The Cult fell into total chaos following the defeat of the Stone Armors at the hands of the Giant Haniwa. It turned out that the pair who had been controlling the Stone Armors—Domdan and Damros—were essentially the organization's top brass. Led by Eudas, they had formed a massive faction that effectively ruled the Cult.
The death of these high-ranking officials was reason enough for the confusion, but there was more to it. Eudas, the head of the largest faction, had vanished along with his inner circle. The Power of Silver, the very engine of the Cult's meteoric rise, disappeared with him. When we arrived at their doorstep with the Giant Haniwa in tow, the Cult offered their surrender without a single word of protest.
I left the details of the aftermath to Falco, the Molybdenum Group’s exceptionally capable mohawk-sporting secretary, so I wasn't privy to every minor development. However, rumors suggested the Cult had been ordered to disband entirely.
Given they were a group with dangerous ideologies even before they obtained the Power of Silver, nothing good would have come from letting them continue to exist. It seemed like a sensible decision.
The Bandelt Group, which had once shared control over Albiroda with the Cult, also saw its power crumble. Once the tides turned, the majority of their underlings jumped ship. The core members were reportedly hiding out deep in the mountains, eking out a living as glorified bandits. In a way, not much had changed for them.
Still, I expected their influence to wane from here on out. The dungeon that served as their base of operations and source of power had been seized by the Molybdenum Group.
Dungeons created by the Cult were tainted by the Power of Silver. While they appeared normal at first glance, we couldn't just leave them be. Apparently, these locations served as beachheads for the Silver Abominations to invade our world. I’d been told that if we ignored them, the Silver God would slowly but surely tighten its grip on reality. To prevent that, several gods were currently fighting to reclaim and overwrite the ownership of those dungeons.
Normally, this would have been Garna's job, but her divine powers were currently restricted as penance for the chaos she’d caused. Consequently, Proxy Gods were handling the heavy lifting of reclaiming the dungeons instead.
As for us, we returned to the dungeon city, where we had appointed Badis as the mayor. For some reason, the place had been renamed "God Tort." I protested, of course, but the name had already taken root. There was nothing I could do about it now...
Regardless of the name, the city was thriving, filled with the energy of gathering adventurers. Trade with the neighboring kingdom of Rebvuer had also commenced, promising even more prosperity in the days to come.
Remnants of the Bandelt Group, the Eld Caldia Order, and the Silver Faction likely still lurked in the shadows. I wanted to root them out eventually, but that would take time. For now, I planned to take a well-deserved breather in the city.
One afternoon, while I was taking it easy in my room within the Magic House, Halfa suddenly burst through the door.
"Hey, Tort! Teach me a new sweet recipe!"
"Whoa, where is this coming from?"
"It’s not sudden! I’ve put in my time as an ice cream shop owner!"
Halfa planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, her face beaming with pride. She certainly had the credentials to back it up. She’d won a cooking contest once, and since then, she had popped up all over the place to open stalls. She usually gave the food away for free, though, so I wasn’t sure if "shop" was exactly the right word.
"I don't mind teaching you, but... what do you have in mind?"
"Something sweet, obviously! It’s not a treat if it’s not sugary!" Halfa asserted, thrusting both her fists into the air.
I could see where she was coming from. When people thought of sweets, sugar was the first thing that came to mind. There were plenty of things I missed besides ice cream—cakes, parfaits... maybe even some traditional Japanese sweets. I’d kill for some Dorayaki right about now.
Still, part of me craved something savory. Rice crackers would be great. We had soy sauce, and considering rice was a harvestable resource in the dungeon, I figured I could make them work if I put my mind to it.
"Tort? Tort, hey, are you there?"
I realized Halfa was leaning in, peering into my face. I must have spaced out while fantasizing about food.
"Sorry, sorry. I was just trying to decide what to make, and I got a bit carried away."
"Really? So you'll teach me?"
"Of course."
"Yay!"
As soon as I agreed, Halfa grabbed my hands and started jumping for joy, the wings on her back flapping in excitement.
"Then let's go to the cafeteria! Spira is already waiting!"
"Okay, okay... You don't have to push, I can walk!"
Halfa, in high spirits, practically shoved me toward the cafeteria. Spira was there, as expected, but she wasn't alone. A crowd of hungry gluttons was lying in wait.
"I've heard everything!" Shiroru announced, standing atop a table with a look of mock gravity. Beside her, Pino gave his chest a confident pat.
"You can count on me to be the taste-tester!"
It wasn't just Pino; Allen, Milly, and Shara were there too. While Pino was the most vocal, every single one of the Petit Golems was a secret glutton. The other three tried to act a bit more reserved, but they never missed a chance to join in when food was involved. They wore expressions that suggested they were only there to keep an eye on Pino, but their eyes were sparkling with poorly hidden anticipation. Not that they had any reason to hide it from me.
"I mentioned you were thinking about making something new, and this happened..." Spira said with a wry grin. Honestly, telling Shiroru and Pino was a guaranteed way to summon the whole crew.
Naturally, I didn't intend to leave them out. I had planned to have them test whatever I prototyped anyway.
"Well, since we have so many volunteers, maybe we should try making a variety of things."
"Ooh! We get to try all of them?!"
"Hooray! I wonder what we're having!"
Shiroru and Pino erupted into cheers. It was classic behavior for them to hear "make" and immediately translate it as "eat." Personally, I thought the cooking process was half the fun.
"So, Tort, what's the plan?"
"Hehe, I can't wait to see what kind of treats you have in mind."
Halfa and Spira enjoyed eating, but they genuinely loved the craft of cooking. They were leaning in, eyes wide with interest in the new recipes.
"I have a few ideas, but before we start, why don't we go gather some supplies? This dungeon is a collaboration between the gods, and the first floor yields all sorts of ingredients thanks to the Earth God's influence. It'd be good to stock up."
"That’s a good point. Our pantry is looking a little bare."
"I want to make sure we have plenty of eggs, too!"
The girls were on board. I’d have the gluttons pitch in, too. Even if they couldn't help with the cooking, they were more than capable of hauling supplies back from the dungeon!
And with that, we set off for the dungeon!