Alright, Now It's Your (No, Their) Turn to Put in Some Work
The bell signaling the start of second period rang out, and with it, they began pulling out ingredients. They moved as if they already knew the exact layout of the cloister, flowing naturally through the space. I stared at them in a daze until Irel approached me and handed over a cute little sparrow-shaped spirit.
“Wait here where this child guides you, Teacher.”
“Huh? Uh…”
And just like that, Irel vanished like a breeze, leaving only a faint trace behind.
“Hooo…”
-Pii!
“Oh, right… this way?”
Following the spirit she’d left me, I walked slowly down the corridor while explaining to the little creature just how adorable and kind Irel used to be back in the day.
Meanwhile, the scattered Golden Beasts were each showing off their impressive culinary skills in the cloister’s kitchen. They began carrying their finished creations toward the banquet hall. Since Irel had used her spirits to keep me circling around, there was more than enough time.
They moved with incredible energy, setting out an array of exquisite dishes on the long table and chairs prepared in the banquet hall for all sixteen of us. The massive hall filled with mouthwatering aromas from every kind of food imaginable. Then, guided by the spirit, the doors finally opened and Rowell Ackerman stepped inside.
The Golden Beasts smiled brightly at his arrival and moved forward to escort him to his seat.
“Whoa… Wait, kids, did you all make this?”
I asked with pure, genuine admiration and a bright smile. The girls exchanged glances. Then, with eerie naturalness, as if they’d rehearsed who would speak first, they began answering one by one.
“Yes, Teacher.”
Elena was the first to smile brightly. In front of her sat a warm stew perfectly balanced with meat and vegetables.
“You didn’t sleep properly last night, right? So I focused on ingredients that restore energy to the body.”
“Ingredients that restore energy?”
“Yes! I put in things that help you last a long time!”
“…Elena.”
“Yes?”
“That sounds strangely ominous. Is it just me having a dirty mind?”
Elena looked genuinely confused. That was even scarier.
Serena quietly slid a plate toward me. It held gently cooked white fish, herbs, and a delicately fragrant soup.
“Since you’ve been accumulating fatigue, I prepared a light meal that recovers you from the inside out.”
“I can actually trust what Serena makes.”
“Yes. I also added a few medicinal herbs good for circulation and vitality.”
“Vitality.”
“Yes.”
Serena smiled softly.
“Today is going to be a long day, after all.”
I nearly dropped my spoon.
Brunhilde set down a massive plate in front of me. It was grilled meat. Very cleanly grilled meat. And there was a lot of it. An absurd amount.
“Eat.”
“Brunhilde.”
“Protein.”
“Yeah, I get that part.”
“Good for muscle recovery. Good for endurance too.”
“Endurance.”
“You’ll need it.”
“For what?”
Brunhilde looked at me for a moment.
“From now on.”
“…That ‘from now on’ is terrifying.”
Luciel offered me a small, neat plate. Deep blue berries, nuts, and thinly sliced cheese were arranged beautifully.
“Rowell’s digestive efficiency drops if you eat too much at once. So I made it so you can get the necessary calories in small portions.”
“Oh. This one actually sounds reasonable?”
“Mm. Fatigue recovery, sustained focus, magic circulation support, sleep deprivation recovery.”
“That last one feels like the most important.”
“And sustained long-term activity.”
“…Luciel.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you include that last item?”
Luciel tilted her head after looking at me for a second.
“Because it seemed necessary.”
“Why?”
“Calculation results.”
“What…? Just what kind of calculations—”
Before I could finish, my arm was grabbed and I was pulled over. Aruel presented a dish in a wooden bowl—clear salad, grilled mushrooms, and herbs that carried the scent of the forest.
“You get tired quickly from heavy foods, Teacher.”
“Aruel, you really are thoughtful.”
“I’ve been watching you for a long time.”
She smiled quietly.
“I chose ingredients that keep the body light while ensuring the inner heat doesn’t fade.”
“Inner heat?”
“You could say it doesn’t cool down easily even after a long time.”
“…The phrasing is so elegant it actually makes it more suspicious.”
“It’s not suspicious.”
Aruel spoke with perfect calm.
“Not yet, anyway.”
“Not yet?”
Laira came running over as if she’d been waiting, holding a plate piled mountain-high with huge chunks of meat. The smell was incredible. Insanely good.
“Teacher! Eat this!”
“Laira. It’s meat, huh.”
“Yep! The best cut!”
“What cut is it?”
Laira beamed.
“The cut that makes you feel full of energy!”
“I’m anxious, so could you please tell me the exact name of the cut?”
“Why? It’s good for your body!”
“The question is in what way it’s good for the body.”
“A body is a body, right?”
“That pure innocence of yours is terrifying today too.”
Valeria placed a golden plate before me. The plate itself already looked like a royal treasure. On it was a luxurious roast covered in red sauce and fragrant spices.
“Eat, Teacher.”
“This looks ridiculously expensive.”
“It’s a nourishing dish passed down in the Dragon Clan’s royal family for generations.”
“Nourishing dish.”
“A king must not tire easily. The same goes for precious treasures.”
“I’m neither a king nor a treasure.”
“Then you should eat even more.”
“Why?”
“Those who don’t know their own value usually neglect their bodies.”
“Don’t come at me with logic I can’t refute.”
Tethys quietly set down a bowl with a bluish tint. Inside was clear broth, white flesh, and seaweed that carried the scent of the ocean. The aroma was gentle yet deep.
“I was nervous because you said it was deep-sea ingredients, but it looks surprisingly normal.”
“I only chose things that wouldn’t surprise you.”
“Thank you for that.”
“Deep-sea ingredients slowly warm the body, you see.”
“It’s from the sea, but it warms you?”
“Yes. The outside stays calm while the inside stays warm for a long time.”
“…”
Tethys smiled serenely.
“It’s a dish that doesn’t require you to rush.”
“Why does your food description sound like an old-fashioned seduction?”
Irel placed a small plate in front of me. It held petal-like salad, fruit, and something like translucent jelly.
“You can eat it lightly.”
“Irel’s dish is pretty.”
“The spirits helped me.”
“I see.”
“The wind chose the fragrance, the water adjusted the texture, and the fire picked ingredients that warm from the inside.”
“Even fire?”
“Yeah. My fire side was a little aggressive.”
“A little?”
Irel thought for a moment.
“A lot?”
“Take it out.”
“I already put it in.”
“Irel.”
“But it tastes good.”
Mirabel brought something that looked less like a plate and more like a tiny stage. Pastel-colored sweets, petal sugar, small tarts, and sparkling powder. It looked exactly like something a fairy would make.
“Teacher, this is the after-meal dessert.”
“We haven’t even started eating yet?”
“You look tired, so I thought I should lift your mood first.”
“Just the mood?”
“Yep. Just the mood.”
Mirabel smiled.
“Probably.”
“Did you just say ‘probably’?”
“Fairy snacks change their effects depending on the eater’s heart.”
“Then maybe I really shouldn’t eat it?”
“Teacher’s heart is always fun, so it’s fine.”
“That’s exactly why it’s not fine.”
Roselia set down a glass with utmost politeness. The drink inside was a deep red. I looked at the glass. Then at Roselia. Then back at the glass.
“Roselia.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Is this blood?”
“It is not.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I would never serve you something like that without permission.”
“Thank goodness.”
“It’s a drink made from pomegranate, grapes, and a few medicinal herbs. It improves complexion, warms the body, and invigorates one’s energy.”
“Complexion.”
“Yes.”
“Energy.”
“Yes.”
“Why does everything sound like it has a double meaning when you say it?”
Roselia smiled politely.
“Perhaps because I am a vampire?”
“Don’t admit that so calmly.”
Astella slid a small plate toward me. It was a sweet cake topped with deep purple cream. The scent was incredible. So incredible it made me even more suspicious.
“Astella.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“What happens if I eat this?”
“It’s delicious?”
“And then?”
“You’ll feel really good~♥”
“And then?”
“Your body will get just a liiiittle warm♥”
“And then?”
Astella smiled.
“I’m happy because I can tell exactly how far Teacher wants to know.”
“I’m not eating it.”
“I didn’t use any abilities, you know?”
“That makes it scarier.”
“It’s true~ The ingredients are just naturally famous for that kind of thing!”
“Don’t say ‘that kind of thing.’”
Asteria quietly set down a black plate. It was a meat dish with the heavy atmosphere of a demon king’s formal dinner. It wasn’t flashy, but it felt substantial. And the aroma was intense.
“Teacher.”
“Yeah.”
“Eat.”
“Your explanation is short.”
“The strong must eat well.”
“I’m not strong.”
“That’s why you must eat even more.”
“…I feel like Valeria used that same logic earlier.”
Asteria glanced at Valeria. Valeria looked back at her. The air grew heavy for a moment.
“It’s different,” Asteria said. “This is not the meal of a ruler.”
Her red eyes turned toward me.
“It is the meal of one who endures.”
“…”
“Teacher endures well. Therefore, you must eat.”
I picked up my water glass for no particular reason. Her words stung a little.
Bellina carefully offered something that resembled a lunchbox. It was neat. Impossibly neat. The spacing between the rice and side dishes was perfectly balanced, and the thinly sliced ingredients were lined up like threads.
“I am not certain if it will suit Master’s palate.”
“Bellina, just looking at this makes me feel the sincerity.”
“You flatter me.”
“What is this?”
“I added a few ingredients that warm the body and invigorate energy.”
“You too?”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Go on.”
Bellina quietly lowered her head.
“I thought of how Master could sleep comfortably and move without strain the next day.”
“That’s a good purpose.”
“Yes. If you are to stay for a long time, your body must be strong.”
“Where?”
Bellina didn’t answer. She simply smiled with perfect demureness.
Ophelia was last. She placed a plate and a single document in front of me. The plate looked normal. Shockingly, the food itself looked normal too. But the document was there. That single fact destroyed all trust.
“Ophelia.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Why is there a document next to the food?”
“It is a tasting consent form.”
“Those are usually attached to poison experiments, you know.”
“There is no poison.”
“Then why do I need consent?”
“To prevent any misunderstanding regarding its efficacy.”
“Efficacy.”
“Stamina recovery, fatigue relief, improved blood flow, elevated body temperature, support for prolonged activity.”
“We’re done here.”
I set the document down.
“We’re done.”
Ophelia smiled politely.
“The efficacy you might misunderstand, Teacher, has not been included in the separate clauses.”
“How do you know what I’m misunderstanding?”
“It is written on your face.”
“Stop reading it.”
And so, fifteen dishes were laid out before me.
Meat. Soup. Fish. Salad. Dessert. Drink. Royal banquet dish. Demon king’s cuisine. Deep-sea nourishing food. Spirit-style fruit. Fairy snack. Tsuchigumo lunchbox. And a document.
The aroma was incredible. Truly incredible.
The problem was… the aroma was far too healthy.
I slowly looked at the girls. They were all watching me with eyes full of expectation, as if the moment I took a single bite, their sincerity would be proven. Like hunters who had laid out their bait.
I asked quietly.
“Kids.”
“Yes.”
“These dishes.”
I looked at the plates again. Wanting a slightly different answer, I asked once more. To all of them.
“Are they all… good for the body?”
The girls glanced at each other for a moment. Then, with unnatural naturalness, they smiled brightly and answered at the same time.
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes. Then I gathered as much mana as possible into my legs and sprinted for the door. I was definitely about to grab the doorknob. Definitely…!
And I did grab it. The joy I felt in that moment was truly beyond words.
But that joy quickly turned into despair.
My hand stopped. Still gripping the doorknob.
One arm was wrapped in silver threads, and the other was held by a hand made of deep blue mana. My legs were sunk into the floor as if it had turned into a swamp.
I turned my head with a creak, like a rusted machine. Behind me, my lovely Golden Beasts had summoned all kinds of weapons and were smiling.
I didn’t need to hear it to understand.
—Come here and sit down. Eat.
After the kids left, I suddenly remembered something my already-married colleagues had told me from time to time. They said that sometimes when they came home, their wives would have prepared a lavish feast. Thinking it must be some anniversary, they’d enter with pale faces, only for their wives to say it wasn’t anything special—she’d just decided to put in some effort after a long time.
Up to that point, my colleague had laughed while telling the story. But what came next was horrifying and utterly terrifying.
After he’d eaten everything and was drinking tea to settle his stomach, his wife had said…
With those words, she dragged him to the bedroom with irresistible strength, and he crawled out the next morning.
I suddenly recalled my friend’s words. Along with his terribly gaunt cheeks.
“Teaaaacher~? You’re not thinking of going anywhere without eating the meal your lovely disciples made for you… are you?”
“You guys… after I eat this, you’re going to assault me…! Like something out of an erotic magazine!”
“Yes.”
The girls’ answer was incredibly simple, and I was dragged away just like that.
As expected, you really are Golden Beasts.