Chapter 25
“Then first, make sure Kaizen can live comfortably here. We need proper living facilities. Things like water channels, or maybe even a farm. Once the farm is up, we’ll need beastmen to manage it, right? Pick out whoever’s suitable. Oh—and I’d like an outdoor cooking space too. Something that makes it easy for me to cook every day. I have to feed Kaizen three meals a day if I want to break his curse.”
“……”
“Oh, and for materials, just use the supplies you agreed to give me when I killed Hirata. Use as much as you want. I won’t put limits on it.”
I smiled brightly as I listed my demands, and the village chief’s face turned pale.
“That’s no different from asking us to build an entire village for free!”
“Oh… you noticed? Smart guy~.”
I had been setting this up for days, but he really wasn’t easy to fool—well, he was still a village chief.
But since he was the one who made the promise, he looked like he was seriously thinking it over.
The village chief let out a deep sigh, then tilted his head with a strange expression.
“But why does feeding and letting the hero rest help break his curse?”
“Ahh. I forgot the most important part.”
I flashed him a wicked grin.
If I told him this, it might push him over the edge.
“My cooking has a special effect. If he eats well, it loosens the curse and brings him back to normal. Just like how the beastmen recovered their memories after eating my desserts.”
“…S-sorry? What? ”
The chief blinked like he didn’t understand a single word I said.
He froze for a few seconds—then suddenly his whole body started trembling.
“S-s-surely not…! ”
What? What’s with him?
He looked like he was about to pass out, gasping for breath, gnawing on his nails like a lunatic as he spun in place. Then he snapped his head up, eyes flashing, and stared at me obsessively.
And then—he started mumbling something too quietly to hear.
“You were… the master of… that…”
“What did you say?”
“Ah—no, nothing at all…”
He kept muttering under his breath, then slowly turned to Hamma. His face softened with regret.
After staring at Hamma for a long while, he suddenly bowed his head.
“Hamma… please forgive me.”
“W-w-what? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden!? ”
What the hell? Why is this so dramatic?
Hamma hid behind me, gripping my arm with trembling fingers.
The chief didn’t move closer, as if he respected that Hamma was scared. From a distance, he spoke with a heavy voice.
“Please understand… not a single day passed without guilt. All of us suffered watching you, trapped in that brainwashed state.”
“……”
“We’re… truly sorry.”
“You don’t have to—ugh, seriously. Why are you acting so out of character? Hmph. Do you think apologising fixes everything?”
From behind me, Hamma grumbled in a tiny voice.
The chief nodded gravely.
“I know apologies aren’t enough. So please… let me stay by your side and atone.”
“M-me too! Even if you don’t want me near you, I’ll help from afar! I’ll dedicate the rest of my life to making amends! ”
“Hamma, if you need anything—anything at all—tell me! I’ll help in any way I can! ”
One by one, the beastmen gathered around.
My eyes sparkled.
Oh…?
They’re offering themselves as voluntary servants?
That’s basically a jackpot.
Everything was neatly resolved.
Hanak Village agreed to build a perfect base for Kaizen, Hamma, and me—complete with enough food production to let us live comfortably forever.
‘We will help with anything you need. Oh! And how about fresh ingredients? If you want to feed the hero well, fresh produce is essential! ’
‘Don’t you worry! I’ll run the entire farm myself so you won’t have to lift a finger! ’
‘Then I shall patrol the forest every night to make sure no monsters approach. Hamma… is surprisingly delicate, you see.’
‘I’ll sew clothes for all three of you. I run the best tailoring shop in the entire village! ’
With beastmen volunteering left and right, my heart felt rich enough to burst.
What kind of heavenly blessing was this?
Looks like my workload just shrank dramatically.
Even if the world reset again, it wouldn’t matter.
They would all remember this time.
Meaning: in Tales World, my life from here on out would be completely secure—food, shelter, everything.
I was actually planning to keep them around using hair-loss medicine, but I guess I don’t need it anymore. Hahaha!
All those carrots? Those bribes? Unnecessary.
Just one tear from Hamma was enough.
I grabbed Hamma and showered his cheek with loud kisses.
“Hamma, my precious little blessing.”
“E-ew—ew ew EW! Stop! Get off me!! ”
I let him go, picked up my wooden spatula, and vigorously mixed the seasoned herb rice.
For stubborn troublemakers, positive-lighting cooking was the best.
“Positive lighting… positive lighting… positive lighting…”
As I grinned over the finished bowl, Kaizen clicked his tongue like he was watching a lunatic.
“What did you do this time? ”
“You should thank me. While you were resting at home, Hamma and I did something extremely productive.”
Sitting cross-legged, Kaizen crossed his arms and looked Hamma up and down.
Then he spoke in an arrogant, generous tone.
“Judging from the results, that rabbit actually did something useful for once.”
“What did you SAY!? For once? For once!? And you—what do you do, huh!? Sit at home like a freeloading slug eating my food!!”
Hamma exploded on the spot.
Kaizen didn’t even flinch. He simply shifted toward me.
“Are the beastmen gone? ”
“Yup. They’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Explain. What were all those beastmen doing here today?”
“Eat first. Then I’ll explain.”
I handed him the herb rice and freshly mixed sauce.
I set Hamma’s portion aside, and he immediately grabbed a bowl and started shovelling it into his mouth.
“Mmmh. Mmm. Healthy. Good…”
Watching him happily devour food after raging just a moment ago… was kind of cute.
I nudged Kaizen’s bowl.
“You too. Eat.”
“…Thank you.”
Only when he took a bite did I start eating as well.
The simple mixed herb rice tasted surprisingly good. The slightly bitter greens and spicy-savoury sauce worked well together.
“It’s edible.”
I nodded and took another bite—when Kaizen suddenly leaned closer.
He held out his bowl.
“…Ahem. M-more, please.”
“Wow. Are you drunk or something?”
I had barely taken two bites, and he was already done?
Well, a good appetite was a good sign. I quickly stood and refilled his bowl—with an even bigger portion than the first.
“Eat well.”
Kaizen’s face flushed red as he turned away.
Honestly… cute.
The next morning, Kaizen’s skull gauge remained the same—but now Hamma had a new icon floating above his head.
A little flower crown.
What do I even call that?
Flower-field icon?
Either way, it was probably from all the good food he’d eaten. Hamma had been smiling non-stop since yesterday.
Kaizen watched him with visible disgust before turning to me.
“But was building an entire village really necessary? Once the curse is broken, won’t we leave this place anyway? ”
“Hey. You never know what’ll happen. It’s good to have a safe hideout you can return to at any time. And if they’re doing it for free, why refuse? ”
For once, the habitual complainer quietly agreed.
He nodded, returned to his spot, and…
A moment later, noise erupted outside the window.
