TFCG 21

Chapter 21

All day long I sat in the kitchen peeling onions, while many people came and went for their meals.
Since all the members of the Hero’s Party ate at this dining hall, it was only natural.

‘But why don’t I see Adrian anywhere?’

Even though morning had long passed and it was almost lunchtime, he hadn’t shown his face at the dining hall.

After finishing my onion peeling and getting a short break, I nudged Bess and asked her quietly:

“By the way, doesn’t Sir Adrian eat here? I’ve seen everyone else at least once, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him.”

It wasn’t just this morning.
For the past few days, I hadn’t seen him even once at mealtimes.

“Oh, the scholar fellow? He skips breakfast entirely. At night, he comes just before closing time, grabs a few pieces of salad, and leaves. No wonder he looks so frail, like he’d blow away in the wind.”

She added that at least he came for lunch, so I’d probably see him then.
That explained it—I usually packed a lunchbox and ate elsewhere.

‘So frail he looks like he’d blow away in the wind…’

Her expression was so funny that I burst into laughter.
But wasn’t it also frighteningly accurate?

Tall and slender, he gave off a delicate impression. That fragile air, added to his beautiful appearance, gave him a unique atmosphere.
Still… this was worrying.

I’d heard that neglecting meals when you’re young only leads to hardship when you’re older.

Not that I had ever grown old myself, but still—people wouldn’t say “health is your greatest asset” for nothing.

And yet, he had the nerve to lecture me about looking after my body while he himself neglected his.

That thought occupied my mind when—

“Alright, break’s over. Time to chop those onions.”

Bess pushed me toward the cutting board.

“Huaaang…”

I had no choice but to grab the kitchen knife.

“Don’t worry about making them uniform. We’re pickling these, so just cut them roughly like this, like this.”

She demonstrated with the skill of a seasoned instructor, then began chopping radishes beside me with sharp, even strokes.

‘Alright, I can do this too.’

So, full of confidence, I started chopping.

“Aaagh! It stings! Ow, ow, it hurts!”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby. There, it’s all done.”

Anyone with half a brain could guess what had happened.

That’s right—the kitchen knife was indeed a dangerous weapon.

Instead of chopping the onion, I had nearly chopped my hand, staining the cutting board red.

Bess was now applying ointment and wrapping my hand with a bandage. She seemed concerned but oddly cheerful.

“This is how you learn cooking—cutting yourself, getting burned, all that. I went through the same thing, hohoho.”

It almost felt like she had officially accepted me as her cooking apprentice.

At that bloody, grim moment—

“…What exactly is going on here?”

A sweet, clear voice brushed my ear.

“Oh, it’s the scholar lad? Hoho, nothing serious. Our hero here just cut himself while chopping onions.”

Bess cheerfully slapped on the bandage as she spoke.

Yes—Adrian had come to eat lunch.

As always, he stood at the serving counter, impeccably neat and composed.

“What a mysterious newcomer you are. Three days ago you were fighting terrorists, two days ago slaying monsters, yesterday digging up the garden, and now today you’re working in the kitchen. Do you ever rest?”

He pushed his hair back behind his ear as he spoke.

Was there no such thing as privacy on this island? Somehow, he knew every detail of what I’d been up to.

“H-how do you know that…?”

“The whole village is buzzing with gossip, of course I’d hear. And I could see you turning over the garden from the dormitory window.”

Unbelievable. So Lena wasn’t the only one who’d seen me ripping up turnips and onions and laying waste to the field.

My ears burned hot with embarrassment. Of all times, he had to catch me not looking competent but nearly chopping off my own finger.

“Please pace yourself a little. You’ve been rushing around like you have three bodies.”

Adrian shook his head in exasperation. His tone was sharp.

But this time, I had something to say back.

“That’s exactly what I want to say to you! Please take care of yourself too, Sir Adrian! I heard from the head cook that you skip meals all the time. You’ll end up with holes in your stomach like that. Eating properly is just as important as resting properly!”

I wiggled my bandaged finger at him as I declared boldly. Adrian opened his mouth like a fish, at a loss for words.

Because I was right—he couldn’t argue against it.

“Mhm, our hero’s right. You hardly eat anything, lad. Keep that up and you’ll collapse.”

Adrian’s pale face flushed faintly red. He avoided our gazes, looking flustered.

‘C-cute…!’

What was this? That expression was cheating!

He had never once shown such a look in the game. No matter how much he worried inside, outwardly he was always cold, as if nothing could faze him.

Yet now he blushed and looked away.

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself from grinning like an idiot.

“…Do you think I’m some kind of invalid? I do eat enough to survive.”

Then came his reply.

“That’s not enough. You need proper meals. Even if you can’t manage three, at least two.”

I couldn’t exactly insist on three meals myself. I had only eaten twice a day in my old life.
It was only now, with so much physical activity, that I ate three. Back when I sat at a desk all day, three meals just made me bloated.

Adrian probably sat at his desk all day too, so digestion must be tough.
Still, at least two proper meals were necessary.

Given his height and adult metabolism, nibbling on bits of salad wasn’t going to cut it.

So, I heaped food onto his tray.

Already bombarded by Bess’s and my nagging, Adrian didn’t dare complain and sat down with his full plate.

‘Nice assist, Head Cook!’

I flashed Bess a big thumbs-up.

After chopping mountains of onions and radishes, then pouring in the well-boiled soy sauce brine, our work was finished.

When I came back up to the surface, the rain had stopped.

‘Oh, I can go questing now.’

I hurried to the Hero’s Party office. Every spare moment mattered if I wanted to earn enough Rainbow Stones to change my name.

Since I hadn’t yet raised my cooking proficiency to level 5, I failed to earn an extra Rainbow Stone.
But at level 4 now… at least my onion slices were beginning to look decently even.

‘And I’m cutting myself less often too…’

Though, until I got truly skilled, there was no helping the bandages covering my hands.

Sighing, I stood in front of the request board.

‘What was the next main quest again?’

In the game, main quests had special marks that made them easy to identify.
If only it were the same here.

But alas, I had to rely on memory.

‘Ah, this one.’

Giant Lizard Extermination.

Beyond the village outskirts, there wasn’t just forest but also arid wasteland.

How this tiny island could contain such varied climates was questionable, but never mind that.

Anyway, a giant lizard living in the wasteland had begun attacking people. The temple wanted it exterminated.

The quest was completed by delivering its hide to the leatherworker.

I vaguely remembered getting a Rainbow Stone, some experience, and a fair amount of money for it.

A lizard… Unlike slimes, which didn’t exist in my old world, this was an actual animal species. No matter how large it was, it was still something familiar.

Could I really bring myself to hunt it?

It wasn’t my ability I doubted. At level 5, my combat power had risen considerably, and I’d even learned the Split Shot skill.

No—it was the act of killing itself.

In the game, I’d slain plenty without a second thought. But doing it with my own hands in reality left me uneasy.

“Are you taking that request?”

I’d been staring at the note so long that Belinda had come up beside me, tilting her head.

“Uh… I’m still thinking.”

But I knew I had to. Clearing this would unlock the next main quest, and more Rainbow Stones.

Belinda nodded.

“Please decide quickly. There was a casualty just yesterday—we really need it exterminated.”

“A casualty?”

“Yes. Two were attacked. One was badly wounded but survived, the other…”