43. I’m Looking Forward to it
The dining room on the first floor of the building.
That day, it was reserved. There were a lot of drinks in it.
At the center of it was—
“Gahahaha! You know it well!”
“Fuhahaha! For a man, you’re truly exceptional!”
“Isn’t that obvious!? How many years do you think I’ve been at it!?”
“I’ll have you know, I’ve have been a king for thousands of years!?”
“That’s right! Now that you mention it, I’m no match for you!”
Rigard and Ibris laughed while drinking alcohol.
Everyone around me was eating and drinking. They were having a good time.
Under such circumstances, only Grave and I wore complicated expressions on our faces…
“…He sure blends in well.”
“Yes…”
If anything, I was more confused than ever.
When I had just introduced them, the two were like oil and water.
But the conflict was resolved in less than an hour.
“I wonder who is more impressive, Rigard, or Ibris…”
“They’re both stupid.”
Teresia said so.
Unlike usual, Grave didn’t say anything. He seemed tired.
I was relieved to see Ibris blending in with everybody.
Ibris was having a meal while chatting away.
Anna brought her own dish there.
“I, if you like, please try this, too…”
“Alright, hmm, what a good taste!”
“Is that true? I made that!”
“Why! Is that so?! It seems that you have a wonderful talent. Did you also cook the other dishes?”
“Well, no… most of them were made by my mom, because I’m still in training. I still can’t defeat my mom…”
Anna touched her head while showing a slightly lonely smile.
Despite her joy from having her cooking praised, she was still suffering from a feeling of inferiority.
Ibris spoke to her with a clear expression.
“Is that so? But it’s delicious.”
“Yes, but mom’s food is more delicious…”
“It is not.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you say that you’re still in training? In other words, you’re still developing. Despite that, you are able to produce a magnificent taste. If you keep at it, I’m sure you will get even better.”
“T, thank you!”
Grave, who watched their exchange, spoke in a voice only I could hear.
“…Despite being the Demon King, he’s a nice person.”
“Indeed.”
I was sure he had no underlying motives.
He was just very blunt with what he thought.
Hence why Anna had such a happy expression.
“U, uhm, Demon King—”
“Just ‘Ibris’ is fine.”
“T, then, what kind of food do you usually eat? Do you have any preferences?”
“Hmm? Oh, I don’t usually eat.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
“Indeed. This is my first time in 800 years eating this thing called cooking…”
“In 800 years—!?”
Anna’s eyes went wide.
Ibris talked about it as a matter of course, but it was difficult for us to understand.
Human life expectancy was less than 100 years.
He was different from us in a sense that he could talk about a time span of 800 years in a straightforward manner.
“Well, are you alright despite not eating anything?”
“Yes. For lower demons, the act of eating is necessary to sustain life. But not for high-ranking demons like me. It’s unnecessary. The most necessary nutrient for demons is magical power. I don’t care about anything else. However, because I have assumed a human body, I need food as sustenance.”
“I, I see?”
Anna probably still didn’t understand.
I didn’t, either.
Grave nodded, as if convinced.
“This thing called cooking is wonderful. The food I ate last time didn’t taste all that good… but, has it evolved over the years?”
“That’s right! Food is completely different depending on the person who cooks it! It’s a shame not to know the delicious of cooking! I think you’ve been wasting half of your life!”
“It’s a waste…?”
“Yes! I’m sorry, I lost track of myself for a moment, there…”
“What you said might be true… It’s been a waste.”
Ibris laughed and brought the food to his mouth.
Anna thought he’d get angry, but the fact that he didn’t appalled her.
“Your name is ‘Anna’, right?”
“Yes!”
“Thank you so much for making me realize how wonderful food is. Is there a taste or deliciousness that I don’t know yet? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Alright, I will do my best!”
“Good answer.”
I thought while watching the two of them…
…I felt stupid for worrying about whether or not the Demon King could stay with us…
“It looks fun.”
I felt slightly hopeful, now. It was kind of strange.
***T/N: Lmao, he gonna aim to make Anna his private chef next.
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