Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Human Lessons (5)
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Sizzle―――.
The pancakes were cooking steadily.
All the while, Anje kept her eyes peeled like a hawk, watching the browning process with intense focus.
As if she would never let her guard down again, no matter what.
Her red dress tied with an apron over it.
Her eyes now focused more on cooking than slaughter.
It was profoundly striking, like gazing upon a beautiful woman her age.
Leaving the restaurant now restored to peace behind me, I headed to the restroom for a moment.
And the instant I checked the contents of that blue message from earlier again...
My jaw dropped in shock.
"What the hell? Why did the Empire's stability suddenly drop by 15%?"
I ruffled my silver hair vigorously and scrolled down to check for any other anomalies.
The Minster Group was quiet, and the Holy See hadn't caused any particular incidents.
Prince Ivan was probably still fully focused on fawning over the Tutton Grand Duke's daughter right now.
Could there be some disaster seed I didn't know about wriggling into existence again?
Like how, once the protagonists of the last bad ending quieted down, new replacements would emerge.
"If a new face shows up trying to wreck the Empire, I need to steer these unified prisoners to block them."
To do that, they first need some affection for the Empire.
For now, I'll investigate slowly while taking even better care of the prisoners.
"To make them want to stay in this land even more."
With that resolution, I stepped out of the restroom.
And returned to the restaurant with my usual mild expression.
In the meantime, dainty vegetables and fruits had been arranged on the plates.
Followed by the fluffy soufflé pancakes.
Anje drizzled blueberry jam over them with trembling hands.
"......"
A joyful expression, as if thrilled to have seized something with her own hands for the first time.
In response, I spoke in a warm voice, like a father watching his child's success.
"How does it feel? Going from always ordering others around to finally seizing something for yourself?"
Anje flinched for a moment, her jam knife pausing.
Then, reverting to her haughty gaze, she shot back.
"I can do plenty besides mental magic, you know?"
"Really? Aside from writing, I haven't seen much. Why not show me more while you're at it?"
Having finished cooking, Anje wiped her hands with a dry towel.
Then, as if struck by a good idea, she smirked and slipped back into her dangerous saintess expression.
"Of course I will. Remember you promised to model for my drawing with that wish coupon?"
"Huh...? Not really ringing a bell."
I tilted my head in feigned ignorance.
But Anje narrowed her eyes like a snake that never lets prey escape once it's in sight.
"Don't forget I still haven't used my wish coupon. I'll show you my true skills then."
How much does she plan to torment me?
Is she going to draw my face like some creepy monster?
As I pondered how she'd draw me...
As if to block that worry at the source, the saintess finished setting the table.
"There, the food is ready."
"The smell of those pancakes is amazing, right? What do you all think?"
I proudly showed off the dish Anje had made herself to everyone.
The first to react was Francka, lover of sweet desserts.
"Ooh, finally something that actually looks like food? Smells great!"
The pure-blood princess widened her pink eyes, showing great interest.
However, unexpectedly, the other women seemed unimpressed, aside from her.
"Well, she made it decently... with those delicate hands..."
"But only three pieces? Not enough for everyone."
Is it the portion size?
In that case, Myoran should help with the cooking too.
"Then how about Myoran joins in this time?"
"Me too?"
Life returned to Myoran's face, which had been frozen like a stone cat statue.
"Yeah, you said your quail exploded earlier, right? Let's try again."
I worried her pride might be hurt and she'd refuse.
But she stood up immediately, smoothing out the cheongsam clinging to her voluptuous figure.
"Of course. I can do it perfectly if I'm just guided properly."
Clea and Conan recalled how Myoran had boasted of her cooking prowess just moments ago.
She'd spoken like a seasoned expert then, but now she was acting like a clueless teenage girl in front of the warden. It was infuriating.
Regardless, Myoran donned an apron again.
Her now-sharpened green eyes sparkled as she prepared a new wok.
"Want to light the fire first? Sounds like the issue was heat control."
Myoran placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath.
And the moment she ignited the flame under the wok again...
Sure enough, purple flames shot up just like before.
The color of ultra-high heat I'd only seen in YouTube shorts before possessing this body.
"Cooking quail over that kind of fire... no wonder it caught immediately."
"Myoran, mind if I touch your body for a sec?"
"Uh, sure...?"
I reached out and began gently stroking her arm with both hands.
Her soft, youthful skin.
"As expected, your body gets incredibly cold when using magic power. Like a pale moon."
"Let's focus on controlling your magic power. This heat is way too intense for cooking."
"......Got it."
Myoran slowly closed her eyes and concentrated on her magic power.
Blending the moon's power with her internal energy to emit blue magic.
"Relax your shoulders a bit—yes, that's good."
I touched along her arms, following the nerves where magic flowed.
Gradually moving up to her shoulders and underarms.
It started feeling like a burly man's hands exploring a girl's intimate areas.
But I couldn't stop here.
Finally, red vitality began to flush across Myoran's face where I touched.
"It means she's overcoming the moon's chill, with her own power taking the lead."
Following the positive sign, I pressed my body against her back.
And whispered intimately to her as she focused on her magic.
"I'll support your arms. Meanwhile, release all extraneous tension and focus solely on the moon's power and your internal energy."
"......"
Her raw strength and build were far superior to mine, for sure.
But this inner finesse? I'd lived over a century through regressions, so I was more precise.
Indeed, Myoran entrusted her body to me and focused purely on magic control.
The result?
Whoosh...!!
The roaring flames returned to a normal red hue.
Just the right intensity for home cooking.
"I did it......"
A satisfied smile bloomed on Myoran's face.
She looked up at me, cheeks flushed like a girl who'd achieved a great feat.
"Thank you, Warden. I think it worked because of you."
"It's all your skill. I just held your arms."
The black-haired girl gently grasped my hand wrapped around her arm.
Then pulled it toward her body.
As if a lover embracing her from behind.
"No. Without your touch, I probably wouldn't have succeeded."
Exhausted from the extreme magic control, Myoran leaned into my chest.
And murmured in a small voice.
"Will you help me with magic control like this from time to time in the future?"
"Can't say no to that. I learn a lot helping you too."
Truthfully, observing mana operation up close was a huge lesson.
It would serve as a great compass on the path to Grand Master later.
"Now I'll cook myself. Unlike Anje, I have plenty of experience."
"Sounds good. Heat's under control now, so I'll watch carefree."
I stepped back and admired her flashy knife work and wok handling.
True to her experience, Myoran flawlessly completed the roast quail.
However, none of the other women, except me, were impressed.
Especially the Princess and Anje, who exchanged telepathic barbs.
While the two conversed, all the dishes were finally complete.
Myoran's roast quail.
Anje's pancakes.
The Princess's bento set too.
Gathered together, they formed a lavish feast.
"Just adding you, Warden, completely changed the menu."
"Right? You can't stay away too long."
Fred and Nix's eyes lit up at the luxurious spread.
Grand Elder Dark chuckled warmly, watching the young women dutifully cook.
"Skills rivaling imperial chefs."
Camillia gave her uncle a sullen look for praising the prisoners.
Noticing her foul mood, Conan backed away and hid behind me.
"Alright, the ones who worked hardest today eat first?"
I clapped with a beaming smile.
And pointed to pure-blood princess Francka and Vice Warden Clea.
"Francka who took the explosion head-on, and our Vice Warden who cleaned up the wrecked restaurant. You two taste first."
Clea cautiously lifted her monocle.
"This doesn't feel like a reward."
"Not exploding again, is it? I don't want to waste recovered mana on another shield."
I patted their shoulders reassuringly.
"I watched the whole process; it was totally normal. No need to worry."
"Well, if you say so, Warden, I'll trust you."
Clea carefully sniffed the roast quail.
With expert fork and knife work, she sliced the meat perfectly...
Juicy juices and tender white flesh burst from the crispy golden skin.
"Mm."
Clea, the cooking expert who'd once bested the Princess overwhelmingly.
She slipped the freshly roasted quail between her red lips.
"......"
After coolly savoring the taste...
"It's good."
She gave her assessment in her characteristically curt manner.
"The meat is moist, skin crispy. Reminds me of that Eastern restaurant I took my siblings to."
Her straightforward praise prompted others to dig in.
Fred, Nix, and Grand Elder Dark were all very pleased.
"This is delicious! Like the special meal from the Holy See after a big success!"
"Fred, isn't that classified info?"
"Excellent. Tastes like the banquet with the Eastern continent envoy."
Next up: Anje's soufflé pancakes.
Francka, first in line, clenched her plump cheeks and raised her fork.
With the determined gaze of an astronaut landing on the moon.
"Here goes."
The princess boldly sliced the soufflé cake in half.
Hot steam rose as the bread tore satisfyingly.
Francka dunked a fluffy piece in blueberry jam.
And took a big, slow bite.
"Mm-hmm."
Her chubby cheeks worked diligently.
The moment she swallowed...
"More."
Francka spoke with bread crumbs on her lips, looking utterly blissful.
The picky young girl, stringent even on taste.
Once even she was satisfied, everyone approached in wonder.
"Really that good?"
"Lemme try."
The prisoners crowded in to taste.
As expected, most wore satisfied expressions.
But.
Not everyone was enjoying this harmonious vibe.
The two who made the food reluctantly nibbled with indifferent faces, unwilling to acknowledge each other.
"Well, not bad. Pretty good for hands that only gripped knife hilts."
"Pancakes are hard to mess up. On our continent, it's beginner flatbread level."
"With tempers like that, no wonder."
"Probably would've made another monstrous dough blob without Derek's help?"
"Shouldn't you be banned from the kitchen? Next time you might blow up the whole prison."
I sighed like a guy watching his stocks crash.
"Sigh, can't be helped."
"Hey, everyone, no fighting. Listen up: if you want to cook more but run into something you don't know, come to me first instead of rushing."
I rummaged in my uniform pocket and pulled out a key.
An old, worn house key.
"This is the key to my cabin. When I'm off-duty, I'm there, so come find me."
I placed it on the table with a clunk.
I had several spares—four in total.
"........."
The bustling restaurant fell deathly quiet.
The women stared blankly at the key in unison.
"What, playing hard to get? You snuck out of the prison without me knowing anyway. Think I wouldn't notice?"
I crossed my arms alone, asserting discipline.
"From now on, if you need anything, come to me first and ask. I'll make it work somehow."
Maybe embarrassed their secret outings were exposed, they stayed silent.
Feeling like I'd ruined the mood, I slowly headed to the corridor.
"Take your time eating. I have work to do."
I left the restaurant with casual steps.
On the way back to my office, with idle hands, I checked the system window again.
"Stability's still down, sigh..."
As I absentmindedly swiped...
I spotted an unfamiliar number and scrolled back up.
"What was that?!"
Empire Stability: 40% → 70%
"What? Why'd it suddenly stabilize again?"
Could it be because I advised them to come to me for help when needed?
A grin tugged at my lips at the soaring stability.
These little things really do matter!