Chapter 7

Cassius thanked the healer and returned to the training ground, where everyone was strangely fidgety as they trained.

Perhaps they were worried about Cassius's injury. No, given their personalities, that's unlikely.

After a while, I noticed my subordinates were fidgeting as they looked at me.

Then it hit me—they must have been talking about how my face was red just a moment ago!

The atmosphere was the same as when my younger brothers gleefully gossiped about my mistakes behind my back.

"Cassius, you rest."

"Normally, you wouldn't let me rest at all... Could it be that the captain is going to join the training? I'm pretty sure the captain was told by the healer not to train until the day after tomorrow, right?"

"Don't worry, I won't be moving that much."

I grinned, and not just Cassius, but the other subordinates held their breath.

Is my smile really that scary?

"Um, Captain Justan? What do you plan to do?"

The squire who had gone to call the healer timidly asked.

"When I was watching just now, I noticed that many of you have become quite sloppy with the basics. Let's start with a thousand swings, and by the time you finish, it should be lunchtime."

My declaration changed the subordinates' expressions, and Cassius quietly let out a sigh of relief.

"It seems you were taking breaks and chatting, so you should still have some energy left. Start!"

The subordinates, who had been doing a thousand swings when I first became captain, began their training. Occasionally, I could hear them muttering "sadist" and "devil" amidst the counting.

Perhaps because this is a world of Japanese novels, the names and ingredients are quite Japanese.

The thousand swings ended a little past the usual lunch break.

I gave no mercy in correcting their form and bad habits, and everyone was completely exhausted.

"Tomorrow, I'll watch Cassius's swings too."

"Ah! Thank you..."

You only use polite language when you're scared, you're so transparent.

But since everyone worked hard, I'll give them a treat by adding some flavor to their lunch.

I think adding a bit of salt and pepper will make it taste much better.

"Alright, let's head to the cafeteria."

The subordinates responded and quickly cleaned up their swords and wooden swords, then followed me.

They must be looking forward to their meal after all that exercise.

When we entered the cafeteria, the patrol group had already started eating.

After receiving their lunch trays from the counter, they sat at a long table.

The subordinates immediately started devouring their food as soon as they sat down.

I took a small bite of everything and then instructed one of the squires to bring me a mortar and pestle.

I realized I had bought pepper but didn't have a pepper mill.

I received the mortar and pestle from the kitchen, put a few black peppercorns in it, and ground them up.

"Whoa, Captain Justan, that's pepper, isn't it!?"

The squire Yugo, who had gone to fetch the mortar, exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, I bought it because I felt it was a bit lacking."

"Wow, how much must that cost... It must be in gold coins, right..."

Yugo's voice made others in the kitchen take notice, and I could hear similar comments from that direction.

I sprinkled the ground pepper and salt into the lentil and chicken soup and mixed it with a spoon.

"Hmm... It's much better now. But it needs one more thing... Oh, I also bought basil."

I took a few basil leaves from my magic bag, tore one of them into small pieces, and added it to the soup.

"Yep, this should satisfy you. Want to try it?"

"Sure! Please!"

Yugo offered his soup bowl, and the other subordinates quickly brought theirs to me.

"Alright, alright. Tear the basil yourself. Here, take it."

I added salt and pepper according to the amount of soup and gave each of them a basil leaf, which they happily mixed into their soup.

Despite being the first to offer his bowl, Yugo, as a squire, was served last.

"Delicious!! What is this!!"

Cassius, who ate first, shouted loudly.

Hearing this, the other subordinates hurriedly brought their soup to their mouths.

"It's true! The flavor is so much better! It's completely different!"

"Yum! This is a whole different soup from before!"

The subordinates at the same table were making a commotion, and those from the patrol group who still had soup in their bowls started standing up with their bowls.

Those whose bowls were already empty glared at them in frustration.

"Listen up, salt and pepper are high-quality items. It's natural that we, who move our bodies, prefer stronger flavors, but the budget given to the cooks only allows for the current taste. If you want something better, you can pool together the equivalent of a drink's worth of money to buy salt and pepper. What do you think?"

"I'll contribute!"

"Me too!"

All the subordinates at my table agreed, but the others were hesitant.

I beckoned to those standing with their bowls and added more seasoning, which changed their expressions.

"I'll contribute too!"

Indeed, deliciousness is justice.

In this world with few forms of entertainment, eating holds a significant place.

"What's all the commotion about!"

Just as we were about to reach an agreement, a man's voice echoed through the cafeteria.