Chapter 15

* * *

Eve made her way to the village of Dainel.

“I’m here!”

“Oh? Eve! You’re here early!”

Ben placed his hand over his heart and sighed with relief. It felt like a century-old worry was lifted from his shoulders.

Seeing her arrive with such a calm expression, it seemed the Hero was safe.

For the past few days, Ben hadn’t been able to eat or live properly, worried that the Hero’s condition might be critical.

“Thank goodness!”

Ben, eager to embrace her with the precious news she brought, spread his arms wide and approached, but Eve quickly ducked to avoid him.

As Eve shook her head, Tommy came running over.

“Sis!”

“Tommy, what’s up with Ben?”

She asked him casually, but Tommy’s expression was also off. His once plump cheeks looked hollow.

Just as she thought maybe he was worried about her being tormented by the Hero, Tommy spoke up.

“Ben is finally acting normal again.”

“What?”

As she tried to kiss his small cheek, he skillfully blocked and pushed her away with his hand, continuing to explain.

“He’s been acting weird for days!”

“Huh? Ben? Why?”

“I don’t know. One minute he was saying he needed to atone with his life and trying to drown himself in a dish of water. The next, he was saying he’d offer his labor to the country and voluntarily working!”

Tommy shivered, hugging his shoulders as if he had seen something horrifying.

Well, that was a bit problematic.

“So is he still working now?”

“Mom kicked him out, saying not to act like an old man before she dies.”

Thankfully, they hadn’t lost their chef to Violet. Eve almost lost their kidnap target to the town’s matriarch.

She quickly assessed Ben’s condition.

Ben, back to his usual self, was standing around in his typical idle manner. Despite his usual bravado, the rough beard on his unkempt face showed how much he had been stressed.

Still the same old lazy Ben.

Seeing his unchanged appearance, Eve folded her arms and puffed out her chest proudly.

“Haha, I’ve brought you a job!”

“A job?”

“Yeah!”

Ben squinted suspiciously at her words.

“What kind of job? It’s not something weird, is it?”

Eve smirked at his suspicious glance and whispered in his ear.

“You’ll be the exclusive chef for the Hero!”

“!!”

Ben’s eyes widened in shock. No one in Dainel could hate the Hero.

Even those who hadn’t received direct help from the Hero revered him for killing the Demon King for their sake. For the people of Dainel, who had been directly protected from raids by the Hero, their admiration was even more intense.

But the excitement in Ben’s eyes quickly faded.

‘Huh, that’s unexpected.’

I expected Ben to react with something like, “Wow! I, a humble person, get to be the Hero’s chef!” or “Is that really true?!”

But Ben’s thoughts were different.

“Well… on second thought, maybe I’m okay staying here.”

He tried to sneak back to his bedding, but Eve quickly blocked his way, spreading her arms wide.

“What did you say before, Ben?”

Where do you think you’re going?

There was no room for mercy now.

I couldn’t stand seeing my boy eating stale, rock-hard bread anymore!

Even if I had to sacrifice Ben’s laziness, I would make sure Adam’s basic needs were properly met.

Startled, Ben looked up at the ceiling, feigning ignorance.

“W-what? I don’t remember…”

“You said you’d work if I found you a proper job! No more excuses, follow me!”

You’re the new chef, Ben!

* * *

Watching the figure trying to sneak away slowly to minimize noise, I smirked.

Even if he managed to slip away, I had backup plans ensuring he couldn’t escape.

His efforts were commendable, though.

Without realizing I had caught on, Ben continued to sneak back towards the village. I clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Ben.”

“Gah!”

As expected. I had anticipated him trying to escape and caught him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

We had already discussed this in the morning. Aunt Violet was thrilled to hear the lazybones would finally be working somewhere suitable.

‘Though I didn’t mention it was the Demon King’s castle.’

I hadn’t lied, per se.

I just hadn’t told the whole truth.

With Tommy’s encouragement, Ben reluctantly agreed, wiping his tears away.

But since I hadn’t revealed the destination and we were walking through a spooky forest, Ben kept trying to escape.

This time, he had tried to slip back to the village while I was momentarily distracted.

“I just felt like I forgot something…”

“No, no. It’s fine. If you left anything, we can buy new ones.”

“I think I left the kitchen fire on.”

“Don’t worry. Aunt Violet will turn it off.”

“I didn’t clean out the stash of booze under my bed…”

“Tommy already threw that out ages ago. Didn’t you know?”

“No! My precious stash! Uh, I mean… anyway…”

Running out of excuses, Ben’s eyes darted around. Frustrated, I smacked him on the back.

“What do you mean ‘anyway’? Let’s go already. At this rate, we’ll arrive by tomorrow evening.”

Despite my urging, Ben’s steps through the dark forest remained slow.

Constantly looking over his shoulder, Ben wore a worried expression. He hadn’t yet shaken off his suspicions.

“What now?”

Annoyance and curiosity mixed in my voice. Why was he acting so nervous after agreeing to the job?

“Where exactly are we going, Eve?”

The hesitation in his voice betrayed his lingering doubts. I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my patience.

“We’re going to the Demon King’s castle, Ben. You’re going to be the Hero’s chef there.”

Ben’s eyes widened in shock, and he stopped in his tracks.

“The Demon King’s castle?!”

“Yes, the Demon King’s castle. It’s safe now, and the Hero needs someone to make proper meals for him.”

Ben looked like he wanted to argue, but then he sighed in resignation. He knew there was no escaping now.

“Fine, I’ll go. But this better be worth it.”

“Oh, it will be. Trust me.”

And with that, we continued our journey to the Demon King’s castle, with Ben reluctantly in tow.

“Is the Hero really staying in a place like this? It’s so eerie… You’re not planning to, to, to harvest my organs, are you? I mean, it was weird when you suddenly said you were the Hero’s maid!”

“No, I’m not! Where do you think you’re going… Potato!”

“Aaah!”

At my call, Potato, who had been stealthily following us through the bushes, sprang forward and grabbed Ben by the scruff of his neck.

Ben froze like a rabbit caught by a predator when he realized who had his clothes.

Seeing his terrified state, I couldn’t resist delivering a line I’d always wanted to say.

“Fufu. If you come quietly, there won’t be any bloodshed.”

“W-What kind of villain says something like that so calmly?”

“But it’s true. Let’s go, Potato!”

I should have done this from the start.

I mounted Potato, who was still holding Ben by the collar.

While stroking Potato’s brown fur, I said, “It’s okay. Potato doesn’t bite people.”

“Then what do you call this?!”

“…”

I met Potato’s gaze. Well, technically, he was holding something.

“Strictly speaking, he’s just holding your clothes, not really biting. Haha.”

Potato could do that, couldn’t he?

I laughed it off and patted Potato’s back. He took off at a sprint.

“Aaaaah!”

Ben’s screams gradually faded.

By the time we arrived at the Demon King’s castle, he was too exhausted to scream anymore, wearing a dazed expression.

Potato gently deposited Ben at the front gate of the castle. Ben stumbled to his feet, looking around with a bewildered expression. Despite being half-faint, he quickly recovered once his feet touched the ground.

Even in a monster’s den, one could survive if they kept their wits about them.

Ben nervously surveyed the area, then tilted his head, confused.

“Just as Old Man Pendel said, it’s really intact. But Eve, isn’t this the Demon King’s castle?”

From Dainel Village, the top of the Demon King’s castle was visible, so he was well aware of it.

The castle, glistening like obsidian and emitting a dark aura, was beautiful if you ignored its infamous reputation as the ‘Demon King’s Castle.’

“Yep. But the Hero is currently staying here after defeating the Demon King.”

Ben nodded, understanding why I hadn’t revealed our destination earlier.

Even though it was the Demon King’s castle, it was still a castle after all.

“You’re really serious about this, huh?”

“Yes, the Hero needs someone to cook for him. And you’re the best cook I know, Ben. So, will you do it?”

Ben took a deep breath, seemingly absorbing the weight of the task before him. The grand, foreboding castle loomed behind me, its dark stone walls a stark contrast to the bright determination in my eyes.

“I’ll do it,” Ben finally said, with a hint of resolve in his voice. “For the Hero.”

With that, we entered the castle, ready to make a new start.