"?"
Now that I think about it, the fire isn't burning? I'm in the middle of the fire?
The fire was so hot and big that it was used to burn the leftovers. The flames were so intense that he couldn't see outside.
But why am I not burning? Have I finally gone crazy? Was I actually reborn as firewood?
No, if it's firewood, it should be burning?
Dustin made a dumbfounded expression. A voice was heard from behind him again.
"I don't intend to kill him yet."
"Oh, not yet?"
If it wasn't yet, it meant that he might think of killing him soon?
Hearing the sounds of the pursuers running around outside, his voice came out softly on its own.
"They and I have different goals."
"Then..."
Different goals meant that if he just achieved his goal, he might be spared?
Dustin gulped.
Hope seemed to burn in despair. Then, his desire to live raised its head.
As if reading his mind, the man behind him said leisurely.
“There’s someone who needs you.”
Me? Suddenly? Dustin’s mind grew even more confused.
“Who?”
“Before you ask.”
The man pointed outside. Of course, there was not a single spark or soot on his clothes.
“I have to choose whether to go among them or follow me.”
“P-p-p!”
Are you crazy! Go over there!
"Oh, not yet?"
If it wasn't yet, it meant that he might think of killing him soon?
Hearing the sounds of the pursuers running around outside, his voice came out softly on its own.
"They and I have different goals."
"Then..."
Different goals meant that if he just achieved his goal, he might be spared?
Dustin gulped.
Hope seemed to burn in despair. Then, his desire to live raised its head.
As if reading his mind, the man behind him said leisurely.
“There’s someone who needs you.”
Me? Suddenly? Dustin’s mind grew even more confused.
“Who?”
“Before you ask.”
The man pointed outside. Of course, there was not a single spark or soot on his clothes.
“I have to choose whether to go among them or follow me.”
“P-p-p!”
Are you crazy! Go over there!
His excited voice couldn’t come out because the man covered his mouth again.
Dustin pointed urgently to the floor. Here! No, you! I’ll follow you!
Fortunately, the man seemed to understand and took his hand off Dustin’s mouth.
“Then don’t make a sound and just listen.”
“Yes, yes.”
“...”
The man fell silent behind Dustin, who had disobeyed the order to make a sound in a second. Oh no, Dustin covered his mouth.
“The master hates people who are shallow-mouthed, so be careful.”
Who on earth was this guy who was okay in the fireplace? No, but is this fire too salty?
Dustin nodded again with a dumb expression. The man behind him must have thought he had calmed down a bit, so he spoke.
“The master wants you to be the family’s exclusive chef.”
“?”
Dustin blinked dumbly at those words.
“... Exclusive chef?”
What kind of exclusive chef is this flashy... no, dramatic? Dustin was dumbfounded and then came to his senses.
They said that if you get bitten by a monster, you can survive as long as you come to your senses!
“But I’m not, uh, famous. Did you mix me up with someone...”
No, should I be confused right now? Is that how I can survive?
Regardless, the man ignored Dustin’s words.
“Conditions.”
If they let me live even if they kidnapped me, I’d work like a slave, but there were conditions for being an exclusive chef?
“They said I could procure as many cooking ingredients as I want without having to sneak out at dawn.”
Dustin stopped breathing at those words. Someone who knows that I cook in secret at dawn?
“And the salary is unconditionally three times higher than here.”
It was an overwhelming condition. But something else was more concerning than the salary.
“Cooking ingredients?”
It was a strange condition, but wasn’t it a condition that was perfectly suited to me?
Dustin pointed urgently to the floor. Here! No, you! I’ll follow you!
Fortunately, the man seemed to understand and took his hand off Dustin’s mouth.
“Then don’t make a sound and just listen.”
“Yes, yes.”
“...”
The man fell silent behind Dustin, who had disobeyed the order to make a sound in a second. Oh no, Dustin covered his mouth.
“The master hates people who are shallow-mouthed, so be careful.”
Who on earth was this guy who was okay in the fireplace? No, but is this fire too salty?
Dustin nodded again with a dumb expression. The man behind him must have thought he had calmed down a bit, so he spoke.
“The master wants you to be the family’s exclusive chef.”
“?”
Dustin blinked dumbly at those words.
“... Exclusive chef?”
What kind of exclusive chef is this flashy... no, dramatic? Dustin was dumbfounded and then came to his senses.
They said that if you get bitten by a monster, you can survive as long as you come to your senses!
“But I’m not, uh, famous. Did you mix me up with someone...”
No, should I be confused right now? Is that how I can survive?
Regardless, the man ignored Dustin’s words.
“Conditions.”
If they let me live even if they kidnapped me, I’d work like a slave, but there were conditions for being an exclusive chef?
“They said I could procure as many cooking ingredients as I want without having to sneak out at dawn.”
Dustin stopped breathing at those words. Someone who knows that I cook in secret at dawn?
“And the salary is unconditionally three times higher than here.”
It was an overwhelming condition. But something else was more concerning than the salary.
“Cooking ingredients?”
It was a strange condition, but wasn’t it a condition that was perfectly suited to me?
“And it doesn’t matter when you cook. There will always be someone to eat.”
Even that seemed like a condition made just for me. Who would scout a chef with such unusual conditions?
But Dustin couldn’t help but feel tempted. He doesn’t know what kind of owner he is, but if he can pull off this much of a trick, he probably won’t starve to death. No, but how did he really do this?
“What about the other conditions...?”
Even that seemed like a condition made just for me. Who would scout a chef with such unusual conditions?
But Dustin couldn’t help but feel tempted. He doesn’t know what kind of owner he is, but if he can pull off this much of a trick, he probably won’t starve to death. No, but how did he really do this?
“What about the other conditions...?”
Dustin asked quietly.
“But you can’t break the contract.”
The man said.
“In short, it’s a lifelong contract, and it’s a condition where you won’t reveal anything you learn within the family. If you break it.”
The man picked up a piece of wood. It looked like it had only just been lit.
Crack.
And the hard thing crumbled like a cracker in the man’s hands. Dustin opened his mouth.
“You won’t be able to survive.”
In fact, it wasn’t a violation, but it seemed like even if he said he wouldn’t leave there, he would still be used as firewood instead of a piece of wood.
“So it’s a lifelong contract?”
The man answered him coolly, who hesitated.
“I guess so.”
If you turn internal affairs outside, you die. This is common in other families.
But on the other hand, you get lifelong accommodation and food, a generous salary, the freedom to cook, and you don’t even have to watch the butler’s face every time your contract is renewed.
They say people go crazy when they’re in danger of death, but Dustin somehow thought these conditions were okay.
Even if he didn’t know who this person was, he didn’t think he’d die if he followed them, and if the conditions were the same, wouldn’t it be better than now?
From his perspective, it was an offer he had no reason to refuse.
The problem was.
“Why, why are you quitting?”
He didn’t know why he was chosen. If he became useless like this, wouldn’t he just get kicked out?
“The master wants it.”
But the reason he came back was short.
“Who on earth is the master?”
“Will you do it?”
Instead of answering, the man asked again. Another piece of wood was lifted in front of Dustin, who was momentarily speechless.
Dustin quickly nodded as he watched the pieces of wood scatter with a crunching sound.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
As long as the food is good, that’s fine. Orobas was going to kill him anyway.
He's grateful that he’s alive, and since the conditions are good, there’s no reason not to go, right?
Right now, the most important thing was to get out of here alive.
“Then I hope you remember the terms of the contract. There will always be eyes watching.”
He pushed Dustin away from the fireplace.
“Ugh!”
He tried to scream without realizing it, but the man who jumped out from the other side stopped him.
“Ugh!”
Of course, he almost screamed more, but the red-haired man who had covered his mouth didn’t seem to be in the mood to listen to his pleas.
But were there two of them? When he turned around in surprise, the purple-haired man who had clearly threatened him was coming out of the fireplace.
“Ratley. Clean up the area.”
“Yes, should I take this to the villa?”
The man who gestured at Dustin and treated people like luggage extended his fingertips toward the fireplace. Then, a fireball shot up from his bare fingertips.
“Huh?”
While Dustin was making a stupid sound, the purple-haired man, Ronove, shook his head.
“I’ll take it. Clean up. Avoiding human eyes.”
“Of course.”
Humans? In front of him, who had his mouth open, Ratley played around by throwing sparks around, then put them in his mouth and swallowed them.
“Th, that...”
There was only one person on the continent who spoke as if he wasn’t human, and who could do strange things that humans couldn’t do without a care.
“Demon...”
“It must have been a condition of not revealing what you had learned.”
Dustin almost bit his tongue at Ronove’s cold voice.
“...Uh, do you have meat?”
And he also blurted out some nonsense that he didn’t know what he was saying.
Ronove hesitated and tilted his head. Do humans eat crocodiles these days?
He thought of a few crocodiles’ habitats and nodded.
“I’ll bring them to you if you want.”
It’s not so far away that he can’t bring them to him. Dustin felt his eyes getting dizzy in front of Ronove who said that.
It was a day when too many things had come at once to stay in his right mind.
This night was a crazy night for Dustin, but it was just a normal night for Ronove.
Thanks to the weak human cook who seemed to startle three times a minute, he was able to quickly leave the mansion.
And he rode away from the mansion on a horse that Hanar, who could communicate with horses, had told him about.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get back to the mansion in time.”
With a troubled face, he whipped his horse and galloped away. The horse was running fast, surpassing the surroundings, as it had to cover the distance of several hours.
However, after running for a while, a welcome person appeared on the other side.
“Naberus?”
The demon’s eyesight immediately caught Naberus’s figure, who was faster running than riding a horse.
It would be faster if he brought the cook to the villa.
But he had thought about that and came out to meet him in advance? The Naberus who Ronove knew was not a demon with such a wide field of vision.
As expected, Naberus quickly approached him and stopped, looking at Ronove.
“I’ve detected the movement of monsters nearby.”
“Monsters?”
The existence of monsters themselves is not a threat. Why worry when Lord Belled is here?
This was the problem.
“There are many. Wasn’t Orobas collecting the corpses of monsters?”
“How many?”
Naberus thought for a moment at Ronove’s words and then said.
“According to what I’ve been told, Orobas has made three rounds of holy water and still has some left over.”
Ronove paused at those words.
This was definitely a major incident that needed to be reported.
Even if he didn’t know who this person was, he didn’t think he’d die if he followed them, and if the conditions were the same, wouldn’t it be better than now?
From his perspective, it was an offer he had no reason to refuse.
The problem was.
“Why, why are you quitting?”
He didn’t know why he was chosen. If he became useless like this, wouldn’t he just get kicked out?
“The master wants it.”
But the reason he came back was short.
“Who on earth is the master?”
“Will you do it?”
Instead of answering, the man asked again. Another piece of wood was lifted in front of Dustin, who was momentarily speechless.
Dustin quickly nodded as he watched the pieces of wood scatter with a crunching sound.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
As long as the food is good, that’s fine. Orobas was going to kill him anyway.
He's grateful that he’s alive, and since the conditions are good, there’s no reason not to go, right?
Right now, the most important thing was to get out of here alive.
“Then I hope you remember the terms of the contract. There will always be eyes watching.”
He pushed Dustin away from the fireplace.
“Ugh!”
He tried to scream without realizing it, but the man who jumped out from the other side stopped him.
“Ugh!”
Of course, he almost screamed more, but the red-haired man who had covered his mouth didn’t seem to be in the mood to listen to his pleas.
But were there two of them? When he turned around in surprise, the purple-haired man who had clearly threatened him was coming out of the fireplace.
“Ratley. Clean up the area.”
“Yes, should I take this to the villa?”
The man who gestured at Dustin and treated people like luggage extended his fingertips toward the fireplace. Then, a fireball shot up from his bare fingertips.
“Huh?”
While Dustin was making a stupid sound, the purple-haired man, Ronove, shook his head.
“I’ll take it. Clean up. Avoiding human eyes.”
“Of course.”
Humans? In front of him, who had his mouth open, Ratley played around by throwing sparks around, then put them in his mouth and swallowed them.
“Th, that...”
There was only one person on the continent who spoke as if he wasn’t human, and who could do strange things that humans couldn’t do without a care.
“Demon...”
“It must have been a condition of not revealing what you had learned.”
Dustin almost bit his tongue at Ronove’s cold voice.
“...Uh, do you have meat?”
And he also blurted out some nonsense that he didn’t know what he was saying.
Ronove hesitated and tilted his head. Do humans eat crocodiles these days?
He thought of a few crocodiles’ habitats and nodded.
“I’ll bring them to you if you want.”
It’s not so far away that he can’t bring them to him. Dustin felt his eyes getting dizzy in front of Ronove who said that.
It was a day when too many things had come at once to stay in his right mind.
***
This night was a crazy night for Dustin, but it was just a normal night for Ronove.
Thanks to the weak human cook who seemed to startle three times a minute, he was able to quickly leave the mansion.
And he rode away from the mansion on a horse that Hanar, who could communicate with horses, had told him about.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get back to the mansion in time.”
With a troubled face, he whipped his horse and galloped away. The horse was running fast, surpassing the surroundings, as it had to cover the distance of several hours.
However, after running for a while, a welcome person appeared on the other side.
“Naberus?”
The demon’s eyesight immediately caught Naberus’s figure, who was faster running than riding a horse.
It would be faster if he brought the cook to the villa.
But he had thought about that and came out to meet him in advance? The Naberus who Ronove knew was not a demon with such a wide field of vision.
As expected, Naberus quickly approached him and stopped, looking at Ronove.
“I’ve detected the movement of monsters nearby.”
“Monsters?”
The existence of monsters themselves is not a threat. Why worry when Lord Belled is here?
This was the problem.
“There are many. Wasn’t Orobas collecting the corpses of monsters?”
“How many?”
Naberus thought for a moment at Ronove’s words and then said.
“According to what I’ve been told, Orobas has made three rounds of holy water and still has some left over.”
Ronove paused at those words.
This was definitely a major incident that needed to be reported.
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