Menelapie often told me that I needed to maintain my dignity befitting my status.
In fact, in my previous world, I was not only the Great Saint of the Rose Order and the Emperor’s right hand, but also a powerful figure ranked among the greatest of the people of the Empire, both above and below.
Well, even if I had power, it was just that I was responsible for eating delicious food and communicating with people instead of the Emperor, healing them in the process. Nonetheless, I lived quite casually and unrestrained for someone in a high position.
It wasn’t that I voluntarily chose a humble life; my very nature never suited playing the role of a high-ranking dignitary.
Menelapie used it to politically build me up as a common-folk-friendly image, but that’s another story.
Anyway, the reason Menelapie often nagged me to maintain my dignity was that when there were no watchful eyes, I would really roll around in the muddy puddles with the kids and forget all about being a saint or my status and just play.
Sure, there were Rosaria and other kids who followed me from the Rose Order, but since I was the highest-ranking among them, it didn’t matter if Rosaria and the other attendants grabbed my legs and cried out to maintain my dignity.
“I don’t want to! If you have a problem with it, go defeat the Demon King and become a saint!”
Usually, with that one line, most of them would back off on their own.
In Rosaria’s case, she was a bit persistent, but if I acted nostalgic and said things like, “I’ve never had street food in the Royal Palace” or “Coming here lets me play in the dirt with the kids like this,” she’d step aside.
The reason I’m suddenly talking about this is that while in the previous world, I had a tiny bit of necessity to uphold dignity like the nobles, in Earth, nothing bound me.
In simpler terms, I didn’t have to worry about the eyes around me.
“Nom nom nom nom nom~”
Crunch!
Chomp!
Have you ever suddenly gone on an unexpected trip because of a flood or a meteorological disturbance, even when you had a planned trip?
Before the Great Rift hit Earth, my parents loved to travel, and we would zip around the country every weekend. My mom especially loved taking me places, so even when my dad was absent, we often traveled together.
As a result, even if we originally planned to go to a beach, there were times we had to change direction to a sunny mountain or valley due to sudden storms. Surprisingly, we would find unexpected delicious spots or beautiful scenery in places we hadn’t researched at all.
Traveling, as a certain program host said, is about finding treasures unexpectedly and cherishing them as precious memories.
Long story short, in that sense, the crunchy exterior and moist interior of the snacks in the Demon King’s Castle were truly exquisite!
“Hehe, delicious.”
“……….”
“Yujin, do you want some?”
“…I’m fine.”
Of course, no matter how much I enjoy eating, even I felt guilty eating alone, so I tried to offer some to Yujin, but he just stared at the brick I held out and shook his head.
Hmm, this is super delicious…
He must not be that hungry, huh?
“But, Fake Hero. When you get back, you might get completely drained by Olgania. Maybe you should enjoy some good food while you can?”
“Shut up.”
Well, if he isn’t eating, then I’m okay with it.
But no matter how much I loved eating, I definitely didn’t naturally think about eating in this bizarre space resembling the Void Palace.
As soon as I opened the silver tray that smelled delicious, I fell into this Void Palace. The warm, rich aroma filling this space felt like freshly baked bread.
I didn’t know what kind of magical trap or complicated gimmick this was, but all the attacks I hurled with the intent to destroy had the result of neatly reconstructing the space again.
And thinking about the delicious aroma filling the space and the food platter that drew me here, I realized that this strange Void Palace couldn’t prevent me from ‘eating’ to eliminate the space in exchange for nullifying ‘destruction.’
In fact, parts of the tiles and walls I consumed weren’t reverting back to their original state.
At some point, Teresa once said, whether it’s curses, magic, or spirit arts, nothing is perfect. There must always be a cost, a medium, or an escape gimmick.
For curses, you need a purification spell, and if there’s an absorbing gimmick, there should also be an expelling gimmick. If all physical attacks are blocked, there must be a barrier vulnerable to magical attacks or miracles.
Everything exists simultaneously in continuation and destruction; that is the basic law of abilities she had mentioned.
So that means what?
This space can be ‘eaten’ away.
Gulp. Hehe, the insides are crunchy here.
Crunch!!!
The part I just ate tasted like beef tenderloin, but here the insides were soft like ribeye or prime rib.
It felt like receiving a gigantic birthday cake.
Unexpected gifts, unexpected harvests, unexpected flavors.
While it didn’t look exactly like a snack, the surface of the floor tiles I was standing on felt hard and crunchy like a well-baked cookie, while the interior was as savory as well-cooked meat.
“Hmm, this tastes like something I’ve had before…”
Ah, right! Beef Wellington.
Beef Wellington is a dish where the outside is wrapped in pastry or crunchy bread, while the inside is filled with minced or cooked meat and onions and mushrooms. Using beef tenderloin as the main ingredient, it can provide a light yet deep flavor.
For the record, this was Teresa’s favorite dish in the previous world.
For Teresa, who was always cooped up at home doing magic research, Beef Wellington was a convenient and delicious dish to eat with her hands, but the preparation process was quite bothersome, so she would always harass the chef to pack several when she visited the Royal Palace.
Now that I think about it, the yellow tiles, walls, and window frames here all took on the same shape as Beef Wellington.
“Hey, Isia. Don’t you feel anything weird right now?”
“Weird?”
“Yeah, weird. No matter how feasible it seems for you to eat at your level, those things are undeniably floors, window frames, and doors. You don’t feel anything weird about chomping down on those?”
“Um, not really…”
Upon hearing my words, Yujin held his forehead and shot me a pitiful glance.
Come on, I didn’t ask for that kind of look!
“Get a grip, Isia!!!”
Whoa!
“Why are you suddenly yelling? Were you hungry too?”
“Ha, this is the Demon King’s Castle, Isia! And in the parallel world, you’re the Demon King!”
Okay, I get it… I know.
I haven’t seen it myself yet, but I know you’re not lying.
Nom nom…
Yujin shook me roughly, as if to wake me up.
“Or is it the case that you want to escape reality because the sight of the parallel-world you is so shocking?”
“………”
I couldn’t say I was drawn here by the aroma and fell because of it, so I turned my gaze away momentarily.
“Don’t turn your back on reality. Isia, we’re in the Demon King’s Castle, and we might soon face the complete Demon King! Aren’t you a saint? Now’s not the time to fall apart. It’s not the time to give up and start gnawing at the floor!”
Only then did I realize why Yujin wore such a desperate expression.
Now that I think of it, I really did start chomping on the floor without saying anything to Yujin…
From Yujin’s perspective, it must have seemed like I suddenly went insane, tearing up and munching on the ground and walls with my bare hands, and not stopping at that, I was even offering him some like it was delicious food—he must feel like he’s facing a crazy person who needs to be locked up in a mental hospital…
“…Isia. I know too. I know it’s shocking. I realize that the very existence of this Demon King’s Castle could touch on our trauma. So naturally you’re trying to avoid reality by eating the ground!”
Umm, no…
I didn’t have PTSD from having killed the Demon King, did I…?
Ah, Yujin, you never beat the Demon King, huh?
Sorry about that.
The trauma must be yours alone.
Nom nom…
Of course, no matter how oblivious I was, I couldn’t mess with the past trauma of the so-called Fake Hero.
It was one of those times when keeping my mouth shut was the best option.
But I guess my keeping quiet was interpreted differently by Yujin, as his expression darkened even more.
“Ugh, no. Isia… I’ll find an exit. You just… well, go ahead and eat the walls and tiles or whatever and rest…”
He patted my shoulder, and it seemed Yujin had somewhat resigned himself.
I guess it’s time to stop joking around.
Gulp.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
“….Have you come to your senses?”
“Come to my senses? I was perfectly sane to begin with.”
“Suddenly eating walls and tiles and you’re sane?”
“Well, that’s…”
Really, the walls and tiles are delicious!
No, it’s not that they’re delicious; it’s that the walls and tiles are really food!
“See? The outside looks like a crunchy puff pastry, and the inside is like medium-rare beef tenderloin…”
“Stop it, I get it. I understand, now hush.”
“Hey! I’m serious! Don’t treat me like a crazy person!”
Thud!
Ultimately, unable to hold back my frustration, I jabbed a long pole into Yujin’s mouth.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
“O-Oblurp…!”
“Taste it! It’s delicious! You have to taste it! Use your tongue! Who are you calling a crazy person!?”
“…Guh, ugh, buurp…ugh….”
“Oh, don’t chomp on it! Just taste it! Did you think I was just randomly munching on the building for no reason? This is an escape gimmick!”
“Geh… urk… buurp, gulp…!”
Ah.
Did I jab it too deep…? Yujin’s eyes started to roll back a bit.
If I pushed any further, he might really pass out…
I cautiously pulled out the pole I had jammed into Yujin’s throat.
Gack, gack…! Hic! Ughhh…
“Uh, um. Sorry.”
“This damn… cough… wretched situation!”
After getting poked deeply in the throat, Yujin had tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry. Want me to cast a healing miracle?”
“Shut up…”
I don’t have a healing miracle anyway…
Cough.
“Anyway, this Void Palace is a giant spell. If it’s a spell, then it has a set gimmick for a specific purpose. If there’s a vast and powerful gimmick that can’t be destroyed by abilities or physical attacks, then there must also be a way to break it!”
“Just like the relationship between curses and blessings… ugh…”
“So when I suddenly started eating the floor and tiles, it wasn’t that I was going crazy or going downhill and losing my senses; it’s just that this is an escape strategy. Look over there.”
I pointed to the space where I had gnawed on tiles and walls earlier.
All the other destruction had been nullified and restored, but the space I had bitten into was empty.
Seeing that, Yujin seemed to realize I wasn’t lying.
“Until just now, I thought you were really going insane, starting to eat the ground…”
“Of course, I’d use a purification miracle separately! I love eating, but I’m not a fan of munching on dirt…”
“Then you mean you can’t eat if there’s dirt on it?”
“…..Well, I mean, depending on the case I can eat it…”
Food is precious and noble, so I wouldn’t just refuse it for having a bit of dirt on it…
Anyway, Yujin took a deep breath and began to rub his neck, sitting down beside me.
“Ha, so if I start eating these walls and tiles with you… this Void Palace will either collapse or the exit will open, is that right?”
“Uh, yeah!”
Honestly, I couldn’t be certain.
I didn’t want to think about checking all those doors one by one, and this seemed the most plausible option—eating our way through it.
“Then let’s eat properly. Just like Hansel and Gretel!”
“…..Sigh. I’ve never been in a situation where I’m eating walls…”
“Don’t like walls? Should I give you the pole that was stuffed in your throat before?”
“Please just shut up…”
“Hmph, got it….”
Then this pole, I guess I’ll just have to eat it…
“No, that pole, give it to me.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll just eat it, so hand it over…”
Suddenly, Yujin became proactive and obediently accepted the pole, starting to munch on it.
But since Yujin’s mouth is a lot smaller than mine, maybe it’s just that the size of the pole was too big for him; it looked like he was having a hard time biting it.
“Ouf, blurp… ugh… gulp…”
“Good, good. You’re eating it well.”
“Get your hands off…”
Fortunately, Yujin cleared any misunderstandings and we started to dig into the Void Palace together.
“Do you like it roasted?”
“……….Just eat it.”
Well, why…? Food is tastier when it’s warm, right?
“But Isia…” gulp.
“What? Nom nom nom…”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Worried about what?”
“…About the parallel version of you. Aren’t you worried after hearing that you became the Demon King?”
Ah, that?
“Not really.”
“Why?”
“If the parallel version of me really became the Demon King… there wouldn’t be this few Evil Entities.”
“Is that so? Well, you said you’re sensitive to Evil Entities, right?”
Nom nom.
As much as I sensed Evil Entities, there was another reason I didn’t consider the Demon King that threatening.
If I really had become the Demon King… Yujin would probably have died before I came to save him.
‘And if I became the Demon King, I definitely wouldn’t be coming to kill myself.’
Sigh, I wonder if there’s a Hero Shia out there somewhere.
Both Lirisia and Mawang Shia.
Why do so many weirdos keep showing up…
