Please Stop Coming to Our Campfire
The caravan greeted the new day. Bubble bubble... I breathed in the crisp dawn air while preparing breakfast. The iron pot, which looked exactly like a witch’s cauldron, brimmed with rich broth and hearty chunks of meat. Calling it a simple soup felt wrong; it was a clear, meat-heavy stew. As a side, I had roughly chopped herbs that resembled cabbage leaves and dressed them like fresh kimchi. Rice would have been perfect, but without it I substituted with bread and potato-like roots.
It’s not a familiar taste, but the feeling isn’t bad.
It was a shame about the missing ingredients, yet the result was better than I expected. And there it is again—mana flowing through it.
Staring into the bubbling meat broth, I could clearly see mana swirling inside. This time it was pure white, even denser in color than yesterday’s. Does cooking make the mana stronger? I wasn’t sure of the exact mechanics, but my ability to distinguish rare-grade items was definitely activating on my food. Just as rare minerals and herbs gave off visible mana, my cooking now showed similar signs.
The deeper color probably means it tastes even better than yesterday.
Bubble bubble... I kept the pot simmering to concentrate the broth when a hesitant voice called out.
“Um…”
“Hmm?”
Someone had approached our carriage. On closer inspection it was an adventurer from one of the other wagons.
“Are we setting off?”
“No, no… that’s not it…”
Her eyes were glued to the cauldron. Gurgle… She was clearly starving.
“Are you hungry?”
“Ah… yes… well…”
The woman struggled to answer, embarrassed. “I didn’t prepare any food for myself…”
“Hmm.”
“Ah! I’m not asking for a free meal!”
As an adventurer she knew nothing came without a price. Everything cost money in this line of work; when I registered my own adventurer tag I had even used my belt as collateral.
“Three silvers,” I said.
“Th-that’s expensive…”
I had quoted high on purpose. Constant visitors would disrupt our party, and the ingredients and spices I used couldn’t be gathered locally. Besides, I wasn’t a professional chef. This was simply my selfish way of preserving our combat strength.
“If it’s expensive, you won’t waste any, right?”
I ladled the stew until the bowl overflowed, then set it on a small stand before her. I added a portion of the fresh herb salad I had picked that morning and placed bread beside it.
“Go ahead and eat.”
“Yes!”
The adventurer dipped her spoon into the steaming bowl.
“It’s hot, so take it slow—”
“Hoo! Hoo…!”
“…”
She complained about the heat yet kept shoveling it in. Apparently this temperature was nothing to the women of this world.
“O-ohhh… It’s too delicious. My whole body feels like it’s melting… whoa…”
The bowl was empty in minutes. It had easily been a double serving, yet she devoured it at a speed I hadn’t expected. It wasn’t much different from a starving adult man eating.
“C-can I have another bowl?!”
“Two bowls will be six silvers.”
“Yes!”
Having tasted the meat broth, the adventurer eagerly handed over more coins.
“Mmm~ Huh? What the—!”
Syucali, returning from scouting, trotted back to the campfire. The moment she saw someone who wasn’t part of our group occupying our spot, she rushed over with murder in her eyes.
“Furiko, what the hell are you doing?”
Syucali glared down at the female adventurer named Furiko.
“The delicious smell has been drifting over since last night, so I came.”
“Who said you could?!”
“Obviously it’s up to that cook over there. I paid, didn’t I?”
“Is that true, Kang Seo-ja-nim?” Syucali shouted, turning to me.
“I received six silvers.”
“Six silvers for one meal?!”
“It’s worth every coin~ Slurp~ Haaa, the broth is so unbelievably good it’s hard to describe.”
Furiko emptied her second bowl and happily sprawled out in satisfaction.
“Uuu… Give me some too!”
“Sit.”
Seeing the scene, Syucali quickly claimed a seat near the fire, eager to eat. I filled a bowl to the brim and handed it over. She snatched up her spoon the instant it touched her hands.
“Haum haum, hoooup…! Th-this is the best…”
She gulped the hot broth without hesitation. From the look on her face it suited her palate perfectly. Instead of words she trembled all over, expressing her delight with her entire body.
“This is an incredible soup. It feels like vitality is surging through every inch of me, exactly like a stamina potion.”
Comparing it to a potion was, for Syucali, the highest possible praise.
“More please!”
She naturally held out her empty bowl.
“What is happening out here?”
Eos emerged from the tent. The noise must have drawn her out.
“It’s nothing. Come eat.”
“Food, you say…”
I placed a bowl in front of her as well.
“I’ve never seen this dish before. How do I eat it?”
“Just empty the bowl like they’re doing.” I pointed at Syucali and Furiko.
Eos nodded, lifted her spoon, and took a sip. Slurp… The moment the broth touched her tongue, her face began sinking steadily toward the bowl as if drawn by magic. It seemed she approved.
“It’s delicious…”
Only after watching even Eos eat did I finally ladle a bowl for myself. It didn’t quite reach the flavor of the soup I used to eat at my favorite restaurant back on Earth, but it was still far more to my taste than anything else I had eaten in this world.
“Wow~ Who knew food this good existed?”
“As expected of Kang Seo-ja-nim. You’re incredible.”
“Such a luxurious broth…”
It seemed food infused with mana earned far better reviews than ordinary meals.
“Ahem, ahem…”
While we were filling our stomachs, I felt a burning gaze on the back of my head.
“Excuse me, I’m from carriage seventeen…”
“What is it?”
“I came to see if there was any left in the pot.”
A sturdy-looking female warrior from one of the rear carriages stared at the bubbling cauldron over our fire.
“Three silvers per bowl.”
“I see.”
I made sure she understood how expensive one meal was. Nevertheless, the warrior from carriage seventeen casually sat down beside the campfire.
“I’d like one bowl.”
“Understood.”
After receiving the three silvers I served her the meat stew.
“Sniff… sniff…”
She inhaled the aroma, then lifted the entire bowl and drank deeply.
“Uwoop?!”
After downing nearly half in one go, she looked up at the sky.
“A broth with this much depth…!”
The warrior roared at the heavens before burying her face in the bowl again. I wondered if the meat stew was really that good, but—
“Yum yum. What is this? A salty, spicy salad?”
“The broth is absolutely killer~”
“Another bowl! And bread with it!”
It really was that good.
Thanks to the four enthusiastic eaters, the mana-infused cauldron emptied at an astonishing speed. The two adventurers from the neighboring carriages eventually left, rubbing their satisfied bellies. The two pairs of eyes I had sensed watching us last night had belonged to them. They had been lured over by the delicious smell.
“Kang Seo-ja-nim, should we start a food business?”
“No.”
Just by serving breakfast I had earned two gold and four silvers. Syucali counted on her fingers and shouted “One hundred gold!” while insisting we open a stall.
“The food is just as fantastic as your bedtime skills, you know?”
“I have no desire to be called the Cursed Chef after already being known as the Succubus’s man.”
I had worked part-time in a restaurant before. Even though I had only served tables and washed dishes, I knew exactly how exhausting customer service could be. And once alcohol enters the picture, the person cleaning up loses their mind.
The two who had just left had asked if we had any liquor, which brought back unpleasant memories. Drunken customers who wouldn’t listen, started fights, and vomited everywhere—the images were still vivid.
“Absolutely not.”
“Then we get to eat delicious food for the rest of our lives? Yippee~”
“Do I look like a restaurant to you?”
Syucali beamed and nodded vigorously.
“I’ll do my absolute best for Master! Just give me any order!”
“Do the dishes.”
“Yes! Eos, bring some water.”
I couldn’t help feeling the roles of master and slave had somehow reversed. When I thought about it, in this world women enjoyed sleeping with men more than men enjoyed it, and they also seemed to love delicious food even more. What a selfish world.
As that thought crossed my mind, Paula’s voice rang out from the front.
“We’re moving out!”
Clatter… clatter…
The carriages began rolling again. The long column of wagons continued without pause. And, as if on cue, a monster attack arrived.
“Ambush!”
“It’s an X-Beast this time!”
A monster shaped like a tiger or lion. Just as the rumors said, it preferred caves as its main habitat.
“Grrrrr…!”
Slower than a wolf, yet its entire body was pure muscle.
Slash!
“Kyaaak!!”
“Hens!”
Its claws were razor sharp; several adventurers collapsed with deep gashes.
“Certainly threatening.”
I could see mana radiating from its pointed fangs and sharp claws. I judged that avoiding those would be enough and swung my sword.
Swoosh…
“Graaaar!!”
The beast’s hide was thick; I couldn’t finish it in a single strike. It looked like this would become a war of attrition.
“Everyone charge together while the rear personnel attack! The front line only needs to lure it!”
I wondered who was giving orders and spotted a silver-haired woman nocking an arrow. Her voice belonged to the woman I had met last night—Steiny.
“Understood!”
“Draw its aggro while you charge!”
Everyone moved according to her commands. Most of them circled toward the beast’s rear.
“You go to the front and lure it!”
“No, you do it!”
“I’m aiming for its back!”
“Me too!”
“Same here!”
As expected, no one wanted to risk their life standing directly in front of the beast’s face.
“Ugh, seriously!”
The adventurers kept shoving one another’s backs, trying to force someone else to face the monster head-on.
“Hmph…”
We couldn’t keep fleeing forever. Someone had to draw the monster’s attention so the carriages could escape.
“I’ll block the front.”
Swoosh…
Since no one else would do it, I stepped forward alone to face the X-Beast.
“Kang Seo-ja-nim…!”
“Take care of its rear, Syucali.”
“Ah… yes!”
The beast twisted its massive body the moment it saw me approach.
“Graaawr!!”
A tremendous roar slammed into me, accompanied by a crushing pressure that weighed down my entire body.
“…Compared to Helga, this thing is just a house cat.”
I raised my sword and unleashed the noble swordsmanship I had copied.
Kiiiing!!
Sword and claw collided, scattering bright sparks.