Part 2: Getting Drunk (3)

El gradually felt himself getting drunk. It was a mystery why eating mushrooms made him feel intoxicated.

It had been a very long time since he’d felt this way. Come to think of it, Elena seemed drunk too.

Could it be that this black mushroom contained alcohol? El thought that far but the intoxication deepened and he felt like his memory was fading.

Feeling he shouldn’t do that, he suddenly stood up.

“Oh? You?”

Rurin, who had been feeding him the black mushrooms until then, was surprised by El suddenly standing and asked,

“Not eating more? There’s still plenty.”

But El didn’t answer. He just hugged Rurin who was in front of him.

“Kyaaah? You?”

In that state, El walked clumsily, went down the stairs, and threw Rurin onto the bed.

It felt rough.

Rurin thought so. Finally, he was drunk!

“Rurin.”

“Uh, huh? What is it!”

“I love you.”

“Huh?”

Satisfied watching El’s rough behavior, suddenly came an unexpected love confession! Thanks to that, Rurin’s face flushed red.

Even though they were married, since El rarely said it normally, the words “I love you” held a magical charm.

“Oh! Is that so? That’s amazing, black mushroom!”

“Black mushroom or not, I love you.”

El approached Rurin lying down, laid her back, looked into her eyes, and said again. “I love you” flowed out almost promiscuously.

“I love you.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, I love you.”

“Huff, why don’t you say it normally! But when drunk, you say it so well…ugh.”

Muttering like that, Rurin couldn’t say anything more because El’s lips covered hers.

“Ugh?”

But soon El’s lips parted again. He began licking Rurin’s eyelids in that state. Then he spoke again.

“I love you. Rurin, what about you?”

“I, I too, kyaa, kyah, th-there! It’s the eye!”

El started licking the eyelids again while saying he loved her. Why he licked eyelids was unknown.

El rather retorted to Rurin who was shouting “Eye”.

“I love you, so why not?”

“Uh? Y-yeah! Anything’s fine, but it’s ti-ticklish, ugh,”

Thump thump.

Kisses given while repeatedly saying “I love you”. The brief lip kisses were nice, but the random eyelid kisses were a bit annoying.

“Then you say ‘I love you’ and do the same.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, El said that and lay down on his side. Rurin, her whole body red, hesitated briefly then approached El.

“I, I’m no—not drunk…so I can’t do it.”

“Lack of love, huh?”

El asked like a girl. Rough at first, then girlish.

Drunk El was unpredictable.

“Ah, no!”

Anyway, El was drunk. So it was like he was asleep. Rurin hypnotized herself like that, climbed on top of El, and bowed her head toward his face.

El stroked Rurin’s face.

“Now, tell me. That you love me.”

“…Well, that is.”

Rurin became embarrassed again. But since El said so much, she shut her eyes tight and said it.

“I love you. I love you so much. I love you so much it feels like I might burst. I like you so much. I can’t live without you. So I love you!”

“Really?”

Nod nod.

Rurin nodded and stuck out her tongue like El did earlier, bringing it to El’s eyelid.

“But why the eye…?”

Resting her head on El’s face, Rurin asked. Her hair touched El’s cheek.

“Just because?”

“Kyaa!”

In that state, El wrapped his arms around Rurin, and they intertwined.

“Hehe, I love you, Rurin.”

As El whispered those words into Rurin’s ear, Rurin felt a tingling sensation and lost her composure. She was sensitive there, and hearing “I love you” whispered made her feel like her mind and body might faint.

“You. I feel dizzy!”

Saying that, Rurin froze in place. It was El who whispered “I love you” just moments ago, smiling. But now, less than five seconds later, he had closed his eyes and was breathing softly in sleep.

“…What is this! You! Wake up! Why are you sleeping!”

Soft breathing.

Only the sound of deep sleep breathing came in response.

El’s drinking habit was to say “I love you” promiscuously.

And to fall asleep easily.

And rough behavior and girlish behavior vacillating back and forth.

Good and bad mixed together. Rurin thought so as she looked at El.

“Sleeping is bad. But the sleeping face is cute. When drunk, he sleeps like a baby.”

Saying that, Rurin wriggled next to El and cuddled up.

And she closed her eyes too.

Clenching his hand tightly.

Part 2: The Chef of the Battlefield

El was currently on a business trip. A cooking service on assignment.

It was a service he usually wouldn’t do, but this time was special.

Because the place was the battlefield.

The Empire was currently at war with a neighboring country. The attacker was the neighboring Narya Empire.

Because all countries suffered during the Dragon War, wars among humans hadn’t occurred for quite a while.

But conflicts among humans never stop. It is an eternal unchanging law.

The Narya Empire launched a preemptive strike on Serik City, the Empire’s border territory. It was no longer a war defendable at a fief level. Therefore, the Empire drafted troops from each lord, and the armies named after the Empire gathered at Serik City.

Naturally, Greek also led the Greek Knights and the forces of Greek City to join the battlefield.

But El had no intention to participate directly in this battlefield. The moment he did, it would be over.

The battlefield was, of course, a horrific place where countless lives were lost, but siding completely with one side and wiping out the other would break the balance of human power.

Unless the enemy brought dragons with them.

No matter how terrible, the world’s balance could not be disrupted.

They could even threaten the opposing emperor to stop the war, but that too was intervention.

Human affairs must be resolved by human ways.

Monster or dragon wars were things they engaged in for humanity’s survival.

So wiping out by magic was unacceptable. Of course, if Greek City was ravaged and the restaurant trampled, he would protect Greek City, but the situation wasn’t that serious yet.

That only meant he couldn’t help as a sorcerer far beyond humans.

Giving advice to Greek was a matter of a master helping his disciple, so it was unavoidable.

A few days ago, Greek ran across the hill to inform El of the war. Since then, he had visited the Lord’s castle several times for advice and discussions on deployment.

And soon, he went off to battle.

Until then, it was fine. But El wasn’t reassured by just advice.

After all, he was a disciple. A child who called his master.

So in Greek City, he advised as a master, but in the battlefield, he decided to go under the name of a chef.

Headquarters of the 1st Legion of the Narya Empire.

The knights of Duke Rilaik, currently fighting Count Greek’s army, had been suffering consecutive defeats since the day before yesterday for some reason.

“What on earth is going on! We were winning well, so why has our momentum suddenly collapsed?”

Duke Rilaik shouted in anger. The officers were startled and only exchanged glances, deferring the report to each other. Eventually, the lowest-ranked officer had to speak. That was the hierarchy.

“Yes, Your Highness! According to spies, the chef changed since the day before yesterday, and after eating that food, the soldiers’ strength suddenly improved. That is very suspicious!”

“After eating the food?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Duke Rilaik made a baffled face. Did they really become that brave just from eating food?

“Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, it’s true. A spy who ate the food testified that they felt strength they never had before. The enemy’s food seems to be boosting their morale.”

“Just…food?”

What sort of report was that? Duke Rilaik furrowed his brow deeply.

“Then shouldn’t we eat that food too? What are the spies doing? They should steal the ingredients and have our chefs analyze them!”

When the duke made a simple and clear conclusion, the officers all nodded in agreement.

“W-we’ll try immediately, Your Highness!”

El was boiling water in a large pot. Rurin was next to him, wearing a dress-like outfit very unsuitable for the battlefield, quietly watching the large pot before asking.

“You could bathe in here. Why are you boiling so much water?”

“There are many people. Even just feeding Greek City’s soldiers takes this much, so the entire Empire’s army provisions must be enormous.”

Since El started cooking a few days ago, soldiers’ morale rose, casualties decreased, and more efficient combat became possible.

It wasn’t, after all, help beyond humans.

Among the mushrooms made by the Kuns, there was one with such effects. The Kuns El helped had been sending various mushrooms from that ruin.

Since the first visit there, the relationship continued because of Rurin.

“Chef, Your Highness is calling.”

“Is that so?”

Greek called El. Normally, Greek would come to El, but that might look strange to the soldiers.

So El told them to treat him as a chef, not as a master.

“Ah! Rurin, when the water boils, put some mushrooms in there. And also grill some Sekun mushrooms.”

Sekun mushrooms were an item El had received to gift Greek.

The effect of Sekun mushrooms was that if you grilled and threw them, they turned to stone. Of course, if you ate them, you also turned to stone.

“Why would I do that!”

“I’ll be back soon. Please?”

El winked and asked. Rurin groaned but nodded.

“Tch, fine. There’s no asking so cutely like that!”

Though she complained inwardly.

El left like that, and Rurin quietly watched the pot. When the water barely boiled, she took the chance and threw in the enhancement mushrooms.

“Hmm, so these are enhancement mushrooms gotten from the Kuns, and these are Sekun mushrooms. When will I grill all these guys!”

Rurin frowned deeply after putting the Sekun mushrooms on the grill. Putting them in the pot was simple, but grilling was no easy task.

“This won’t do! There’s a lack of love. I have to go see El.”

A lack of love was serious. So Rurin confidently threw down the grill and ran toward the barracks.

Thus the kitchen was left empty. Taking advantage of the moment, a soldier guarding the kitchen approached the Sekun mushrooms.

The duke’s order was only about the food ingredients the Greek troops ate.

The soldier, wrongly convinced that the Sekun mushrooms were the same as the ones boiling in the pot, grabbed a handful and ran away.