Chapter 70. Struggle

In the end, we moved locations.

Claude’s suggestion to talk with Ionia prevailed. It seemed like we wouldn’t reach a conclusion even if we talked all night here, so we decided to change locations by majority vote.

The vote went like this:

Claude suggested going to the Imperial Palace, Johann wanted to continue talking here, and Mihail said he didn’t mind either way.

In the end, the three heroes’ gazes fell on me…

“Let’s go to the Imperial Palace.”

Fearing that the atmosphere might escalate and destroy the house, I quickly agreed.

And so, we were at the Imperial Palace.

Coincidentally, we arrived around dinner time.

I was starting to get hungry, but being a person with tact and manners, I didn’t show it. However, my stomach clock wasn’t as considerate.

Growl…

The four pairs of legs heading to the drawing room suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway.

The three heroes turned around simultaneously as if they had planned it. And they all looked at my stomach.

Ugh, how embarrassing…

I felt like a worm writhing under the scorching sun, having lost its way underground. My cheeks burned.

The sound was so long and clear that there was no way to play it off as ‘not me.’ I awkwardly laughed, my face flushed.

Let’s lighten the mood.

Act like it’s nothing. It’s a natural bodily function, so act like it’s nothing…

At that moment, Claude snickered.

“Still as loud as ever, your stomach clock.”

What did you say, punk?

I momentarily flared up but managed to maintain a smile.

It seemed that Johann and Mihail had also heard my stomach growl a few times, as they reacted similarly to Claude. Their expressions varied, but their faces seemed to say, ‘Ah, still the same.’

Well, what am I supposed to do when I’m hungry?

You’re human too, so why doesn’t your stomach make noise?

Feeling embarrassed, I had all sorts of thoughts running through my head, but Johann said something that lifted my spirits.

“Now that I think about it, it’s dinner time.”

He glanced out the window and then turned back to me.

“It’s your first time having Imperial Palace cuisine in months, huh?”

Drool.

The dishes that once dazzled my taste buds unfolded before me like a dream. My mouth watered.

I swallowed my saliva and nodded.

My intuition told me.

It’s dinner time! Oh yeah!

“It seems the conversation will be long, so let’s fill our stomachs first.”

The words I had hoped for flowed right out of Johann’s mouth.

I had never seen him look so cool.

Since it was winter, the sun had set early, and the moon was already up in the dusky sky. His silver hair, bathed in the bright moonlight, shimmered like salty crystals.

* * *

It was a long dining table.

A feast of delicious dishes was spread out, and every breath I took filled my lungs with air that tantalized my appetite.

I drooled as I grabbed a fork and knife.

“Hahaha. Enjoy your meal.”

Johann laughed heartily and encouraged me.

Somehow, his shoulders seemed higher than usual, but the food before me looked so delicious that I couldn’t spare any attention for him.

“It’s so good. Nom nom nom.”

As I devoured the food, I started to feel alive again.

Today was a day of high energy consumption.

People who haven’t experienced the tension between these guys can’t possibly know how exhausting it is. Anyway, the food tasted even sweeter because I was so hungry.

“Hurry up and eat. It’s the best, nom nom.”

Speaking with my mouth full made my pronunciation a bit unclear. But it was more than enough to convey my meaning.

Claude and Mihail glanced at me for a moment before starting their meals. Johann was already eating with me.

“See, wasn’t it nice to come to the Imperial Palace?”

Johann casually spoke to me.

“……?”

I looked at him with puzzled eyes. Honestly, I was too busy eating to fully understand what Johann was saying.

“You mean to come to the Imperial Palace to eat?”

“No.”

Johann’s brows furrowed slightly.

The next moment, I realized the meaning of his words.

Ah…!

<If only you had come to the Imperial Palace, none of this would have happened! We even cleaned the room…>

Come to think of it, he had said something like that.

Recalling the forgotten memory, I looked at Johann with a curious gaze.

We had concluded that I would stay at the Imperial Palace only during the special training period…

Why did Johann think I would stay at the Imperial Palace when I came to Elmon?

Did he grow attached?

If that’s the case…

‘It doesn’t feel bad.’

This kind of treatment was new to my life, which had always been solitary. It was subtly different from when people awaited my return in Hilton or Sahar.

How should I put it?

In the dispatch areas, it was natural to stay at Hilton Castle or Sahar Castle for work, but in Elmon, I had my own home.

But to think they cleaned the room while waiting for my return…

Is this what having a family would be like?

Is this the heart of parents welcoming a child returning home after a long time?

I don’t really know.

I’ve never had parents, nor have I ever had children.

Anyway, the one thing that’s certain is that it feels warm and fuzzy.

“Hehe. I’ll have to stop by the room later.”

Since they cleaned it, I might as well drop by now that I’m here. To see Faye too.

As I thought about that, I heard a snickering sound next to me.

“Why not come to Hilton for a meal? In terms of culinary level, it’s far superior than here.”

Claude sneered at me.

This guy.

I’m not coming to the Imperial Palace just for food. Does he just listen to what he wants to hear?

“What do you take me for…”

I was about to retort in frustration, but Mihail interrupted me.

“It’s no match for Sahar. Don’t you miss the scorpion dishes?”

Mihail elegantly placed a piece of lamb in his mouth and looked at me with a very stingy taste evaluation.

But it tastes good…

“Hahaha…”

I glanced around, clearly aware of whose attention I was seeking.

“You’re being unreasonable.”

Johann said coldly, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Is this really something to be so cold about…

I had a feeling a childish pride battle was about to start, so I tensed up and hunched my shoulders. Lamb, beef, cheese-laden lasagna…

There’s still so much to eat…

“How can you compare it to Imperial Palace cuisine when you barely survive by extracting poison from scorpions due to lack of quality ingredients?”

Johann snickered, recalling the time he was summoned to Sahar. Mihail responded without batting an eye.

“To see it that way, I offer my condolences to Your Majesty’s miserable taste.”

One point for Mihail!

There were many delicious things besides scorpion dishes.

I busily rolled my eyes, quickly judging the winner and loser in the rapid exchange of words. Meanwhile, Claude also joined the mess.

“You think I wouldn’t know you failed to recruit Hilton’s chef?”

“Hah! Are you talking about something from ages ago?”

Oh…

I was intrigued, my eyes sparkling with interest.

So there was a chef war among the three heroes who saved the world from the undead.

It wasn’t just my imagination. The food at the Imperial Palace, Hilton Castle, and Sahar Castle was insanely delicious.

I soon understood why they were so obsessed with chefs.

“After saving you from starving to death, you carved your gratitude into the sand. Who was it that begged for even tree roots during the Parma expedition?”

Johann recited Claude’s embarrassing history with a mischievous grin.

Claude retorted, exuding a dark aura.

“I never begged.”

“There’s no way Marseus’s memory is wrong.”

“Wasn’t there a problem with the knights’ food distribution?”

The growling momentum was no joke.

I felt suffocated, torn between wanting to flee and wanting to keep listening to this conversation.

So you guys were struggling with food.

Why are your stories of hardship so entertaining?

“Now that I think about it, Your Majesty, who got a stomachache from eating poisonous mushrooms, belittles the desert scorpion, a top-quality ingredient.”

Mihail smoothly smiled, bringing up a topic with a lingering grudge. Johann frowned, perhaps because it was a memory he’d rather forget.

“Wasn’t I the one who took the risk and led the way because it was an unfamiliar plant? If it weren’t for someone like me, that cursed mushroom would have ended in more than just a stomachache.”

“I remember you wandering in search of divine grace, asking to be detoxified.”

“Weren’t the healers all gone with the first subjugation team?”

“I vividly remember Your Majesty’s expression, enraptured by the effects of holy magic.”

“Heh.”

Claude snickered from the side.

Johann reacted sensitively to that sound, gritting his teeth. Then he growled, digging up memories that were more than ten years old, down to the most trivial details.

“Who was the lunatic that fed moldy bread to the holy knights when there was nothing to eat?”

“It was a time when even a piece of bread was precious.”

“The expressions of the knights under your command were priceless. You set an example by eating several more pieces yourself.”

“Are you complaining because I ate a bit more moldy stuff?”

Wow…

That’s really desperate…

I was secretly amazed and listened more intently to the conversation.

The anecdotes known to the public were all about discovering a dragon’s lair and using potions found there to awaken and effortlessly defeat the undead…

You guys really went through a lot.

Yeah, yeah.

So let’s stop fighting in front of the food.

Let’s just eat.