Chapter 35

"Aren't you the miracle chef! I finally found you!"

The girl I met for the first time was as cute as Alice, with big, round eyes and a strikingly beautiful face. However, the words that came out of her cute mouth were neither cute nor pleasant to hear.

"No, you must be mistaken."

"Oh, really? What a disappointment... But I won't be fooled!"

"Your Highness, there are commoners who don't know you. Perhaps it would be better if you introduced yourself," an older woman who seemed to be the girl's attendant advised.

"I guess I got a bit too excited. I'm the third princess of the Ryared Kingdom, 'Ryared von Elizabeth'! ...Ahem, ahem."

Oh, I knew it. She really is a princess. This must be what Alice was talking about. But, of all people, a princess? How convenient.

"My name is Owl. But why do you think I'm the miracle chef?"

Yomi was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

...No, I can use polite language too, you know?

"That's easy. I heard that the Crimson Wings had tracked down the maker of the bacon, so I came along. I suspected that the maker of the bacon and the cookies was the same person."

I see. She's quite sharp. If I underestimate her, I might regret it, but I can already see her bowing down in front of sweets.

"Since you know that much, I have no choice. Yes, I was the one who handled the cooking for Alice's birthday party. Is there a problem with that?"

"You! How dare you speak to the princess like that!"

"It's fine, old lady. Problem? Ha, don't make me laugh! There's a huge problem! I want to taste the miracle dishes too! As a royal, I can't attend noble birthday parties. I'd be accused of favoritism and outshine the guests of honor. But Alice is from a duke's family. Basically, all nobles can attend. So, it's unfair that I didn't get to eat all that delicious food and sweets!"

Ah, I get it. You're just jealous, aren't you? You could have said that from the start. It's hard to understand.

"Since that's the case, make some dishes and sweets for me too! Depending on your skills, I might even take you under my wing! Both of those slaves too. Eh...? Ah, no. It's not a bad deal, I promise!"

She seemed to freeze for a moment when she looked at Luna, but maybe it was just my imagination. She seemed a bit flustered, but... maybe it was just my imagination. Luna was calm, so maybe I was overthinking it.

"No, I have no intention of working for anyone. I helped with Alice's birthday party to repay a small favor. Besides, I was already paid well for it."

"Mmm... By the way, how much did you get paid? Ahem."

Is it okay to say? Well, it's fine. They can ask the duke's family, after all.

"500 platinum coins."

...

Silence filled the room. Luna and Yomi were even counting on their fingers to figure out how many people's worth that was. The Crimson Wings were rolling their eyes. I guess it was a bit too much.

"Hmm, hmm? Not bad! In that case, I'll offer you 1000 platinum coins! So, become mine! Ahem."

"1000 platinum coins, huh? Not bad."

"R-right? So..."

"But I refuse!"

Ranking second in the lines I wanted to say—finally! This is quite moving. And I said it to a royal! I have no regrets about this at all! Oh, did the princess go into a daze from the shock?

"Don't get so cocky just because I'm not saying anything! I won't forgive you, you brat!"

The attendant, who looked like a maid, was about to draw a dagger, but the princess was still in a daze. I don't like people who resort to violence so quickly, no matter how kind I am.

"Magic Pressure, Downforce."

"What!?"

I cast a spell I made a long time ago at the woman. It's a spell that crushes the opponent with a dense mass of magic, and then binds them to the ground with Downforce. It's not a spell I should use on a royal attendant, but I don't like people who flaunt their status. ...This is self-defense, not violence.

"Drawing a sword means you're willing to risk your life. That's not a toy."

"Owl, I apologize for my attendant's rudeness. Please forgive her. She was just concerned for me. She tends to lose control when it comes to me..."

The princess, who had somehow recovered, was defending her attendant. Of course, after being hit with such a dense wave of magic, she would regain consciousness. Or maybe she deliberately didn't stop her attendant. What a tricky princess.

"Well, I can understand, but don't let it happen again."

...

"Owl, is it really impossible to make sweets for me?"

The princess broke the frozen atmosphere by talking about sweets. How much does she love them?

However, the way she looked up at me and emphasized her chest while asking was, to put it mildly, very cute. I was caught off guard and lost my composure. Sigh... No matter the era, cuteness is justice.

"Ugh... Fine, fine. I'll give you a Madeleine for today. Go home. I have to talk with the Crimson Wings now."

"J-just?"

"I won't become your subordinate, but I can make sweets for you occasionally. Of course, I'll expect payment. From now on, send a messenger to the Lebrant Trading Company, and I'll come to the castle or wherever to provide sweets."

"That's fine! But!"

"However! Keep my identity a secret. That's a must. If you break it, it'll cost you 100 platinum coins. Here, this is a Madeleine."

"Secret, got it! I understand! This looks delicious. I'll have it with tea when I get home! By the way, Owl, are you going to attend the Luina Magic Academy?"

"Hmm? Yeah, that's the plan. How did you know I'm 10 years old?"

"Hehe, that's thanks to my privileges! Your slaves have quite nice rings, and from the magic you used, Owl doesn't seem like an ordinary person. For now, I'll leave it at that. I'm also planning to attend the Luina Magic Academy next year, so I'll be able to eat sweets to my heart's content! See you later."

Wow, she can tell all that from her privileges. Privileges might be deeper than I thought.

"You've been coughing a lot. If you have a cold, get it treated properly."

Even with a cold, she came to negotiate. How much does she want sweets?

In the end, she left for the castle with her attendant, who was pale. It seems the princess's interest has shifted to the Madeleine.

When I tried to sense her presence, I could tell she was moving a few times. Knowing she saw everything we did earlier doesn't feel good. How could she not react to my presence detection?

"Well, a lot has happened, but let's get to the talk. Mr. Lebrant, where should we talk?"

"Before that, Owl, why don't you work for us?"

"I'll hear you out, but why?"

"It's simple. You told the princess to send a messenger to the Lebrant Trading Company, right? From now on, the princess's messengers will probably come to our company often. People will start thinking we're a royal supplier, even if we don't have any business with the royal family. That's a huge advantage for a merchant. I want someone as quick-witted as you on our team."

Ah, I see. I thought it would be nice to have a connection with the royal family, but I didn't think that far.

Actually, I just wanted to pass all the trouble to Mr. Lebrant. ...It seems to have worked out well, so I'll keep quiet.

"Haha, you're overestimating me." Really.

"Let's talk about this another time. For now, we have a reception room prepared. Shall we go there?"

Mr. Lebrant led me to the reception room I had been in before. As soon as we sat down, a small child brought us tea, which was as delicious as ever. How do they make it so good?

"First, let me apologize. I was told to keep it a secret, but I brought the princess. I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. You couldn't have refused the princess. Just be more careful in the future."

"I'm sorry. I appreciate your understanding. Now, let's start with introductions. I'm Klein, the leader of the Crimson Wings. The dwarf is Galdorf, the human is Lilina, and the cat person is Yukina."

"My name is Owl, and these are Luna and Yomi."

"You can call me Owl. To be honest, we were prepared to die in the labyrinth. I have a lot of questions, but it doesn't matter now. Thank you so much for saving us!"

"Thank you!"

They bowed so deeply their heads almost touched the ground, but it wasn't necessary.

"Please stand up. I'm not an adventurer, but I believe in helping each other in the labyrinth. It was just a coincidence."

"Even so, we were saved by you. The result is the same. I want you to accept our gratitude."

Lilina is right. If I were in the same situation, I would insist on doing the right thing. Adventurers are great, completely different from nobles. Not all nobles are bad, but...

"I understand. I'll accept your gratitude. I'm sure you'll want to repay me. I'll consider this a favor. I'll call it in when I need help. Get stronger by then."

"Sure, that's fine. We're planning to become S-rank adventurers. When that happens, even nobles won't be able to complain. We'll always be there to help!"

"Me too, that's fine."

"Me too, that's fine."

"Me too, that's fine."

"Also, I have a few questions. Is that okay?"

"Sure, ask away."

"First, why were Klein and the others almost dead back then?"

"Ah, I explained this to Mr. Lebrant, but it's a bit long. Let me start from the beginning. We usually operate out of the trading city Sixus, but we accepted a request to escort cargo to the Filere's mansion. The payment was extremely high, so we accepted immediately. We weren't told what we were carrying, but it was a huge cart we had never seen before. It was pulled by four large horses. We delivered it to the capital without any problems and completed the request. As a token of gratitude, we received a potion. Then, we were encouraged to challenge Labyrinth 4 since we had just become A-rank. We managed to clear up to the 15th floor, but we were pretty beat up. We decided to go back, but since we planned to challenge it again, we decided to scout the 16th floor first. After drinking the potion, the three of us started feeling unwell, so we decided to go back. But then, monsters attacked, and we almost died. That's when Owl appeared. In short, that's what happened."

"I see..."

The reason the three of them fell ill was probably due to the potion. It must have contained some kind of poison.

Hmm...? Yomi? Why are you looking down?

"Yomi, what's wrong?"

"Master, please allow me to speak. I mentioned before that I was almost killed by a client's trap, right? The situation and the method were exactly the same as what Klein just described! I just remembered, but my client at that time was also a noble with a similar name! Also, I was the one who transported the cargo! To Azalea Spirit Mountain! ...I didn't see the contents directly, but my deceased companion said it was a huge earth dragon-like monster!"

Azalea Spirit Mountain...? And a huge earth dragon-like monster...? This sounds familiar.

"...Do you remember when this happened?"

"I think it was about four years ago."

Four years ago is when the stampede happened in Oren Village. And that's when I defeated the Emperor Dinosaur. So, the cargo Yomi transported was the Emperor Dinosaur?!

There's no evidence, but is this just a coincidence?

If the Filere Count ordered the transport of the Emperor Dinosaur, I must have defeated it four years ago.

That means there's a possibility he's trying to do the same thing again!

"Master...?"

"Sorry, I was thinking. This is a secret, but I'm from Oren Village, which is close to Azalea Spirit Mountain. Four years ago, a stampede occurred near my village."

"Surely...! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Yomi's face turned pale, and she looked like she was about to cry.

"I understand. The reason for the stampede was probably the Emperor Dinosaur."

"!!!!"

Most of the people present seemed to know. The Emperor Dinosaur is a monster that was said to have gone extinct long ago.

It might still be unknown in the border regions, but that would be too convenient.

"My guess is that the Filere Count had the Emperor Dinosaur or a similar monster transported to the capital."

"......"

Everyone seemed to have their own thoughts. Of course, they wouldn't want to believe they had transported a monster of that caliber to the capital.

"This is just a guess, but I think it's probably correct."

The question is how to investigate this. The Filere Count is a noble, and it's not easy to meet him.

While everyone was thinking, a bell rang throughout the capital.

"Hey, this bell...!"

"It's probably not a good sign."

"This is bad!"

"This is bad!"

Klein and the others started panicking, but what does this bell mean?

The answer came from a distance.

"It's a stampede—!!!"

I'll update this gradually.

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