***Arc 8 One Who Spread Death, Chapter 190 Likes and Dislike***
The result was as expected――no, even better than expected.
The Gulshan soldiers were relatively quiet, as Orugan had ordered them to surrender and not to rebel.
Dougleen also gave them alcohol, which caused a bit of a fight, but overall it wasn't a bad choice.
"Belts, please give Usa-chan a second helping――"
“Kalua, today is fine.”
"...Usa-chan, you won’t ger another helping?"
"Yes. Krische didn’t move that much today..."
A world wrapped in bonfires that even make the stars and moon at night hazy.
The campsite where the banquet was going on――it was the space assigned to the Black Flag Special Force.
Everyone was having a good time, even the new recruits had made it through the day and were excited about the great results they had achieved.
Among them, Krische, who finished eating quickly, cleaned up her plate, and not only Kalua but also Belts, the tough-looking black flag special force cooking instructor who approached, looked at Krische in confusion.
"...Was it not to your taste? Krische-sama, I was confident about today's dishes but..."
"No, it's very delicious. Beltz has become quite good at cooking, too."
Beltz smiled as if relieved by those words.
Then, he took the plate from Krische and Kalua next to her looked at Krische curiously.
"You haven't had much of an appetite lately. Worrying about something?"
Second and third helping were common during the civil war for Krische.
However, this time she seemed to have clearly lost her appetite since leaving the capital.
Of course, the serving sizes for Krische were generous, even so she was quite a glutton, knowing how much food she usually packs into her petite body, it was a small appetite.
She would eat it if Kalua and the others were to bring her a second helping, but she never asked for a second helping herself.
Kalua picked up Krische, sat her on her lap, and stroked her head.
“…Is it Bery-san?”
That's the feeling of discomfort she had been feeling lately.
All Krische’s worries, doesn’t include things like future battlefields.
She knew a lot about her since the civil war up to this point.
She didn’t feel any anxiety about the battlefield she's on.
Whether it's in the Dragon's Maw or the fight against Gildanstein, her sources of anxiety were always something that was out of her reach.
No matter how impossible the battlefield or action may seem, she never doubted her victory.
This battle was led by her――Marshal Selene was in the rear, not on the battlefield.
Even if she it was a tough battle, she wouldn’t have any concerns about it, and if she did, it would be something completely different.
――If that's the case, most of the time Bery was the cause of her troubles.
"Could it be...she's not feeling very well."
“No… that’s not the case.”
Kalua gad seen her a few times and she looked fine, but it was true that she was stabbed.
Something could happen to her.
Besides that, Elvena.
Elvena same home once or twice a week, and lately she had been strangely passionate about cooking.
Krische and Bery were in charge of cooking at the estate, so Elvena didn’t have many chances to cook, but when she came back, she had been cooking elaborate dishes lately.
she I asked her what was going on, she simply said that she wanted to study a lot of things.
As a servant, Elvena naturally didn’t talk much about what goes on in the estate, and Kalua didn’t ask her about it, but there was something a little strange about it.
She thought maybe Bery wasn't feeling very well and Elvena was training to cook in place of Bery――but Krische answer was no.
Krische casually played with the candy bag around her neck, and Kalua tilted her head again.
The contents of the candy had hardly decreased.
"If you have any worries, talk to this One-san. Everyone will be worried if Usa-chan is like that, you know?"
"Is that so……?"
"Yes. What happened?"
Krische hesitated for a moment, then held the candy bag over Kalua's hand.
She opened her mouth quietly.
“…Bery has gotten better with Regalave-san’s blood, but――”
She told Kalua what happened.
From the very beginning.
She seemed to be struggling with what to explain and how to explain it, and her explanation was very thorough and full of detour.
She was happy that Bery was getting better, but then she remembered what Kalua had said, and paid attention to Bery.
When she pay attention to it, there was a sense of discomfort while cooking or eating.
She noticed that Bery was secretly licking the seasonings at night, and she was worried and decided to check――
“――Bery said she was happy as long as Krische said it tasted delicious and helped her cook. ...But Krische thinks it would be very hard to not be able to taste the food after all. If it were Krische, Krische'd hate it and very anxious.”
Krische turned her face down and continued quietly.
“Bery should be the same, but Krische’s sure she's holding back...so Krische won’t worry, so Krische won’t be sad. ...Bery is very kind, and that's why even if it’s painful Bery didn’t say it Krische.”
"...I guess that person is like that."
The men around them were watching the two of them with concern, and Kalua brushed them off with her hands.
Although their gaze was hurriedly turned away, they only pretended not to care and focused their attention on the two of them, and the noise of conversation that had been so loud just a moment ago had clearly decreased.
"Krische too, wanted to cure her quickly... but it didn't go well at all. Then, when Krische ate the food and thought it was delicious, somehow, Krische remembered about Bery, and...”
"Fufu, Usa-chan is such a kind girl."
Krische shook her head, shaking her silver hair.
"...Krische is a bad girl. Bery always told Krische to not care about it, but Krische still did and made Bery troubled..."
"...It's not Usa-chan's fault, it's just that you both are a little too serious."
Kahlua said as if she was troubled.
"...I feel like I need to share some of my unseriousness with Usa-chan."
*hehe* She giggled.
Kalua hugged her delicate body and rested her cheek against her head.
“I love Bery-san, including Usa-chan, and she should be happy. I'm sure it's painful, but I'm sure she's very happy that Usa-chan thinks of her like that, so she endured it, or rather, umm...how should I say it?”
Kahlua smiled wryly saying ‘words sure are difficult’.
“I don't know if Bery-san loves cooking, but Usa-chan is number one for her, and she's probably more worried about Usa-chan than about her own tongue right now. Wonder if Usa-chan is hurt and or is she eating properly.”
“……”
"The same as Usa-chan, who doesn't think about the upcoming battle at all and is thinking about Bery-san's tongue. The only thing you two worried about is the other person...hehe, I think you both are really similar."
Bery surely didn’t worry about her tongue these days.
But Krische was worried about it.
Krische didn’t worry about the battle ahead.
But Bery was worried about it.
Both of them think of each other first and were worried about each other.
Worrying about someone more important than yourself.
Probably that was why it looked beautiful.
There’s nothing more distorted than a person who thinks about others more rather than themself.
Kalua thought there was anything more beautiful in this world than that.
This girl was the epitome of that; she was as blind, single-minded, and pure as a newborn baby.
How should she praise that beauty of hers?
"Probably, Usa-chan and Bery-san are both a bit stupid"
"...Krische and Bery are both smarter than Kalua."
"Fufun, intelligence and intellect are two different things, you know U-chan. You two may be smarter than me, but being stupid and clumsy is a way of relaxing."
Kalua covered Krische's eyes with both hands.
"Even if you can't see it if you get too close"
Then slowly moved her hand away and moved it forward.
Light returned to Krische’s eyes from the darkness, and she caught sight of Kahlua's hands shaking in front of him.
“..If you look at it from a little distance, you can see the whole thing. Usa-chan and the others are too concerned about the other person. Well, Usa-chan and the others may be able to see things in far more detail than I can, but there are still things that you can't see. I think what's important is the sense of distance.”
"...Sense of distance"
"Yes, Usa-chan always says that, right? You should look at the entire battlefield, not just what's right in front of you. It's the same with human relationships. I don't really know what Usa-chan and Bery-san really think, but I can see it clearly because I'm watching from the outside."
Kalua hugged Krische tightly and smiled.
“I think Usa-chan is so focused on small things that she doesn’t see the big picture. Bery wants Usa-chan to smile and eat a lot of food. But Usa-chan, who only thinks about Bery-san's tongue, can't do that...she's gone blind.''
Then she pulled out a candy cane from the bag and presses it into Krische’s mouth.
“If Usa-chan came home with most of the candy that Bery-san had made, she'd be even more upset and worried. Usa-chan have to enjoy it properly and say thank you. ...Even though Bery-san took the trouble to make it for Usa-chan, it's much more painful not to have Usa-chan eat it, right? ”
Krische seemed hesitant but nodded and put the candy into his mouth.
The sweet honey flavor oozes out from the flour-covered interior, delighting the tounge.
*‘It's delicious’*, Krische said.
“It's okay for delicious food to be delicious. Do your best to get you home early and tell her that it's delicious. Also, make sure that Bery-san's tongue is properly healed. It's not healthy to hold back always just thinking about Bery-san's tongue, and Bery-san doesn't want Usa-chan to put up with it either. Usa-chan just have to take it one step at a time, and I'm sure Bery-san would like you to do the same."
"……yes"
"Usa-chan look scary when looking so serious, so just smile. It's delicious, isn't it?"
Krische nodded and Kalua laughed, forcing a smile up her soft cheeks.
The new recruits who knew her on the battlefield watched them in horror, and the veteran soldiers looked at Kalua exasperated.
"Uh...I'm hungry...”
"...Really, you. Krische-sama, the meeting is over."
At that time, Mia returned with Dagra.
"Yes. Bald Eagle and the other can rest."
“Yes ma’am.”
Confirming the attrition of soldiers, negotiating with each corps, and discussing tomorrow's march.
Even Krische’s work was forced upon him, because, ‘It's a hassle, so Bald Eagle do it’, and he was sent from place to place.
Dagra looked at Mia exasperated as her shoulders slumped as if she was tired, but he didn't scold her today and smiled bitterly.
She didn't even have time to eat properly after noon, and she was walking around all over the place.
Since it was after the victory, Dagra said nothing, thinking that he would overlook it today, and took the meal from Beltz and said goodbye.
He then heads to Waltza, who is surrounded by Nagal and his team and was checking on the condition of his prosthetic arm, which was able to catch the curved sword.
Aleha was also accompanying Dagra and the others, but he was captured by Kolkis on the way and separated.
Mia also received food from Beltz, and her face twisted with reluctance.
She then sit down beside Krische and Kalua.
"*Sigh*... baize beans again today..."
"...Mia, you can't be picky."
"Uu... yes"
Green beans in the soup―Mia sighed in dislike as she rolls the baize beans grown in the southern part of the kingdom, mainly in Gulshan, with a spoon.
They were not bad, just sweet, but Mia didn’t really like them.
Moreover, for the past few days, every meal has been soup with baize beans.
Up until now, Mia had been able to tolerate her dislike of it being on the battlefield, but as expected when she returned tired and hungry, eating Baize Bean just felt as if she was being punished.
Mia was tired of it.
"...I think it's sweet and delicious, but baize beans. Well, as expected, I understand you'll get a little tired if it continues like this but”
"...I don't like that sweetness. I like sweet fruit, but I don't like sweet dish."
Mia glared at Kalua, who was holding Krische in a displeased manner.
"*Sigh*...I wish the sweetness would disappear just for this moment. I don't really want sweetness from beans."
"M-Mia...you idiot."
"...?"
This was right after the earlier story about Bery losing her sense of taste.
As expected, Kalua also panicked and suppressed Krische.
"...Did I say something strange?"
“Ah, you know…Mia really has bad timing, or what can I say…”
Kalua looked at peered into Krische’s face, in fear.
Mia also looked at Krische and tilted her head.
Krische opened her eyes wide and stared at Mia.
"...just sweetness"
"What's wrong? Krische-sama"
Krische thought for a moment and looked up.
"Bertz, please bring some fruit. Anything"
"Huh? Ah... yes."
“Mia, baize beans.”
"Um...?"
Then she held out her hand to Mia.
Mia tilted her head as she scooped up one of her baize beans and placed it in her small hand――then Krische wrapped her magic around it and gazed into it with her violet eyes.
“Krische-sama…Is this fine?”
Beltz picks up some kinds of fruit, looks at Krische curiously, and handed her a basket.
Kalua also tilted her head as she took the basked and placed it on Krische’s lap.
Krische swallowed the candy, then puts the baize beans in her mouth and tastes them.
And then an apple.
In the same way, she wrapped it in magic, stared at it, took a bite, tastes it, and swallowed it.
Then she took out a candy cane from the bag around her neck and repeated the same process.
"...It was simple. It's the same as Poison Piririn."
Krische quickly stood up, approached Mia, and patted her on the head.
“Eehehe, Mia is an idiot, but Krische’s glad she’s Kurofuyo's adjutant. It’s Mia biggest achievement. Krische praise you."
"Huh? Ah, yes...t-thank you...?"
Krische smiled happily and went on her little run.
“Nagal, please give Krische a spare magic crystal.”
"Y-yes ma’am!"
She pulled Nagal's sleeve, who was standing next to Waltza, and called out to him.
The two then ran off to the tent that served as Jareia Gashea's warehouse.
Mia and Beltz stared at Krische with blank stares.
Kalua thought for a moment, and then smiled.
“…Kahlua, what do you mean?”
"Hmm, I guess it was a good idea...fufu, thanks to the stupid Mia."
"...Are you making fun of me?"
"No. Maybe a smart girl like Usa-chan needs a little bit of stupidity like Mia. She even praises you for being a good stupidity."
Kalua laughed happily and stood up, patting Mia on the head.
“For Usa-chan, Mia might be the most meritorious in this battle.”
"...? haa?"
While stroking Mia, whose eyebrows were furrowed more and more, she looked at where Krische was headed.
"...It would be best if everything was resolved."
Kahlua narrowed her eyes gently.
"Usa-chan, it's already late, why don't you sleep today? We're marching tomorrow too."
"Just a little bit..."
"N―O. Come on, let go of the magic crystal...you can continue tomorrow, right? Usa-cha get sick so easily after a battle, it's your job to rest.”
"Uuu..."
That night, even under the blanket, Krische didn't let go of the magic crystal.
“Koza, the meat for Krische’s is too few but...”
"I-I'm sorry for this. I’ll give another helping immediately."
"...bread too"
"Yes ma’am. Hey, give me the bread."
――The next morning, Krische had an unusually large appetite.
