I used magic to set up a makeshift kitchen in the village plaza. A few windbreak walls, a stove, and a cooking counter were more than enough. Since I could produce water with magic, we didn't need to worry about the supply.
"What on earth is going on here?" Dende-san muttered, sounding utterly bewildered.
It was a reasonable reaction. One moment, he thought a group from the detested Bandelt Group had descended upon them; the next, they were suddenly busy preparing a meal.
In the meantime, our preparations were moving along steadily. With Jester leading the charge, the employees were proving themselves surprisingly efficient. It turned out they had a natural aptitude for this; they seemed to genuinely enjoy cooking and worked with cheerful energy. It made me wonder why they had ever bothered with being bandits in the first place.
Before long, the distinctive aroma of curry began to waft through the air. The villagers seemed intensely curious, lured in by the scent. Though they had kept their distance at first, the fragrance was so distracting that the gap between us was rapidly shrinking.
"Step right up! Today is the grand opening of our curry! To spread the word, we’re giving it away for free! If you're interested, grab a plate and line up!"
As soon as the curry was finished, Beere-san shouted to the crowd. It seemed she was framing this as a promotional event. Since opening a curry shop in Albiroda would likely be a challenge, this was probably a pretext to give the food away, though knowing her, she might actually be planning to open a real storefront here eventually.
The villagers, initially wary, finally broke under the sheer violence of the aroma. Once the first few people stepped forward to accept a bowl, the floodgates opened. It was as if they had appeared out of thin air; a massive crowd of villagers formed a long line, plates in hand.
In the middle of the bustle, our foodie duo started making a scene.
“Why are you making this pot separately?”
"I know! This one must be the extra-delicious curry!"
“What?! That’s not fair! I want some too!”
"Me too! Me too!"
"Ah, wait! That’s a bad idea, sir!"
It looked like they had discovered a small pot tucked away from the main batch. They were already trying to sneak a taste. Jester tried to stop them, but there was no way Shiroru and Pino would listen to him once their stomachs were involved.
“You’re keeping the best for yourself! No fair!”
"Yeah, what he said!"
As expected, the two of them cornered Jester. Feeling a bit sorry for him, I decided to intervene.
"It's fine, isn't it, Jester?"
"If Master says so... but don't blame me for what happens next."
“Is it okay?! Yes!”
"I knew I could count on you, Master!"
At my suggestion, Jester backed down immediately. Since we had a master-disciple relationship when it came to cooking, he was always an obedient listener.
Shiroru and Pino were innocently delighted by the result, completely ignoring the fact that Jester had been trying to stop them for their own good.
In truth, I knew exactly what was in that small pot. While it was "special" in a sense, it was certainly not what Shiroru and the others were hoping for. They were about to have a bit of a rough time, but I suppose they brought it on themselves.
"Pyoah! It'sh ho-o-ot! Whath ish thith?!"
“Spicy! It’s too spicy! My mouth is on fire!”
The moment they took a bite, Pino and Shiroru’s broad smiles dissolved into teary-eyed panic. That was only natural—the small pot was an experimental batch of extremely spicy curry, loaded with heat-inducing spices.
"But that's the best part," Jester and about half of the employees murmured.
These were the men who had been captivated by the trial version of the extremely spicy curry. They understood it wasn't suitable for the general public, so they had no intention of serving it to the villagers, but apparently, they couldn't resist making their own portions as hot as possible.
Regardless, I hoped the two of them had learned their lesson, if only a little.
"Here, drink this."
“What is it? That stuff Tort was making?”
"Drinkin' it..."
I handed them both a lassi-style drink made from yogurt. The ingredients were just milk, sugar, and fruit juice. By using Decomposition to ferment part of the milk into yogurt, all I had to do was mix the rest in.
“Oh! The stinging in my mouth is actually going away!”
"It's so sweet and yummy!"
The lassi-style drink was perfect for neutralizing the heat, making it exactly what Shiroru and the others needed. You really couldn't have curry without it.
Elsewhere, a crowd had gathered around the soft serve stall run by Halfa and Shiroru. Allen and his group were the loudest of the bunch. The Petit Golems all seemed to have a weakness for ice cream. Seeing them eat it with such gusto probably helped pique the villagers' interest as well.
Both the ice cream and the yogurt required milk as a base. Despite how busy we had been, I’d made sure to secure a supply back in Welno. Since Rebvuer had a thriving livestock industry, I’d been able to get plenty... or so I thought, but watching everyone eat, I was starting to get a little worried. I’d definitely need to buy more once we returned to Welno.
"It tastes good, doesn't it?"
"It certainly does, but..."
"Do you really think those guys will ever sink back into being bandits?"
"...If a shop like this succeeds, I suppose we won't have to worry about that."
I could hear Beere-san and Dende-san talking nearby.
Dende-san, who had been highly skeptical about whether the former bandits had truly turned over a new leaf, seemed to have changed his tune. That was how much of an impact it made to see everyone cooking with such genuine, happy smiles.
In the end, I suppose they hadn't become outlaws because they wanted to. Like they’d said before, they simply didn't know any other way to survive. Albiroda was a mountainous region where crops didn't grow well. In an environment like that, if everyone around you was a bandit, it was all too easy to follow suit.
Perhaps if Albiroda became just a little more prosperous, the need to plunder their neighbors would finally vanish.