Boku wa Chiisana Maou-sama

CHAPTER 14 – PREFERENCES 2

The sky is clear and pleasant sunlight is pouring.
The little Maou-sama Dirkhert and the people who take care of him, Meluerina and Volsung are having lunch in the courtyard.
Today’s lunch is without things Dirkhert dislikes, without Meluerina getting angry at him and without Volsung spoiling him, truly a peaceful meal.

「Maou-sama, you are dirty around your mouth」
「N~……」

Meluerina wipes it diligently, but his mouth gets quickly dirty again because he’s eating. Even though Meluerina understands that there’s no meaning in wiping it off during the meal, she can’t help, but to want to take care of him.
The quiet, delicious meal should have been continuing as before, but Dirkhert’s hands suddenly stop and his face warps.
That expression is the expression he makes when he eats something he dislikes. However, today’s meal shouldn’t contain things Dirkhert dislikes.

「What’s the matter?」

When Volsung asks, Dirkhert thrusts his hand into his mouth and takes something out. Then, he throws it away at the edge of the plate.

「This, is not tasty……」

The thing Dirkhert took out is a clam.
This Maou Castle is quite far away from the sea, so seafood is not used that much in meals. Because of that, Dirkhert has never eaten a clam until now.
Clam is a luxury ingredient in this Maou Castle, but they seem not to suit Dirkhert’s tastes.

「Do you dislike shellfish?」
「…… It tastes weird, and some gravel is stuck on it. I dislike this」

It’s not prejudice against food. He doesn’t like it after properly tasting it so forcing him to eat it would be inexcusable. Furthermore, it was to the extent he wanted to spit it out.

「…… Is that so?」

Meluerina looks at the clams on Dirkhert’s plate he avoided and leaks out a small sigh.
How many kinds of food the little Maou-sama dislike does it make? It can’t be counted anymore.
It’s said that the tongue of a child is more sensitive than adult’s so they tend to taste stronger flavors. Because of that, he has many dislikes right now. At least that’s what Meluerina wants it to be.
「If you dislike too many things, you won’t have any food left to eat, you know?」

Dirkhert answers with「That’s not truemon」to Volsungs nonchalant words, but those words are not necessarily a joke either.
He dislikes carrots, he dislikes fish, he dislikes beef, he dislikes vegetables which produce a strong grassy smell, he dislikes fish eggs, and now he even dislikes a shellfish.
Moreover, everything he dislikes is not because of prejudice since he tried to eat everything properly.
It will surely be all right, his tastes will grow along with him. Meluerina tells herself while racking her brains about little Maou’s unbalanced diet.