Chapter 161

Clatter.

“Uh, here it is, finished.”

“…It’s not much, but please enjoy it.”

As they said that, the dish they brought out was indeed a simple, unadorned meal.

The mistress stared intently at the food they presented and asked, “Is this… a frittata?”

“…It’s an omelet.”

“…This?”

The mistress pointed at the dish they had brought, and the two, seemingly embarrassed by the question, awkwardly averted their gaze.

It was understandable, as what they had brought looked more like a poorly controlled egg custard or, as the mistress had said, a frittata, rather than an omelet. Perhaps it was overcooked or the heat was mismanaged.

In fact, a frittata is also known as an Italian-style omelet, so strictly speaking, they weren’t entirely wrong.

Unlike a typical omelet, which is highly regarded for its soft, fluffy texture achieved by cooking the eggs to a near-runny consistency, a frittata has a texture more akin to an egg pie.

The texture was such that if you removed the rolling process from a rolled omelet, you might get something like this.

And indeed, the omelet they had made looked so overcooked that it could easily be mistaken for a frittata.

It was almost impressive how they managed to achieve this without using an oven, just a pan.

At least the omelet they served to the mistress looked somewhat presentable, though even that was lumpy and rough in appearance.

It was clear that this was the best they could manage, as the plates in front of Karina and Serena held something between an omelet and scrambled eggs, and something that could hardly be called an omelet, with faintly visible burnt marks.

Karina and Serena, who had confidently entered the kitchen, were now sweating profusely, avoiding the mistress’s gaze.

“Ahem…! If the food isn’t to your liking, you don’t have to eat it.”

“Y-yeah. Should we just bring some bread instead?”

But the mistress, after seeing the dish they had made, only showed a slightly surprised expression at first, then shook her head and picked up her fork and knife.

“No. I like this dish.”

Before the two could say anything more, she cut a bite-sized piece of the omelet they had made and promptly put it in her mouth.

…

Hahp.

The first taste she experienced upon putting the omelet in her mouth was a subtle sweetness, overshadowed by an overwhelmingly salty flavor.

Whether it was a mistake in seasoning or a change in culinary trends while she was secluded in the forest, it was a taste distinctly different from a typical omelet.

No matter how well sweetness and saltiness pair, this level of intensity was more akin to poison than flavor.

Honestly, the sweet and salty flavors weren’t harmoniously blending in her mouth.

In fact, the eggs were saltier than the small pieces of ham mixed in.

Chew chew.

Then, as she ate the omelet, a subtle fishy taste lingered in her mouth.

Even though the omelet was cooked almost like an egg custard, which shouldn’t have any raw egg taste, there was still a faint fishiness at the end.

And a slight burnt smell.

Though the omelet itself didn’t appear burnt, it seemed they had cooked it in a pan that hadn’t been cleaned after burning something else, infusing the omelet with a burnt aroma that overwhelmed its natural flavor.

The texture was also far from fluffy; instead, it was oddly dry for an egg-based dish.

Typically, a frittata uses milk to soften the texture by fully cooking the eggs, but this omelet lacked milk, so there was no creamy smoothness to be expected.

Already overly salty, the lack of a soft texture made her mouth dry rapidly with each bite.

It wasn’t a complete failure, but the dish was undeniably sloppy.

Yet, despite the omelet’s flawed seasoning, the lingering fishy and burnt tastes, and the choking dryness, the mistress continued to eat, moving her fork and knife without pause.

As she ate, her focus wasn’t on the taste of the food but on the two who had cooked it for her.

The egg stains on Karina’s clothes and the cloth wrapped around Serena’s fingertips.

Just seeing that, it was clear the two weren’t accustomed to cooking.

The effort these inexperienced cooks had put into preparing her a final breakfast stirred something in the mistress’s heart.

Honestly, the mistress knew how wrong her actions had been.

Though she had treated her guests with utmost care, the fact remained that she had forcibly brought them into the mansion and prevented them from leaving.

But despite her wrongdoing, the two had worked hard, despite their lack of cooking skills, to complete the meal.

In that light, even the crude taste of the omelet felt moving.

Watching the mistress silently eat the omelet, Karina and Serena exchanged whispers.

“Uh… is it actually edible?”

“Maybe it just looks bad but tastes amazing?”

“Could be. After all, I did learn cooking from Kurt.”

“I should try some too.”

Thus, having learned nothing from their failure, they began to eat the omelets on their own plates while watching the mistress.

“Yuck! Bleh! What is this?”

“Ugh… it’s not tasty at all?”

Of course, all they confirmed was that their omelet was a disaster.

…

Despite the small commotion they caused, the mistress continued to eat all of the omelet they had made.

“…Are you okay?”

“Isn’t this too much? You didn’t have to eat it all.”

Seeing this, even Karina and Serena, who had cooked the meal, cautiously asked the mistress.

But the mistress, without changing her expression, simply wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“No. It was really delicious.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. It’s the meal you both made for me.”

“Then……”

“Yes. Now that the meal is over, it’s time to part ways.”

Thinking the worst—that the mistress might change her mind and not let them go—they were surprised when she unexpectedly declared she would let them leave without further ado.

…

After the meal, preparations to leave the mansion were quickly made.

The mistress returned their original adventurer outfits and equipment, and soon the three stood at the mansion’s entrance, just as they had when they first arrived.

“Hoo. Despite everything, we really rested comfortably during our stay at the mansion.”

“The beds were comfy, and the food was delicious.”

Despite all they had endured at the hands of the mistress, Karina and Serena smiled and exchanged pleasantries as if none of it mattered.

Seeing this, the mistress, who had maintained a calm and expressionless demeanor until now, hesitated and spoke with difficulty.

“…I’ve done many wrongs to you all, but if I hadn’t… could we have been friends?”

“If you want to be friends, we can start now.”

“Huh…?”

“Well, being hypnotized isn’t exactly pleasant, but you didn’t have any ill intentions, right?”

“Yes! I truly never meant to harm you…!”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“…!”

At Karina and Serena’s words, the mistress’s eyes widened in surprise, and then, with a trembling voice, she spoke to them.

“…Then, would you be friends with me?”

“Of course.”

“Not a problem.”

“Ah… thank you.”

At this, the mistress smiled brightly, a genuine smile that seemed to radiate light from her face.

It was as if light was actually emanating from her…

No, light really was emanating.

“Huh? Wha…?”

“Th-the light…!”

Soon, the light emanating from the mistress and the mansion grew so intense it was hard to keep their eyes open.

…

When they came to, the two were in the forest.

“What? What happened?”

“The mansion’s gone…?”

Waking up in the middle of the forest, the two looked around in a daze.

“Was it really a haunted mansion…?”

“Perhaps the lonely spirit of the mistress called out to us wandering in the forest.”

“Hahaha. I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts?”

“W-when did I ever say that!”

Thus, the two got up and began walking towards the village.

…

“Still, I think the mistress never intended to keep us locked up forever.”

“Suddenly, what are you talking about?”

“Our clothes. They were neatly cleaned. Even though the mistress, blinded by loneliness, kept us from leaving the mansion, I don’t think she meant to keep us there forever.”

“What are you even…?”

“I hope she finds peace.”

“…Yeah. I don’t know if there’s a next life, but if there is, I hope we can be friends then.”

As they talked, walking through the forest, the sun rose warmly above them.

…

By the way, the original reason they had visited the forest—to hunt the monkey monster—had been forgotten at some point, and they failed to turn in the corpse.

And the fundamental reason they had taken on the monkey monster hunt—their diet—had backfired, as their days of eating and sleeping in the haunted mansion had only made them gain more weight.

…