episode_0019

The village as usual.

My studio apartment as usual.

My simple and quiet space, nothing particularly special.

But today is a bit of a special day.

No dungeons,

No quests,

Most importantly, a rare holiday just for myself, without those three.

So I lay around on the bed and leisurely stretched.

“Ughaam… Haa, how long has it been since I had this peace~”

Body heat inside the duvet that wraps me cozily.

The subtly warm indoor air.

Even the sunlight gently seeping in from outside—

Ah, this is true luxury.

Since being scouted by the Gourmet Guild, time alone has been almost endangered.

Naturally, since those three are constantly stuck to my side, there was no quiet time, no time to be alone.

These days, where a one-night dungeon stay has become the basic set, it was noisy even when sleeping.

“Since Yuan is an ocean sunfish. So stay safely in older sister’s arms. Come here~”

“I even have body temperature regulation function. So it is rational to be held in my arms.”

“Hold me! Yuan’s arms are warmer~!”

Thanks to that, I was surrounded on three sides and had to fall asleep unable to move.

Seriously, anyone seeing this would think I’m a pet, you know?

Therefore. Today, this peaceful and golden morning.

I decided to make it a day entirely for myself.

“Before that~ Shall I brew a cup of coffee?”

I pushed off the duvet and shuffled in my slippers towards the kitchen.

The reward money I received after defeating the Tarasque.

With that, I gathered the courage and splurged on a top-grade coffee extractor.

Although the twin sisters from the Alraune Flower Garden practically lured me in with their touting.

Finally today, the time has come to test its true worth.

“Hehehe… Well, shall I brew it~?”

Chhh—

Drip drip…

Fine steam rising from the spout of the kettle.

As I carefully poured the hot water, the freshly ground beans quietly swelled.

Bubble bubble, slowly like a flower blooming—

“Good… That’s a perfect bloom.”

Putting a little weight on my wrist and turning it, I gently continued the stream of water in a circle.

Swish, the thick and fine reddish-brown stream of water slowly seeped into the server.

A deep and heavy aroma tickling the tip of my nose.

Bitter yet savory,

with a slightly sweet feeling…

It was, in a word, the aroma of perfect hand-drip coffee.

“I have a feeling of success? As expected, you can’t ignore the power of equipment.”

I nodded contentedly and slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

Click.

The magic-powered timer rang, and the last stream of water brushed past the beans and went down.

The coffee finally extracted.

Shimmering with a subtle golden hue, it sparkled inside the server.

“Maybe I’ll open a coffee shop when I retire later~”

I slowly inhaled the aroma that filled the room and stood still for a moment.

This exact moment.

No one else is here, undisturbed by anyone—

My own complete time.

“Well, shall I read a book with coffee today? Or maybe put on some music…”

Clack.

A familiar, too familiar sound of the door opening.

“Huh?”

Before I could even turn my head, the noisy voices of the three were heard.

“Yuan~ We came to hang out~ My stomach is rumbling!”

“I’m bored! I have nothing to do! Play with me, Yuan!”

“Detecting temperature change ahead. Are you cooking, Yuan?”

“Wait a minute.”

Coming to hang out is one thing, but I have to tackle this.

I carefully put down the server after extraction and let out a deep sigh.

“You guys… you just opened the door and came in, right?”

“Yes~” x3

“Did I ever give you guys a key? I don’t think I did.”

At those words, Lilien smiled brightly and innocently, and slightly raised her hand.

In that hand, a transparent key with a faint blue light.

To be exact, a projected duplicate that was indistinguishable from my room key.

“I projected Yuan’s key! My imagination is always myself opening Yuan’s room!”

“You’re trespassing very innocently, Lilien?!”

“Oh come on, Yuan. Are we strangers!”

Our knight is very bold.

Could it be that she took the fallen route because she’s an (ex) knight?

I dejectedly raised my hand and pointed towards the door.

“Alice! Arte! You guys saw this and didn’t stop her?!”

“Huh? In demon society, the stronger one is the law?”

Seriously, I’m speechless.

Is this why she’s a Demon King and acts like this?

“Okay, fine, let’s ignore the one with horns. Arte, why didn’t you stop her!”

You’re an automaton, a collection of reason and logic!

She’s openly copying the key and trespassing, and you couldn’t stop her?!

“I—”

Arte, with her characteristic blank expression, placed a finger on her head.

“Upon the phrase ‘entering Yuan’s room’ while he is defenseless, my reason protocol became paralyzed. Yuan is the bad one.”

“Ugh, you’re really making me want to recycle you!”

I grabbed my head and shrieked.

Beside me, Lilien, who had somehow come closer, tilted her head.

She lightly inhaled the aroma of the coffee I had just brewed and smiled gently.

“It smells good. May I… ask for a cup?”

“……”

When you say it with that face, I can’t refuse again.

Enough to make me, who had just been shrieking about protecting the quiet, look foolish,

her pure smile was fatal.

No, that’s too much of a foul.

Pretending to be defeated, I slowly nodded.

“Alright… Since I put in the effort anyway, I’ll make you each a cup.”

“Yuan Yuan~! Make mine tea! I hate coffee~!”

Alice, hopping and resting her chin on my shoulder.

“Ugh, just drink what you’re given, Your Majesty the Demon King.”

“Yuan, I only need high-grade kerosene.”

“Are you serious, Arte?”

“Of course, it is a joke. Other automatons find this appropriately amusing. How is it, Yuan?”

“You’re difficult, really.”

Even while saying that, I burst into laughter and began taking out coffee cups and teacups.

In the end, my precious holiday morning was turning into a tea time together with the three, as always.

Before I knew it, on the sofa, next to me,

and even on my opposite knee—

the three of them naturally occupied their spots.

Teacups placed on the floor, freshly brewed coffee, the sound of warm water,

and their body heat, which was warmer than that.

A leisurely morning all to myself is…

It seems it will be difficult in the future too~

“Now that I think about it…”

I lifted my mug and casually surveyed the table.

“Our party, the share of tea and coffee is exactly half and half, isn’t it?”

Me and Lilien, who drink coffee.

And on the opposite side, Alice and Arte were holding warm teacups in their hands.

In front were well-baked cookies, small sliced cakes,

It’s a typical scene of a peaceful morning tea time.

“Maybe because I’ve been drinking tea since I was little, I’m used to this! The butler cultivated the tea himself and served it.”

Alice said with a cookie in her mouth.

“Honestly, I just drink what’s given to me.”

Arte added, quietly putting down her teacup.

“Both were fresh stimuli, but since I drank coffee last time, I merely chose tea this time. Data balance is also important.”

“Lilien, how about you?”

When I asked, Lilien carefully rotated the coffee cup in her hand and smiled slightly.

“Hmm~ Tea doesn’t quite suit my palate. Should I say it’s a bit astringent? More than that, coffee is just right for my taste.”

And, at those words, she subtly began to bring up an old story.

“Thinking about it, I remember the first time Yuan brewed coffee for me?”

“Are you talking about the incident where you, Lilien, got angry at Yuan for the first and last time?”

“Ah~ That! Yuan really properly poked Lilien’s reverse scale!”

At those words, I also chuckled.

Right. That happened too.

Not long after joining the party,

my first impression was good, and because I wanted to do something for her, I confidently brewed coffee.

Iced Americano.

Just like I used to drink in Korea, out of habit, after extraction, I poured water into it to make it cool.

Lilien, who received that.

Once, the coffee without a word.

And once, me, lifting her head.

Suddenly, smiling sweetly, she said one word.

“Yuan? What is this dishwater? Why did you make… water used to wash rags instead of coffee?”

The moment Lilien, who usually ate anything well, showed a serious face for the first time.

“Huh? It’s an Americano? You don’t have this here? Try it, try it—”

“Yuan, listen carefully. This is the same act as putting pineapple on pizza.”

“Um… excuse me, Lady Lilien…?”

“You understand, right? Hmm?”

“…Yes.”

If I argued further, I felt like a projected sword would fly at me, so I immediately crumpled down.

“Hehehe, I really couldn’t tolerate it back then.”

Lilien now, putting a cookie in her mouth while laughing.

But on that day, the politeness unique to a knight had turned into fury.

Surprisingly, Lilien, maybe Italian blood flows through her?

“Well~ tastes differ from person to person~”

Alice said casually, waving her hand.

“When I asked the chef to make pasta during my Demon King days, I always told him to break the noodles ‘in half’ once before putting them in~”

Hold on. That’s a remark you shouldn’t make in front of Lilien, the honorary Italian…?

Lilien’s eyes slowly narrowing.

Without a word, her hand left the coffee cup, and she concentrated sky-blue light at her fingertips.

“Alice, you are a demon who should not exist.”

“Uh… huh? Did I say something wrong?”

“Projection energy increase confirmed. Yuan, to my side. If this continues, the studio apartment will become a battlefield.

“It’s my house, you guys!!!”

Seriously, our party never has a quiet day.

[Eyecatch!]

Different food cultures?

Food cultures appear diversely around the world.

This is true not only on Earth but also in this other world!

Therefore, what is an acceptable way in one place can be an act that touches a reverse scale in another.

For instance—

“If you mix water with coffee, won’t the amount increase? Shall we do it right now?”

“You have to cut pasta noodles in half and kill them to get them into the pot properly, right?”

“If you put pineapple on pizza… it’s refreshing?”

Be careful, as saying such things casually might get you hit by a projected Excalibur that can even cleave the sea.

“It’s a bad civilization! I will pulverize it!”

—A knight who almost destroyed a party member’s house, and was then hit by sealing magic by the Demon King for an hour