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Translator: Reo
Editor: PalenMisha
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 70 (Part 2)
We went further into the dungeon, defeating the monsters we encountered along the way, and reached a safe area by the afternoon. We were hungry so we quickly laid down a picnic blanket and the bentos that Bennet had prepared were handed out.
The second I opened the lid I could smell the meat and it made my mouth water.
“Pork shogayaki? It looks delicious.”
“U-um, for the meat I used orc king. It’s a high-quality meat that’s soft and fatty, so I think it should definitely be delicious.”
It was typical of the timid Bennet to say it was tasty because of the ingredients and not because of her skills. In my opinion, everything she cooked was truly delicious.
“Is everyone ready? Right, let’s eat then.”
“Let’s have a good meal.”
“Ye~s. Itadakima~su.”
“Itadakimasu.”
After saying my greeting, I immediately tried the dish. Mm, it was incredibly delicious. I could eat this forever. But, for the time being, I swallowed what was in my mouth and turned to Bennet who was looking at our reactions as she always did.
“It’s delicious. It’s soft and suits my taste.”
“T-thank you. I’m very happy to be praised.”
The rest of the group praised the bashful Bennet one after the other. Of course, they all said it was delicious. Listening to them, I earnestly started to chow down on my food. The meat was truly amazing. There was also salad and some pickles, but for now, my chopsticks were reaching for the meat and rice.
I caught Luca, who was sitting next to me, looking at me with a soft gaze, but ignored him and continued eating in silence. That was when Miranda let out a moan.
“Ah~ah, Bennet’s cooking really is delicious. If the food continues to be this good, my life will lose all meaning once this journey is over and I can’t eat it anymore.”
“Right? Bennet-chan’s got a hold on our stomachs. Just getting to eat her cooking every day gives me joy. Bennet-chan, you’re going to be Luca’s maid, right? Maybe I should secretly kidnap you.” (Cindy)
“Eh!? U-um…” Bennet was flustered by that sudden proposal.
Luca then came to the rescue.
“You can’t, Cindy. I’m going to have Bennet make Zagan’s meals every day. It would be cruel to Zagan to make him eat the noble’s fancy food every day. Anyway, we also really like Bennet’s cooking, so I’m not going to hand my maid over to you.”
Indeed, it would be uncomfortable to always eat dishes where I have to use a knife and fork, but I wonder if it’s ok to consider this a done deal when Bennet herself has yet to say that she wants to work for us?
“Fufu. I’ll try my best. Please take care of me, you two.” (Bennet)
It seems that it’s fine. I see, so she’s made her decision.
Since it’s a house for a prince, even if I’m a commoner, we have to buy a mansion. Hiring a maid is also a necessity, so I’m grateful to have Bennet, who is very trustworthy and has accepted Luca and my relationship with open arms. Also, she’s a great cook.
“Fu. I’ve already decided to stay at Luca and Zagan’s place for a while, so I’ll get to eat Bennet’s cooking to my heart’s content.” (Camilla)
“Me too, when Noel’s at work in the middle of the day, can’t I come over and eat Bennet’s cooking? Ah, please make some pudding for when I do! Bennet’s homemade pudding is the best!” (Nina)
“Of course, the food Bennet makes is delicious, but I want to cook together with her. If I follow Bennet, I’ll be able to make a proper meal as well.” (Noel)
“That… No. Thank you. I’m so happy that I mean that much to all of you.” Hearing their words, Bennet smiled with tears in her eyes.
Luca and the others smiled the whole time as they talked and ate the delicious food. Only Miranda had a complicated expression on her face from time to time.
After lunch, we continued to defeat all the monsters that came our way, and even if our path was blocked by some sort of trap from time to time, Luca and Cindy worked together to figure it out. When we got tired, we took a short break, and after about 15 minutes, went back to clearing the dungeon. It was 9 pm by the time we reached the next safe area.
We were all battered and tired but still got to eat a tasty bento for dinner since it was prepared ahead of time. We had our dinner much later than normal, drank enough alcohol not to affect us the next day, and each went into our own tent. Of course, I slept in the same tent as Luca, and after some light touching, we went to sleep.
Then, the next morning after breakfast, we headed out again.
After several days of this, I came to know what the pained expression Miranda sometimes had on her face meant.
Since that day when we left in the morning, we couldn’t find a safe area anywhere and today, when we did finally get to one, it was already past 5 pm. We were lazing about, but we’d already finished fighting for the day and could have a relaxed night for the first time in a while.
We had some time to spare so we had a barbecue for dinner and took our time eating. Afterward, Luca, Miranda, Cindy, and I drank some alcohol together, though not to the point that it would affect us the next day.
At that point, Miranda blurted out, “This party is the strongest, you know. Even without Luca and Zagan, we can take out an S-rank monster. Haa… if only you’d all just become adventurers, you’d all be S-rank.”
The girls really did meet all the conditions for an S-rank adventurer. The conditions were to defeat 50 S-rank monsters per person, or 300 monsters for six people. These past few days alone, they took down about 100 monsters so they definitely qualified.
Unfortunately, Miranda was the only adventurer. Also, our party wasn’t registered with the adventurer’s guild, so currently, no matter how many monsters she defeats, Miranda couldn’t be promoted to S-rank.
“Everyone tagged along with me as I fulfilled the king’s orders and became stronger as the circumstances in the dungeons demanded it, but originally they all had different reasons for following me. Of course, what someone finds important and what they wish for differs from person to person.”
That’s right. For Noel, it was a job, and Nina came along for the money. Camilla was looking for ingredients to turn back to her original form and Bennet was looking for safety after she ran away from her father. As for Cindy, Luca asked her to come with him to help disarm the traps inside the dungeons.
From the beginning, they all had different occupations, so it was only natural that they’d all part ways once this journey was over.
“Well… I think it’s a shame that Camilla, Bennet, and Cindy are going to leave the battlefield behind when they’re such great fighters.”
“I know, right!? And Cindy’s even willing to throw away her job for that evil glasses bastard – what’s up with that!?”
“Evil? Did something happen?”
“Yeah, listen to this Zagan! That bastard, when we ran into him in the last dungeon. He walked up to Cindy with a shady smile on his face so I instantly blocked his way and then he scrunched up his brows, pushed up his glasses, and said, ‘I’ve got no business with a bitch like you,’ like he was disgusted or something!? Isn’t that horrible?!”
“He’s the worst.”
“Right?! The worst kind of bastard who makes assumptions and calls people names based on the first meeting. Cindy’s wasted on him!”
It’s not like I didn’t understand her urge to shout, but she was completely drunk. Anyways, as the conversations seemed to have moved on to the subject of Cindy, I glanced her way. She was just going ‘ufufu’ like always.
“He’s pretty cute that way, no? He’s a pervert who likes being bullied so if you curse back at him and step on him, he gets incredibly happy.”
No, why are you telling us this? Are we also supposed to step on him?
“Zagan doesn’t have to do anything, ok? Your eyes should only be looking at me.”
I’d been looking down at my feet, so Luca scolded me. Is it because I’m also drunk? My thoughts had gone to strange places. Speaking of which, my head was feeling all fuzzy.
“Sorry, Luca.”
When I put down my glass in self-reflection, he pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead and cheek. Miranda, who’d usually stop us by now, kept grumbling as she sipped her drink and Cindy looked over at us with a gentle gaze.
“I’m happy that Miranda-chan thinks so highly of me. I myself never thought I’d get this strong. Still, in the end, I’d prefer a life surrounded by books than a life of battle. Also, when this journey ends, there’s something I want to do.”
Something… that Cindy wanted to do? The way she said it, it probably had nothing to do with that glasses guy.
As I was thinking that, Luca asked, “Could it have something to do with the thing you were writing back in the mansion? With all those books and papers spread around you?”
Now that he mentioned it, other than training, Cindy did spend all her time after dinner working on something in the dining room. I think I heard her saying it was a record of our journey.
It seemed that Luca was right. Cindy smiled gently and nodded.