episode_0068

1.

My brother Kai really likes fried foods and he is good at it.

The fried trout I ate last time still has that warm texture and crispy finish lingering in my mouth.

It means that you are confident that you can eat something very delicious, as if you were frying it.

-Bam! Bam!

I don’t think I can eat this.

Seriously.

It has to fall into the category of food before you can put it in your mouth.

It’s not easy to think of something that keeps flying and exploding as food.

“…Well, well done! ”

The sight of him sweating profusely and making a face didn’t really suit him.

“Shouldn’t we put out this fire first? I think the fire is too strong.”

At the same time he stretched out his hand.

Don’t do the simplest and most stupid thing like pouring water over it.

Because smoke will come out in an instant.

I just tried to put out the fire by inducing a vacuum.

“Wipika Tagua…”

-Suddenly

“No!”

If only Kai hadn’t held my hand.

A hand much thicker than mine grabs my hand.

The difference in size and strength is felt to the point where one hand can completely hold the other.

The sudden contact surprised me for a moment.

-Bam! Bam!

Something exploded and oil splattered on it, igniting the oil.

When I flinched in surprise at the huge fireball that suddenly burst into flames

Kai Oppa took me into his arms.

While holding the hand I was holding, I pulled it.

As if dancing a waltz, I was naturally drawn into my brother’s arms without any resistance and with a thud.

An awkward yet passionate posture, like the preparatory posture of a man and woman before dancing a waltz.

“Ugh, ugh…”

I couldn’t help but say something like, “I’m a stupid girl.”

Even in that embarrassing situation, the desire to stay in that embrace raises its head.

As if she couldn’t help it, she relaxed her body and tried to stay in his arms…

-Whoooosh!

“Keeek!!!”

My brother was on fire.

?

It’s not that I’m maintaining a passionate attitude to the point of burning, it’s that the fire has actually been lit on my back.

As soon as the fire started, my brother took off his clothes.

And then, with that look of surprise, he slammed it to the ground, and the fire seemed to be alive and burning even the grass on the ground.

“Gyah! If this keeps up, it’ll all burn up! Let’s go Wipicka Taguyatokina!”

I quickly tried to use the wind spirit magic to put out the fire in a vacuum.

“Huh, huh? Why won’t this light go off?”

The flames burned without a trace.

And the speed at which the fire spread was so unusual that I was shocked.

If things continue like this, I feel like the forest and nature of the Academy will all disappear.

“…[shield]”

“Huh?”

But Kai muttered something and the fire quickly died down.

In an instant, a peek was heard, and only a handful of ash and a brief puff of smoke rose before it stopped.

I looked at my brother in confusion.

-Bam! Bam!

He was putting out the fire with his feet.

The way he looks down at his feet is a skillful sight, as if it’s been done more than once or twice.

Then he frowned and glanced at me.

“Ouch! Aaaah… I’m going to leave a scar on my back. Srenya, are you going to suck my back?”

“Huh? Yes. There is a little bit of a burn mark. Not too bad, no, pretty bad.”

“Ahhh… I’m going to get in trouble with the doctor.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Oh, there’s a doctor here, and he’s really nagging. What will he say if I have another scar?”

My brother tried to heal the painful wound on his back somehow, but it wasn’t enough on his own.

“Srenia.”

“Huh?”

“Can you use some healing magic?”

“I, I’m a spiritualist, so I’m bad at healing!”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s something simple. First aid is important for burn injuries.”

“Well, then…”

Kai understood what I said as agreement and pushed my back.

A wide, burnt area is visible, shaped like a fire.

I felt guilty that the scar was a choice to protect me, and I quickly tried to treat it, empathizing with the pain from the scar that the fire had directly created.

“Hoo… Zepurna Ifne, To Achitsu Penain Gatain.”

I activate a spirit magic that I vaguely remember.

A simple spirit magic to heal a child’s scraped knee, using the regenerative power of grass to directly regenerate and heal the suffering person.

However, if you are well-versed in spirit magic, you will probably be able to heal most wounds.

The shape of a leaf-shaped spirit spell is engraved on the hand with a brilliant green color.

“I will treat you.”

He uses spirit magic as if he were stamping a seal on Kai’s wide back.

As the sleet slowly melts on the river, green energy begins to fill the wounded area.

A mysterious sight where the red area is gradually covered with green energy.

Even if you use it after a long time, it is not lacking, and rather, it is an even more advanced spirit technique.

-Small, small…

I had to blankly stare at the spirit energy slowly spreading around me.

Because future treatment will take time.

I waited quietly for the wound to heal, as I couldn’t let go until the energy had fully spread.

‘The back is really wide…’

The wide, wooden-plank-like backrest catches the eye.

‘The muscles are crazy, really..’

And even though there were scars, the muscles that were torn here and there were clear.

Even though it is a mountain with all kinds of scars, it is so beautiful that it is impossible to deny it.

These muscles are truly a work of art.

While I was blankly staring at Kai’s body, I looked at every nook and cranny.

“Sigh.”

“Huh, huh? There’s still some part that needs to be treated?”

“Huh? Isn’t this cured? It feels like it’s cured.”

Looking at the injured area, the redness had disappeared just as my brother had said.

…I wonder if you didn’t notice because you were thinking about something else.

Because it was difficult to openly express that other thought, I couldn’t raise my face for a moment.

…

Somehow the dish was completed.

Of course, since the ones that flew to the ground couldn’t be eaten, most of them had to be made anew, so it was only finished late at night.

“Let’s eat!”

“I will eat well.”

“Okay, I’ll eat well.”

My appetite suddenly disappeared as I looked at the bizarre dish before my eyes.

I wholeheartedly agree with my brother’s opinion that anything fried in oil is delicious.

The fried food is white and long, with air bubbles hanging here and there, and looks very hot.

I don’t feel like trying to cook a dish I’ve never seen before.

“…Kai. Let’s explain cooking to Srenia from time to time. I’m fine, but she’s scared.”

“That’s right.”

Kai started explaining the dish with a bashful expression.

“Hmm, actually, it’s a creative dish so I don’t really have a name for it… Maybe fried rice cakes? ”

“Rice cake… right?”

This is my first time hearing this.

Is this thick stuff called rice cake?

“You can think of it as bread made from rice. Yuli and I steamed, ground, and rolled rice flour to make it.”

“Uh…yes.”

“And the goal was to lightly fry the rice cakes so that they’re soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, but they just burst.”

Sister Yuli glared at Brother Kai and intervened.

“I told you not to do that. It would definitely explode.”

“Ha, but this time I tried lowering the density and moisture…”

“That’s not the problem… Ha, just give up. It’s tastier when you grill it. Why do you keep frying it when you can’t? ”

They are arguing about this more than once or twice.

It’s a familiar sight, perhaps because these people have strong pride in their food.

Kai noticed my presence watching the fight and brought the situation to a close.

“Ah, anyway, how do you eat it…”

My brother pointed to the sources in front of him and explained.

“This is, what, a spicy-sweet seasoning sauce. It might not be your taste. This is a homemade ragu sauce, and this is yuja-cheong that I made myself three months ago. You can eat the rice cake fritters with these sauces, but it would be better to eat the yuja-cheong later as a dessert.”

And Kai showed us how to do it himself.

I put a spoonful of the ragu sauce on top of the tteokbokki and cut it into bite-sized pieces with a fork.

The crunchy sound, the warm steam rising, the chewy rice cakes, and the intense color of the ragu sauce come together.

“Ah.”

“Yes, yes?”

“This is how you eat it. Just give it a taste.”

He handed me the fork he had used to dip the tteokbokki in it.

Joe, it’s a little embarrassing, but… I opened my mouth without realizing it because of the mouth-watering sight and strong smell.

-Tub

I can feel the strong heat from the fried rice cake in my mouth.

Hot air rises into my nasal passages and I can smell the savory, sour scent of tomatoes and meat.

-Crispy

The crispy texture and moist interior, which are the characteristics of well-made fried food, can be felt on the tongue.

Just like when you eat melted, precious cheese that was said to have been airlifted directly from the Holy Land, the chewy yet sweet taste unique to grains stands out.

After the delicate and mild taste, the stimulating taste of ragu sauce is mixed in to create a complete taste.

“Ehhh…!”

“Isn’t it delicious?”

“Yes, yes! It’s so delicious!”

“Yulli, I told you it tastes better this way.”

“…Then you should control the fire properly.”

Sister Yuli, who grumbled but ate deliciously.

…

After eating two pieces of rice cake with the ragu sauce and seasoning sauce, I enjoyed the last one as a dessert.

“Try eating it like this with yuja-cheong.”

“It’s sweet and sour, but… not too sweet. The yuzu syrup has a refreshing flavor, so I think it’s easy to eat.”

The fried rice cakes served with yuzu syrup had a different flavor.

In an instant, it transformed from a dish to a realistic dessert, delighting the tongue with a unique taste.

“Mashitang~”

Srenya was enjoying a noisy dinner without realizing that her tension had reached the ceiling.

2.

Late at night after a pleasant meal with Kai oppa.

Good food, a cozy atmosphere, and good company are always satisfying.

“Ugh… I shouldn’t have brought that up…”

The ending was very, very slightly disappointing.

Because of the very heavy question that was asked seemingly indifferently at the end.

‘Kai, what do you think it would be like if there was a Demon King?’

There were two responses to a similar question.

Or an indifferent reaction like Cariel.

Or, like Uni, you can be more enthusiastic and react more actively than usual.

…Of course, there is a difference in that I heard the story through a prophecy, while Uni and Cariel heard it from their friends.

Perhaps it’s because more than half of the people who heard the story, including me, had a more bland reaction to the Demon King than expected.

I’m worried that I’m weird for having vaguely scary and anxious feelings…

‘ah…’

But my brother’s reaction to hearing that question was really, really bad.

It seems angry, sad, and hazy.

A reaction where the complex and subtle emotions that adults have are swirling around like a storm.

When he realized I had asked a sensitive question, he opened his mouth.

‘…You must be curious, since you live in an era where the Demon King has been defeated. It’s possible.’

First, he reassured me and then continued talking.

‘The Demon King is… a tragedy. Isn’t that a tragedy?’

Words from someone who has some connection to the Demon King.

I felt that the intense emotion was not ordinary and I had to run away from the cabin.

“As expected, it was a good thing I didn’t tell my brother about the prophecy.”

After that question, I actually intended to pour out my worries.

Because my brother is always trustworthy.

Because I thought it would comfort me no matter what I said.

But if my brother heard the prophecy, it wouldn’t be strange if he started a match, so I had to keep my mouth shut.

And now that I think about it, it’s a bit much to just pass on this unsolvable problem to someone else.

“You’re so selfish.”

It was Srenya who returned to the dormitory with such a bitter aftertaste.

3.

Time passed quickly, another week passed and the problem that had been weighing on me was resolved.

Not at all what I had hoped for.

“Hey, did you hear that? The story about the Demon King living in the Academy?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I already heard it.”

“Eh, hey… That must be a rumor!”

“Actually, I’m the Demon King… I’ll awaken when I graduate, right? If you kneel down and make an offering at the store now, I’ll let you go then.”

“Fuck, if you’re the Demon King, then I’m the Hero.”

Because rumors spread that the Demon King lives in the Academy.