Chapter 25 - Return
I was awakened due to a loud sound.
Oh no, I've let my guard down too much. Doing something like this would be fatal in the demon world. My sense of crisis seems to be getting duller since I came to the human world.
Looking around in hurry, it seemed the beetle had destroyed the village gate when he tried to pass through it.
What are you doing!? No matter how I look at it, the gate was too narrow for the size of your body. Why did you still try to force your way in?
The villagers started gathering in the village square to check the situation. From the surroundings, I could hear:
"It's Fell-chan, after all."
"The beetle is so huge!"
"An attack?"
"Fell-chan has finally showed her true nature."
Then, after a while, the village chief also came to the village square. He looked at me and smiled, but when he saw the village gate, his smile solidified in an instant.
"Fell-san, could you please explain this situation?" (Village Chief)
His face is smiling, but I feel some kind of pressure from the village chief. No, wait, I haven't done anything wrong.
When I was still trying to grasp situation, someone approached me from behind and whispered something.
"Fell-chan, let's apologize together." (Dia)
No way, this is....
When I turned around, everyone averted their eyes from me in hurry. Except Anri who was staring boldly at me.
"Now we are on the same boat." (Anri)
I see, so that's how it is. They were afraid of the village chief's fury and tried to drag me into this as well.
"Please wait, Village Chief! This is a trap. They had deliberately destroyed the village gate to get me involved in their crime." (Fell)
"I see. That's indeed possible.... I understand, I will have a little talk with the three over there after this. Now then, I'm glad you have returned safely. You must be tired, so please take a break at the inn slowly. If possible, I hope you could spare some of your time to come to my house later. I'd like to hear the whole story from you directly." (Village Chief)
"Got it. I'm going to head there after a short break." (Fell)
"I will be waiting." (Village Chief)
That was close. I'm glad the village chief is someone with broad insight.
"Where do you think you are going? You three also come to my house. It's preaching time." (Village Chief)
Dia, Via, and Yato were taken to the village chief's house. Then, without a care in the world, my slimes headed to the field with the beetle in tow.
You girls are the biggest troublemakers this time.
I was surrounded by the villagers when I tried to leave the place.
"Fell-chan, welcome back!"
"Did you bring souvenirs for us?"
"Please introduce me to an elf lady. I mean it!"
No, look, I didn't come back from a vacation. Also, you guys were only watching when I was taken by the elves, weren't you? Oh well, forget it.
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I left the noisy guys after some random conversation and I headed towards the inn.
"Oh, welcome back! I heard a loud sound, so it was Fell, after all." (Ron)
When I entered the inn, I was greeted by Ron.
This feels kind of nostalgic as if I have been away for a long time.
"I'm back. I've proved my innocence to the elves. By the way, where is Nia?" (Fell)
"Wait a minute.... Hey, Nia! Fell is back!" (Ron)
I heard a panicking sound from the kitchen. Then, after a while, Nia came out of the kitchen with a smile.
"Welcome back, Fell-chan! Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?" (Nia)
"I'm back, Nia. There's no problem. My clothes are just a little dirty." (Fell)
"I'm glad to see you have returned safely above all. By the way, where are the other girls?" (Nia)
"They are getting a lecture at the village chief's house right now." (Fell)
I'm a little grateful to them for trying to save me from the elves. However, they were trying to get me involved into their problem by deliberately destroying the village gate. They just reap what they sow.
"Those girls were having a strategy meeting here, but as expected, I was still panic when I heard that Anri had also gone missing. However, we found a signboard left by your slime that said they would escort her." (Nia)
"No, wait, isn't that still bad?" (Fell)
"Hahahaha. That's right, but the village chief said something like 'There's a saying: Let a pretty girl go on a journey', and told everyone to return to their homes. Her daughter was pretty angry at him, though." (Nia)
Maybe the village chief is a useless adult when it comes to his granddaughter. Well, enough of that. Let's show the souvenirs to Nia.
"Would you look at these?" (Nia)
I took out the apples and jams from subspace and handed them to Nia.
"I got them from the elves. Do you think you can use it for my dinner?" (Fell)
"Apple and jam, both are pretty high class stuffs. I can't come up with a recipe that uses them right off the bat. Please give me some time." (Nia)
I guess it's impossible even with her LV4 Cooking Skill. There's no helping it. I will put up with the usual menu tonight.
"I understand. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sorry, but I want to rest in my room. I still can stay free of charge for another week, right?" (Fell)
"Yes. I've cleaned your room. You can use it right away." (Nia)
"Thank you. I will go to the village chief's house after a short break, so can I ask for lunch first? Though it's already past noon." (Fell)
"Oh, sure thing! It's been a while since you ate my cooking. Please enjoy it slowly later." (Nia)
"Speaking of which, the bento was delicious. I was so excited, but when I opened the boxes, their contents were all the same." (Fell)
Nia laughed and then returned to the kitchen.
"Well then, I will go to take care of the livestock. Please take your time. I'm sure you are tired." (Ron)
"Yes. I will do that." (Fell)
There was only me inside the dining room after Ron left.
I'm really tired. There were various things, but I feel that yesterday was the most tiresome day. I will go to bed early tonight.
Then, after waiting for a while, Nia came back with food.
It's been a while since that last time I ate wild boar steak. However, isn't this evening menu?
"The ingredients for lunch menu have been used up. This might be a bit heavy, but there's no other dish I can prepare right away." (Nia)
I have no problem with this. The bento also contains meat, but there's a difference between dried meat and freshly prepared dishes. Let's savor it slowly.
"This is, too." (Nia)
Nia served something that looked like several rabbits lined up together on a plate.
"If you cut an apple this way, they look like rabbits, do they? The taste doesn't change, but I've changed the way it looks." (Nia)
I've read about it in some books. The appearance of dish is also important.
"Interesting. Let's have it after meal." (Fell)
But rabbits, huh. In the demon world, rabbits are always targeting your neck. I wonder how are rabbits attacking in the human world.
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The lunch was delicious. It's been a while since I've been able to eat Nia's cooking, and I'm satisfied. I also noticed that the meat was roasted exquisitely. On that note, my roasting was always super well-done. Don't grill the meat until it's charred --- with this knowledge alone, I feel like my cooking skills have improved. Let's try putting it into practice later.
Now then, I guess I will go to the village chief’s house.