"Ooooh! What is that!?"
"Wild boar? No, how could a wild boar be so big? It must be a monster."
"I've never seen a monster like this before, Captain. Do you know what it is?"
"No... I don't know either. I heard from an Orichalcum-rank adventurer before that a similar ferocious monster called the Thornboar appears below the 30th floor of the labyrinth. But the Thornboar they described isn't this big, and it also has hair that can break magical defenses. Although it's a bit far away, this monster is definitely a hairless type."
"I see, the Captain is truly knowledgeable, even knowing this—uuuu."
The adventurer, who looked very boastful, had only said half of his words when his face changed and he began to vomit while holding onto the wall. After chewing a few leaves nearby, the adventurer slowly came back to his senses.
"The dry food is all stained with the blood of those bugs. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten in my life. Just thinking about it makes me sick."
"That's not true. If you cook them well, these insects can be delicious."
"I'd rather die than carry all this stuff up there."
"You said you didn't need me to give you any."
The captain's words startled the boastful adventurer, who then smiled awkwardly.
"Um... can't we cook now?"
"You're crazy. This is a maze. Lighting a fire will attract monsters."
"But Captain, look over there..."
The boastful adventurer pointed in the direction of Ella, where flickering flames were visible. If one twitched his nose hard, one could smell the mouth-watering aroma of fried meat—an explosive aroma that mixed animal oil, seasonings, and chopped green onions, which seemed to draw out one's soul. If one looked closely, one could see that countless adventurers around him were constantly wiping their saliva.
An intoxicated look appeared on the flamboyant adventurer's face.
"Ahh, just thinking about it makes me feel delicious. The taste of grilled meat sprinkled with seasonings... the juiciness will surely overflow in your mouth the moment you bite into it, the greasy aroma filling your tongue, and the ridiculously expensive yet unforgettable spicy seasoning. Plus, the fact that the person who prepared it is such a beautiful girl, I can eat three of these dry food just by imagining it."
As he said this, the boastful adventurer bit off the rations in his hand with an envious look in his eyes, and then—
"Ugh—damn it, these damn bugs. I can't bear it anymore. I can only eat the leftovers at the bottom of the pot. Even if it means I die, I want to taste some of it."
"Hey, you bastard! Hey!"
Completely ignoring the captain's shouts, the boastful adventurer walked quickly towards Ella with sparkling eyes, like a traveler dying of thirst in the desert seeing an oasis.
Chapter 38: Banquet in the Labyrinth (Part 2)
Seeing someone approaching, Lingran, who had been standing nearby to ensure safety, immediately stood between Ella and the adventurer, exuding an aura of wanting to attack if anyone came any closer.
Perhaps frightened by this aura, the man in the exaggerated clothes froze and looked at Ella with his upper body tilted awkwardly.
"I'm truly sorry to bother you, my noble lord. Could I please buy some of this monster meat from you?"
While speaking, the boastful adventurer subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth.
"You, do you even know who you're talking to?!"
"Lingran, wait."
"Yes."
Ella, who was sitting by the simple stove, called out to Lingran, who was about to grab the adventurer's clothes, and waved her hand.
"Are you also interested in this monster meat?"
"Yes! I'm very interested. Even if it's just the leftovers at the bottom of the pot, please be accommodating!"
The boastful adventurer said this, clasping his hands together and bowing deeply to Ella, but Ella felt a little embarrassed.
How could I possibly give it to you as a scrap? And…
Ella came back to her senses and looked around. The adventurers next to her were all looking at her with longing eyes, the kind of eyes that were craving for food - it could even be said to be terrifying.
"If we give it to just him, it'll probably cause a commotion, but if we share it among all the adventurers, it won't be enough for Lotte to handle it alone."
Ella frowned and muttered softly.
Picking up a piece of meat that had been fried in a pan and turned into a sauce-colored piece with a fork, Mitis said in a very casual tone.
"Why not just give them some of the ingredients and let them cook it themselves?"
"Ah, yes, that's fine! I'll give you some of the monster meat, and you can cook it yourselves, is that okay?"
"This... Your Excellency, we don't have any hay..."
"Take these firewood as well."
"How can this be so embarrassing?"
Although he said so, the boastful adventurer still honestly reached out for the firewood that Ella had piled on the ground. He must be eager to be cooked, Ella thought, pretending not to care about the adventurer's actions.
After receiving the basin-sized amount of monster meat from Ella, the adventurer's face suddenly showed an irrepressible joy, and he kept bending down to say words of gratitude to Ella.
"Thank you, Your Excellency, thank you, Your Excellency!"
"No, as long as you eat it well."
"Don't worry, my noble lord! I won't even spit out a single bone!"
Ella couldn't help but smile. After watching the adventurers leave, she turned her attention back to the pot - the first batch of monster meat had been snatched away, with only a few pieces left, most of which were eaten by Angeline and Mitis.
"Woooa ...
"It's Ella-chan who's too slow. Woohoo—it's so hot."
"If you don't mind, Miss Ella, I still have some."
"Ella."
Almost at the same time, Lotte, who was sitting on the left, and Eve, who was sitting on the right, each picked up the fried meat from their own plates, as if waiting for Ella to pass them the plates.
As if a switch had been triggered, everyone sitting around the frying pan stopped what they were doing at the same time, pretending to pay attention to Ella.
"Well……"
What's going on? This Shura-like atmosphere... Although Lotte and Eve didn't say anything and their expressions were normal, this atmosphere of having to choose between two options...
Ella swallowed unconsciously, and just as she was about to look at the only lifeline present, Shen Gan, cheers suddenly broke out beside her.
"Oh my! Mir, you're such a hero!"
"I actually got some meat from a noble."
"I never thought in my life that I could eat hot food in a maze!"
It seemed that the boastful adventurer had distributed the monster meat to others, and as a result, everyone's attention was completely diverted to that place.
[Ella, this is an opportunity! ]
While giving the adventurers a thumbs-up, Ella bit off the monster meat from Lotte and Eve's forks at a speed so fast that it was almost invisible.
When the two came to their senses, they could only see Ella with her face puffed up like a squirrel, struggling to chew the monster meat.
"what……"
"foul."
"Senior, water."
Pretending not to hear Lotte and Eve's whispers, Ella took the kettle from Fukagan who was sitting opposite her.
"Guwu——Huh, I'm saved. Thank you, Fukagan."
"Haha, that's what you call reaping what you sow."
Shen Gan sighed as if he was annoyed.
"Come to think of it, these adventurers seem to have a hard time making fire."
Angelica's words drew everyone's attention. They could see the adventurers piling wood chips on the firewood, then struggling to strike the flint in an attempt to ignite it. This was a rather backward way of starting a fire.
"Well, they seem to be enjoying themselves, so I'd better not do anything unnecessary."
Ella sighed and then turned her attention to Linglan and Grace who were still standing on either side.
"Isn't Linglan hungry?"
"Demon Lord, we have someone to provide meals."
"No...that's not the point. Even though the sun isn't visible, it's already noon. Making you stand there working while I leisurely enjoy my lunch is way too much, no matter how you look at it."
Moving aside, Ella waved to Linglan and Grace, indicating that they should sit next to her.
However, both Linglan and Grace had very embarrassed expressions, lowered their heads slightly, and Linglan clasped her hands together.
"No, Demon Lord, if that's what's bothering you, Grace and I can go somewhere further."
"So, that's not the question. Sit down and eat right now. That's an order."
Feeling a little helpless about the rigid Linglan, Ella asked the two to sit down in a slightly tough tone. However, even so, Linglan still looked unacceptable, holding the plate stiffly, not daring to put the fork into the pot.
Ella frowned.
"What's wrong? Do you think Lotte's cooking is not tasty?"
He deliberately used some malicious words. Of course, he knew why Linglan didn't take action - probably because she was uneasy about their identities. The maid on duty in the royal castle was also like this.
Ella's words made Linglan tense up instantly, and she spoke with a look of panic on her face.
"How dare you! The head maid's cooking is praised by even the carefully selected maids. How could a mere guard like me think of such rude things?"
"Then why don't you do it?"
"This is because..."
Although he was the commander of the Royal Guards who commanded tens of thousands of people, Linglan turned his eyes away timidly.
"According to etiquette, servants cannot eat with their masters. It is a great honor for me that the Demon King allows me to sit at the same table. How dare I—"
"So that's what you're concerned about... When there aren't other nobles around, just treat me as an ordinary friend. If you're too concerned about etiquette, I'll get tired."
"Will it cause trouble for the Demon King?"
A hint of uneasiness flashed in her purple eyes, and Linglan was so nervous that she bit her lips unconsciously.
"This guy, can't he be this nervous all the way here? Well, although this statement will add pressure to her, it's better to be stressed for a while than to be nervous all the time."
Thinking of this, Ella withdrew her gaze.
"Yeah, it'll cause me a lot of trouble, so don't worry about these etiquette matters anymore."
"This... I will carefully consider it."
Seeing Linglan's thoughtful expression, Ella nodded subconsciously. This way, everyone would feel much more relaxed.
"Did Ella bring any bread or something? It feels like something's missing without a staple food."
Mitis raised her head and looked at Ella with oil and seasoning still on the corners of her mouth.
"Is cake okay? I have some that aren't too sweet."
The slum kids I met before seemed to like snacks with a lot of sugar. In order to avoid being embarrassed when I meet the same people next time, I specially prepared a lot of cakes with honey and sugar, so there was very little ordinary bread.
Mitis put her hand to her lips and hesitated for a moment.
"Hmm—it's okay for now. Please pay more attention to me next time, Master."
"...Mitis, please stop making such a bad joke."
Mitis's words made him feel very uncomfortable. Although he couldn't say that his hair stood on end, it was not far off.
Tifarian, who was tasting Lotte's cooking, looked at Ella with great interest.
"Master? Could it be that Mitis is also a slave of Elelaya?"
Before Ella could speak, Mitis wiped the corners of her eyes with her hands and spoke in a deliberately choked tone.
"Yes... yes. Ella took advantage of my weakness as a vampire. If I don't replenish my blood for a long time... I will become weak... She locked me in a cage and forced me to sign a slave contract. This, this is the mark forcibly pressed by red-hot iron."
While shielding her eyes with her arm, Mitis showed the back of her free left hand to Tifarian. There was indeed a purple pattern on it that looked very ominous - although it was the emblem of jealousy.
Tifarian frowned suspiciously and moved her gaze back and forth between Ella and Mitis.
“Although I’m angry about Lotte being taken away, Elelaya shouldn’t be that kind of person—”
"Oh no, Tifarian actually took it seriously. That was just a prank of mine, don't worry about it."
Immediately retracting her previous look of being aggrieved and about to cry, Mitis scratched her cheek with a wry smile.
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