manage to approach is reasonably large.

‘Nya, nya, what’s this hole?’

“…Hm? Oh, you’re right. It’s like a hole, or rather… an indentation…?”

Gomamiso scampers up onto a tree branch and seems to notice something, tapping the branch with its front paws.

Wondering what’s there, I place my foot on a nearby branch and peer in to find that indeed, in the middle of the thick branches extending left and right, there’s a hole or indentation that looks like something could be fitted into it.

When I turn my head to look for others, everyone who’s finished exploring has gathered near Mr. Xenon, who’s been reading the characters on the pedestal. I guess it’s about time for information sharing.

“The reliefs seem to be of various animals, including mythical ones. Some are duplicated too.”

“I tried tapping the surrounding walls, but it didn’t feel like there were any hidden rooms.”

“The writing on the water basin is a quote from a love poem in an ancient epic, where lovers pledge their love in the afterlife.”

Mr. Ville, Mr. Ed, and Ms. Aria stand before the water basin with difficult expressions, tilting their heads at each other. Mr. Xenon straightens up and shrugs, as if to say he’s at a loss.

“Rin! Did you find anything on your end, by the tree?”

“There’s an indentation on the branch where something could be placed. But as for what to place there, I’m not quite sure…”

“…Hmm… to come this far and hit a dead end…”

“There is nothing at the entrance to the building either…”

Perhaps trying to find something, Mr. Ville crosses his arms and narrows his eyes as he continues looking around the room. The others also seem somewhat disheartened, but they’re still searching for clues without giving up.

…My TRPG brain is whispering to me.

Probably, if we fit "something" into this indentation on the branch, we’ll be able to proceed to the next location.

…The problem is figuring out what that something actually is…!

Also, if there’s anything meaningful in this room, it has to be those relief carvings…

With these thoughts, I observe the reliefs—cats, dogs, birds, lions, monkeys, dragons, frogs, crocodiles… They’re exaggerated, but the original animals are still recognizable.

Animal reliefs… intertwined trees of mutual growth… a poem of lovers pledging love in the afterlife…?

…Hm? Wait? Something’s… something’s…!

“What’s wrong, Rin? You’re furrowing your brow so much… do you have a headache?”

“Ah, no… it’s just… something’s nagging at the corner of my mind…”

I wave my hand lightly at Mr. Ville, who asks with concern, while continuing to boost my thought processes.

If my intuition is correct, this is a pretty old memory. Vocational school… no, much, much earlier than that… high school…? A school assignment… memorizing classical Chinese texts…?

“In heaven, we will fly together, a pair of inseparable lovebirds. On earth, we shall grow as two branches of one tree…”

“Hm? Did you say something, Rin?”

“If there’s something… if there’s any hint, it’s probably at the bird reliefs! And if one exists, a one-winged bird!”

I can tell that everyone’s expressions change instantly at my voice, bursting out with momentum. They turn toward the wall at once and begin examining the reliefs.

I immediately leave the water basin and rush to the wall to examine the reliefs as well.

…Still, just because what I dredged up from the sea of memories was Bai Juyi’s "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow" doesn’t mean it had to be one-winged birds…I want to question my own logic for a good hour about what I’m even saying…

I guess the idea that since we have intertwined branches, all that’s left is lovebirds was too simplistic? Plus, there’s no guarantee this motif is even based on lovebirds and intertwined branches…! But since we were pretty much at a dead end anyway, I thought it might be better to try out whatever ideas came to mind!

Suppressing my thoughts going in circles, I run my eyes over the wall reliefs…

“Found it! I found it, Mr. Ville! There’s a relief of a bird with only its right wing!”

“Ah! Over here too, I found a relief of a bird with only its left wing! But what exactly are we supposed to do with these…?”

Almost simultaneously as I raise my voice, Mr. Ville’s voice returns from the wall opposite where I am.

Ohhhhh! Even though it was just a hunch, I’m deeply moved that we actually found them!

“…Well then… if there don’t seem to be any traps, shall we try pushing them for now?”

In adventure stories, when you push reliefs like these, there’s often a pattern where more hints appear.

As I responded to Mr. Ville’s half-excited, half-confused voice, a pale hand extended smoothly beside me.

Apparently, Mr. Xenon has come to help out over here.

“Thank you, Mr. Xenon! I’m sorry if this doesn’t work.”

“Not at all, don’t worry about it. Trial and error is important for solving gimmicks.”

“It makes me feel much better to hear you say that. Well then, shall we give it a try right away?”

Standing next to Mr. Xenon, I push the one-winged bird relief part with all my strength.

At first, it doesn’t budge at all, but suddenly there’s a sensation of it sliding.

I suppress the urge to let my strength slip away and push even harder…

The relief I keep pushing slides inward with a low vibration sound, and from the lower part of that now-empty space, a statue of a one-winged bird made of pure white stone rises up.

“No way…!?”

“…W-We did it, Rin! It seems your idea wasn’t wrong after all.”

“W-wow… wow…!”

When I hold it in my hands, it’s heavily solid…

Mr. Xenon pats my back as I stare blankly at the statue in my hands.

Huh… whoa… s-seriously…! To think this was the right answer…!

Before I realize it, loud cheers erupt from the opposite wall. The same thing must have happened over there too.

Now all that’s left is probably to fit those bird statues into the indentations in the tree branches…!

Thinking this, I run toward the fountain. The other members must be thinking the same thing—Mr. Ville, holding the left one-winged bird statue with its head facing left, is also hurrying over here with everyone else.

“Amazing, Rin! It looks like we can move forward now!”

“No… I honestly didn’t think this would be right either…!”

Desperately calming my continuously excited brain while being careful not to fall from the stepping stones, I head to that tree.

Mr. Ville, the largest in our party, places the bird statues in the indentations on each branch… but in the end, nothing happens…

“…? Nothing’s happened… whoa!”

Just as I’m about to slump my shoulders in disappointment, thinking we’ve failed after all this—

With a click of something fitting into place, the left and right branches holding the bird statues drop down with a thud. At the same time, rhythmic ticking like winding springs and a low, rumbling hum of activation echo from the base of the large tree.

I instinctively place my hand on the tree trunk, but somehow… this tree itself is vibrating too…!?

Still not understanding what’s happening as I look around, the water basin where we’re standing begins to rise. At the same time, dark bluish water fills the interior of the temple that had been empty until now.

“What…! Where is this water coming from…!?”

“The bird statues from earlier must have triggered something…!”

The party instantly snaps into battle-ready position and looks around without letting their guard down. Mr. Xenon’s white hand taps the marble tree.

Don’t tell me this tree… no, it’s not the tree itself—it’s just part of the mechanism! The intertwined branches and the paired-wing birds… with all components in place, the gimmick activates!

Amid the vibration sounds that still continue, something suddenly flashes inside the room. The water’s surface swirls and rises up in columns with violent wind.

Multiple water pillars, swirling wind, raging thunder… the tranquil room from earlier is now nowhere to be found. In the blink of an eye, the alabaster temple transforms into a world filled with the unfathomable dread of a stormy night.

The bottomless, blue-black water surface slowly bulges upward. What raises its head from the underwater is a creature with its body surface covered in slimy mucus.

‘UUGYUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!’

With an eerie cry squeezed from the depths of its throat, a flash of light sears my eyes.

[Storm Eel (Extremely Delicious)

A giant eel monster that has lived for a long time. Has an extremely good sense of smell.

The mucus covering its body surface is thick, and it can also breathe through its skin, allowing it to survive even when taken out of water.

The taste is extremely delicious. Rich in fat, it offers a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Its fresh blood contains poison, and if it enters the eyes or wounds, it can cause inflammation. Care must be taken when preparing it. Note that the toxicity disappears when heated.]

“…Storm eel…?”

“What! No way!? That’s an upper species of giant eel!”

“It’s a monster said to control the sky and summon wind and thunder…! To think it actually exists…!”

The moment I read aloud the name written in Survival, voices resembling screams rise from Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon, who are protecting me with their backs.

Judging from Mr. Xenon’s words as he immediately constructs something like a magical defensive wall, it seems this is a monster whose very existence is uncertain. Which means there’s probably little information about its weaknesses or how to defeat it, right?

This is… quite a troublesome enemy, isn’t it!?

Whether it’s scared of the thunder sounds or scared of that shape so similar to a snake…I quickly pick up Gomamiso, who’s crouched down with its ears flat.

With a splashing sound, the storm eel that had been glaring at us submerges into the water. The swaying water surface is dark—I have no idea not only where it will emerge next, but even where it is now.

“I see… we probably can’t proceed without defeating that thing.”

“But, um… we can’t tell… where it is…?”

“How are we even supposed to defeat that thing in the first place!?”

“Lightning, wind, and water magic probably won’t be very effective… and with this much water around, I’m not sure fire magic will work either…”

While occasionally showing its log-like back on the water’s surface, the storm eel circles around this water basin.

Even during this, swirling winds try to slice our skin like blades, and lightning strikes down at random. Thanks to Mr. Xenon maintaining a barrier-like defensive wall, we’re somehow managing.

Not knowing when that giant eel will show its face, everyone naturally huddles together, continuing to stay alert back-to-back to avoid blind spots.

Agh, come on! At this rate, we’ll be worn down! …Is there… is there some kind of hint for defeating it…?

Even if it’s storm eel, it is basically an eel, right?!

Eel…eel…?

“M-Maybe… if we use ice magic, it should slow its movements…!”

“Rin? What’s wrong, all of a sudden… ice magic, you say…”

“In my world, there are similar creatures, though they’re a bit smaller. When preparing them, you slow down their movements with ice water before processing them.”

I vaguely remember seeing someone do that in an online video where the uploader prepared a freshly caught eel…?

The party members, including Mr. Ville, blinked in surprise at me suddenly clenching my fist and speaking passionately. But as my explanation progressed, everyone’s faces gradually became more serious.

After we all discuss in low voices, it turns out Mr. Ed can use ice magic too.

However…

“If we could lure it a bit closer to shore, I could section off the space so it can’t escape and hit it with ice magic, but in the current situation, that’s a bit impossible…”

Watching the storm eel swimming back and forth around the water basin from the corner of his eye, Mr. Ed lets out a sigh. Though its back occasionally surfaces, everything else except that part is in the dark, bluish water, and I can’t see its full form at all.

It’s true that in this state, we can’t seem to aim at it properly…

And even though we haven’t found a finishing move, beads of sweat form on the brow of Mr. Xenon, who usually looks so composed… isn’t this really bad? He seems to be running out of room to even speak.

“Now we just need to figure out how to hit it with magic.”

“Mm. Maybe… lure it somewhere…?”

As Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria whispered their words in hushed voices, a flash of brilliance streaked through my mind.

Survival said the storm eel has a good sense of smell! So, probably, if we had some strongly scented bait-like thing, we could lure it close to shore, right?

…Something smelly enough to be bait… ahhh… I can only think of one thing…!

As I run my eyes around while holding the trembling Gomamiso, the water has somehow completely drained from the water basin that had been full until just now.

In that case, there should be room to deploy the Camping Car!

“…Ms. Aria, could you hold Gomamiso for a bit?”

‘N-no! Don’t leave me behind, waaah!’

“Goma doesn’t want to… I think… it’s better… if you keep holding it.”

I somehow peel off Gomamiso, who’s digging its claws into my clothes, trying not to be separated from me, and hand it over to Ms. Aria, who has a worried look on her face.

I’ll be right back. I gently stroke Gomamiso’s small head as it continues to cry and cling.

Sorry, Miso. I need to move freely for a bit. I’ll be right back.

I stroke the stubborn kitten’s head once more and manifest the Camping Car very nearby. Perhaps because I was wishing for that, or because the summoning distance was close… the cabin door is open.

“Mr. Ed, I’m going to throw bait to the shore, so please use your magic then!”

“Huh, Rin!?”

“Hey, Rin!”

While hearing Mr. Ed and Mr. Ville’s voices calling my name with dumbfounded looks on their faces after my shouted voice, I dash full speed toward the Camping Car.

My target is the fridge… the salted slue squid inside it.

Honestly, it’s a waste. A terrible waste…!

But…!

It can’t compare to our lives!

I make a cut in the corner of the plastic bag wrapping the salted squid, so the extract… the smell will leak outside.

The distance to my target location is about ten meters. I’m not athletic, but even so, I want to believe I can probably… just barely reach it!

“Here, goes—yaaahhh!”

With the momentum from leaping out of the Camping Car, I wind up big and… throw!

With a voice like a dramatic baseball commentary echoing in my head, I firmly put my weight on my pivot foot and hurl the plastic bag.

The plastic bag containing the salted squid lands near the shore, drawing a loose, beautiful parabola.

In that instant, the swaying water surface stops perfectly still, and a giant log-like fish body raises a spray of water as it charges toward the plastic bag.

“Thanks, Rin! This’ll work!”

Along with Mr. Ed’s excited voice, as the storm eel twists its body and bites down on the plastic bag that fell in the shallow water, something like transparent walls appears around it, trapping the giant fish’s body in a cubic space.

The Illustration’s description: Rin is throwing a plastic bag, and the eel’s surprised face.

Ohhhhh! So this is what he meant before when he said something about isolating monsters with spatial magic when we defeated the flower lizard!

I couldn’t really understand it back then since there was nothing but air, but now that water is being contained along with the eel, I understand very well what it means for the space to be isolated.

The water inside the cube containing the eel splashes violently because the eel is thrashing around, but the rest of the water’s surface has already completely calmed down.

The magic activated…!

I heave a sigh of relief, and right before my eyes, the movements of the eel thrashing violently inside the enclosed space rapidly slow down. It’s probably because it’s in such a low-temperature state that the water trapped with it instantly freezes.

“Ed! Open that box!”

“Got it!”

Along with Mr. Ville’s sharp voice, the wall-like thing surrounding the eel vanishes. That said, the frozen water and slowed movements from the already-activated magic won’t instantly return to normal.

Mr. Ville’s greatsword pierces into the head of the eel lying limply at the water’s edge. In that instant, the eel’s body convulses violently, and whether from death throes or desperate struggling… that thick body coils around Mr. Ville’s body like a snake.

I try to rush over in a panic, but something holds me back tightly.

“Rin, it’s dangerous! Don’t!”

“B-But Mr. Ville…! I have to… help…”

“Ville will be fine. It’s more dangerous for you to go to the front lines!”

Ms. Aria embraces me from behind, and Mr. Xenon blocks my path.

As I struggle to escape from this gentle restraint, a dull sound echoes before my eyes.

In my frozen field of vision, I can see the eel’s body collapsing limply with its neck broken, and… Mr. Ville standing firmly, his whole body covered in mucus with an extremely disgusted look on his face.

…W-Was that dull sound just now the sound of Mr. Ville breaking the eel’s neck…?

At Mr. Ville’s feet as he glares at the storm eel’s corpse with eyes that could be looking at garbage, the eel quietly turns into black mist and loses its form.

“See? I told you he’d be ‘fine.’”

“Ville is… strong… so. Coiling… doesn’t bother him.”

“Though I didn’t think the mucus would be this terrible!”

Overwhelmed with relief, I slump down, vaguely aware of Mr. Xenon winking as he reaches out and Ms. Aria softly patting my head.

I can see Mr. Ville coming back toward us, raising his voice while holding what looks like drop items.

Ms. Aria finally releases me, so I rush toward Mr. Ville, stumbling slightly.

When I look closely at Mr. Ville, who’s safely returned, his silver hair, his well-tanned skin, the armor he’s wearing… everything is covered in thick, viscous liquid.

“Are you okay, Rin!? Please, don’t be so reckless…!”

“Th… that goes for you too, Mr. Ville! When that huge thing coiled around you, I felt like my heart stopped!”

Unsure whether to be angry or worried, Mr. Ville makes a conflicted face, then notices the slime clinging to his outstretched hand and quickly pulls it back.

I try to touch Mr. Ville too… only to realize my palm is smeared with the liquid from the salted squid. It must have leaked when I threw it.

Ugh… this might be a heartwarming scene of us worrying about each other’s safety, but… with Mr. Ville completely fishy-smelling and me stinking of raw seafood, it just doesn’t quite work as a scene.

But I’m glad everyone’s safe—Mr. Ville, Mr. Xenon, who put up the defensive magic, Mr. Ed, who caught the eel, and Ms. Aria, who protected Gomamiso… everyone!

I rub my stinging nose with the back of my hand while somehow suppressing the laughter welling up.

“…fuh… fu, ha…!”

“What’s with that sound of you trying to suppress your laughter!?”

When I raise my eyes at the somewhat sulky voice falling from above, I can see Mr. Ville’s face with his lips slightly pursed as if pouting.

Ahh… he’s alive. He came back alive…

When I think that, I just can’t suppress my laughter anymore… I wipe my welling tears while laughing.

“N-no, I was thinking that even though this should be a good scene where we rejoice in your safe return, it somehow doesn’t work… hahaha… I-I’m sor… ry…!”

“Well, looking like this, yeah… pfft… hehe…!”

Mr. Ville, watching me, must have finally been unable to hold back either.

In the end, surrounded by the smells of fish and squid, the two of us end up laughing together.

Red and green lights spin around our bodies after we’ve laughed our fill. Cleaning and drying magic.

When I lift my face, I can see Mr. Xenon shrugging with an exasperated look, Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria watching us warmly with grins, and Gomamiso struggling frantically in Ms. Aria’s arms. When Ms. Aria sets the basketball-sized ball of fluff on the ground, it charges at me with literally wing-sprouting momentum.

“Guhfuuuuuh!”

‘Stupid! You left me! You left me behind! Stupid!’

“R-Rin! Are you okay? Hang in there!”

Hit square in the solar plexus by Gomamiso’s strike as if aimed precisely, I lose my balance completely and fall on my rear. The impact is severe enough that my consciousness nearly whites out…

T-this is… this is what they call a critical hit…!

While hearing Mr. Ville’s anguished cry, I desperately peel off Gomamiso, who’s smacking my chest with thick front paws.

…And…

In the corner of my vision… right beside my hand on the ground, something pitch black wriggles gruesomely.

“—! F-gyah…!”

I pull my arm back as if repelled, and with that momentum, I lose my balance and fall to the ground with a thud. Still trying to distance myself from that thing that continues its eerie squirming… Mr. Ville picks it up casually.

“Wh-wh-wh-what is that!?”

“Hm? Ah, sorry. It’s meat from that eel earlier, but it seems I dropped it.”

Eel… meat… perhaps because I quickly learned its identity, the strength drains from my tense body. He must have dropped it in the commotion earlier with too much momentum.

I scold my trembling legs into cooperating and force myself upright, then take another look at what’s in Mr. Ville’s hand. Dark bluish skin that seems to reflect the surrounding water’s color wraps around flesh that’s white as snow. Judging from how the cut surface is bulging, it’s a log-like chunk of meat that looks supremely fresh.

“Wow… it’s still moving… It’s probably just a muscular reflex, but the vitality is amazing…”

“…I just ended up picking it up, but can we eat this…?”

“It’s fine! Survival said it’s ‘extremely delicious’!”

Mr. Ville looked down at the meat chunk that continued to writhe eerily despite being cut into pieces and asked hesitantly, to which I responded by giving a firm thumbs up.

I’ve never prepared eel itself, but if it’s already cut into pieces, well, it should be fine!

Just as I roll up my sleeves to prepare it right away, the base of the intertwined tree begins emitting a dazzling light. It’s a light similar to the magical power pool we saw on the upper floor, radiating a brilliance as if saying, "Come on in.”

“I see! Because we defeated the storm eel, we can move forward now!”

“Thanks to you, Rin! You were a huge help in both puzzle-solving and combat!”

“Let’s have a proper talk sometime. You seem to have quite fascinating knowledge, Rin.”

“Rin! Rin! Amazing! Great job! You worked so hard!”

Hands extending from all directions ruffle my head messily.

Seriously…! I was…I was able to be at least somewhat useful!

While carrying this overflowing joy and relief, I still quickly stash the cut eel pieces in the fridge so I don’t fall behind everyone who’s jumping into the light one after another, then I also jump into the light… and find myself gasping at the scene beyond.

“A… again a completely different structure…! What exactly are dungeons…!?”

“Are you okay, Rin? Well, I suppose that’s the reaction for a first time…”

Beyond the light is a structure too strange to call the temple’s main hall. From the vast floor we stand on, it spreads outward in a circular, bowl-like shape. “Circular arena” is probably the best description. The exterior was square, so why this strange interior? I wonder, but seeing how it’s considerably wider inside than its appearance suggests, maybe it’s similar to the Camping Car’s interior? I even feel like I can hear malicious laughter coming from what looks like spectator seats, though no one should be there, nothing should be there.

…I’m pretty sure this is the boss room.

A room created by the boss under the setting of "a place where spectators enjoy watching adventurers being pitifully and miserably tormented and killed by an extremely strong boss," and either the boss is in the center of this room, or the boss appears when the adventurers reach the room’s center… that kind of setting.

Mr. Ville and everyone are probably on guard too. There’s no more talk of formations now—everyone clusters together in a group, proceeding toward the center while maintaining vigilance in all directions.

“…I don’t sense anything…”

“No reaction.”

“…Right… Survival isn’t showing anything either… hmm?”

Looking at the temple interior—or rather, the Colosseum—again, there’s really nothing here.

…Then. Gomamiso perks up its ears and suddenly sits up. Just like that, it leaps from my arm, slips through everyone’s feet, and plops down sitting right in the center of the Colosseum.

Inside its golden eyes, the pupils contract sharply for an instant. The kitten’s mouth opens wide, revealing a bright red interior.

‘Umyahhhhhhhn!’

The kitten’s high-pitched voice echoes through the Colosseum, trailing long and long before fading away.

Suddenly, the spot where Gomamiso was sitting rises up.

What emerges, breaking through the Colosseum’s floor, is something like a large crystal sphere placed atop a pedestal with a metallic luster. It’s probably about two sizes larger than the basketball-sized kitten. Inside the bluish transparent orb, something occasionally flashes brilliantly and disappears, repeating this cycle.

“D-Don’t tell me that’s a Dungeon Core!?”

“Huh… you know about it, Mr. Ville?”

“As the name suggests, it’s the dungeon’s core, the foundation of the dungeon. Without a Dungeon Core, a dungeon cannot exist… but why would something like this suddenly appear…?”

‘You know, I was lost, but you know, this was my home!’

In sync with Gomamiso’s meowing as it sits on the giant crystal sphere—the Dungeon Core—puffing out its chest with a pointlessly smug face, a rather idiotic-sounding voice echoes through the Colosseum from the Dungeon Core.

Wait—this voice…

“Isn’t that Gomamiso’s voice!?”

“What!?”

‘And you know, me, remembered! My job is to protect this!’

The kitten’s eyes, which had been cheerfully waving its tail back and forth, sparkle brilliantly.

In that instant, the kitten is no longer a kitten.

A body height reaching up to a person’s chest, and wings that have increased to two pairs. A large, gaping mouth and sharp fangs peeking from within… the front legs are thick and large—if it gave a cat a punch with those, there’d be no chance of surviving.

While I stand there dumbfounded, unable to do anything, perhaps having somewhat predicted this kind of ending, the party members, including Mr. Ville, all instantly prepare for battle.

…Huh… wait, Gomamiso was… the enemy… or rather, the boss…?

Gomamiso sleeping soundly on my lap… Gomamiso pressing its head against me, demanding more petting… Gomamiso happily devouring cockatrice meat… the images flash through my mind like a revolving lantern… and the impression that emerges is that this cat really has incredibly thick skin!

Ah, yes. Boss… a boss, huh. That nerve makes perfect sense…

‘Huh? Huh? Why are you pointing weapons at me? This me is not “me” anymore—this me became Gomamiso! Won’t protect it anymore!’

The large lynx tilts its head with a genuinely hurt expression at the humans who had been doting on it, now pointing weapons at it, then slams its large front paw down hard on the Dungeon Core. The crystal sphere that had been placed on something like a pedestal can’t withstand the impact and rolls off the pedestal.

Large Gomamiso chases after it and pins down the rolling crystal sphere. Then, from beneath Gomamiso comes a sound like something shattering, and blindingly bright light envelops the large lynx’s body.

The illustration’s description: small Gomamiso is on top of the Dungeon Core.

“…Huh?”

‘Me, became Gomamiso and leaving here now! We’re going together!’

“Huh? Wha—wait… wait just… impossible… seriously impossible…! I don’t understand!”

When the violent light searing my retinas finally subsides, and I open my eyes, there sits small Gomamiso puffing out its chest proudly.

Small Gomamiso stands up with its tail held straight up, rubs its head against my leg, then reaches its paws up on my leg and stretches its body as if begging to be picked up. In my arms after I reflexively pick it up, Gomamiso narrows its eyes contentedly and purrs.

At the same time, the pedestal that held the Dungeon Core begins to shine.

“Hey, no way!? Don’t tell me this means we’ve cleared the dungeon!”

“Huh? Could that be the exit!?”

“Yeah, that’s right! It’s an exit from destroying the Dungeon Core, not from defeating the boss! Run quickly! We’ll get caught in the dungeon’s collapse!”

Before Mr. Ville even finishes speaking, an eerie vibration assaults the Colosseum.

With a low rumbling, the entire room shakes, and from the edges, the roof, walls, and spectator seats begin crumbling and collapsing.

The Dungeon Core is the dungeon’s foundation, the dungeon’s nucleus… with the core gone, the dungeon can’t maintain its form anymore.

As I stare blankly at the room steadily collapsing, Mr. Ville grabs my shoulder.

“Let’s go, Rin! Think about the details later! Right now we run!”

“Ah, yes! Sorry, I’m coming now!”

When I look, only Gomamiso, Mr. Ville, and I remain in the collapsing Colosseum. Everyone else has apparently already passed through the exit.

With Mr. Ville pulling my arm with an anxious expression, both Gomamiso and I dive into the exit that was once the pedestal.

Overflowing light dyes my vision pure white.

I reflexively close my eyes, and when I open them again, I’m standing dumbfounded, holding Gomamiso in the forest we saw before entering. Gomamiso, in my arms, looks around curiously at its surroundings.

Mr. Ville, who should have passed through the door with me, is standing a short distance away, and all the members are standing scattered at similar intervals.

As we simply look around at our surroundings, the guild staff members disguised as adventurers speak to us in low voices.

“Welcome back! Thank goodness you’re all safe…!”

“The dungeon entrance has vanished, so we’re sending word to the guild!”

“Vanished… so it really did vanish…!”

“Did you destroy the Dungeon Core? Ah, no, the details can wait for the guild! The guildmaster should be waiting!”

We’re each handed a potion and whispered to in a low voice, "Please drink this when you’re tired." Wait—what is this, some kind of energy drink? I’m curious about the taste, but somehow, I’m not tired enough to drink this. It seems everyone feels the same way, as they’re all stowing the potions they received in their pockets or pouches.

Once the guild staff has discreetly moved away, we of the Gourmands regroup and start walking back to the city.

◆◇◆

On the way to the guild, no one opens their mouths. No, "we want to but can’t" is probably more accurate. I mean, I don’t know what to say! As far as I can tell from glancing sideways at everyone around me, it seems like they all feel the same way…

Everyone keeps starting to say something before closing their mouths, opening their mouths before shutting them again… Unable to find an opening for conversation, we arrive at the city in no time despite the indescribably heavy atmosphere…

In front of the main gate, Ms. Sheila waits for us with a large black shoulder bag.

“It seems like a lot happened, but welcome back!”

“Yeah, way too much happened… We’re back.”

“Mr. Ville, please report the details to the master with everyone. Ms. Rin, let’s first register you as a tamer and your familiar.”

“Thank you. I heard that without registration, I can’t bring this boy into town. I appreciate it!”

Ms. Sheila smiles brightly and rummages through her black bag, pulling out some documents and portable writing utensils. I guess this means we’re doing the tamer registration and familiar registration here.

When she takes out the documents, I catch a glimpse inside the bag—there are piles of other papers stuffed in there too. Judging from that, I think she predicted that various paperwork situations might arise and brought them just in case, right?

Ms. Sheila is so capable! The epitome of a receptionist!

She must have judged that if I, who don’t have a tamer qualification, tried to bring Gomamiso into town without familiar registration, we’d waste time dealing with regulations and whatnot.

Here, I temporarily part ways with Mr. Ville and the rest. They head to the guild, while Ms. Sheila and I go to something like a guard station at the main gate to do the various registrations.

“What a cute kitty. All right, with this, the familiar registration is complete too! You need to tie this identification ribbon somewhere visible, and… we also need to stamp your familiar’s front paw with a magic stamp!”

“Got it. Come on, Gomamiso. Give me your paw.”

‘N-No! Me, hate injections!’

“It’s not an injection, it’s a stamp, so it’s fine. Here, Ms. Sheila, please go ahead!”

I hold the squirming Gomamiso and extend its front paw to Ms. Sheila. She rounds her eyes in surprise as she holds the magic stamp.

“Ms. Rin, you can already understand your familiar’s words? You might become an excellent tamer!”

“For now, I’m just happy to be a baggage carrier and cook.”

Then Ms. Sheila smiles like a blooming flower and stamps Gomamiso’s front paw. A fluffy kobold taking a fluffy kitten’s paw to stamp it… Is this what paradise looks like?

By the way, the magic stamp is shaped like a pretty floral pattern, like layered petals. The pattern floats gently on the fur for a moment, then gets absorbed into the front paw and disappears.

I hold Gomamiso, who blinks in surprise that it didn’t hurt, and head with Ms. Sheila to the guild where Mr. Ville and everyone else are. I wonder how far they’ve gotten with their report? Are they also reporting about the dungeon enemies? Ms. Sheila’s fluffy hand turns the doorknob, and we enter to find a rather oppressive atmosphere.

“Ah, it’s you, young lady. You’ve done something unexpected again!”

“Um, sorry. It just kind of… happened?”

“Ahhh! First mysterious monster appearances, then a wild dungeon, and now taming a dungeon boss… I’m dying! I’m going to die! I’ll die from paperwork!”

“You won’t die! Why don’t you do some actual office work for once? Poor Sheila has to deal with your messes.”

Mr. Tori—the guildmaster—holds his head and groans while Mr. Ville laughs through his nose and shifts over on the sofa to make room for me to sit.

When Mr. Tori sees the documents Ms. Sheila, who entered the room with me, hands him, he looks up at the ceiling with an expression like he’s suppressing the urge to scream.

Ignoring the guildmaster, Mr. Ville briefly fills me in on what they discussed in this room, but it’s mostly within expectations—the dungeon structure, types and numbers of monsters that appeared, things like that.

What remains is the explanation of how I met Gomamiso and everything that followed… apparently. That said, I myself don’t really know how to explain it…

I thought it looked like my family’s cat back home, so I played with it, and it got attached to me, and when I casually gave it a nickname, it became named… I was told I’d tamed it, and the cat that somehow got attached to me was actually a dungeon boss whose role was to guard the dungeon core, but because it became named, it wasn’t a dungeon boss anymore—so it said, destroyed the dungeon core itself, and followed me as a familiar… yup. It’s literally just as it sounds, but… yup. When I actually put it into words, it’s quite an incredible situation.

Everyone except the Gourmands, who actually witnessed the situation—well, only Mr. Tori and Ms. Sheila are here anyway—has completely dead eyes.

…I can imagine what you’re thinking. I’m sorry for causing such a troublesome situation!

“…I wonder why Gomamiso got attached to me just from me giving it food?”

‘You know, you smell good.’

“Good smell? Me?”

’Yeah. Good smell! You feel friendly!’

As I pet Gomamiso’s throat area and talk to it, Gomamiso narrows its eyes contentedly, purrs, and opens its mouth wide.

…Eh, smell!? What kind of smell is "good" to a cat!?

Does it mean I stink!? I’ve been having cleaning magic cast on me regularly, but do I smell sweaty or something like that!? Eh, no way, seriously!?

I reflexively sniff around my arm area, but… there’s no particular strange smell… or is there…? Ah, but I’ve heard that "you can’t smell your own smell," so maybe I do smell weird…!

“…You really can communicate with it, huh… To me, it just sounds like meowing!”

“Don’t worry, Tori. To me, it also just sounds like meowing.”

While I’m panicking, Mr. Tori, who’s sitting right in front of me, clutches his head even more, and Mr. Ville tilts his head.

Hmm? I feel like Mr. Ville and the rest could understand it when we were in the dungeon… but the dungeon core was nearby then, so maybe the dungeon core was acting like a speaker or translator?

“By the way, Rin. What is Gomamiso saying?”

“Um… it says I smelled good or something, but do I smell weird?”

“No, it’s not that you smell particularly strange, but… I think I kind of understand what it’s saying. This is a strange way to put it, but the smell of your soul, or the wavelength of your mana… I think something like that resonated with it?”

While Mr. Tori groans with his head in his hands, Mr. Ville extends his arm toward Gomamiso. Seeing the arm go straight for its head, Gomamiso flinches as if expecting a hit, but the hand merely gives Gomamiso’s cheek a gentle fluff. Its cheek, mouth area, and throat are stroked, and Gomamiso narrows its eyes and purrs. Oho! Mr. Ville is quite skilled at this.

…Wait a minute!

I didn’t expect even Mr. Ville to agree with the whole "I got attached because you smelled good" thing! I’m relieved there’s no weird smell, but what does this even mean!?

“Ah… um… should I understand it as something like we hit it off, or we’re compatible?”

“Well, you can think of it like that.”

…Right. I have no idea what’s going on, but I decide to accept that Gomamiso and I are probably just compatible! Even if you tell me about souls doing this or mana doing that, it’s kind of outside the realm of concepts I’ve built up until now… In other words, I think it’s something like kindred spirits, soul siblings.

‘Also, this me remembered one more thing—leaving that ball was a no-no!’

“Well, of course! I’ve never heard of a dungeon boss abandoning its duty to guard the dungeon core and wandering around playing!”

‘Me, wanted to go on an adventure! But when this me left, my tummy was empty. You gave me food, and this me got better!’

Oh no…! Shocking facts keep emerging from the mouth of this innocently laughing kitten!?

As I summarize what Gomamiso proudly meows at me, more and more mysterious phenomena keep piling up. First, Gomamiso suddenly found itself in the deepest part of the dungeon one day. It instinctively understood that its job was to guard the dungeon core.

…Even so, as if drawn to something, it wandered off… and because it got too far from the dungeon core, it couldn’t maintain its adult form and turned into a kitten… And then I picked it up, and thanks to sharing dungeon prey with it, it regained its energy and so on… The meowing kitten’s story jumps here and there incoherently, but the more it talks, the deeper the mystery becomes.

Mr. Tori and the rest, who are listening to Gomamiso’s story through my translation, can only clutch their heads.

I also have various things I want to ask, like where Gomamiso was born, or what it was drawn to so strongly it overcame its instincts… Along with that, what bothers me is why the dungeon boss, which was assigned as the dungeon core’s guardian, abandoned that role and followed me…

My theory is that by accidentally giving a name to what was a powerful yet generic “dungeon boss,” I turned it into an individual monster. It’s like that well-known concept in Japanese fantasy: “names are spells, and naming something places bindings upon it.”

“So… does that mean Gomamiso stopped being a dungeon boss once it became Gomamiso?”

“Well, it did become a named unique monster… we can’t rule out that possibility.”

“I never imagined something like this would happen…”

‘Me, having fun, so there’s no problem♪!’

Because I named the generic dungeon boss "Gomamiso," the generic dungeon boss became the unique monster "Gomamiso," and because it became a unique monster, it was released from its role as "dungeon boss," and now freely enjoys life as the unique monster "Gomamiso…" Is that how it works?

While Mr. Ville and I are both fluffing the kitten, Mr. Tori finally recovers. He raises his upper body and stares at us with half-dead eyes.

“It’s not really my place to say this, but this has already gone beyond the scope of what a single guildmaster can handle…”

“Yeah. About that, given how things have turned out, there’s no time for me to be stubborn, so I’m thinking of going back to the capital once to get that guy’s judgment.”

Mr. Tori and Mr. Ville exchange some mysterious eye contact.

From the nuance, it seems they’re going to report to someone above the guildmaster and ask for judgment, but… who’s "that guy" they’re referring to!?

“…If you say that’s best, it probably is, Ville. Really, this case is way beyond what I can handle!”

Unable to keep up with how things are progressing, I tilt my head alone when Mr. Ville, wearing a somewhat determined expression, turns toward me.

“…Hey, Rin. Like I just said, we’re planning to report this matter to the higher-ups. Can I explain your circumstances to the party members?”

“Ah, that’s fine. Either way, I don’t think we can keep it hidden.”

I smile broadly to reassure Mr. Ville, who furrows his brows apologetically. He’s so conscientious about the promise to "keep my circumstances as secret as possible.”

But if we’re reporting to the higher-ups, sooner or later, everyone will find out about my situation. I think it’ll be easier later on if we just tell them now. Besides, with all these suspicious events happening one after another, there’s no reason not to talk about the obviously related "saint summoning." Plus, it’s said "three heads are better than one," so maybe some good inspiration or something will come out of it!

“Can’t keep it hidden… wait, Rin, do you have some kind of backstory?”

“Well, it’s nothing major, but… actually…”

I explain what happened to me to the members, who show three completely different reactions—Mr. Ed leans in eagerly, Mr. Xenon fails to hide his curiosity, and Ms. Aria tilts her head with a puzzled look.

On the way back from a fishing camp trip, I got caught up in something called a "saint summoning." I was told I was useless and sent to this place. There I met Mr. Ville and started traveling with him.

“…Wow… Rin, you really went through a lot… I’m glad you weren’t used up by that country!”

“From our perspective, we can only be grateful to the people who mistakenly judged you as ‘useless,’ but it must have been a disaster for you, Rin. I’m really glad your spirit didn’t break…”

“Mm. You did well… hanging in there…!”

Yup. They comfort me, but without treating me too delicately, and I’m grateful for that! I was a bit worried about being treated like I was made of glass, but there was no need for such concern! And so, my confidential "saint summoning" handout has become public information within the party, and we can now talk about it normally.

On top of that, Mr. Ville reveals new information: in a neighboring country across the sea, the “saint” has started her journey… This is something I don’t know at all. It’s probably the intelligence Mr. Tori obtains in secret. Apparently, she departed from the country’s capital, claiming to "purify the world"…

“If I recall correctly, the ‘saint summoning’ recorded in historical documents was ‘A shrine maiden is summoned from another world, the creatures of evil are swept away by divine purification, and the entire land is ruled in peace and tranquility,’ wasn’t it?”

Oh. So the saint summoning was described in surprisingly difficult language… Basically, it means they summoned a shrine maiden—a saint—and defeated monsters to peacefully rule the entire country… right? The use of such grandiose honorific language suggests it’s from the perspective of the rulers of that time, I guess.

“Purification of the world, huh… but with all these monster incidents actually happening, maybe they end up clinging to the ancient ‘saint summoning’?”

…And then. Mr. Ed’s words suddenly stick in my head. Normally, I’m bad at meta-reasoning or coming up with real ideas, but an intense sense of wrongness burns in my mind. I guess it’s different when I’ve actually experienced it myself?

Let’s see… where are the alarm bells ringing? What’s the cause? When we first talked with Mr. Tori about the saint summoning, what did he say? When we had that conversation, it should have been shortly after that high school girl and I were summoned to this world…

In this world without internet, TV, or even radio, I think it would take considerable time to gather information. Especially when it comes to information from outside the country. Despite that, I remember him saying that neither in this country nor in neighboring countries had strange things—like increased monster numbers or the appearance of a wild dungeon—been happening.

If the monster damage had been severe enough at that point to necessitate a saint summoning, Mr. Tori, who’s involved with monster subjugation and such, should have received relevant information, and given how unlikely it is that "monster information would be concealed" from a guildmaster, there probably really was no monster damage.

But in reality, the "saint summoning" was performed at that point. Even though there was no monster damage, a saint summoning whose purpose is to "purify the world"… If there’s no monster damage, why was there a need to summon a "saint" who supposedly has the ability to "defeat monsters and purify the world"?

Rather, it seems like after I started traveling with Mr. Ville… after this "saint summoning" thing was performed, and that high school girl whose name I don’t even know and I came to this world, "abnormalities" related to monsters and dungeons have been happening frequently…?

If that’s the case…

“No. The order is reversed… The monsters didn’t come first. The saint summoning came first…”

I can’t help but feel everyone’s gazes concentrate on me from that murmur that slips out.

Because when I consider the situation, there’s no need to summon a saint to purify monsters, right? Besides, these are the same people who summon someone and then dump her in the wilderness for being “useless,” right? In my case, I’m heavily biased because of that, so I especially can’t find any positive image of the "saint summoning"…

“…Wouldn’t it make more sense to think that this whole series of monster and dungeon incidents started rapidly after the saint summoning was executed…?”

“What… did you say…!?”

“…Really, just what is going on…!”

Mr. Ville’s voice muttering in shock and Mr. Tori’s groaning voice echo emptily in the now silent room. The silence dominating the room makes the pit of my stomach go cold. I can almost hear the sound of swallowing. Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria grip each other’s hands tightly, and Mr. Xenon is lost in thought with his hand on his chin.

When I unconsciously clench my sweaty palms… something suddenly touches my tensed arm. When I lower my gaze, wondering what it is, Gomamiso, who should have been on my lap, is standing up with its front paws on my arm. With its front paws neatly together, staring at me with sparkling eyes—that appearance is so cute it’s past cute and might be better described as calculated.

‘You know, me, hungry!’

“Eh!? In this frozen atmosphere, that’s what you have to say!? Miso, can you read the air a little?”

‘Air is something you breathe in and out!’

“So witty!”

Of all things to say, it’s asking for food. Truly the epitome of doing things at one’s own pace.

I lightly poke Gomamiso’s head with my fingertip, but the cat in question puffs out its chest proudly while making excuses. What is this furball, seriously going its own way!

But Gomamiso’s inability to read the room seems to be enough to break the frozen atmosphere. Somehow, Mr. Tori’s head, which had been buried in his hands and looked thoroughly beaten down, slowly lifts up. Mr. Tori’s palm smoothly strokes his head, wet with what could be cold sweat or nervous sweat.

“…Certainly, this is a situation we need to investigate urgently… but before that, the Gourmands need rest.”

“Tori…”

“All we’ve heard is that ‘the Saint’s party has departed,’ and we haven’t heard that any situation requiring urgent action has arisen. You should have enough time to rest properly and prepare for your journey.”

Still somewhat tense… but gentle eyes gaze at us.

As the leader managing the guild, he probably wants an immediate solution or course of action, but this statement is probably out of consideration for our physical and mental condition. Some might see this as leniency, others as humane, but to me, it is a very welcome offer.

After that adventure, a long-distance journey without time to breathe… would be a bit tough for a rookie adventurer like me… If Mr. Tori hadn’t offered, I had decided in my heart to at least request time for shopping… It was shocking enough of an adventure for that.

And at Mr. Tori’s words and gaze, Mr. Ville’s furrowed brow suddenly relaxes.

“Yeah… let’s do that, then.”

“Receive this mission’s reward at the reception desk. The calculation should be finishing up soon. Sheila and I have to wrestle with paperwork for a while longer.”

Perhaps the tension drained from his body—Mr. Ville leaned back into the sofa and raised the corner of his lips teasingly. Mr. Tori shrugged in response, and the expression on his face could only be described as a wry smile. He really is bad at paperwork… He must have imagined the paperwork he’ll have to process from now on. Mr. Ville watches Mr. Tori drop his shoulders again and lets out a low chuckle.

“This is a good opportunity. Why don’t you use this chance to get a little used to paperwork?”

“That’s a horrifying prospect! No matter how much I do written work, I never get used to it!”

The exchange between the guildmaster, who’s mostly returned to his usual self, and the party leader seems to have loosened the other members’ tension a bit. A faint smile returns to Ms. Aria’s tightly pressed lips, and Mr. Ed exhales in relief. Mr. Xenon’s tense eyes also seem to have regained some composure.

But in contrast to that are the utterly exhausted faces of Mr. Tori and Ms. Sheila, who undoubtedly have mountains of work left… Seeing that makes me feel reluctant about just us having a meal…

When I glance up at Mr. Ville, he must have picked up on what I want to say. With a "can’t be helped" shrug, he still nods firmly.

“Um… if it’s all right with everyone… would you like to eat together in that courtyard?”

“Wha…!? D-Does that mean Sheila and I can eat too!?”

My invitation must have been too unexpected.

Mr. Tori, wiping the sweat from his forehead, blinks rapidly like a pigeon hit by a peashooter. Ms. Sheila, holding a stack of documents, stares intently at me with pitch-black eyes while her ears droop down.

“Yes. You’ve helped us with so much, and as a celebration, or nutritional supplement, or… are you too busy perhaps?”

…Ah… this might be… a mistake.

Just because I invited them to a meal doesn’t mean Mr. Tori and Ms. Sheila don’t have their own circumstances. Being suddenly invited might actually be a bother…

“—Alright! Thank you, young lady! I’ve been curious about your skill! After all, reading about your cooking in this guy’s reports made it sound delicious! I wanted to try it too!”

“I-Is it really okay, Ms. Rin!? I was also a little curious about your cooking!”

After a moment of silence, the guildmaster’s booming battle cry and the kobold receptionist’s high-pitched squeal as she jumped in place with a beaming smile echoed through the cramped office.

The volume is so loud I almost mistake it for acoustic feedback. My vision shakes from the impact that rattles not just my eardrums but my brain.

“Hey, Tori! Our cook isn’t as rough as an adventurer! Don’t shout so loud!”

“…Your voice is plenty loud too, Ville.”

Mr. Ville hurriedly shields me with his back, but his voice is also pretty loud, to be honest…

While Ms. Sheila, who noticed my condition, tends to me with a chair and water… amid the unending commotion… I quietly exhale in relief at the everyday normalcy we managed to protect.

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