Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Only the Owner Can Curb Their Pet's Gluttony (2)
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I hurriedly sent the swarm of ants back through the Door of Death. The Door of Death slurped them up greedily. When I grabbed and crushed it like I was kneading dough, it flattened easily. Hugging the Door of Death to my chest like a soccer ball, I checked the situation over there. It seemed Dandel had come running after hearing Pippin's shout.
"All done! The Duke's probably upstairs somewhere! You're not just gonna serve it like that, right? Don't you have a nicer plate? It's the Duke, after all! Hand it over!"
Taking advantage of Dandel and Pippin bickering, I rushed up to my room. Sitting on the reception room sofa, I hid the Door of Death behind me. Shrunken to the size of a soccer ball, it rolled around on its own, making strange gurgling noises.
In the meantime, I caught my breath and checked if my hair or clothes were disheveled. If I were my old self, I'd have just sprawled out casually, but now that I was Sierra, no way. Becoming a noble was great and all, but it came with so many little things to fuss over.
It wasn't long before Dandel and Pippin showed up in a group, along with several others. Poibe was clinging to Pippin's back, tagging along.
The dishes they carefully carried in numbered well over ten. It was hard to keep a straight face. The unique, bizarre smells, and that purple meat that looked plainly wrong...
[Looks tasty...]
I ignored the Door of Death mumbling from behind the sofa.
Pippin brought over the largest plate and set it on the table, then dropped to his knees. His face beamed with pride, like he was begging for praise right then and there.
"Veridis rib roast. Veridis meat is so tough that most of it has to be eaten as jerky. But the ribs mix fat and lean meat perfectly. They store fat in the ribs to use when migrating long distances. Master Kaku—no, Boss Kaku told me."
The steak Pippin proudly presented looked like glossy purple clay.
My common sense screamed that this wasn't food.
They'd garnished it with something like parsley and torn-up herbs to make it look like food, but it was clay. The world should call it clay. And those ribs— they looked as threatening as something a primitive samurai would wield.
I wanted to flip the plate over, but with all the eyes on me, I held back. Instead, I glared at Pippin with the coldest look I could muster. Even a dense guy like him hesitated.
"Did you make this?"
"No!"
Pippin stuck out his thumb, pointing behind him. The innkeeper and a couple of others shrank back, bowing their heads. It looked like they'd dressed up the purple clay meat to resemble a steak. Makes sense—Poibe had said Pippin was hopeless at cooking.
"Leave it all here and get out."
Keeping the Door of Death in mind, I continued.
"I'll eat it to show my appreciation."
Dandel fidgeted anxiously and approached, glancing at Pippin and the others. He whispered to me so carefully his voice came out like grinding metal.
"Y-Your Grace! You're really gonna eat it? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like food!"
"You told me to be friendly. I'm gonna pretend to be friendly."
"That doesn't mean get food poisoning from being friendly. That's not edible for humans. I tasted it earlier—tasted like my late grandpa's hair. For real."
"Don't worry. I'm not eating it myself."
Only then did Dandel relax and step back.
Soon the table was filled with mystery dishes. From behind me, the Door of Death kept mumbling about being hungry and how good the smells were.
"Everyone out."
The moment I finished speaking, they all scattered like they were fleeing. Probably not out of fear of the Duke's authority—more like they just didn't want to be in the same space as that magic beast meat.
[Get out already! Let's go, Pippin! Come on! You stubborn mule!]
The one holding out to the end was, predictably, Pippin. He knelt by the table without budging an inch.
"I want to watch you eat, Master. And talk. About magic beast meat. I've hunted tons of magic beasts. Eaten them too. You can be jealous. Now it's just the two of us in this room."
"...Yeah, just the two of us."
[Ah, Pippin! Let's go! I hear creepy garden ghost noises! Pippin, you idiot!]
[I'm hungry.... Smells so good....]
Poibe tried dragging Pippin out but gave up and fled alone. She must have been scared of seeing the garden ghost again—that is, the Door of Death.
"Out."
I planned to feed the magic beast meat to the Door of Death, so Pippin sticking around was inconvenient. The guy had no tact or manners.
"It's fine. Even if you scarf it down, I'll keep it secret. I'm tight-lipped. I haven't told a soul about how my sister sprinkled dog poop in the village chief's garden. Um, yeah. I just did now.... Heh heh."
I leaned on the armrest for a moment, thinking. Should I just feed Pippin to the Door of Death too? But if it got a taste for human and came after me, that'd be trouble.
I'd already confirmed earlier he wouldn't back down from a beating.
Coaxing it was, then.
"I want to savor it alone. But you can wait outside the door."
I tossed Pippin the magic beast guidebook from the far side of the table. It was the one I'd gotten from Dahlia but never bothered opening.
Pippin caught the hefty book and stared at me with an even dumber look than before. My brow furrowed exactly that much.
[♥♥♥]
Another heart popped up.
Poibe, who hadn't fully fled and was clinging to the door, sniffled. The siblings were a matched set of nuisances.
[Good for you, Pippin! You were so curious about magic beasts! The merciful Duke even granted your wish!]
That's not it! No way! It's like giving an extra rice cake to a punk you hate! It just happened to be a honey rice cake by coincidence!
I stood up and grabbed Pippin by the scruff of the neck. He came along obediently.
"I'm just lending it for a bit. Don't crease it even under your fingernail. It's priceless—you could die and I still wouldn't replace it."
Take it or leave it.
"Yes! I'll handle it with utmost care and caution!"
Pippin grinned like a fool as I dragged him out. I shoved him beyond the door and slammed it shut. My head ached from the sheer absurdity.
Returning to my seat, I retrieved the Door of Death from behind the sofa. I set it on the table, and black drool nearly overflowed onto the surface.
"Eat."
[Can I? It's human food.]
"You think I'm eating it? Of course it's for you."
[Great, great.]
The Door of Death promptly opened its maw twice its usual width and devoured the magic beast meat voraciously. I had to grimace watching it lick the plates clean. Only something you felt affection for could look that hideous and still be endearing.
It polished off all that food, and its appearance seemed a bit different. A little bigger, its lumpy skin tougher-looking. Even its red eyes seemed to glisten more.
[I can grow by eating magic beasts. Want more.]
And its speech was clearer, too.
"Do you gain new abilities as you grow?"
[Don't know about abilities. But necromancer's domain expands.]
"So you're still not much use. But you can be summoned without anyone noticing?"
[I can. I can hide now.]
The Door of Death slowly closed its eyes. Its presence vanished. I could sense it was still there through my instincts, but it was invisible. No sound either.
That's impressive enough.
I reached into empty air and grabbed the Door of Death. It let itself be caught easily.
[Still hungry...]
"Yeah, yeah. Next time we run into magic beasts, I'll let you eat your fill."
I stored the Door of Death away again and glared at the empty plates.
It had cleaned them so spotlessly, it almost didn't feel like anything had been eaten.
Whatever. None of the people who'd trailed after Pippin would've thought I'd devour all that bizarre magic beast meat.
Feeding mystery meat to a Duke? No one but Pippin would even think of it.
"The village chief isn't here yet?"
I couldn't stand looking at the table slathered in the Door of Death's saliva anymore, so I stood up. Flinging the door open, I saw two people and a spirit huddled pitifully a good distance from my door.
I was about to call for Dandel right away, but curiosity struck—what could be so fun they didn't notice their master emerging? Pippin and Dandel were nose-deep in the magic beast guidebook, whispering.
"Summer is a magic beast that looks like a rabbit, but with short ears and smaller eyes. They travel in packs and call companions with whistle-like cries. Their hides are thick and tough, but the meat is super tender and soft. You don't get much edible part per beast, though."
"I know something too. Lady Dahlia loves dream lizards. She grabs me sometimes and talks about them. Pippin, do you know what a dream lizard is? I don't..."
"Dream lizard? First I've heard of it..."
Pippin flipped through the guidebook, then smiled sheepishly.
"This is my first real magic beast guidebook. I've only seen torn-out pictures from old books before. And those were ones my sister scavenged for me... Now she's gone..."
"Got married and moved to a far village?"
"No, even farther."
"To the capital?"
"No, farther than that..."
"Farther?"
"Really, really far, so stop asking already."
For someone who'd gone really far away, that sister was actually closer than he thought.
[Love magic beasts that much? Ugh.]
Poibe hovered around Pippin, peeking at the guidebook. It was pitiful and pathetic how she couldn't stay away from her brother even as a spirit. It almost seemed like the siblings were conspiring to guilt-trip me.
"Your master's out. What are you two doing, acting all cheeky?"
As expected, Dandel reacted faster than Pippin.
"Did you finish eating? You came out sooner than expected! Urp. Magic beast meat isn't exactly appetite-stimulating, huh."
Pippin, ever the cheeky one, just nodded without standing to greet me. He was lost in the guidebook. Curious what magic beast had him so engrossed, I glanced down—and instead of beasts, garish notes jumped out.
[Green-Horned Snail: Sticks to kids' unbrushed toothbrushes, giving off a foul smell. Brush well, and it dances at the bristle tips.]
[Petal Mouse: On nice spring days, they go picnicking with friends. They stick colorful petals on their backs. Touch them, and the petals fall off, making the mouse friends go 'ow.' So please don't catch mice.]
[Litt mermaid: Super shy, hides in the sea. Especially on rainy days, so don't let Lady Dahlia drag you to the beach when it rains.]
The notes the nanny had stuck in for Dahlia fluttered.