Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Labyrinth Meal
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-Labyrinth 12th Floor.-
"We're here. You've been up to the 15th floor already, right, Ian? There's an enormous lake on the 12th floor. And there are edible fish living here too..."
"........."
I stared at the lake on the 12th floor with a sour expression.
She'd promised to bring plenty of ingredients, take me somewhere she knew, set up camp, and treat me to a meal. So I'd dutifully followed Lilian... only to end up at this lake on the 12th floor of all places...
"Ian? Your face doesn't look so good. Are you okay?"
"...No, just some bad memories resurfacing."
As Lilian began unpacking cooking tools while preparing camp, I glanced at her, then cautiously approached the lake and dipped my hand into the water.
'..........'
The lake was crystal clear, clear enough to see the bottom. Not like that time—the dark, ominous one.
Fish swam inside, occasionally rippling the surface, and in the deep center, something massive enough to ping my [Discern] skill lurked... but...
'...No trace of that aura from back then.'
"Ian. The cooking's ready. Come watch the process."
I shook the water from my hand and turned toward where Lilian waited. Just in case, I'd stay awake all night. Ready to bolt if needed.
"I'll start cooking now... If you're hungry, have one of these first while you wait."
"What's this?"
Lilian pulled out various spices and ingredients, then handed me a long piece of food to tide me over.
'Sausage?'
Nothing special about it. Sausages were standard preserved rations for the labyrinth, after all.
'Fish sausage? Low fat, strong sweet flavor.'
I chewed on the sausage Lilian had given me while watching her sharpen the kitchen knife. But this scent... it felt familiar somehow...
"Remember? It's the same sausage we had during that taste-training session with you last time."
"Kuh! Cough! Hack! Hack!"
"Eek! Ian, what's wrong?"
"J-Just a bone in my throat for a sec."
No wonder the scent and look felt familiar... It was that sausage I'd fed Lilian back then?
"I liked the taste so much back then that I stocked up on a bunch. But weirdly, none of them tasted like that one. Guess some other kind got mixed in with the shipment."
"Cough... I see."
I panicked hard but tried not to show it.
Because what Lilian ate back then wasn't sausage at all! Hearing her talk about it killed my appetite completely, so when she wasn't looking, I tossed it into my inventory.
"I thought that flavor would suit my kin too, so I gifted some to them... but they all threw theirs out, huh?"
"...Haha..."
If they'd actually tasted the real thing back then, the succubi might've loved it... Better to just stay quiet.
Lilian didn't seem to want a real answer anyway and began mincing vegetables with her sharply honed knife.
"Chop the bell peppers... mix in a bit of pepper, mince some shallots too..."
Regaining my composure, I seriously observed Lilian's cooking process. Gotta learn something at least.
'Is it because [Swordsmanship] has grown? Her knife work looks clearer to me now.'
Back when I briefly learned cooking, I'd clumsily mimicked her knife skills thanks to [Heavenly Touch]. Now with [Swordsmanship] leveled up too... I bet I could imitate her kitchen knife moves now.
"Um, hold on. Can I handle a few of these veggies?"
"? Sure, go ahead."
Lilian looked puzzled for a second but handed me the cutting board and ingredients after seeing my serious face.
'[Swordsmanship] hit level 5, and [Heavenly Touch] leveled up too...'
I hadn't cooked in ages, but the knife felt more natural in my hand now. I wield longswords, yet [Swordsmanship] applies to short blades too?
-Thud thud thud thud...
Maintaining steady rhythm, the knife moved, slicing the celery on the board into uniform lengths, like it was measured with a ruler. The cut ends were perfectly even up close.
-Pababap!
Not stopping there, I started dicing the carrot beside it.
Not just julienne—into perfect cubes, all pieces identically sized upon inspection.
"...Wow, Ian. Here, this too."
Sensing something, Lilian grew serious, pulling out prepared ingredients and guiding my hand with precise advice.
"Yes. Cut out that sinew... nice and clean on the fat. One slice. Wrist like this..."
Outstanding guidance from a skilled chef, high knife skills, and excellent Dexterity combine to raise the [Cooking] skill to level 5. Cooking effects are enhanced.
The [Cooking] skill message appeared after so long. I'd neglected cooking lately, but it hit level 5 too. And the added effect...
'Cooking effects?'
Simple enough—like boosting recovery from troll meat dishes or similar...
'Does it boost [Poison Cooking] effects too?'
I'll check that later.
"Whoa! Ian, did your [Cooking] skill just level up?"
"Ah, thank you. Thanks to you, it grew."
I sincerely thanked Lilian. [Cooking] might sound plain, but who knows? Max it out, and it could evolve like [Heavenly Touch].
It was a chance encounter with Lilian, but still, good harvest.
After prepping all the ingredients, I watched Lilian mix them and simmer stew in the pot.
Her cooking face was more focused than ever, pouring her attention into the board.
'...That sweet scent since earlier.'
Watching up close, I caught a strange aroma wafting from Lilian.
'Perfume? Doesn't seem her style—ruins cooking scents. Smells good, though. Incredibly alluring...'
The scent lifted my mood, easing tension. I closed my eyes, sinking into it.
Unaware it was the succubus pheromones Lilian had unconsciously released—relief from escaping 'that guy' who kept confessing at her shop with ingredient gifts, stress vented by closing up and delving into the labyrinth, mixed with joy at Ian's cooking growth.
"All done!"
Lost in the haze, Lilian finished, ladling stew into a bowl for me.
I snapped to, took the bowl, and scooped some. Rich umami, fatty savoriness, and veggie sweetness danced on my tongue.
Delicious. Incredibly so...
"How is it? To your taste?"
"Yes. Delicious. Really..."
I averted my eyes from her bright gaze, fixing on the stew.
'.......I'm erect.'
Why? No intense visuals or touch... Yet my dick throbbed fiercely. Breathing grew ragged.
Likely cause...
'Lilian?'
Not the food, surely.
...Right?
"You go first?"
"Yeah. I prefer taking first watch anyway."
After a meal so good I wasn't sure if I ate it through mouth or nose, Lilian tidied up lightly and suggested setting night watch order for camp.
Already planning to stay up, and in no state to sleep now anyway, I quickly volunteered for first watch and shooed Lilian into the tent.
"Hoo..."
The cool night breeze calmed my body bit by bit. Or more precisely...
'Since Lilian went inside.'
That strange scent from her had my dick raging, but once she entered the tent, the arousal faded substantially. Definitely Lilian. Or rather, that scent?
'Succubus racial trait?'
Figured it might be, so I took deep, steady breaths to calm down.
Body heating up, dick aching stiffly—maybe jerk off...
'She probably hasn't fully slept yet?'
Too soon after she entered; might get caught. I suppressed the rising lust.
'Do something else. Focus elsewhere, lust'll fade. Right. Practice illusions.'
To kill time until she slept soundly, then relieve this somehow, I stirred mana in the pattern for [Illusion Magic].
'Ugh......'
Contrary to Ian's worries, Lilian was already asleep.
Stressed from a persistent guy lately—gifting ingredients at her shop, confessing nonstop—she'd closed up, delved to vent, and now dreamed sweetly, smiling happily.
'[Illusion Magic]'
But the moment Ian on watch outside activated it for distraction, Lilian sensed the familiar yet repulsive, stress-inducing mana aura she'd felt a lot lately. Her smile twisted, brows furrowing.
'Lilian! Nice weather today, right? Wanna go on a date?'
'Lilian! A gift for you! You like cooking? Got top-grade ingredients just for you!'
'Lilian! Here again to... place an order? Haha, gotta order you!'
'Ugh... ughhh......'
The man's voice haunted her like a nightmare, stress swelling. Irritating, but he was high-status, someone she respected enough not to snap at—memories flashed by.
-Startle!
Unresolved stress exploded, forcibly moving her deep-sleeping body.
We call this phenomenon...
...sleepwalking.