That's Not the Problem

The Royal Capital was a massive thoroughfare leading out of the kingdom and the city.

Because it was a place frequently traveled by royalty and nobles, there was a grand thoroughfare for large carriages, but when not in use, it often turned into a massive marketplace.

The marketplace connected to the massive thoroughfare, where most people gathered, was a place where many things were bought and sold, but what truly stood out were the restaurants.

If one ventured a little deeper, shops selling daily necessities would appear, and even further in, one could often find things that weren't commonly sold.

By design, the market typically opened early in the morning for adventurers and closed early in the evening.

Only some restaurants and weapon shops operated continuously from morning until night.

In the game, it was said that one could only visit one or two places, but from the moment Kylon and I entered the game, it seemed we could look around various places without such restrictions.

So, the place we entered was a shop in an alley connected to the Royal Capital's main street.

Kylon had taken off his armor and was moving around in comfortable clothes, but since I was wearing a nun's habit, I decided it would be better to move around in a less conspicuous place, which was why I chose a secluded spot.

The main dishes sold here were bread and soup, but they also sold other items.

Pieces of bread, shaped as if a baguette had been sliced, and a rich-smelling soup, seemingly made with a smooth roux, were placed on the table.

And then, the menu I had chosen, which was not one of the main dishes, appeared.

It was a set menu with cube steak and salad.

As someone who liked both meat and vegetables, this appealed to me more, so I carefully picked up my fork.

Then, I saw Kylon's expression, sitting across from me, subtly change.

He had picked up his fork, but a question seemed to linger, and soon his lips began to move slightly.

"...But why isn't steak ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a main dish here?"

I agreed with that, but aren't there sometimes places like that?

Like places that mainly sell vegetables or noodles, but to avoid falling behind the shop next door, they also sell meat, which people generally like, as a bonus.

"Indeed."

Since there were many eyes watching, I carefully opened my mouth to reply, then picked up a piece of cube steak with my fork and brought it to my mouth.

It felt tender yet chewy.

But the taste was just so-so, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I just chewed it in my mouth.

This wasn't the taste I had expected.

Since coming to this world, all I had eaten was the food at the Nunnery Training Center or meals like this, but it tasted equally bland, causing my glabellum to furrow involuntarily.

The taste was so faint that I wondered, 'They sell this in a restaurant?'

I had wanted a strong salty or sweet taste, but I couldn't hide my disappointment with food that failed to satisfy my palate.

I could feel the texture, but the taste was so faint that it ended up being a meal purely for the sensation of chewing.

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of cutlery clattering could be heard, but I couldn't move so busily.

It wasn't some old-fashioned talk about not losing the modesty of a Saintess or a nun; my hands were just moving slowly because the taste wasn't very good.

However, I realized that Kylon, sitting in front of me, was strangely moving his hands busily.

He picked up the bread with his hand, tore it into bite-sized pieces, then dipped it deeply into the soup and deliciously put it into his mouth.

And after chewing and swallowing, Kylon picked up his spoon, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scooped up some soup, put it in his mouth, swallowed, and then nodded.

"Oh, it's delicious. I can see why soup is the main dish."

As he exclaimed in admiration, his hand put down the spoon, picked up the fork, speared a steak, put it in his mouth, chewed, and then swallowed.

And unlike me, who had mostly only felt the texture of the meat, he made a delicious expression and began to chew the accompanying roasted vegetables.

As his stomach gradually filled, I finally felt his gaze turn towards me.

"...Why aren't you eating, Saintess-nim?"

"It doesn't seem to suit my taste."

I smiled bitterly at his question and replied carefully.

Then, he furrowed his glabellum as if it were strange, put soup into his mouth again, and chewed carefully.

But even after doing so, he couldn't find the reason, and he stared intently at the soup and steak as if muttering to himself.

"That's strange, it's really delicious... Are our tastes that different?"

I couldn't quite understand the reason either.

I wondered if my sense of taste had dulled due to trauma, but it was the same even at the Nunnery Training Center, so that didn't seem to be the case.

After groaning, I gently put down the fork I was holding and picked up the bread.

The 'no taste' didn't mean it was truly bad, but rather that the aroma and flavor were so faint that I couldn't properly perceive anything beyond the texture. So, thinking I could just eat the bread, I carefully tore off a piece and put it in my mouth.

Although I could fill my stomach with other things, I thought it would be better to just eat this plain bread, so I put a piece in my stomach and finished my meal.

And only after Kylon, who had been busily moving his hands in front of me, finished his meal, could we leave the restaurant.

*

"But I think we should still go see the King once."

Kylon, who was walking through the Royal Capital's alley after finishing his meal, suddenly said that.

Reacting to the word 'King' in his statement, I was startled and looked at him with wide eyes.

"...Why?"

"Still, I brought you here, and I can't keep having them call for guards. I should just declare that I'm taking you and then leave."

"Ah, I see."

Hearing that, the anxiety that was about to flare up again subsided, and feeling like I had been spared a decade of life, I immediately let out a sigh of relief.

As I slumped my shoulders, Kylon's lips moved, perhaps noticing it again.

"...It's okay. I'm not going to leave you behind."

"Yeah, thanks."

I wondered if he said that to reassure me, but it was hard to tell.

Still, the fact that he said it made me feel good, so I could raise the corners of my mouth.

I was also grateful that he reassured me.

After walking for a long time, the place we arrived at was the Holy Kingdom's Magic Research Institute.

I followed Kylon without a word when he said Flora was there, but the thought of actually seeing Flora wasn't entirely welcome.

What if she's a Possessor like Kylon or me?

Thinking that nothing could be more terrible, I cautiously looked at Kylon.

"Hey, what if she's a Possessor? What if she's a man like me?"

"It's fine, you're hot enough."

"What kind of crazy talk is that...."

As I was moving my mouth with a serious expression at Kylon's irrelevant remark, I was also surprised and looked around.

If this ruins my image, wouldn't Kylon's nonsense, which made me curse, be the cause?

As I groaned, making such a sound, Kylon's words continued.

"...Well, if she's a man, it'd be a bit crappy, but if she's a woman, she's welcome. Anyway, Flora is a character who gets conquered with hypnosis tools whether she likes it or not, so I guess it doesn't matter either way."

"You're a brute through and through."

"Considering you were going to play this game too, everyone's the same, aren't they?"

Hearing that, there wasn't much I could say in response.

As I muttered with a contemptuous expression, Kylon shrugged as if to say 'it's the same for both of us' and returned the words right back to me.

Smiling bitterly at his words, I let out a sigh and looked intently at the large research institute standing there.

It wasn't built lavishly, but at the name of the building, which seemed to announce that something important lay within its plainness, I made a serious expression and looked up at it.

As I stared intently, Kylon patted my shoulder, urging me to move.

"Let's go. This isn't a Magic Tower, so we can enter."

"Ah, okay."

At his words, I collected myself, nodded, and followed him.

As I entered the building and looked around, a lavish interior, unlike the building's exterior, greeted me.

As I slowly stepped on the beautifully white-tiled floor and moved forward, all the staff inside seemed to recognize the Hero's face and quickly let us pass.

Indeed, do most people know the Hero's face by now?

More importantly, how much time had passed since I was tortured?

Thinking that, I furrowed my glabellum, but soon collected myself ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and moved forward again.

After how long had my heels been clicking, we stood before the door of the place we arrived at, guided by a staff member.

Creak, the door opened, revealing short pink hair that reached only to her shoulders, and pink eyes.

My eyes widened at her very pink appearance, and below that, her attire came into view.

The purple cloak wrapped around her body, and the elaborate cape covering it once more, were impressive. At the same time, the large pointed hat she wore and the red orb on the staff in her hand captivated my gaze.

Putting aside my pounding heart, this was the moment to confirm whether she was a Possessor, or just a typical game heroine.

The moment we faced Flora, Kylon's mouth moved first.

"Are you, by any chance, Mage Flora-nim?"

"No? I'm not a regular mage, but the Supreme Mage Flora."

And with that one line, I could tell she wasn't an ordinary person.

If a Possessor said that with a clear mind, they would surely be crazy, but it would be much more comfortable to leave what happens next to Kylon, who has actually played the game.

Because I couldn't distinguish her based on in-game scripts.

"Could you please say that again?"

"Haha... Yes, are you the Supreme Mage Flora-nim?"

"Hmm, that's right. You're Hero Kylon-nim, aren't you? I've heard a lot about you. You sought me out because you're terrible at magic, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well—if Hero-nim's knowledge of magic is that shallow, there's no reason I can't help you~"

Flora's voice, as she slyly and absurdly easily declared herself an ally, seemed full of composure.

More than that, I hadn't realized it from the illustrations, but her way of speaking was surprisingly annoying.

My head is already throbbing.

Barely holding onto my dizzying mind, I did my best to suppress my emotions to avoid showing them.

As I endured for a long time, Flora's voice soon reached my ears.

"Ah... I have something I was researching, so could you please wait outside for a moment?"

"Ah, I understand."

Disoriented by the sudden declaration of alliance and then the equally sudden dismissal, I walked out into the hallway again, as if being chased, following Kylon's voice.

And at the same time, I checked that no one was around and whispered.

"No way, was she always such a rude brat?"

"Rude brat? More importantly, she doesn't seem to be a Possessor; she's exactly like the script."

"That's not the problem, she's a rude brat...! To have someone like that as an ally..."

"Don't you know Mesugaki? It's that concept where they're a bit annoying but turn into a Heojeop when you fuck them."

Ugh, what kind of Mesugaki nonsense is that.

I'm seriously going crazy.

As it was, I was already feeling dizzy from hearing such bewildering lines right from our first encounter, and Kylon was looking at it and letting his lips dance with delight, making me feel like I was the crazy one, almost losing my mind.

Because it's normal for a sane person to become crazy when surrounded only by crazy people.

Looking at Kylon's face, who was excitedly snorting about Flora, a girl who seemed like a short kid, calling her a Mesugaki type, all I could do was sigh.

"Ugh, she's so fucking hot, I wish she'd call me Heojeop soon. I want to fuck her like a dog."

"Again, again. This is a research institute, how vulgar..."

"It's okay, you're still my favorite."

"That's not the problem, you crazy bastard..."

I simply couldn't understand Kylon's mental state, talking about 'favorite,' 'second favorite,' and 'fucking like a dog' with the person right in front of us, and also behind the wall.

Someone please do something about this crazy bastard.

I earnestly prayed to God.

Of course, perhaps because the Hero received more love than I did, it had no effect.