Chapter 10
“Important truth?”
“That’s all I can tell you.”
What a vague way to put it.
He didn’t say there were extra pieces, yet claimed we would uncover some important truth.
The village chief quickly disappeared, probably to avoid any awkward follow-up questions from me.
Sigh. The village chief always leaves people confused. Why can’t he just speak plainly? Geez.
I nodded in agreement with Hamma, who was pouting.
“Am I the only one who feels that way?”
“He’s not the type to lie, so it probably isn’t false. But still… what could this important truth be? Either way, we’ll have to follow the map fragment to find out.”
I was more concerned about the part the chief said he couldn’t reveal.
‘Could it be some kind of restriction?’
Until now, I’d assumed Hamma’s brainwashing was just part of the game’s programming.
If that were the case, why was the chief restricted rather than the brainwashing being removed?
Everything was a mystery.
“Anyway, the chief said we could stay here as long as we like, so let’s relax! We can also get our adventure supplies ready again.”
Hamma nodded obediently.
As long as Kaizen got fed properly, it didn’t matter where we stayed.
But now, it seemed like it was time to put Hamma to use.
I grabbed Hamma, who looked unusually relieved, and pointed toward the iron ore mine.
“Hamma. You mentioned before that you needed to mine iron ore, right? Now that the Orc Camp is dealt with, you can start?”
“Huh? Yes… I suppose so?”
“You can make anything out of metal, right?”
“…Excuse me? What exactly do you mean?”
I grinned at the anxious Hamma.
“Try making a few cooking utensils.”
“…Cooking utensils?”
“Yeah, you know—like stainless steel frying pans or pots!”
“St-stain… what? What’s that?”
Hamma’s ears twitched as he asked, confused.
“Steel-based materials. Alloyed with chromium. Doesn’t rust easily, resists corrosion. Perfect for cooking utensils!”
“…?”
Hamma’s jaw dropped slightly, his eyes narrowing as if saying, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.
“What? You don’t have chromium here? Chromium! Shiny stuff!”
Snapping out of it, Hamma shook his head vigorously.
“Calm down, Romi. Of course we have chromium. I’m not surprised about that… I’m just amazed at your idea. How could anyone think to alloy iron with chromium?”
That’s not my idea. That’s Brially’s.
Hamma stared seriously at the mine.
After a brief pause, he went into a house in the village and came out holding a large sheet of paper. Then he began scribbling something incomprehensible furiously.
“What are you doing?”
“A metal alloy formula. Your idea just sparked a great one!”
Burning with scholarly enthusiasm all of a sudden?
There really are only incomprehensible geniuses around me.
“Aren’t you hungry? It’s already evening.”
“You go ahead! I won’t move until this formula is finished!”
Tch. I was going to make something delicious today.
Even though I was preparing dinner, he wouldn’t eat?
I left Hamma to his world and approached Kaizen.
He had been standing motionless at the village entrance like a guardian deity.
“Kaizen. Aren’t you hungry?”
Slowly, he turned his head to look at me, then subtly shifted to the side.
Is he trying to be a crab or what?
“Hey. What’s the matter? Don’t act with your body—just speak.”
“I have no complaints.”
“Then why are you sidestepping?”
Kaizen let out a low sigh.
“I’m not used to talking to someone at such close range.”
Why suddenly say that?
I clicked my tongue and took a small step back.
“Tch, fine. So just talk from a little distance, right?”
“It’s fortunate you finally understand.”
“Anyway… Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m fine.”
“Why? You’ve eaten nothing since breakfast.”
That was just two tiny fried quail eggs—not even filling. How can you not be hungry?
Both Hamma and Kaizen were incomprehensible.
My Korean instincts couldn’t handle this nonsense.
“I don’t need to explain why I’m not hungry. I’m just not very aware of the feeling.”
Good heavens… A lethargic patient doesn’t even know hunger?
No, that can’t be right.
He’s someone who’s serious about eating, after all.
Whatever the reason, he must be lying.
I grabbed Kaizen’s hand and led him into the village.
“What… what are you doing?”
“It’s fine. Eat even if you’re not hungry. From now on, you’ll eat three full meals a day while with me. Got it?”
“But why my hand…?”
Kaizen’s eyes twitched slightly.
“You’ve been standing there like a ghost. We’ll stay here for a few days. I have something for Hamma to do.”
I led Kaizen to the front of the village inn.
Since this was where the rabbit villagers lived, the inn was smaller than average.
“Let’s go in.”
Inside, it was cozy.
Either the ceiling was low or Kaizen was tall—he had to bend slightly to avoid hitting his head.
Seeing him like a giant entering a miniature world made me laugh.
“Welcome! Please make yourselves comfortable! Your room is ready!”
Thanks to the village chief, the inn couple greeted us warmly.
Do rabbit villagers always have such loud voices?
They politely stepped aside to let us up the stairs.
“Thanks. We’ll only stay until Hamma is ready. But can I ask one more thing while renting the room?”
“Oh… of course! Feel free to ask.”
“I want to borrow the kitchen while we stay.”
“The kitchen? If it’s for meal prep, we can provide everything you need.”
I shook my head at the kind rabbit couple.
“No. I want to make it myself. Also, I’d like to borrow some ingredients from your kitchen. Starting tomorrow, I’ll handle everything myself.”
“Well… if that’s what you insist. Alright. Make yourself comfortable!”
Good. Then let’s make tonight’s dinner.
I turned to Kaizen.
He frowned slightly, uncomfortable in his awkward posture.
“Kaizen. You stay in the room. I’ll bring dinner to you when it’s ready.”
“…Understood.”
I sent Kaizen away and entered the kitchen.
Against the wall was a large stone with a deep groove—it looked like a sink.
“Probably because rabbits live here, the sink is low.”
I turned on the tap, washed my hands, and looked around.
Next to the sink were a low counter and some mysterious jars.
Jars?
“Why are these here?”
Curious, I opened a lid. A cool breeze wafted out.
No openings were visible, yet the wind flowed strangely.
“Oh… it must be magically treated.”
Opening each lid, I found various ingredients. They were using the jars as refrigerators.
The tallest jar contained plump, smooth chickens. A good idea came to mind.
“If you eat this, Kaizen… you’ll never escape my cooking again.”
I grinned mischievously and began preparing the chickens.
“What should I stuff it with instead of ginseng?”
Then an idea struck me.
Ah, I think I saw that in the garden.
I patted my chin, set a large pot of water to boil, and dashed outside.
The rabbit couple sat chatting on the sofa, tilting their heads at my sudden appearance.
“Do you need anything?”
“Can I pick that from the garden?”
I pointed outside. Their eyes widened.
Mandragora?
“Yes. The taste matches what I want for this dish.”
“Mandragora? That bitter plant? It can cause deafness if handled carelessly. I’ll pick it for you in the kitchen.”
“No, it’s fine. I need it before the water boils. You said I could use it, so I’ll just take three roots myself!”
“H-however, picking it with bare hands is really dangerous…!”
“It’s fine! I’ll just cut it!”
