Prostia Comes to Dinner
I opened my subspace and pulled out some chunks of Abysal's flesh. The pitch-black, plump tentacle pieces emerged, still chilled with cold air—they were the ones I'd tasted last night and thought would be perfect for sashimi. Today, I was going to do it right.
I need fingers for this.
Pew—! Black mist billowed up, and my field of vision dropped lower. Perfect, now—
"Master."
Kar called out softly.
"Yeah, hold on. Gotta prep the meat first…"
"Master."
His voice sounded different—flustered, almost panicked. I looked up to see Kar frozen, staring at me. His massive eyes darted around wildly.
"…What's up? Something wrong?"
"M-Master… your appearance seems a bit… different."
"Huh?"
"Your feathers were one thing, but… even your face has changed. And your hair…"
I plucked a strand of my long hair and held it up to my eyes. It shimmered. Between the jet-black locks, those tiny sparkling particles—like the ones on my feathers—flowed gently, like a galaxy. From afar, it'd just look like glossy black hair, but up close, it was definitely different.
Eh, whatever.
I let the strand drop and got back to prepping the meat. Kar stared blankly at my back.
The androgynous face of my master had clearly tilted toward the girlish side. Her jawline had softened, her eyes reshaped—but she just checked one strand of hair and lost interest immediately.
…She won't even bother confirming it.
***
They say temperature is everything with sashimi. Overcook it, and the texture dies; undercook it, and the fishy taste lingers. The trick was to summon a thin flame at my fingertips and precisely control the heat—far more delicate than with Ignar's flesh.
Sizzle—!
I fished out the first piece and took a bite. The chewiness was gone, leaving only a dry, crumbly texture.
Too much heat.
I dialed back the flame and shortened the time, trying again.
Sizzle—!
This time, when I bit in, it was completely different. The surface was softly blanched, but the inside still had that lively chew, bursting with the salty umami of the deep sea that bloomed on my tongue and faded into a nutty aftertaste. I ground some sea salt between my teeth and sprinkled it on before popping in another bite.
"Mmm."
Perfection. Simple yet deep, deep yet clean. This was sashimi.
But something's missing.
Licking my fingers, I realized it needed something salty and profound to match—no, sea salt was just salty. It needed that rich depth, like the dipping sauce from my past life.
Oh, soy sauce.
No soy sauce, though. Then it hit me—the ink I'd stashed in my subspace. Salty, thick, with a unique aroma. Worth a shot?
I pulled out the ink. Thick, black liquid dripped from my fingertips. Kar sniffed it and edged backward.
"…Is this edible?"
"Dunno. Only one way to find out."
I sliced the Abysal flesh thin and stir-fried it over a flame. As it sizzled, I drizzled in a spoonful of ink sauce. Siiiizzle—! A thick, pungent aroma filled the nest, and Kar covered his nose with a wing.
I took a bite of the finished stir-fry.
"…Oh."
The ink sauce amplified the flesh's umami tenfold, flooding my mouth with intense, bold flavor. If sashimi was light and clean, this was stimulating and addictive. A bit more pepper and some red powder, and it brought tears to my eyes.
"Whew."
I alternated between sashimi and stir-fry, filling my belly contentedly. I tossed a piece of sashimi to Kar.
"Try it."
"Is it really okay?"
Kar caught it cautiously and nibbled. His eyes widened. Energy surged through him, freezing his expression as he stared at the meat.
"What… what is this…?"
"Tasty, right?"
"More than tasty… it feels like something cool is clearing out inside me…"
"That's what tasty means."
As Kar carefully chewed and swallowed the rest, I grabbed another piece of stir-fry. He was starting to relax, sprawling in the corner of the nest.
The nest felt peacefully empty—until frost settled on my fingertips as I reached for more stir-fry. My breath fogged white, and frost spread thickly over the leaves.
The temperature inside the nest plummeted in an instant.
"…!"
I heard Kar gulp. Chewing my stir-fry, I looked up.
The air above the World Tree's summit warped. Light refracted like through a prism as a massive silhouette slowly emerged—a gigantic dragon shape, its translucent body bending light into rainbows. Wings, scales, horns—all forged from transparent crystal. A being unlike any I'd seen in this world.
The temperature dropped again. Kar huddled his wings tight, body rigid.
Prostia.
During scouting, I'd only glimpsed something translucent flit through the frosty zone. Looked like it had come to me first.
In the silence, Prostia gazed down wordlessly.
[…I came to meet you.]
Telepathy echoed in my mind. Neutral tone, no emotion, but it carried an odd weight.
I took another bite of stir-fry before replying.
"Oh, hey. Was just eating."
Prostia didn't respond. Kar trembled, holding his breath at the silence.
Then the communication orb lit up. I channeled mana into it.
"Yo, glowy pigeon. Been a while."
[Great Soul, Prostia's mana was just detected in your territory. Are you…]
"Yeah, it's here. Watching me from above."
[As expected… So, one request: please, don't touch Prostia.]
"Why?"
[…It's complicated. Unlike the other Four Kings, if it vanishes, even we couldn't handle the fallout. Details later—just let it be for now.]
Michael's voice carried sincere exhaustion beyond the fatigue.
I thought for a moment and looked up at Prostia.
"Hey, Prostia."
[I'm listening.]
"They say no fighting."
Michael's tone eased with relief.
[Thank you. In exchange, we'll compensate in other ways…]
"Nah. Didn't even know how to eat ice anyway. No syrup for shaved ice."
[…Pardon?]
A cough came through the orb.
[…Understood. Note that Prostia coming to you personally is extremely rare. It hasn't contacted anyone in centuries. If possible, treat it with extra care.]
"Yeah, got it."
[…And is there anything you need? Seasonings, perhaps…]
"Nothing right now."
[Yes, understood. Contact us anytime. Farewell.]
The orb's light faded. I looked up at Prostia again. It stared down from the same spot, no sign of fleeing or hostility.
[…I never intended to fight. I was curious about you.]
"Yeah? Curious how?"
[You devoured Turaka, Ignar, and Abysal one after another. Yet you neither rule nor flaunt your power… I wanted to see for myself.]
I grabbed another bite of stir-fry.
"So, what do you think?"
Prostia's gaze drifted into the air.
[…I don't know yet.]
"Can't eat in that form, right? If you're hungry, come in something comfier."
[You permit it?]
"Permit what? If you wanna eat, eat."
Prostia fell silent for a long moment, then began to move. The translucent ice dragon form dissolved like mist. The light-refracting silhouette melted away, revealing a human shape within.
Snow-white hair cascaded past its waist. Frost-pale skin bore transparent, icy blue eyes gazing down. Its pure white robes shimmered like scattered frost crystals. No expression at all.
Kar, facing that aura head-on, froze solid.
"M-Master… was that just…?"
I was already holding out a piece of sashimi.
"Here, try it."
Prostia looked down at me. Up close, it was taller. Expressionless, it stared at the sashimi for a moment before silently taking it and biting in.
It chewed slowly, then spoke.
[…Not cold.]
"Duh. It's blanched."
After swallowing the rest, its gaze shifted to the stir-fry. I pushed a piece toward it.
"Try this too. It's got more kick."
Prostia picked it up wordlessly and ate. As the ink's thick, intense aroma spread, its icy eyes flickered ever so slightly.
[…Different flavor from the first.]
"Tasty, right?"
[…]
No answer. But its hand reached for the stir-fry again.
I nodded and went back to the sashimi. We ate in silence for a while. Kar just breathed, still rigid at the sight.
***
It took a good while, but I was finally full. No sashimi or stir-fry left. Prostia ate more than expected—expression blank, but its hand kept moving, so it must've liked it.
I opened my subspace.
Dessert time.
Michael's box of divine realm fruits was still plentiful. I pulled out three big ones and tossed them over.
"Kar, catch."
"Y-Yes?! Oh, yes…!"
As Kar fumbled to catch his with his forepaws, I held one out to Prostia.
"You too."
Prostia stared at it.
[…What is this? I sense divine realm energy.]
"Divine fruit. From Michael."
Prostia took it silently and bit in. No reaction—then a second bite came quick.
Looks like it likes it.
Kar nibbled his cautiously, then closed his eyes and shivered his wings slightly.
"…This is the same as last time."
"Yeah."
"I thought so then too… it's weirdly addictive."
We three ate the fruit in silence. The afternoon atop the World Tree drifted by quietly.
How much time passed? Prostia slowly rose.
[…I'll go.]
"Yeah, bye."
[…You're a strange one.]
"How?"
[You devoured three of the Four Kings who've lived centuries… and all you do is cook meals.]
"As long as it's tasty, right?"
[…The food wasn't bad.]
"Come again, I'll hook you up."
Prostia said nothing. But those transparent eyes lingered on me a moment longer.
Then its human form misted away. Frost crystals scattered in the air as the translucent ice dragon reemerged. It left a blanket of frost on the leaves and slipped silently into the sky.
The nest's temperature slowly returned to normal.
Kar, still stiff, finally spoke cautiously.
"…Is it gone?"
"Yeah."
"…What a day."
I closed my subspace and stretched.
"Eh, was fun."
Frost marks lingered where Prostia had sat. Handprint-sized. It held out a while before a breeze quietly melted it away.
Kar folded his wings in the corner, reflecting on the day. A Four King sitting at his master's table, eating its own kind's flesh. He pondered where this world went wrong—then gave up and closed his eyes.