Chapter 48: H@rem Is Always Right II

“Back to day one…?”

“…….”

A festival of black, purple, blue.

Feels like she tried some fancy arrangement with her skills… but it’s just ominous vibes.

No way.

She wouldn’t betray all the trust we’ve built, right?

“Thanks for the meal.”

Karen digs in without a care, but Isti and I can’t bring ourselves to touch the utensils.

“These veggies are too watery.”

“This meat’s kinda undercooked.”

Hmm…

Might as well try it.

Seeing me take a bite, Isti follows suit.

…It’s a catastrophic flavor.

I bolt up and storm to the kitchen.

“Bella!”

“Yo-ho~?”

Bella’s lounging arrogantly on a chair, as usual.

“…Did you even taste this?”

“Nope. Was it bad?”

“…Bella. Kneel, arms up. Now.”

“Eep!?”

Like she’s hit with heavy gravity, Bella drops to her knees, arms raised in punishment pose.

“Was it bad?”

“You think I’m joking? If you’re messing with food, you’re done.”

But looking at Bella’s face, it doesn’t seem like she made it bad on purpose. She looks genuinely shocked, like something unexpected happened.

“What’d you do while cooking?”

“I got bored doing it the usual way, so I tried switching things up a bit…”

Oh, man.

The fact that it wasn’t intentional makes it even worse.

“I was looking forward to lunch…”

“That’s harsh! I’m running out of recipes I’ve learned, you keep asking for meals, and I tried to be considerate so you wouldn’t get bored…”

Ugh.

Bella’s tearful outburst scrapes at what little conscience I have.

“Fine. Sorry. Lower your arms.”

“…Good, you get it!”

Huh?

In the corner where Bella was sitting, I spot an empty snack bag.

“Freeze.”

“Ugh!?”

Bella’s face goes pale.

“Did you taste it?”

“Of course! …No, I didn’t.”

“You slacked off ‘cause it was a hassle, didn’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

Now I notice a half-read comic book near where she was sitting.

Where’d she even get that?

Ugh. I was thinking of making her a pro chef, but this is disappointing.

What’s the point of her competitive streak and dexterity if she’s still got that goddess attitude?

“Guess we’ll leave pro cooking to someone else. Don’t mess up dinner, okay?”

Bella nods repeatedly.

“But you’re getting punished separately for slacking.”

Bella’s shoulders flinch.

“Wh-what?”

She’s trying to hide her excitement.

…Wait. This girl gets off on punishment. Won’t this backfire?

Maybe deep down, she half-asses things ‘cause she wants to be punished.

“Nah, you’d probably enjoy the punishment.”

“Enjoy it…no way?!”

“…Fix your face before you say that.”

She’s already half-thrilled.

“Pfft.”

A fun idea hits me.

“Alright. My bad for not mentioning rewards for hard work. If you make up for this lunch flop at dinner, I’ll give you a punishment—suffocating s9x that’ll leave you breathless.”

“Suffocating… s9x…”

Bella swallows hard.

“Wanna do it?”

“Heck yeah! Hold on, I’ll start prepping now! Get ready for dinner!”

“Uh, sure.”

Bella’s suddenly burning with motivation.

Hope this doesn’t backfire.

Back at the table, Karen’s almost done with her food.

“What’d Leira say?”

“She’ll make up for it at dinner. …Guess her new experiment went wrong.”

“…Can’t be helped.”

Seeming convinced, Isti nibbles at her food.

Let’s not mention Bella half-assed it out of laziness. Even Isti might flip if she knew.

We need people for the Eight-Colored Clam Castle.

First, a chef who can reliably make tasty meals.

But can we find the perfect fit?

Cooking involves fire, knives, and stamina—most pro chefs are guys, from what I know.

It’s kinda funny that the Fire Goddess sucks at cooking.

Well, judging by how fast she learns, it’s hard to say she’s bad at it.

We finish eating and head to the training ground for Space Leap practice.

Karen and I pour all day into mastering Space Leap.

Her goal is to double-leap like me, but she doesn’t quite catch up.

No surprise there.

Not bragging, but my skill mastery grows faster than others’.

Thanks to the blessing of my s1ave, former goddess Beleira.

On a whim, I check my status.

Name: Decal

Lv: 129

Status:

[HP] 6877/6877

[MP] 8871/8871

Stats: 

[Strength: 556] 

[Magic: 787]

[Stamina: 551]

[Agility: 501]

[Beleira’s Blessing (True) – Fire immunity, boosted fire magic power, all skill proficiency ++] 

[Agent of the Goddess – Communicate in all languages, read all scripts. Qualified to cross worlds. (Increased skill acquisition rate, boosted EXP, 5x stat application multiplier.)]

[Wind Spirit (+1) – Called the freest spirit, it alters air currents and commands the wind.]

Skills: 

Fireball (★☆) – Mid-tier fire magic with strong power. Burns enemies.

Fire Enchant (★★★) – Imbues objects with fire attributes.

Search (★★☆) – Observes and analyzes traces with careful scrutiny.

Space Leap (★) – Elf’s unique skill. Top-tier movement ability, usable only with sufficient wind spirit affinity.

As expected, my recently learned Space Leap skill is already at one star.

Sensing spirits isn’t tied to skill mastery, but from now on, my growth will outpace Karen’s.

“Ready for dinner?”

“Yeah!”

“…….”

Isti stays quiet.

“It’ll be fine this time. I laid into her.”

“Hope so…”

Isti’s still shaken from lunch.

I barely ate at lunch, so I’m starving.

“Isti, don’t skip meals! It’s bad for you!”

Karen scolds, and Isti reluctantly moves.

This isn’t a gamble, but stressing over every meal is ridiculous.

But when we arrive, I realize my worries were pointless.

The food on the table smells and looks absolutely top-notch.

“Wow!”

Bella, hair neatly tied, now in a chef’s clothe, waits for us.

“I have been waiting. Just served, eat before it cools.”

“Thanks for the meal!”

Karen dives into the food with gusto, and I can’t help but join her.

I nearly drop my fork in shock.

“Same person made this?”

“…Delicious.”

Even Isti admits it’s good.

Seasoning’s perfect, meat cooked just right. Spices add a killer aroma, like Bella’s a whole new person.

“Noodles, let’s see…”

Noodles are stellar too.

Not overcooked, not undercooked, just right. Sauce clings perfectly, bursting with flavor.

“Now I’m kinda mad. You can cook like this, so what was that lunch disaster?”

Bella flinches, shoulders trembling.

“Tch, it wasn’t on purpose! Just… taste experiments.”

Fine, she nailed the quality in the end, so I’ll let the trial-and-error slide.

Despite some flops, Bella’s special training paid off—she cooked for three, no, four, like a pro.

“Good job, Bella.”

“Same.”

“Me too!”

“Master’s scolding lit a fire under me ~”

“…”

Karen and Isti’s eyes lock onto me.

“Yeah, that lunch deserved a punishment.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Bella clenches her fist, thrilled.

Swap “punishment” for “reward,” and it’s a normal convo, but something’s delightfully off.

“Master, what’s my punishment?”

“To the bedroom. We’ve used guest rooms, but is there a lord’s chamber or something?”

“Of course! Eight-Color Shell Castle, third floor, right corridor’s end. Best view, huge room, massive bed.”

“Perfect. Let’s all go.”

Bella tilts her head. “All of us?”

Then she grins, catching on.

“Ohhh ~ The girls getting Master’s reward?”

“…”

“…”

Isti and Karen don’t deny it, just fidget with their fingers.

“Master, give the w0men time to prep. They wanna look pretty.”

“Good point. S1ave.”

“Heh, obviously.”

“Get ready, then meet me in the lord’s chamber Bella mentioned. I’ll be waiting.”

I head to the lord’s chamber first.

I recall my early days in this world, staying at the Water and Grass Inn, then moving to the guest rooms of Eight-Color Shell Castle.

Clean rooms, plush beds—better than my modern life. The castle feels like a hotel where tidiness isn’t your problem.

But the lord’s chamber blows me away.

A bedroom fit for a legend. I’ve never seen or experienced anything like it.

Sure, I’ve stayed in suites, but this? It’s for someone who’s achieved greatness.

The room screams Beleira’s divine authority.

Dark red decor, elegant high-end bed, antique chairs, and tables.

The view’s insane—one entire wall opens to the outside.

Touch it, and it’s not glass but some invisible barrier.

The outside looks so vivid, you’d swear nothing’s there until you touch it.

Countless stars, a glowing moon, sprawling forests, and mountains curved like a giant’s spine.

I turn and spot a taxidermied bear head on the wall.

Did Beleira think a fierce beast’s trophy boosted her majesty?

“Can I come in?”

Karen’s voice.

She’s in a light outfit, bare shoulders glowing. Freshly bathed, her skin and red hair practically shimmer.

“Come in.”

Karen steps inside, jumps at the bear head, then gets lost in the view.

“Amazing view.”

“Agreed.”

“…”

“Why so stiff? Sit, relax.”

“I’ll stand here till the others come.”

“Nervous, huh?”

It’s just our usual thing.

But I keep that lame thought to myself. I’ve got some tact.

Sometimes I’m shameless, but not today.

A polite knock.

“Come in, Isti.”

Isti glides in.

Elegance suits her best. Snow-white platinum hair, delicate lashes, refined features…

Once expressionless, now she flashes a shy smile when she sees me.

A love-struck elf.

“Darling.”

“Huh? The usual outfit?”

Isti’s in a white mini-dress.

“Thought you’d wear the school uniform.”

“That’s for special occasions…”

Fair, it’s most effective when I can focus solely on her.

Plus, the uniform would’ve stolen the show.

“I’m coming in.”

Bella barges in, short and blunt.

“What’s this, Master’s beauty pageant? We’re all lined up.”

“Not quite. It’s just happened to be like that.”

Bella struts confidently beside Isti, wearing a slit dress that barely covers her rear. Her model-like stance screams self-assurance, her bold expression pure Beleira.

Seeing the three of them, I smirk, satisfied.

How’d I end up with this trio? Too perfect.

An unreal space with three unreal beauties. Even in the modern world, only the ultra-rich and famous get this.

Wife, lover, s1ave—in that order.

My isekai journey’s been short but damn impressive. Gotta pat myself on the back.

“What now?” Karen speaks up. “Big Bro’s one guy, but there’s three of us.”

“Don’t know? Master picks one to hold, and the other two hype his mood! Right, Master?”

“Where’d you learn that?”

“Basic stuff.”

Karen presses her flushed cheeks.

“Won’t Big Bro get tired? Three of us…”

Tired or not, some moments demand action. This is one.

“Bella, lie down.”

“Me, first?”

Bella, caught off guard, fumbles.

“It’s punishment for being the slowest to crawl over.”