Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 579

579.

“Just be honest. What did you fail to make? What kind of cooking are you even trying to do?”

“Ah, it’s not like that. And my cooking skills have improved a lot, you know?”

After Sibelius left, the most inconvenient thing was the meals, even more so than the lodging. When staying in the village, I could just eat at the restaurant, but I couldn’t do that in the forest. I couldn’t go to the village for every meal, so I ended up cooking more often.

At first, I didn’t think much of this situation. I’m not a picky eater, and I’ve always managed to get by eating whatever. I thought I could just go back to those days. I didn’t realize that my tastes had become too refined while living with Sibelius.

It didn’t matter much when I was a spirit, but having a physical body was definitely different. And my tastes wouldn’t go back to how they were before. I could live without comfortable bedding, but not without good food. Now, I couldn’t be satisfied with just boiled potatoes or a stew with whatever I could find. So, I had no choice but to learn how to cook properly. Fortunately, there were cookbooks here, and I had learned a few things by watching Sibelius cook, so I was able to pick it up more easily than I thought. Once I gained some confidence, I suddenly wanted to eat Korean food for the first time in a while.

A bored person with nothing to do can do anything. There aren’t many countries in Arkhadon that enjoy spicy food, but they still had the basic ingredients. There was a type of soy sauce that was similar, and they also had chili peppers and sesame oil. I decided to find similar ingredients and make the most of them. First, I made tteokbokki [spicy stir-fried rice cakes], and then bulgogi [marinated beef barbecue] and galbi [marinated short ribs].

Of course, I didn’t make them exactly the way they were supposed to be made; I just guessed at the recipes. So, it wasn’t really authentic Korean food. But it felt touching to taste something similar after so long. So, I decided to try making kimchi [fermented spicy cabbage] this time. Lamias, who had no idea about any of this, was just staring at the kimchi I made with a suspicious expression.

“Looking at that red stuff, I don’t see how it could be edible.”

“I’ve told you so many times, it’s food.”

The seasoning seemed to have soaked in well, so I tasted it. The salty and spicy flavor lingered on my tongue with a slightly sweet aftertaste. I couldn’t find any fish sauce, so the umami [savory taste] was a bit lacking, but I was quite satisfied.

“Wow, am I a genius?”

I didn’t even look at a recipe, but how did I make it taste so similar? I must have a hidden talent for cooking. I should have learned sooner. Then I could have provided Isana with better meals when we were traveling together. Even I, with my slightly refined tastes, had a hard time eating just anything, so Isana, who was an emperor, must have had it even harder. But she never complained, which was admirable.

“What, is it so delicious that you’re that impressed?”

While I was lost in my thoughts, Lamias became curious and put a piece of kimchi that I had cut into his mouth. The next moment, his face turned bright red.

“It’s spicy!”

His horrified voice echoed around us.

“This is for terrorism!”

“Come on, you’re exaggerating. How can this be spicy? I can’t handle spicy food well either, so I made it mild.”

“How is this not spicy! Is there something wrong with your tongue?”

“Isn’t it weirder that a dragon can’t handle this much spice? Don’t just stand there, eat more. The spiciness is just a pain sensation, so you’ll get used to it if you keep eating it.”

“Why are you saying such scary things with a smile on your face!”

Seeing the tears welling up in his face as he flailed around, I realized it must be really spicy. I found it unexpectedly amusing and watched him closely. He shuddered and threatened to get back at me before disappearing. He was obviously running away because he thought I would make him eat more kimchi.

“Such a child.”

I must have laughed too much. I heard Lapis clicking his tongue.

“It’s funny that he’s threatening to get back at me just because he ate something spicy. I didn’t know Lamias was so weak with spicy food. Did you know?”

“No. I don’t care.”

His reply was very sulky. He’s not usually friendly, but he’s especially dry when it comes to Lamias. When I asked him, it didn’t seem like they were on bad terms, but he didn’t seem to like him visiting.

Could it be because of Lantasha? Even though he was rejected, he was still someone who almost dated his mother. As a child, that must feel strange. But Lapis isn’t usually that sensitive. Right now, I can’t think of any other reason.

As my life became more monotonous, Ellyuen spent more days in the Spirit Realm. Since two of the Spirit King’s territories were not functioning properly, there were many things to take care of. Considering that Ellyuen was responsible for both of them (though Minerva’s seal couldn’t be helped), I couldn’t just feel sorry for him. Of course, Ifrit and Trowell were just as busy. Thanks to that, I spent many days alone. That’s why Lamias kept visiting and nagging me. He seemed frustrated that I was spending my time alone in the forest with nothing to do. But strictly speaking, I wasn’t doing nothing.

“I’ll give you a present when we meet again!”

“Be my son!”

“So, this is what you’re doing!”

“…What are you really doing?”

Lapis, who had been listening silently as I kept muttering while lying in bed, finally got annoyed.

“I’m trying to combine keywords. You said it would be in my subconscious. I might just get it right.”

“But what are all those weird incantations?”

“They’re not incantations. I’m just trying to remember the things my father said to me that left a strong impression.”

“…”

I could feel the swearing in the silence. I was glad I couldn’t see his expression, but I was also a little disappointed. He often made a certain face when he was annoyed, and I wondered if he was making that face now. Maybe it’s because I’m influenced by the human body. I used to pride myself on having a good memory, but these days, Lapis’s face wasn’t as clear in my mind.

“What if you become stupid if you keep living like this without doing anything!”

Lamias’s words from a few days ago came to mind. Could I really be turning into an idiot? I knew he was just saying it to scare me, but I couldn’t help but worry since I was in such an isolated environment.

Just then, a light flickered in my bag. I looked inside and saw a necklace with a metal pendant flashing. It was a communication magic tool that Lamias had given me so we could contact each other more easily. Unlike the companion stone, it didn’t have a video transmission function, but I preferred this one.

“Yes, hello?”

『What’s ‘hello’?』

Lamias’s flustered voice came from the pendant.

“Ah, it’s just a habit.”

『You often use strange 말투 [manner of speaking]. Where are you from anyway?』

“What did you call me for?”

『Trying to change the subject. You’re going to laze around again today, aren’t you?』

“Laze around…”

『If a healthy guy is loafing around without doing anything, that’s lazing around. Anyway, never mind, aren’t you bored? Just help me with one thing.』

“Is it Information Bureau work?”

『Well, something like that. I’ll compensate you handsomely.』

I couldn’t help but scoff. I already had more money than I could ever need. I still had a lot of money left from selling the monsters I hunted before, and Ellyuen had given me some too. Besides, there was nothing to spend money on. There’s no need for money when you’re just in the forest.

“I’m not really interested…”

『A special cake set made by my exclusive baker.』

“…”

『He’s not as good as your unicorn friend, but he’s the most skilled baker among humans. You won’t be able to eat a more delicious cake anywhere on the continent. How about it, aren’t you a little tempted?』

I sighed lightly. I’ve improved my cooking skills a bit, but I still can’t bake. Even if I could, I couldn’t compare to a cake made by the best baker on the continent.

“What do I have to do?”

* * *

Just because I live in the forest doesn’t mean I’m completely out of touch with the world. I hear rumors whenever I visit the village to replenish supplies, and Lamias tells me things directly, so I have a rough idea of the big picture. I knew that the Epen Kingdom, where the royal family had collapsed, had been in chaos for a while, and that the king’s brother, who had been living quietly in the countryside, had ascended to the throne.

The new king was an almost unknown figure to the public, except that he was the youngest prince. He was much older than the previous king, so he had long since withdrawn from the power struggles, which was why he had survived. But he was more capable than I thought, and the country was stabilizing rapidly after he took the throne. The taxes that had been constantly rising were frozen, and he seemed to be implementing policies to help refugees. At least he was definitely someone who could run the country better than the previous king.

What Lamias asked me to do was to stop a plot to assassinate that new king. While the royal family was vacant, internal strife broke out, and factions vying for the throne emerged. One of them had not given up and was making a final gamble.

“Retreat! Everyone retreat…!”

Thud! The man who was ordering the retreat, sounding the emergency signal, collapsed before he could finish his sentence. Everyone nearby staggered, stiff as a board.

After confirming that the fallen man was completely dead, I looked around. The fishy smell of blood mixed with the smell of wet soil and water. The nearly one hundred people who had been preparing to attack in the underground waterways of the royal castle, waiting for dawn, were now only about ten left. The eyes that were revealed through the masks they were wearing were all wide open, intently scanning me. They were trying to figure out who I was. It wouldn’t matter even if they saw me since I was wearing a mask too.

“Sorry, but I don’t think you can retreat.”

Clang! The sound of weapons falling echoed for a moment, and everyone raised their hands in the air as if they had planned it. Thanks to that, I had to stop trying to continue my attack and awkwardly adjust my posture.

“What, are you going to surrender?”

They nodded their heads frantically. Well, I wasn’t told to kill them all, so it would be okay to accept their surrender. When I lowered my weapon to show that I understood, they all looked relieved.

I can’t just leave them here. Should I tie them all up and then contact Lamias? After hesitating for a moment, I strode towards them. They flinched and looked at me with wary eyes. I smiled at the slowly blinking eyes.

“Just sleep for now.”

Just as I was about to knock out the surrendered people, I sensed someone behind me. “Ah, we’re not enemies!” As I quickly turned around, the people who were approaching hurriedly shouted and showed me their cloaks. I wondered what they were doing, but now that I saw it, the shape of the uniforms they were wearing inside was familiar. They were Aegis agents.

“We were waiting after receiving a call from the Director. Good work, Forget-me-not. We’ll take care of the rest.”

‘Forget-me-not?’

What’s that? Lamias must have done something weird. I was already annoyed, so I thought it was good and decided to hand over the rest of the process to them. I nodded and turned around, and the agents, who were tense, saluted in a stiff posture.

“The Director will contact you soon.”

The way he spoke was very cautious, as if he was nervous. After giving him a nod to let him know I understood, I lightly leaped and quickly left the place. Just as I had completely escaped the underground waterway, the light in my pocket started to flicker as I had expected.

“Yes, it’s me.”

『I just received the mission completion signal. How did it go? Did you meet our kids?』

“Yes, I met them. I’m on my way out after handing over the remaining work. But what’s Forget-me-not? That’s what they were calling me.”

『Your code name.』

“That’s news to me…”

『I told the kids that you’re a top-secret agent. Aegis originally gives code names based on flower names. Understand it as a tradition.』

A top-secret agent. No wonder everyone looked so nervous.

“Why Forget-me-not of all things?”

『Doesn’t it suit you?』

Where does it? Isn’t that a very cute flower? I wondered how Lamias saw me, but I decided not to ask. I had a bad feeling that I would only hear strange things.

『Anyway, thank you so much. It was a surprise attack, so we were too late to figure it out on our side. We almost had a big problem.』

“But why is the Empire helping the Epen King?”

『Ah, we’re the ones who installed that king.』

“Wow…”

『We had a hard time giving him power and enthroning him. We can’t just let him die so quickly after investing so much.』

I thought he was naturally enthroned because he was of royal blood. I didn’t know there were such behind-the-scenes circumstances. I felt like I had been backstabbed even though I wasn’t a citizen of the kingdom.

『That’s how national relations are. It’s not a big profit for us to eat it by going to war, and we can’t stand to see other empires eat it. Instead of leaving it unattended and becoming a burden, it’s better to have a dynasty that benefits us.』

“Wow, the great power mindset is annoying.”

『You’re subtly talking back?』

“I’m just talking to myself, talking to myself. More than that, there was too much work. The locations of the ambushes were all different, and there were more people than I heard. The cost-effectiveness is too low, isn’t it?”

『Okay. I’ll prepare it as you wish. Just tell me everything you want to eat.』

After finishing the call appropriately, I raised my head and saw that the sky was faintly brightening. It was almost dawn. I had come all the way to the capital, but I was reluctant to go back like this, so I changed my clothes and walked to the downtown area.

In the shopping district, people who had started their day early were busy preparing for business. After passing through a few alleys, I spotted a friendly mother and daughter among the workers who were busy moving luggage.

“Mom, should I move this over here?”

“Oh, leave it and get ready for school.”

“There’s still plenty of time left. It’s okay.”

The mother and daughter, who looked exactly alike, were Ransi and Ransi’s mother, Erina. Business was said to be doing well, and the store was quite large with many employees.

‘She’s doing well.’

I heard that she had safely returned to her daily life without any major aftereffects. I had asked Lamias to check on her from time to time, but this was the first time I had come to see her in person since the day we parted. I was relieved to see her healthy and without any dark shadows. She seemed to have grown taller in the meantime.

“Why don’t you go say hello?”

I lightly shook my head at Lapis’s words. Seeing her face was enough. As if on cue, a small flower shop nearby was opening. The shop owner had just started putting out flower vases, and I felt strange when I found a flower among them. It was a forget-me-not, of all things.

“Excuse me, can I buy flowers now?”

“Yes, what can I get for you, sir?”

I paid the owner, who answered with a cheerful smile, and had him make a slightly large bouquet. Then, I quietly approached Ransi and left it near her.

“Mom, someone left a bouquet of flowers.”

“Oh my~ It’s a pretty forget-me-not. Who could it be?”

The mother and daughter, who had belatedly discovered the bouquet, became flustered. They were looking around to find the person who had left it, but they probably wouldn’t find me. They couldn’t imagine that I would be on the roof.

“How childish.”

Lapis clicked his tongue as he watched me laughing. Yeah, I’m childish, so what.