Chapter 485: How Are We Supposed to Get Supplies? The Nation is Doomed!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 485: How Are We Supposed to Get Supplies? The Nation is Doomed!
Piggy, and Okma. A secret society of pig beastkin trying to stop the consumption of pork. Beastkin and meat. The various conflicts surrounding Ende.
It was all very interesting information, but there was something more important: my diet.
Now that I knew I could get stabbed over delivery food, I was too anxious to order anything. But the thought of not eating meat was depressing. Above all, with the Regressor watching every penny like a hawk, I couldn't just go around buying and eating beef whenever I wanted.
Wasn't there a delicious, safe restaurant out there, just for me, that served something different every time?
I shook my head, dismissing the useless thought.
That would be like hiring a personal chef. That was only possible if I were royalty or had the Regressor's level of wealth. For someone like me, living off an allowance from her, it was impossible.
Wait a minute. Come to think of it, isn't that how the Regressor eats? With that Bountiful Table thing or whatever.
She was using something that good all by herself? I couldn't let that stand. Now that we were comrades, we had to share. I sidled up to the Regressor.
"Shei-ssi."
"What? If you're asking for money again, tell me what it's for and bring me a receipt later."
The Regressor, who had been writing something at her desk, answered irritably. How cold.
"Do you see me as some kind of animal who asks for an allowance every time I open my mouth? It's about something else."
"Something else? Do you have a plan to deal with the Wolf King?"
"No. Not that."
"Then it's something useless. I don't have time for that right now."
The Regressor tapped the letter with her pen.
"Do you know what the Wolf King is searching for?"
"Of course I do. It's Azzy, isn't it?"
"Correct. The Wolf King is looking for the Dog King. That's why the Dog King wanders the world, searching for people to help fight the wolves. This time, the Dog King, Azzy, went to the Military State, and they tricked her and threw her into the Abyss. Do you know why?"
Who do you think you're asking? I'm the King of Humans. Even if she knows the future from regressing, could she possibly know more than the one who was party to the original agreement?
"Because they were afraid the Wolf King would come for them."
"...You know your stuff. The Abyss is a completely separate dimension cursed by Mother Earth. When Azzy disappeared, the Wolf King lost her trail and was left to wander. That's why the Wolf King has been roaming the southern Enger Plains for so long."
"And?"
"You still don't get it? It's only a matter of time before the Wolf King attacks this place!"
The Wolf King instinctively seeks out the Dog King. And the Dog King, while searching for human allies, doesn't avoid the Wolf King. Even if unintentional, the two kings will naturally meet, fight, and kill each other.
It was bound to happen after Azzy entered Ende. But... everyone already knew that, didn't they?
"So what? You intended for this to happen, Shei-ssi. To use the power of Ende."
Ende was the city that had been in conflict with the Wolf King the longest. It was full of fences to keep the wolves out, powerful traps, and robust beastkin. Being closest to the threat, they were always ready to fight.
In fact, that was why I hadn't bothered to do much. The city of Ende itself had developed to fight wolves in an emergency. There was no reason for me to interfere.
'Haa. This is hard to explain without regression or foresight. Should I say it's to stimulate Hughes's sense of crisis...?'
She's still hiding something? Well, looking at her, it seems less like she hid it on purpose and more like she just forgot.
The Regressor began cautiously.
"This is confidential. But Ende has a hidden problem."
"Wow. You're really something, Shei-ssi. You were locked in the Abyss for over half a year, and before that, you were acquiring all sorts of treasures and even learning Qi Arts. And you still know the secrets of a remote city on the Enger Plains?"
Left speechless, the Regressor lashed out in frustration.
"...Fine! I heard it from the Sanctum. Happy now?"
"So you finally admit it. Decided to just throw caution to the wind, have you?"
"You were the one who was suspicious! Now just listen!"
Tch. This never happened when Tyr was around. With no immediate way to punish her, I sat down obediently and listened.
"That's right. This city is on the frontier, so it always had a lot of beastkin, but after the threat of the wolves emerged, humans gradually started to leave. There are still many humans left, but it's safe to say it's practically a beastkin autonomous region now."
It seemed so. The most common people I'd seen since coming here were beastkin, and they were actively engaged in the economy. In other countries, beastkin weren't able to participate so freely in economic activities.
In the Military State, beastkin were exploited just like everyone else; in the Fallen Dominion, the economy itself was in ruins; and in the Duchy, beastkin and humans alike were treated as livestock.
...Come to think of it, the countries I've been to so far haven't had much of a racial discrimination problem. I guess when you're all in the same gutter, there's no point in discriminating against each other.
"But the beastkin aren't fools. It's an open secret that the humans are using them as a breakwater. Many beastkin feel they deserve to be treated better for all the blood they've shed. They're taking action to gain more rights."
More rights? Aha, is that why Piggy created Okma?
I spoke up, hoping to show off the information I'd gathered.
"Like Okma?"
"Okma? The pig beastkin? They make up a significant number, but they aren't exactly the ones leading the charge."
The Regressor seemed to have no idea about Okma. The shoulders I had slightly puffed out slumped back down.
What? It's not even in the Regressor's memory. Does that mean Okma is just a bunch of petty criminals terrorizing people who eat pork?
"Anyway, some of them... would rather side with the Wolf King to drive out the humans."
"Is that possible? The Wolf King would tear any human apart on sight."
"An ordinary human, yes. But beastkin are different. Especially the wolf beastkin, called werewolves, who lead powerful packs under the Wolf King."
No matter how powerful the Wolf King was, there was a limit to how large a pack of beasts could be. The presence of a Beast King might keep them from falling apart, but it wouldn't fill their hungry stomachs. The stronger the army, the more terrifying a foe logistics becomes.
But if there were werewolves under its command, that was a different story. With human intelligence and knowledge, even a pack of beasts could grow in power.
"That's why I said I was in a hurry. Now that the Wolf King is on the move, there's no telling what kind of trouble they'll stir up."
...It certainly made something like Okma seem like a petty crime. Ah, and it was such an interesting issue. What a shame.
"Do you get it now? The reason I told you to build up your own forces was to prepare for their interference. It's good to have a force that can move freely in an emergency."
"I had no idea your intentions ran so deep. I understand. I'll try to make one."
"Hmph. Only now?"
"A few days should be enough. More importantly, Shei-ssi. I have a question."
"What is it now?"
She'd started talking about Ende so suddenly that I'd missed my chance to ask. I finally got to the point.
"How do you eat your meals, Shei-ssi?"
"Meals? If nothing special is going on, I use the Bountiful Table."
"Exactly. What is that?"
'Ah, come to think of it, have I never shown Hughes the Bountiful Table? I suppose I didn't in the Abyss, and after that, we were always on the move, so we just ate whatever was convenient.'
"Alright. I'll show you."
The Regressor casually opened her Pocket. A rift appeared in the air, and beyond it shimmered a space only she could access. After rummaging around for a moment, she pulled out a lidded plate.
"I have the Bountiful Table. It's a treasure that automatically cooks for you as long as you provide the ingredients."
When she lifted the lid, the plate was empty. The Regressor closed it again and pressed down lightly on the handle. Ding. A small bell chimed, and the lid began to vibrate, emitting steam.
Before long, the vibrations subsided. The Regressor lifted the lid again. Inside, a piece of meat, grilled and glazed with layers of soy sauce, now rested on the plate.
"Huh? What is this! Did you just perform a magic trick?"
"The Bountiful Table. It may look like a single plate, but it's a treasure that can produce ten thousand dishes from a few ingredients. It's a memento created by a royal chef from a bygone era, one who had even mastered a Unique Magic, so that he could continue to serve his emperor even in death."
What kind of extravagant memento was this? Wait a minute. Does that mean the reason I never saw her eat in the Abyss was...
"You've been holed up in your room all this time, gloomily eating delicious food all by yourself?!"
"Gloomily? Besides, the Bountiful Table can only make one dish at a time. It doesn't cook well if you're moving, and once you make something, you have to wait for the lid to cool down."
"You could have just waited a little! While some of us were barely staving off hunger with a single can of food! You were filling your belly with delicious meals all by yourself, and you had the nerve to scold us for ordering a little delivery food?!"
"Wh-what's gotten into you? It's not like I didn't give you money for food. I wasn't telling you not to eat, I was telling you to do some work while you eat."
I almost died eating that food you paid for! You selfish brat. If you had such a stable food source, you should have shared it. The thought of sharing with others doesn't even cross your mind, does it!
Azzy, who had wandered over, was also blinking, staring at the plate.
"I'm starting to doubt whether you even consider us comrades, Shei-ssi."
"Woof! Monopoly! Bad! Sharing! Good!"
"Food is such an important issue. To think you kept it to yourself because you didn't want to share."
"Woof woof woof! Smells delicious! Awooo! Hungry!"
"Ah, fine! I'll give you a plate, alright?!"
'It's not like it matters if I give them some, I have a mountain of ingredients in my Pocket. I just didn't tell them because I was afraid they'd annoy me by constantly asking me to cook for them.'
If it didn't matter, you should have given it to us sooner! The world runs inefficiently because of stingy people like you!
The Regressor took ingredients from her Pocket, placed them on the plate, and used the Bountiful Table again. It didn't look like she added much, but after passing through the treasure, the ingredients were reborn as a royal court dish of lightly blanched, thinly sliced meat rolled with vegetables.
"Here."
"Woof!"
"Azzy. Where are your manners? Can't you see this was meant for a human!"
I pushed Azzy away as she dove face-first toward the plate, but two of the meat rolls had already vanished into her mouth. I clamped her mouth shut to prevent her from eating more and took a bite of a roll myself.
Delicious.
It looked simple on the outside, but the lightly sprinkled spices and fresh vegetables maximized the flavor of the ingredients. From texture to aroma, the skill was purely outstanding. It was on a completely different level from those restaurants that just throw meat and bones into a pot and boil them with brute force. This was the power of a treasure?
My fingers, as if enchanted, searched for the next meat roll, only to find the plate empty. Did Azzy eat it already? No, there wasn't much to begin with. As if to prove its worth as a chef's creation, the portion was insultingly small.
This just makes me hungrier. I was fiddling with the plate in disappointment when the Regressor spoke as if she'd expected it.
"See? It's not enough."
...So what? I was so dumbfounded I had to retort.
"Why are you acting so smug? Are you saying that since it's not enough to share, you're not going to give us any more and just eat it all yourself? Wow. You really have zero social skills, don't you? You want me to just turn evil?"
"Woof woof! That didn't even make a dent! More!"
"No, Azzy. You can't. It has vegetables and seasoning, it'll make you sick."
"Woof! Me, omnivore!"
"You usually don't even glance at vegetables, and now you're claiming to be an omnivore?"
It really wasn't enough to share. Next time, I'll have to ditch Azzy and eat by myself. While I was locked in a battle of wills with Azzy, waiting for the next dish, the Regressor stopped what she was doing and watched us with a pathetic look on her face.
"Making a fuss over nothing."
'It's just food to replenish nutrients. I don't see why they have to be like this.'
If that's how you feel, then give me the Bountiful Table and go eat out! You're not just full, you're gloating!
Whatever I was thinking, the Regressor's thoughts were carefree. Watching Azzy and me bicker, she let out a tiny, almost invisible smile.
'...Eating together isn't so bad.'