Chapter 22

"Hmm, I see."

"…W-What do you think? I feel like it went pretty well."

The first floor of the Rex Party’s hideout.

Usually, Karin is in the kitchen humming to herself while she cooks, but today, a petite maid and a nun were standing side by side there. In truth, Karin had ordered her newly joined younger sister, Natal, to cook something, anything, in order to test her culinary skills.

She’s still an important little sister, after all, so I tagged along out of concern and followed Karin to the kitchen… only to find Natal stewing some kind of thick, milky-white mystery substance in a pot. A strange, pungent odor filled the kitchen, and I started coughing from it.

"Karin, what do we do about this?"

"…Well, let's try eatin’ it."

After a few seconds of staring down the mysterious liquid in silence, Karin made up her mind.

She resolutely brought a spoonful of the white liquid—produced by Natal—to her lips.

"…Itadakimasu. Slurp."

"P-Please go ahead…"

This indescribable, mysterious white substance was supposed to be Natal’s attempt at “vegetable soup.”

…Despite being my own little sister, I’ve got to wonder how she could claim with such confidence that she “can do housework.” I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Back home, she left all the chores to our parents, occasionally helping Mom cook at best. Of course cooking on her own now would end up like this.

"Hey, Natal-chan. What did you put in this?"

"S-Sheep’s milk. The sweetness of the milk balances out the bitterness of the Mira grass, so it’s actually kinda good."

"Ahh, I see. So that’s what’s givin’ it that white color—sheep’s milk, huh."

Karin tasted the soup and then gave Natal a very serious look. After several seconds of silent deliberation, she finally chose her words carefully and spoke again.

"The stewin’s a total mess. The veggies are all soggy, the meat’s tough. You started by cookin’ the vegetables first, didn’t ya?"

"…Yes."

"And the way you chopped everything is all over the place. Big pieces, tiny pieces, all mixed together—makes it hard to eat."

"Ugh…"

"You don’t normally cook, do ya? Someone probably taught you a recipe once, but all you did was memorize it, not learn how to actually cook. Right?"

"…Exactly."

As expected, Natal’s cooking didn’t meet Karin’s standards. The confidence she’d shown earlier vanished, and she shrank back, avoiding eye contact.

"Hmm. You’re gonna be a maid-in-training for a while, I reckon. I’ll help you with cookin’."

"Got it."

"But y’know, there is something worth praisin’. The ingredients were a mess, sure, but the soup itself is actually real tasty. Where’d you learn this from?"

"Wait, really? It’s tasty?"

That white soup?

Curious, I borrowed Karin’s spoon and tried a small taste myself.

…Huh. She’s right. It’s not as bad as I expected. Actually, it’s pretty sweet and creamy—surprisingly good.

"Umm, that soup’s a specialty of my teacher."

"A teacher? You were learnin’ swordplay or somethin’?"

"Sort of, yeah. I thought if I became an adventurer, I could help my big brother. So I’d been learnin’ some skills from a retired adventurer who lives near the village."

"I see. A soup made with sheep’s milk and Mira grass, huh? Not bad at all."

…Natal, you were apprenticing under some sketchy-sounding retired adventurer? Your big brother had no idea. You weren’t getting scammed or anything, right?

"Alright. Let’s have Rex try this soup, then. That idiot’s the one who decided to make you a maid, so he’s gonna eat a homemade dish by his new maid, like he wanted."

"Wait, but isn’t that a failed dish?"

"The soup’s good, so it’s totally edible. I’ll make somethin’ proper for myself, though."

"Can I ask you to make mine too, Karin?"

"No problem."

And so, for lunch, only Rex was served the somewhat questionable vegetable soup. It was the clumsy homemade dish from the maid he so wished for—he’d better eat every last drop.

…Honestly, I was expecting to see a bitter grimace from Rex.

But the guy turned out to have no taste buds. “It’s great! You can cook!” he said, singing Natal’s praises as he polished off the whole thing.

Karin, who usually put care into her cooking, looked just a little annoyed.

---

After lunch.

Two girls walked side by side through a bustling, crowded city street. One wore a black robe like a mage, and the other was in a maid outfit with an absurdly short skirt.

"I see. So that’s why only Lord Rex had the white soup."

"That’s the story."

In the end, Karin also agreed to hire the girl as a maid. She said that with some training, she might actually shape up.

Karin herself was primarily a healer. If she didn’t have to handle housework, she’d gain more free time—enough to start selling antidotes and healing potions as a side business. That would be a financial win for the party as a whole.

With Karin and Rex both on board, Mei and Flatche had no choice but to give up their objections to hiring Natal. And so, Natal officially became a maid for the Rex Party.

"So, Natal-san, how do you feel about Lord Rex now?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?"

"Well, up until just yesterday, you thought he was your brother’s killer. I was wondering how that’s changed."

Right now, Natal was being shown around town by Mei, the black mage who had some time to spare. The goal was to help her learn the layout of the area so she could eventually go shopping or run errands on her own.

"Well, since he didn’t actually kill my brother, I don’t hate him anymore. That would be misdirected."

"Right, that makes sense. So now you’re feeling pretty positive toward Lord Rex?"

"Er, well, about Rex… I am grateful that he forgave me for attacking him and even hired me, but… He’s also the guy who kept messing with my brother. It’s complicated."

"Haha, yeah, I can imagine it is."

Meanwhile, Mei was discreetly checking Natal’s affection level toward Rex. A certain someone had suddenly popped up and nearly stolen Rex away—Mei, as a girl in love, had to be cautious.

"More importantly, when’s our next mission? Rex is after the Demon Lord’s army, right?"

"He said we’ll move as soon as we get some intel."

"If there’s still time, I’d like Rex to teach me the sword. I want to become a swordswoman too. Everyone starts as a beginner, and it’s not too late for me either."

As far as Natal was concerned, she didn’t have any romantic feelings toward Rex. What she wanted was strength.

Until now, she had lived in comfort, relying on her brother to protect her without putting in much effort herself. But that brother was no longer here.

So until the day she sees him again, she decided to push herself—to become strong enough to meet him with pride, and maybe, just maybe, stand beside him.

"Hmm… in that case, you might be better off training under Flatche instead of Rex. Lord Rex is self-taught, but Flatche is known to be a textbook swordswoman."

May had no real reason to oppose Natal becoming a swordswoman. If anything, she just didn’t want her alone with Rex—that’s all.

Which is why she casually tried to guide her toward Flatche as a mentor.

"Oh, that weak-looking, easy-to-read swordswoman?"

"Yeah, she does look weak and easy to read… but she’s actually really skilled. I was surprised myself."

"Really now."

And so, Natal still didn’t realize that the brother she longed for was right under her nose.

---

"...Sigh. Honestly, this wasn’t a job worth me coming out for."

Just as the two of them were about to head home and stopped by the merchant street for some shopping—

They caught sight of a sharp-eyed young man, clearly irritated, grumbling with a few subordinates in tow.

"It’s only because you’re too strong, Lord Mello."

"I know that. Even so, I figured riling up a few adventurers in the area would have been more than enough."

"The enemy’s scale was unknown… Also, the guild-designated adventurer here, Rex, is apparently away on expedition right now."

"Rex! So this is that guy’s home turf? Then they should’ve just waited for him to get back!"

The man was visibly agitated, surrounded by a group dressed in matching uniforms. The nearby merchants, seemingly not wanting to incur their wrath, avoided trying to sell anything to them.

That’s when Mei noticed—the emblem embroidered on their outfits belonged to the Imperial Army.

"...Natal, let’s take a little detour. The soldiers are in a foul mood."

"Ugh, such a bad vibe."

People with power are usually a pain. It’s rare to find someone like Clarise or Penny who doesn’t let it go to their heads and still has a decent personality.

Mei knew that all too well.

"Hey!! You two over there!"

Which is exactly why Mei grimaced when the young man called out to them just as they were trying to slip away unnoticed.

"You’re whores, right? I’ll pay—come spend the night with me."

Saying that, the young man threw gold coins at their feet. The two women let out a quiet sigh, realizing this was going to be trouble.

"Try someone else. We don’t sell ourselves."

"Gross. Go away."

Why the hell did they have to pick us?

While silently cursing the oppressive military men, Mei responded politely, trying not to provoke them. She wanted no part of this mess.

"Huh? You’re not whores? We’ve got a bit of a crowd, but I’ll pay for all of us."

"I said, we’re not. We’re adventurers."

"Same difference, isn’t it? As long as we’ve got money, you’ll do anything. And I’m in a foul mood right now—if you turn me down over some petty reason, who knows what I’ll do."

The soldiers advanced with smug entitlement, pushing their demands.

Their leader, the sharp-eyed man with an obviously nasty personality, rested his hand on his sword hilt and continued speaking in a sneering tone.

"Strip here. I’ll give you 10,000G. Come to the inn with us, and after one night, I’ll give you ten times that."

"I said no."

"An uppity little adventurer, aren’t you. You probably don’t even know if you’ll eat tomorrow. Be grateful I’m offering this."

This was exactly what people meant when they said there’s no point talking to some folks. The soldier never considered they’d refuse—he probably thought their first ‘no’ was just part of some tired bargaining game.

In short, he was completely looking down on adventurers.

But then again, that was the common view. Adventurers would do just about anything for money. And many female adventurers did in fact sleep with men for gold. Plenty even worked as part-time prostitutes.

Adventuring, in truth, was the lowest of the low—work taken up by people who couldn’t find anything else. Cases like Rex, who chose the path for freedom’s sake, were few and far between.

"Unfortunately for you, our party isn’t hurting for money. Our leader is very competent."

If she dropped Rex’s name here, it might only draw unnecessary hostility. So Mei deliberately kept it vague while firmly turning them down.

"Oh? Funny. That maid next to you is dressed pretty provocatively for someone not selling herself."

"I didn’t choose this outfit, okay?!"

"That’s... our leader’s thing. Said it was his dream to be greeted by a maid..."

"You should really reconsider what kind of party you join."

That was, admittedly, a fair point.

"Anyway! We’re not doing that with you!"

"...Sigh. Look, I don’t say this kind of thing often, but... don’t embarrass me any further."

"Not our problem."

"I’m one of the highest-ranking officers in the Imperial Army. It’s basically forbidden for adventurers to refuse my requests."

With a small sigh, the young man suddenly drew his sword and pressed the tip to Mei’s neck.

"I’m Mello—first among the Three Great Generals of Pedia. The highest authority in the military."

Still scowling, he revealed his identity. Sword tip glinting, he gave Mei’s neck a small cut as if to make a point.

"Now do you understand the difference in status? No more games. Strip down and come with me."

That was the order he gave them.