episode_0041

The food preferences of the female characters in this prophecy RPG generally go like this.

[Hero Lia] – Likes: Tasty food – Dislikes: Bad-tasting food

Lia doesn’t have any particular likes or dislikes when it comes to food. She’s the type to eat almost anything, only disliking things that are obviously unappetizing—failed dishes, spoiled food, rock-hard bread, etc.

[Ice Princess Alice] – Likes: Meat dishes, sweet snacks – Dislikes: Vegetable dishes

In short, Alice’s food preferences are that of a child’s palate. She loves meat and snacks like sweets, but isn’t too fond of vegetables. That said, she’s not an extremely picky eater. She’ll still eat vegetable dishes well enough if served. The only issue is that her affection level drops slightly if only vegetables are given, but she’ll eat them anyway. On the other hand, if you give her an extremely sweet snack loaded with sugar, her affection rises quite a bit.

[Saintess] – Likes: Spicy food – Dislikes: Overly sweet food

The Saintess absolutely loves spicy food, but isn’t too fond of sweets. She’ll eat moderately sweet things, but if given one of Alice’s ultra-sweet snacks packed with sugar, she’ll spit it out in disgust. Other than that, she’s easygoing. No need to worry much during meals, just be a little careful with snacks. After all, the only snacks that need to be extremely sweet are Alice’s, while the rest can be made normally.

[Elf Spirit Mage] – Likes: Vegetable dishes, fruit dishes – Dislikes: Dishes made from creatures that once had souls

As expected of an elf, she’s a strictly vegetarian race. If given meat, she won’t eat it at all, and the same goes for seafood like fish or shellfish. Elves are a race sensitive to spirits and souls, so they can’t eat meat due to the lingering remnants of souls. Meat or fish aged for 5–10+ years, where all soul remnants have dissipated, can be eaten. But. Finding meat or fish aged that long is difficult, so just consider her a vegetarian. (Not strictly vegan—she can eat eggs and dairy.)

[Cat Beastfolk Assassin] – Likes: Seafood dishes, meat dishes – Dislikes: Vegetable dishes

Perhaps because cats are carnivores, she leans heavily toward meat. She loves seafood the most—fish, shellfish, octopus, etc.— with meat as her second favorite. On the other hand, she dislikes most vegetables as a dedicated carnivore. However, it’s the bitter taste of vegetables she hates, so if the bitterness is removed, she’ll eat them.

That covers the food preferences of the female characters. ‘Honestly, meat dishes are all you need.’ Except for the elf noona, everyone likes meat and dislikes vegetables. ‘Add some spice, and it’s perfect.’ The Saintess loves spicy food, and the others can handle it well enough. So. The best cuisine for our party is Korean food. For the others, something like stir-fried pork (제육볶음) would work, while the elf noona can be served kimchi or doenjang soup. ‘I’ve never fed them Korean food before…’ ‘Whether they’ll actually like it is uncharted territory…’ I hope Korean food suits their tastes. ‘If they like it, things will be easier for me too.’ ‘Whenever I crave Korean food, I can just make it for everyone.’

…Or so I thought, but since I don’t have any seasonings like doenjang, soy sauce, or gochujang, Korean food will have to wait.

Instead. I prepared something else.

♪ “Sesame seed bun, two pure beef patties, special sauce, lettuce~♪” ♪ “Cheese, pickles, onions~♪” ♪ “Ba-ba-ba-ba~♪”

Singing a hamburger jingle, I completed Cain’s Special Burger!

Sizzle! Plop! Plop!

Potatoes fried in oil, then generously salted! French fries—done!

Glug glug!

Chilling cola made from the Holy Grail of Sacrifice—refreshing cola, complete!

Ta-da! Cain’s Special Burger Set is ready!

‘Both Lia and Alice will love this.’ Lia likes tasty food, and Alice loves meat dishes. This should win them over.

…Or so I thought as I presented it.

“A sandwich?” “No.” “This is a food called a hamburger.” “Hamburger?” “It’s something I ate often in my original world.” “Whoaaa…” “So this is food from Master’s homeland…” “A new kind of food…” “It smells amazing—it looks so delicious! How do I eat it?” “Just like you would a sandwich.” “Got it.”

Lia and Alice started with the hamburger.

“Whoaaa…” “It’s so goooood…” “Wow…” “This is seriously delicious!” “Yeah?” “Yeah!” “It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten!”

Nod nod!

Alice declared it the best, while Lia kept chewing happily, nodding along.

‘Makes sense.’

While alcohol has advanced tremendously in this world, cuisine is still at an awkward level. It’s not completely underdeveloped, but those who seriously research cooking are all former noble or royal chefs. Noble cuisine is decent, but commoner food is pitiful. ‘At best, it’s just grilling meat or boiling soup.’ Of course, even that tastes amazing. ‘The ingredients in this world are cheat-level.’ Fruits? Vegetables? Thanks to the Goddess of Abundance, you can get top-quality produce in bulk. Meat? This is a world where monster meat tastes better than beef, pork, or chicken. Just grilling, steaming, or boiling it makes it delicious. ‘That’s why culinary culture is underdeveloped.’ If grilling alone is enough, there’s no need to research better recipes. That’s why, even a simple homemade hamburger becomes a fantastically new experience here.

…Or so I thought as I took a bite.

“Holy…” “This is insane…”

The flavor was so incredible, it made every hamburger I’d eaten before seem like trash. ‘Right.’ ‘The ingredients here are OP.’

A patty made from orc meat—softer and juicier than pork. Fresh vegetables blessed by the Goddess of Abundance. And Cain’s special sauce. Combining already-delicious ingredients made it even better.

Then? What about the fries?

“!!!!!!”

Crispy outside, fluffy inside. A rich, savory flavor that spreads smoothly—an absolute masterpiece.

Then? The cola?

“……”

It tasted just like the cola I knew. It was good, but compared to the burger and fries, it felt lacking.

…Or so I thought, disappointed—

“Ca-Cain?!” “What?” “What is this black liquid?!” “Cola.” “One of the most common drinks in the world I came from.” “Something this delicious is common?!” “Yeah.” “How common?!” “Hmm…” “About as common as water?” “A world where something this tasty is as common as water?!” “?” “Master…” “You came from an incredible place…” “???”

Lia and Alice were praising the cola more than the burger and fries.

“It’s that good?” “Yeah!” “It’s amazing!” “I’ve never had a drink this sweet and fizzy before!” “Really?” “Yeah!” “This is revolutionary!” “Hmm…”

Thinking about it, while alcohol in this world is highly advanced, beverages are mediocre. ‘At best, it’s just fresh fruit juice.’ Of course, even that is cheat-level. The fruits here are incredibly tasty, so just squeezing them makes unbelievably good juice. But. Sugar is rare in this world, so cola—packed with sugar—is the only super-sweet drink. No wonder Alice is obsessed.

…Or so I thought—

“Buurp!” “Hic!” “?”

Lia and Alice burped simultaneously. “……” “……”

Their faces turned red.

“A-ah! This…!” “M-Master…” “It’s just…”

They seemed embarrassed and tried to explain, but— Ah. They’ve never had cola before, so they didn’t know. Time to clarify.

“It’s fine.” “It’s a natural reaction.” “B-but…!” “Burping after drinking cola is normal, so don’t be embarrassed.” “I-It’s normal?…” “Yeah.” “The carbonation in cola causes it.” “S-so…” “This ‘cola’ thing…” “Is it a devil’s drink that makes you burp?…” “It’s just a normal beverage.” “How is this normal—hic!”

Alice burped again mid-sentence.

Whoosh!

Her face now even redder, she ran away.

Turns out, burping in front of others in this world is considered rude and extremely shameful. Especially in front of someone you like—it’s serious enough to be marriage material.

“Still, they keep drinking it.” “They can’t give up this taste…” “Ugh…” “This drink is like the whispers of the devil…”

Neither Lia nor Alice could quit cola. It’s delicious on its own, but paired with food, it’s even better.

“I can’t eat without this now…” Nod nod. “Cain, you’ve corrupted my tongue…” Nod nod. “Since you corrupted it, take responsibility…” Nod nod.

They naturally started talking about marriage as a form of responsibility. Since they’ve “ruined themselves,” they have to marry me—or so their logic went.

“……I’ll think about it.”

I didn’t reject the marriage proposal. I’ve given up on the pure love route— I’m aiming for a harem ending.

But then—

“Huh?…” “Master!” “You’re actually considering marrying us?!” “You promised!” “We’re going all the way to marriage!” “I’m still thinking, okay?” “But you’re leaning toward it, right?” “……”

I couldn’t deny it. But. I hadn’t fully committed to the harem route yet.

I vaguely brushed it off as we headed toward the Holy Nation of , where the Saintess was.

Ah. I didn’t forget to hunt along the way. grows stronger by absorbing monster corpses, after all.

…And so, after much walking—

We arrived.

The Holy Nation of — home to the Saintess, and where a succubus lies in hiding.