Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Master’s Cooking Skill

Krectar was dead.

There was no particular reward to collect from him.

Those who caught demons would carve off their horns to prove their accomplishments, but I belonged nowhere, so there was no need for that.

If I pretended to belong somewhere... it would be troublesome if no institution came to dispose of the demon corpse.

In the end, all I obtained was experience.

My level rose by two, reaching level 35.

Since the level difference had not been as large as with the lich... it did not feel as if I had risen all that much.

I spent all the remaining skill points.

Since there would be no major fights for a while, I thought Rebellion Against Heaven was enough at this level, so I spent the points on two skills that could be considered useful even normally.

Acupuncture went from level 3 to level 5, and Keen Senses went from level 7 to level 10.

If possible, neat numbers are better, are they not?

In the case of the Acupuncture skill, perhaps because it was related not to combat but treatment, the amount of knowledge that could be gained per point was large.

Level 5 was the skill level required to treat Antony’s daughter, Emilia.

There was progress with Keen Senses as well.

Now, if I focused on hearing, I could hear people’s heartbeats even from far away.

...If I did it well, I might even be able to distinguish them.

These superhuman senses would be useful going forward as well.

If there was one remaining problem, it was when Eisel would notice that Krectar had died.

If she learned this fact, she would sense that things were turning strange.

Krectar had to die.

It was not as if I could wait for Eisel to deal with him.

So there was no helping it.

It was better to take care of him in advance.

In the end, things had to happen, and I could not stand still in place.

Although I had wandered outside the academy quite a bit recently, Varsium had not shown even the tip of his nose.

“Does a guy who did not appear in the game not appear here either...?”

I could not be certain, but for now, that seemed like the more likely possibility.

I did not think I needed to go searching for him just because he did not appear. For now, he had to be considered an unknown enemy whose attacks I did not know.

In any case, having returned to the academy again, I was taking a “rest” as I had promised Sierra.

Since it was the weekend, I decided to rest properly in the dormitory.

For breakfast, I had bought chicken soup from “Cranber Soup” and was eating it.

“...Mm.”

[ What is it? That soup used to go down just fine... Did it suddenly no longer suit your taste? ]

When I let out a hum while spooning soup, Sierra asked me that.

“I cannot taste it very well.”

After hearing my answer, Sierra clicked her tongue and opened her mouth.

[...You have eaten so many vile elixirs that I think your tongue may have gone strange. ]

Sierra, who had been touching her lips with a finger, raised her brows.

Should this be considered a side effect of elixirs too?

Soon, Sierra, who had been rolling her purple eyes and thinking deeply, let out a meaningful laugh.

What was she about to say now?

[ Huhu... This will not do. It seems the time has come to show off my cooking skill. ]

At Sierra’s following words, I stopped the spoon holding soup.

“Cooking...?”

A question came to me.

“...How will you cook, Master?”

After all, as Sierra could be considered a spirit, forget cooking—the ingredients themselves would not even touch her hands.

At that, Sierra narrowed her eyes, raised a finger, and tapped my body.

[ There is a way....You have a body, do you not? ]

Sierra was saying she would use my body.

I understood what she meant.

Sierra could not do something like possession, so it probably was not that... and an animated film about a rat controlling a person’s body to cook came to mind.

“Haha, I have no talent for cooking... I think it will be uncomfortable for both you and me, Master.”

[ It is fine. My cooking skill is excellent, so trust me and leave it to me. ]

In the end, after finishing the soup, I went out with Sierra to buy ingredients needed for cooking.

She did not tell me what she was going to make.

She said she would tell me once the dish was complete.

At the market inside the academy, we bought all kinds of vegetables, Eastern spices, and one long fish.

It did look like an eel... but it was a little more grotesque than an eel.

They said it was a fish that could only be found in the East, and the merchant explaining it to me patted my shoulder while saying, “This is incredibly good for men.”

I remembered that in the game too, food made with this thing had fairly high stamina recovery values.

It was expensive by that much.

[ S-so it had that effect as well... I had heard it was good for stamina, but... ]

...It seemed even Sierra had not known it was “good for men.”

After buying the ingredients like that, we returned to the dormitory.

When I placed the ingredients in one corner of the kitchen, Sierra stepped forward, saying she would cook.

Sierra quietly approached from behind me.

Soon, she was in a posture of hugging me from behind.

“...Master?”

[ Now, like this, I too can cook. ]

At my fluster, Sierra soothed me with her gentle voice, but that was not why I was uncomfortable.

Her chest was pressed completely against my back.

Since I had already spent skill points on Keen Senses, I could feel her chest touching my back far too clearly.

“Focus on cooking.”

If I focused on something else, it would be fine.

Soon, Sierra placed her face on my shoulder and took hold of each of my arms with both hands.

First was preparing the ingredients.

Sierra brought my hand to the kitchen knife and told me to pick up the knife, so I immediately picked it up.

Soon, Sierra burst into laughter.

[ Pfft... Seeing you hold a kitchen knife as if gripping a sword, it seems my disciple truly is not used to cooking. ]

I had not had many occasions to cook.

I had always been more used to buying food.

Next began the preparation of the vegetables.

However, no matter how used to cooking Sierra was, in this state, it could not be helped that both she and I were uncomfortable.

The vegetables looked a little rough.

[ I thought my disciple had nimble hands... ]

Sierra muttered that as she examined the vegetables, then moved my arm and picked up the fish.

By nimble hands, did she mean how I maintained my sword?

A thought briefly crossed my mind that since Sierra was treating me to cooking, perhaps I should maintain “Sierra” for her too.

More importantly, because Sierra, who was trying to prepare the fish, stretched her arms out to hold my arms from a little closer, her chest against my back was becoming terribly soft.

At this point, it was practically being pressed flat.

Then...

“...”

...because my concentration wavered, my finger ended up cut by the kitchen knife.

A small drop of blood seeped from my sliced index finger.

[ D-Disciple, are you all right? ]

“I am fine. I lost focus for a moment.”

I answered Sierra’s worried voice with a smile.

She immediately moved my left arm, where the injured finger was.

Naturally, my finger moved toward her face.

Soon, my index finger, from which a drop of blood had emerged, entered Sierra’s mouth.

“Uh...”

A startled sound left me, and Sierra, holding my finger in her mouth, opened hers.

[ This is no different from “treatment”... ]

Sierra, with a blush on both cheeks, left those words and began sucking my finger.

The sound of her sucking my finger rang in my head.

Through my finger, I could feel how soft Sierra’s tongue was... how it moved, and how hot the heat inside her mouth was.

“...”

It was terribly stimulating.

It was at least fortunate that, in this state, Sierra could not set her eyes on my lower body.

Did blood taste good to her?

Sierra was sucking my finger as if it were delicious.

It seemed highly likely this was an effect of the cursed blade made from vampiric iron.

Soon, my finger left Sierra’s mouth.

Her thick saliva stretched in a long thread from her lips to my finger.

[ It seems the bleeding has stopped somewhat. ]

For some reason, a little regret colored Sierra’s voice.

Fascinatingly, the wound really had healed, and the bleeding had stopped.

Whether it was her ability or simply because it was a small wound, I could not tell.

Soon, after discovering the saliva stretching there, Sierra licked my finger to finish it off.

“...Ahem. Let us continue cooking.”

I cleared my throat and picked up the knife, trying to refresh the suggestive atmosphere as I spoke.

Once again, Sierra took hold of both my arms and moved them, and cooking continued.

I tried to focus as much as possible so my fingers would not be cut.

The fish preparation ended safely like that, and afterward, there was no particular need to hold a knife.

The process of grilling the fish and stir-frying the vegetables followed.

As spices were sprinkled in the middle, a delicious smell began rising.

At last, the dish was complete.

[ It is something I often made for myself. I do not know whether it will suit my disciple’s palate, but I can be proud of the taste...! ]

While I transferred the food to a dish following her hands, Sierra spoke in an excited voice.

Sierra certainly seemed confident in her cooking.

Although the appearance was a little... rough, the smell at least was good.

But there was a spicy smell.

It seemed the spices sprinkled in the middle produced heat.

I had no confidence with spicy food.

“I had trouble even eating spicy curry, and now spicy fish, huh...”

Why did people like spicy food so much?

Thinking that, I set the dish on the table.

Then I brought cutlery and sat down.

Sierra quietly watched me from beside me, full of expectation about what my reaction would be.

I pierced a piece of fish, boned for easy eating, and the vegetables beside it with my fork.

Then I put it into my mouth.

[ How is my cooking skill...?! ]

I chewed the food thoroughly, swallowed, and opened my mouth to answer her.

“...It is delicious.”

Unlike the smell, it was not that spicy.

Just pleasantly spicy enough.

Perhaps because it was a dish filled with Sierra’s care, it felt even more delicious.

The food disappeared quickly.

It was a meal of quality I would not have minded paying for.

[ Huhu, to think you would eat it so quickly... It seems I have restored my disciple’s lost sense of taste. How proud I am. ]

Watching me finish the food, Sierra smiled with both hands gathered and said that.

“Thank you for the meal, Master.”

[ If you wish, I shall make it for you again anytime. Though next time, I think it would be better if I cook from the front....Being behind you, my hands do not reach well. ]

Sierra said this while touching her lips.

I pictured Sierra standing in front of me and cooking.

...There was a high chance something extremely embarrassing would happen.

“...That does sound right.”

Even so, I could not refuse when she was cooking for me out of goodwill, so I nodded and answered like that before rising and cleaning up the dishes.

“It feels as if I have been in the room all day. How about going out for a short walk?”

After cleaning up the dishes, I approached Sierra and suggested a walk.

There was nothing more to do in the room now.

Because I had always been roaming here and there, remaining still instead made me uneasy.

[ Since this is a rare rest, how about going alone? I think, at times, one needs time alone... ]

Sierra was being considerate of me.

From my perspective, having her beside me had only ever been enjoyable, never a hindrance, but when she spoke that way, it was hard to refuse.

“Then... I will step out for a bit. When I come back, I should perform maintenance for you in return for the cooking.”

[ Th-that sort of thing is fine. Not even a speck of rust has touched the cursed blade...! Hurry and go...! ]

At my answer, spoken with a smile, Sierra finally retreated from me, wrapped her arms around herself, and shrank back.

I smiled at Sierra like that, put on my coat, and left the room.

“It has been a while since I went out alone.”

***

Krectar’s sudden death.

Its connection to Zeto, the only variable in my regression.

My head felt as if it might burst from how complicated everything was, so I had to organize my thoughts.

I came to a small flower garden inside the academy.

It was the place Zeto from the previous round had brought me.

I did not know why this flower garden existed or who had arranged it... but it was not a popular place among hot-blooded students, so the area around it was always fairly quiet.

I was still curious.

Why had he, who could not even see flowers, brought me to this garden?

Simply because the scent was nice?

For that, Zeto had seemed not to know much about flowers.

Even so, he had brought me here.

As if he had known that I liked flowers.

At that time, I had been on the verge of collapse.

Giving up.

That was what I had been thinking.

...Looking back now, perhaps I had merely wanted to act spoiled with Zeto.

Because at some point, he had understood the existence called me.

Zeto had held my hand so that I would not give up.

Right here, in this place.

In this beautiful flower garden, when I had been looking not at flowers, but only at the ground, and my melancholy kept deepening...

I sensed someone approaching the garden.

But just from the sound of those footsteps... I felt as though I knew who it was.

Soon, he found me, and his voice came.

“Miss Eisel?”

Zeto, who had poked his head into the garden, called me.

My head had already been complicated with thoughts of Zeto, but when I saw his face, my mind rapidly went blank.

“This is... a flower garden, is it? It seems there are many flowers.”

Zeto approached me as he smelled the fragrance around him and spoke.

Was this his first time setting foot in this flower garden at this point?

I was not answering him at all, but after coming closer, he calmly continued speaking.

“Come to think of it, you were sitting in front of a flower bed last time too, were you not? Miss Eisel, do you perhaps like flowers?”

His sweet voice echoed softly through the flower garden filled with fragrance.

I stared at him for a long moment, then answered.

“...I do. Very much.”