"Ugh...!"
"A-Are you okay?! Sylpha-san!"
Sylpha's face twisted in agony. Seeing this, Ren of the Poison Moth called out to her with concern.
"...I wouldn't exactly say I'm fine. I pushed myself a bit too far."
"I'm just glad you're safe... but please, don't be so reckless."
"He was not an opponent I could have defeated any other way."
Needless to say, Ganjit Jilgadi of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army had been a formidable foe. I had struggled quite a bit when I fought him alone once before, so the fact that Sylpha and the others had managed to defeat him—even with the various restrictions placed upon him—was truly impressive.
"Still, Sylpha, I'm surprised you realized Ren was readying her poison."
"Yes, I sensed a presence that had been waiting for an opening for some time. I had also heard rumors of that specific medicine, so I suspected that was the plan."
"Ehehe, when you looked my way, I just knew you understood, Sylpha-san."
Ren smiled bashfully. Even so, leaving the finishing blow to someone else in a situation like that required an immense amount of trust. The two of them had certainly become quite close.
"Oh... Sylpha-tan and Ren-tan, what a magnificent bond of trust! I want to be sandwiched between them too...!"
Overcome with emotion, Jiriel was actually shedding tears.
"Just get crushed already, you Worldly Angel," Grimo remarked.
"Hmph, that would be my heart's desire—"
"Are you an idiot?"
While being shut down by Grimo, Jiriel continued to stare at the two girls with a distant, dreamy look in his eyes.
At any rate, I was glad things had worked out. Duncan only seemed to be unconscious, so it looked like we had reached a happy ending.
"Connie!"
Amidst the relief, the Village Chief suddenly cried out. I looked over to see Connie crouching on the ground, her breathing heavy and ragged.
"What's wrong?! Hey, pull yourself together! Connie!"
People began to gather around the Village Chief as he held Connie upright. What was going on? What exactly had happened?
◇
"...Hmm, I see no particular problems."
As soon as we carried the collapsed Connie into the house, those were the first words from the Doctor who had rushed over. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
"It is likely just exhaustion or something similar. She will recover quickly if she rests well."
"...It seems she will be fine," Sylpha said, her body wrapped head-to-toe in bandages. She had collapsed immediately after Connie and had been carried in as well.
"...Actually, this young lady over here is much more seriously injured. It is a miracle she can even move."
"That's right, Sylpha-san! You have to stay in bed!"
The Doctor looked exasperated while Ren tried to stop Sylpha from getting up. She had used Bushinjutsu at threefold capacity, after all. It seemed she had pushed herself far beyond her limits.
"This level of injury is nothing. Showing such an unsightly state to Master Lloyd is the far greater problem... Ow."
"See! That's why I told you not to get up!"
Ren forced Sylpha back down as she swayed on her feet. Yeah, the damage seemed pretty significant.
"W-Well then, please take care..."
The Doctor left the room with a dry laugh. For now, it seemed like their lives weren't in danger, which was a relief.
"Anyway, you two need to rest for a while. I'll go prepare some medicine."
"Hmm, in that case, I'll make some food."
A chill ran through the room as everyone’s eyes snapped toward me. What? What was it?
"Lloyd... cooking...? Can you even do that?"
"How rude. What exactly do you take me for?"
Sylpha was always looking after me, so I figured I could return the favor once in a while.
"N-No, no, you must not! For a personage as noble as Master Lloyd to perform such menial labor as cooking... If it must be done, then I shall—!"
"It's fine, it's fine. Sylpha, just stay in bed and be quiet. Connie, I'm borrowing the kitchen."
"U-Uh, sure... I don't mind."
I spoke to the struggling Sylpha and then headed toward the kitchen.
"They're looking at you with some pretty anxious eyes, Master Lloyd. Well, I can't say I don't understand the feeling, though."
"Come to think of it, we have served you for a long time, but this might be the first time we've seen you cook, Master Lloyd."
"Well, that’s because it is the first time."
I hadn't really cooked much even in my previous life as a commoner. Back then, as long as my stomach was full, I didn't care what it was. Making a dish that would satisfy Sylpha was technically impossible.
But that was why this was meaningful. There was one more reason I was standing in the kitchen: obviously, it was for an experiment.
"Well, let's give it a try regardless."
I immediately used Control System Magic to Trace Sylpha's movements.
"I see! By mimicking Sylpha-tan's movements, you can handle the cooking without a hitch, even if it's your first time!"
"Well, I've been with you long enough to know that was your plan. Now then, let's whip up some incredible food and give everyone a shock."
"What are you saying? I'm not finished yet."
I wasn't just Tracing her movements. I was also Tracing the Bushinjutsu Sylpha had used earlier. Power surged through my entire body. I had caught a glimpse of the Manual of the Hidden Langris Style, and it seemed to require training in internal Ki, breathing, and various other disciplines, but once I Traced it, I could perform it instantly.
"Gah! That's terrifying speed! It looks like there are multiple Master Lloyds!"
"Speed that rivals even Sylpha-tan from before... To reproduce that solely with magic, I can only say 'as expected'!"
Even so, this speed was ridiculous. So this was Bushinjutsu. In the blink of an eye, a massive amount of food was finished.
"Ooh! It looks delicious!"
"Master Lloyd, it's magnificent. Let us take it to Sylpha-tan and the others at once..."
"Wait, wait. It's not finished yet."
The food was done, but there was still something I wanted to test. I used Trace again and copied Ren's abilities. I could use Nature Transformation on my mana myself, but I was no match for Ren, who had mastered generating various drugs and poisons through years of training. Especially now, while the Demon Sealing Vessel was active.
Anyway, I’d better do this before the food gets cold. There we go.
Through the Nature Transformation of my mana, the magical energy I generated changed color, then changed smell, transforming continuously. ...Hmm, something like this. I finished it by kneading the generated mana into the food as if wrapping it.
It was finished, but...
"...Doesn't it smell a bit strange?"
"And this food... it looks somewhat dark and gloomy..."
Just as Grimo and Jiriel said, the food I had just made looked bizarre. That was odd. I had only mixed medicine into the dish.
"Wait, what are you doing, Lloyd?!"
Ren, who had been brewing herbs in the next room, cried out. She grimaced as she looked at the food I had prepared.
"Whoa... this looks poisonous."
"I thought I'd try making that Medicinal Cuisine Sylpha used to make."
However, I had ended up with something much more dangerous-looking than I intended. It was supposed to be a fusion of Sylpha and Ren's techniques, so it was strange. Then again, there was always the saying about things being "dangerous to mix."
"No, but maybe the taste is surprisingly normal... Pffft?!"
"Ah—yeah, it's pretty bad."
Ren, who had taken a cautious bite, spat it out. To be honest, the taste was subtle, to put it mildly.
"Ugh, this is..."
"It's certainly... creative..."
Grimo and Jiriel also had a taste, but their faces distorted immediately. Yikes, I guess I couldn't let Sylpha and the others eat this.
As I was thinking that, Sylpha and the others came in, perhaps lured by the smell.
"This was... made by Master Lloyd...?"
"Yeah, but it looks like I failed, so you don't have to force yourself to eat it..."
Before I could finish, Sylpha said, "If you'll excuse me," and put the food into her mouth. Oh, she actually ate it. I wondered if she would be okay.
Ignoring my concern, Sylpha didn't stop eating.
"It is delicious! Oh, how truly delicious! Master Lloyd's home cooking is nothing but superb!"
Sylpha continued to eat, even shedding tears. Was it really okay? I thought it tasted pretty awful myself.
"Yes. It's very tasty, Lloyd-kun."
Connie was also munching away. I exchanged a look with Ren and took another bite, but it still tasted terrible.
"Hey, Lloyd, don't Sylpha-san and the others look like they're recovering?"
Ren was right. Not only that, but I felt like Connie and her mother were eating faster, as if they were gaining energy.
"Come to think of it, I have heard stories. They say that Medicinal Cuisine at its peak tastes foul to the healthy. Instead, it is said to taste extremely delicious to those with ailments."
"It's that phenomenon where the body finds what it lacks to be delicious. I guess it’s that level of medicinal cooking."
Even while Grimo and Jiriel were muttering, the food rapidly disappeared. By the time they were done, all three had completely recovered. Connie was back on her feet, her mother's complexion had returned to a healthy glow, and as for Sylpha, she was already out in the yard performing practice swings after finishing the cleanup.
"To be able to partake of Master Lloyd's cooking... this Sylpha is truly a lucky person. Despite that, to have shown such a pathetic performance in the previous battle... it is absolutely unforgivable. I must train so that such a thing never happens again...!"
Her swings were incredibly sharp. The air pressure from her blade sent the distant trees into a violent shudder.
"Sylpha-san is amazing. To be able to move like that already."
"Sylpha is special in a way. More importantly, are you still feeling unwell, Connie?"
She seemed to have recovered to some extent from my cooking, but she still looked like she was struggling.
"Yeah, I might still be feeling a little off. But it’s fine."
"I see. If you say so."
It didn't seem like a big deal, actually. However, there was something that bothered me. It felt like Connie's mana was increasing compared to when we first arrived. Inside the barrier of the Demon Sealing Vessel, it should be decreasing instead... and the timing when it started to happen was right after Ganjit crashed into that shrine—I felt like it was then.
That strange feeling was similar to the seal in the academy’s basement... Hmm, it might be better to be a bit careful.
◆
"It seems Ganjit performed his duty at the very least."
In the darkness, two silhouettes stirred.
"A portion of our master lay dormant in that land. He must have drawn all attention to himself through that battle and destroyed the seal while their guard was down... A magnificent end."
"Even that boy didn't seem to notice. With this, the Demon King is one step closer to awakening. Now, next I shall—"
"No, I'll go."
A shadow stepped forward. It was a muscular man, carrying a spear as long as he was tall.
"I have no intellect like Ganjit, nor do I possess your shrewdness. I am just a Battle Fool who can do nothing but charge in, fueled by the passion of combat. In this situation where the enemy is overwhelmingly stronger, I wouldn't be able to do anything if I were left behind. It's better if I go alone while they aren't on guard."
"Zeno... you don't mean to die, do you?"
"I believe that level of resolve is necessary... Hmph, besides, with my swiftness, it shouldn't be impossible to withdraw after completing the mission."
"Indeed, if it is you, who boasts of being the fastest among the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army, there might be a possibility, but..."
"I have no intention of overdoing it. Farewell—Sheraha."
The man called Zeno vanished from the spot, leaving only a gust of wind behind. The woman called Sheraha narrowed her eyes as she watched him go.
"...I'm worried."
Sheraha whispered, letting out a long, heavy sigh.