Volume 2

Chapter 17: Imo-modoki and Croquettes 

Several days passed after the incident with the Inquisition Knights.

One morning, Raphiel—rarely enough—woke up earlier than Grana and tilted her head curiously when she saw what I was wearing.

“Eight, why are you wearing a tracksuit so early in the morning?

“I’m going to help harvest crops in the village today.”

“Harvesting…?”

To be perfectly honest—

After buying an absurd amount of chicken for the recent banquet, my stockpile of points had started shrinking.

Not enough to put me in financial trouble or anything, but having extra savings never hurts.

So when I asked the village chief if there was any work I could help with, he told me it just so happened to be harvest season and asked if I could lend a hand.

Lucky me.

“Ah, breakfast for Grana-san is on the table too, so just heat it up and eat whenever she wakes up.”

“…Hm. I wish to come as well, so please wait a moment.”

“Eh? Ah, sure.”

The moment she said that, Raphiel dashed toward the living room.

A few minutes later—less than three, honestly—she returned.

Already changed?

…Or so I thought.

Instead, Raphiel was stuffing breakfast into her cheeks, chewing noisily.

No, wait.

You went to eat first!?

“Reh ush goh.”
(“Then let us go.”)

“I’ll wait, so please swallow what’s in your mouth first and change into clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.”

A short while later, Raphiel reappeared wearing one of my old tracksuits she had pulled out of my dresser.

Honestly, it looked surprisingly good on her.

Then again, attractive people can probably make anything look fashionable.

“By the way, Eight. What is that shield for?”

“Oh, this? It’s a riot shield. Farms are dangerous places, after all.”

“…What do you mean, dangerous?”

“Eh? Raphiel-san, you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

Still looking confused, Raphiel followed me all the way to the village chief’s field.

“Morning, Chief.”

“Ohh, Eight. And Saintess-sama as well. Good morning.”

“Village Chief, Eight is saying strange things. Something about farms being dangerous.”

“Ahh, that would be because—”

And then it happened.

A potato suddenly burst out of the soil and launched itself at the village chief from behind.

“Hm. Close, but not quite. If you wish to kill me, you must learn not to leak bloodlust.”

Without even turning around, the village chief casually sidestepped the attack and snatched the flying potato out of the air one-handed.

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t really paid attention before, but the chief’s movements were ridiculously refined.

Like some martial arts grandmaster.

Honestly, after seeing this, it made complete sense that he could fight Inquisition Knights by himself.

“And that is…?”

“A monster known as an Imo-modoki.”

Imo-modoki.

A monster that disguises itself among potato crops and devours harvests while blending in perfectly with the field.

Visually, it looked exactly like a potato.

I hated Imo-modoki with every fiber of my being.

The first time I helped with harvesting, one of them ambushed me from behind and put me through absolute hell.

“I had no idea such a monster existed.”

“They only appear around these parts,” the chief explained. “Imo-modoki attempt to lay eggs on people’s backs, so please be careful, Saintess-sama.”

“I possess divine protection. A monster of this level would vaporize simply by approaching me.”

…Excuse me?

What kind of overpowered cheat ability is that?
I’m jealous.

“For the record,” the chief added with a chuckle, “Eight developed murderous intent toward Imo-modoki after once having eggs laid on him.”

“I will crush every last one of them with this riot shield.”

“I am sensing a level of killing intent from Eight I have never witnessed before.”

“I suffered greatly.”

If the eggs hatch, they become life-threatening.

Fortunately, if removed immediately, there’s no real danger.

The problem was—

It hurt so unbelievably badly that I thought I was dying.

Ever since experiencing that agony, I had sworn to exterminate every Imo-modoki in Papel Village.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

“WHERE ARE YOU, IMODOKI!? I’LL WIPE EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU OUT!!”

While shouting battle cries worthy of a revenge-driven protagonist, I dug through the soil harvesting potatoes and searching for hidden Imo-modoki.

Nearby, Raphiel suddenly held something up.

“This potato is enormous.”

“Hm? Oh wow, you’re right. Nice weight to it too—it looks delicious. Village Chief, mind if we take this one home?”

“Oh, not at all. We’ve got mountains of them. Take as many as you like.”

The chief tossed a heap of potatoes into a basket and handed it over.

Looks like dinner tonight was going to be potato-themed.

“…Eight. I just remembered something.”

“What is it?”

“I dislike potatoes.”

“Eh? Really?”

Raphiel nodded solemnly.

“I ate potatoes every single day at the temple. Frankly, I grew tired of them. Though side dishes like the ones served with the hamburg steak before are acceptable.”

“Ahh, so you don’t hate them—you’re just sick of them. What kind of potato dishes did the temple serve?”

“Steamed potatoes with salt.”

…Simple.

I liked potatoes plenty, but even I’d probably get tired of eating that every day.

“Then today, I’ll make the most delicious potato dish you’ve ever had.”

By then, it was already nearing lunchtime, so I temporarily suspended my Imo-modoki extermination campaign and headed home to prepare food.

The ingredients were simple:

Potatoes.
Onions.
Ground mixed meat.
Salt and pepper.
Soy sauce.
Flour.
Eggs.
Breadcrumbs.

First, I peeled the potatoes, placed them in a heatproof container, wrapped it, and microwaved them.

While that heated, I finely chopped onions and sautéed them in a frying pan.

Once the onions softened, I added the ground meat, seasoning it lightly with salt, pepper, and a splash of soy sauce.

Then I tossed in the softened potatoes and mashed everything together.

“Now shape them nicely and…”

After coating them in flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs in that order, I deep-fried them in oil heated to 180 degrees.

Once the coating turned a beautiful golden brown—

“Croquettes complete!!”

Wrapping the freshly fried croquettes in kitchen paper, I sprinted back toward the fields while they were still hot.

Then I handed one directly to Raphiel.

“Eight, what is this? It smells wonderfully fragrant.”

“They’re croquettes. They’re fresh out of the fryer, so be careful—they’re hot.”

“Fuu… fuu… fuu…”

Raphiel carefully blew on the croquette several times before finally taking a bite.

The instant she bit into it—

Her eyes widened dramatically.

“—It’s crispy!! The outside is wonderfully crunchy while the inside is soft and fluffy!! The faint umami from the meat has soaked into the potato, creating an incredibly addictive texture and flavor!!”

“They’re also good with soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce if you want.”

“Hmm? Eight, where are ours?” the village chief interrupted.

“Ah, I’ll bring more right away, so please wait.”

And so, I ended up serving croquettes to everyone helping out in the fields.

After all, delicious food tastes best when shared together.

Then—

“…Hm.”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Raphiel-san?”

“…Nothing. I merely sensed someone watching us. A very unpleasant gaze.”

“Don’t tell me it’s an Imo-modoki!? WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE—!! I’LL TURN YOU INTO MINCED MEAT AND DEEP-FRY YOU!!”

“It is not that sort of thing… though I have already blocked it, so there is no issue.”

…Blocked it?

Blocked what?

◇ ◆ ◇

Far beyond the northern seas—

At the center of the Demon Continent stood the castle of the Demon Lord.

And seated upon its throne was a young girl.

A breathtakingly beautiful girl with striking two-toned hair split perfectly down the middle into pure white and jet black, accompanied by vivid crimson eyes.

“Ah!? My Clairvoyance Magic got blocked!? Grrr, as expected of Saintess-chan!! Her anti-peeping defenses are flawless!”

“Demon Lord-sama.”

“More importantly, what was that!? That dish Saintess-chan was eating—cro-whatever—it looked super delicious!!”

“Demon Lord-sama!!”

“Hm? What is it, Gramps?”

The one addressing the girl as Demon Lord was—

A slime.

Among monsters, slimes were considered the absolute weakest species.

“Several monsters have gathered wishing to defeat Demon Lord-sama and become the next Demon Lord.”

“Ehhh? What a pain…”

The girl rose lazily from her throne and stepped gracefully onto the balcony.

Below her stretched an overwhelming horde of monsters packed tightly together, all directing murderous intent toward her.

In the world of monsters, strength was everything.

Even the title of Demon Lord could be stolen through sheer power.

Which was why, day after day, monsters gathered seeking her life.

“Okay. Done.”

The girl casually snapped her fingers.

In that instant—

The countless monsters below disintegrated into dust and vanished without leaving even a trace behind.

“As magnificent as ever, Demon Lord-sama.”

“You already know this level of stuff is easy for me, Gramps. More importantly, I’m hungry.”

“I have prepared a grand feast today.”

“Really!? Yay!!”

Excited, the girl hurried toward the dining hall and eagerly waited for the meal to arrive.

Then the servants presented the main dish.

“Today’s specialty is a freshly severed dragon head!!”

“…It’s raw.”

“Freshness is the finest seasoning.”

“I’m sick of this already!! It’s always meat, meat, meat!! I want sweets!! I wanna eat that ‘Korokke’ thing Saintess-chan was eating!!”

“Grrr! If you want to eat the Saintess’s food so badly, then go become a child of her household already!!”

The childish tantrum stopped instantly.

The Demon Lord froze.

The slime tilted its body in confusion.

Then—

“Gramps, that’s genius!! Starting today, I’m becoming part of that family!!”

“Eh? W-Wait, Demon Lord-sama!?”

“I’ll give you some time off too, Gramps, so enjoy your vacation while I’m gone!!”

With that, the girl leapt from the castle window.

In midair, enormous black wings spread from her back as she soared into the sky.

Her destination—

The Kingdom of Elde.