Chapter 48: Distorted

Distorted ----The rumors spreading around the fort. "That's wrong, Kreschenta. It's like this, here."

"...Is it like this?"

"Yes. You're good at it."

"......Ehehe." However, this kitchen has nothing to do with such a disturbing atmosphere. Kreschenta, who was dissatisfied with Krische clinging to Bery said 'I want to try cooking too.' With that as the trigger, the three of them are cooking now. Krische patted Kreschenta's head and gently taught her, and Bery watched the smiling scene.

There was no active attempt to hide the relationship between Krische and Kreschenta. Selene made that decision. The word "Cursed Child" had spread so widely that it's no longer necessary to hide the fact that Krische was related to the royal family. Rather they wanted to avoid the unnecessary suspicion that would be brought by concealing it. Against this kind of rumors, it's better for them to be open about it.

Bogan had talked about it before, and they decided to take the plunge a few days before. Selene had confirmed herself what kind of person Kreschenta is, and now she had a certain amount of trust in Kreschenta.

Like Krische, Kreschenta is mentally young and pure. It would be better to proactively show Kreschenta's innocence to the soldiers, and it is better to let her out in the open than to keep her locked away in the back. And there was a little downside in doing so, especially since Kreschenta is good at hiding her abnormalities. "It seems Kreschenta is better than Selene."

"Naturally. I'll catch up with Argan-sama in no time."

"Hmm... Bery is a better cook than Krische, so Kreschenta has to become better than Krische first."

"Eh... Is that so?"

"Yes." Bery chuckles and replies that it's not true. "It's just a difference in experience. If we make the same thing, Krische-sama can make something that's no different from mine. The only difference is the number of dishes that we can come up with."

"Krische can't come up with things like Bery, as expected Bery is more skilled than Krische. Bery can combine many things to make dishes that Krische can't even imagine. Krische snuggles up to Bery while showing a happy smile like a blooming flower. 'Oh my' saying so, Bery pats Krische on the head while smiling. Kreschenta stared at Bery in frustration. "W-we're in the middle of cooking. Argan-sama, can you please not disturb Onee-sama."

"I don't mean to disturb. I'm just patting Krische-sama's head."

"I don't know what to do unless Onee-sama teaches me, so please don't take Onee-sama away from me."

"Krische is fine with teaching Kreschenta while being petted. But if Kreschenta says so, then Krische will not stroke Kreschenta while cooking."

"T-that's not what I......"

"Fufu, Krische-sama that's no good, saying that. Kreschenta-sama could you please cut the tomatoes into cubes next?"

"Ugh..." Countless eyes were watching the three of them. Today as well, the cooking team was watching them while doing the most efficient work on useless tasks.

The silver-haired fairy, Krische. The red-haired saint, Bery. Joining them was the noble and precious Princess Kreschenta.

The twelve-year-old princess is even younger than Krische, and despite her gracefulness, she retains the cuteness of a little girl. Golden hair that shimmers red in the light, dignified eyebrows and jewel-like purple eyes. Krischenta' and Krische's identical faces, who were said to be of the same royal blood, had beauty that could match the fairies, compared to Krische, Kreschenta has more expression, she is just like a large flower. Her beauty was more provocative compared to Krische's serene beauty. Krische blooms quietly and modestly, and Kreschenta shows off her radiant beauty, and Bery, the moon that shines on them.

Krische and Bery.

When Kreschenta joined them, the kitchen looked like a fantastic moonlit plateau. The men were moved, believing that their beauty was not an addition, but that of a multiplication.

The painting world that you should never reach out for. But because of that, there was an overflowing beauty. "What are we cooking today? There are some fish today, but..."

"Today, we will make pizza topped with bacon and this fish, pilkana, grilled with salt in a kiln. Shall we make the soup with a tomato base?" Pilkana is a river fish that could be gotten nearby. At this time of year, it is very fatty and delicious, but it has a slightly fishy smell and if cooked poorly, the smell will remain, and it will be spoiled. "Fish grilled with salt in a kiln..."

"The fish is wrapped in a mixture of salt and egg whites. the smell will escape into the salt, and the deliciousness is locked in and it becomes very good."

"Ohh......" While Krische was impressed, Kreschenta glared at Bery with some frustration. Kreschenta couldn't keep up with their cooking discussion. "Oh, I was careless. It seems I forgot the egg." ----Once again, tension runs through the kitchen.

But, as expected, the first person to make the first upon hearing those words was Zalbach, the head of the cooking team. The King and God of the kitchen. Zalbach was the first to move when he heard the word 'salt grilled in kiln'. 'Today, we will make pizza topped with bacon and this fish, pilkana, grilled with salt in kiln----' When Zalbach saw the pilkana, he was skeptical. Later Zalbach recalls---- 'When I saw the pilkana, I thought it would just be salt baked, or boiled, or something along those lines. But you can't underestimate Bery ojou-sama. Given her advanced cooking skills I thought she would take it a step higher. Even though I have never made it, but, I know what she will use. There were no eggs on the table, so I quietly made my way over to the egg cart.' He once aspired to be a court chef and trained in the royal capital. Had it not been for a series of misfortunes within his family that had forced him to return to his hometown, he would have continued his training and at least become a cook for some noble. It's precisely because it was Zalbach that he noticed it. And moved.

Zalbach took the first step before anyone else. If Bogan is the lightning quick general, Zalbach is the lightning quick chef. He found the right solution from all foreseeable possibilities and moved decisively.

No one could match him. Zalbach grinned, but a single footstep reaches Zalbach's ears When he quickly looked there, there was a young man fearless smiling at him, Kart. In his hand was a basket of eggs. Behind him was a food trolley with countless ingredients neatly arranged.

----The young man, Kart, had decided to give up the first move. Zalbach is the king of this world. And here is his garden. Zalbach knows everything there is about this world.

After many battles since then, Kart was convinced of this. Then, what should he do? It was decided.

All he had to do was to establish a new order and a new miniature garden in this world.

What Kart did while looking at the three beautiful maidens was to organize the inventory of ingredients. He calculated the surplus of meat, vegetables, fish, and other ingredients, and, with a precise numerical value, accumulated them in the small world of his wagon. So that if there are any shortages, he would be ready to meet any demands.

He was like the warriors in myth who drew bows against the god. He later recalled. 'Aimed for it? No way, it's just part of my job. It goes against my aesthetics to have someone below me do inventory every day. Once in a while, I thought I'd take over the work like this. As someone standing on top, I must not neglect the basic work. Well, by chance, Bery-sama asked for an egg at that time, and I was near the eggs----' The talented Kart is still excellent even when it comes to food distribution.

Zalbach stares at Kart with a scowl on his face, as if he were a parent whose child has been murdered, and then laughs. ----You sure did something sly, young man. ----Kuku, old people who are getting sick in their legs, just take a rest there. Zalbach thought as he glared at the Kart. The difference between the two is three steps. He could take at most two steps by walking fast while making it look like a stumble.

If so, just stop Kart's movement. Zalbach thought and came up with a secret plan. "Oops!" ----He pretends to stumble even though there's nothing there. He leans forward for a moment and jumps. Kart frowned. He, too, had taken measures against the old man's sneaky tactics. That's why he made a three-step difference today.

What are you going to do? ----while thinking so, a tray flew toward him The disk-shaped tray spun and flew toward the egg that Kart was holding.

Yes, Zalbach had made it look like a fall, but he had thrown the tray on the desk precisely at Kart. The look in Kart's eyes was astonishment. 'You're willing to go that far', is what his eyes seemed to be saying.

----However, Kart is a man who takes pride in being first-class. He instantly and silently catches it with one arm.

Zalbach, not paying attention to Kart's gaze, reached out and grabbed the basket of "eggs that just happened to be there" at the point where he almost fell over. What Zalbach had was trust in Kart. Kart is first-class. Zalbach judged that he would never waste foodstuffs on an attack of this degree. He was sure that Kart would definitely defend against it. As expected, Kart silently endured Zalbach's ranged attack and defended the egg.

But at the same time, in that instant, Kart lost his one-step advantage over Zarbach.

Kart stared at Zalbach with a scowl on his face, as if he were a son whose father had been murdered, and laughed. ----This shitty old man, what do you think would have happened if it hadn't been me? ----Hmm, you little brat. It's because it was you that I believe you could defend it. The battle between the two was evenly matched, and the others, who could not intervene, had no choice but to watch with bated breath. A showdown between the two chiefs. A showdown between the two chiefs. It was a holy war.

However once again, the war's conclusion was thwarted by the presence of an even more powerful person. "Please leave it to me! I will bring the eggs!" The one who broke the unspoken understanding and stepped in with trot without even reading the atmosphere was the woman with seven-colored flaws----Anne. The ambush soldier who suddenly appeared had been waiting at the entrance for a long time. Don't disturb their happy moment, but also be quick to help when they need it. And so Anne jumped out grandly when she saw the opportunity.

She jumped out without a plan. Anne looked around her for eggs and saw the basket Zalbach was holding. "Oh, thank you very much for the trouble. I'll take it."

"Wh..." Anne snatched the basket from Zarbak and rushed to the three of them---- "Ugh!?" ----She stumbled and nearly fell over. "Ahh!" It was Krische who moved faster than anyone else. She quickly leapt to the air and grabbed the basket, immediately holding the eggs that were about to scatter. She twisted her body in the air and showed a supple landing just like that of a cat, and Bery applauded, Kreschenta, who had been wondering if Anne was doing it on purpose, panicked and followed suit. "As expected of you, Onee-sama."

"It was splendid, Krische-sama. Anne-sama, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...I'm fine."

"......the eggs weren't okay at all"

"Hie!"

"K-Krische-sama..." Kreschenta sighed and looked at Anne. "This child, she keeps repeating this even when I'm there, really. Argan-sama, please do something about it."

"No, Bery is busy. Krische thinks Kreschenta has the most free time."

"I-I'm also helping Selene-sama right now. Besides, Onee-sama, I'm a princess, you know?"

"A princess needs more servants, so Anne. Bery is busy taking care of Krische."

"Now, now, both of you... D-don't blame her too much. She just tried her best and failed a little." The troubled Bery suppressed the trouble. Anne, the object of the shoving match from the two of them, repeated 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' as usual. "..."

"..." The men then looked at Zalbach and Kart, who were still frozen in place, with pity.

And so the meal was made, the five of them finished dinner, and went to their own room. On the first and second floors of the command office in the center of the fortress, there were offices and other rooms used for practical work, and on the third floor is the hall with the breastwork that serves the function of the fort. From here there are wooden bridges on all four sides that lead to the four towers at the corners of the inner ramparts. It seems that fortress Bergash originally had only this inner wall, and the double structure with the heavy outer wall was added later. However, once the outer wall was built, the inner wall and the towers became half-useless, and half of them were used as living space.

While crossing the bridge, Krische happily snuggles up to Bery. "Ehehe, even so, the salt-grilled in kiln was really wonderful. When Krische saw Pilkhana, Krische thought it would smell a little, but..."

"Well, it wasn't that bad."

"Thank you. Thanks to the two of you, it turned out great." Anne was ordered to prepare the bath first, so there are only three people here. Kreschenta looks displeased at Krische as she snuggles up to Bery. "... Onee-sama, rathet than that, about the bath"

"Today is no good. Kreschenta always complained about washing each other."

"I-I won't say it again."

"This is the third time that Kreschenta has that. As Krische said yesterday, there is a rule that 'if you miss two shots, you can't hunt.'" It was the village rule that if a hunter missed the same prey twice, he was not allowed to hunt that day. It was a warning to avoid pursuing prey too deeply, and was also used as a promise. It was used in the sense that a promise that was broken twice would be broken a third time, and it was common for the third time to be punished even if the second time was forgiven.

Depending on the situation, it might be just a light punishment or even execution, but Kreschenta was ordered to take a bath with Anne until she reflected. Since the other day, Kreschenta had been complaining about Bery and Krische washing each other, which had put Krische in a bad mood yesterday. 'Krische understand what Kreschenta is saying. But Krische wants to wash with Bery, so if Kreschenta don't like it, Kreschenta can just take a bath with Anne.' Since it is explained that it is a rule Krische learned in the village, Kreschenta cannot break it and tried shows signs of remorse in front of Krische, but Krische is stubborn, saying that Kreschenta need to be punished for at least one day. "Ugh..."

"If Kreschenta properly reflects, Krische will take a bath with Kreschenta again tomorrow. That's why for today bear with Anne today. Understand?"

"That's cruel..." Kreschenta pouted her lips in a sulking tone, and Krische pressed her lips saying 'no'. Bery laughed at that scene, which made Kreschenta glared at her.

And then, at that time, Bery's eyebrows frowned when she heard a voice from below. "----Maaan, they sure are some real beauties. It's a feast for the eyes."

"Yeah....but there's a rumor that Krische-sama is pretty dangerous you know. they say that her hobby is killing people. She would laugh while cutting of their fingers and tortures them."

"Well, of course I've heard that, but...... do you think the rumors about the cursed child----"

"Stop it. What would you do if someone hears it?" It was the voices of the soldiers walking under the bridge. The sky is cloudy. The waning moon is thinly hidden, and it's dark at night, the soldiers probably doesn't even notice that they're here.

Kreschenta with blatantly showes displeasure on her face and looked at Krische, but Krische was quite calm. Krische looks up at Bery. After thinking for a moment, she said 'Krische'll go for a bit' and jumped down from a height of about 3 ken (5.454 m) without giving them a chance to stop her.

"Hii!"

Bery heard a scream and looked down in panic. The two soldiers were collapsed on their buttocks. Krische pulled a sword from the waist of one of them and pressed the blade against his neck. "K-Krische-sama."

"Don't wory, Krische won't kill you." Krische said so expressionlessly. Then she looked at the soldiers. "Krische doesn't particularly care about such rumors, and it doesn't matter what they say. But, spreading Krische notoriety in opes is an insult to superiors, whether consciously or unconsciously. ......You are Dagga and Zirvan who came ten days ago right. The selection numbers are 78 and 182."

"Hie!"

"You belong to the 4th Battalion (1000 men), 9th Company (100 men), 17th squad (5 men), in Corporal Tolka's squad, is that correct?"

"Y-yes. .......H-how did you know?"

"Because Krische remembers it." Saying that Krische expressionlessly tilted her head. "What is your business here? On the deployment plan, this place is managed by the 1st Battalion, 3rd Company."

"Yes, umm, I was delivering a message of equipment shortage, adjutant corps commander."

"Understood, Krische'll check it later. Regardless of the intention, the words and deeds just now are an insult to Krische, the deputy of the corps commander. It can be said that the content is an exaggeration of the facts. Penalties will be handed down through your superiors, thank goodness huh." Krische smiled. "If Krische hobby was murder, as the both you of say, Krische would have summarily executed both of you right here and now. You can see how that would be very easy with Krische's position, can't you?" "Hie!"

"Please be careful from now on. ......It's not a hobby, but Krische is very good at it." With that, Krische returned the sword to its scabbard and told them to return to their duties. The two soldiers ran in fright, and Krische kicked the wall straight back onto the bridge. "Krische showed Bery something embarrassing. It seems that the education is still not going well."

"...Education, is it?"

"Onee-sama, if it's like that... it's too frightening and seems to be counterproductive."

"If they're afraid of Krische and become obedient, that's fine. The point is, Krische just need to show enough strength that they won't even feel like rebelling. Of course, it's best to be loved like Selene. But Krische isn't good at it."

"... I guess that's one way to think about it." Krische snuggles up to Bery and grabs her arm. "Krische knows Bery don't like that kind of thing, but"

"... No. I think there are things that can't be helped." 'For example, if Krische was walking alone, would she have ignored it' is what Bery thought. She did it because Bery showed displeasure. "Didn't Bery heard the conversation just now? Krische thought Bery was silent because she didn't want to see Krische doing that."

"......Yes. But worrying about it is useless. And though it was intrusive, I also have warned them before."

"That's no good, it's fine for just Krische to be the one saying that." With a vague smile, Bery nodded. "It's not something for Krische-sama to worry about."

"Um, worry, or rather..." Krische pondered for a moment, as if lost. "It doesn't matter what they say about Krische. Krische doesn't care. ...But Krische really don't want Bery to say things like that to Krische too." As if troubled, as if she could not hold back her emotion. Krische tells Bery that. ----Pretty She just thought so and stroked Krische cheek. "......It's time for the long-awaited bath. Shall we cheer ourselves up and go?" She puts her hand on her cheek and traced her lips with her thumb. Krische nodded embarrassedly, and Kreschenta displeasedly glared at Bery and told Krische. "Onee-sama, umm, I'm sorry----"

"Today is no good."

"Ugh..." Bery laughed quietly and looks up at the sky blankly.