novelraw Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Ch.146 Is That Person Here, By Any Chance?
I took out a frying pan from the kitchen.
I could feel Cecilia’s gaze on me from the side.
“Why don’t you wait outside?”
At my question, she shook her head.
“No? It’s been so long since it’s just the two of us.”
She beamed brightly.
I placed the pan on the stove and asked,
“Even so… aren’t you bored?”
“No? Not at all! It’s wonderful getting to watch Priest Hans cook after so long!”
She really meant it—her smile was full and genuine.
Now that I thought about it, it really had been a while.
Leah often cooked during our travels, but Cecilia? It’d been ages.
“Really?”
Memories from the past surfaced, and I found myself smiling too.
Once the pan was hot enough, I swirled in some olive oil.
“Is that steak?” she asked, eyeing the herb-rubbed meat.
I nodded. “Correct.”
I added butter to the pan. The rich, nutty aroma of olive oil mingling with the savory-sweet scent of melted butter sharpened my appetite instantly.
“Hehe… I think the food Priest Hans makes is the tastiest.”
“Well, I’ve always been good at cooking.”
My skills came from living alone in my original world—but here, they’re considered top-tier.
But… come to think of it, neither Cecilia nor Leah ever offered to cook for me.
In this patriarchal society, a woman who can’t cook is barely treated as human.
It might seem like gender discrimination—but just like Earth’s medieval to early modern eras, this world is the same.
Yet I’ve never seen either of them cook.
Well… I have seen Leah try—
charred cookies fit for kindling and bread so hard it could double as a hammer.
I’ve never seen Cecilia, who lived off meals prepared by others in the convent, cook—but I doubt she’s any better than Leah.
Scarlet, though—she definitely knew her way around a kitchen.
“How much should I serve you?”
“I’ll… um… take a lot!”
I placed three large cuts of meat into the pan.
—Sizzle sizzle.
The oil-and-butter mixture began frying the meat and spices.
“Want garlic too?”
“Yes!”
Cecilia nodded eagerly, her expression delightfully innocent.
I sliced some garlic and tossed it into the hot oil.
—Sizzle sizzle…
After a while, I flipped the steaks.
The outer surface had turned a deep, appetizing brown—I was satisfied.
“Wow! It’s cooked perfectly!”
“Hehe. Failure isn’t in my culinary vocabulary.”
Cecilia gently grabbed my arm and leaned against my back—
goosebumps instantly rose on my skin.
“Did you think about me a lot?”
“Huh?”
She rubbed her cheek against my arm and repeated, voice full of expectation:
“Did you think about me a lot?”
If I said no, Cecilia might throw a fit.
So I answered calmly:
“Of course I did. I even dreamed about you.”
(Truthfully, I’d once dreamed the entire Hero Party was dismembering me.
I woke up drenched in cold sweat—and was so relieved to find all my limbs still attached.)
I really need to defeat the King of the Dead and escape before these girls catch me.
If they do, I’m done for.
Judging the meat nearly done, I flipped it again with the spatula.
—Sizzle sizzle.
“Hehe… I’ve dreamed about Priest Hans a lot too! But…”
Her voice trailed off mysteriously, sending a chill down my spine.
“Why didn’t you appear more in my dreams?”
She pouted slightly.
I gave her an awkward look.
“Well… I guess I don’t have the power to enter people’s dreams…”
“Aww, you’re supposed to say ‘I’m sorry’ in moments like that.”
Still smiling sweetly, she nuzzled her cheek against my arm again.
“R-right… but I’m cooking right now…”
When I tried to gently pull away, she stared at me with a blank, unreadable expression.
“You’re not… uncomfortable, are you? Is it unpleasant having your loving woman cling to you like this?”
If I answered wrong, her mace might split my skull open.
I scrambled for an excuse.
What… what should I say?!
A few seconds of silence passed.
Then, as her eyes locked onto mine, a plausible lie popped into my head—and I delivered it shamelessly:
“Of course not! But… what if you get splashed by hot oil and your beautiful face gets burned?”
At that, Cecilia ducked her head.
“What?! My heart was racing!”
She looked up, eyes sparkling.
—Smooch!
“You’ve gotten good at sweet talk while I wasn’t looking!”
“H-have I?”
I pressed down hard on the meat with the spatula.
Please… cook faster… faster…
I mashed the innocent steak, desperate to break her pink-tinted mood.
This should be rare—but both she and I prefer medium-rare.
Still, seeing hearts practically glowing in Cecilia’s eyes, I knew this wasn’t normal.
“Haha, looks done! Go sit at the table—I’ll bring it over.”
“Aww… are you shy?”
Cecilia finally let go.
“Hehe… so cute.”
Cute? You’re the one who might get your head smashed in! What a bizarre sense of affection…
“Then I’ll go sit down first.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
As she left the kitchen, I sighed inwardly.
“Haa… Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.”
Maybe it was because Scarlet had grilled me about Mia last time—
but all of them now felt terrifying.
Anyway, better finish up.
I plated the steaks, seasoned with salt and pepper, grabbed forks and knives, and headed out.
Cecilia was already seated, smiling warmly.
“Here you go.”
I handed her the plate and utensils.
“Hmm~! It smells amazing!”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s eat.”
—Clatter…
And so, we had our meal.
***
After dining with Cecilia,
I decided to have a light tea time with Mia.
Lately, I’ve been drinking tea more often than coffee—
noblewomen here prefer tea, nobleman coffee, but with my stress-induced insomnia,
Mia’s tea has proven genuinely helpful for sleep, and I’ve grown quite fond of it.
After a sip, Cecilia sighed contentedly.
“Mia’s tea really does feel special.”
“Brewing tea is an elven specialty—it’s only natural.”
Mia took a sip too, and I followed suit.
The fresh, grassy aroma of the leaves blended perfectly with a delicate umami—quite pleasant.
“By the way, how’s the front line lately?”
Cecilia, eyes still closed in tea-bliss, answered:
“The capital’s walls are holding well. Stockpiling siege weapons helped a lot.
Not that it’s thanks to you, of course.”
Compared to her gentle tone at dinner, she sounded slightly sharp now.
Probably because Mia was here—she was deliberately holding back her feelings.
Seriously… is she still pretending not to like me?
It’s unbelievable that all three of them are putting on such clumsy acts.
The Hero Party girls seem oddly compatible now—
when in the game, they absolutely couldn’t stand each other.
—Knock knock.
A sudden knock at the door.
“Who is it? Come in.”
What could it be?
The door opened with a click.
“Baron Hans? May I…”
Giovanni stepped in—but froze the moment he saw the Saint.
“Hiiik!”
What’s with him?
He looked as if he’d seen the Grim Reaper himself.
“What’s wrong?”
Giovanni’s face was ghostly pale.
“Well… you ordered repairs for the dam, right? Since it developed a leak?”
“Oh? Right—the maintenance work.”
I recalled commissioning the guild to fix the dam on the river after hearing it had cracked.
“It’s just… the estimate came back much higher than expected… and…”
He kept glancing nervously at Cecilia.
Did he do something to offend her?
Cecilia, puzzled, blinked at him curiously.
“Ah… maybe we should step outside to discuss the details…”
Seeing Giovanni struggle to speak, I nodded.
“Alright.”
Once we left the parlor, I asked him directly:
“Did something happen between you and Cecilia?”
He nodded weakly.
“Well…”
He glanced fearfully back at the parlor door.
“Let’s talk in my study.”
When we reached my office, Giovanni exhaled deeply.
“Haa… I never thought that terrifying woman would be in the mansion…”
“What? Didn’t I say the Hero girls would be staying here by turns?”
“Yes, but… Saint Cecilia is especially scary.”
I was baffled.
“Why? Did something happen between you two?”
“Yes… remember that letter I sent saying you’d died?”
His voice trailed off—but I got the gist.
“Oh? Right… so what about it?”
Giovanni turned chalk-white and spoke carefully:
“Back then, the Saint publicly declared she’d punish whoever desecrated your tomb for heresy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And last time, one of the Heroes even used those exact words to threaten me.”
Heresy is a capital offense here.
If proven, you’re burned at the stake without trial.
Hoping against hope, I asked: “She wouldn’t really do that to us, would she?”
Giovanni nodded grimly.
“Apparently… they’re still hunting the culprit.”
“Who said that?”
“The Hero.”
Now it made sense.
Scarlet must’ve made it up to scare Giovanni.
Cecilia isn’t cruel—she’d never kill my own retainer!
I chuckled, dismissing it as nothing—or at worst, Scarlet’s lie.
“Ah, Scarlet must’ve misunderstood. Just to be safe, I’ll ask Cecilia right now.”
Giovanni’s face relaxed with relief.
“Really?”
“Yes. Since you’re here anyway, I’ll check. By the way—how much did the repair cost increase?”
He pulled a paper from his pocket.
“Here’s the new estimate.”
“About 10% higher?”
He nodded.
“Materials got expensive… given the current situation.”
Ever since the King of the Dead appeared, the economy’s been slowly unraveling.
“Ugh… fine. Pay them. Just get it fixed.”
“Thank you!”
His mood brightened as he left.
I headed back to Mia and Cecilia.
“Leah burned another general’s head to ashes…”
“Ugh, when will she ever learn?”
Left alone together, the women were chatting animatedly.
“Back already?”
I nodded at Mia’s question.
“Oh, right—Cecilia, I need to ask you something. Remember that letter I had my retainer send you a while back?”
“Ah… yes? Why?”
She tilted her head, puzzled.
“Are you really still hunting the person who… you know… desecrated my grave?”
“Eh…”
Her expression clearly said, “That’s absurd.”
See, Giovanni? Scarlet tricked you.
“Of course not! Oh—but wait!”
Cecilia suddenly reached for her mace, eyes gleaming as she asked sweetly:
“Is that person here, by any chance?”
Cold sweat poured down my spine.
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