CH 57

. . . The reason of me being summoned to this other world.

If there is one.

But where I am now is the path I chose for myself.

I got a lot of information from Hurst-san, and I got help from Ryleigh-kun and Thruster-san.

I’m here because the laughing Ash-san and the Kei Bihei brothers are keeping my secret.

So, first of all, I’ll focus on what’s in front of me.

I’m sure I’ll see something new soon. . .

“So, I’m thinking of doing something about this hard bread.”

The fortress of the Northern Knights. There was a kitchen in the basement of the wooden building inside.

It’s bigger than I expected, to accommodate about 30 people, and unlike the upper floors, which are made of wood, the walls are made of stone.

Even though it was underground, it seemed to protrude a little above ground, and there were many windows near the ceiling to let in light.

There is a stove for firewood made of black cast iron. It looks like a stove, but it’s cast iron, not stone or cement, so it looks like a wood stove.

Five of them were lined up, each with a chimney sticking out, and near the ceiling, they were all gathered together.

There’s a wood-burning oven on the wall, and there is a large wooden workbench.

When I stepped into such a kitchen, in front of me there was bread bigger than both palms.

The hard bread I mentioned is this bread.

“As expected, the bread here is hard.”

“Yeah. I’m a little bored of it too.”

Hurst-san and Ryleigh-kun, who accompanied me to the kitchen, agreed with my words.

Ma-kun seemed to be unusual in the kitchen and was looking around restlessly from a distance.

In such a kitchen, I was asking about the meals of the Northern Knights.

“This bread has been served for about a week, but the bread always like this in the Northern Knights order?”

“Yes. Basically, we ask the nearest villages to procure food and have them delivered. We also ask the nearest bakery to deliver bread about once a week.”

“I see. Then it has to be bread that can be kept for a long time. So, this is the bread that I’m going to eat all the time.”

“It will be.”

Hurst-san explained politely.

“It’s not that this bread is bad. . .”

Saying that, I looked again at the big, round bread on the table.

This bread in front of me.

This is a country-style bread called Campagne.

It’s not made from pure white wheat that’s been refined, it’s got a little wheat germ in it. In addition, rye is sometimes added, so the contents were not white, but slightly brown.

Campagne has a strong flavor of wheat, and if you chew it, it has a solid taste.

It has a more sour taste than French bread because the yeast is strong, so it is resistant to mold.

Thanks to that, it can be kept for a long time, but some people may get bored if it is served every day.

When I came here a week ago, it was freshly baked, and everyone from the Northern Knights were reaching out for it.

I noticed from eating together in the cafeteria on the first floor that recently everyone was only drinking soup, and the number of people eating bread has decreased considerably.

“Vegetables were also mainly root vegetables for the past week.”

“Leafy vegetables don’t grow very well here. It’s said that it’s because there’s a forest of magical beasts nearby. The magic power that’s gathering will cause all but certain plants to die. So, I have them deliver root vegetables that can be harvested a little further away and have a long shelf life.”

I nodded as Hurst-san explained that much.

Then, Ryleigh-kun tilted his head.

“Maybe it’s because of the ingredients. This place has the same menu every day.”

“That’s right. Soup and bread. Cheese. And I think there was a lot of grilled meat.”

“I didn’t expect it to have all kinds of things like the royal palace, but even so, it doesn’t look good. I wish I could eat more.”

“Yeah.”

Yes. That’s it.

I nodded deeply at Ryleigh-kun’s words.

It’s not that the food here isn’t good.

However, there is an atmosphere that it’s okay as long as it’s edible.

I think it’s especially noticeable now that it’s been a week since the delivery.

Eat only to fill your stomach.

. . . It was similar to when I was just summoned here.

“I’ve been here since I was fourteen and I thought this kind of meal was natural.”

Hurst-san slowly spins his words.

In those calm words, I felt like I had found the reason for Hurst-san’s kindness.

. . . When I was shutting myself in my room, he gently snuggled up to me.

And when he found out I was eating lukewarm soup and hard bread, he got really angry.

. . . I’m sure it was because he knew the loneliness of the meal.

My chest tightened.

As I gently pressed my chest with a strange feeling, Hurst-san continued to speak in a low and calm voice.

“I ate a wide variety of dishes at the royal palace, and thought that if I had the ingredients, I might be able to make it in the Northern Knights. I thought that if I knew about about various dishes and ever came back here, I would tell it to the members. . . . And at that time, I ate Shina-sama’s cooking.”

The light blue eyes seemed somewhat nostalgic. . .

“Shina-sama’s cooking is always full of secrets. . . When I saw Shina-sama laughing happily and saying that it was a special thing, my heart jumped on it’s own.”

His eyes narrowed gently.

The light blue eyes melted.

“Because of your laugh. That’s why I came to like food so much.”

Because of those eyes, my chest was also squeezing again. . .

Hurst-san, whose eyes always shine brightly.

Those eyes always made me happy, and I thought I should make a lot of food.

He always ate my food with great interest and spoke a lot to me.

“. . . Everyone here is on good terms, and we eat together, so I don’t think it’s possible to have a meal that isn’t fun even if it’s the same menu every time. The meal duty is decided, and everyone rotates, so each of them knows how difficult it is, so there may be no complaints.”

Yes. New ingredients will be delivered tomorrow, so we can eat delicious food again.

So, it might be good to have the usual meal today.

“But, since you’re here, I hope you’ll be happy.”

Campagne is delicious as it is.

But I think the rice made with Campagne is also delicious. . .

“. . . If I can be of help here, I’m sure it will be useful for Shizuku-chan too.”

Of course, the position of a saint and an ordinary office worker is completely different.

But from the perspective of the people here, they are the same otherworldly people.

If I keep my feet planted here, when Shizuku-chan comes here, she might be able to stay comfortably without any strange conflicts.

Alright, I got fired up and looked at Hurst-san.

There are gentle light blue eyes.

“Then Shina-sama, please make a dish using bread. I told them that I will use kitchen duty for dinner today, and I think they will come soon. So, let’s leave the soup and meat dishes as they are.”

“Yes. Please.”

“I’ll help you too.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“. . . I can’t cook.”

“Ma-kun is going to cry while he peels the onions.”

“I won’t cry!! What’s more, don’t call me Ma-kun naturally again! . . . Come to think of it, you’ve been looking at me with those fluffy unfamiliar eyes from the captain’s room. . . Hey, you’ve been thinking about Ma-kun for a long time, haven’t you?!”

Ma-kun seems to have sensed something from my expression. . . Zezgard-san looked down and walked over to me.

So, I supported the large Campagne on the desk with my right hand and held the bread knife in my right hand.

“First, cut the upper part of the bread and hollow out the inside. Then the skin part becomes like a big vessel.”

“It’s true! It looks like a big wooden bowl.”

“I see. You’re going to make use of the hardness of the bread in reverse.”

“Yes.”

“Hey. Are you listening?! Are you listening to me?!”

There should be Campagne in front of me whose contents are being hollowed out, but suddenly Zezgard-san’s large body covered half of my vision.

So, I handed the bread knife I had in my right hand to Zezgard-san.

“Then I’ll leave this task to Zezgard-san.”

“Eh, ah.”

“There’s a lot of bread, so I think it will be difficult. . .”

“No, eh”

“If you’re worried about doing it alone, why don’t we do it together?”

“Who are you worried about!! I can do this by myself!!”

“Then, please.”

“. . . Oh”

Zezgard-san holding a bread knife.

For a while, huh? After making such a face, I spit it out.

Still, I took on of the nearby twenty Campagnes and started working.

“I see. Should I move Zez like this?”

“You said you can’t cook, but it’s well done.”

Hurst-san and Ryleigh-kun are looking at such Zezgard-san with eyes like they’re looking at something unusual.

“The cooking work itself is suitable for people who are dexterous with there hands. I thought that Zezgard-san, who can take the reins of a dragon and make subtle adjustments, would be good at this kind of work.”

Hey. Boys love to work.

“You!! You’re looking at me with unfamiliar eyes again!! Those eyes say you’re thinking about Ma-kun again!!”

Oh. As expected of Ma-kun. You know very well.

“Those eyes, those eyes!!”

Campagne is French country bread. Yes, that’s really the name. And as for Zezgard, maybe Shina has to call him that to remind herself of home. It makes me kind of sad to think about it that way. She and Shizuku lost everyone they cared about, but the people around Shizuku don’t seem to take that into consideration and didn’t even think that it might make her happy to be around someone from her own world that knows first hand what she’s going through.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!