While managing the shop with Eriko-chan, I still have a fair amount of time today, so I indulge in such casual conversations.
The work environment up until now has been a bit too busy at times, but whenever I mentioned it, improvements were made immediately, so I don’t think it was a bad working environment.
I’ve been told that we should work seriously every day, and I guess working here is the best option for us after all.
“Magirema-san is a good person, isn’t she?”
That environment has recently improved even further.
The reason for that is Magirema-san. She’s beautiful, but her lower body is like an octopus, with dog legs instead of octopus legs. She’s an amazing person.
She can cook any dish, and they’re all incredibly delicious.
We can use the cafeteria. That alone is something to be grateful for, but Magirema-san even prepares lunchboxes for us.
This is truly amazing.
After all, food is really important for humans… even though I’m a beastman now.
“Taste. Nutritional balance. Calorie calculation. …I kind of feel like I’m totally losing as a woman.”
“Well, she’s a professional, right?”
If I think about it, it’s not even shocking to lose to a top-tier chef. It would be ridiculous to be upset about it.
“If it’s Serika, don’t you think she could cook dishes like Magirema-san’s by using the options at each step of the cooking process?”
“Nah, that sounds tiring.”
And I can imagine that it would result in disastrous outcomes when my concentration runs out.
- Cook using the options → Mediocre results.
- Cook on your own → It’s edible, but not great.
- Give up → Recommended.
“That’s annoying! What’s so recommended about that!”
“Don’t say things like, ‘don’t do pointless things!'”
“What’s wrong? Gripping your chopsticks like that?”
“The options are cheeky!”
“You two seem close.”
You just called them cheeky, though!?
Well, I guess I can’t beat someone who specializes in cooking, no matter how many things I can do.
Maybe there’s someone who received cooking blessings from the goddess, like a reincarnated person.
“Speaking of Magirema-san—”
Eriko-chan says, as if remembering.
“She’s part of the Demon Lord’s army and a demon too, so I wonder if she can fight?”
“Wait, how was it in the game?”
“That game. Sometimes you can avoid fighting, but sometimes it forces you into battles for no reason. Managing the flags is a huge pain.”
I’m not entirely sure, but I guess there are times when you fight Magirema-san and times when you don’t.
“When it was my turn, I didn’t end up fighting her, so I don’t really know.”
“But doesn’t she look strong? Like, she has a bunch of legs and she’s a dog.”
“Yeah, the number of attacks alone is terrifying… Like Pilkaya-san or Rigma-san…”
She was strong in the game too, huh…
As we were having this aimless conversation, I felt like someone was walking in.
Looks like a customer has arrived.
“Are you open?”
“Yes, yes, we’re open~!”
The customer is a beastman man who has visited us a few times before. He’s someone who doesn’t cause any trouble, so after smoothly finishing the interaction, he seemed to be eyeing our lunchboxes.
“…That looks delicious.”
“It’s delicious~. It’s a top-tier chef’s special bento.”
“Can I buy that here?”
“Huh? Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.”
“If you start selling it, let me know.”
After saying that, the beastman man leaves.
Ah, I see. Magirema-san’s food is delicious after all.
Now that I think about it, it’s definitely the kind of thing that could be sold.
“Should we ask Rei-san about it?”
“Yeah, once the other staff comes back from their lunch break, we’ll go tell her.”
◇
“The problem is Magirema’s workload.”
“It’s fine~. Actually, she has more free time than she used to.”
“I see…”
Making bento sounds difficult, but as expected of Fiona-sama’s skilled cook, she handles it effortlessly.
“So, what do you think, Fiona-sama? Should we sell Magirema’s bento in the store?”
“Well, it’s delicious. Magirema’s cooking.”
From a business perspective, this demon is already thinking about dinner. At least she didn’t let her stomach growl, so I’ll let it slide…
Since Fiona-sama is like this, I decided to ask Primilla for her opinion, as usual.
As a result, we decided to test the bento plan with a limited quantity for now.
“I can make more, you know~.”
“Let’s observe how well it sells and adjust the amount accordingly.”
…Maybe Primilla should just become the Demon Lord already?
If I say that, Fiona-sama might cry, so I’ll keep that thought to myself.
Fiona-sama, unaware of my thoughts, seemed to be looking forward to dinner.
◇
“Did you hear, Kunimatsu-dono?”
“What’s going on, Captain?”
After finishing my leveling session and heading back, the familiar Captain spoke to me.
He’s a reliable figure who often provides useful information, making him someone I can count on.
“I heard that the renowned bento, said to be exquisite, is now being sold at the dungeon town’s shop.”
“Bento…?”
Well, that makes sense. When I visited there before, there were street food stalls and light snack shops where you could sit down. It wouldn’t be strange for the shops to start selling bento, too, trying to keep up with the others.
“Apparently, it’s so popular that it sells out within an hour of going on sale.”
“That’s impressive… It must be really good, huh?”
Depending on the quantity, it might be reasonable, but the way it’s described makes it seem like a substantial amount sells out immediately.
That town, or rather, that dungeon, must be developing day by day… It makes sense that people with cooking skills, like the one in question, are getting involved.
“Sounds like there might be a timed event or some limited-time items up for grabs…”
That dungeon doesn’t exist in the game.
So, I’m also unfamiliar with the developed dungeon town.
But seeing it grow so quickly makes me think in game terms—maybe there are hidden items or special rewards.
Should I consult with Gino and dive back in?
“Kunimatsu-dono.”
Ah, I got lost in thought.
Reacting to the Captain’s words, he continues in a quiet tone, as if advising me.
“I wouldn’t recommend heading there right now.”
“Why’s that? The exploration has progressed, and outside of the deep layers, it should be relatively safe.”
“Well… That’s why Prince Gerumi is planning to directly challenge it with his guards.”
“Prince…?”
Prince Gerumi.
He’s the second prince of the kingdom and a named character who often appears in the game.
To sum him up in one word, he’s an unremarkable Ido.
Or maybe it’s better to say, he’s an unappealing Ido.
His personality is arrogant, short-tempered, and hasty, but he’s not foolish enough to overlook the difference in abilities.
Perhaps that’s why he appeared as an unusually high-level NPC in the game.
Maybe he was the type to work hard at his craft.
But with a bad personality, he was an unpopular character.
This game is known for its high degree of freedom, which was one of its selling points, but sometimes in the human route, events like Gerumi’s deployment would occur, restricting the player’s actions.
He was called a man who ruined the game’s selling points, and players disliked him for it…
Now, it’s happening in real life.
Well, whatever. It’s not like I desperately want to go there—I just thought it would be interesting to check it out again.
But since I’m being stopped, I’ll just take it as a sign that it wasn’t meant to be.
To be honest, I want to recruit the dwarf Karl, since he’s a skilled magic stone craftsman.
But unlike Ruf, he doesn’t like combat, so if I happen to go to the Dwarf Kingdom next time, I’ll look for him then.
“Thanks for letting me know. For now, I’ll focus on leveling up somewhere else… or training.”
The Captain visibly relaxed, looking relieved.
If Gerumi and I had clashed, he would’ve been forced to take the opposite side due to his position, so it’s probably a relief for him that nothing like that happened.
◆
“Move, that’s the dungeon I was aiming for.”
“Hero? Are you more important than royalty?”
“Tch, you’re just a beast. Looks like your training is lacking.”
“Isn’t that annoying!?”
“This guy is such an annoying character…”
“Even with Ido, his consistency with that attitude is impressive…”
“Rick-kun, who’s calming down Ido, is the real deal…”
Prince Gerumi, the second prince.
He’s an unfortunate prince, disliked by both the in-game characters and players, and ranks low in popularity alongside Ido.
