You're Not a Gourmet! But, Your Tongue!

Noon at Marina City,Farnodt Kingdom.

Located in the dining room of an inn. A woman, who appeared both beautiful and masculine, calmly enjoyed her lunch.

Contrasting her was a man seated across from her. He ate with a less enthusiastic expression, occasionally grumbling under his breath after spooning soup from his bowl.

"Can you please stop complaining about your food?"

The woman said firmly, slightly annoyed. Listening to her companion's complaints was starting to diminish her own appetite.

"But, it's... so bland!"

"Sigh..."

The woman let out a long breath, setting down her spoon and taking a sip of water.

Legia, the woman, couldn't blame Jamie for his frustration. However, she also couldn't blame the inn for the food they provided.

The meals offered were ordinary fare—not as extravagant as those enjoyed by nobles, but still satisfying for common folks.

Salt, sugar, and pepper were used, ensuring the dishes remained flavorful. So, what was causing the man in front of her to be so upset?

Just two months ago, Jamie would have been delighted and savored a meal like this. It wouldn't even be strange if he asked for more.

But now?

The consequences of the quality of food and spices he had consumed over the past few weeks in Death Valley were evident. Jamie's taste standards had unknowingly improved.

The ingredients, spices, and dishes provided by Cien in Death Valley were even more luxurious than those served to royal nobility.

Legia was certain that even the royal family would not have access to Rank 5 monster meat every day.

But in Death Valley? Legia, who had only been there for a few days, was already adapting to a higher level of flavor.

And Jamie, who had been there for weeks, had gone beyond; his taste buds had drastically changed.

His standards now exceeded even the menus at the royal palace. So Legia could only understand why Jamie found the current food tasteless.

"Ugh... Lieutenant, there seems to be something wrong with my tongue..."

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"Well, then maybe it's the food..."

"Not at all. The food is the same as usual."

"Ugh, then what's the problem? Could it be that I'm cursed and can't taste anything?!"

"..."

Legia stared blankly at the foolish man in front of her. She couldn't understand how he reached that conclusion about being cursed.

"Hmm, maybe I should see a doctor or an alchemist? Oh, but if it's a curse, maybe I should go to the temple?"

Tak!

Legia threw her fork at Jamie's face.

"There's nothing wrong with you or your food! A curse? Who would even dare to curse you? Just relax, eat and adapt. Once you return from being a gourmet to an ordinary person, you'll be back to normal!"

"...but, I'm not a gourmet, Lieutenant."

"Okay, not you! But your tongue is!"

"My tongue?! Huh? Uhh, huh? Sorry, Lieutenant, I don't understand. What are you really talking about?"

"...forget it. Just eat as usual, you'll get used to it eventually. I'm tired of talking to you."

"But I can't eat. It's too bland!"

"Well, go find some Rank 5 meat outside then! Or add a glassful of salt to your food if you want some flavor!"

"Lieutenant, are you joking? There can't possibly be Rank 5 meat here. And if I use that much salt, it'll be too salty."

"..."

At that moment, Legia truly wanted to slit Jamie's throat. The man's mouth couldn't stop retorting.

Legia then stared sharply at Jamie and ordered him to eat his food without complaining.

If Jamie didn't do it, Legia guaranteed that they would spar together tonight. And not just for one or two rounds, Legia promised to make Jamie unable to get up for three days.

Under that threat, Jamie could only swallow the food without chewing. He no longer cared whether it was tasty or not. All he could think about was his own life.

While Jamie lamented his misery, their other comrade approached. He sat down and handed a letter to Legia.

"Lieutenant, a response from the Commander has just arrived!"

"Oh, thank you, Sam."

The man named Sam glanced over at Jamie, who looked pale.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just let him be... he just narrowly avoided cruel torture."

Legia interrupted, answering Sam's question while opening a letter from his superior.

"?"

Sam was confused, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and not inquire further about the oddity before him.

'It's better to stay silent than become a victim of the Lieutenant's savagery.'

Sam looked sympathetically at Jamie.

Legia read the letter from her superior. For several minutes, she read in silence. After finishing, she put the letter back into the envelope and got up from her seat.

"Get ready. We're leaving Marina before nightfall."

"Where to?"

"Where else? Home. We're returning to Ethyria."

In the letter sent by her superior, Commander Kataleya, it was explained that the Commander was still undergoing treatment after participating in the war in Blackwinter.

It would take another one or two weeks for her to recover fully.

For now, Kirana would be better off recuperating in Blackwinter and monitoring the developments in Huntara.

Kirana instructed Legia and her companions, who were in Marina, to return to Westya first.

They were to report the conditions and situations directly to Duke Grenhall regarding the mission they had undertaken.

In the letter, Kirana also wrote about the actions taken by herself and others in aiding the war in Blackwinter. She instructed Legia to deliver the letter to Duke Grenhall.

It should be noted that Sonic Bird could send messages from Blackwinter to Marina due to their close proximity and the fact that both cities were border towns.

Unfortunately, Kirana couldn't send the letter directly to Westya because her Sonic Bird would be shot down if it passed through the Kingdom of Farnodt.

At present, the situation in Farnodt is still chaotic.

They still cannot trust Huntara or, to be more accurate, they refuse to acknowledge their own mistakes in executing Huntara's citizens.

Farnodt is currently isolating itself. They fear that news of their actions will reach the ears of Huntara's leaders.

The large kingdom in the north would consider Farnodt's heinous acts as a reason for war.

Therefore, until now, any Sonic Bird passing through the Kingdom of Farnodt, regardless of its origin, would be shot down.

What lies ahead for the fate of Farnodt Kingdom? No one knows.

However, for now, it is known that some high-ranking officials of the kingdom have been engaged in diplomatic efforts with several other kingdoms, including Huntara.

Legia pays no attention to Farnodt's fate.

She herself is disgusted by the persecution carried out by the people of this kingdom. Right now, she just wants to return and get out of the conflict in the north.

All of this is too exhausting.

"Ah... It feels so good to live in Death Valley. Free from the conflicts of the world..."

***

Elsewhere, far away from the conflicts in northern Kastia,

Located in the westernmost city of Wetya, Almarin.

A middle-aged woman was teaching in a classroom within an orphanage.

The orphanage bore the emblem of an owl named C-Owl.

The middle-aged woman was teaching basic mathematics to the children in front of her. The children, aged six to ten, were very enthusiastic about learning from their teacher.

It brought a happy smile to the woman's face. But when the class ended in the evening, and the children immediately went off to play, the teacher's smile faded. Her expression turned serious as she saw a young man enter the empty classroom.

"What's the matter, Arl?"

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am. Our agent informed us that Baron Millard and his guards have started to move."

"Hm? Move... to where?"

"From their intended direction. Most likely to the Land of the Sands."

"Mandora, huh~ Hmmm..."

Ethel Kataleya, the middle-aged woman, seemed to ponder for a moment before something came to her mind.

"Ah~ any news from Ashur? If I remember correctly, at this time, the auction in that city is usually held."

"Ashur?"

Arl briefly recalled all the information he had received in the past few days. "Hmm, I'm not sure if we have received any reports from our agent in Ashur yet."

"Well, if that's the case, then there hasn't been any news yet. It's alright, if they indeed went to Ashur, there's a good chance they're just there for business. It's been a routine activity for the Millard Family. I myself have been there twice with Cien. It's a beautiful city with friendly smiles from its residents."

"Very well, Madam."

"Oh, but let our men in Ashur know, they can keep an eye out but they mustn't let their emotions get the better of them. Aish, these orphaned children always get furious whenever they see the Millard Family."

Ethel remembered many incidents where the now-adult children from the orphanage she used to run would always find trouble with the Millard Family.

Resolving those issues wasn't difficult, but it was annoying. If possible, Ethel wanted to avoid it.

Ethel could only smile bitterly as she recalled the behavior of those children.

"What can we do, Madam? I myself get enraged when I think about how they treated you and Young Miss. Not to mention, our Master… They have—"

"Stop, Arl. Revenge can be sought, but it shouldn't become our ultimate goal. I believe Cien up there wouldn't want to see us consumed by vengeance."

"..."

Arl couldn't say anything. The pain he felt after losing Cien, the man he considered his own father, was incomparable to the pain Ethel experienced.

Ethel not only lost her husband, but she also lost her wealth and her family.

For unclear reasons, the Kataleya Family was accused of embezzling money from the Millard Family.

They presented evidence that Ethel had been embezzling money while she was Cien's wife.

The Kataleya Family knew that Ethel was innocent. They insisted that the evidence provided by the Millards was fake.

Ethel's parents even intended to report the issue to the authorities in the southern region.

But unexpectedly, before their message arrived. Mysterious people came over and the Kataleya Family vanished from Westya.

Everyone except two people: Ethel and Kirana. Prior to the massacre, they had been hidden by Ethel's parents, fearing that they would be forcefully captured by the Millards.

Unbeknownst to them, their parents' actions had actually saved Ethel's life.

Ethel and Kirana were immersed in confusion.

They had no idea what had truly happened. What made the Millard Family get rid of Cien and the Kataleya Family? What did they really want?

In that difficult time, someone from Duke Grenhall's side arrived at the Kataleya residence. They found Ethel and Kirana there. This person brought a letter from Duke Grenhall.

The letter stated that Ethel owned an institution. An institution in the form of an orphanage that Cien had established and built not under the name of the Millard Family.

C-Owl was established under the name of Ethel Kataleya.

When Ethel learned this and inherited ownership of C-Owl, she couldn't believe that her husband had still protected her even in death.

From that moment on, Ethel began to rebuild her strength. And C-Owl grew to become the largest orphanage in Westya.