Chapter 191

Daria felt a slight pang of regret bubbling up in her heart.

Of course, investigating the Artifact of the Ancient Empire that Kurt had discovered was of utmost importance.

After all, it was her mission.

But did she really have to go through the ordeal of being served food by Kurt to find out?

It was only their first day meeting Kurt’s group, and surely, after spending a few more days together, she could have found another way to approach the artifact.

In fact, if things continued like this, she could probably get closer to the artifact without having to endure Kurt’s cooking…

Daria, who always carried out her duties with an iron will, found her resolve wavering this time.

Lizardman cooking…?

She’d rather go hunt another vampire infiltrating a human village.

It wasn’t that she was a speciesist or that the Black Tentacle Cult was steeped in human supremacist ideology like the Spine Empire.

In fact, the Holy Kingdom, which had the Black Tentacle Cult as its state religion, was a nation that actively mediated conflicts between humans and other humanoid species, as well as between humanoid species themselves.

Thanks to the Holy Kingdom’s efforts, the number of wars prevented in recent centuries alone was likely in the double digits. In a way, the Holy Kingdom was even more committed to racial peace and equality than the Kingdom of Eustia.

But no matter how much the Holy Kingdom strived for world peace and didn’t discriminate against humanoid species…

That was one thing, and this was another.

No matter how unbiased she was toward other species, how could she possibly stomach Lizardman cooking?

In fact, precisely because she viewed other species without prejudice, she could see things more objectively.

She could probably endure eating a bloody chunk of meat.

But…

“Don’t worry too much! Even though Kurt is a Lizardman, his cooking skills are amazing! He’s so skilled that he can even make Sea Golem taste incredibly delicious!”

“…Ahaha. I see. He must be quite impressive.”

But bugs…!

Of course, strictly speaking, crustaceans and bugs belonged to different categories, but to Daria, who couldn’t tell the difference, they were one and the same.

‘No way… Could Kurt, the adventurer, really be the type to cook bugs…? I hadn’t heard about this!’

She had heard rumors that Lizardman taste buds were almost hopelessly disastrous, but the idea of a culture that cooked and ate bugs was something even Daria, who had traveled the world and done all sorts of things, was hearing for the first time.

No, maybe it wasn’t Lizardman culture but Kurt himself who was the odd one…

Either way, it made no difference to Daria.

“Ah, Sea Golem… I’d like to eat that again. It was really delicious…”

‘Eek…!’

Not only was there a Lizardman who cooked bugs, but there was also an adventurer who genuinely found his bug dishes delicious…

‘Come to think of it, I once heard a story about a senior who, while hunting a mage researching forbidden ancient empire magic, was cornered and survived by eating spiders…’

After hearing that story, Daria had secretly prepared herself to eat bugs if she ever found herself in an extreme situation…

‘But I never thought I’d be eating bugs during a safe, secure mission like this, just escorting adventurers while investigating them…!’

Of course, Mari hadn’t mentioned that Kurt’s cooking involved bugs, but the mere thought of eating Lizardman cooking, combined with the mention of Sea Golem, sent Daria’s thoughts spiraling into negativity.

‘Ah, no. It’s not confirmed that bug dishes are on the menu…!’

“Ah, speaking of which, the reward for defeating the Giant Ant the other day…”

Serena interjected, bringing up the topic of the Giant Ant.

It was just Serena trying to join the conversation since she hadn’t tasted Kurt’s Sea Golem dish, but Daria couldn’t help but interpret it differently.

To Daria, Serena’s words sounded like today’s meal would be Giant Ant legs.

For a moment, Daria saw the adventurers before her as something indescribably terrifying.

‘Crazy. This isn’t normal sensibility…! It’s the sensibility of a madman…!’

Glancing to the side, she saw her partner Aila, also shocked by the idea of eating Sea Golem, muttering, “I see… This is obedience…”

‘What kind of dish is coming out…!’

And so, Daria had no choice but to wait in terror for Kurt’s cooking to arrive.

…

…

…

After what felt like a year, the waiting finally ended. Daria wasn’t sure whether to rejoice that the wait was over or dread the impending taste test as she watched Kurt bring out the food.

*Clatter*

The dish was served.

“Here. It’s done. Eat to your heart’s content. You can eat it as is or put it between bread with some vegetables. Feel free.”

‘…Huh? It looks more normal than I expected…’

“Um… Is this some kind of bug dish?”

“Bug? What are you talking about? This is beef.”

“B-Beef!”

‘Phew!? No, I can’t let my guard down. It’s a relief it’s not bug meat, but it’s too early to relax!’

For a moment, Daria almost let her guard down upon learning that the meat Kurt brought was ordinary beef, but her seasoned experience kept her from fully relaxing.

The more everything seems to be going well, the more likely an unexpected ambush is to come.

‘Right. Just look at the shape of this meat.’

The meat Kurt had piled onto the plate looked as if all its fibers had been torn and crushed.

Yes. It looked as if the meat had been accidentally dropped on the floor, stepped on, and then rolled over a few times—completely mangled.

There was no way meat in this state was normal.

She had almost let her guard down completely.

If she had carelessly put this meat in her mouth, she would have been in for a huge disappointment.

Indeed, traps are often cleverly hidden.

‘Hoo. As expected of a Lizardman… This cooking skill…’

Feeling a small sense of accomplishment for spotting the trap, Daria.

But spotting the trap didn’t change anything.

Sometimes, even after spotting a trap, you still have to push through.

This was one of those times.

After all, she had been invited to this meal.

And she couldn’t just refuse Kurt’s cooking, no matter how unappetizing it was.

Kurt had promised to show her the Artifact of the Ancient Empire after the meal.

She couldn’t risk upsetting him and having him change his mind.

This was a rare opportunity to complete the mission peacefully without resorting to force.

“The food’s better eaten before it gets cold. Or do you not have much of an appetite?”

“Ah, no. I was just curious about how it would taste, so I was looking at it for a moment.”

Finally, as Daria prepared herself and raised her fork in response to Kurt’s question…

*Snap*

Another hand grabbed Daria’s wrist.

It was her partner and escort paladin, Aila.

“…Aila?”

“….”

Aila silently locked eyes with her.

Though she didn’t speak in front of Kurt’s group, Daria, who had spent a long time with her, could understand her through eye contact alone.

‘Aila. What are you doing?’

‘As your escort paladin, I’ll confirm whether this food is safe first. If there’s anything dangerous in it, we’ll abort the mission and regroup.’

‘Abort the mission? We can’t do that. The mission always comes first.’

‘No. My mission is to protect your safety.’

‘Aila…!’

‘And to me, you always come first.’

With that, Aila, without giving Daria a chance to stop her, scooped up a handful of pulled beef and put it in her mouth.

*Chomp*

*Chew chew*

Daria watched nervously as Aila tasted the pulled beef.

‘Aila. How is it? Is it safe?’

*Chew chew*

‘…Aila?’

But Aila didn’t respond to Daria’s gaze, quietly savoring the pulled beef.

*Chew chew*

‘Aila! Are you okay!?’

Just as Daria, sensing danger from Aila’s lack of response, was about to stop her…

“…More.”

“…Aila?”

“I, I need to taste just one more bite.”

“Aila?”

*Chomp*

*Chew chew*

“One more bite…!”

*Chomp*

*Chew chew*

*Chomp*

*Chew chew*

*Chomp*

Before she knew it, Aila had forgotten about Daria, ignoring any signals and continuously shoveling pulled beef into her mouth.

No. It was more than that.

She soon grabbed a loaf of bread, cut it in half, and began stuffing it with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and pulled beef, eating it with gusto.

And Daria could only stare in stunned silence at her partner’s enthusiastic meal.