Chapter 84

“…What the hell?”

“…….”

“I said, what the hell!!!”

“Huh, um?”

The unsettling, nasal sound made me pause my thoughts. Right in front of me, a dog (?) was barking awkwardly, as if trying to talk.

“Th-this little… little bastard… hitting… hitting my ear… why… why are you looking… don’t you hear me? Don’t you look like a person? Huh? You… you idiot… trying to… trying to die…”

“So that’s why they call him the ‘Crazy Dog’… Whoever nicknamed you deserves a medal.”

“Wh-what…?”

“Ah, just talking to myself. Don’t mind me. If it bothered you that I looked, I apologize. I just… I’ve never seen a Hero up close before, so I was curious.”

I offered an apology to the otherworlder. Even if it sounds like I overdid it, I really did stare too much. Considering this is a brutal world where people—or monsters—can smash each other’s heads just for eye contact, yeah… this was my fault.

When I addressed him with the respectful title “Hero” instead of “otherworlder,” some of the hostility left his eyes.

“C-careful… rookie… if the elders catch you, y-you could really… really… die…”

“Ah, noted.”

I kept my mouth shut, and this time he spoke first.

“B-but… you… with… Kate… what’s… your… relationship?”

Kate? He couldn’t even make eye contact after being rejected, yet he still seems to care.

“We’re not close. She just helped me with a quest a little.”

“H-heck… a woman like her… would never pay attention to a lowly apprentice like you…”

“Of course not.”

“Just so you know… she’s mine. The woman I’ll… make my child with. If anyone tries to interfere… they’ll regret it.”

Who he likes is his business… but seriously, comments about making children? That’s not something I say—I’ll make sure she hears this later.

Suppressing a laugh, I turned my head. Thinking I was intimidated, he growled in satisfaction.

Then he turned to the other adventurers in the carriage, showing off as if to assert his rank.

“This party… I’m the leader. I’m Silver rank, and I’m stronger than that Steel Body guy over there. You lot… are nothing compared to me. I’ll take down more monsters than anyone. You just stick to me. So, respect me. Obey my orders. Talk back, and you’ll regret it. Resist, and you’ll regret it. Mess around, and you’ll regret it.”

“…….”

“…….”

The party’s reaction split three ways:

Me, Shia, and the Orc ignoring him silently.

Two unknown women frowning.

Others, nodding and openly flattering the otherworlder Hero.

“Of course.”

“If anyone dares defy Pruuk, we’ll take them out first.”

“Who else can we trust if not Pruuk?”

“A true Hero, the one who considers even people like us.”

“Shining… truly shining!”

Judging by their flattery, those who were brown-nosing had clearly partied with him before. The sweetness of their “honeyed” words left no hesitation in their excessive praise—it was almost embarrassing.

“Y-yeah. As long as you… keep that in mind, I’ll handle the rest. I’m… generous, after all.”

…Ugh. Do whatever you want.

.
.
.

Fast darkness settled over the mountain road, flanked by peaks on both sides.

Clack, clack…

After another three hours of travel, the party finally stopped the carriage in a spot where the mountain wind wasn’t so harsh.

“O-okay… we’ll camp here.”

Even though it was only about ten minutes’ trot away from the quest’s destination—Cops Village—they deliberately stopped the carriage before reaching the village. This was in line with the East Adventurer Guild’s guideline: “Avoid causing trouble to quest givers whenever possible.”

‘Of course. If a bunch of adventurers showed up at night with swords and spears… even a small, out-of-the-way village like Cops would have no choice but to panic.’

Ignoring this and acting arrogantly could result in penalties or reputation loss if claims were filed or the traveling inspector discovered it.

As the phrase “whenever possible” implies, it’s a flexible guideline—but for an otherworlder adventurer with a reputation as bad as his, there’s no way he could just ignore it.

“Y-you guys… handle yourselves. The carriage… I’m using it for my bed. Don’t even think about getting in. If you come in without permission… you’ll regret it.”

With that clumsy warning, he ducked into the carriage. Naturally, the party split into two groups to prepare camp.

One group was, of course, Pruuk’s followers.

“Ugh… it’s cold. Wish the wind would die down a bit.”

“Look at the snow… it’s supposed to be spring, and yet it still feels like winter.”

“Well, it is a mountain path. The wind will be strong.”

“Enough talk. Gather some firewood. Let’s get a fire going.”

“…So, the carriage is Pruuk’s again?”

“Of course.”

“It’s big enough… maybe two or three of us could share it?”

“That bastard… ahem, Pruuk would never allow that. Maybe those women over there, but dark-haired guys like us… if our feet don’t break something, it’s a miracle.”

“Ugh… oh well. Let’s go, John.”

“…Yeah.”

The other group included me, Shia, the two women, and the Orc.

Clatter. Ssshhh…

I had hung a pot over a heating artifact reminiscent of an induction stove to cook. I spoke to the two women who were noisily chewing on cheap jerky that didn’t look like it had any taste at all.

“Would you like to eat with us?”

The swordswoman, showing off her solid abs and sturdy thighs, spun around abruptly. She alternated glances between the pot, rich with the aroma of cooking, and the blackened jerky in her hands, then awkwardly smiled and hid the jerky behind her back.

“Um… w-would that… be alright?”

“Of course. We’re all just trying to survive here. Ah, and since we’re eating together, let’s call over that Orc too. Seems like he’s just gnawing on jerky by himself.”

At that, the human woman with a longbow on her back jumped up as if she had been waiting for the cue.

“Rice! Not jerky—real, delicious rice! I’ll get the Orc!”

A moment later, the gruff-looking Orc came over, led by the human woman.

He stopped in his tracks and pointed a finger at himself.

“…Me… Orc. Is that okay?”

I smirked and nodded.

“Don’t just stand there, Orc. Sit. Eat with us.”

“Th-thank you. I’ll repay this kindness.”

Hmm… it’s the first time I’ve been cooking since people came into the mansion. Maybe it’s time to show off a little.

First, I made a hearty broth using top-tier jerky far above what they’d been chewing on, tossing in a variety of dried vegetables to give it substance.

Next, I added generous amounts of powdered seafood and crustaceans, harvested and dehydrated from the beach near the house, boosting umami flavor.

As I’ve mentioned before, the Baran Empire tends to shy away from eating seafood or crustaceans, apparently because many marine monsters resemble them. Even knowing it’s tasty and nutritious, they avoid it—like me deliberately not eating bugs.

If they knew, they’d freak out—but since I ground it into powder… they’ll never know.

Finally, I seasoned it with rock salt I’d brought from Sinan, plus a generous amount of pepper and spices—rare, luxurious, though not as precious as in Earth’s Middle Ages—and let it simmer for about ten minutes.

Meat. Seafood. Vegetables. Salt. Spices. Unless you mess up badly, this combination has no way to taste anything but amazing.

When I lifted the lid, a rich, mouth-watering aroma wafted into the air.

“Wow…”

The two women gasped in awe. Even though the Orc didn’t speak, he had been drooling well before the lid was opened.

Understandable. The culinary culture of Kion isn’t terrible, but that’s mostly limited to nobles or successful merchants.

Everyone here are common adventurers. Have they ever experienced a “complete food” made with modern sensibilities, instead of a witch’s decade-old stew at a tavern? Not a chance.

“Here you go.”

The swordswoman, eyes locked on the stew, spoke.

“Uh… is it okay to eat this? Even just the salt and spices must cost more than the reward for this quest…”

“It’s fine. I’m fairly well-off. I made plenty, so dig in.”

With my permission, everyone grabbed their spoons eagerly. I smiled as I served a bowl to Shia, who had her knees drawn up.

“Here. Yours.”

“Hmph. It’s been a while since you’ve cooked for me.”

“Yeah… why am I always the one serving?”

“Hmm.”

“Why don’t you do some work even now, insect-eating ex-Demon Lord?”

“I’m fine. I handle cuteness.”

Ugh. Some people really can’t even talk properly.

.
.
.

“Ah, damn. What is that smell? This looks insanely good.”

“That’s… pepper. Wow. Money really grows on trees, huh…”

“I’m starving. Those idiots collecting firewood… do they grow trees for fun? Hey, let’s get something to eat.”

“It’s just jerky and dried fruit.”

“Even that’s something. Let’s grab it.”

“Should we ask for some? Those women aren’t getting anything from that apprentice, right?”

“You better not end up like that trainee getting caught by Pruuk.”

“Ugh, damn it.”

“Just clear your head and cater to Pruuk. Laugh when he laughs, curse when he curses. Easy, right? Do that for a year and you can even earn the Bronze Badge. Got it, kid?”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Damn, this jerky tastes awful. Smells rank too… tch.”

As we laughed at their nutrient-free chatter while eating, the pot slowly emptied.

The Orc, staring sadly at the bottom, finally jumped to his feet.

“That was great. The best.”

“Glad you liked it.”

“I’ll earn my keep. I’ll gather plenty of firewood. I know how to make a fire with wet wood without smoke. I’ll keep you warm all night.”

Then the other two women also stood up.

“We’ll go with you. We have to earn our keep too…”

I stopped them.

“No. You don’t need to.”

“What? But… if we sleep without a fire in this cold, we might freeze to death.”

Instead of explaining, I demonstrated.

I stabbed a mithril dagger engraved with [ᚲ´]—the rune of fire, Kenaz’s derivative—into the ground, linking it to a pattern I had mentally constructed.

“Flame Wall (3rd level).”

Kuuuhwahh!

Flames shot up surprisingly high.

I quickly adjusted the magic input to avoid burning myself, then shrank the flames.

Even so, the fire on bare ground radiated a presence far beyond an ordinary campfire.

‘Wow… the damage potential of offensive magic really shows. Using it for daily life will require practice.’

Once the flames stabilized, I noticed the onlookers staring at me with wide eyes.

“…Magic?”

“Y-you’re a… mage?”

I shrugged.

“Yes. As you can see.”

Yes. The concept of this quest: the low-level mage.

From start to finish, I would operate strictly as a mage.

Even taking the adventurer rank as “apprentice” made sense. If a spell misfires, being a trainee makes it less of a problem.