Ch.95Rest at the Sea (6)

With Nam Ju-an’s help, I put out the kitchen fire and chased Rebecca out of the kitchen. And this time, I finally got a truly useful assistant.

“Ju-an, bring me those green onions over there.”

“Got it.”

“After that, could you carry this pot over there?”

I handled all the ingredient preparation myself, while Ju-an took care of all the heavy lifting. Thanks to him, the preparation time was exponentially shorter.

As we prepared dinner much faster than expected, Ju-an asked me a question.

“Why did you buy so much lamb?”

“You eat a lot. So I needed to buy this much to fill your stomach.”

“Thanks, I’m looking forward to dinner then.”

“I’ll feed you until you’re stuffed, so look forward to it.”

Ju-an is going to have an incredibly difficult time fighting the Demon King in the future. That’s why I need to take good care of him now.

***

Thanks to Ju-an’s help, dinner preparation finished faster than expected. Now all that’s left is to go outside and enjoy the barbecue.

By the time we moved everything outside, everyone had already gathered. They sure move quickly when it comes to food.

Anyway, since everyone was here, I started grilling meat on the charcoal. But then a devastating mental attack was launched from the side.

“Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

Leo and Yongin still seem to be under the influence of magic. So there’s only one thing for me to do.

“If you want to eat meat, please turn off that fucking magic.”

I glared at Leo as fiercely as I could. Leo then did something with his scroll and said:

“Look, it’s not a fish.”

“…The magic is over, right?”

“No.”

“I’m glad it’s over. But what kind of magic are you researching that you need to hide it so thoroughly? Are you doing something illegal?”

“It’s a very secretive matter.”

Leo continued with a more serious expression than ever as he looked at Lite.

“Have you heard of ancient magic?”

“Isn’t that old magic that’s disappeared now?”

“That’s right. Nothing remains of ancient magic now. Nothing at all.”

This is definitely strange. How could it disappear without a trace? Shouldn’t at least one spell have survived?

“Really nothing at all?”

“Yes. According to rumors, it disappeared along with the sealing of the Demon King several centuries ago, but rumors are just rumors, so it’s hard to believe.”

“Then how are you researching it, Leo?”

“The magic we use now—where do you think it originated from?”

“Ancient magic, I suppose.”

“But that’s still just speculation. Still, if there’s a possibility, I have to pursue it.”

Leo expressed his determination with great enthusiasm. But does he really need to burn with such passion when he doesn’t have much time left?

“But why ancient magic specifically?”

“Do you know the requirements to become an Archmage?”

“How would I know that?”

“There are conditions like being a pioneer in a specific field, the highest authority, or developing the most spells. But if someone more talented comes along in the future, the original Archmage loses their title.”

The standards for Archmage seem excessively high. Does that reflect how prestigious the title is?

While pondering this, Leo continued even more passionately:

“But there’s one exception. Those who first created a field of magic, like elemental magic or spatial magic, are granted the Archmage title permanently to commemorate their achievement.”

“What does that have to do with ancient magic?”

“Ancient magic has disappeared without a trace. So to implement ancient magic, you essentially have to create it anew.”

“So you’re doing this to get the Archmage title?”

“It’s worth betting everything I have on it.”

Leo said he only has about 2-3 months left to live. Can he complete it in that time?

“I understand. But why do you need to hide it?”

“In today’s world, information is incredibly valuable. Why would I openly share something so precious?”

“Then is it okay to talk about this so openly here?”

“What I’m saying is being censored for everyone else. They probably just hear you saying ‘It looks fresh’ over and over.”

“…This is really confusing. So you’re asking for understanding because you’ll keep using magic?”

“Exactly.”

One of my questions has been answered, but I still have a few more.

“But aren’t you getting help from Yongin? What happens to the Archmage title then?”

“I’ve been researching this bit by bit for a long time, so my contribution is much greater. So naturally, I should get the Archmage title.”

“Then why is Yongin helping?”

“I’ll become the Archmage as the creator. And when I die, I’ll pass all my research to Yongin. Then he’ll become the highest authority, so both of us can become Archmages.”

“…So that’s why you were censoring your words.”

As our conversation seemed to be ending, Leo did something with his scroll again and said:

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“…I’ll try to understand. But please eat over there, a bit further away. I seriously might go crazy if I keep hearing that.”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

Yongin and Leo took their food and moved to a spot a little distance away. Finally, I can breathe.

As I continued grilling meat for Ju-an, Agath suddenly approached me.

“Lite? Why have you been saying ‘it looks fresh’ over and over?”

“It looks fresh.”

“…Lite?”

“It looks fresh.”

“If you’re joking around, I’ll tear you apart like a dog…”

“I’m grilling meat for you, aren’t I? So I can joke around a little.”

It hasn’t even been an hour and she can’t handle it. Agath seems to have a surprisingly weak mentality.

“What did you want anyway?”

“Grill meat for me!”

“Agath, do you not have hands? Or feet? Just grill it yourself.”

“You know about my and Rebecca’s cooking skills, right?”

“…Fine. I’ll bring it to you when it’s done.”

For a moment, the barbecue ingredients almost changed from lamb to human. What was I about to do?

Anyway, here I am again, grilling meat all by myself. This is really annoying.

As I continued grilling while muttering complaints to myself, a lamb skewer was finally ready.

“Ju-an! I’ve finished a lamb skewer! Want to taste it?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Ju-an took a bite of the skewer I handed him, then gave a brief but appreciative review.

“Delicious.”

“Great! I’ll grill more tasty ones for you, so just wait a bit!”

I think I’ve got the hang of grilling now. Hmm, I wonder if grilling it another way would make it even tastier?

Let me quickly grill more for Ju-an. It’s satisfying to cook when someone enjoys eating it.

As I continued grilling and handing meat to Ju-an, Agath approached me with a disappointed look.

“Lite? When will our food be ready…?”

“…I forgot. I’ll grill some for you now, so please wait a bit.”

Everyone except Agath and Rebecca can grill for themselves. So out of 5 pieces, I’ll give 3 to Ju-an and the remaining 2 to them.

I continued grilling meat for dinner for a few more hours.

***

I thought I was going to die. Standing in front of hot flames for hours grilling meat with my already weak body—it was truly torturous.

As I sat down to rest, Ju-an approached and said:

“Thank you. That was the best dinner ever.”

“That’s good then.”

The effort was worth it after all. If I get the chance, I wouldn’t mind doing this again.

Finally, dinner was over. What should I do now?

First of all, I’m absolutely against any activities involving luck or physical exertion. It’s obvious what would happen after yesterday and today’s lunch.

So today I’ll just rest…

“Lite, want a beer?”

…or so I thought, but Agath suddenly handed me a can of beer.

“Sure.”

There was one thing I liked about the body swap. My physical age suddenly increased.

Thanks to that, I can now proudly drink alcohol as an adult. Honestly, I’ve wanted to try drinking, so this works out well.

“But you can’t drink.”

I was fortunate enough to become an adult, but Ju-an is still an exception. He probably has to wait two or three months to become an adult.

“It’s not illegal for minors to drink alcohol.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. There are only restrictions on purchasing it, but drinking itself isn’t a problem.”

I realized the law is surprisingly lenient about alcohol. Anyway, it seems Ju-an can drink too.

“So are you going to drink too?”

“Of course I am.”

“Alright, want to make a bet?”

“What, a drinking contest?”

“Exactly.”

Neither of us has ever drunk alcohol before. So it will truly be a fair competition. I should be able to win at least this one.

“I’m going to take pictures of you drunk and tease you for the rest of your life, so be prepared.”

“I don’t think I’m going to lose.”

“We’ll see who lasts longer.”

With that, we headed back to our lodging for our drinking contest.

***

Lite was completely defeated by Ju-an. Specifically, Lite turned into a mess after just three cans of beer.

“Ju-aaaan~ I’m~ nooot~ drunk at aaall~”

“…You’re drunk.”

“You sure are.”

Lite’s speech and behavior had become extremely loose. As evidence, Lite kept trying to cling to Ju-an for no reason.

“Lite, why don’t you keep some distance?”

“But nooo~ you’re so waaarm~”

No matter what Ju-an said, Lite just giggled and kept trying to cling to him. Watching this, Agath approached with a mischievous smile.

“Unlike her, you can hug me all you want! And while hugging, we could also do other things…”

It was meant as a joke, but Lite actually hugged Agath.

“Huh…? Ah…? Uh…what…?”

Agath froze on the spot. But Lite, still drunk, continued to giggle.

“Hehe… warm… and soft…”

Suddenly, Agath’s face turned bright red. Extremely flustered, she barely managed to speak.

“M-maybe you should back off a little…”

“But Agaaath~ you said~ I could hug youuu~”

“No… I… just need a little space…”

“Don’t wanna~”

Lite pressed even closer to Agath, making her face turn impossibly red.

Extremely embarrassed, Agath pleaded to Ju-an in a small voice.

“Please get her off me…”

“…Okay.”

Ju-an sighed lightly and spoke to Lite.

“Lite, it’s getting late. How about going to bed?”

“I’m~ perfectly fine~”

Ju-an thought deeply for a moment, then spoke to Lite again.

“I think I’m too drunk to handle this. Could you help me get to my room?”

“Sure thing! Leave it to me!”

Lite stopped hugging Agath and staggered to her feet. Ju-an supported her as they walked to the room.

“…This is fucking bullshit.”

Leo, who had been watching this whole scene while drinking, sighed more deeply than anyone and started chugging an entire bottle of soju.

After a long silence, Agath regained her usual playful demeanor and said to Leo:

“I wonder if you also get like Lite when you drink…”

CRASH!

A bottle thrown by Leo with full force hit Agath’s head.

CRASH!

…About 17 times.

As a result, Agath collapsed on the floor with blood streaming from her head. The place fell silent again.

Rebecca was about to say something, but Leo spoke first.

“Don’t say a word. Not a single word.”

“…I’ll at least treat Agath’s wounds.”

“Do whatever you want.”

And Leo started chugging his 18th bottle of soju.