This Novel is not my Novel

"Don't tell me... we have to make our own lunch today...?"

"Meow, myaaow...."

If this "Seasoning Set" really was a treasure, then the "treasures" Bjorn had defined must be cooking ingredients.

Naturally, cooking ingredients were used for cooking.

It was safe to assume there was no other possibility.

Why on earth...?

That question naturally crossed my mind.

There had not been a single scene in the pre-remake original work where Reisir cooked.

Outside the Demon Realm, he ate at restaurants, and inside the Demon Realm, he ate preserved rations.

There was no other choice.

Cooking required both time and space, and while cooking, it was impossible to keep a close watch on one's surroundings.

Meanwhile, the fire lit for cooking and the smell of food could attract monsters.

Common sense dictated that cooking food oneself inside the Demon Realm was far too dangerous.

And yet they're making us do this...?

I felt deeply uneasy.

What if, later on, we ended up in a situation where we had no choice but to cook inside the Demon Realm, and that caused a crisis?

Still, even setting that aside for now since it concerned the future....

Setting aside Fjodora, who is a princess, there's no way the children of noble families have ever cooked before, is there?

Thinking about the problem we were due to face in a few hours made my head ache.

The original me had been preparing my own meals since I was very young because I helped my mother, so I was fairly accustomed to cooking.

But there was no way the owner of this body had ever done anything like cooking.

When Reisir came to my room last time, I did show him how to roll up jujubes and slice them into rounds....

I did not know how much skill I was allowed to display.

Even if no one else knew, Pret would surely know that Karvaldr had never cooked before.

If I acted too proficient, he would definitely find it strange.

Ah! Come to think of it, does Pret know how to cook?

Information agents needed to disguise themselves as people in various occupations for infiltration.

Perhaps he possessed at least basic cooking skills.

And Sveinn, being a commoner....

I did not know.

There had never been a scene in the original novel where he cooked either.

Still, perhaps I should consider it hopeful that the possibility was not entirely nonexistent.

"Meow meow."

As I stared fixedly at the words "Seasoning Set" and sank into worry, Yor lightly tapped my shoulder.

Then, when our eyes met, she shook her head from side to side.

As if to say that now was not the time for this.

"You're right. I still need to find four more treasure capsules to avoid the punishment, so I shouldn't waste time like this. Besides, if I keep holding it out in the open, someone might take it from me...."

I folded the note again and was about to place it back inside the capsule it had come from when I stopped.

A thought had suddenly occurred to me.

"All the capsules look identical anyway, so the important part must be this note, correct?"

"Meow."

"In that case... there is no need to keep it inside the capsule, is there?"

"Myaa!"

"Yor. You obtained this, so you keep it."

The baby dragon's wish-granting orb was not an Inventory, but I could not put the note inside it.

Considering the purpose of the training, that would count as cheating.

Even if I found five or more treasures, I would probably still receive the punishment.

Therefore, the method I chose was to take advantage of the fact that Yor always carried the wish-granting orb in her hand and slip the paper between the orb and her palm.

That way, no one would notice that Yor was holding a treasure note.

The only remaining problem was what to do with the empty capsule.

If someone discovered the empty capsule after I discarded it, they would learn the strategy of removing only the note and hiding it, making it harder to steal "treasures."

On the other hand, if I carried it around with the "dud" capsules and someone took the entire bag, they would realize that I had removed the treasure note and was carrying it separately.

If I have to choose one of the two....

I decided to discard the empty capsule.

Removing the treasure note and storing it separately was such a simple idea that anyone could think of it anyway.

Still, just in case, I asked Yor to keep watch, dug into the soil beneath the bushes with my dagger, buried the empty capsule, and carefully covered it again.

"This should be fairly well hidden, shouldn't it?"

"Myaaow."

Yor glanced over the bushes, then touched the tips of her thumb and index finger together in an "OK" sign.

Now that the empty capsule had been dealt with, it was time to resume searching for capsules.

How long had we been moving around and rummaging through various places?

I eventually discovered a capsule inside a hollow in a tree.

It seemed well concealed at first glance, yet somehow stood out just enough to catch the eye, making it highly suspicious.

In cases like this, a trap tended to activate with fairly high probability.

However, since there was also a possibility that the capsule contained a treasure note, I could not simply pass it by without opening it.

"Yor."

I decided to ask my exceptionally capable baby dragon for help.

Yor answered, "Meow!" and extended a long strand of Ether with its attribute filtered out.

Then she bent the end slightly into the shape of a hook and pulled the capsule out of the hollow.

There was not even any need to approach the tree.

The capsule rolled across the ground until it reached my feet.

I was leisurely bending down to pick it up when—

"Wow, that is really underhanded! I can't believe you're taking it like that!"

Pret's voice came from higher up in the tree where the capsule had been hidden.

Apparently, Pret had planted this capsule there as bait to lure someone in.

No wonder it had stood out so strangely.

Judging by the fact that he's doing something like this, does he have fewer than five treasure capsules? Or does he want to secure as many treasures as possible because the more kinds of cooking ingredients we have, the better?

I did not know which it was.

But if I had to guess, Pret was probably the person who had currently secured the most treasure capsules.

After all, finding hidden things was Pret's area of expertise.

He must have found three or four times as many capsules as I had, and unless he was extraordinarily unlucky, there was no way every single one of them had been a "dud."

"...We meet at just the right time."

"Oh? Did you just take out your whip? Are you planning to fight me?"

"I should. Someone like you must have secured several 'treasure' capsules, haven't you?"

"Are you confident you can take my bag from me? This isn't like a ribbon that you can snatch away with a light tug."

To be honest, I was not confident.

Yor would help me with all her strength, so I would not be overwhelmed one-sidedly.

However, catching Pret when he was determined to flee through a mountain filled with numerous traps was practically impossible.

"It is still worth trying."

"Even though I might take your capsules instead?"

"It doesn't matter. I have nothing in particular to lose."

"Were all the capsules you found 'duds'?"

"...It would seem so."

Thinking about the fifteen "dud" capsules in my bag made a bitter note slip naturally into my voice.

Pret responded with a "Whew~!" and whistled.

It probably was not my imagination that the gesture seemed to say, That's impressive!

"That's completely different from what I heard."

"What you heard...?"

"I ran into Sveinn earlier. When I told him I would take all his treasure capsules in exchange for freeing him from a trap, he said Karvaldr had taken the only one he'd barely managed to find."

Apparently, Sveinn had fallen into one of Pret's traps.

And it seemed he had even offered up information Pret had not asked for.

"He could have simply said he hadn't found any, yet he went out of his way...."

I clicked my tongue and tightened my grip on the whip.

Since I had entrusted the treasure note to Yor, there was almost no risk of it being stolen.

However, I needed to pretend to be highly wary and cautious so Pret would approach me in an attempt to take my bag.

This might actually work out better.

Had he seen through my thoughts? Or was there some other reason?

Unexpected words left Pret's mouth.

"It's fine, it's fine. I won't take it, so relax."

"......What?"

I could not believe him.

Instead of hiding that impression, I frowned and showed it plainly.

In response, he looked hurt.

"You know, don't you? That I want you to think well of me."

"Even so... we're ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) in the middle of training right now.... Isn't this against the rules?"

"Ahah! Honestly, I can't tell whether I should call you rigid or diligent!"

There was not the slightest trace of fighting spirit in his cheerful voice.

It seemed he truly had no intention of fighting me at all.

This was extremely troublesome.

Should I launch a preemptive attack? No. If I do, he might immediately run away. If Yor uses 【Dragon Fear】.... No, that probably won't have much effect either.

No matter how formidable 【Dragon Fear】 was, its rank had fallen, leaving it at only C-rank.

It might easily subdue someone like Sveinn, who was still no stronger than an ordinary person, but Pret was incomparably stronger than him.

At best, it would stiffen his body for a brief moment and create an opening.

"I'm only telling you this, Karvaldr, but I don't need to find any more capsules."

"Then why did you set up this trap?"

"Because there was too much time left, and I would get bored just waiting around?"

"......"

He had not done it to secure even one more cooking ingredient, but simply because he was bored.

It was an utterly absurd statement, but it was nothing compared to what followed.

"Why else would I use a real treasure capsule as bait?"

I had assumed that, since he had placed it there as bait for a trap, it would naturally be a "dud."

My gaze reflexively shifted toward the capsule at my feet.

"It's my feelings for you, Karvaldr. Please accept them!"

Hearing something like that made it feel so unsettling that I did not even want to touch it.

However, the lingering image of the ridiculously childish headbands Bjorn had shown us in the previous episode hovered before my eyes, and I could not bring myself to ignore a capsule that might contain a treasure note.

So I cautiously picked it up, opened it, and checked the contents....

"Carrot"

It was not a "dud."

The name of an actual cooking ingredient was written on it.

Judging by this, he must be overflowing with treasure capsules. Would he hand over three more without protest if I asked...?

That greedy thought briefly raised its head, but I restrained myself because I had no idea what he might demand in return.

Besides, such pathetic behavior did not suit Karvaldr's character.

And there was still plenty of time before lunch.

"I have no particular need for your feelings, but I will gratefully accept this."

"Ahah! So you prefer objects to feelings? I like that practical side of you too!"

"Hmph."

Even if Pret had said he was not interested in other people's capsules, there was nothing to gain from showing him how I removed the treasure note and hid it separately right in front of him.

Therefore, signaling the end of the conversation, I hurried away with Yor while pretending to resume my search for capsules.

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