“Gulp.”
Even after returning to her room, the delicacies she saw at the tavern continued to linger in Leya’s mind.
In the dark and silent inn room, the sound of her swallowing was clearly audible.
That infuriating loli monster!
She deliberately laid out so many desserts in front of her, obviously waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
And that strange maid behind her kept staring at their table.
She figured that if she ate even a single bite of food from the table, it would become a running joke the next time they met.
How could she let her have her way?
She removed the “Anti-Magic Cover” from the wick of the “Fluorescent Stone” lamp, letting the soft white glow spill over the pale yellow walls of the inn room.
In a fit of self-abandonment, she flung herself onto the bed.
“Ah~”
Her body felt as if it was wrapped in clouds, making her sigh in pleasure. But as soon as another thought came to mind, she immediately sat up.
That’s right, it was that smug look on the monster loli’s face.
The scene of her childhood hometown being destroyed by the “Disaster of Charybdis” flashed once again before her eyes, and the teaching from the “Scripture” that “monsters are irredeemably evil beings” echoed in her mind.
Her hatred for monsters stemmed from both the shadows of her childhood and the teachings she received.
She, who was skilled in non-elemental magic, had mastered “Advanced Appraisal Magic,” which could see through all things. It allowed her to easily pierce the disguises of those humanoid monsters.
On the journey from the Saint Nation to this inn, many “Low-Rank Demons,” “Vampires,” and “Fairies” that brought harm to the world were eliminated with her help by Sister Arthur.
But only with this monster loli, she simply couldn’t understand why her sister treated her so politely.
“I’m back!”
“Arthur? So soon?”
She had been enjoying her reunion with old friends, yet returned so quickly after Leya left the tavern.
There was no need to ask the reason—she already knew.
Sister Arthur was worried about her.
“I packed up some food from the tavern and brought it back. I just felt it would be a shame if you didn’t get to taste these delicious things.”
“No need, I’ll just eat the bread I brought…”
She trailed off mid-sentence as Arthur took out food wrapped in oiled paper from a Space Magic Tool.
The aroma that tickled her nose belonged to her favorite kind of dessert.
“Sweetness” was a flavor that was hard to come by.
But she was lucky. As a Holy Maiden in the Temple of Support in the Saint Nation,
she could regularly enjoy some “Syrup” extracted from fruit, and the foods made from it were among her few comforts in her otherwise dull days.
She remembered the dessert wrapped in paper before her was called Lily Honey Pastry: mildly sweet, but with a rich floral aroma in each bite.
She had to admit, she never expected a humble tavern inside a Dungeon to have such a high-end dessert on its menu.
Come to think of it, the very fact that there was an area inside the Dungeon where people—no, monsters—could run a tavern was already very strange.
Drawn in by the aroma, she unconsciously reached out.
By the time she realized it, she was already carefully holding the crispy, golden fried shell of the pastry and bringing it to her lips.
So sweet it almost hurt! This was nothing like the “mildly sweet” flavor she remembered.
Yet, the floral fragrance of the dessert wasn’t overpowered by the sweetness at all.
The crispy exterior and soft, tender interior made her eyes light up.
This dessert proved that there was at least a star-class chef hidden in the tavern.
That detestable loli… how did she manage to hire someone like that?
“It’s delicious!”
A monster is a monster, food is food. The two cannot be confused.
Since her sister brought back so many treats, she couldn’t let them go to waste!
Yes, that’s how it is!
……
Desserts and dishes were taken out from the Magic Tool one after another. The girl’s gaze landed on a dish coated with a thick layer of “plaster.”
What was this? Cream? Was cream supposed to be this sweet?
And the bread with holes beneath… so soft! It felt like eating clouds, the sweet, cool cream mixing with the cloud-like soft bread as she chewed…
“It’s delicious! What’s this called?”
This was a dessert she’d never seen before. If she remembered the name, maybe she could find it elsewhere in the future.
“I think it’s called ‘Cream Cake.’ I heard it was made following a recipe and method provided by Miss Su Yao.”
That guy again. And she even knows how to make human food? This must be a lie from her staff!
Thinking so, she picked up a “deep brown” drink served in a glass.
“Delicious! What’s this one called?”
“It should be called ‘Hot Cocoa.'”
“And this?”
“‘French Fries’ and ‘Egg Roll.'”
“This one?”
……
“Leya is full. Thank you for the Goddess’s blessing.”
Ugh, what was she saying!
According to Sister Arthur, all these foods were made using the recipes from that monster loli.
But the nun who raised her always said that after every meal, one must give thanks to the Goddess…
Leya knelt on the ground in distress, bracing herself with both hands.
How to pray after such a meal was one problem, but more importantly, she had just broken her own solemn declaration.
The happier she’d been while eating, the more regret she felt now…
“What’s wrong, Leya?”
“N-nothing.”
“Are you wondering why I didn’t expose Miss Su Yao’s true identity in public today, and even got along peacefully with her?”
At these words, she sat up from the floor and nodded twice.
She’d heard of cases where monsters and humans coexisted, but she believed those were all out of necessity: True Ancestors, who were so powerful that humans had no choice but to make peace; Dryads, who would continually be born from forests; and Dragons, who minded their own business and did not meddle in human affairs…
But that loli monster called Su Yao didn’t fit any of these “exceptions.” If it was just about her knowledge, why not just capture her and use her as a slave, like some humans do with Succubi?
“When I sent Uzo, my old Dwarf friend, flying, she was the first to shield him. Tell me, how many ‘people’ would do that?”
Her sister’s question caught her off guard. Even the closest of friends couldn’t guarantee they’d stand up for each other in a crisis.
Judging from the surprise on the loli monster’s face at the time, she must have known how strong Sister Arthur was.
No matter the reason—whether kindness or a sense of duty—just the act of “standing in front of someone you know when they’re in danger” was enough to show her “humanity.”
“Maybe she has some other scheme?”
Exactly, just like how vampires hide among humans seeking suitable prey for their blood, maybe that monster named Su Yao was the same?
“That’s certainly possible, so I chatted with Uzo about it later. But have you noticed? The staff at this inn, the maids at that tavern—all of them sincerely respect and adore her.”
“She gave these people a better life and changed many things with her wisdom. That’s a fact.”
“One last thing—I feel she’s very much like the Goddess.”
“Impossible! Maybe she’s a special case, but even so, not even you, Sister Arthur, should say something so irreverent.”
She could accept everything said before, but not that last line. No matter if her sister had met the Goddess herself, comparing a monster to the Goddess was far too absurd.
The Goddess was the only deity in this world, and all her deeds were recorded in the “Hymns of Praise.”
Humanity had only survived and prospered through the ages in a world beset by monsters thanks to the Goddess.
Her blessings were still bestowed upon all of humanity with the help of the Saint Nation.
How could a mere monster with a bit of wit be compared to the Goddess?
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend the Goddess. But have you ever thought about what a ‘god’ really is?”
“A ‘god’ is a ‘god,’ isn’t it?”
Wasn’t that written clearly in the “Scripture”? What was there to think about? And if anyone should be the most devout believer, shouldn’t it be her sister who had met the Goddess?
But what had she been saying just now?
“Sigh, I suppose it’s still too soon for you to ponder these questions. I just want to tell you one thing: just as there are good and bad people, so too are there good and bad monsters.”
“But the ‘Scripture’ says…”
On one hand was her lifelong faith and education, and on the other, the words of the sister she so admired. After much hesitation, she finally nodded.
“I… understand.”