Side story: Sheila’s Perspective 2

Four days have already passed since I started living a life of helping with farm work while carrying out my duty of guarding Sato-san.

Maybe it’s because there’s no one else around other than Sato-san, but I’ve been able to enjoy a very laid-back lifestyle.

Growing crops is enjoyable, and so is playing in the natural surroundings of the hill behind the house in the afternoons. 

Although I can’t fully immerse myself in play due to the pretext of my guard duty, I’ve been gathering wild plants and berries while keeping an eye on Sato-san.

Today, as usual, after finishing farm work, we headed to the back hill to have some fun, but this time, Sato-san brought along a fishing rod.

I’d noticed him working on something during the evenings, and it turns out he was making this fishing rod.

The enthusiasm he showed for catching fish seems to have come from the effort he put into crafting it.
Understanding the reason behind it warmed my heart as I followed behind him, climbing the back hill—when I suddenly heard the sound of something rustling through the bushes in the distance.

That sound… it’s probably a Fang Deer.

A monster with sharp fangs and an aggressive disposition, but weak enough that even farmers can hunt it.

It’s well-known for being unintelligent and only able to move in straight lines, making it easy to trap.
Even children aren’t afraid of this monster, but Sato-san seemed genuinely terrified.

“Th-the sound’s really close now. A-are you sure we’ll be okay?”
“We’ll be fine. Hehe, Sato-san, you’re surprisingly scared, aren’t you?”

I know I shouldn’t think this, but Sato-san is kind of adorable, even though he’s a grown man.

He’s more than a decade older than me, and I’d never say it out loud, but his kind demeanor makes me feel that way.

I stepped in front to protect the frightened Sato-san, moving ahead cautiously. Sure enough, we soon spotted the Fang Deer straight ahead.
It was a fairly large one, but size doesn’t matter—it’s still just a Fang Deer.
I can take it down without any trouble.

“It’s a Fang Deer, just as I thought. It’s not a particularly dangerous monster.”
“Wh-what!? T-that thing’s not dangerous!?”

Hearing Sato-san’s panicked voice from behind made me smile as I calmly approached the Fang Deer.
The monster noticed me, baring its menacing fangs to show its intent to attack. But knowing its attacks are linear makes it easy to handle.

I waited until the last moment, letting it get close, then used its momentum to swiftly slash its neck.
Blood spurted out, and the Fang Deer collapsed instantly, lifeless.

As expected, it was nothing more than a large, unimpressive monster.
I felt a bit disappointed by the lack of challenge as I turned around—only to see Sato-san sitting on the ground, unable to move.

It’s a monster even children wouldn’t fear, but Sato-san seemed genuinely terrified.
I didn’t mean to mock him, but I couldn’t help but let my expression soften.

Seeing me suppressing laughter, Sato-san began praising me earnestly, his eyes sparkling like a child’s.
I suppose in a world without monsters, this kind of reaction is normal. Still, being showered with praise for defeating something as trivial as a Fang Deer made me feel embarrassed.

From that point on, Sato-san kept looking at me with admiration and repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
He seemed so distracted that he couldn’t focus on fishing, ending up with no catch at all. But as long as he had fun, that’s what mattered.

The next day.

Just as Sato-san mentioned yesterday, the crops we planted on the first day had grown and ripened.

It seems absurdly fast for them to mature, but even so, seeing something you nurtured grow is truly delightful.
With a relaxed smile, I joined Sato-san in harvesting the ripe vegetables.

Since moving into this villa, I’ve been smiling more, even I can tell.
With Sato-san lifting the burden of my guard duty and allowing me to relax, this is the first time since leaving home that I’ve been able to truly be myself.

Because of this, my obsession with combat-related professions, which I once held onto so tightly, is beginning to fade.
It’s strange, but I’m even starting to think it wouldn’t be so bad to live peacefully here like this.

It’s only been less than a week since this lifestyle began, so I know it’s too soon to make such decisions. But I feel deeply grateful for the fulfilling life I’m leading.
With those thoughts, I quietly harvested the crimson-red vegetables called “tomatoes.”

I’ve seen red vegetables before, but not ones this vividly red. They don’t look particularly appetizing to me.
According to Sato-san, they’re versatile and very delicious, but is that really true?

He said he’d prepare some for me to eat tonight. So, with a mix of apprehension and excitement, I continued my work. Before I knew it, we’d finished harvesting all the ripe vegetables.

We’d planted more Crackdraffs than tomatoes, but since tomatoes produce many fruits from a single stem, we managed to gather quite a lot.

With the remaining tasks left to Sato-san, I was allowed to head back early.

After taking a bath and getting ready, I waited in the living room. Soon, a delicious aroma wafted in from the kitchen, making my stomach rumble in anticipation.

A scent I had never encountered before.

Could this aroma really be coming from the tomatoes?

Unable to resist my curiosity, and despite knowing it was improper, I peeked into the kitchen.

Hmm… It wasn’t just tomatoes; there were unfamiliar ingredients being used too, and from this angle, I couldn’t tell what was what.

As I fidgeted in anticipation, it seemed the cooking was finally done. Sato-san brought over the dishes, now beautifully plated.

There was a bright red, appetizing dish, and another that looked like it was simply fried Crack Draft vegetables.

Typically, bright red dishes wouldn’t stimulate my appetite, but my stomach growled as if demanding I eat it immediately.

Sato-san seemed to feel the same, and he completed the pre-meal greeting much faster than usual.

Mimicking Sato-san, I took a bite of the dish called “meat sauce spaghetti,” and as soon as it touched my tongue, I was overwhelmed by its rich, savory flavour.

The astonishing, unfamiliar deliciousness left my cheeks feeling warm and tingly as I stuffed more of the meat sauce spaghetti into my mouth.

Relishing the delightful flavours that spread with every bite, I couldn’t help but continue shovelling it in, despite feeling a small pang of regret at the thought of finishing it too quickly. My hands just wouldn’t stop.

“It’s so delicious… I might just die! Is this something that’s commonly eaten in your world? Not even in the royal castle have I ever tasted something this incredible!”

“I’m glad you liked it. In my world, this was actually a very ordinary dish. It was even considered inexpensive.”

“This was cheap!? I can’t believe that… it’s hard to imagine!”

I’d thought it was some kind of otherworldly high-class cuisine, but according to Sato-san, it was just a normal dish.

Still reeling from that revelation, I reached for the other dish.

I dipped it in the red sauce before taking a bite, and it turned out to be just as amazing.

The soft, fluffy texture was perfectly complemented by the right amount of saltiness.

The ketchup-like sauce paired wonderfully, enhancing the natural flavour of the ingredients while creating an addictive taste that made it hard to stop eating.

If I had to choose, I’d say the meat sauce spaghetti was my favourite, but these fried potatoes were easily the second-best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.

By the time I had finished everything, I was completely full. Yet I also felt an odd sense of sadness that I couldn’t eat anymore.

Still… it was absolutely delicious.

The flavour was something that couldn’t be achieved with the ingredients from this world.

Earlier, I had half-jokingly thought that I might be fine with this lifestyle, but if I could have this kind of cooking even once a month—
I’d be willing to guard Sato-san for the rest of my life.

That’s how completely my stomach was won over.

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