Chapter 2: Gluttons of light and darkness

I knelt before the high priest at noon. I closed my eyes, face damp with holy water, and waited. I waited and waited and then waited some more. But nothing happened. The surrounding people, starting from the high priest, were beginning to get into a fuss. After a whole hour had passed without Ilias descending, everyone, including me, gave up.

Over there, Ilias had descended after remaining unseen for so long, yet here, I was the only one she did not appear for... what a strange twist of fate.

Paying the scathing words of the priest no heed, I headed home with a sigh. Oh well, even if I failed to be officially baptized, I would manage somehow, even without the hero privileges. On my way, I wondered how much money this me had in his wallet and thought about my plans for the future. When I arrived, the Monster Lord was brazenly lounging in my house.

"Hmm, it seems you did not make it."

"I didn't receive Ilias' baptism. She didn't appear even after I waited an hour; something like that was previously unheard of."

"Kukuku... Just as I expected. After she made me suffer such wounds, I at least managed to deal a proportionate blow to her dignity." She laughed with an evil grin. It was an expression truly befitting humanity's image of the Monster Lord.

"Still, I'm surprised you found my house."

"I followed your scent, but that is unimportant for now... I have almost never left the Monster Lord's castle, so how has a country bumpkin of a human like you heard of me? In addition, how could you dodge my attack despite being a mere apprentice?"

Alice's doubts were probably justified. I gave her a wry smile and made to serve some tea and snacks.

"Well, this will probably end up being a long story, so let's have some tea while we... Uh, while we..."

I froze while scrounging through the shelves. Right, today was the Day of Departure. Almost nothing was left, not even tea leaves.

...

I looked around the house, unable to find a single thing to serve as food or drink. Alice's gaze was starting to feel painful, not to mention the scary noise her stomach made.

"...Here you go; it's not much, but have some water."

"...It's the first time someone told me 'it's not much' and then genuinely offered something so dull. Do you not even have hot water?"

"...There is no firewood left either."

Alice gave a terribly dissatisfied sniff and turned her head to my traveling supplies.

"The smell of spices and meat... It's better than nothing. Give me that dried meat."

"Well, that's fine, I guess... Wait, are you eating the cup!?"

"Shut up, I am hungry. Hurry up, or that vase is next."

After drinking the water in a single gulp, Alice also ate the cup, accompanied by a crunching sound. She must have been starving. Right, never mind dishes; she was the type of person who would chew even on a stone. At this rate, all of my household items would be devoured. I hurriedly pulled out the contents of my luggage to prevent that.

"Stop! At least eat food!"

I slapped down the dried meat in front of her while praying my counterpart made it well. It was inside her mouth almost instantly.

"Hmm, Not bad at all... You chose the spices perfectly to draw out the savory flavor of the meat."

"Right? As part of the training for my journey, I also honed my cooking skills."

I was relieved that the food made by this world's me was good enough to satisfy the hungry Monster Lord. Who knows what kind of disaster would have occurred had it tasted bad.

"I see, fine. The dried meat was meant to be an appetizer, but it will do for now. Rejoice; the main dish won't be necessary."

...

Apparently, this Alice saw me as food too. Over there, I'd been milked constantly, and sometimes she ended up quarreling without shame or honor against other monsters to... Let's leave that aside for now. In order to talk about the real issue at hand, I once more took a seat across from Alice. With a harrumph, the mood around her changed, though she didn't stop nibbling on the meat.

"So, are you going to offer me a satisfactory explanation?"

"It's a pretty outlandish story, but..."

"You were traveling with a shrunk version of me and other monsters in a parallel world!?"

"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" I let out a dry laugh, knowing just how absurd the abbreviated account of my story must have sounded. Yet Alice was deep in thought, neither laughing it off nor denying it all.

"It certainly sounds like a wild tale... But I cannot just overlook some of your words. There are far too many things someone in your position should have no way to know, that some boy from the countryside cannot possibly be aware of. Additionally, a mere apprentice who attempted to be baptized by Ilias today was able to cure my wounds and use something as difficult to master as time magic without effort. That in itself is just as ludicrous as your story."

In my world, there had been a magical renaissance, and even children could cast simple spells, but in this world, it seemed difficult even just to acquire magic. To make matters worse, there was also the fact that the Goddess did not like magic.

"Very well, I do not believe you are lying, and no matter how one may fabricate stories, abilities cannot be faked. Moreover, you yourself seem confused; as such, I will take your word as truth for the time being. So? What do you intend to do henceforth?"

"Naturally, I will set out on a journey. I have to return to my world; I have to save it. Also, it seems that in this world, people fear monsters. I know the problems are different, but I'd like to help all the same."

"I see... No naive idealism, but a focus on the future..." Reflected in her eyes was not the face of a daydreaming boy but that of a warrior filled with a sense of duty. Seeing that, no words of disparagement reached her lips. Instead, for a while, Alice just stared at me.

"...I will accompany you. Traveling with you, I doubt I will become bored."

"Sure, I don't mind, but... will your duties as Monster Lord be alright?"

"It is fine just to throw those to the foxes. Rather, it would be problematic if the ruler of all monsters were to hole herself up in her castle, knowing nothing of the world. So I decided to take a look around to broaden my horizons."

"I see." She did indeed mention how she had never left her home... that is to say, the Monster Lord's Castle, until now. "It's good to have you; having an ally is reassuring."

"Indeed. Make sure to take good care of me."

'Actually, even over there, the only duties she took over were taste testing and eating. Was she going to follow me around as nothing but a hungry mouth to feed?' I thought with a faraway look. Oh well, there would be plenty of time to talk; there was no point to keep doing it inside this house.

"Alright, I'll make my rounds around the village and stock up on food. You can wait for me to the north of the village. Please quietly use the backdoor when you leave."

"Very well, I do not enjoy pointless commotions either. Make sure you buy abundantly. I eat a lot."

I watched with a wry smile as she exited the house without sound or presence. As I looked around the house, ensuring it was properly locked up, I felt a sense of loneliness I hadn't felt in a long time. I made my rounds, bought food, and finally... stood before a grave. It seemed this me was just as diligent in maintaining it as it was even cleaner than the ones surrounding it.

"Mother, I may not be the Luka you know, but... I will still strive to make you and father proud."

Another world, familiar yet unknown. As I lost myself in thoughts of the adventures ahead, I left the village in a flood of emotions.

On the way north after leaving the village, I gathered herbs, berries, wildflowers, and medicinal herbs in the woods and grass along the side of the road. Alice must have been curious about these new kinds of food she had never seen before, as when she discovered those same things, the first thing she did was chew on them.

"...Are you really going to eat those raw?"

"I won't know what they taste like without eating them first... still, you collected quite a lot," she said with an impressed look at my bulging bag. Without a speck of hesitation, she reached out with her hand, but I slapped it away. She shot me a discontent glare, which I ignored.

"It's because I wasn't baptized. Since I don't have any of the hero privileges, I have to take any opportunity to save or earn money I can... especially considering my 'gourmand' of a traveling companion."

"...What, are those perks truly that useful?" She deflected, her face turned away. Well, fine. I wasn't really that bothered anyway.

"Yup. You can stay at inns for a cheap hero's rate, stores offer various discounts, and you are given the right to search the homes of the general public—"

"Search their homes... are heroes actually thieves?"

"No, it's part of the support measures for heroes since they have to journey across the world and suppress bad monsters. The church has been pushing for it ever since Heinrich's time. Also, any items taken result in tax exemptions and compensation by the church, so it's not like the populace is overly troubled by it either. I was even advised by senior heroes to make sure to check barrels and drawers as well."

"What is that system!? That's all sorts of weird!... Are items taken from random houses even that useful?" Alice was taken aback once more as I explained with a smug grin. Maybe that was too much culture shock for one day.

"We got quite a lot of specialty food local to whatever region we were in. And because of your small appearance, we often also received candy as a bonus."

"Alright. Luka, whenever there is a house, make sure to enter it without fail and collect all the delicious food!"

"Right now, I'm not a hero, so I can't."

"...How useless."

"Aren't you the reason why the baptism got canceled!? Anyway, besides all that, I also heard that along with the baptism, you would also receive a blessing from Ilias."

"Indeed. The semen of those who undertake the baptism becomes exceptionally unpalatable. I suppose that would make them less likely to be attacked by monsters."

"T-That's the reason... Ah, I guess that's why everyone in the other world got regularly squeezed by monsters..." It made sense. The semen of trained and unblessed humans was surely delicious to monsters.

"That said... You, having not undergone the baptism, seem extraordinarily tasty..." She licked her lips. Yeah, I had guessed as much with everyone chanting 'delicious, delicious' as they assaulted me... With empty eyes, I wondered just how many days I would end up being safe. Well, lasting three days would probably be a miracle.

"By the way, what is our destination? Are we heading straight to the Monster Lord's Castle?"

"Maybe if it were 500 years ago, but now that wouldn't be possible... Since I don't know where clues might be, I suppose the main goal for now would be getting a means of transport?... But it's not like there is a guarantee that the orbs are in the same locations as in my former world."

In fact, in my former world, we had yet to reach the continent where the Monster Lord resided, and there was also an unexplored island surrounded by steep mountains. That's why we'd wanted to acquire the means to fly.

"So you know about the orbs as well..."

"Yup, I collected all six but was blown to this world before the revival."

"...You really are entirely abnormal. No matter. Incidentally, what will we have for dinner toda... Hm?"

Alice suddenly disappeared. The reason was probably...

A slug girl appeared!

"A traveler... Moreover, a delicious unbaptized boy..."

It was a slow-moving slug girl. Honestly, I could probably simply run away rather than fight her, but I couldn't let her attack other travelers.

"Hey, would you mind turning back? I don't want to fight monsters." I tried to convince her for starters, but with a semen-starved monster, the result was obvious.

"No. I will make you my prey... cum a lot as you taste a slug's slimy stickiness..." Ignoring my words, she began sidling up to me. I let out a sigh and once more went up to a nearby tree, giving it a punch. With a bang, it was reduced to splinters.

"Eep!?"

"If you insist on fighting... that would be you."

"I-I'll remember this!" It was very effective, frightening her into tossing out a throw-away line before fleeing, her body dragging along the ground as she slowly escaped.

The slug girl was chased off!

10 experience points obtained!

"...Sheesh." I sighed as I watched her leave. This was promising to be another long journey, but how many monsters could actually be persuaded to stay their hand?

"Chasing monsters off with threats... such a hero you are." Alice reappeared with more unkind words, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Even if you say that, it's hard to hold back when there is such a large difference in power. If I thoughtlessly struck her with my iron sword, I'd cleave her in two."

"...I suppose. No matter how sturdy monsters may be, there are limits."

"More importantly, since you were hiding, I guess you don't want to come face to face with other monsters?"

Having fought together over there, it felt strangely lonely to fight alone now, but...

"Indeed. As the Monster Lord, I cannot be seen simply standing by the side as a human defeats a monster. Do not count on receiving any aid from me."

"I see... I guess that's true. I understand." It was a little sad, but couldn't be helped. It was a different world, and our positions and common sense were different as well. I wasn't even a hero in this world.

"...By the way, what's for dinner?" The Monster Lord asked suddenly, entirely obliterating the mood I had found myself in.

"...Right now, I am trembling with emotion... To think such flavor could be drawn out of ordinary ingredients... Hey, once your journey is over... won't you consider becoming head chef at my castle?"

"I-I'm honored, but I have to go back."

"...How disappointing."

Alice instantly became captivated by the taste. This was the skill of someone who had surpassed the Three Star Chef and mastered even Flavor Emperor.

"Now then, about the dessert..."

"What!? Dessert!? Of course I'll eat it, prepare it, quickly!"

"I will, but it will take a while, so I'll leave the pot to you. Just stir it slowly and carefully so it doesn't burn."

"Very... well... Inside are... rose berries, huh? Are you boiling them down?"

"Yeah, I'll make the sauce out of them. Make sure to keep stirring; it will be ruined if it gets burned and starts sticking to the pot."

"...A weighty responsibility indeed... I never expected this manner of ordeal to befall me... Dark Goddess, please guide my hand."

That was a rather exaggerated reaction to something as simple as stirring a pot... Wait, has Alice ever cooked before? Even as I began to feel slightly uneasy, I created a cylinder with ice magic, filling it with milk, eggs, and sugar before making a lid and mixing the contents thoroughly. The ingredients, mixed with the skill of a master and rapidly cooled, turned into soft, airy ice cream that would just melt in your mouth.

"Now let's see over here..." I took a small taste of the rose berries; they had boiled down to a nice tart flavor.

"Thanks, Alice. You did a good job."

"Yes! You may leave the sauce to me from now on!" She said with a wide smile and her tail waving around. It seems like she gained some confidence. Well, if she was going to help with cooking from now on, it would be a good thing.

"Now let's cool this down too..." Cooling the sauce short of freezing it, I poured it over the ice cream, which I had moved onto wooden plates. And with that, the impromptu ice cream made in the great outdoors was complete, all three portions of it.

"Alright then, let's have some~." Her expression gradually softened as she took it in her mouth. She must have liked it.

"Well then, here we go..." Placing a wooden spoon on the plate of ice cream, I sent a prayer toward heaven.

"Hey Luka, what are you doing? If you are not going to eat, I'll take it!"

"I will! Right after I'm done praying!"

"Praying!? You cannot possibly mean to say that third plate is meant as an offering to Ilias, right!?"

"That's exactly what it is!"

"Wha— Stop screwing around... stop screwing around, you bastard! You are saying you would give something this wonderful to Ilias!?" The Monster Lord was livid; It was even worse than when I first met her with sword in hand. At this rate, the other two plates would be stolen by her as well.

"If you keep being selfish, there will be no more snacks for you!"

"Ugh!? Gah! Argh! Y-you coward, that's not fair!"

"...In war, the one who controls the provisions wins." Manipulating a hungry Monster Lord was easy. The sound of grinding teeth echoed in the surroundings before she started sulking. And so, having confirmed the ice cream's safety, I sent a prayer to Ilias.

'Ilias... can you hear me? I will give you this ice cream as an offering; please have a taste.'

'Eh? L-Luka, is that you!? More importantly, how can you use telepathy to... N-no, even more importantly, even if you offer me ice cream...'

'It's not sugar-coated ice cubes; It's proper ice cream. It's really delicious, you know?'

'Eh? How did you know about... Never mind that, proper ice cream, you say... But from the surface... However, to squander Luka's goodwill would be...' Ilias muttered to herself. It seemed like this version of her was just as much of a glutton.

'Very well. I appreciate your dedication. Continue serving me well in the future.'

'Yes, Ilias. Please eat before it melts.' While I said so through telepathy, I turned to the direction the connection was coming from and activated some time magic. Right now, I should be able to send something to heaven. The ice cream before me disappeared.

"Alright, now let's get my share of... Ah." When I turned around and looked at my plate, everything had been cleaned off without leaving a single drop.

"A-Alice..."

"...It is not what it looks like."

"How so?"

As I glared at her, she turned away, perhaps embarrassed. "...I only meant to take one mouthful at first."

"...And?"

"It was delicious. I could not stop my hands... and the next thing I knew, the plate was empty, thoroughly licked off without wasting a single drop... In other words, it is the ice cream's fault for being too delicious."

"Then I'll make it badly from now on."

"...I will repent, so please, anything but that."

I let out a sigh. I'd planned to use them up while they were still fresh, so I didn't have a lot of ingredients left. It couldn't be helped. I was about to put out the fire and go to sleep—

Flash

The sky lit up, and for a moment, the whole world was illuminated as if it were broad daylight.

"Whoa!"

"Ugh! W-What is this wave of holy light!? Disgusting!" Alice seemed confused, but I...

'A-aahh~'

'Ilias... Was it really that delicious?...' I asked, having received the overflowing voice of her heart in my mind.

Furthermore, since that light was obviously seen by people all across the world, that day became celebrated as the commemorative day of the world lighting up with Ilias' blessing... or something like that.