Chapter 32.1: Seams And Unity III - (1)

「Makina, for that reason, give the two of them the seasonings that I asked for, and tell them to come to the Gladvain dormitory. Also, can “that” manufacturing kit be used?」

『Makina will pass the message along. As for the kit, Makina cannot make any guarantees as it depends on the strength of material that it’s installed on, but yes, it can be used』

「Ask them to bring that kit too, and get them to come as soon as possible」

『Understood, Makina out』

Well then, they should be waking up right about now.

『Team member Souya, Izora objects to such measures』

Izora, who was hanging from my hip, voiced her complaint.

「Overruled. It’s necessary for our adventures」

『You say that, but you’re just trying to spread the guilt around, aren’t you?』

「That’s not true. This is something that’s necessary for our adventures」

『Say, are you going to use those words to push through everything?』

「Yes. If it’s necessary for our adventures, certain evils are allowed」

『It’s immoral』

Izora was being a nag, so I muted her.

『！？ ？！』

She was hitting me with a small robotic arm. She was getting annoying, so I wrapped the cord of the garrote around her body several times and then stowed her in my backpack.

「Urrgg」

Shuna was the first to wake up.

「What's this?!」

Just when Shuna was reeling in surprise, Irvin also woke up.

「Mnn……… Where is this place?」

「Good morning, both of you」

Both of them were a little taken aback by my threatening countenance.

「Souya, what is this?」

I ignored Shuna’s protest. That was natural since he had also ignored my protests.

「Souya, could you please explain?」

Irvin was pretending to be calm, but sweat was beading on his forehead.

In a situation like this, that couldn’t be helped.

Both of them had their hands restrained behind their backs and were lying side by side on a bed. Each of them also had one ankle chained to the foot of the bed. Well, it was a situation that would cause anyone to get flustered.

「Hey, both of you. I'm sad」

「I don't give a damn. Remove these」

I ignored Shuna.

「Just when I thought that we had become united and were going to set off for new adventures as a close-knit group from now on, both of you fight each other until your regeneration points run out. In the state that both of you are in, we’ll have to call off tomorrow’s adventure. In fact, we may have to take a break on the day after that as well」

「Umm, Souya. Certainly, I think that I had acted immaturely as well. However, now that I’ve quit as the leader, if Shuna and I don’t properly make our respective positions clear, in future——」

「You’re annoying. Shut up」

I glared at Irvin to silence him.

「Duking it out might be a good thing in some cases. Some friendships are born that way. But determine a good point to stop」

「But~, Gladvain’s pride——」

「If that’s the case, warn us to always be careful about it, you dummy! If we trace everything to the source, isn’t it all caused by your error in judgment when you forgot that you had lost your sword and picked a fight?!」

「Huh, no. ………Yes」

Shuna admitted it just a little bit honestly.

「Souya, please don't blame Shuna. I’m also——」

I cut Irvin off.

「You try to appear sensible, but inside, you’re the same as Shuna. You’re a child who wants to feel superior by prevailing over others. On top of that, because you pretend to be an adult, it’s ill-natured」

「Urghh」

Irvin looked hurt when I hit the nail on the head.

「Hehe, you got yelled at」

「Shuna, you’re such a child」

「What?!」

Shuna also had his feelings hurt when I hit the mark.

「You know what, both of you? Feeling hurt when you’re called a child is proof that you’re a child. Grow up. It’s fine if you want to bet your life for your pride, get into fights or indulge in things that have nothing to do with adventuring.

But learn moderation.

Aren’t you guys adventurers? Why would you hinder your own adventure then? The schedule is all messed up. It’s a pain to fix it, you know?!」

I kicked the bed roughly in spite of myself.

「I, I’m sorry, Souya. It won’t happen again」

「………………My bad」

Apologies came from the two of them.

「You guys are just apologizing for now because it’s troublesome, right?」

『………………』

Right now, it felt like I was seeing my usual self when I looked at these guys. I could read them like a book.

「To hell with it. Shuna, I have one question. How many kin does Gladvain-sama have in total?」

「Huh? There are 23 at the moment」

「Souya, can I ask one question as well?」

「Yes, Irvin-kun」

「Where are we?」

「This place is——」

Right at that moment, there was a knock at the door of the room.

When I replied, the door was opened.

「This place is the adventurer-exclusive brothel『Mansion of the Sleep Demon and the Goddess of Fertility』」

「Souya, sorry to keep you waiting-nya」

Tyutyu entered the room, accompanied by two women.

「Well then, I’ll introduce them to you guys」

A Hemu with long black hair and unrivaled beauty sat down beside Irvin. She wore only a thin piece of silk that exposed her skin generously, but she had a strangely refined air.

「This is Andura, the "Black Pearl of Dicate". Formerly the daughter of a Myriad-King of the left continent, due to her inclinations and the mischief of the gods, she woefully ended up here. However, black pearls are refined things wherever they may be」

Next, a silver-haired beastkin lay down next to Shuna. She had a single horn on her forehead, and a round tuft of hair at the end of her slender tail. Her features were still a bit childlike, but the faint smile on her face was that of a succubus.

「This is Lutaruru, the “Silver Charm”. It hasn’t been very long since she came to this brothel, but her lust and her willingness to serve is guaranteed. It appears that she can make any kind of tough adventurer yell in pleasure with her techniques」

And then, Tyutyu put her arms around me from behind.

No, I’m not going to introduce you, alright?

「Souya, in other words, this means——」

「That won’t do, knight-sama. Only look at me」

She lost no time in stealing Irvin’s lips. Seeing my friend engaged in such behavior was exciting.

「Souya! You creep!」

「Ufu, ufufu, cute swordsman-sama, please leave everything to me. I'll be so gentle that you’ll melt」

「Ah, wait! No, I'm sorry. Wait, I’m really sorry, but ah, over there is——」

Shuna, you’re pretty weak, aren’t you? Please receive her kindness.

「Don’t worry both of you, I won’t tell Bel and Zenobia. Well then, dear kin of Roomen, please completely replenish their regeneration points, and wring them so dry that they can’t get up the entire day tomorrow」

『Okay～♪』

I exited the room after hearing their amorous replies.

「Souya, we aren't doing it with six people-nya?」

「No, that's a bit much」

Tyutyu had followed me.

「Or rather, you’re horrible-nya. You told me to wait for you, so I’ve been waiting since last night, but how could you not show up at all」

「Did I make such a promise?」

「You were pretty drunk, but you forgot-nya?」

「I'm sorry, I forgot」

Alright, I’ll quit drinking. To think that I’m so weak despite not even appreciating its taste.

「Then, let’s go to another room right away-nya」

「Tyutyu, is it alright if we go outside?」

「Huh………………If you add the condition that it’s just this once, then it’s okay-nya. It’s really an exception-nya」

「That’s a relief」

I took Tyutyu to-go and left the brothel behind me.

Along the way, I made an appearance at the Zavua merchant company and the Eruomea merchant company and sent them on errands.

Then I headed for the Gladvain dormitory once more.

I met up with the sisters at its entrance.

「Here, Onii-chan. The things you asked for」

I received a bag containing seasonings and the manufacturing kit from Ea.

「I'm sorry, one thing led to another and I ended up having to cook and eat lunch here」

「Dear, if I’m not mistaken, this is——」

「It’s a troublesome place that’s infested with Gladvain’s kin」

「Why are we having lunch at a place like this?」

Rana tilted her cute head.

「It’s Shuna and Irvin’s fault」

「I don’t quite get it, but you must have had a tough time」

「Good day, madam」

Tyutyu greeted Rana from behind me.

「Good day, kin of Roomen」

「Today………………umm, Souya. What did you bring Nya here for-nya?」

「To prepare lunch」

「It’s really just this once for something like this-nya」

「I'm sorry, I wanted the help of someone I trust」

「It can’t be helped-nya」

Tyutyu looked a little happy.

「Dear, if you’re preparing lunch, then me too」

「Rana, you’ve been invited as a guest, so……」

「………Okay」

I was afraid of trouble as I was pressed for time.

I resolved myself and entered the dormitory once more. There was some hostility, as well as curious gazes directed at the sisters. Tyutyu had a tight grip on my poncho as she was scared.

To my surprise, Gladvain-sama came out in person to welcome us.

「Welcome, Rauaryuna. Ohh, Ea came as well?」

The sisters knelt down and Rana addressed her in a formal manner.

「Gladvain-sama, thank you very much for inviting us today. On behalf of my husband and sister, I would like to express my gratitude. And I pray for health and prosperity for your renowned martial school」

「No need for the stuffy greeting. You probably don't know about it, but we’ve met when you were still a baby. You could fit in the palm of my hand back then, but you’ve gotten so big」

「Huh, is that so?」

Rana’s voice was full of surprise.

Ea and I also had the same reaction.

「Didn't you hear from Melm? He was my kin. He was the only elf among my kin who was that skilled at the sword. Do you also wield a sword?」

A rapier was hanging from Rana’s hip. It was a wedding gift from Irvin, but she had never used it.

「This is a good-luck charm. I've walked the path of a magician for a long time, so I haven’t had the chance to use it」

「It won’t hurt for you to learn since you’re an adventurer. Well, I’ll give you some pointers. Come」

Gladvain-sama took Rana's hand.

「Ea, you come too. I’ll ascertain how skilled you are at the bow」

「O, okay」

Ea was being overwhelmed by Gladvain-sama.

「I’ve met you too when you were small. You were such a noisy, crying child. I had no choice but to give you my breast to suck and you calmed down」

「Eeehhhh」

The goddess went to the training ground with the sisters in tow. Her genial expression seemed like one that a person who had met with distant relatives would have.

「Onii-san, I’ll guide you to the kitchen, alright? Huh, what are you doing here, Tyutyu?」

「It’s a long story, but I’m here to help-nya」

Bel had appeared unexpectedly to be our guide.

「In the meanwhile, there’s one thing that I need to tell you, Onii-san」

I listened to Bel's advice on the way to the kitchen.

「I’ve heard the gist of the situation. Gladvain’s kin are all rather avid foodies. They have pretty discerning palates. They don’t care much about something like taste during days when the volume of training is high, but they have a lot of free time on their hands today, so I think that they’ll be quite particular about it. If anything, it seems that they had intended on subjugating Midoranga, so there might be many who will pick a bone with us in various ways」

「Understood」

「Also, where are Shuna and Irvin?」

「That’s a secret」

Bel looked back and forth between Tyutyu and me.

「Oh, okay. Somehow, I got it already」

What a sharp girl she was.

We arrived at the Gladvain dormitory’s kitchen.

It was big~ compared to the castle’s. The cooking space seemed big enough for me to lie down and roll around. There were also six large cooking stoves. There was a complete set of the basic cooking utensils of this world, and a collection of sharp kitchen knives. Among them were some that seemed like they could be used for slicing tuna.

There was a wide variety of ingredients stored there. I found meat, vegetables, dairy products, alcohol, spices, grains, fruits and dried seafood. They also had seasonings that couldn’t be found in the markets.

Aren’t these guys eating better than the king? I guess the king’s taste is just simple.

Well then, I had no time.

There was less than two hours until lunchtime.

「Makina, for today’s menu, we’ll go with the three dishes that I told you about earlier. I’m counting on you to organize everything」

『Understood』

Without proper division of labor, we wouldn’t make it in time. According to Shuna, there were 23 kin in the dormitory, one goddess, one werewolf, me, the sisters, Tyutyu, and Bel. That was 30 servings. The basics of cooking said that one should make more rather than less, but if there wasn’t enough, it would be a matter of life and death in the worst case, so I was planning to make a lot more.

That was when I felt a gaze.

It was the reptilian beastkin from earlier. She was looking at me with half her body peeking through the kitchen door.

「………………」

Errrr, how can I help you?

「Eh? Hihito, what's the matter? Oh, you came to help. I see, Gladvain-sama told you to」

Bel rubbed the the lizard girl called Hihito under her chin. Hihito narrowed her eyes and growled in pleasure.

I had my misgivings, but I needed manpower, so I counted her in.

Before anything else,

「Alright. Everyone, tie up your hair and let’s wash hands」

Everyone except for Hihito used their own hair ties to tie their hair. For some reason, I tied her voluminous red hair into a ponytail.

As for the washing of hands, everyone washed between their fingers, nails and up to their elbows with soap.

I fished through the ingredients, picked out the ones that I wanted to use and lined them up. There were potatoes, tomatoes, soybeans, cheese, capsicum, large eggs, salt and many others. That was about it for the ingredients that seemed usable in this kitchen. The other ingredients were probably already on their way here.

「Bel, Tyutyu, Hihito, we’re pressed for time, so let’s go full tilt. I'm counting on all of you」

「Okay~」

「Alright-nya!」

「………………」

There was no reply from one of them. However, we started cooking. As I told the three of them the respective tasks allocated to them by Makina, I also joined in the preparations.

I left it to Bel and Tyutyu to peel the potatoes and remove the sprouts. They put the potatoes that were prepped into a water-filled stock pot.

Hihito and I cut the vegetables up. We removed the stem of the tomatoes and cut them into four, and then diced the onions and garlic. Because of the large amount that was needed, just this alone took up a lot of time.

I poured olive oil heartily into another stock pot, which was fun, and then threw the cut vegetables in. I instructed Hihito to stir-fry the vegetables while I went to wash the large amount of soybeans lightly in water. I checked Hihito’s pot, and then poured the soybeans in when the vegetables were cooked to a suitable degree. I added cheese, alcohol and salt as I stirred the pot.

I handed Hihito a ladle and instructed her to remove the scum. I left her unattended for the time being.

I gave Bel and Tyutyu a hand and we threw all the potatoes into a pot. Water was poured in, and the pot was covered to bring it to a boil faster.

The sound of many footsteps could be heard approaching from the corridor.

The errand boys from the merchant companies had brought the ingredients.

On Gladvain-sama’s tab, I had bought one dungeon pig’s worth of boneless pork ribs, 30 fresh turnips and 60 chicken eggs. The Eruomea merchant company threw in two barrels of ale free-of-charge. From the Zavua merchant company, it was milk, apple vinegar, honey and assorted goods.

I cut the pork into squares, seared all sides to prevent it from falling apart when boiled, and then put the ones that had been seared brown into the largest stock pot there was in the kitchen. After all the pork had been put in, I threw in the cabbage, onions and ginger that I had cut into chunks. Finally, I added water.

Well then, the problem starts here.

I opened the manufacturing kit and started modifying the lid of the stock pot. I put in a control valve, a safety valve, and a sealing lever, and then stuck a rubber gasket on the inside.

I’m worried. Would it hold up, I wonder?

There wasn’t much time left, so I decided to use it without testing it first.

I closed the lid, making sure that there were no gaps, then I turned the lever, which sealed the pot. I put the stock pot on the fire. Then I prayed.

After hitting the butt of the chicken eggs with a spoon to crack them, they were put into yet another pot, which was filled water and put on the fire.

I turned my attention to Bel and Tyutyu.

The boiled potatoes were taken out and mashed with Bel and Tyutyu’s help. Egg yolk, wheat flour, salt and pepper were added to the mashed potatoes, which were then mixed thoroughly.

I instructed them to roll the mixture into golf-ball sized balls and to boil them in hot water again.

I went over to Hihito.

The tomatoes had fallen apart and had thickened nicely. I extinguished the fire and instructed Hihito to crush the soybeans inside after handing her a rolling pin.

The chicken eggs were removed from the hot water and put into cold water.

Would we be able to shell 60 eggs in time?

I checked the condition of the mashed potatoes. I told them to take the ones that had floated up to the surface of the hot water and put them on a plate.

One of dishes on the menu, Knödel, a German dish, was almost completed. I left the rest to Tyutyu, and starting removing the shells of the boiled eggs together with Bel. Bel was shelling them at a god-like speed.

Everyone turned their eyes to the pot when it started to rattle and shake.

Myriad-Kings(諸王) is a term that could mean two things. The first meaning is “various kings” and is a collective term you can use, for example, if there were several kings of different countries in a room and you used it instead of using “everyone”. Second meaning is unproclaimed sons of the royal family. I’ll give a freebie and say that, in this novel, it’s a title held by and used to refer to all kings on the left continent. So it is used individually as well as collectively and I believe that it is also meant to imply that there are historically a lot of kings on the left continent. Oh yes, and “Myriad-Kings” because “Various-Kings” or “Many-Kings” or “A-Large-Number-Of-Kings” sounds lame as a title and would also sound weird when used to refer to an individual king like in the chapter. XD

It’s a girl! Author is still refusing to use gendered pronouns but calling her a lizard girl sure helped. Anyone realized that it’s the second time that Souya tied someone’s hair into a ponytail? He denied it the first time and was vague about it this time, but could it be that he likes ponytails?

Another ridiculously long chapter about Souya cooking, or rather catering this time……so long that it had to be split. But as usual, important stuff here and there despite the frivolous air of the chapter. More coming in the second part. Btw, won’t it be fun if Rana can class-change into a magic warrior? And has anyone figured out Rana’s connection to Gladvain? Is she just the daughter of one of Gladvain’s kin? It’ll be revealed in the next part so stay tuned!