"Hmm... It's delicious..."
"Surprisingly, Baskerville-sama is good at cooking too?"
A while after I started cooking, Shakuna and Ryuna woke up.
I made curry for them when they woke up and put it on the table with bread.
Hadiss is still asleep.
He must have been very tired from all the tension in his nerves. He was in a deep sleep, as if he were sinking into the mud.
Anyway, we decided to eat first and put the curry on the table.
"It's really surprising... that someone as rude as you are can cook."
Shakuna's expression is contorted in frustration.
She must be really uncomfortable admitting that I can cook. Still, she seems to like the taste of the curry, as she is putting it into her mouth with a crunch.
"How can anyone fail at curry? Although it would have been better if there had been rice. But black bread is good enough."
"But it's delicious, isn't it? Hard black bread is easy to eat if it is soaked in curry, and since I went to bed without supper last night, it's very appetizing."
"That's fine then. Indeed... I thought curry would be heavy in the morning, but it is surprisingly edible."
I tried to make it like a soup curry with more water... and it seems to have worked. I'm glad I could make something edible without failure.
"Huff... it seems that I slept a little too much."
While we were eating Hadiss woke up.
Perhaps because he had had a good night's sleep, his face was more animated than yesterday.
"Please forgive me. I'm your vassal, but I didn't expect to wake up later than Your Highness..."
"Don't worry about it. You were up late last night keeping watch, weren't you?"
"It seems so, Onee-sama. If you are still tired, you can sleep a little longer."
Shakuna and Ryuna help Haddiss.
They must be grateful to the old knight for coming all the way to the end of the desert to escort them.
"What a waste of words! By the way, did Ryuna-sama make the food?"
"No, Baskerville-sama made this for us."
"I was surprised that Baskerville-dono... I didn't expect him to cook."
"You too, huh...? Do you think it's funny that I can cook?"
I didn't cook a full course French meal.
It's just curry. I wonder what they thought of me that they were so surprised by my cooking, which was just an extension of camping.
Anyway, Hadiss joined us at the table and we enjoyed the curry together.
When we had finished more than half of the dishes, the topic of conversation turned to today's dungeon attack.
"We will reach the 50th floor by the end of the day. There is the 'Specter of Osiris' there."
"At last we have achieved our goal. Now we can defeat Rudanaga ambitions and rescue my father from his grip."
Shakuna clasped her hands together on the table.
Her hands are shaking slightly. Is she nervous, or is she trembling?
"What kind of a guardian are we dealing with in the 50th floor?"
Haddiss asked.
The boss monster of the 40th floor was strong in its own way, but he seemed to be concerned about a monster with even more power than that.
"The boss monster of the 50th floor is a 'Fallen Angel'--Verial. It is a humanoid demon with dark wings."
I pull out my knowledge of the game and explain.
"Verial is... well, it's a strong demon without any tricks. It doesn't have special attacks such as a magic eye or ultrasonic waves like the previous bosses, but it is a fast, tough, and powerful enemy."
The battle against Verial was a head-on with no tricks.
We could win the battle by constantly cutting down its HP and driving it down to zero.
Since the opponent does not use any tricks, there is no clear weakness, and only pure physical strength is required.
"In the next boss battle, the culmination of the past battles will be put to the test. No tricks from the opponent. And no tricks on our part. The stronger side will win... that's all that matters."
"Then... do you think our strength will be enough?"
"We will win. I would have told you to turn back if it didn't work. After all, I'm not going to fight with a person who's slowing me down."
Shakuna looks unusually anxious, and I assure her.
With this party, we will win. We will win without a single man missing and we will get the treasure we came for.
"Hmph. Your praise makes me feel uncomfortable but it's a relief. If someone as bad-natured as you are can say that, I guess I'll be fine."
"I'll protect Your Highness. That is the role of a knight."
Shakuna crosses her arms and says sarcastically. Hadiss also assures him firmly.
"...Hmm?"
Someone touches my right hand under the table.
I turn my head to the side and my eyes meet those of Ryuna, who is sitting next to me.
"Let's do our best, Baskerville-sama."
"...Of course. We're going to win without missing a single person."
Ryuna patted my hand as if she were a puppy dog.
The beautiful Priestess smiles sweetly at me, and I turn my face away from her with an embarrassment I can't quite put my finger on.
