Rest set up a barrier to ward off monsters and secured the safety of the campsite.
However, that did not mean the day's mission was complete.
A major hurdle still remained.
Namely — sampling the dinner that Yuri and Urla had prepared.
"Oh, Rest. Dinner's ready! Should I bring it over to you?"
Yuri had come to call Rest, who was supplying mana to the barrier.
(Here it comes… it's finally here…!)
Rest gulped audibly.
Yuri and Urla had been cooking. Using the worm they'd slain as an ingredient.
He'd tried his best not to listen, but the suspicious sounds of their culinary efforts had reached him all the same.
(Honestly… I don't want to eat it. I'm scared…)
He had no experience to draw on, but he imagined this was how a person felt about to eat surströmming for the first time in their life.
For reference, surströmming was said to be the world's smelliest food — a can of fermented, salted herring.
(Herring is fine. It's food, after all… But a worm is absolutely not something you eat. There probably hasn't been a single person in all of history who's eaten one…)
Having seen that mud-caked, massive body and the eerie fluid oozing from its flesh, what kind of person could possibly feel their appetite stir?
If it were up to him, he would have flown away from this spot in an instant.
"Rest?"
"Yeah… I'm coming."
When Yuri called out to him again, Rest reluctantly stood up.
He poured extra mana into the magic circle at his feet, ensuring the barrier would hold for a while even after he stepped away.
"Over here. Come on."
"Yeah..."
Rest dragged his heavy feet along as he was led to the dining table.
A table and chairs set on the ground.
There sat Urla, along with her attendant Earlie.
And... there was Ostley, wearing the face of a condemned man awaiting execution.
"Count Clover..."
"Lord Ostley..."
They had only just met today, but... for some reason...
He felt as though their hearts were connected.
He was certain they were bound by a bond that transcended time and station.
(We are comrades-in-arms... Let's fight together and survive!)
(Yes... I pray for your success in battle...!)
The two exchanged these words via telepathy, then took their seats at the table together.
"Come on, everyone. Eat up — don't hold back!"
"Thanks for the meal."
Seeing that everyone had gathered at the table... Yuri and Urla began carrying in the food.
The first dish placed on the table was skewered meat. The browned, fire-roasted meat was drizzled with a savory sauce, giving off an aroma that whetted the appetite.
Next came a green-tinted soup. In the bowls filled with a liquid resembling green curry, he could see vegetables and meat.
"Looks... delicious?"
The appearance was... surprisingly decent.
Not inedible, at least visually.
"There's dessert too, so look forward to it."
"Desert..."
They wished he would stop stealing their hope.
Even after defeating the enemy before them, the last thing they wanted to know was that the boss was still waiting.
(W-Wait... dessert has nothing to do with the worms. There's no way that lump of meat could turn into a sweet...!)
(So all we have to do is eat the dish in front of us, is that it. Count Clover!)
(Y-Yes, that's right. Let's believe that... we mustn't give up hope on our own...!)
"What's wrong, you two? Not eating?"
Yuri tilted her head at the two of them, who were casually using telepathy.
"If you don't eat quickly, it'll get cold."
"Won't you eat?"
Even Urla was urging them to hurry up and eat.
The word "partake" sounded like it carried a different meaning. They would gladly pass on being partaken by the heavens.
"It's fine... any poison can be removed with magic. It's been cooked over fire, so there shouldn't be any parasites either..."
Rest murmured to himself, trying to reassure him, and reached for another skewer lined up on the plate.
"Namu Amida Butsu...!"
And then... steeling himself, he bit into the fragrant, savory-scented meat.