Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: Chapter 8. Crossing the Desert.
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Cellyon lowered her head to look at her stomach, where a gurgling sound was coming from. Hunger—it was a concept she hadn’t thought about or experienced in an incredibly long time. And she remembered that she hadn’t eaten anything for quite a while.
She had spent countless periods of that same length repeating the cycle, filling her time with sorrow and screams, so she had completely forgotten about the idea of eating.
Grrrrumble!
At the sound that came without any shame, Cellyon’s face flushed red. Just as she was about to apologize, what was offered to her was a soft-looking piece of bread. Something was stuffed generously between two slices.
“Eat.”
Eat this too. That one as well. Oh, you should eat this one. Judah pulled out plenty from his <Bag> without holding back. So much food was laid out in an instant that he wondered if it would all fit in her small stomach. He even prepared something to drink beside it so she wouldn’t get indigestion.
“Huh?”
“There’s plenty of time, so eat slowly and as much as you want.”
The sun had already risen, making it an ambiguous time to sleep more. There was no need to wake the still-sleeping companions early. They’d be tired, and there was no reason to rush, so it seemed best to let them rest a bit more generously. Judah watched Cellyon quietly.
At first, under Judah’s gaze, she hesitated, wondering if it was okay to eat, said there was too much for her alone, and suggested sharing. But Judah waved it off. He had eaten a ton last night, so his stomach was still full. And she undoubtedly had a massive appetite too.
Judah’s prediction was spot on.
She reluctantly took a bite of the sandwich in her hand, then soon started devouring it voraciously. For her, this meal was something she hadn’t had in a hundred years, so it was no wonder she lost all reason and stuffed herself.
“Th-this is delicious! It doesn’t even taste like the food the imperial chefs made...?”
Comparing food from a hundred years ago to now might be quite rude. Unlike back then, this era overflowed with appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, or gas stoves powered by magic stones from demons that had crossed over from the demon realm.
Trade had developed too, so spices and local specialties flowed relatively freely unless roads were blocked by war. And above all, thanks to the game-like setting, there were many dishes that could only be seen in the modern world.
The food vanished in the blink of an eye. Once she started, it seemed to go down smoothly, as Cellyon ate like a big eater.
But a queen was still a queen. Even as she ate quickly, she did so with remarkable neatness and grace. There were no forks or knives elegantly slicing meat, but with her long nails at her fingertips, she lightly cut thick pieces of meat, skewered them, and put them in her mouth.
Watching her swallow after just a few chews, time flew by. Seeing her say it was delicious and actually enjoy it made him feel oddly proud. After about an hour, her meal ended, and her stomach protruded noticeably. As she let out a satisfied exhale, he gathered the empty dishes, and she tried to help.
“No, rest. I have to clean that up anyway.”
But even as he said that, she kept trying to help, so Judah warned her that he’d scold her if she didn’t listen. How do you scold the queen of beastkin? Yet she took it seriously and finally sat back down with a sulky look.
Even after he cleared the empty dishes and returned to where the companions slept, it was the same. She sat inside the tent, watching quietly as Judah cleared the bowls and bottles.
The companions must have been really exhausted, as they didn’t wake even after he finished cleaning. Lime was snoring again. But not as loudly as before—just moderately, so he didn’t plug his nose this time.
Looking toward the tent, he saw Cellyon nodding off, sleepy now that her stomach was full.
“If you’re sleepy, sleep.”
As he went to the tent and told her, Cellyon’s eyes snapped open.
“Ah, no. I’m not sleepy.”
“You should sleep plenty. Lie down before I get mad.”
Urged by Judah, Cellyon reluctantly lay down inside the tent.
“Together... Can’t I sleep with you?”
At the childlike request, Judah glanced back. Arhil, Iris, and Lime didn’t seem like they’d wake until the sun was high in the sky. Cellyon lay there, sending him a wordless look.
“Fine. It’ll only be a short nap, but sure, I’ll sleep too.”
He hadn’t planned to, but there was nothing to do while awake anyway. Judah entered the tent and lay down. As the two took up the space meant for three, they fell asleep right away.
Judah’s party slept straight through until the sun was high, just like travelers who played excitedly on the first day of a trip and couldn’t get up the next morning from exhaustion.
Some woke midway, glanced around, saw nothing amiss, and went back to sleep. They slept like maniacs, as if making up for all the rest they’d missed, until Judah woke them in the afternoon.
The dragonkin had vanished somewhere since dawn. His stomach must have been empty, so he’d probably gone hunting on his own. He’d return after a suitable time.
Anyway, the woken companions just lay there groaning like zombies—ughhh, ughhhh.
“Haaahhh. It feels too good.”
Arhil stretched with a drawn-out yawn. But at Judah’s urging, he slowly sat up. Lime sat holding his forehead, his head pounding.
“Elven liquor is truly vicious.”
Judah chuckled at Lime’s words. Compared to what Iris and he drank, it was nothing. Calling it vicious after just one bottle. The ones who should feel the hangover were Judah and Iris. But chugging a whole bottle must have been tough for Arhil too. Before boiling hangover soup for them, Judah first introduced Cellyon. He revealed her identity as Esther Cellyon and told her story, leaving them stunned.
“Oh my god. The queen? Wow, I had no idea you were someone of such high status.”
“Wow. My goodness. To think the beastkin empire fell because of a single fragment.”
“…….”
Iris showed no particular reaction, just nodding as she listened. Judah told Lime to rest and boiled hangover soup with bean sprouts and chili powder. He asked for magic to cool the hot broth perfectly and served it. He was about to pull out rice and sides, but no one wanted anything else, so they made do with just the soup for the meal.
After sipping the refreshing broth, they let out deep, uncle-like sighs of relief—ahhh. Cellyon just chewed her bean sprouts quietly.
-It’s refreshing. The taste is different from what I had as a kid... Can I have another bowl?
Iris, liking it, wrote on her notepad and showed it. Come to think of it, she was from Baekje. Even with the name Iris, her full name was Wolya Iris, so it wasn’t strange that she’d eaten this soup as a child. He’d made plenty, so she could have more. As he ladled her another bowl, Judah looked at Lime, who was gulping down the cold bean sprout soup, something occurring to him.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Oh, no reason. Our contract ends once we’re out of the desert, right?”
Lime nodded.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. ...It’s already been that long.”
“I’ll give you your pay now.”
“If it’s upfront, that’s fine by me.”
With a subspace, it wouldn’t be heavy to carry. Judah immediately pulled one of the gold pouches he’d earned at Uruun’s casino from his <Bag> and handed it to him. Taking the heavy pouch, Lime was startled and opened it. It was filled with gleaming gold coins.
“This is way more than I expected.”
“You risked your life several times, so think of it as compensation. You could’ve stayed comfortably at the Magic Tower, but you went through a lot.”
He’d never know it, but he’d already died twice. With that apology in mind, Judah gave much more than originally planned. It wasn’t enough, but Lime would be satisfied. Lime grinned and stored the pouch in his subspace.
“Well, I won’t refuse what’s given, so thank you. The more, the better. Haha!”
Lime seemed pleased.
“So, where are you headed now?”
“Reillysa.”
“...Pardon?”
Lime’s beaming face froze instantly. For a moment, he doubted his ears. Judah smiled and repeated it for him.
“Reillysa. We’re going to the beastkin kingdom.”
“A-are you insane? The beastkin hate humans... Ah.”
Wait—come to think of it, the queen those beastkin serve was right there. Lime’s gaze turned to Esther Cellyon.
People said the beastkin empire had fallen long ago, but survivors and other races had gathered to continue its legacy in a kingdom beside the Dragon Valley.
That was the Kingdom of Reillysa.
The last place on this land where beastkin gathered.
And though not as much as before, they still hostile toward humans, not even accepting adventurers. Entry was allowed for beastkin or other demihumans, but forbidden to humans.
But with Esther Cellyon, it changed everything. Strictly speaking, Judah’s party were her benefactors, and if the beastkin recognized their queen, they’d be treated well and could roam the country. Lime stroked his chin. Curiosity bubbled up.
“Employer.”
“Yes?”
Lime, who’d never called him that before, did so now, drawing a hollow laugh from Judah.
“Can I go to Reillysa with you too?”
“Of course. There’s a Magic Tower in the beastkin kingdom, so we can part ways after stopping there.”
Lime didn’t mention he had a scroll to return to the Magic Tower anytime. He was simply thrilled at the chance to visit the beastkin kingdom, known only through tales from beastkin and demihumans.