“Well, fathers can be like that sometimes...”
“Hey hey, do you think Touya will become like that?”
“I get the feeling he will. I think you’ve all noticed, but darling can be really doting when it comes to family. I think he’ll become more of a doting father than even the overlord the day he gets a daughter.”
“Oooh, I can see that happening. He’ll definitely be a doting father.”
The tea party continued, the girls chatting enthusiastically about their absent fiance. This get-together would later become a regular custom for them, and would be known as the Queens’ Tea Party.
◇ ◇ ◇
“I think it’s finally coming along.” I whispered to myself, watching as one of Castle Pandemonium’s towers was slowly being restored to its former glory.
It was blown away by Gila’s particle cannon, after all... It’s a good thing there was no one in it.
I thought fixing this would take no time at all with Babylon’s Workshop, but like with Brunhild’s castle and the bridge on Enlush Island, it couldn’t design it on its own and I had to stay behind to help it.
Specifically, I softened the stone used for building with some limited use of [Gravity], and manufactured some of the more subtle decorations with [Modeling].
“A fine job, milord. Pandemonium is being restored in the blink of an eye.”
“Oh, hello.” I turned around, lowering my head to the person standing before me. It was Sirius, the dark elf. He was the father of Spica, who was enrolled in our order of knights, and also the head of House Frennel, one of Xenoahs’ five great noble houses. You couldn’t tell all that from how young he looked, though.
The members of House Frennel have been masters of a special martial art called the Shield technique for generations, which they used to guard the overlord’s dynasty. In other words, they were a clan of bodyguards.
Every member of the royal family had one such bodyguard, of the same sex, appointed to guard them. In Sakura’s case, Spica was appointed as her guard.
And needless to say, the head of the family, Sirius, also had someone he was appointed to guard. That same someone eyed me with a sour expression on his face from behind Sirius’ back.
“Tell me, Grand Duke... Why? Why did Farnese not come with you? Since you’re coming to the Demon Kingdom, wouldn’t bringing her along be the considerate thing to do? Did you not consider bringing her mother, Fiana, as well? Such an inconsiderate brat...”
“You know...” The overlord had been hanging around for a while now, mumbling his complaints as if chanting some kind of curse.
That’s why your daughter is avoiding you, sir. I mean, I did invite her, you know? Properly asked her, “Sakura, do you wanna come with me to the Xenoahs?” And you know what she said? “No, because the overlord is annoying.” You’re the problem here.
“Now now, Your Terribleness. It’s thanks to the grand duke here that Castle Pandemonium’s reconstruction is going so smoothly, you should be thankful.”
“Hmph. I am thankful for that. You’re a great help, Grand Duke. I thank you greatly for that.”
“Don’t mention it. I had a hand in wrecking the castle, after all...” It was actually all Gila’s fault the castle got destroyed. The idiot was running around, leaving havoc in his path.
According to the investigation later, Gila appeared in the mountains to the north of here. He’d blasted a whole mountain off, and came all the way here.
The Phrase could hear people’s heartbeats, so he probably rushed here, where there was a concentration of human presence.
“Either way, you’ve restored Castle Pandemonium. It’s almost noon, so how about you join us for lunch to celebrate?”
“Hmm, not a bad idea. I still have much to ask you about my daughter, good lord...” The overlord’s hand struck my shoulder in a light manner. Ah, y-your smile isn’t reaching your eyes... I’ve been careless.
I cursed my own thoughtlessness. I should have never joined them for this meal. I wished I could go 30 minutes back in time and whack that idea out of my stupid head.
“What is it, Grand Duke? You’re not touching your food.”
“N-No, it’s nothing... Ahaha, this looks delicious....” I sit there petrified, the spoon I dipped into the soup in front of me gripped in my hand. As I picked the spoon up from the purple liquid, I found an eyeball, the size of a marble, floating in it. I had to praise myself for not dumping the spoon away right there and then.
At lunch, they treated me to Xenoahs’ national cuisine. Their... national cuisine. That’s an important part, so I’m repeating it twice to make that very clear.
Xenoahs’ climate was inhospitable to most living things. Of course, that applied to their crops as well. This being the environment they lived in, it was customary to eat anything you can eat. And if you can’t eat something, well, you make an effort to eat it anyway. Taste wasn’t much of a priority; the stance was that if you can eat something, you eat it.
So magical beasts were perfectly good game, and any part of them that was remotely edible was to be eaten. The Syrupy Purple Lizard Soup and Eyeball Garnish that lay in front of me was one such piece of cuisine born of those customs.
Anyway, the eyeballs were a no-go. They might have actually tasted good for all I knew, but visually speaking - a no-go.
Yeah, I’m a wimp! Got a problem with that?! I put my spoon down, and submerged the eyeball back into the sea of soup. And this time I tried to eat just the soup. It was purple and looked like polluted marsh water, and the smell was pretty pungent too! It smelled like someone who just came out of gym class!
“What is it? You’re not going to eat it?”
Urged by the overlord’s chiding, I steeled myself and pushed the spoon into my mouth. For a moment, everything in my field of vision waved and distorted.
W-What even is this flavor. Was it bitter? Or no, maybe salty? Sour? I-I don’t know! It was Saltybittersour! “What do you think? Good, isn’t it? This delicacy’s hard to come around even in Xenoahs.”
“I-It’s... really something... The taste is so... overwhelming, my body won’t stop shaking...” My hands wouldn’t stop trembling, and I was sweating profusely. Eating any more of this would kill me! I stealthily opened my [Storage] and took a wooden deep bowl out of it, placing it on my legs hidden beneath the table cloth. I then opened a small [Gate] in my mouth, carefully so he wouldn’t notice, so while it would seem like I’m eating, all the soup would be transported into the bowl. It got rid of the taste, sure, but the smell was still terrible! As I silently worked my way through the soup, the dining hall’s doors opened and Sirius walked in.
“Pardon my delay, there were some documents I couldn’t put off for later... Oh?” Sirius, who had arrived late, paused when he saw my plate.
“Is that the Syrupy Purple Lizard Soup?”
“Y-Yeah. It’s uhh, a real treat.”
“I’m surprised you managed to eat it. Even demonkin barely eat it.”
“...Say what?” My spoon paused at Sirius’ words.
“Wasn’t this a rare delicacy of Xenoahs’ national cuisine?”
“A delicacy... Well, I suppose it might be to those who like it, but the majority of demonkin won’t touch it. I do recall hearing that in the distant past, a certain clan’s coming of age rite involved drinking this, and you wouldn’t be considered an adult otherwise. I suppose you could call it a test of courage.”
A test of courage? I fixed my gaze on the overlord as Sirius answered with a smile, but he just looked away and whistled innocently. That little... this is a crime of conscience!
“I personally love this soup. Yes, indeed, it’s a treat. I’m glad you liked it too, Grand Duke.”
“Probably because your lineage can cut their sense of taste to a degree, Your Grace. Us dark elves have no means of doing that.”
The lying...! This is plain bullying! Well, if that’s how he wants to play this game...
“Oh, I forgot,
Sakura made me a lunch so I could eat here.” The overlord’s hands twitched and stopped.
“O-Oh... Farnese’s handmade lunch... ha... ha... ha... My, am I envious of you...” The overlord lifted his face, a stiff smile on his face. Oh, he’s excited, good. I pulled a basket out of [Storage], took a sandwich out if it, and offered it to him.
“Would you like some, Overlord?”
“R-Really?! Since you’re offering, I suppose I could take one! It is Farnese’s handmade lunch, after all! As her father, I simply must eat it!”
The overlord drew closer to me excitedly. Heheheh... He wouldn’t cut his sense of taste when it’s time to eat his daughter’s cooking, after all.
“She said she’s really proud of how the fried chicken turned out.”
“Did she now!” I showed the overlord, who was peeking into the basket, some fried chicken at just enough distance that it was out of reach.
I handed him one of them on a skewer, and he happily put it in his mouth.
“Hmm... Buh, baa, buhhh—!” The overlord wailed at the heavens, as if he was about to spout fire from his mouth. His face was distorted in agony, his eyes were tearing and his tongue was out, like a dog’s.
“Whoops, that fried-chicken was the one Elze made. My bad...” I apologized to the overlord with a nudge and wink.
That piece of fried-chicken Elze made boasted so much spiciness, it was considered a form of torture. But despite the fact it was so dangerous, even I couldn’t bring myself to throw away something my fiancee cooked lovingly for me. I’m glad I was able to put it to good use. I’d have to keep this a secret from her, though.
The overlord grabbed a pitcher from the table and began gulping water from it directly. Unable to help himself, he filled his mouth with the ice in the pitcher and began chewing it down. It seemed even his ability to cut off his sense of taste had its limits.
If I recall, taste was divided between five flavors; Bitterness, sweetness, sourness, saltiness and savoriness. Spiciness, on the other hand, wasn’t experienced through one’s sense of taste, but through one’s sense of pain. Maybe that’s why?
“Heh... Heh heh... That was a very... particular taste...”
“Oh no, I’m sure this soup has it beat in that regard...” We exchanged our impressions with stiff smiles. This man was going to become my father-in-law, and despite the fact he was much older than me, I couldn’t help but see him as someone the same age as me. I could imagine us having a lot of these exchanges further down the line.
“You two are supposed to be ruling a country, and this is what you’re doing...?” Sirius said, sighing with an exasperated expression.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Good, so we’re all here.”
“Yes. It was just a short while, but I was glad to visit home again.” Everyone who was originally from Xenoahs were gathered in front of me. Lushade from the vampire clan, the lamia twins Charette and Mulette, Samsa from the ogre clan and Lakshy from the alraune clan.
Sakura refused to come, but I decided I should try inviting everyone else who were originally from Xenoahs. I invited Spica, the dark elf, but she thought there was no reason for her to come if Sakura wasn’t coming, too.
It felt wrong to only give them a few hours to visit, so I put them on leave and brought them to Xenoahs via [Gate] two days ago.
“H-Hey, when I got me mum a souvenir, she was proper happy! When I told ‘em I’m a knight in Brunhild, me little brothers were really excited.”
“That’s great.”
“When we got back home, our parents kept pestering us about marriage and asking us when we’re planning to lay eggs, so we ended up running away.”
“Right?!”
While Samsa’s story was heartwarming, the lamia twins would only complain about their parents. I guess families are the same no matter where you look. But... lamias are born from eggs, huh...?
Either way, I opened a [Gate] to return us to Brunhild, and transported all of us.
The demonkin returned to the barracks, carrying their souvenirs from the Demon Kingdom. Those souvenirs aren’t food like that soup, are they...? Actually, the overlord had me bring back a gift too, but... He said I should give it to Sakura and the other fiancees, but should I really give it to them if it’s something like that...? W-Well, I doubt a doting father like him would send something bad to his beloved daughter.
I opened a [Gate] to transport myself to Babylon’s garden.
Everyone was enjoying a tea party, surrounded by flowers in their usual spot. I thought they might be here.
“I’m back.”
“Touya! Did you just get back from Xenoahs?” Sue shot up from her chair and rushed to greet me. Whoa there, no tackling!
“I managed to fix Castle Pandemonium, somehow... Geez, that was a mess.”
“Good job, and welcome back.” Linze thanked me with a smile. Yep. Just this makes all the work worth it. Oh, I almost forgot to give them the souvenir. I pulled a box of thick paper from [Storage].
“Sakura, this is a gift from the overlord.”
“If it’s got some long-winded letter attached to it, you can throw that away.” Geez. She’s weary of you, Overlord. I mean, does he really send her letters?
Come to think of it, I did give Xenoahs a Gate Mirror, so it wouldn’t be strange if Kousaka got letters from them. Kousaka might have transferred a letter to Sakura from the overlord. ...I somehow got the feeling it was thrown away on the spot.
“There wasn’t a letter... Huh? There is one.” The envelope attached to the side was the same color as the box, so I couldn’t tell. But it didn’t seem to be some long-winded letter.
I peeled the letter from the box and flipped it around, finding a writing on the other side: “To the grand duke’s ladies.” It wasn’t addressed to Sakura.
He means Yumina and the others... right? Though they’re not technically “my ladies” yet.
While I stood there, perplexed, Leen snatched the letter from my hands and opened the seal. That was nimble.
“I will send you some of Lady Farnese’s favorite treat. I hope you will all enjoy it. Signed, Swellra Frennel...?” Once Leen had finished reading the letter aloud, Sakura pulled the box towards her and undid the ribbons.
Inside was a large, round pie, decorated with red raspberries on top.
“My! It looks delicious, it does!”
“A raspberry pie, I see!”
“Hmm. Swellra used to make them very often. It’s my favorite.” Right, Swellra is Spica’s mother, and Sirius’ wife... which means it’s not a gift from the overlord, but from Swellra? Why didn’t he say so, then...?
“Looks like she made us two.”
“I’ll have the other one later with Mother and Spica, then. This one is for everyone.”
Makes sense. Miss Fiana and Spica would definitely want to have some of this pie, too.
We were ten people, myself included, so we would have to cut the pie into ten pieces. That was a bit annoying. Oh wait, wasn’t there an app for cutting a cake into equal pieces?
I looked it up on my smartphone and found one immediately and downloaded it. I then put the screen over the pie, and after marking the guide lines that appeared on the screen, cut it into ten neat pieces.
Everyone took a plate and received their serving of the pie. And as we worked on the pie, Sue poured me a cup of tea.
“Let’s eat.” I cut a piece of the pie with my fork and carried it to my mouth. It was delicious. A bitter-sweet flavor and aroma spread in my mouth. The pie was great, but the raspberry was delectable all on its own.
“It’s so good!”
“Delicious, I say! It’s crunchy and scrumptious!”
“It’s great... Mmm... I wonder if I could make this, too...” Lu alone seemed to be appreciating the pie from a different angle, but it looked like everyone liked Swellra’s pie.
“This brings back memories...” Sakura savored the pie, a faint smile on her lips. Sakura was raised in the Frenne
l house, so to her this cake’s flavor must carry the memories of a warm household.
While the girls noisily discussed the raspberry pie, I noticed a piece of paper folded in two attached to the inner side of the box’s lid.
Wondering what it was, I took it out, finding a letter signed by the overlord that just said, “If you come back to Xenoahs, you could eat this everyday”.
Overlord... doesn’t trying to seduce her back with food... strike you as kind of petty...? Looking at how happy Sakura was, I decided it would probably best to not show her this letter. If she found out the overlord tried to take advantage of her memories with Swellra, she’d only reject him all the more vehemently, and I didn’t want her to do that, either.
“What is it, Grand Duke?”
“Huh? Ah, no, it’s nothing.” I smiled at Sakura’s dubious expression and crumpled the paper in my hand. The next time I meet the overlord, I should probably advise him to avoid doing that.
I think he’s anxious to win back his daughter’s affection to make up for all the time he wasn’t involved in her life, but the more he tries to force himself on Sakura, the more she’ll draw away from him. As they say, slow and steady wins the race. Taking the time to gradually deepen their relationship would be a better way of going about it, I think.
“Sakura, how do you feel about the overlord?”
“He’s annoying.”
...There’s a way to go until that bears fruit, though.
Interlude II: Doctor Babylon’s Strange Love
Brunhild was getting bigger every day.
The country itself was only a small Duchy, but it occupied enough space that it still took several hours to walk through.
Still, the castle town was steadily expanding and the citizens were slowly flowing in as well.
Children ran around the town, from east to west, as construction operations constantly saw the town increasing in size. Old man Kousaka was dutifully overseeing the expansion, putting his experience as one of the Takeda Elite Four to use.
“Hoho... It’s getting pretty lively. I like it!” A little girl muttered as she walked through the castle town streets, her white lab coat trailing behind her.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 10 Page 18
