Chapter 27

“Ugh, this is terrible.”

I furrowed my brow and turned my head. There floated wolf meat cooked to perfection, along with some loose fur floating around it. The sight of the whole wolf completely cooked was before me. Just moments ago, this very wolf had threatened to eat me.

Elise gently tore off a piece of the tender wolf meat and sniffed it.

“Gah! Elise, you’re not actually gonna eat that, are you?”

[Oh my god, that’s disgusting. Why would you even try to eat wolf meat?]

Elise made an innocent expression before tossing the meat back into the pot.

“There’s a weird smell of urine. Not good at all. I was curious, but what a letdown, huh?”

“Not really.”

“Hmm~ Don’t pretend. Instead, we still have some pork left, so let’s enjoy that!”

“You mean pig?”

“That’s right~ Roasting it should taste pretty good. Aren’t you hungry?”

Hearing the word ‘hungry,’ my stomach suddenly growled loudly. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten properly since coming here. It’s amazing how I managed to survive until now. All the constant tension must’ve been the reason. Now that I’m safe from the wolf, hunger pangs hit me hard.

But even though pigs were despicable, the thought of eating one made my stomach churn.

“Ah, no, I’m fine.”

“Heeey~ But your stomach says otherwise~ I’ll cook something tasty soon, just wait a little longer~”

Elise grinned cutely as she poked my belly. Ariel frowned and swatted her finger away.

[Don’t make me laugh! Our prince isn’t eating your cooking!]

Yeah, exactly. Good call. I don’t want to eat any intelligent being, anyway.

[I’m gonna eat food hundreds of times better than yours!!!]

“Huh?”

How did it get like this? Since leaving the pig’s house, they’ve been arguing nonstop about how to cook. Which part to use? What method? In the end, they decided to split the pig vertically and each take half for their own cooking duel.

All I wanted was to go home.

The scene in front of me killed my appetite entirely. Blood-red. That’s right. The peaceful field was now dyed crimson. The fresh green grass was soaked in sticky blood, covered with chunks of wolf flesh and organs. I’m glad these two aren’t my enemies.

And I really, really want to go home.

All I want is to sit down at home and eat a bowl of rice with kimchi stew cooked by mom. Hot, spicy kimchi stew. Adding some pork would make it even tastier, right? Hmm… On second thought, maybe I don’t want pork anytime soon.

Sigh. Mixing the flavorful broth with rice… How delicious would that be? Soft, chewy kimchi too. Crap!

“Oh, I want some kimchi stew.”

Without realizing it, I blurted it out, startling myself. Elise and Ariel, who had just been debating between roasts and steaks, perked up instantly.

“Kimchi stew? What kind of dish is that? Sounds like something our guy might like?”

[I’ll make it! If it’s stew, adding pork and boiling it should work, right? Prince, just explain what kimchi stew is, and I’ll make it!]

“Hmm~ Then I guess I should make it too? Let’s see whose kimchi stew he likes better!”

I imagined it. A horrifying kimchi stew made with the youngest pig, its head half-cut and floating around in the soup. Ugh, my stomach feels worse now.

“Guys, it’s fine. There’s an essential ingredient called kimchi that we don’t have here. So… you don’t need to make it. I-I’m not that hungry anyway. Hahaha.”

“Hmm~ Kimchi? Never heard of it.”

[I know what it is!]

Huh? I was shocked by Ariel’s unexpected statement.

“You know what kimchi is?”

[My king-dad mentioned it. Somewhere on another continent, there’s a dish called kimchi, fermented with bright red seasoning. I heard someone offered it as tribute to my king-dad long ago. Maybe we can find it during our travels.]

“Heeey~ So once we discover the continent with kimchi, we’ll make kimchi stew then. Don’t be too disappointed that we can’t have it now~”

Elise patted my shoulder and ruffled my hair. I wanted to cry. Is there even kimchi here? And will it even be the same kimchi I know? Hopefully the seasoning isn’t made of blood or anything. Thinking about it, it’s weird. How did the sea king ever eat kimchi? Wouldn’t the seasoning just wash off in the ocean?

“Well, let’s cook our pig for now. Look over there—still trying to escape, huh? Heehee.”

Elise left me and hopped toward the pig, who was clutching his ruined thigh and hobbling away with a long stick used as a cane. But having lost so much blood, his injuries slowed him down to a snail’s pace.

“Hey there~ Going somewhere?”

When Elise bounced up like a rabbit, the pig turned around and his face went pale as a ghost.

“Aaaagh! Don’t come near me, honey! I’ve already paid enough, honey!!!”

Before he could flee further, Elise picked up a rock from the road and nailed him in the head.

“Ggggghhhhhh!!”

He screamed in agony and collapsed flat on the ground. As the three of us loomed over him, the pig saw me holding a scythe and trembled uncontrollably.

“S-s-s-spirit! You’ve come to take me, honey!! P-please spare me, honey! I-I wanna live, honey!!!”

He was losing it. Whether from blood loss or the realization of his impending doom, his mind was shattered. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.

[Our prince is kinda like a spirit, yeah.]

“Kyahaha, so cute. How should we kill you? Chop off your head? Or smash you with my staff? Or butcher you right here?”

All terrible options. I stared at the pig’s mangled thigh. Blood poured out like a waterfall. Pale face. Exhausted body after enduring so much suffering.

I shook my head.

“No, it’s unnecessary.”

As soon as I spoke, the pig’s head slumped forward and hit the ground. After a few weak convulsions, he lay still.

Death by excessive blood loss. Until the end, he lived in terror—torn apart by wolves, threatened with death, and finally succumbing to fear in his last moments. Physically and mentally, he endured torture beyond human endurance.

He experienced the fate of prey, just like the brothers he betrayed, paying for his irresponsible actions with the fear of death.

Thus, it ended.

Tears flowed from the dead pig’s eyes. I thought he met a fitting end for his sins, trembling in fear until his final breath.

His death didn’t shock me or evoke pity. Though unpleasant to witness, it felt like the proper ending for a villain.

[What? He’s dead? This is lame.]

“Heeey~ Boring~”

Elise and Ariel lamented the pig’s anticlimactic demise. Then came the worst part.

Their cooking competition began. They butchered the pig right there and divided the meat for their respective dishes. Claiming the hut’s surroundings weren’t scenic enough, they moved deeper into the forest to start cooking.

Elise made roasted pig, while Ariel crafted a mouthwatering steak.

I didn’t want to eat anything.

Seriously. No matter what, this pig was sentient. Rational like us. Practically indistinguishable from humans. That’s the truth about this pig we’re cooking.

Could you eat it? To me, it looks no different from human flesh. Eating this is like asking me to eat human meat.

Worse, both of them had the crazed look of someone desperate to feed me their cooking.

Absolutely determined eyes.

“Here~ Try it. It’ll melt in your mouth?”

[Juices perfectly sealed in! Definitely way better than Elise’s cooking!]

“Haha-ha-ha…”

Two beautiful women covered in blood offering you such dishes. Can you imagine how I feel?!!

Especially Ariel’s steak, which wasn’t cooked properly, oozed rivers of blood. Meanwhile, Elise handed me half a roasted pig head, revealing the brain, eyeballs, and tongue inside in grotesque detail.

I just want normal home-cooked meals!

“Aaaaaaaaah!!”

Suddenly, something burst out from the nearby bushes.

This thing screamed as it collided with Elise and Ariel’s horrific dishes. The skyward-flung monstrosities fell to the ground, utterly ruined.

Inwardly, I cheered.