Chapter 114 – Microwave Oven (4)

Morning of the third day.
The heir to the throne of Penheim, who had said he would meet Marquis Elvin and find out the manufacturing technique for iron soldiers, did not come out of the room.
After breaking up with Liv, I had just finished lightly washing my face while looking at the rising sun.
When he knocked on her door and showed no signs of coming out, the bellboy tilted his head and said that she hadn’t even had breakfast.
Looking at the shaved ice with lots of meat toppings, it was easy to guess why.

“Princess, are you there?”
— There is no one like that…
“Come out. Are you going to give up the Empire’s secrets just because you’re complaining about food?”
— I’d rather die. I miss P.E.

Can I take this to mean that I want to eat chicken?
After working hard for two days at the Imperial Salon, which could be called a paradise for weirdos, I seemed to miss the food from home.

“Are you coming in?”

I opened the door using the spare key given to me by the hotel as an escort and entered.
In an interior with a white marble floor, the first thing that caught my eye was a large bed that looked like something from the Persian dynasty.
The medicine bags and empty purified water bottles that had been delivered yesterday were rolling around on the floor.

“Lewis, where do you go every night? Let’s go eat something delicious secretly… ?”

As I nudged Erzsebet, who was squirming under the blanket, a trembling hand came out and grabbed me.
Her cheeks, revealed along with her bushy hair, were quite gaunt.

“I read books at the library.”
“Then what about meals? Is there normal food in the library!?”
“Well, I think there’s at least some coffee…” … Well.”

I haven’t eaten anything since I arrived in Ouzet.
At most, carbonated water?
Because Liv was also very knowledgeable, he tended to pass over Ouzet’s unusual food in moderation.
She made the logic that if a person eats just a stem of seaweed, her head will turn. I am not as much of a genius as her, so I do not agree with her at all.

“If you’re having a hard time, how about I go to the market and look for something to eat?”
“Are you sure…?” … ?”
“Yes, you just need to buy simple ingredients and rent the hotel’s cooking facilities to cook.”

It was okay for me, but if she couldn’t eat her food like this, she would be sick and naked, and it was clear that her health would be greatly harmed.
It was more fun to explore the city than to have a boring party where you had to stand all day.

“The problem is that I’m not there when something happens…”
“Are you okay! The booklet didn’t say that there were any terrorist or dangerous elements at Marquis Elvin’s party, so please… !”

I guess he must have been quite earnest as he looked so bright and even said something to ask me for a favor.

“Then I will prepare it for you to eat for dinner. So, let’s get up now.”
“Is it really? “Did you promise?”
“Yes yes.”

I’m not very versed in cooking, but I can at least fry chicken, so I decided to listen to the request.
Only after she, looking happy, put on her dress and left the hotel, was she able to get a good night’s sleep for the first time in three days.

***

As the sun was setting, I got up from my first luxurious bed, put on my slippers and headed out to the street.
As the cool autumn wind swept down the street trees carrying the sunset, the colorful autumn leaves in full bloom filled downtown Ouzette.
In the middle of all the scenery I could see—from the sky to my feet, the road was bright yellow and scarlet—one color that stood out in particular passed in front of me.
It was Caroline, a saint with hair redder than the darkest autumn leaves.

“Ha…”

As if she was used to encounters like this by now, she glared at the temple on one side of the street with an unkind gaze and asked me.

“Where are you going?”
“Going to the market to buy chicken.”
“Okay.”

The unchanging informal expression of condolence and a blunt response as if refusing further conversation.
However, the path changed to the exact same direction as me, opposite to the direction I was walking in just a moment ago.
Were you looking for a market?
I was a little afraid that she would suddenly stab me as I followed behind her without saying a word.
However, what touched my nervous shoulder was not a cool blade, but something much shorter and blunter than that.

“Would you like to have a smoke?”

The beginning of the year is as long as your finger.
It was recommended to me.

“No, no need…”
“It was made with holy water using the finest tobacco leaves that grow only in the Solfroid region of northern Monarch. “Unless you are a priest of the religious order, you can never get it even if you pay ‘100 gold’ for one cigarette.”
“I’ll just taste it.”

I quickly received a cigarette.

“Is there even a fire?”
“You can smoke that much on your own.”
“I can’t use magic.”
“What? Ha…”

As Caroline put her finger to my mouth, her white flame ignited.
There was a heated debate among smokers on the continent about whether the taste of a cigarette changed depending on how it was lit.
Mercenaries who fought on the battlefield said that natural fire made with flint was the best, and some nobles claimed that blue flame, which was quite high among elemental magic, enhanced the taste of cigarettes.
I don’t know which one is the correct answer, but the cigarette Caroline gave me had a beautiful harmony of leaves and embers, giving my lungs a very delicious smoke.
With her head spinning, her mood improved and at the same time, her guard against him relaxed slightly.

“Thank you, but why is this?”
“… “If I don’t seduce you, the world will be destroyed.”
“What now?”
“Nothing. Rather, why are you looking for chickens at the market?”

Perhaps because he is from the blood clan brigade, even a simple word has a tone as if he is being interrogated.
Her eyes were also quite sharp, making her look like a strong woman.

“It’s no big deal. “The princess said she couldn’t eat.”
“Hmph, that’s funny. “You can’t complain about food in another country, especially in a country where if your identity is discovered, you’ll go to jail.”
“I can’t help it. “If it were a battlefield, they would eat up dead demons, but this is an academy.”
“War? “Did you participate in the Great War?”
“What… Any.”

We continued talking without stopping.
But surprisingly, when we talked, we found that we had something in common.

Because neither she nor I have lived her aristocratic life like the other students at her academy.
Caroline’s life when she was young, living in her alley, or working as an inquisitor under her cult, was quite similar to my life on the battlefield.
Although we cleverly told stories to each other, with her trying to avoid finding out that she was from the brigade and me trying to hide the fact that I was a warrior, a great sense of kinship blossomed.

“What, so you stabbed the visible foot in the heart to distinguish between doppelgängers?”
“It was like that back then. “Aren’t you still doing that now?”
“Stupid, Monarch found a preventive measure long ago. “It is a method that is rarely used now that the war is over because of its side effects.”
“What is that?”
“This is somewhat confidential… Well, it’s not that big of a deal. “Please listen.”

They have cool personalities and are similar in age, so it’s natural that they communicate well.
She did not like the religious order and the Holy Kingdom, but as a saint, she was branded a ‘good person’ by the Greeks in the first place, so she was not an object of much hostility.

“A doppelgänger copies the target’s memories, but is unaware of the brainwashing he received from outside. In particular, if the condition of ‘being released as soon as you look at the mirror’ is planted in your deep consciousness, the moment you are duplicated, you will already be different from the original… Ah.”

But in the middle of our conversation, Caroline suddenly jumped away from me.
As I was looking around to see what was going on, a fancy carriage coming from the opposite direction stopped.
The person who appeared in it was——

“Ssajang~!!”
“Oh, Chairman?”

Her usual shabby robe and cone-shaped hat that seemed to indicate a dormitory when placed on her head had gone, but Lehel appeared with a completely different appearance.
Even though she was wearing gold and silver treasures all over her body, her eyes were slightly blurry, and the source of the funds could be guessed just by looking at her.

“Did you win money?”
“Yes~! “This must be the city of dreams!”
“It’s a dream, but…”
“Ah, the saint is there too? Hello?”
“Yes. Hello.”

Unlike Lehel, who had a smile on her face, Caroline did not look very happy.
Rather, she was greeted a little awkwardly and avoided eye contact.

“If I win more money, I’ll go to the boss’s room to hang out! Grab a drink like in Sandalphonia! “Where is the address?”
“The Marriott Hotel Seodong across the street. But I’m busy so I might not have time…”
“Good for you! There’s a gambling house nearby where my old friends hang out. I’ll just visit once and if you’re not there, I’ll go do some gambling. Ah, but what are you doing with the saint?”
“It’s nothing special, we met on the way to the market. “The princess isn’t feeling well, so I’m going to buy her some food.”
“Ah, I think I understand. We’re talking amongst ourselves, but honestly speaking, the empire was ruined. After the emperor’s edict to put raisins in all bread, riots broke out all over the place. I also went down to the south for a while and ate almost nothing but rice…”

She was not sullen after losing all her money, but rather seemed happy, so naturally the conversation could not be longer.

“Do you think you two are close?”
“Yes! My boss and I decided to use a joint name! “Boss, do you want this gold necklace?”
“I do not need it.”
“… Really?”

Caroline dropped the remaining cigarette from her hand.
Her eyes fluttered and her shoulders slumped, as if her soul had escaped her.
She suddenly turned to her street corner and started babbling her strange words into the air.

— No, I didn’t say he was a married man! No matter how much I say I follow revelation…
— I thought it was just immature playing with fire, right? He’s not even a nobleman! Last time, that Rochoar kid said something that even I couldn’t understand.
— Shouldn’t a goddess make a revelation like this in the first place? Can’t I get my body back to its original state? You were caught on the street thirty times today!
— You don’t even have an answer? Ha, indeed. Let’s see when I get back to Farencia and pick up the Ouija Board. You know that it’s also a level 3 holy relic, right?
— And since I’ll take care of Sacreure’s business, please get rid of Reincarnation.
– I… We were talking first…

Hee hee!!

“Uh, uh—? The carriage moves as it pleases! Okay, boss, see you later!”

Suddenly her excited horse took off and Lehel disappeared into the distance, her back folded against her window.
And then Caroline tapped my shoulder again and asked from behind.

“What on earth did you just say?”