Chapter 7

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"…It’s done."

Hayato had prepared three dishes that Esha, the maid, had desired, all of the highest five-star quality. However, this was the result of using up all the ingredients. There were no expensive materials left, and all the ingredients he had stockpiled were gone.

Whether it was good luck or bad, and whether it was right to have Esha as a companion, Hayato had been questioning himself while making the dishes. Still, it could be said that he was satisfied with the outcome.

The dishes from the recipe Esha had given him had such exceptional performance even at a three-star quality.

Manga Meat, while inferior to Dragon Steak in terms of effect duration, far surpassed it in increasing attack power. While Dragon Steak increased attack power by 50%, Manga Meat increased it by 75%, and also boosted STR by 30.

Bucket Pudding, being a dessert, gradually restored HP and MP, but its recovery rate per second exceeded all other desserts. It restored 5 points of both HP and MP every 3 seconds, and this effect lasted for 30 minutes.

And then there was Super Eclair. Despite being a dessert, it had no HP or MP recovery effect. However, it had the impossible effect of nullifying all status abnormalities.

(If I sold something like this in a store, it would disappear even for a million G. But selling it would mean contributing to a clan that might become an enemy. As long as there are clan wars, I can’t sell it even if I want to. Plus, I’d be asked how I got it.)

The effects were exceptional. However, while it was fine for personal use, it would be dangerous to sell something that could cause such chaos if used by an enemy. At least until it became common, Hayato thought it couldn’t be sold.

(There must be others who can make it. But it’s impossible to sell something like this. It’s natural that I didn’t know about this dish until now. Still, there are players who don’t participate in clan wars. They might be proud to sell it… but this recipe system seems quite rare.)

Hayato put away his cooking equipment in the closet of his room and went out to give the dishes to Esha.

On the first floor, Esha was standing inside the counter, apparently doing her job well. She looked at Hayato with expectant eyes and even drooled.

"Thank you, Master. So, how did it go?"

While her words were polite, Hayato felt the roles were reversed. He placed the three dishes on the counter.

"Here’s what you wanted. This means you’ll participate in the clan war, right?"

Esha’s eyes widened. She looked at the dishes with a gaze that could almost deal damage. She reached out with trembling hands to take them.

But Hayato quickly put the dishes in his item bag.

"Ah!"

"Esha, this is only a verbal promise, but I want to hear it clearly from you. Will you really participate in the clan war? If you don’t show up on the day or slack off, I’ll be seriously angry."

"Master, this Esha Crown has never broken a promise involving cooking in her entire life. If I can have these dishes, I will definitely excel in the clan war."

(She sounds so fake. While I don’t think an AI can deceive a person, seeing Esha’s actions makes me a bit—no, quite uneasy. If it’s a lie, can I report it to the administrators? But for now, I have to believe her.)

"Alright. I believe you. Go ahead and eat them."

Hayato placed the three dishes on the counter.

Esha took them at an incredible speed and put them in her item bag.

"Playing hard to get, Master. Please rest assured. I will definitely be of use in the clan war. But, can I make a request? I need you to prepare something before the clan war starts."

"More? That would be a problem if it costs a lot, right?"

"Master, I don’t think it will cost much. I need you to make a large amount of juice dishes. When my MP runs out, I can’t do anything, so I need a drink that can instantly restore MP. By the way, I prefer melon juice."

"Ah, I see. I’ll take responsibility for preparing it. I’m good at preparing things before a battle. But melons are expensive, so I’ll use oranges. I grow them in the garden, and I have a lot."

"…Please make melon juice."

"…The taste is different, but the effect is the same."

"The taste is important."

"Money is important too."

After a bit of this tense exchange, the log house’s chime rang.

'It’s Ash. Is Hayato here?'

Hayato stopped his conversation with Esha and opened the door. There stood the mercenary Ash, who smiled when he saw Hayato.

"Hey, I brought the materials right away. But is this your base? With your equipment, I thought the clan you belong to would have a much larger base."

"Well, there’s a lot that’s happened. Come in without hesitation."

"Alright, I’ll come in."

As Ash stepped into the house, Esha bowed.

"Welcome, sir."

"Ah, thank you. I’ll come in."

A handsome man and a beautiful woman. Hayato thought it made a good picture, but he felt a bit uneasy. It was a combination he didn’t want to see in real life.

"I’m Esha Crown. Please remember me."

"I’m Ash Brandl. Nice to meet you—Esha Crown!?"

Ash’s eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Esha closely.

Hayato called out to Ash, who was silently staring at Esha.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, is it really you?"

"Really?"

"It seems Ash knows you. You must be quite famous to surprise him like that."

"Is my name just a little famous? No, more importantly, why are you here? What are you doing?"

"I’m working as a maid. Is there a problem with that?"

"…A maid? That’s interesting."

"What about you? What are you doing here? From your name, I can tell you’re the older brother of the famous Brandl siblings."

"You know about us?"

"Yes, I know that your sister is considering retiring due to the dragon’s curse."

"You’re well-informed. That’s right. To avoid that, I’m planning to have Hayato make the highest quality elixir. In return, I’m asking her to participate in the clan war."

"I see, so that’s the connection. Then, you’ll be in the same clan as me. I look forward to working with you."

"…Seriously? I have to work with you?"

The NPCs were getting along, but Hayato couldn’t follow the conversation and felt left out. He didn’t know much about the main story of the game. He knew there were heroes and demons, but he didn’t know how the world was structured or what the situation was.

(Maybe they’re important characters in the story? It’s okay to have them as companions, right? Will the main story be impossible to progress if I put them in the clan?)

"Um, do you two know each other?"

"No, but I know your name."

"I only know your name too."

"It’s fine to be in the same clan, right? I’d be in trouble if you said you don’t want to work with this guy."

"Please rest assured. That won’t happen—though I won’t give up the melon juice."

"I can relax too… melon juice?"

(Something feels off, but it should be fine… I should have done more of the main story instead of just focusing on production… but it’s okay. My goal is to win the clan war. But we’re still only two. We need more companions.)

"By the way, are there no other clan members? It can’t be just these three, right? I want to meet them."

"I didn’t mention it, but I should have. I’ll tell you."

Hayato thought he didn’t need to say it, but since they were companions, he decided to explain the situation.