Chapter 82
“Oh, that sounds good to me too.”
Wasn’t that basically the kind of relationship I already had with Dioscorides?
Like a one-day workshop sort of thing.
If I needed a potion, I’d visit him, borrow his facilities, and get advice while I was at it.
This didn’t seem much different.
And the skill of the royal alchemist was already well-proven.
For me, this was nothing but a huge win.
“But, uh… is it really okay for a royal alchemist to personally teach an outsider like that?”
I wasn’t from this country—strictly speaking, I was a foreigner.
It wasn’t like the modern era, a globalized world or anything.
What if I learned some national secret and sold it off somewhere?
…Well, not that I would ever do that.
At my question, Alkimia turned to look steadily at Anzav.
“Right? Is that allowed?”
“……Hm. If our royal alchemist says she’s going to do it, who am I to object? Let her do as she wishes.”
And just like that, His Majesty gave a refreshingly easy approval.
Was running a nation allowed to be this casual?
Seriously, the future of the Aether Kingdom was starting to worry me.
“Anyway, we’re done here, so let’s head out. Ah—looks like the sandstorm will clear by tomorrow, so we should be able to start heading into the Dark soon.”
Anzav sprang to his feet as he added that.
At last, the time to enter the next dungeon had come.
“Then see you next time, Miss Elaine.”
Alkimia smiled brightly and waved at me.
I thought the early-morning chaos had finally come to an end…
But one thing remained.
“Nimir, you have to go too. Get up.”
Even though Anzav called him, Nimir—still purring with his head on my lap—showed no intention of moving.
For a feline, his stubbornness was quite amusing.
“Nimir, you little—… I’m your master, you know?”
Anzav grumbled and marched over to his massive cat, grabbing his waist—which was as thick as a human’s—and tried pulling him up.
Nimir dug his claws into the carpet in protest, but was dragged out by his disgruntled owner anyway.
Long claw marks were left behind on the rug.
He was pretty heavy when he fell on me this morning… Guess Anzav is stronger than he looks.
And only then did the detached palace finally fall quiet.
“So we’re finally heading out to explore the desert tomorrow? Then, what do we do today?”
After all the unexpected visitors left and only my party remained, Leo spoke up hesitantly.
I didn’t know why he was acting so timid today.
Anyway, I leaned deep into the sofa and answered.
“Good question—what do we do?”
If I were still playing a game, the moment before entering a new dungeon, the task would be obvious:
search YouTube for ‘Aether Desert Guide’ or ‘Hypnosian Attack Patterns & How to Counter.’
But this world didn’t have that.
And besides, this wasn’t my first time.
I already knew all the ways to counter the Hypnosian’s attacks.
I could share that knowledge with my party—my teammates for tomorrow’s dungeon—
…but now is not the time.
Alkimia had just left after planting the suspicion that I “seemed like someone who already knew the succubus would appear.”
If I opened my mouth now, all my carefully built excuses could crumble.
I could just give a rough explanation right before the boss room tomorrow.
I’d done the same with the Wood Giant’s attack patterns, and everyone avoided them just fine.
“How about we train to prepare for tomorrow’s fight? I’m sure there’s a training ground somewhere here.”
Lena proposed with her fist clenched—very much her style.
During our time on Midisle Island, she trained constantly unless we were actively handling a request.
“Hmm… But what if we overdo it and get sore muscles tomorrow? Wouldn’t it be better to rest? Nothing wrong with lazing around for a day.”
As I stretched and said that, silence suddenly fell.
Everyone shut their mouths at the same time, as if coordinated.
I looked around, confused.
All of them wore shocked expressions.
“W-why are you looking at me like that? As if you’ve never heard the word ‘rest’ before?”
Well… knowing them, I could see why.
None of them had taken a single day off—they trained, worked, trained again.
Even Darren, who looked like a slacker at first glance, turned out to be surprisingly diligent.
But their answers were nothing like what I expected.
“No, I mean… Our captain is the one suggesting we rest. Isn’t the sun going to rise in the west tomorrow?”
“Exactly. Are you sick? No fever though…”
Darren gaped at me as if I’d said something absurd, and Lena joined in by pressing her hand to my forehead.
“What? Why are you all like this? I love lazing around…”
Who was I before I came here?
Even when my friends were all landing jobs one by one, becoming respectable adults,
I’d insisted on wasting a little more time gaming, living the life of a job-seeker in name and a freeloader in reality.
Me suggesting we relax for a day shouldn’t warrant this kind of reaction!
I was honestly bewildered.
“…What are you talking about, Miss Elaine? Since joining, you haven’t wasted a single day. You’ve been rushing around Midisle like lightning, taking on everything without hesitation!”
Leo said that in a tone like he was about to write my biography.
He’d been acting weirdly shy earlier, but now he’d snapped back to the old Leo, praising me enthusiastically.
The others nodded in agreement.
Only then did I reflect on the past few months.
It had been an unusually diligent period for me—probably the most hardworking I’d ever been.
“…Okay, fair, but I’m not a naturally diligent person. I’m seriously lazy.”
Well… I was devoted to one thing before I died.
Games. And games. And also games.
Having a status window here must’ve made things feel game-like, turning everything into a fun challenge.
“What kind of nonsense—”
Lena shook her head and sighed deeply, as if my words didn’t convince her at all.
“Ugh, whatever… Anyway, let’s just rest today. Oh, how about seafood for dinner? I’ll make something amazing. And Leo, don’t worry, I’ll make something separate for you too.”
I puffed my cheeks and jumped off the sofa, heading toward the bedroom I shared with Lena.
No matter what anyone said, I was determined to thoroughly enjoy my day off.
Behind me, I faintly heard Adrian mutter, “The moment she decides to personally cook, it can no longer be called resting…”
I pretended not to hear.
And just as I planned, I spent the entire day resting.
I didn’t leave the bed until the sun was almost dipping in the west, snacking on tropical fruit brought by palace servants and enjoying a luxurious vacation.
A little after four in the afternoon, I finally got up and began preparing dinner.
After borrowing the detached palace’s kitchen and cooking various seafood dishes, the sun had set and night had arrived in the desert.
“Since the sun’s down, it’s pretty cool now. How about we eat outside in the garden? The stars look beautiful.”
Once dinner was ready, I asked the others in the living room.
Desert nights and starry skies went hand in hand.
One reason I’d always wanted to visit Mongolia before dying was to see a sky overflowing with stars.
Since this was our rest day anyway, I figured having dinner in the garden under the stars would be perfect.
“Ooh, romantic, Captain. I’m in.”
“Me too!”
“Yeah, sounds nice.”
Three of them agreed instantly.
And when Adrian also gave a small smile and nodded, the dinner location was officially set.
“Khh, this atmosphere is great. Some booze would make it perfect.”
Darren said this while chewing a piece of perfectly grilled buttered abalone.
He wasn’t wrong.
The sky was filled with stars as if they were about to spill over, and the still pond reflected them like a mirror.
It looked as though the night sky had descended to the ground.
The food was delicious, my companions felt like family now, and the mood was warm and peaceful.
A shot of soju would have made the moment flawless.
“Let’s save alcohol for later. You don’t want to fight monsters while hungover tomorrow.”
Unfortunately, we had a massive battle planned for the next day.
“Haah… true, but still disappointing.”
He nodded and reached for a plump octopus tentacle, popping it into his mouth without hesitation.
In the real world, Westerners rarely ate cephalopods.
Moments like this made it feel very real that I had crossed into another dimension.
Leo was munching happily on the meatballs I’d made specially for him too.
Feeling pleased, I grabbed a grilled conch, ready to take a big bite—
“What’s this amazing smell? Can I join in?”
Once again, a gatecrasher arrived:
King Anzav, showing up to intrude on our dinner, just like he did that morning.
