Inside the bundle Meat had packed were chicken, beef, onions, potatoes, carrots, herbs, bell peppers, and more.
‘Wow, these ingredients are better than I expected.’
There was also a travel guidebook inside.
“A travel guidebook… this must have been expensive. Thanks, Meat.”
Hyde brought out some cooking utensils from inside the Caliber. There was a wooden pot, two wooden bowls, and some forks.
‘It’s just the bare essentials…’
“Hyde, did you say we had cooking tools just because there’s a wooden pot?”
And surprisingly, there were spices even more precious than the cooking tools.
“Is this pepper?”
“Ah, that’s pepper. I received it as a reward for clearing out some monsters in a village a while back. I got a few of the cooking tools then, too.”
Upon checking, there was also salt and several types of herbs. I was surprised to find such a variety of spices.
“Good job, Hyde.”
“Hahaha! But I’ve never been able to use them properly. Strangely, whenever I cook, it tastes like a dish from hell.”
‘How are you going to slay the Demon race if you’re making food that tastes like that?’
“You guys just rest for now.”
I decided to show off my cooking skills—to show my dignity as a leader… or rather, just to show off.
Today’s menu was chicken soup.
First, I trimmed the chicken into small pieces. I put the bony parts into boiling water to make a broth. Meanwhile, I cut the onions, carrots, and bell peppers into appropriate sizes.
Once the broth had simmered enough, I added the chicken meat and the other ingredients. Then, I seasoned it with herbs, salt, and pepper.
‘It’s quite simple, isn’t it?’
It was a moment that reminded me of Master Baek, my online cooking mentor. He was a food entrepreneur who was like a beacon of light to people living alone. Having been an avid viewer of Master Baek’s cooking channel, I had various recipes stored in my head.
‘Master… I wanted to cook.’
I had only eaten food prepared by others since coming to this Otherworld, so making it myself like this wasn’t bad at all. The pot began to boil.
*Bubble, bubble, bubble*
“Guys, come and eat.”
I called out to Slot and Hyde like a mother. Hearing the call for food, they gathered around.
“Leader! It looks incredibly delicious!”
“William, did you really make this?”
The two of them were amazed as they looked at the chicken soup.
“I call it Campfire Chicken Soup.”
I unnecessarily added “Campfire” to the front of the name. After a grueling schedule since morning, we swallowed hard as we stared at the steaming soup.
“Let’s eat!”
With those words, Slot and Hyde attacked the food aggressively. After tasting a spoonful, their pace quickened even more. Not wanting to be left behind, I joined in.
The chicken pieces were perfectly cooked, soft, and tender. The vegetables provided a sweet and crunchy texture that balanced the flavor in their mouths.
The highlight was the broth. The hot liquid was savory and delicious, enhanced by the deep flavor of the stock, herbs, and pepper.
“William, this is truly amazing! It’s a taste that heals my soul!”
Heh heh. That’s why the hidden alias for this chicken soup is the “Soul-Melting Chicken Soup.”
“Leader, this is the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
It was delicious for me as well. Thank you, Master Baek. Everyone finished every last drop, patting their stomachs in satisfaction.
“William, I think I made a good choice joining this Mercenary Company.”
“Leader, should we camp out tomorrow, too?”
‘No, that’s a bit much…’ Anyway, seeing them so satisfied made me feel good as well.
As the night deepened, the stars in the sky were so beautiful they looked like they might spill over. We wrapped ourselves in blankets around the fire and decided to take turns sleeping. We spent the night with one person standing guard every 3 hours.
The night of our first day of camping grew deeper.
***
Chirp.
I opened my eyes to the sound of birds. The fire was out, and my blanket was damp.
“Ugh… so cold…”
The dawn air was chillier than I thought.
“Are you awake, Leader?”
Slot, who had taken the last watch, woke me with a refreshing smile. He had the kind of appearance that looked like afternoon sunshine.
‘Does this guy not even have morning puffiness? No matter how much I see it, I can’t get used to it…’
Ouch, my body ached. Perhaps because I was tense during yesterday’s battle, my muscles felt even more sore.
“Well then. Shall we… start morning training?”
“William… based on yesterday, it looks like you need more physical training…”
Hyde tossed out a comment, like throwing a stone into a lake to hit a frog.
“No, I want to do more swordsmanship training…”
“He’s right, Leader. Let’s do some more vigorous physical training today.”
Slot also joined in on the morning training session. We each practiced according to our own schedules.
I ran, rolled, and lifted weights repeatedly according to the physical training chart Slot had made for me. Only after that could I practice my Downward Strike.
‘Heh. It looked almost like a finishing move yesterday…’
Since I had completely suppressed the Kobold with a Downward Strike yesterday, practicing it didn’t feel tedious.
“In my opinion, I think you have a talent for swordsmanship, Leader.”
“Really?”
‘Praise makes even a Leader dance…’
“Talent, my foot. Just because you caught one Kobold.”
‘Grrr… you, Hyde…’
Slot performed his physical training next to me with even higher intensity. And Hyde, who was a mass of muscle, surprisingly sat cross-legged and meditated. As he meditated, a film of green aura surrounded him.
I asked Hyde after he finished his meditation.
“Hyde, what kind of training is that?”
“Ah, this is Image Training. It’s a training method my master taught me. You close your eyes and think of the evil you must eliminate. Then, you battle monsters or the Demon race within your mind. Today, I conducted a one-on-one duel against a horned demon.”
I guess it wasn’t just a quiet meditation after all.
“Did you win? Or lose?”
Hyde’s expression suddenly turned gloomy.
“When I imagine a strong demon or beast in my mind, I always seem to lose…”
‘You can even lose inside your own head? Hmm… it’s a complicated training method.’
After finishing all our morning training, we prepared to depart. I briefed the two of them like a travel guide.
‘It would be perfect if I had sunglasses right now…’
“Here is today’s travel itinerary. After departing this morning, the carriage is scheduled to arrive at Mistrail Village around lunchtime. We will have lunch and then view the Mage Tower from a spot with a good view. Then, in the evening, we will arrive at Tenden Village.”
“A Mage Tower?”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t told Hyde about it yesterday.
“They say you can see the Mage Tower from Mistrail. So I decided we’d stay in the village for a bit to see it before heading to Ten.”
“Oh! I’m looking forward to it. A Mage Tower… a tower of demons… a demon’s tower? Why do I feel like there will be demons there?”
‘No, Hyde…’
It’s not a tower of demons, it’s a tower of Mages… or a tower of magic. Anyway, we’re only going to look at it from a distance.
“Then, I’ll drive the carriage this morning.”
Slot climbed onto the coachman’s seat with a refreshing smile.
“Thor, Lux, I’m counting on you.”
Whinny!
Thor and Lux let out a pleasant snort. While the carriage felt intense and combative when Hyde drove it, the carriage driven by Slot felt like the elegance of a Noble.
‘I’ve never been a Noble, but I feel like a Noble attending a social party.’
“Alright, let’s go.”
‘Caliber, ikimasu!’
I shout it every time we start. Only in my head, of course…
***
After the carriage ran for about 3 hours, we arrived at Mistrail. I opened the travel book I had received as a gift from Meat.
‘That guy… between the food ingredients yesterday and this… he must have spent a lot of his own money…’
‘Good man… he’s probably running around until his feet are sore today operating the Maber.’
Since only a day had passed, the Maber Startup would be frantically busy adjusting.
‘Hang in there, Meat. Depending on your efforts, your future father-in-law might change.’
[Mistrail is a small village. Originally, there was no village here.]
[It is said that even 100 years ago, the area around the Mage Tower was enchanted with concealment magic, confusion magic, and the like.]
[However, as the location of the Mage Tower was frequently discovered, the Tower eventually gave up on hiding.]
[After that, a village formed as more people came just to catch a glimpse of the Mage Tower.]
[The village provides food and daily necessities to the Mage Tower and operates inns and restaurants.]
[As a side note, the thing you must absolutely be careful of is not getting close to the Mage Tower.]
[Various protective spells are installed around the Mage Tower.]
[Unless you are a Mage, you may lose your life if you get close, so please be careful.]
[Also, the village name is Mistrail because it is a village where mist frequently rolls in.]
[Rumor has it that the mist became frequent due to the influence of the protective magic.]
[Therefore, it is not possible to view the Mage Tower from the village every day.]
[The Mage Tower is often not visible, so please be careful when visiting.]
It’s a total Mage Tower tourist district. Apparently, people go to see the Mage Tower just like they go to see the Oriental Pearl Tower or the Eiffel Tower.
‘Commoners would obviously be too busy making a living, so I guess it’s mostly Nobles who do the sightseeing?’
The carriage entered Mistrail. Fortunately, it was a clear day without any mist.
‘Oh yeah… what a relief.’
“Leader, I think I can see the Mage Tower.”
When Slot spoke from the coachman’s seat, Hyde and I popped out at the same time.
“The Mage Tower!”
“The demon’s tower!”
‘I told you, it’s a Mage’s tower!’ A tower was sticking up high in the distance. It was much taller than I expected. It wasn’t quite up to modern construction technology, but it was still quite tall.
How did they build that? Did they use magic golems or something?
“So that’s the Mage Tower.”
We got out of the carriage and looked at the Mage Tower. Fortunately, the weather was clear, so we could see it well. It was said to be about 50 stories high, and my head naturally tilted back.
The nearly transparent white tower soared high, looking like a noble scholar. Come to think of it, it looked exactly like that.
‘Lotte Tower.’
The way it tapered to a point like a cone was similar. It also looked a bit like a brush.
‘Ha, that reminds me of when I went to the observation deck there…’
I remember feeling like I had become a rich man while looking at the scenery of Seoul, even though I had paid my own expensive money to go up.
Seeing a Mage Tower similar to Lotte Tower—which I had inevitably seen from a distance whenever I went to client meetings—felt strange but also brought up a bit of nostalgia.
“I miss it just a tiny bit.”
“Hmm? Miss what, Leader?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
We stared at the tower for a long time. For about five minutes… well, the Eiffel Tower in France and the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai were also amazing when I first saw them. But if you keep looking, they’re just towers.
The Mage Tower isn’t that special either… to the village residents, that white Mage Tower is probably just a building.
“Who are you, Misters?”
Someone spoke to us while we were spacing out at the tower. I turned around to see a young girl who looked to be about 10 years old. Her cute and innocent appearance naturally brought a smile to my face.
“Hello, little Miss. I’m William. We’re just looking at the Mage Tower.”
“Ah! You’re traveler misters. Nice to meet you. This is a gift.”
She handed us small bracelets made of woven blue wild flowers. There were three of them, one for each of us.
Hmm. Looking at it purely, it was a welcome gift; looking at it cynically, it was a sales pitch.
“Haha, thanks. But are you selling these? How much?”
“Mister, are you a dummy? I told you it’s a gift!”
‘No, I know, but it’s because my heart isn’t pure. I feel a bit guilty. Did she really give them as a gift?’
“Haha. William, it seems the girl is showing us a gesture of goodwill.”
Hyde seemed moved. How simple-minded…
“But…”
Right. There must be a “next.”
“Misters, have you eaten?”
“Food? No, not yet…”
Come to think of it, it was almost lunchtime. I had heard there were several restaurants, and I was starting to feel a bit hungry.
“Now that I think about it, I am a bit hungry. Could you perhaps recommend a good restaurant?”
The little Miss’s expression brightened. This little one probably approached me to introduce a restaurant. If this is the extent of her motive, it’s pure enough. Well, since I’m hungry too.
If she introduces us to a good place, we can…