☆★☆★☆★
In the mansion’s dining room, Anastasia raised a voice of protest.
“Merlin-sama! Why does Sheryl-chan get a room in the mansion? Uu… when I live in the shed in the garden…”
“Sheryl-sama is a direct descendant of the Ice God Emperor, is she not. That she is treated differently from a useless mongrel like you is only natural—by birth!”
“That’s… how can you say that…”
“Silence, mongrel! It is a century too early for a dog to assert itself! A dog—belongs in a kennel!”
“Uu… that’s awful, Merlin-sama.”
Yes, it’s certainly awful. I have no words. Well, Merlin was attached to Isaac, so her going soft on Sheryl isn’t beyond me.
At that, Maria clapped her hands together.
“Anastasia? Before you go on about dogs, don’t you have something to do?”
Anastasia stood, and Maria stood after her.
“So then, Master! We’re going to go and cook♪”
Ah, I’d completely forgotten, but that’s right, today was the dinner to welcome Sheryl.
And we waited an hour.
To explain the situation: once it was settled that Sheryl would be taken into the mansion, the two of them got strangely fired up—“In that case we’ll do our best and cook!”
“Now then, sorry to keep you.”
Maria came back from the kitchen with a large platter.
What she’d made was fried chicken… or rather, a traditional elven food along the lines of karaage.
“Anastasia said she’d start frying after me, so I think she’ll bring hers along later.”
“Hoh. Student Maria. This karaage… I shall grant its appearance and aroma a passing grade.”
Looking at the mound of karaage on the platter, Merlin—who is fussy about food—was giving rare praise.
Then she speared a piece on her fork and took a bite.
Her eyes flew wide, and she gathered the platter into her arms and began eating at a ferocious clip.
“Delicious! Delicious! What is this!”
Chomp chomp chomp!
Watching Merlin eat on with single-minded ferocity, I drew back slightly.
I mean, for Merlin to take to something is genuinely a serious matter.
And Anastasia came pattering into the room.
“Master! My karaage is done too♪”
Anastasia’s platter was set on the table, and the assembled company looked at the karaage and lost the power of speech.
—It was purple.
And it had a pungent smell.
To put it concretely, it smelled of chemicals. Of the dangerous variety.
And on top of that, the surface was visibly, steadily beginning to melt into sludge.
Acid…?
This gel-like liquid that looks like sauce… is it acidic?
Come to think of it, the smell feels awfully close to an Acid Slime’s.
But with the ingredients in that kitchen—how do you even make food that smells like a monster?
“I’m not eating this!”
The look and the smell are both obviously far too dangerous.
“Master… you won’t eat it? I’m… sad.”
And Anastasia’s eyes filled with tears and she made a sorrowful face.
Anastasia’s expression—fragile enough to break at a touch, wistful, lovely, and about to spill over at any moment.
Merlin saw it and clenched her fist tight.
“Ephthal? Anastasia would like you to eat it, it seems?”
“No—like I said, I am absolutely not eating it!”
“Hmm… if you say so to that degree, Ephthal, then I have no choice but to step forward. The useless mongrel did make it with all her might, in her useless way… hm.”
And Maria sighed.
“Hmm… no, I’ll eat it. Not wasting food is a principle of mine. And Anastasia worked hard on it.”
“Wait, student Maria. Here, I, as the elder—”
“Merlin-sama, please don’t force yourself. I’ll eat it.”
“But that won’t do, will it? When Anastasia made it with such effort. We cannot waste that feeling.”
“No, no, I’ll do it… Anastasia did work hard on it.”
“You are a difficult one. I said I would eat it.”
Anastasia on the verge of tears.
And watching those two look out for her… I started to feel like I was the one doing something wrong, refusing to eat the food.
And so I steeled myself and said it.
“Then I’ll eat—”
“Go ahead.” “Go ahead.” “Go ahead.”
Perfectly in sync.
Which is to say all three of them, Anastasia included, thrust the platter of purple karaage out in front of me at the same instant.
—Dammit… they got me!
Unbelievable… I never thought I’d get hit with the Dachō Club bit in another world.
And why are the three of you so perfectly in sync?
Besides. Technically, all of you… are my disciples, aren’t you? I’d had an inkling, but with Merlin at the head of it, the way I get treated when things are loose… when everyone’s cutting up… isn’t it a bit off?
Still, once it’s come to this, eating the karaage isn’t something I can avoid. So I resolved myself, speared a piece on my fork, and put it in my mouth, gingerly.
“Gobfa!”
It was—
Like taking an explosion spell to the mouth… wait, an explosion spell!?
“A-A-Anastasia? What did you put in this purple, pungent karaage?”
“Eh? Gunpowder… maybe?”
You actually used an explosive as a seasoning!?
“And… mandragora, maybe?”
That’s a narcotic!?
“And… fly agaric, for a secret note?”
That’s a certain-death note!
“A-Anyway, I said I’d eat it, so I’ll make an effort.”
And as I reached for a second piece—
“No, Master! Not a second one! It exceeds the lethal dose! From the second on you can’t handle it without an antidote potion!”
“You aren’t even trying to hide that it’s poison!?”
“I’ve mixed antidote potion into the drinks, so please enjoy it as you drink♪”
“You smiled sweetly at me, but all I can see is a demon’s smile!”
And while Anastasia and I went back and forth, a fork came in from the side, and Sheryl, having taken a bite, gave a small nod.
“…Mm. Surprisingly good.”
And with that Sheryl dragged the platter over to her own place.
“Really?”
“…Mm. The look and the smell are certainly bad. And the moment it enters the mouth there’s certainly an explosive shock. But chew it through, and there’s a mellow, well-aged aroma—and a deep, savory richness.”
Hmm. I spat it straight out earlier, so I certainly didn’t chew and taste it.
Guessing at it, it might be something like natto in Japan—actually good.
And so I speared the purple chicken on my fork and put it in my mouth again and… ugh, no, this is awful. Far too awful.
But apparently it’s good if you chew it… and I steeled myself and bit down. And—
“Gobfa!”
Garbage.
What spread through my mouth when I chewed was… the smell of well-aged garbage.
“…Mm. Why are you spitting, Ephthal?”
“G-G-Garba—”
“That’s awful… are you trying to say garbage, Master?”
Bad!
Anastasia’s about to cry again!
“…Mm. In any case, what’s good is good. This mellow, well-aged aroma…”
No, that’s the smell of garbage. Well, Sheryl gives off a strange-girl aura, so a ruined palate wouldn’t be odd.
“…It really is good, Anastasia. Thank you for working so hard on the cooking for my welcome party.”
“You’re very welcome!”
And with tears pooling at the corners of her eyes, Anastasia started bouncing on the spot.
“…Anastasia? Why are you so delighted?”
“Um, uh… er… I… it’s the first time in my life anyone’s praised my cooking!”
Obviously!
And while I sat there with my face twitching—
“So Master won’t eat it after all? When the person I most want to eat it is Master… and you spat it all out.”
“Ah, no… yeah, sorry, but… I think I’ll pass on any more?”
“Uu…”
For the umpteenth time today, Anastasia’s eyes went teary. And Merlin, seeing that face, pulled a sour expression.
“If you say you dislike it, Ephthal, then here too I have no choice but to eat it.”
“No, I’ll eat it. I was taught in the elven village that you must never waste food.”
Merlin and Maria, squaring up to the purple karaage with expressions of grim resolve.
And Anastasia, once again on the verge of tears.
And watching those three… I started to feel like I was the one doing something wrong, all over again, refusing to eat the food.
“Then I’ll go ahead and—”
“Go ahead.” “Go ahead.” “Go ahead.” “Go ahead.”
Sheryl included, every one of them reached for the platter of purple karaage and thrust it out in front of me.
A second round, no less.
The Dachō Club… double-down… And as I sat there with a look of dread—
“…Fu… fufufu. Kufu… fufu.”
“Sheryl?”
“…Mm. It’s been a long time since a meal was this noisy. And I think it’s been about two years since I laughed out loud, too.”
Laughed, she says, but it was only her mouth—expressionless as ever.
“Two years?”
“…For two years I’ve eaten alone, and I haven’t had a proper conversation with anyone. Today is… fresh. A strange feeling.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a lot going on. If you want, stay in this mansion as long as you like.”
“…Mm.”
And with that Sheryl gave a small nod.
And then Maria stood, and set her palm on Sheryl’s head with a pat.
“Well, I’m sure there’s all sorts going on, but I think you can relax now. I was stubborn and alone at first too… and one way or another I ended up with a place to be.”
“…A place to be?”
“Ah, you’ll get it… eventually.”
And Maria ruffled her hair roughly, and Sheryl made a troubled face.