Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 052: The Neighborhood Demon King VI

『Souya-san! It’s done!』

I had slept lightly.

When I looked at my watch, I saw that 30 minutes had passed.

「Fuwaa」

My sister got up in surprise.

『Please test the taste! That being said, there should be no problems with Makina’s seasoning though!』

「Ea, excuse me for a bit」

I separated my sister, who looked drowsy, from me and laid her down on the plain. I covered and wrapped her with my poncho and she went back to sleep.

「Let’s see」

I said as I approached the pot.

The contents of the pot was a glazed brown liquid. The ingredients floating in it were simple, there was only pork.

Its true identity was curry made from alternate world ingredients.

But in truth, curry is the name of a form of seasoning, and to be exact, it’s Japanese-style curry in this case. But well, calling it curry should be fine.

I transferred some with a ladle to a small plate and taste-tested it.

「Hmm」

It was delicious.

It was full-bodied and the deliciousness of the ingredients danced a precision dance in my mouth.

But,

「Isn’t it a bit acidic? Also, it needs more salt」

『What………did you say?』

I added salt. As I mixed it,

「This way, the taste is a little milder」

I searched through the tupperwares that Makina had brought. Among them,

「Let's put this in」

I found shaved cheese. I put it into the pot.

「After that, this and also this」

I added milk and honey.

I stirred and mixed everything.

In my experience, small-sized races often have the sense of taste of children.

I had the opportunity to cook for a high-ranking priest of the Flame Religion and a high priest of the healing temple, but both of them happened to be small-sized beastkin races and they had the sense of taste of children.

In other words, they should dislike the acidic taste of tomatoes. The bitterness of the spices too.

The spiciness would depend on the individual’s pain tolerance. I had a bottle of powdered red peppers, so I could add that to mine.

I tested the taste.

「Umu, it’s mild」

The acidity had been softened, and the saltiness and taste had become straightforward. It was a taste that made me want to stuff my face with rice.

This flavor might be a little lacking for adults, but I judged that children would enjoy it.

『Ugigigi』

Makina looked vexed. I grinned back.

「So, what are you going to serve this with」

『There are potatoes that Makina steamed. Potato seems to be goblin-san’s staple food. There are many that can’t eat hot food, so Makina brought it ready-made』

「Then, shall we plate it?」

I placed the steamed potatoes from the tupperware onto a plate, leaving half the plate empty, and then poured the curry into that space.

The color was lacking, so I sprinkled dried herbs on the potatoes and powdered cheese on the curry. In addition, I cut the bottled pickles into round slices, further cut them into three, and then added a little of the marinated red peppers that I had cut up. The color looked good now.

「That should do it」

『Gugigigigi』

It was enjoyable seeing how vexed Makina looked.

I plated four identical servings and laid them out on the table.

Lured by the smell, Ea sprung to her feet. Despite being rather scared, she sat down without hesitation. In the seat directly facing the Demon King too.

「Thank you for waiting. I’ve named it Goblin Curry」

「Curry, you say~」

「Curry is, you know, something the formerly allied country of Engla――」

Makina put me in a Nelson hold from behind, and covered my mouth with her arm.

『Souya-san, Makina had to take emergency measures』

Am I that long-winded?

Goblin-san picked up a spoon and started eating right away.

「Oh~, ooooohh~」

The clacking of the spoon against the plate could be heard as he brought it to his mouth. He scooped small portions of the potatoes, steeped them in the curry and savored the taste as he ate them.

「………………」

With a spoon in its hand, the Demon King was also bringing curry to its mouth.

It’s just bones, right? was my question, but it was cleared up the moment the Demon King put the curry into its mouth. Only the food broke down into light and was absorbed.

「………………」

The Demon King moved the spoon in silence.

I don’t understand. I don’t understand this at all.

「………………」

Perhaps the Demon King had noticed my gaze, but it nudged goblin-san with its finger repeatedly.

The Demon King whispered into goblin-san’s ear again. The me who thought, even for a second, that it was cute, was terrifying.

「My King says this,『This is my secret art, one of the Demon Lord’s techniques, Gerumugansu?Nekuroshia. It’s a high-level magic that breaks down the food I put into my mouth and reconverts it to taste. Isn’t it terrific? Fuhahahaha』Oh~, I want to concentrate on eating, so I’ll leave the rest for later」

Both of them returned to their meals.

「Mm!」

My sister was, as usual,

「This is delicious!」

Scarfing down her food.

I was eating in front of a Demon King, a goblin, and more or less an elven princess, and I don't really want to say something like this, but the elf’s appearance when eating was the worst.

Is it simply that the Demon King and goblin-san are too refined?

「Onii-chan! I want it spicier. Also, mayonnaise on the potatoes!」

「Yes yes」

Released from Makina's restraints, I placed small bottles of red peppers and mayonnaise in front of Ea.

「Even though it’s so delicious~. The elf is rude~」

「Shut up, the goblin is noisy」

She sprinkled the red peppers heartily and also added a large amount of mayonnaise. She squished the potatoes, mixed it with the curry and ate it.

「NkuuUUUU」

My sister looked in bliss.

I also sat down and ate the curry.

Hmm, spicy but sweet. It's seasoned for children, but it's easy to eat and the potatoes go down easy. The meat sure is tender.

Oh, rice.

I want to eat rice. But……Rana……looks forward to cooking it…… I don’t even have 3kg left, so I can't use it wastefully at all……

「Ah」

By chance, I saw that the Demon King's plate was empty.

「Makina, serve another helping」

『Yes yes~』

When Makina approached, the Demon King gave her its plate.

「Wait, Makina! I’ll also have another helping!」

『Yes yes yes~』

Ea cleaned her plate vigorously and then gave it to Makina.

Goblin-san continued eating meticulously.

I stopped thinking deeply and also concentrated on the first curry that I had eaten in a while.

The end result was, 7 refills for the Demon King, 5 refills for Ea, 3 refills for Goblin-san, and 2 refills for me.

「Ugh, even though you’re just bones, where does it all go?」

「Hey hey」

My sister’s remark was frightening.

The person that you’re speaking to is the Demon King, you know? It might be the last boss, you know?

Ea had eaten too much and was holding her stomach. She was rudely lying on the plain.

「Elves have bad manners, huh~」

It ended up being pointed out by even the goblin.

It’s thanks to the two of you that my fundamental image of your races had crumbled.

「But well, it’s really bad manners. Sit in a chair」

I scolded her lightly.

It would be troublesome if she cried again, so I could only scold her lightly.

『Um~, Ea-sama, why are you here in the first place? What about Shuna-sama, Bel-sama and madam?』

I had forgot because the situation was pressing, but I was also curious about Makina’s question.

「Oh! ………I forgot. I went back to the camp to pick up the communication device. Along the way, I saw the two of you, so I followed you both」

『Where are the three of them now?』

「They’re probably drinking at Master's store」

「Go back. Rana will worry about you」

「After I rest my stomach for a while more」

「Okay, for now, why don’t you take a seat?」

To make matters worse, while those bare feet are fascinating, it’s immodest.

「Onii-chan, carry me」

My sister stretched both of her hands out.

Hey, we’re in front of others. What’s more, it’s the Demon King.

「Carry me~」

My sister waved her hands.

……Fine, just this once!

I put my hands behind both of her knees and under her armpit, and then lifted her up. It was the so-called princess carry. I carried her to the table and put her down on a chair, but I failed. Both of her arms were circled around my neck.

「Ea, let go」

「No」

Please, I beg you, choose the time, place and partner.

In which world is there a human who flirts with his sister in front of a Demon King? If I die like this, I won’t even become a laughingstock, you know?

「Makina」

『Okay~』

「Ah, hang on, Onii-chan!」

I loaded my sister onto Makina’s arms and peeled her off.

「Restrain her and carry her like that to the camp」

『Understood』

「Hey~~~~~!」

Makina entangled her arms around Ea in a rather erotic manner, and then carried her away.

I’ve had enough. I’ll send her back as she exhausts me mentally.

I turned back to the Demon King.

The Demon King was presently having an after-meal tea together with goblin-san.

「I’m terribly sorry for causing you trouble!」

It was the Dogeza.

By no means did I ever think that I would come to an alternate world and Dogeza twice in one day.

「My King says this,『Oh foreigner, raise your head. This curry was very delicious. If you present us with the recipe for the spices, all of your sins will be forgotte――」

Goblin-san was nudged by the Demon King.

「Huh~, that elf was rude, you know~?」

「Umm, if it’s the recipe, then I don’t particularly――」

『You can’t! The manufacturing process of things must be treasured! You can’t give things like recipes to people easily!』

That voice just now……

「Demon King-sama, excuse me~, umm~」

『I also want to talk!』

A female voice came out from the skeleton. It wasn’t young, but it sounded young.

Ummm, how should I describe it, I wonder? I don’t know if I should call it a moe voice, or an anime voice, but it’s a sweet~ voice that sounded like a mixture of honey and gum syrup.

『Let me introduce myself again. I'm Gormlaith?Melforuna?Gastolfo. Nowadays, I’m an evil spirit who has assumed the throne of Demon King, but I was once an adventurer who worked hard for the prosperity of the right continent as a descendant of Gastolfo, the god of fertility』

My face went blank for a moment, and then, overwhelmed by the tense situation and various emotions……

「PFFF」

……I burst into laughter.

『You’re terrible!』

「Sor, sorri, hah, pfff, hehe, fufufu」

It’s no use. The more I endured it, the more I wanted to laugh.

The voice is, the voice is too funny. Even though it’s a skeleton, a moe voice. The Demon King with a super majestic skeletal appearance, has a syrupy voice like this.

No. Not good.

Even though I knew it was rude, I couldn’t suppress my facial muscles. I ended up hitting the ground. It must be due to the everyday mental fatigue that I was under as well. My emotions had exploded, and I came really close to roaring with laughter.

I hit my head vigorously with the flat of Agathion’s blade.

「I’m terribly sorry」

Good, I can no longer even think of laughing because of the pain.

『Um, blood is…….』

「I’m okay. It’s mild」

Even though it's daytime, I can see stars.

「You see~?」

『There were also people who burst into laughter in the past, but why on earth?』

The Demon King crossed her arms and twisted and turned her body.

Please don’t provoke me with those girlish movements.

I sent goblin-san a look that said,『Tell her』.

Oh, he looked the other way.

『Setting that aside, you have to treasure the recipes of dishes, the processes of manufacturing, and the embers of technology. No matter how much painstaking effort is put into creating it, in the world, there are those who will seize it and then boast and act as if they owned it. Do you understand?』

She was saying good things, but I was on the verge of breaking into a grin because of how mismatched her voice and appearance were.

I endured it by pinching my thigh where it couldn’t be seen with all my might.

『For the time being, cease that disgraceful posture. If that elven girl from earlier comes back, things will get troublesome again』

「Oh, okay」

I ended the Dogeza.

I brushed off the grass as I stood up.

「That girl is skilled at hiding her presence~, isn’t she? Elves are scary. Super scary」

「Thank you very much」

I felt embarrassed that my sister got praised.

「You're eccentric after all~」

『Now, foreigner. If you want to present us with this curry recipe no~~~~~ matter what, we have conditions as well. Take this』

The Demon King took a needle out from her cloak.

When I took a closer look, I could see that it was engraved with a complex pattern. It was ominous.

「What is this?」

『The key for that hand protector』

「Huh?」

I looked at the hand protector on my right hand.

Heures’ hand protector, or to be precise, it was something that Heures had given to Lumidia, who was his lover. Even after her death, it was an item that had been passed down through the generations of the Heures clan.

It held a small amount of magic power and was a piece of equipment that couldn’t be made nowadays, but……

『That hand protector is a part of an armor that I made a long, long time ago. Even if it’s only that part, it’s surprising that it survived. You probably can’t take it off, right?』

「Yes, I can’t take it off」

Because this hand protector felt like it had become part of my skin, I sometimes forgot that I was still wearing it. According to Makina's analysis, it seemed that there were no problems in terms of hygiene as its materials had antibacterial properties.

I had tried to remove it many times, but a portion of my nerves had adhered to the metal and that caused intense pain. As it also wasn’t hindering me, I stopped working to dismantle it.

『If I remember correctly………there should be a small hole on the inner right side』

When I looked, there was certainly a small groove there.

I accepted the needle and inserted it there.

「Huh」

With a click, the hand protector came apart and fell onto the plain.

I saw my own right hand for the first time in a while. It was otherwise unchanged.

『With this, you’re safe』

「Huh, what do you mean “safe”?」

I picked up the hand protector.

Is this something dangerous? I did see a ghost though. No, it’s still possessing me, I suppose.

『Sad to say, an ancient elf had afflicted that hand protector’s functions with curse power. The effects are charm and subordination. With this, your mind should have become free』

「Huh?」

I was in a state of confusion.

「Yeah, you were brainwashed by the elves. It must have been terrible~」

I was pitied by goblin-san, who had come up beside me.

It was precisely this situation where I was flanked on both sides by a goblin and a Demon King that felt like I would be brainwashed though.

『Doesn’t anything come to mind?』

「Come to mind……」

The hand protector had been put on me when I had fought the idiot prince to a draw.

Rana had put it on me in order to heal me. After that, I fought while being guided by a spirit of the dead. I saved her. Was that it?

『From your expression, it appears that something does come to mind, doesn’t it?』

That was my intention. I should have fought by my own will.

However, if even that will had been bent, then I wouldn’t have been able to even perceive it.

「Then you’re saying that my feelings of lust for Rana are things that had been imprinted?!」

With my head in a whirl, I spilled my guts.

『Well, what kind of feelings are they?』

「Butt, thighs, and boobs! Also boobs! You’re saying that my desire to grab at them is a curse?! That sniffing her hair every night after she falls asleep is a curse?! To think that secretly nibbling her fingers and collarbone was also a curse~. Wanting to try burying my face in her chest, and also my sister’s waist and legs」

『That’s your fetish. Don’t blame everything on the curse』

「Right」

Am I perverted? I’ve been vaguely aware of that though.

What a confession to someone I just met today.

「Hey, you know, try putting it on again~」

「Oh, okay」

I did as goblin-san said and put the hand protector on.

「Repeat what I say from now on~『Elves are arrogant, the root of all evil, self-important, a group of narcissists, pretentious and a fricking stinky race』Go ahead~」

Let me see~.

「Err, elves are arrogant, bad, conceited, an egotistical group, cool, stinky, beauties and have nice figures」

I felt bad, so I sugar-coated it.

Goblin-san, who heard my words, frowned. He went a short distance away with the Demon King, squatted down and had a whispered conversation with the Demon King.

「The curse isn’t working on him, is it~?」

『Did it wear away over time?』

「It won't wear away, right~?」

『Is he not affected because he’s a foreigner?』

「I think not~」

『Maybe he has a unique constitution?』

「That’s possible~」

『I want to study him』

「You can’t~」

That’s scary. I’ll be modified into a freak.

「Umm, one thing does comes to my mind」

『Huh, what is it?』

Like I said, can you stop looking back at me with that cute voice and pose?

「I believe it’s due to the power of the god that I’m contracted with」

『God? I've never heard of a god that can repel curse power though』

「The name of the god that I’m contracted with is Misuranika」

『Do you know that name, Gashuraku?』

「No idea~」

『A god with the same name as the ruined Misuranika Nations. A god that I, who is aware of every god on the right continent, doesn’t know of. Did it simply vanish from my awareness? A god that’s forgotten. One that’s contracted with the golden-eyed beast who defeated the beast of abominable blood――』

The Demon King took the pose of The Thinker.

I felt bad as she was still mulling it over, but I asked a question that I was curious about.

「Umm, what is that golden-eyed beast that you mentioned?」

『It’s the general term for the annihilated heroes who wiped out the vampires that emerged from Neomia, the capital of ice in the north of the continent』

Annihilated? I know of one survivor though.

『In the ancient words, the guardians of the end, the Endguard, followers of the moon of misfortune, and the golden-eyed beasts. When talking about golden-eyed beasts, it means wolves. “Wolf” is the name of a large four-legged beast that lives in the north. In the ancient traditions, the wolf was treated as a symbol of death that devoured the dead and enticed them into the underworld. Maybe it’s for that reason that the eyes of wolves, you see, are cleansing eyes of gold that shoots demons to death. That’s what your eyes are』

Makina had certainly said that my irises changed every now and then.

Golden eyes, huh. That may be a little bit cool.

『You’re interesting』

「Yes」

Not as much as you.*

The Demon King took my hand and covered it with both of hers. They were just bones, but they were cold.

『Let me know when you die, I want to study your body』

「O, okay」

I can't if I'm dead.

『You don't need the unlocking needle, do you…… But I want the curry recipe. What should I do, I wonder? Other items that Hemus may be delighted with………I have things like tasteless and odorless poison for assassinations, or a vase that weakens humans simply by placing it in their room, or love potions, but I wonder if you need them?』

「I don’t need them. Oh, no, I’ll want to take the hand protector off once in a while, so I’ll accept the needle gratefully. In the first place, we came to thank you for helping Makina, so something like a recipe――」

『No! It’s not enough. With the name of Demon King on the line, I cannot make such a cheap deal!』

You’re strait-laced, aren’t you, Demon King?

For the time being, my hands were cold. I had lost all feeling in them.

I wanted her to let go quickly, so I said something fitting.

「Well, we’re neighbors, so can I ask you to play with our Makina once in a while? She gets lonely really easily, and I’m worried about what kind of influence the eccentric things she does when we’re out adventuring will have on the world. I’ll have her give you the recipe afterwards」

I couldn’t afford for Makina to get subjugated while we were away.

There was a reward of 5 gold coins for subjugating a pillar-like golem that haunted the plains. That golem referred to Makina.

I was presently in the middle of applying to cancel that request. The application to cancel the request would take time.

『In other words, I should make Makina my retainer, is that right?』

「That goes further than what I had in mind. I’m thinking of a more casual relationship」

It would become something outrageous if I made an A.I. the retainer of the Demon King.

She doesn’t look like a bad person(skeleton), but she’s more or less a Demon King. It feels like she would say something about half of the world. Come to think of it, I wonder if this world has something like a Brave(Yuusha)? It’s something that’s inseparable from a Demon King though.

『A casual relationship. That’s pretty difficult』

「It’s because Demon King-sama doesn’t have any friends. She had her system of techniques stolen by Hemus, had food extorted from her by beastkin, and the elves were the worst. After giving them the entirety of her fortune to have the soil of the forest improved, even though she had been promised marriage, she was thrown by the wayside. She became destitute, and after that, with the best of intentions, she killed the king. She was stoned, became unable to trust humans and turned into a shut-in~」

『………………』

It was a hard life befitting a Demon King.

The Demon King finally let go of my hand. I couldn’t move my fingers. They had become frostbitten.

『In other words, you’re asking me to be her friend?』

「Oh, yes」

Is that okay? It’s okay, right?

『Friend. A friend from an alternate world. Fufuu』

Her voice sounded happy.

『It can’t be helped. With the name of Demon King on the line, I'll become Makina’s friend』

「Thank you」

In this way, I built a friendship between an A.I. from the modern world and a Demon King of the alternate world.

I only pray to god and hope that it won’t become something outrageous afterwards.

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