The Monologue Must End · Chapter 6

An Unpleasant Turn

Asherah

Huh... the cooking tools in your world look pretty similar to ours.

Yoo Mina

I'm surprised they're still intact. Though it's only the basic ones.

Hilde

Those will do just fine.

You just need to cook and boil the ingredients, don't you?

I'm going to try to make it look like a decent meal.

The chef's word is law in the kitchen.

Hilde

You're weirdly enthusiastic about this...

Very well. Do as you like.

Yoo Mina

What, Commander? You're just going to stand there and watch?

Hilde

Call it division of labor, rookie.

What should we make?

Omega

Omega wants hamburger steak!

Asherah

Oh right, we had eggs too.

I hope they haven't gone bad...

Yoo Mina

They should be fine. The ones at the old hideout were oddly still good too.

Hamburger steak topped with fried eggs, huh...

Sounds like a pretty good combination.

Asherah

Alright! Let's get cooking!

Mina, mince the meat for me.

Omega, can you crack the eggs?

Yoo Mina

I just need to mince it, right?

Omega

Ooh...! Like this?

Oops. It cracked!

Yoo Mina

You really are a kid. You're supposed to handle it gently.

Omega

Ehehe... it's slippery, though. Kinda interesting.

Asherah

W-wait, Captain!

Didn't you just skip me over?

...Asherah, please take care of the garlic.

It's pretty spicy, so be careful.

Asherah

Got it! Leave it to me!

Yoo Mina

Here, there's canned salad too.

Paired with bread, it should make for a decent meal.

What is it?

Yoo Mina

...I guess this all just feels a bit strange to me.

I never imagined something like this.

Cooking in the Counterside with people I barely know...

Same here.

Still, it's fine since we're having fun.

Yoo Mina

Having fun, is it...

...Yeah. It's been a while since I felt like this.

After plenty of twists and turns, the meal was finally ready.

...Though the garlic Asherah was supposed to take care of burnt completely.

Well?

Hilde

...Not bad. Better than the restaurants near the company.

Yoo Mina

Seriously? After you just stood there and watched the whole time...

Omega

But Omega helped out a bunch!

Asherah

Every bite of this hamburger steak tastes like it was made with care.

I can't believe we get to eat a proper meal even in a place like this...

Enduring the spiciness was worth it. Really.

Yoo Mina

Asherah, there's something I want to ask you.

Asherah

Huh? Me?

Yoo Mina

You said earlier that taking Rosaria down might fix this situation.

...What if beating her changes nothing?

Asherah

You mean nothing would change...?

Hilde

...

Asherah

Ahaha, I'm not sure. I never really thought about it.

Yoo Mina

So you just said it without really thinking?

Asherah

N-no, that's not it.

You might be right. Beating Rosaria might not change anything.

But...

It's hard to think about everything all at once.

So I'm just trying to do my best with what we can do right now.

Yoo Mina

...And what if you fail?

Asherah

Then we find another way!

We can worry about things going wrong when they actually do.

Yoo Mina

Can you really afford to be that carefree?

Asherah

It's fine. We have the Captain with us.

He'll definitely find a good solution.

You really trust me, huh.

That suddenly feels like a lot to carry.

Yoo Mina

...Really?

Hilde

You two seem quite close.

Then again, I suppose young people tend to grow close when they spend time together.

Omega

Yeah. Asherah and Mister are super close.

Asherah

I-it just means we trust each other as teammates! Nothing weird!

And you have Hilde too, Mina.

Yoo Mina

W-what are you talking about?!

She's helped a few times, sure, but...

She is super blunt, and she always acts before she saying anything!

Hilde

You certainly hold nothing back when speaking to someone who saved your life twice.

If anything, aren't you the one who acts before thinking, rookie?

Yoo Mina

N-no... I only said that because Asherah started with the embarrassing comments.

Hilde

I'd say your conduct since joining has been embarrassing enough.

Omega

Oh...! Omega's not as hungry anymore!

Asherah

Great! So we're ready to fight Rosaria now?

Hilde

There's no need to rush. My armament won't repair itself that quickly.

Then maybe we should get some sleep.

It's late too.

Hilde

...Not a bad idea. I was nearing my limit.

Omega

Mmm... Omega's sleepy now that she's full...

Yoo Mina

Agreed. Just getting here was exhausting enough.

Asherah

Hmm... Part of me wants to head out right away, but...

Rest is just as important as combat.

Asherah

I knew you'd say that!

Hilde

Fortunately, there seem to be no Voidborns in the area.

Since it came up, let's take a short rest.

By the time we wake up, the repairs should be finished as well.

...And so, while we rested, everyone except Omega took turns standing watch.

*Yawn...*

Fitting for a world reduced to ashes, everything was silent while the others slept.

Staying still made the drowsiness creep back in.

And then...

I ended up dozing off.

I felt something gently rocking me in my sleep.

Thinking someone was waking me, I opened my eyes...

Voidborn A

Krghoo...!

...Wait, a Voidborn?

Am I being kidnapped?!

When I came to my senses, I found myself being carried by Voidborns.

(This is bad. There are a lot of them.)

(I have to call the others somehow...)

Rosaria

Well done, you little runts.

Rosaria...?

Voidborn B

Krghoo...!

Rosaria

Yes. Since you followed my orders, you may leave now.

Ah, of course, leave that one here.

Hmm... For someone from the outside, you look rather ordinary.

I thought perhaps some octopus-face Martian or something would appear.

Well, we can find out what makes you special soon enough.

Why did you kidnap me...?

Weren't you trying to get rid of us?

Rosaria

Get rid? Of you?

If that were the case, I wouldn't bother going through all this trouble.

So this really is about casting me as an actor?!

Rosaria

Hmph. The moment you rejected my offer, that opportunity was gone.

Are you suddenly having second thoughts, mortal?

It's only natural. You rejected the chance to debut in an unprecedented masterpiece.

Not really...

I'll politely decline again.

Rosaria

What?! Are you serious?!

Setting aside her terrifying power, her personality suddenly felt much easier to understand.

Rosaria

...Tsk. Such insolence from a mere mortal.

Still, you seem to get along with Hilde quite well despite not being a Wolf.

...Do you need something from her?

Rosaria

Of course.

From the beginning, all I wanted was a genuine battle with her.

But if a hero is to challenge the Demon Lord, there must be a princess to rescue.

And that princess is...

Me?!

Rosaria

Exactly. You crawled out of your hole at last. I can't let you crawl back in again.

So sit tight and wait, mortal.

You are about to watch your friends leap into the flames.

Ahahahaha!