Chapter 294

Bubble bubble

Somewhere in a kitchen.

In that kitchen, cooking was underway in a large pot.

And inside that pot was a soup that looked delicious, with an aroma that naturally whetted the appetite.

The man cooking that seemingly delicious soup.

Namely, me, I carefully took out a tasting spoon and cautiously sipped the broth when I thought the cooking was somewhat done.

Slurp

“…This isn’t the taste I wanted.”

The taste of the soup wasn’t bad, in fact, if I were to rate it, it was above average.

However, it was different from the taste I had expected.

It was a small difference, but my tongue, having reached the realm of transcendence, could sensitively catch that difference in taste.

Having tasted the soup, I couldn’t hide my disappointment and put the tasting spoon down on the table with a thud.

Now that the expedition request in Leila was nearing its end.

I had finished the request ahead of the others and was focusing on cooking at the Inn ‘Red Shell’.

There were still many man-eating crabs left on Leila’s coast, but I wasn’t particularly concerned about the reward from the request, and I had already hunted more man-eating crabs than the others, fulfilling my quota and then some.

Moreover, now that I was used to hunting man-eating crabs, it seemed like there wouldn’t be much harm even without me.

So, I was currently staying at the Inn ‘Red Shell’ to cook various dishes.

I wanted to properly utilize the recipes I had acquired through the recent cooking duel.

Thus, even though I had finished my adventurer activities early and holed up in the kitchen…

“Maybe it’s too much…”

Honestly, the results weren’t great.

The detoxifying effect of the transparent tough grass that the innkeeper said was used to make clam chowder.

Hearing that, I also procured transparent tough grass from the market and tried applying it to various monster dishes, but without much success.

To be precise, as the innkeeper said, the transparent tough grass showed an amazing compatibility with bomb clams during the detoxification process, but that was it.

When combined with other ingredients, the transparent tough grass didn’t perform as well as it did with bomb clams.

No, sometimes it didn’t even properly detoxify the monster’s poison and the bitter taste of the tough grass ruined the dish’s flavor.

At this rate, it’s just an expensive imported herb with no advantage over other detoxifying herbs.

To some extent, I expected it, but this transparent tough grass was truly an ingredient that could only be used for detoxifying bomb clams.

And the same went for the bamboo shoots of the Bamboo Snake.

As Drake said, cooked in a normal way, it was just an ordinary bamboo shoot with the monster’s toxicity remaining.

It’s been a long time since I felt this stuck while cooking.

“Hoo… In my experience, holding onto it won’t yield any results. It’s better to get some fresh air and organize my thoughts.”

Eventually, having failed, I turned off the fire under the soup and went outside the kitchen.

There were still a few hours before the others returned, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to go to the market and replenish some ingredients.

After testing various dishes for the past few days, it was about time to restock.

Just as I was starting to think about how to refresh my mood.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? What? Are you calling me?”

“Yes, yes!”

Despite feeling intimidated by my appearance, a human boy held onto me without backing down.

He looked about ten to twelve years old.

A child with the physique of an upper elementary school student in my previous life boldly looked straight at me and asked.

“Are you an adventurer, mister?”

“Yeah, as you can see.”

“Then please take my request!”

“Request?”

“Yes! Please take me to the coast of Leila!”

At his bold words, I was momentarily at a loss for words and just stared at the boy.

“…If this is a child’s prank, I refuse.”

“It’s not a prank! I’m serious!”

“If it’s not a prank, even more so, I refuse.”

I don’t know why he’s asking me for an escort, but unlike usual Leila, the current Leila coast has man-eating crabs crawling ashore by the dozens every day.

That’s why my party is taking requests.

But to ask to take a child, not even a full-grown adult, to such a dangerous place?

Of course, if I were with him, the boy wouldn’t get hurt or killed by the man-eating crabs, but still, taking an unknown child to a place where such dangerous monsters appear is a no-go.

It’s not something a sane adult would do.

And of course, it’s not good for the child’s mental state either.

“Why!? Adventurers are people who take requests and work, right!? Is it because I don’t look like I have money!?”

“It’s not about the money. No adult would take a kid like you to such a dangerous place. Give up.”

“I’ll pay! I’m really serious!”

“Do you even know how dangerous the coast is now? The current coast is completely different from usual.”

“I know how dangerous it is! But please just take me to the coast! Once we get there, you don’t have to worry about what happens to me!”

“…You must have some story. If you’re saying that much.”

As I said that, the boy looked at me with a bright face, perhaps sensing hope.

But the words that came out of my mouth didn’t meet the boy’s expectations.

“Even more so, I can’t take you to that coast.”

“Why…!”

“Think about why with your hand on your chest.”

With that, I firmly conveyed my refusal, and at my firm words, the boy glared at me for a while, then seemed to realize there was no way to change my mind and quickly disappeared from my sight.

….

He must have some story.

But still, I can’t take a child to a place where man-eating crabs that even adults can’t handle are.

Somehow, I feel like I did something bad.

With a slightly uneasy feeling, I left the Inn ‘Red Shell’.

This is bad.

Not good.

I came out of the kitchen to refresh my mood, but if this continues, I might fail to refresh my mood.

.

.

.

So, as if to shake off the image of the boy I met at the inn, I diligently roamed the market and replenished the various ingredients I had used up so far.

I bought all the vegetables I needed to practice soup cooking, and I also managed to get some rare ingredients from other countries through the port…

It wasn’t a bad shopping trip.

No, beyond not bad, this was a more fruitful purchase than usual.

….

However.

Even with the contents of the shopping basket that would usually satisfy me, I felt an inexplicable unease lingering in a corner of my heart.

The reason for that is obvious.

Of course, it’s because of that boy I met before leaving the inn.

The boy who stubbornly insisted on being taken to the coast where man-eating crabs appear.

From his appearance, he didn’t seem unaware of how dangerous Leila’s coast is now.

But knowing that, he still made such a request to me.

What kind of story could make a child come to the inn and make such a request?

Even though I only met the kid once before going out, why is he so on my mind?

“Hoo… At least half successful. At least I didn’t think about cooking.”

…Maybe I should hear his story when I get back.

A kid who’s barely twelve, if that, coming alone to the inn and asking an adventurer for a request must have some story.

Of course, I can’t agree to take him to a dangerous area where monsters appear, but maybe hearing his story could lead to solving the boy’s problem in a way other than taking him to such a dangerous place.

Of course, that’s assuming the boy is still at the inn.

Having made up my mind, I felt the uncomfortable feeling that had been weighing on my heart while shopping at the market start to ease.

I guess I can’t be too harsh.

Having decided on a course of action, I was about to head back to the inn with a lighter heart.

Ah.

Come to think of it, since I’m already at the market, it might be good to stop by the coast and call the three of them to go back together.

It’s not bad to eat together, and when it comes to dealing with children, the three of them might be more helpful than me.

And Mari seems to be on a similar level to a child.

With that thought, I immediately headed to Leila’s coast to call the three of them.

The moment I arrived at Leila’s coast.

“Uwaaaaaa! Don’t come!! Don’t come!!”

What I witnessed wasn’t the figures of Mari, Karina, and Serena, the three I had intended to find.

Instead, what I found was a child surrounded by a group of man-eating crabs, unable to escape.

And of course, that kid was the boy who had asked me to take him to Leila’s coast at noon.