The First Step: Survival (6)

The three women's eyes went wide once more. Their horror, disbelief, and even disgust were all evident on their faces—plain and unrestrained.

"W-what did you just say... b-butler...?" Martha stammered, unable to believe the words that had come out of Sebas's mouth.

"We can eat those~," Sebas replied, his enigmatic smile unfaltering as he repeated himself without a single shred of hesitation, still pointing toward the pile of monster carcasses.

"Are you serious...?!" the knight exclaimed, her disbelief slowly turning to anger as she directed it at the butler. "Do you honestly expect Lady Anastasia to consume... that?!"

"Of course."

"Don't be absurd, you damn scoundrel butler!" she barked at him, her voice rising higher as she confronted him directly. "I don't know what kind of twisted logic is running through your head, but asking Lady Anastasia to eat monster meat is outrageous! She's a noblewoman, for the gods' sake!!!"

"You sure? But these 'monsters' are quite the high-quality ingredient, you know?"

"Like hell they are!"

Her anger rose by the second, still unable to believe the words he'd spouted. But...

"Martha, please calm down," Lady Anastasia interjected, her voice steady yet commanding enough to cut through the tension.

"B-but, my lady... you shouldn't—"

"I understand your concern, Martha," Anastasia said firmly, her tone softening only slightly. "I know you're looking out for me, but you mustn't let your emotions cloud our judgment. In this unforgiving region, we can't afford to dismiss any possibility of survival... even one as unconventional as this."

Martha opened her mouth to protest further, but the words caught in her throat. She clenched her fists for a moment, clearly struggling to suppress her frustration...

And eventually, she backed away from the butler, allowing Lady Anastasia herself to face him.

Lady Anastasia cleared her throat before finally speaking to him, slightly lowering her head in apology.

"Sir Sebas... please forgive my knight's outburst."

"All forgiven~."

"... Thank you," she said gratefully, relieved by his graciousness. Her expression then turned serious as she looked up to meet his gaze. "But still... I would like to know if what you have spoken is true, Sir Sebas."

"About eating monsters' meat?"

"Yes... Are they truly... edible?"

"They are~," Sebas answered cheerfully. "They're actually a pretty decent ingredient. Some, I dare confidently say, rival even the top-quality beef in the capital~."

"..."

Anastasia fell silent, still somewhat doubting his words.

She had heard a few vague tales about the possibility of eating monster meat, mostly from the accounts of adventurers. Unfortunately, however, all of them had described monster meat as rather... unpalatable.

Edible, yes... but it was not something you would desire on your dinner table—especially not in the upper echelons of society.

"Sir Sebas... I've heard of monsters' meat being... 'impossible' to cook properly. Are you certain that we could consume it?"

"Absolutely, my lady," Sebas assured her with a confident nod. "I've cooked thousands of them in my lifetime and mastered many ways to properly prepare almost every monster in the world~!"

"... Truly?"

"Truly so~," he assured her once more, his confident grin never leaving his face. "If you like, I can show you ladies how to prepare and cook monster meat to make it a delicacy."

"I see... In that case..."

Anastasia turned toward her maid, who was still eyeing the pile of monster carcasses with unease, visibly agitated at the prospect of consuming them.

"Bella, please, come here."

"A-ah, yes, my Lady!" Bella stammered, hurriedly moving to her mistress's side.

"Sir Sebas... I would like for you to share your cooking knowledge with Bella."

"W-what...?!"

Bella gasped in surprise, her eyes widening at her mistress's sudden proposal...!

"M-my lady... you wish for me to learn how to cook... monster meat?" she asked, still taken aback.

"Indeed," Lady Anastasia confirmed, nodding gracefully. "Your skill in the culinary arts has always been exceptional, Bella."

"...!"

A gasp escaped the maid's lips, taken aback by her mistress's sudden compliment.

"I have no doubt that you can prepare even ingredients as unusual as these. Thus... I trust you completely and believe you are the perfect person to learn this from Sir Sebas."

"My lady..."

Bella was touched by her mistress's words, ever grateful for her trust. She swallowed her uncertainty, then took a breath, straightening her posture.

"I... I understand, my Lady!" She replied, determination filling her voice before turning toward the butler. "Sir Sebas, please, teach me all that you know...!"

Sebas gave a simple thumbs-up of approval, smiling at Miss Maid's determination.

However, before they could move on to their cooking lesson...

"Excuse me, Lady Anastasia, Bella... and butler too..."

Martha's voice interrupted, catching their attention. A worried expression was etched all over the knight's visage.

"Yes, Martha?" Anastasia asked, curious. "Is there something the matter? Do you still perhaps object to consuming monster meat?"

"U-uh, no, my Lady! I do not dare object to your decision...! However, that is... not my concern right now..."

"What is it then? Please speak your concern, Martha."

"Ah yes, My Lady! Well... my concern is..."

The knight hesitated for a moment, her gaze drifting toward the towering pile of dead monsters.

"... can we even consume all of this monster meat before it goes bad?"

A heavy silence descended over the group. The knight's question hung in the air, forcing them all to confront the glaring flaw in their situation.

And slowly...

The ladies' eyes turned back toward the butler, the very man responsible for the massacre of those monsters.

Sebas, who had exuded nothing but confidence until now, froze for a moment. His enigmatic smile faltered for the first time as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah... right... well, you see..." he began, his gaze subtly shifting away from theirs. "I... may not have thought that far ahead."

"..."

Their expressions twitched upon hearing his excuse. They hadn't expected that their all-powerful and all-resourceful butler had overlooked such an obvious concern.

Martha opened her mouth, ready to voice her complaint, when her nose caught the heavy stench of iron—blood—from the pile of dead monsters...!

"Ugh... the smell is getting worse...! With all this smell, it's only a matter of time before it attracts more—"

ROOOOAAAARRR!!!

"... Monsters..."