Chapter 118: A Meal in Tantalus
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: A Meal in Tantalus
“Hey, Azzy!”
“Woof….”
“I told you not to steal food, didn't I!”
I feigned anger as I scolded Azzy. With no excuse this time, she darted her eyes back and forth.
Last time, I had accused her without proof and it had backfired, but this time was different. I'd caught her red-handed, snooping around the cafeteria when it wasn't mealtime and lifting the lid off a pot.
A culprit caught at the scene of the crime.
“I thought food had been disappearing at night lately. It was you!”
“Woof? I'm not a thief!”
“Don't talk back!”
I yelled, then left Azzy and headed for the stove.
“If you're hungry, just tell me! Then I'll!”
Swoosh.
Grains of golden rice poured out. Celestial grain, said to make you feel as full as a complete meal with just a single grain. It was an exaggeration, of course, but it was still an excellent ingredient.
A risotto made by mixing the celestial grain with mashed beans, then slowly adding and reducing a broth made from herbs and meat. It looked a bit like dog food, though.
I dished out a new portion and lightly fried it in a pan.
I didn't use much oil, since Azzy wasn't a fan of greasy food. Instead, I mixed in some canned bean soup from the stockpot to thicken it before plating it.
Used to sharing a table with me, Azzy immediately took her seat. I placed the plate in front of her and rang a bell.
Ting.
“This way, I can give it to you nice and warm!”
“Woof woof!”
At the sound of the bell, which had now become our signal, Azzy's eyes sparkled as she dove face-first into the plate.
As the saying goes, a full pantry makes for a generous heart. Thanks to the Regressor's funding, we had more luxurious ingredients than ever before, and we started spending them lavishly like the newly rich.
Our initial caution in the face of ingredients we'd only heard of in rumors was short-lived. We quickly grew accustomed to them, abandoning our conservative ways for a more progressive approach. We no longer feared failure, cheered for novel attempts, and threw frugality out the window.
While I was at it, I dished out some risotto for myself and took a spoonful. The taste wasn't refined, but thanks to the generous use of high-quality ingredients, the wild, untamed flavor was impressive.
“When the ingredients are this good, even dog food tastes amazing.”
I was a bit wasteful this time. Maybe I'll make something more conventional next.
If it turns out bad, I can just give it to Azzy or Nabi anyway.
“Nya. It's still just dog food, nya.”
Just then, Nabi, who had appeared in the cafeteria at some point, licked her front paw. She looked at the food in the pot and the frying pan and scowled.
“Nyaaa. There's nothing here I like, nya. Only a stupid dog would enjoy this. It's too low-quality for my palate, nya.”
I tilted my head and asked.
“Did Shei-ssi forget your medicine? Why are you being so cranky all the way out here?”
“I'm complaining about the food, servant, nya! I've forced myself to eat it for the last time, nya!”
“A servant? A beast is calling me a servant?”
“What else would you call someone who prepares food and does chores, nya!”
Nabi swatted her front paw in displeasure.
I couldn't say I didn't understand. Nabi was a carnivore. She wouldn't eat anything that wasn't meat. We had more grains than meat, so that's what I mainly used. She must have come to complain about the grain-based diet.
Of course, that didn't mean I had to indulge some junkie cat. I gestured to Azzy, who gulped down the food in her mouth and stood up.
Unaware of the shadow looming behind her, Nabi continued her food tantrum.
“Nyaaa! I've been patient long enough, nya! The next dish had better be something more suited for me—”
“Nom.”
“Nyahak?!”
Azzy, having snuck up from behind, bit Nabi on the neck. Her life literally in Azzy's jaws, Nabi's fur stood on end, and she froze as if she'd been taxidermied. Only her eyes, rolling around nervously, still moved.
Having subdued Nabi in an instant using Azzy, I cracked my neck from side to side and walked over.
“You little brat. If our investor hadn't given us such a generous supply of ingredients, you would've been the first one kicked out.”
“Nyahah. Nyahah. Nyahah….”
As I walked menacingly toward the whimpering Nabi, I reached into my coat. Nabi's eyes grew even wider.
“But as they say, you can skip your own birthday, but not the minister's dog's. I can't just mistreat our investor's pet.”
With that, I pulled a can from my coat. But this wasn't a can of cooked Chimera Beans.
A special Military-Grade Compressed Can. Anyone with a bit of alchemy knowledge could reuse the can. I popped the lid off the can—which I'd spent all last night preparing—and held it out to Nabi.
Inside was a special treat for a cat: a wet food made from cured meat mixed with canned beans to make a paste.
“Nyahah?”
“Going to the trouble of cooking a separate meal for a mere animal... it's practically a disgrace to humanity. I'd never normally do this, but I'm making a special exception for our sponsor's sake. Got it?”
“Nyah….”
When I offered the can, Nabi, still held by the scruff of her neck, stuck out her tongue to taste it. She must have liked it, because she began lapping it up eagerly.
With Nabi preoccupied with her treat, Azzy, now in an awkward position, slowly released her grip on Nabi's neck. Then she stared at me and let out a resentful bark.
“Woof….”
“Huh? Hey, what is it?”
“I... listen well... I'm good... Woof... But...”
Azzy looked back and forth between Nabi and the can, her expression one of utter betrayal.
I asked, dumbfounded.
“You sit at the table and eat the same food we do. You even share the table.”
“Woof! That's a meal! This is a treat! Woof woof!”
“A dog distinguishing between meals and treats? You should just eat what you're given.”
This is why you shouldn't be nice to beasts in the first place. I should have laid down the law from the very beginning.
Sighing, I slowly moved the can in my hand. Nabi's face followed it as if glued to the can. When I set it down on the table, Nabi's face ended up planted on the tabletop.
Then, I pulled another can from my coat and handed it over.
“…Fine. You can have one too, you pig. But I'll only open it after you finish your meal.”
“Okay! Woof!”
As if not wanting to waste time barking, Azzy immediately started gobbling up the food on her plate with loud chomps. All the while keeping a paw protectively on her can of treats.
What was I going to do with these critters? Just as I was sighing, the Undying and Callis walked into the cafeteria.
Callis had recovered enough to walk around, but she still couldn't manage on her own and was being supported by the Undying….
'Rasch is only a barbarian in name. He has no aversion to physical contact, but he's overly considerate. I've recovered enough to do my exercises, but I'll pretend I'm not better and stick close to him until I'm fully healed. Three months... that should be enough time...'
Anyway, that was the situation.
Oblivious to Callis's thoughts, the Undying strode into the cafeteria.
“What's this! Everyone's eating! Is it mealtime already?”
“Do beasts have mealtimes? They eat whenever there's food in front of them.”
I said, glaring at the two beasts sitting amicably at the table, stuffing their faces with treats. The Undying let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! Look at them go. Teacher, you will be blessed! It's been said since ancient times that kindness shown to a beast missy will be returned twofold!”
“I don't have any kindness to spare for myself, let alone for beasts. I just give them the leftovers.”
“You draw a sharp line! I doubt there's anyone else who sees the beast missies as mere beasts like you do, Teacher!”
“They're the Beast Kings. So they're beasts.”
As they talked, Rasch carefully helped Callis into a chair before heading toward the pots. He said as he dished food onto a plate.
“Still, are they not young ladies who take human form to converse with us! They can speak and understand us, so how can you treat them the same as animals?”
“Mr. Rasch, how would you treat a letter if it stood up and started talking to you?”
“I don't think I could treat it like a letter!”
“But you wouldn't treat it like a human, either. It's similar to that.”
The Undying scratched his head.
“Haha! I have no response to that! By the way, are all people from the Military State as well-spoken as you, Teacher?”
“Yes. I'm about average for the State.”
'Lies...!'
A rude thought came from Callis.
What's the problem? It's better than your lies. You're recovered enough to do those State Standard exercises, yet you're still pretending to be sick.
“Callis! Can you eat solid food today?”
At the Undying's question, Callis answered with a deliberate delay, feigning difficulty.
“Rasch, I... ugh, soup, please.”
“Still not fully recovered? Heh. This is why one must be careful with those who die so easily.”
Shaking his head, the Undying ladled some bean soup from a large stockpot into a bowl. He placed it in front of Callis with a spoon and asked.
“Well, can you eat by yourself?”
Callis held up a hand. As if she hadn't fully recovered, it trembled weakly….
For what it was, the trembling seemed subtly artificial, but the Undying, having never experienced trembling hands himself, didn't notice.
Callis, giving up on trying to hold the spoon, glanced at Azzy and Nabi scraping the bottoms of their cans on the other side of the table and muttered.
“…It's all right. I can just bend over and eat like the Beast Kings…. Ugh.”
“Heh. How can someone who was stabbed in the stomach bend over to eat?”
The Undying clicked his tongue and picked up the spoon. He filled it with soup and, with a delicacy that didn't match his brawny frame, smoothly brought it to Callis's lips. The shimmering soup stopped just before it touched her lips, not a single drop spilling.
“Thank you….”
“Eat up. Ah, it might be hot, so let it cool first. I'm not sure how dangerous hot things can be.”
“Your arm will get tired….”
The Undying shook his head vigorously. Even as his head moved violently, the spoon remained perfectly still.
“I am an undying. I don't get hurt, and I don't get tired. I've never felt my arm ache or go numb. Sometimes, I can't even tell if my right arm is still attached.”
“…That's.”
“So, what I'm saying is, I'll be fine even if I hold this spoon forever! Let it cool as long as you like!”
At this small gesture, so full of warmth, Callis's expression momentarily clouded over.
'…He's too good for me. But I'm used to dreaming beyond my station. For that reason alone...'
Having made her decision, Callis opened her mouth, extended her tongue, and slowly licked the underside of the spoon.
The Undying didn't show it, but he was a little conscious of the action.
'…Do all Military State officers eat like this? The officers are something else. I thought the others ate normally!'
'As I thought, soup alone isn't enough... To recover quickly and make this a fait accompli, I'll have to sneak back tonight and eat more.'
So it was you. The one stealing food at night.
Sigh. Well, at least it's being eaten by someone who's supposed to eat it. The number of mouths to feed is the same, so as the guardian of this cafeteria, it's within an acceptable range.
I stood up first and was taking my empty plate to the sink.
That's when Tyr entered the cafeteria, accompanied by her jet-black coffin.