Chapter 32
“Wait, isn’t it just dawn?!”
Airenst’s arrival had been so abrupt that by the time Lisbeth rushed to the lower district of the Demon Lord’s Castle, she realized the sun hadn’t even fully risen. Hearing her exclamation, Hilda shook her head.
“You’re already quite late,” Hilda replied. “Some herbs are best gathered precisely at dawn, so we are, frankly, a bit behind schedule.”
“What? How can that be? I haven’t even had breakfast yet, and I’m practically starving!”
“Oh, now that you mention it, I haven’t eaten either. Hilda, I want breakfast too!”
Upon hearing Lisbeth’s complaint, Staros also rubbed her own stomach and stared at Hilda with teary eyes.
Seeing this, Hilda let out a sigh. “I knew you two would say that, so I’ve already prepared some food. However, as time is of the essence, you’ll have to eat in the carriage.”
With that, Hilda retrieved a large basket from the carriage, giving the impression it was overflowing with provisions. Lisbeth, however, eyed the basket with a hint of suspicion.
“Old hag,” she murmured, “this isn’t something *you* made, is it? Is it actually edible?”
“What do you mean by that? Are you disparaging my culinary skills?”
“Uh, that’s not what I meant!”
Noticing the sudden chill in Hilda’s gaze, Lisbeth realized her mistake and quickly shook her head. Yet, witnessing Lisbeth’s reaction, Airenst merely chuckled.
“Hehe, Lisbeth, just eat it without worry. Hilda’s cooking is on par with the Head Maid’s, you know~”
“No, no, even if you tell me it’s ‘Head Maid level,’ I still don’t know if that’s actually impressive or not.”
To Lisbeth, there was little distinction between a regular maid and a personal maid; they were all just servants tending to Kristia, so what difference could there truly be? But the instant those words slipped from Lisbeth’s tongue, Airenst’s expression abruptly shifted.
Then, in the very next moment, she swiftly reached out, snatched Hilda’s basket, and pulled out a sandwich, holding it before Lisbeth.
With a newfound intensity in her eyes, Airenst spoke to Lisbeth, her tone unusually serious. “Eat it. Once you do, you’ll understand exactly what I mean.”
“Ugh, I’ll eat it, alright, but could you please stop looking at me with such a terrifying gaze? It’s really unsettling.”
Though Lisbeth couldn’t fathom why Airenst had suddenly become so intense, she carefully examined the offered sandwich. She couldn’t discern anything particularly special about it.
Having confirmed nothing seemed amiss on the surface, Lisbeth hesitantly took the sandwich from Airenst. She then turned to Staros for confirmation. “Staros, have you ever eaten Hilda’s cooking before? I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“Uh, no, I haven’t. That’s why I’m waiting for you to eat it first, to see if it’s poisoned or not.”
Staros’s blunt reply made Lisbeth’s mouth twitch. However, her expression quickly settled, replaced by a look of grim determination.
“Is that so? So that’s how it is. In that case, I suppose I have no choice but to be the taste-tester myself.”
“Mm-hmm, it seems there’s no other way~ If you die, I’ll make sure to give you a proper burial~”
“How very thoughtful of you…”
After casting a glance at the gleeful Staros, Lisbeth took a deep breath, slowly preparing to bring the sandwich to her mouth. But just as it was about to reach her lips, her eyes flashed.
In the next second, Lisbeth lunged forward, grabbing Staros’s mouth. “But it’s better if *you* die first, after all!!!”
“Mmph, mmph!? You! Mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph!!”
Staros desperately tried to push Lisbeth away, but Lisbeth, having seized her moment, wouldn’t allow her an easy escape. Before Staros could react further, the sandwich was shoved into her mouth.
“…”
The next second, Lisbeth noticed Staros, whose mouth she still held, had become utterly stone-still, standing frozen in place. Seeing this, Lisbeth immediately turned her gaze to Hilda.
“Old hag, did you actually put poison in the sandwich?!”
“Who are you calling a poisoner?! Just look at Staros’s reaction first!”
“Huh?!”
Hearing Hilda’s retort, Lisbeth snapped her head around. The next second, she saw Staros ravenously devouring the sandwich in her hand, nearly biting her fingers in the process!
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!”
Witnessing the scene, Lisbeth was so startled that she quickly withdrew the hand holding the sandwich, speaking with lingering trepidation. “What in the world is going on? It’s just a sandwich, is this really necessary?”
Lisbeth shook her head helplessly, watching Staros continue to gorge herself. But just as she began to calm down, Airenst, who had silently approached, embraced her from behind.
“This isn’t just an ordinary sandwich,” Airenst whispered into her ear. “Wouldn’t you know if you just ate it?”
“Eh!? Mmph, mmph, mmph!!!”
Before Lisbeth could even react, a large piece of sandwich was stuffed into her mouth. In the next moment, Lisbeth also froze, standing absolutely still. Then, a single tear slowly traced a path down her cheek.
“Th-this world… there’s actually something this delicious in this world? What in the world have I been eating all this time?”
What was in Lisbeth’s mouth should have been just a simple sandwich, yet from the softness of the bread to the exquisite blend of sauces, even the lettuce, typically a mere garnish, seemed to burst with its inherent deliciousness. Lisbeth devoured the sandwich bite after rapid bite.
“Well? Is it good?”
“Delicious! Absolutely delicious! Old hag, I truly underestimated you before!”
“I! Told! You! Not to call me an old hag!”
“Ahhh!”
Having been called an ‘old hag’ too many times that day, even Hilda, with her astonishing patience, finally snapped. She grabbed Lisbeth’s ear, fuming.
“I’ve told you countless times! If you convert my age to human years, I’m not even eighteen! How many times do you have to call me an old hag before you’re satisfied?!”
“Whoa, whoa! Old hag, I’m sorry! It’s my fault! So please stop pulling my ear!”
“Oh, you dare to call me that again!”
Just as Hilda was about to angrily yank Lisbeth’s ear once more, someone tugged at Hilda’s sleeve. “Hilda, are there any more sandwiches?”
“Hmm?”
Hilda turned her head, her eyes meeting Staros, who was pulling her sleeve. When she looked up at the basket that should have contained five servings of breakfast, she found it toppled over and completely empty.
“Staros! How could you…”
“You scoundrel!! What in the world have you done?!”
Hilda hadn’t even had a chance to get angry when Lisbeth, whose ear she had just been pulling, stormed up to Staros. She pinched Staros’s cheeks, furious.
“How could you eat so fast?! I only had one piece! Spit it out! Hurry up and spit it out for me!!!”
“Hey, hey! I’ve already finished eating, what’s there to talk about? Or do you want to eat my vomit?!”
“Shut up! I don’t care! Give it back! Give me back my sandwich!!!”
Seeing the two on the verge of a brawl, Hilda sighed. She pulled apart the two who were preparing to wrestle. “Alright, alright, if you like it so much, I’ll make more later. But now is not the time for fooling around. If we don’t leave soon, we really won’t be able to gather any herbs.”
“Eh!? Really?! Can you make it for me every day from now on?!”
“Me too, me too! Can you make it for me too?!”
Though Hilda had only said that to appease the two troublemakers, seeing their eyes practically sparkling, she sighed once more. “As long as you don’t cause any trouble, I can prepare breakfast for you after I’ve made it for the Demon Lord.”
“Eh, eh!? Really?! Old hag! You’re such a good person!”
“I said, don’t call me an old hag! What’s wrong with your ears?!”
“Okay, old hag, I understand, old hag!”
“You!”
Hilda was about to erupt in anger, seeing Lisbeth deliberately provoke her by repeatedly calling her an ‘old hag.’ But remembering that time was running out, she merely scoffed.
“Hmph, I’ll settle accounts with you later. In any case, hurry up and get into the carriage. We’re going to gather herbs now. And Lisbeth, take this with you. If we encounter any demon beasts later, you’ll have to deal with them.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I remember that was part of the plan.”
Looking at the longsword offered to her, Lisbeth took the blade. “Alright, if there really are demon beasts, I suppose I’ll swing a sword for the first time in a while.”