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Chapter 78 - Journey to the Imperial Palace (1)

“How is it, Earthy? Is it good?”

[Hmm! It doesn’t taste particularly good! I don’t understand what flavor this is supposed to be!]

“Huh…? Really? Then we’ll just keep the rest for ours—”

[Leave them here! You went through the trouble of making them, so I’ll eat them, I suppose!]

“Ehehe! Eat a lot, Earthy!”

Giggling, Charlotte handed over a tray piled high with donuts.

Earthy, sitting on the ground, swallowed the donuts one by one.

Soon enough, his eyes curved into a contented expression.

Despite his sharp words, it seemed the donuts suited his taste.

Charlotte had become quite accustomed to Earthy’s way of speaking.

“I made these! How are they?”

“I-I helped too. I was in charge of the dough.”

“I was in charge of dipping the donuts in sugar cream!”

Of course, frying them was entirely the maids’ responsibility.

…Which they conveniently left out.

All the difficult, time-consuming, and dangerous tasks were taken care of by the maids.

They even took the risk of blocking Aslan’s approach, knowing they’d be scolded later.

When Charlotte and Julia wanted to thank them with some sort of reward, the maids had said something cryptic like, “Your mere presence in this estate is already a huge help to us,” and declined.

[So this is the delicacy of humans. Even the best of human food is no big deal.]

“It’s not the best food. There are lots of things more delicious than donuts!”

[...What!?]

Charlotte boasted.

Just a few months ago, the tastiest thing she’d ever had was a dry pastry the orphanage director had bought to show off when sponsors visited.

But since coming to this estate, that pastry had been knocked far down the list.

To Charlotte and Julia, food was no longer just a means of getting energy.

Food was something to be savoured.

Every day was a new journey of discovering flavours as new dishes were introduced.

[Kyaaah! Don’t lie! Are you saying humans taste such delicacies every day? Three times a day?]

“If you count snacks, it’s even more.”

[Impossible…!]

Humans, who needed to eat to survive, were pitiful and inferior creatures—or so Earthy had believed.

But food wasn’t a shackle; it was a blessing…!

At that moment, the world Earthy had known for a thousand years came crashing down.

[Kyaaah! Why have you humans been eating such delicacies by yourselves!!!]

“You never asked for any…”

[From now on, you must give them to me!]

“Okay. But it might be too much to share every meal, so I’ll give you some snacks!”

[Kahahah! Deal struck!]

Tightening his large, soft hand into a fist, Earthy shook hands with Julia and Charlotte.

To think humans had been eating such delicious things all by themselves!

It’s so unfair!

I’ve been holed up in a mountain for a thousand years, just accumulating power, unaware of this!

Humans, with their short lives, truly know how to enjoy themselves to the fullest.

I’ll enjoy myself for a while as I prepare for my next hibernation.

Maybe for… a hundred years?

Just that long, then I’ll start gathering strength again.

Earthy made up his mind.

To keep receiving these offerings from these blasted brats, he would have to stay here for a while.

This time, it was because he wanted to!

It wasn’t because he was forced to stay by that quiet brat and that noisy brat!

It was his choice!

Thinking this way, Earthy found himself liking this place, which he had so desperately wanted to escape from, just a little more.

“I’m glad to see you’ve made up.”

Aslan muttered as he looked down at the scene from the window.

Earthy, enjoying the donuts.

Were they that good?

Well, I have donuts that Charlotte and Julia decorated with their sweat and effort, filled with love.

You’ll only get some donuts roughly coated with cream.

Aslan chuckled, feeling a sense of superiority.

“Master… The donuts will spoil… You should eat them soon…”

“I’ll eat them when I’m ready.”

The maids looked at Aslan with concern.

What an unpleasant smile…

How long is he planning to leave that half-bitten donut alone?

If he doesn’t eat it soon, it’ll go bad, and insects will gather.

Yet, Aslan seemed to have no intention of eating it.

“Is it not to his taste?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat something sweet…”

“Oh no, what should we do? Charlotte and Julia worked so hard on these.”

The maids murmured with worried expressions, and Aslan gritted his teeth as he looked at the donut.

Seeing this, the maids flinched in surprise.

He really must be upset.

‘Damn it. It’s too precious to eat.’

How could he eat this?

This isn’t just a donut; it’s a work of art.

Can’t they see the exquisite decoration made solely for me?

A unique, one-of-a-kind donut, made only for me.

I knew the moment I took that first bite.

I could be incredibly satisfied by eating all of it.

But how would I deal with the emptiness afterward?

How would I handle the guilt of destroying such a masterpiece?

Aslan’s clenched fist trembled.

‘Should I store it in the fridge? No, no…’

There was the option of storing it in the fridge to keep it from spoiling.

But Aslan quickly shook his head.

Charlotte and Julia often visited the fridge.

Seeing their carefully decorated donuts left there would be too much of a shock.

Even if the reality was that he was preserving them because they were too precious to eat, it would look like he was just neglecting them.

If only time could stop.

If only this moment could last forever.

Why does everything beautiful eventually decay?

With tears welling up, Aslan picked up the donut with trembling hands.

“He’s eating it while crying…”

“Is it really that bad?”

“That’s odd. There’s no way it tastes bad…”

In any case, he had to eat it before it spoiled.

With tears streaming down his face, Aslan savoured the donut.

Julia’s donut wasn’t just pretty; it tasted heavenly.

And Charlotte’s, which seemed to be topped randomly, had an unexpectedly delightful harmony.

“Phew…”

The donut was gone.

But the satisfaction far exceeded his expectations.

Aslan swallowed his tears, filled with joy.

“Master. Have you finished the samples?”

“…What?”

“We ended up making quite a lot… Charlotte and Julia worked hard on all of these for you.”

“…”

At that moment, the door creaked open.

The maids rolled in a trolley.

Plates piled high with donuts filled the first, second, and third tiers of the trolley.

Oh.

“If you think you can’t finish them all, should we discard the extras?”

“No. Leave them. I’ll take care of them myself.”

“Understood, Master.”

Am I crazy?

Why would I throw away what the kids worked so hard to make?

If I’m going to dispose of them, it’ll be in my stomach.

Ah. But when am I going to finish all of this?

If I want to eat it all before it spoils, I’ll need to finish by tomorrow night.

It seems like I’ll have to stick to a donut-only menu until then.

…Just imagining it makes me queasy.

.

.

.

‘Delicious…’

Munch, munch.

Yuri’s eyes widened as he stuffed the warm bacon and bread from his tray into his mouth.

The dining hall at the Magic Academy? It was too awkward to use.

Every time he entered, people would scatter, and he felt too guilty to visit again.

He didn’t know how good the food was there, but the meals served in the Vermont Security Company’s cafeteria were nothing short of a feast.

The ingredients and dishes were nothing extravagant or luxurious.

But it had been so long since he’d had food that was this warm and delicious.

‘For a company that handles all of Vermont’s dirty work, isn’t this place a bit too… humane?’

He had thought this place would be about training berserkers who would give their lives for Vermont.

But the training was only tough occasionally.

The quality and quantity of the equipment provided were excellent, and they made sure everyone ate well every meal.

With plenty of time for rest and sleep, it was an incredibly stable workplace.

Moreover, with the successful operation to evacuate the residents of the Ariente Territory from the monsters, morale among the staff was sky-high.

Before he knew it, Yuri had even started forming bonds with his colleagues.

‘I thought they’d teach us some kind of forbidden technique to get strong fast, but there’s nothing like that…’

A way to get strong?

Just keep swinging your sword and training.

That was Sylvia’s philosophy.

Who doesn’t know that kind of straightforward approach?!

I want to get strong quickly!

Yuri was frustrated to the point of madness.

‘And now, exams are coming up soon. What am I going to do…?’

To make matters worse, next week was exam week.

If he studied, there wouldn’t be enough time for training.

Luckily, Vermont Security used a flexible attendance system where he got paid based on the days he showed up.

Ugh.

Once the exams are over, it’ll be break time.

I’ll spend the whole break training with Instructor Sylvia.

‘Lately, it feels like I’m seeing a path forward.’

Up until now, I thought magic was the only way.

But when I took up the sword, I found something I was suited for.

It’s like, once I pick up the sword, my body just moves on its own.

In fact, Yuri was growing at an extraordinary pace in swordsmanship training, faster than anyone else.

‘The Instructor trains so hard, too…’

After his meal, Yuri’s gaze shifted toward the rear storage area.

Every time they sparred, Sylvia felt like an unmovable mountain, impossible to overcome.

Hadn’t she served in the knights’ order in the past?

An elite among elites.

A human weapon.

A living, breathing tactical weapon.

Did even someone like her have a higher goal?

Yuri felt ashamed of his own impatience to gain strength quickly.

“Ah, Yuri… um, what is it?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering what it is that drives you, Instructor, to train so diligently…”

“I train to protect what I cherish. When you think about what’s important and who’s dear to you, you can’t afford to slack off.”

“Ah…”

“But that’s not the answer you were looking for, is it? To be more honest, I’m aiming for a level beyond Sword Expert.”

“Beyond Sword Expert? There’s such a thing?”

“Yes. It’s called Sword Master. It’s considered not just a human level, but half-divine, often referred to as the demigod realm.”

“Sword Master…!”

So, that exists!

I thought Instructor Sylvia, being a Sword Expert, was the strongest.

But there’s a level beyond that.

Someday, I need to surpass Sylvia, Vermont’s guard knight, so my goal from now on is to become a Sword Master.

Yuri’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

“Instructor! There’s a message from the estate!”

“Give it to me.”

A staff member ran up, panting, and handed over a letter.

Sylvia broke the seal and read it.

Her expression instantly hardened.

“A new assignment?”

Isn’t that a good thing?

Why does she look so scared?

“From Her Majesty the Empress…?”

Ah.