episode_0009

After being treated like an innocent child who was embarrassed just for seeing some breasts.

The heat on my face subsided only after the smell of Arthur’s sweat disappeared.

… Actually, that level of exposure is okay, but the musty body odor drives people crazy.

‘I had this kind of fetish… ‘I didn’t know about the dirty stuff because I only saw it through the monitor.’

“Whoo, whoo… .”

“… It’s a little harsh. Are you okay?”

As I was taking deep breaths to console my heart that was pounding as if it was going to explode, worried looks gathered at me.

When I raised my head, I saw Arthur, looking very downcast, as if I was mistaken, picking up his armor.

​

“Angel, I’m sorry. I never thought you would hate my body so much… .”

‘… ‘Did I overdo it because I was so surprised?’

And then she beats herself up.

I wondered if I had hurt him by making too much of a fuss, so I raised my voice.

“No! Sir Arthur, aren’t you very pretty? Is it because I just saw him wearing armor? I was just so surprised that I overreacted!”

“… … yes? Well, I’m pretty… ?”

“Of course! It was so pretty that my heart started pounding for a moment.”

“Ugh, uh… … ?”

And I left a comment to her, which wasn’t a lie, saying, ‘I did it because she was so pretty.’

Then, Arthur’s cheeks blushed in an instant.

The fact that he stuttered as if he really didn’t know he was going to hear these words was an added bonus.

“Cha, hold on. That person is an angel, that person is an angel… .”

‘Why is it like that all of a sudden?’

“… … Hmm. Hero, did you do that on purpose?”

“Yes?”

“… … It’s nothing.”

On the contrary, a princess with a pouty face.

I was blinded by the confusing reactions of women, but…

Fortunately, this awkward atmosphere did not last long.

-mum!

“… … Hmm?”

“Oh, did you eat everything?”

It was because Mummummi, who had been forgotten in the chaos, came with an empty plate in her mouth.

Our eyes were focused on the small, square beast.

and,

-Stop! mum!!

-Degurrr, degurrr!!

“… … … ?”

Mummummi started rolling furiously at my feet.

The way it rolled over with its square limbs attached to its body seemed to be expressing gratitude to me for feeding it something delicious.

“… … It must have been delicious.”

“That’s right… ?”

-Stop, stop!!

The atmosphere, which had become slightly subtle, was completely blown away thanks to Mummummi’s cuteness rather than cuteness.

* * * * * *

Afterwards, we had some time to get to know Shinsu.

Even though I’m good at playing with my hands, I can’t help but shout ‘Mrrr…’ to the princess or Arthur. ‘Stop!!’ I sharpened my eyes and said, I guess this is just because I’m a hero.

After confirming that he was following me well, I looked into what abilities Mummumi had.

Since the sacred power is 9.99, I was hoping there would be something…

-Flashing.

-Stop, stop!

“Even headstand… !?”

‘Your personal skills are amazing, really.’

When asked if he had any special abilities, this new beast showed all kinds of skills that a pet dog can do.

When Mummummi stood on her head, even the princess applauded.

… It won’t really help in battle, though.

anyway. After watching the incredible talent show parade, the sun was already setting in the evening.

That means it’s time for dinner.

“Princess, what do you want to do? Now that your confinement to the inner palace is over, would you like to have dinner in the Great Hall?”

I decided to focus on the princess recovery quest that has been going on for the past four days.

I became so healthy thanks to my amazing cooking skills, but the anorexia itself still persisted.

“… Okay, then.”

‘Wow, your expression is strange.’

However, when the word ‘Great Hall’, the royal dining area, was mentioned, her expression hardened slightly.

The reaction was as if they didn’t want to eat there.

… My tone became cautious.

“If it’s uncomfortable, would you like to just eat in bed?”

“No. I should try to get better too.”

“There is no need to force yourself to eat it.”

“It’s okay. I’ll try my best.”

I cautiously suggested that she eat in her bedroom as usual, but the princess shook her head and said it was okay.

It was amazing to hear just the contents, but… Judging by the loss of strength in his voice, he was probably trying to force himself to eat.

I raised the corners of my mouth as if to wash away the creeping anxiety.

“… yes I will serve you the best food so that the princess can have her second bite today!”

“… … Thank you, warrior.”

Then she looked at me with complicated eyes and weakly thanked me.

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In a crawling voice, as if he wasn’t confident in himself.

* * * * * *

Afterwards, I served special pork cutlet to the princess.

Unlike the one given to Arthur, it was served with a demi-glace sauce that contained only a small amount of cayenne pepper and was slightly spicy on the tip of the tongue.

– Rattling.

“… Thank you.”

A princess sitting on a fancy table and looking down at the pork cutlet.

With a stern expression, she picked one of the numerous forks and knives prepared by the chamberlain.

-Clap and clap.

‘… Looking at it again, it’s great etiquette. ‘I never thought I could feel cultured when eating food.’

Afterwards, the princess cut into pieces of pork cutlet and put it into her mouth with a restrained movement, wondering if it would be difficult to eat like that.

– Mumbling. gulp.

“… … This is really delicious. It was the most delicious dish you’ve ever cooked.”

“Thank goodness.”

Luckily, the pork cutlet hit her lips, and the princess’s face brightened up a little.

But soon, her knife started moving again.

Her expression had already become tense with tension.

-Clap and clap.

‘… Princess, you have made a big decision.’

No matter where you look, it looks like he is trying to eat the second bite, which he had been reluctant to eat for a long time.

I folded my hands together as if praying and eagerly watched that courageous challenge.

… To be honest, I started it because of the quest, but my wish for her to get better was sincere from the beginning until now.

After my earnest gaze, the princess put a fork into her mouth with trembling hands…

After that, her mouth pursed once.

———And, why was Princess Nan’s anorexia so serious? I found out the reason right away.

“… … … !!!!!”

-Kwaak.

Eyes raised brightly, as if screaming. Cheeks turning pale. Skin with a hint of chicken flesh. Stiff muscles all over the body.

As soon as she took the second bite, she showed an obvious rejection reaction and went into shock.

It wasn’t the gag reflex I expected, but rather a symptom similar to a sudden panic attack.

“… … Princess!!”

-Paaah!!

But there was no time to think about what that meant.

I had to run to the princess faster than anyone else and put the handkerchief to her mouth.

-Teoup.

“Spit it out, quickly!!”

“… … … Ugh… .”

-Bye… .

Without even thinking about lese majeste, I pressed my cheek and urged him to spit it out quickly.

A piece of chewed pork cutlet rolled out of the princess’s mouth.

She couldn’t breathe and was shaking, and it was only then that she let out her breath.

“… … Heo-eok, heo-eok. Ugh… … Huh… … .”

“Are you okay, princess!?”

The princess bowed her head like an aspen tree for a while, as if to prove the pain she felt.

But as I kept patting her on the back and asking if she was okay, the tremors gradually subsided.

after. Her tear-filled eyes turned to me.

“… … … Sorry, it didn’t work out as expected.”

“It’s the princess’s fault… … .”

“That’s it.”

There was resignation in the princess’s eyes.

I knew it would be like this, I guess so.

And then, she barely got up, her body shaking from convulsions.

“This is enough. Thank you for working hard for me so far.”

“… Princess?”

“Now don’t waste your time on things like me.”

The princess, in a suddenly changing mood, says something that makes it seem like we will never see her again.

After that, she coldly turned her back on me.

“You don’t have to come anymore.”

“… Princess. There are still three more days left. Give me a little more time… .”

“That’s it. I will be angry when you come. Save the world, not me. Warrior.”

I just watched blankly as its back slowly walked away.

* * * * * *

A moment later, the kitchen.

“Ehyo… .”

I was washing the dishes, sighing heavily.

Originally, an apprentice chef in the kitchen would do the dishes for me, but I decided to do it myself to sort out my complicated thoughts.

‘He’s been doing okay these days because of me, but now that he’s developed anorexia, he seems to have had a mental breakdown. What should I do?’

-Knock knock knock.

‘I’ve heard about it for a while, so I want to help you get better regardless of the quest… Everywhere I looked, it was a panic disorder.’

But no matter how much I washed the dishes, I couldn’t find an answer.

I have no intention of not visiting just because I heard those words, and I will work hard to cook until the last day, but…

I had a hunch that simply cooking delicious food would not be enough.

It was my intuition as a gamer who understands gimmicks, and as Lee Si-hyeon, a hikikomori who once suffered from panic and helplessly hid in her room.

‘What can’t it be good for? Since you have cooking skills, how can you combine your skills well… .’

-Ratclatter clatter.

Washing the many useless forks and knives, I tried to grasp at straws.

———But, at that moment.

-mum!!

“… … Stop?”

A small, square thing barking at my feet broke my thoughts.

What appeared was a barking Mummumi wagging its tail.

… There is no need to protect the concept even to dogs.

“Go away from Kirimochi (Japanese square-shaped rice cake). If your dog enters the kitchen by mistake, he could end up getting soybean paste on his body~.”

-Stop, stop!! mum!!!

“… It’s very noisy. Do you want today to be a dog day?”

When I playfully nudged him with my foot, Shinsu barked louder instead of going away.

I shook off the moisture from the now clean cutlery set and glared at him.

It’s full of threats, asking if you want to become Boshintang.

however…

-Stop!! Stop stop stop!!!

‘… … hmm?’

Rather than being scared, Mummummi showed off its antics by standing on its hind legs and spreading its front paws like a red panda.

The two front paws were pointing towards my hand.

“Suddenly what… .”

-Snap.

My eyes went to both hands.

Even though I had my hands full, I couldn’t catch them all. There were a lot of useless silverware.

———Enlightenment came in an instant.

“… … Ah.”

From the first meeting, he ‘cut into’ the hot dog rather than ‘biting into’ it. The elegant dining etiquette he continued to show even after that.

… Until now, I’ve been thinking to myself, ‘Don’t you get tired eating like that?’ The princess’s extremely perfect etiquette.

“No wonder I was reluctant to eat in the Great Hall… … ?”

Everything I had experienced so far was connected like a lightning bolt.

What the realizations that have come together as one point to is… A crucial clue to solving the quest.

The corners of my mouth twitched.

“Mommummi, you were a pretty sandwich, right?”

-mum!!!

After that, I threw away the dishes and started moving around.

While putting all the visible ingredients on the workbench, I was constantly thinking about what kind of dish I should cook so that the princess could eat her second meal.

Soon, I summoned Chinese food with a confident smile.

Because I happened to be the most confident, and I came up with a dish that would be perfect for the princess.

“Elizabeth. Just wait! I’ll tell you that cooking skills are more of a scam than you think!!”