Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Journey to the Demon Realm (1)
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Anyway, with all our preparations complete, we set off toward our goal.
“Ah, I should’ve brought some cookies.”
“The grapes were delicious.”
The women, who had grown somewhat close by now, huddled together inside the carriage, chatting away.
Vina, who had to drive the carriage and knew our final destination, simply listened to their conversation with a hint of tension.
“Raden.”
“Yeah?”
“So, where are we headed now? To the last remaining empire, right?”
Laura seemed to think our next destination was the empire.
Well, it made sense. In the human realm, the empire stood as a twin pillar of power alongside the Church.
I hesitated for a moment before honestly stating our goal.
“The place we’re heading to right now is the Demon King’s Castle.”
“…What?”
Even the women who hadn’t batted an eye at going to the ducal house, the elf empire, the academy, or the Church froze in place upon hearing our destination was the Demon King’s Castle.
The Church was an immensely powerful organization, but it paled in comparison to the sheer intimidation of the Demon King’s Castle.
“Th-that… um… Can we even do this with our current strength?”
Even Laura, who was always overflowing with confidence, seemed unsure if she truly had what it took to take down the Demon King.
While Laura shrank back timidly, Rainie nodded as if it all made sense.
“With our current forces, taking down a Demon King would be a piece of cake.”
Marey and Daisy also nodded in acceptance of the decision to head to the Demon King’s Castle, but added,
“But what if the Demon King is stronger than we think? Our hero party’s gotten so powerful that the Demon God might intervene.”
It was a thought I’d had while watching our hero party grow stronger with each passing day, even if I’d never said it outright.
That’s why I’d minimized variables—not charging straight into the Demon King’s Castle, but taking out the Four Heavenly Kings as they popped up unexpectedly, and focusing on training Marey at the academy.
But those concerns had been neatly dispelled after meeting the Goddess and Demon God in our near-death states.
By resolving the rift between the Goddess and Demon God, I’d earned some favor from both mighty beings, and learned that the Demon God currently had a poor relationship with the Demon King.
Even the Demon God, who viewed my resurrection as excessive favoritism and seemed inclined to check me, ultimately let it slide and showed positive reactions.
So, I didn’t need to worry too much about balance disruption issues.
***
The plant carriage sped along toward the border with the Demon Realm.
“Hehe!”
Nania, a pure 100% demon, seemed in high spirits as the demonic energy, growing stronger the closer we got to the Demon Realm, invigorated her.
“Ahem, try this.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Daisy, who was half-demon at 50%, absorbed the demonic energy with evident pleasure and even baked cookies for me.
They looked like flawless chocolate cookies, perfect in every way.
Laura’s baking skills had skyrocketed from selling at the academy, and this was a collaboration, so I had high expectations.
Especially since I’d momentarily forgotten—Daisy even had romance-fantasy heroine traits.
Romance-fantasy heroines being great at baking cookies or brewing tea was a longstanding cliché.
It was worth looking forward to.
I took the cookie and, just to be sure, split it in half.
Crispy.
The satisfying crunch alone lifted my spirits.
The cookie was perfectly baked, without a single burnt spot.
With my last doubts erased, I happily took a bite.
“Urk…”
And immediately regretted it.
What on earth were these cookies made of? They had a bizarre flavor that defied description.
Sweet from the sugar, yet oddly grassy, with bitterness and astringency, finishing on a tangy note.
“What the hell… what did you make this with?”
As I desperately spat out the cookie and asked, Daisy burst into laughter.
“It’s a healthy cookie Laura and I made! We took out everything bad for you and only used good ingredients, so don’t worry!”
Daisy beamed cheerfully at my suffering, laughing heartily.
She’d grown close to Laura at some point and now hugged her tight.
Her fondness for Marey and now Laura gave me a sense of her type.
She liked the cute ones.
Still, since she’d made them with Laura and insisted they were good for health, I stopped spitting it out, squeezed my eyes shut, and swallowed.
“Oh? You ate it all?”
“You still have to eat what someone worked hard on… it’s polite…”
Laura’s eyes sparkled with emotion as she watched me force down the awful healthy cookie she’d made with Daisy.
Yeah, yeah, be super touched.
Once she confirmed I’d finished it, Laura pulled another cookie from her bosom.
Seeing it, I was speechless.
The previous one had a slightly different color but still resembled a chocolate cookie.
This new one was a vomit-inducing green, with unfamiliar fruit bits embedded throughout.
“Wh-what is this?”
“The last one had a bit of flavor, but this one’s purely for health!”
“…”
Laura handed it to me with eager, expectant eyes.
She clearly hoped I’d eat this one deliciously too.
“…”
I felt nauseous just looking at it.
But I squeezed my eyes shut and took the cookie.
The one Laura offered was so mushy, I wondered if it could even be called a cookie.
“Eat it! Eat it!”
Daisy grinned mischievously, clapping and egging me on.
I desperately wanted to hurl the cookie into the air.
But as the leader of the hero party, I couldn’t lower the morale of my party members when I should be boosting it.
So, I clamped my lips and shoved the mushy cookie into my mouth.
Mush…
Like half-baked dough pretending to be a cookie, it melted into powder in my mouth.
The grassy fishiness and foul aroma hit me from the first bite, nearly making me puke.
But seeing Laura’s sparkling eyes looking up at me, I desperately swallowed.
“Ugh… mmph…”
The cookie’s horrors didn’t end there.
Chewing revealed awful chewy lumps amid the texture disaster.
A dreadful astringency lingered relentlessly in my mouth.
It perfectly embodied the saying that good things for the body taste bitter.
Tears streaming, I snatched Laura from Daisy.
Daisy laughed so hard she could barely breathe.
Feeling my hands tremble from the astringency, I stroked her head.
“Wh-what ingredients did you use…?”
“Ratuas leaves, karail, kale, asparagus.”
“Haha… all so good for you…”
“I made it so you’d stay healthy!”
“…”
I desperately salivated to wash away the lingering astringency, but it wouldn’t budge, leaving me grimacing.
Seeing my misery, Laura patted my solar plexus.
“It must taste bad, but thanks for eating it.”
“Haha…”
This showed Laura’s growth in a glance.
She never would’ve thanked anyone before, let alone baked for them.
She’d changed a lot.
Seeing her transformation, I comforted myself.
‘Yeah, as long as Laura grows, it’s fine.’
Our cute little lady evoked that contradictory mix of annoyance and affection.
As I stroked her head vigorously, showering her with affection while she beamed,
“Oh, Raden, there’s actually something I haven’t shown you yet?”
“…Uh… yeah?”
I instinctively sensed massive danger.
If I didn’t stop whatever Laura was about to pull out now, the aftermath would be catastrophic.
So, I struck first.
“Hm…? Looks like we’re entering the Demon Realm now.”
“This’ll help even in the Demon Realm.”
“Huh…?”
Laura pulled yet another cookie-like abomination from her bosom.
This one was strangely navy blue, not green.
The bits embedded inside looked nothing like normal fruits or vegetables.
“Where on earth did you get these ingredients…?”
“Nania said they’re the healthiest from the Demon Realm and helped out. We’re near the border, so Demon Realm plants were around.”
“…”
Laura smiled innocently, oblivious, and offered the cookie.
“Here!”
“…”
I took it, tears of blood in my eyes.
The hero party leader, catering to the whims of multiple women.
The worst job imaginable.