Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Translator : Solo

【71st day】

It was the dead of night.

I had returned once to the camp, had dinner with everyone, and after relaxing, I had sneaked out and went to the royal castle.

The place that I had been summoned to was the kitchen.

I put chopped mustard greens and onions on top of rabbit meat, which had been steamed in a pressure cooker until the bones had become soft, and then drizzled sweet and salty sauce over everything.

「Lanseal, are you ready?」

「Yes」

She was a beastkin maid with silver hair. Lanseal sprinkled hot oil into a frying pan, then stir-fried the mustard greens and onions in the oil that had pine nuts in it, while making sure that the rabbit meat was covered evenly by the sauce, which seeped into the meat. The aroma of the sweetened soy sauce and the smell of refined meat wafted out.

「King Lemuria, here is today's supper. It’s steamed shadow rabbit with oil poured over it」

The king of this country was seated at a table in the kitchen.

We won’t have to worry as much about being overheard here, was what I had been told.

「Alright, I’ll test for poison」

「That’s unnecessary」

The one who had stretched out his hand from the side and had it swatted away was an adventurer named Medimu.

He’s a legendary adventurer that everyone calls the "father of adventurers", but the people who know his true nature are few.

「Souya, what kind of dish is this? Keep it short」

Following the king’s order, I kept it short.

When I had went on for a long time previously, I had gotten kicked. It had hurt.

「When I ate the messenger shadow rabbit previously, it was very delicious, so I tried cooking it properly. It’s steamed and topped with raw vegetables with sweet and salty sauce drizzled over it, and then hot oil is poured on top of it to complete it. The meat has become so soft that you can even eat the bones」

「Even the bones, you said? That’s a little hard to believe, but let’s see」

The meat was cut elegantly with a knife, stabbed using the fork together with the vegetables, and dipped in the sauce on the plate before being carried by the king to his mouth.

「Umu」

One bite, two bites, went the king as he ate the dish.

「Ooh, the bones disappear in the mouth so easily. What kind of magic did you use?」

「I simply steamed it in that pot」

「Ooh, the foreign pot that you brought here, huh?」

There were three pressure cookers in this alternate world. There was one at my camp, one in the royal castle, and one in the kitchen of a certain militant group. For some reason, they were being treated as legendary items.

「The royal castle’s cooks also use it, but it seems that you use it best after all. The way you combined the deliciousness of this light meat, the sweet and salty seasoning, and the refreshing feel of the vegetables makes it really delicious. It makes me crave alcohol」

「Your Majesty, drinking alcohol at night is――」

「I know. If I did something like pairing alcohol with your dishes, I’ll end up drinking until I collapse again」

Even though he had been dying from beriberi until a while ago, he was an impossible king because he would drink large amounts of alcohol without batting an eyelid until he became beronberon(drunk).

「Souya, what about my share?」

Otou-san was glaring at me.

I couldn’t also put my utmost into cooking this person’s share, so I made a half-hearted dish.

I poured the ketchup that I had brought with me into a frying pan. After putting it over high heat and bringing it to a boil, I added onions, pork and the leftover vegetables suitably, and then stir-fried everything. I added the soggy pasta that was left over from dinner.

I mixed everything while adding more ketchup.

Plated it.

Sprinkled powdered cheese lightly from above.*

「Here, Napolitan」

「Napoli, tan?」

Well, it’s a Japanese dish that has nothing to do with Naples. It feels to me that its official name is Nihontan.

Otou-san scooped the pasta with a fork and slurped it like he was eating buckwheat noodles.

「Hmm, the seasoning is sloppy, but it tastes good. The sourness of the red sauce and the cheese combine to bring out a decent deliciousness. I feel as if the texture is more half-hearted than the pasta that I had for dinner, but well, I’ll bear with it」

Otou-san slurped the pasta loudly in an appetizing manner.

In this world, it’s rude to make loud slurping sounds while eating. Even though he’s an old friend, to do it with the king beside him, he has guts.

「Medimu, don’t you think that you should share a little of that with me?」

「Your Majesty is making too big of a deal over a commoners’ taste like this」

Otou-san blocked the king’s fork with his body and slurped the Napolitan down.

I didn't miss Lanseal’s slightly envious look.

「Lanseal」

「Yes, what is it?」

When I called her name, her ears twitched with gusto.

「There’s some food that I brought with me from the camp, but can you give me your impressions?」

「If it’s something like that, I’ll gladly cooperate」

I transferred the contents of a bottle that I had brought with me onto a plate.

「Are those vegetables?」

「It’s a marinade of mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, celery, bell peppers and chicken」

「What’s a marinade?」

「It’s a cooking method in which the ingredients are soaked in seasoning oil that’s made by combining wine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, citrus juice, and olive oil. Many of my party members hate vegetables, you see? I tried making this to see if I could get them to eat them somehow. Or rather, what’s going on when even an elf tells me that she doesn’t eat vegetables, I wonder」

Even though she’s an elf, my sister hates vegetables. I’m in the middle of devising ways of making them easier to eat, like passing them through hot water lightly or frying them with bacon fat.

「It's a dish that I've never seen before…… I'll try eating it」

Stabbing a cherry tomato with her fork, Lanseal covered her mouth as she ate.

「Hmm, aah」

She was showing a slightly suggestive expression.

「Excuse me」

Lanseal went on eating the marinade silently. But even if she kept silent, it seemed that her face was honest.

The three dudes watched her expression intently. I didn’t mean anything lewd by it. I don’t know about the two Ossan(old men) though.

After sampling all of the vegetables, Lanseal had one thing to say.

「It’s delicious」

「That's great. So, umm, how was it delicious?」

「Err, it’s really delicious」

「Oh, thanks」

「Aah! It's extremely delicious!」

「Yes, thank you」

I had been faintly aware of it, but Lanseal’s vocabulary when it came to food was the same as Rana’s.

No, I'm really happy to hear that it's delicious, and I'm sure that I wouldn't feel motivated without it.

「Let’s see, I’ll have one too」

「In that case, I guess I’ll have some too」

Despite being old enough to know better, the two Ossan stretched out their forks towards a woman’s plate.

「Ooh, this tastes good, doesn’t it? It's bacon, isn’t it? I’ll mix the bacon with the pasta and eat it」

「Umu, it’s been 40 years since I’ve eaten bell peppers, but I can eat these every day. Souya, leave some for breakfast before you return」

As chance would have it, I was able to eliminate the king's dislike of vegetables.

I’ll leave one spare bottle of marinade, hey, these two Ossan are eating too much. They haven’t even finished their own food. What bad manners.

And then, as they concentrated on their food, it was finished in no time. I washed the dishes.

Lanseal was a little distance away, keeping an eye on a pot that was over the fire. The king spoke to my back.

「And, you said that Libera has made contact, didn’t you?」

「Yes, I was told by Your Majesty that he would reach out to young merchant companies, but I never expected him to come to my place」

「That's because Zavua and Eruomea are both merchant companies that have made a name for themselves recently. If it was me, I would do the same」

King Lemuria had sensed Libera’s movements. The information about the ships was from Geto-san, but the information that he had infiltrated the kingdom was from King Lemuria.

「How do you see it, Souya?」

「It's difficult, isn’t it?」

What the king was uneasy about, was the fact that Libera’s objective wasn’t clear.

He was a well-known wealthy merchant, albeit formerly. It would spell trouble if he stirred up anti-Elysium sentiments inside the kingdom. Even for us, there was the matter of timing.

「It’s information that cannot be verified, but I believe that his objective is probably to shake up Elysium’s wheat. Distributing wheat from the left continent cheaply inside the kingdom and letting the people get used to eating it, and then using the large number of slaves that he brought to also produce the wheat from the left continent on this continent. Even if replacing Elysium’s wheat as the mainstream wheat is impossible right now, it’s possible to destabilize the trade volume of Elysium’s wheat. It’s just……」

「What?」

A question mark floated above Otou-san.

「There is no sign of any attempt to profit from it. As a merchant, that’s uncanny. He swore before god today to work under both the Zavua and Eruomea merchant companies. Even though he’s in a pressing situation, regardless of the fact that I had pressed him for pretty unfavorable conditions, he didn’t even bat an eyelid and was compliant for the most part. Things went far too smoothly, and it made me suspicious」

「It certainly seems suspicious, doesn’t it?」

The king agreed with my opinion.

「Disregarding profits. That’s something that strays from the duties of a merchant. If that’s true, then Libera's objective is likely revenge against Elysium. The reason why a man who had been called a wealthy merchant would abandon the duties of his trade, could only be his work as a man. What deceives keen insight is always the obsession of people. It’s certain that Libera?Araruledo will become a contaminant in the kingdom, I fear」

「Should we erase him?」

asked Otou-san ominously.

「No, let’s bide our time for now and see how the situation develops」

The king replied smoothly.

「In summary, if our interests align and it benefits me, I’ll simply use him. If he cannot be used, I’ll cast him out. If he gets in my way, I’ll erase him」

Scary, scary.

As a ruler of people, I suppose that he’s right though.

I haven't said it out loud, but the reason why I’ll never let Libera and the king meet is because I had felt from both Libera and the king a similar kind of "greed". In all likelihood, the two of them would get along well. And their interests also aligned.

A wealthy merchant who had been chased from his hometown and wants revenge on those who drove him out.

The king here who wants to dissolve a burdensome alliance without leaving any seeds of trouble.

Both sides have nothing to lose.

They have nothing to lose, but is Libera's objective really revenge? I can't be sure of that. Nothing is more dangerous than uncertain information. It can even be said to be fatal.

It's not something for me to decide, but I think that it’s better to erase Libera. At minimum, he should be banished to another continent. I don't know what he’s got up his sleeves, but I’m sure he’s up to no good.

「Also, I talked about it earlier, but Libera brought slaves with him. They haven’t entered Lemuria yet, but how should we deal with them?」

「How many are there?」

「According to what Libera stated, there are 145 of them」

「That’s a lot, isn’t it? No, when it comes to wealthy merchants, I suppose it’s on the lesser side. What kind of skills do they have?」

「There are farmers, those who can do menial work for various jobs, male and female prostitutes, and also spies」

「Even if they’re slaves, they’ve probably worked for many years in Elysium. They’ll be able to find jobs anywhere in Lemuria. Consequently……」

「I see. You’re saying that if they’re scattered in all quarters, they’ll be able to act as operatives」

When Libera was under Yukikaze’s surveillance, she had picked up 13 people who were deemed to be his spies. There must be those who had received that kind of training mixed in among the slaves waiting at the nearby port as well.

「Medimu, do you have any suggestions?」

「Let’s see. Well, you should definitely not let them enter the kingdom. Letting them come into contact with those entering and leaving the kingdom is also unwise. Taking them in is dangerous. In that case……」

After I had finished washing the plates and the cookware, I started wiping them with a clean cloth.

「There’s some empty farmland, isn’t there? Gather them there and keep an eye on them, I suppose. Have them work the farm or something in their spare time. I don't know if the fellow slaves from Elysium are on good terms or bad, but in the worst case, even if they cause trouble there, we’ll be able to hide it from the public eye」

「Let's go with that」

I don't really want to think about it, but he means hiding them from the public eye and erasing them, doesn’t he? Even if they are slaves, that isn’t a reason to go easy on them.

「Your Majesty, the beans have boiled」

Lanseal served edamame(immature soybeans) to the king.

「Ooh, I can’t do without this. Lanseal, I thought I'd ask you once more, but what kind of magic did you put on the beans?」

The thing that had been put on them was salt.

「Your Majesty, I’ve promised Souya-dono to keep that a secret」

「Is that so? I’ve asked you a thoughtless question. Forgive me」

It's really only salt, but when I had explained that previously, he hadn’t listened, and had said,『There you go again, you’re hiding something, aren’t you?』It's a hassle, so I decided to say that it’s a secret.

「Certainly, you can’t stop eating this」

Otou-san was squeezing the pods and eating the beans one after another.

「Medimu, how dare you!」

The king had gotten angry for real.

I was about to wash the empty pot, but I was stopped by Lanseal.

I took a seat at the table as well. As could be expected, I didn’t have the guts to lay my hands on the king’s edamame.

「King Lemuria, have there been any news after that about the matter of Arianne?Foz?Gasim?」

At my question, the king’s expression didn’t change, but his reply was unclear.**

「The news isn’t very good. In the first place, the Fifth Pope, the one who had pushed for me to become king, travels around the world so much that he is ridiculed with the name of Vagabond King. Naturally, he doesn’t have much say within Elysium either. I’ve sent petitions several times, but I have yet to receive a good reply from the magistrates. However, there has been a reply with regards to Irvin?Foz?Gasim. It seems that he will be re-conferred the title of knight of St. Lyridias. It’s probably safe to say that his reputation as a knight has been restored」

「Thank you very much」

I thanked the king for his help, but I have mixed feelings about it.

I’m happy that my late friend has regained his honor. But I'm worried about his sister's person. It’s easy to imagine what kind of treatment a female prisoner would receive in a chaotic situation.

Even if she is freed, she had lost all of her relatives. Would she have a way of making ends meet? Isn’t there some way I can get in touch with her? It would be great if she’s a robust person, and if she can endure the long voyage, then I would like for her to come here.

「But Souya, if you find any one thing, just one for now, that can be used to make a deal with Elysium, then I’ll definitely request for a pardon. I swear on the name of my grandfather, Razva. Just one more」

「Understood」

Yeah, this person is skillful.

He had figured out the very limit of what’s possible for me to do and is acting accordingly. For that reason, what he had said likely wasn’t a lie. No, if his words were lies, then I’ll give up on this guy. I’ll journey to the center continent and do something about it myself. The time limit of one year for the adventure will definitely be exceeded, but I don’t care. At any rate, I no longer have any relatives and so on left in the modern world. It may be a good idea to make this side my final home. As for unfinished busines――

「Huh?」

My head was swaying in dizziness.

「Souya-dono!」

Lanseal supported me when I was about to fall off the chair.

「Hey, what’s this all of a sudden?」

Otou-san was worried about me.

「Excuse me, I may be feeling a little tired」

「It’s no wonder. Defeating the hero, exploring the dungeon, handling your work in the merchant companies, and even preparing food, you’ve overworked yourself. Once you’ve cleared up this matter, you should rest to your heart's content. If you travel about half a day to the east of the kingdom, you’ll see a large lake. You’ll find a retreat that I haven’t used for some time there. I’ll lend it to you for a short while. Bring your party and go」

The water’s edge. Taking a dip. Swimsuits.

Is this a swimsuit event?!

「Yes, thank you very much. I'm feeling much better」

I’m getting pumped up.

………………I’m simple, aren’t I?

「That’s enough for today. Lanseal, send Souya back」

「Yes, Your Majesty」

It wasn’t really necessary, but Lanseal took my arm.

One last thing to say……

「King Lemuria. Please give me two days. The matter of Libera, I’ll see what I can do」

「Umu, do as you see fit」

「I had forgotten, but I introduced Karoro to Libera and had her guard him on my orders」

「That’s fine with me. That’s enough for today. Go home and sleep」

「Then I’ll take my leave」

After saying my farewells and bowing, I went out into the corridor accompanied by Lanseal.***

I think that King Lemuria is a good ruler.

Does that mean that he’s virtuous as a person? That’s a foolish question. When standing above others, saying naive things like in Shonen(Boys’) mangas isn’t good enough. When all is said and done, a good king is one who is ruthless to foreign enemies

For now, I’ll leave it at that.

I reset my feelings for the king and scrutinized my next move.

The matter of Libera.

I’ve no choice but to do it, but it’s probably not possible to solve it using smart methods. Fortunately, the information gathering capabilities of the A.I.s is top-class in this world. They possess god-like eyes and ears. However, the one who acts is an ordinary person like me. I have powers, but they’re all borrowed. I’ve no idea when I’ll lose them.

It's ironic.

Even though I'm only trying to do what needs to be done, I’m straying from the duties of an adventurer.

「Say, Lanseal」

「Yes?」

In a murmur, I tried asking Lanseal, who was preparing a horse in the stables. By the way, the horse is an old chestnut stallion. He’s obedient and smart, and I get to ride him on occasion, even on my own. ƒ𝘳ee𝔀e𝚋n૦𝐯el.c𝗼𝓂

「Could it be that I’m not cut out to be an adventurer?」

「Huh………………………………………………Y, yes」

She said that with an incredibly apologetic expression.

Th, that's true. I had gotten rejected by Vindoobunikuru after all.

「If you please」

I took her hand, put my foot in the stirrup of the saddle, and got on the horse. I was in front, and she held the reins from behind. To make sure that she could see, she leaned forward slightly and clung to me tightly. Suppleness that was different from Rana’s pressed against my back.

「But Souya-dono, even if it’s not as an adventurer, you have a wonderful talent」

「Huh?」

Such words were whispered into my ear.

Did I have something like that?

「Oh, you mean cooking?」

「Your cooking is very delicious. But it’s definitely the type of cooking that’s made for the sake of pleasing friends and family. Souya-dono, you don’t have much greed to begin with, so you’re probably not cut out to be a chef who takes money to earn a profit」

Yes, she’s right.

I definitely can't do cost calculations, so I don't think that I have any talent for being a chef. After all, if removing ingredients makes it taste worse, then I’ll probably add it even if doing so makes it an expensive dish. If no one eats it because it’s expensive, then I’ll probably lower the price.

Yeah, I can't run a restaurant or bar.

Oh, but if it’s a hideaway store, I can sell alcohol that’s comparatively expensive along with some snacks to go along with it, and serve stylish and rare Japanese dishes and so on. I’d name it “Alternate world Taver――

「It’s no good」

「No good?」

I felt Lanseal’s breath on my ears, and I felt strange. Combined with the feel of her chest, I was glad in various ways that I was in front.

The horse passed through the castle’s secret passage and went out of the city.

The wind knifed across the moonlit plain as the horse galloped on.

It seemed that this old horse used to be well-known as a swift horse, but even at its age, its legs were still much faster than the average horse.

「I think that you have talent as a merchant as well, Souya-dono. But you don’t have the obsession with money that a merchant needs. You, how do I say this, easily let go of things that aren’t of use to you, even if they have value, am I right?」

「Yeah, I suppose I have an idea of what you’re talking about」

In the end, it’s about whether or not I have the desire to keep those things that are said to have value close at hand, right? I think of those things that are too much for me as unnecessary. I wonder if this way of thinking is an idiosyncrasy that I picked up from the aimless days that I had lived in the modern world.

「So, what’s this talent that you said I have?」

「I’m talking about risking your life for the sake of others. I think that it's wonderful. I believe that that’s the epitome of the pride of a loyal retainer」

That’s a term I’m not really familiar with, but she talking about me working under someone, right?

I remembered the words of an adventurer called Ryutetto.

「A while ago, a certain adventurer also said something similar to me. That rather than being the leader of a party, I’m more cut out to be someone who supports that person……」

「I'm sorry for being impertinent, Souya-dono, but, umm, could you please support His Majesty?」

「………………」

I was at a loss on how to answer.

I like Lanseal.

She’s serious, honest, strong and beautiful. The way we met is the worst, but even despite that, I have fond feelings for her. Speaking simply, it isn’t in return for her feelings. Speaking from the heart, I have fond feelings for her.

「His Majesty is considering something big. He needs many people that he can trust. It’s my belief that he needs people like Souya-dono」

「I'm sorry. That’s impossible」

However, King Lemuria cannot be trusted.

In the first place, I don't like good kings and good rulers.

The kind of king that I like is unmistakably the kind that rides into certain death by himself. The kind of king that flourishes on the battlefield and in a chaotic world, and the kind that if I don’t die first, he’ll end up dead.

In other words, it’s not that there is anything bad about King Lemuria. It’s just my aspirations that are warped. But I suspect that if I bear it and serve others, I’ll surely betray them horribly.

「I...……see, it’s a pity」

「Sorry」

「No, it's not something you need to apologize for. I merely expressed a small hope of mine, don’t worry about it」

「I see」

Amidst the blowing wind, a horse galloped in silence.

The moons were nice again tonight.

The three moons floating in the alternate world’s night sky looked just like a face with a wide grin.

The bonfire of the camp came into view.

Lanseal stopped the horse there.

Saying that she would send me all the way to the camp and getting into a fight with Rana was the usual routine though.

「Souya-dono, to tell you the truth, I’ve been ordered by His Majesty, no, my father to have relations with you」

「Huh?」

What’s that Ossan thinking? To his own daughter……

No, giving a woman is an effective way of controlling a person, I suppose. But the fundamental problem――

「It's a funny story, isn’t it? I already have someone that I like, and yet……」

「That’s, err, certainly……」

It's ironic.

「Like this, no matter what I say or do, it’ll end up being part of my father’s orders. To think that liking someone is something that doesn’t allow one to do as one desires」

「You’re truly a honest person, aren’t you? It would have been fine even if you had kept quiet about it」

「That would mean betraying my own feelings. By imitating a knight, I killed my self and became able to serve His Majesty and my younger brother. But I don’t serve you. So I serve my own feelings」

「If you were a slightly more crafty person――」

I would also be able to use you indifferently.

I swallowed back those words.

「Truly, it’s something that doesn’t allow one to do as one desires, isn’t it?」

「Yeah」

I got off the horse.

Without a word, Lanseal left. In the darkness, her silver hair swayed.

I stared at it until it had completely disappeared from view.