Arthur’s Challenge To Morgan From The One Who Knew Everything

How long had it been since Arthur and Morgan last sat face-to-face for a meal? As royals of the same generation and high-ranking nobles, they had occasionally eaten together as children, but at some point, that stopped, and they grew distant.

Arthur had always disliked Morgan’s nagging nature, and besides, Greed tried to keep her away whenever she said unnecessary things.

“Now that I look at it again, this food is… strange. It’s like insect eggs… no, never mind…”

“You—what the hell are you saying…?”

“I’m sorry… that was a slip of the tongue…”

Morgan apologized unusually honestly. Her remark was harsh, but in truth, it wasn’t entirely wrong. In Britannia, where bread was the staple, one rarely encountered dishes like this. Suddenly being presented with an unknown ingredient was bewildering, no matter how tasty it was said to be.

The only ones who could eat it without hesitation were either gluttons or saints who trusted the cook and ate without prejudice.

That was why nobles usually never touched it. The fact that Morgan at least tried to eat it made her one of the better ones.

“So then… how am I supposed to eat this?”

“Heh, can’t be helped. I’ll teach you.”

Since it was rare for Morgan—who usually made him feel frustrated with her superior knowledge—to ask, Arthur grew smug. Smiling broadly, he scooped rice and placed a side dish on top.

“You eat it with this thing called rice, see? The side dish tastes great with it.”

“…I see.”

While listening to Arthur’s words, Morgan hesitated, worried she might clumsily soil her mouth eating something unfamiliar in front of him. Watching her, Arthur smirked.

‘This girl… don’t tell me she’s bad with rice?’

Arthur recalled when, as a child, he left his vegetables uneaten and she scolded him: “That’s why the nutrition doesn’t reach your brain, you know?” She had forced him to eat back then.

Now it was time to repay the favor.

“Don’t be picky. Here, say ahh.”

“Wha—wait a minute…”

Smiling mischievously, Arthur scooped up a spoonful and, with teasing words, held it out. For some reason, Morgan blushed bright red and opened her mouth in resignation.

‘Ha ha ha, Morgan’s turning red with frustration!!’

Arthur didn’t notice that she was embarrassed because it was an indirect kiss and almost like a lover’s act.

And then, as Morgan ate the rice, her eyes widened in surprise despite her blushing face.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Yeah, right? You shouldn’t dismiss food without trying it.”

Arthur teased her further as the two continued their meal.

“So… to prepare for food shortages, I want to spread rice throughout Britannia. Do you have any good ideas?”

“You want to spread this? True, Britannia may face food shortages, but that’s because nobles monopolize the wheat fields. It would be more reliable to allow merchants to handle wheat as well. As you know, introducing a new food culture is not easy. Why push this in particular?”

Where had the maiden in love from moments ago gone? Returning to her usual blank expression, Morgan questioned him.

Her words were sound. The food crisis she envisioned was that if wheat harvests failed, the nobles would hoard supplies.

Food culture did not change so easily. Would the people even eat rice, an ingredient unfamiliar to Britannia, if it were distributed?

Seeing herself as Arthur’s advisor, she desperately tried to read his intentions, but…

‘Scary!! Why’s she glaring at me like that…’

From past experience, Arthur, now terrified of Morgan’s blank stare, hurriedly tried to recall.

Why did Britannia run out of food again…?

“…Monsters eat the wheat…”

That was all Arthur could think of in the moment. After all, at this stage, he had no interest in politics. Even his Good Deed Notebook only said that monsters had caused wheat shortages. He couldn’t possibly know the real reason.

‘I should have researched this properly!!!’

While he was regretting it like mad, Morgan suddenly opened her eyes wide, then pulled several reports from the stack of documents on the table.

“You’re saying that the damage caused by the Five Great Calamity Beasts in foreign lands could even affect Britannia!!”

The report she showed described how the Five Great Calamity Beasts had appeared in a certain foreign city, devouring all the wheat and bringing a small kingdom to the brink of ruin.

“To think you’d worry about such a remote possibility… but indeed, recent trade has been mostly by sea… then it’s possible…”

Arthur didn’t understand what was possible, but apparently it was. In that case, his answer was already decided. He was growing.

“What do you think is possible, Morgan?”

Yes, he had decided that in such times, he should at least ask Morgan when he didn’t know something. With others, he pretended to know, but with her—since his true nature had already been exposed—it was fine to ask.

“Wait a little longer for the answer. More importantly… could you think about ways to spread rice in Britannia? I’ll cooperate as much as I can.”

“Uh, sure…”

Even though she promised an answer, Arthur had no idea what that answer was. But seeing her muttering and thinking deeply, he gave up.

At times like these, she didn’t listen to anyone else.

‘For now, I’ll think about how to spread rice…’

Watching Morgan as she pondered seriously, Arthur thought that to himself.