Chapter 31: The Hamburger, the Assassin, and the Massacre
“Well then, shall we get started?”
Eight rolled up his sleeves and lined the ingredients across the kitchen counter.
First came the vegetables.
He thoroughly washed the lettuce before tearing it into crisp bite-sized pieces by hand. Then he sliced the tomatoes into evenly thick rounds, arranging them neatly on a tray.
Next came the patties.
For a moment, he considered using the usual mixture of ground beef and pork like he had when making hamburg steaks before.
This time, however, he decided to use something different.
Dragon meat.
Specifically, the dragon meat Eve had brought as a souvenir when she first arrived.
“Oi, Eight-niichan!”
Just then, the village chief arrived carrying a large sack filled with potatoes.
Behind him trailed Luca and several of the village children.
“I heard from Grandpa!” Luca shouted excitedly. “I wanna eat something delicious too!”
“I came because I wanted some as well!” Nora declared proudly.
“Eight-niichan, is there anything we can help with?”
Since today’s recipe didn’t involve particularly difficult steps, Eight had originally planned to let the children simply wait.
Unfortunately, that plan didn’t survive very long.
“Hey, Eight! I heard you’re throwing a welcome party for the new girl!”
“We brought vegetables from our farm!”
“Come on, feed us too!”
“I even brought some alcohol! It’s not from your world, but it’s good stuff!”
“Oh my, is that the little girl the chief was talking about? She’s adorable!”
“Children these days certainly grow up quickly…”
Apparently, the village chief had gone around telling everyone about Amate’s welcome party.
One after another, the residents of Papel Village began gathering.
Before long, the house and yard were bustling with activity.
“Eight-niichan, want us to help?”
Luca grinned confidently.
Eight looked around at the eager faces.
Then he sighed.
“…Would you?”
“Heh. Leave it to us!”
And so the children joined the cooking effort.
“Luca, wash and tear the lettuce. Nora, slice the tomatoes. Rio…”
Eight looked toward the quiet girl.
“Would you help me run the dragon meat through the meat grinder?”
“Okay!”
Rio’s face instantly brightened.
“Hehe… working together with Eight-niichan… hehe…”
“Eh!? I wanted to use the crank too—”
Luca abruptly fell silent.
“Hm?”
For a split second, Eight thought he saw something frightening flash across Rio’s eyes as she stared at Luca.
But it vanished so quickly that he convinced himself it must have been his imagination.
Rio was a good kid, after all.
Together, they fed chunks of dragon meat into the grinder.
Rio grasped the handle and began turning it.
“Hup… and… turn…”
“That’s right. Just keep it moving steadily.”
Before long, finely minced dragon meat emerged from the machine.
Eight mixed in onions he had already sautéed and finely chopped.
After seasoning everything with salt and pepper, he shaped the mixture into patties and placed them onto a frying pan.
The process wasn’t much different from making hamburg steaks.
However, before covering the pan and allowing the patties to steam, he added a generous layer of melting cheese on top.
That way, by the time the patties finished cooking, the cheese would be perfectly melted as well.
After that came the buns.
Purchased through mail order, lightly buttered, then toasted until golden brown.
Once everything was ready, Eight assembled them.
“Bottom bun, mayonnaise, cheese-covered patty, lettuce, mayonnaise, tomato, mayonnaise, another cheese-covered patty, and finally the top bun!”
The towering hamburger was complete.
For the side dish, he cut potatoes into thin strips and soaked them in water for fifteen minutes before frying them until crisp and sprinkling them with salt.
French fries.
Perfect.
A selection of carbonated drinks and juices had already been prepared.
There were no weaknesses in this meal.
“Everyone! It’s ready!”
“““OOOOHHH!”””
The crowd erupted in excitement.
Immediately, people began grabbing hamburgers.
Raphiel took a large bite.
“The crispness of the lettuce, the slight acidity of the tomato, the richness of the mayonnaise, the depth of the cheese, and the flavor of the meat are all combining inside my mouth!”
She nodded repeatedly.
“Delicious.”
“I can’t believe this is made from that tough dragon meat!”
“I love this!” Eve declared. “And these fries are amazing too! Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside!”
The hamburgers were an overwhelming success.
Everyone seemed delighted.
Still, today’s guest of honor wasn’t the villagers.
It was Amate.
If she didn’t enjoy it, the party couldn’t truly be called a success.
Amate carefully picked up the hamburger with both hands.
The burger looked almost too large for her small frame.
“…”
She opened her mouth.
Took a bite.
And began chewing.
The sight somehow reminded Eight of a hamster nibbling on a sunflower seed.
It was ridiculously cute.
“Hm… mgh…”
Her eyes widened.
“T-This is delicious!”
“I’m glad.”
Eight smiled.
“Ah, you’ve got ketchup on the corner of your mouth.”
He gently wiped it away with a tissue.
“A-Ah… thank you very much.”
She thanked him in a tiny voice.
Seriously.
This girl was adorable.
Then, for some reason, Rio suddenly looked at him with an unreadable expression.
“Eight-niichan.”
“Hm?”
“What exactly is your relationship with this girl?”
“Eh?”
The question caught him completely off guard.
“Well, it’s not like—”
“Amate was born from the shrine I created.”
A familiar voice interrupted.
“WHOA!”
Eight nearly jumped out of his chair.
“H-Hinoka! Don’t just pop out of nowhere!”
Hinoka had suddenly emerged from Amate’s shadow.
She looked entirely pleased with herself.
“Since Eight is my husband, it would be appropriate to describe Amate as his daughter.”
“Daughter?”
Rio blinked.
“…I see.”
A strange look entered her eyes.
Then she slowly approached Amate.
Gently taking the girl’s hand, she smiled.
“Then you can call me Mama.”
“Fweh?”
Amate froze.
“M-Mama?”
“Oh?”
Hinoka’s eyes narrowed.
“For a mere child, you have considerable nerve.”
“H-Hinoka and Rio, what’s gotten into you two?”
The atmosphere between them crackled.
Eight could have sworn he saw sparks flying.
“Why are you two staring at each other like that?”
“…Eight-niichan.”
Luca sighed.
“Being too dense isn’t always a good thing.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
Eight genuinely had no idea.
Still…
The welcome party itself had clearly been a huge success.
That was what mattered.
At least, that’s what he thought.
“A-Ah, Eight-sama?”
“Hm? What is it, Amate?”
The little goddess hesitated nervously.
Then she looked up at him.
“Um… should I perhaps call you Father?”
“…!?”
Eight froze.
For some reason…
He suddenly felt like he really had become Amate’s father.
◇ ◆ ◇
Late that night.
The villagers had long since returned home.
The lively celebration was over.
Silence blanketed Papel Village.
Only the sounds of insects and the distant wind disturbed the darkness.
Around Eight’s house, however, numerous shadowy figures moved quietly.
Each one was armed.
Each one concealed their identity.
“This is the house where the Saintess resides?”
“So we’ve confirmed.”
“I see.”
The apparent leader nodded.
“Then proceed according to plan. Eliminate the Saintess—the obstacle standing in the way of our long-cherished goal.”
“Yes, sir.”
One of the assassins hesitated.
“What about the others living in the house?”
“Kill them all.”
The order came without hesitation.
The group drew their weapons and began advancing toward the property.
Then—
“E-Excuse me…”
“““!?”””
A small voice echoed through the darkness.
The assassins spun around.
Standing behind them was a young girl.
A child.
At some point, she had appeared without a single one of them noticing.
Witnesses could not be allowed to live.
One assassin immediately raised his sword.
“Sorry, kid.”
The blade pointed toward Amate.
“But witnesses need to disappear.”
“Eh?”
Amate looked startled.
“Um… no thank you.”
“You don’t get a choice.”
“I see.”
Amate slowly raised a finger.
“Then—”
The next instant—
Sizzle.
The sound resembled a droplet of water striking a scorching-hot pan.
Countless holes suddenly appeared throughout the assassin’s body.
One pierced directly through his head.
He died instantly.
The body collapsed without resistance.
The remaining assassins froze.
Nobody understood what had happened.
“…Huh?”
“W-What was that?”
Amate lowered her hand.
Then she spoke timidly.
“Um… could you please go home?”
Her voice was soft.
Almost pleading.
“If you do, I won’t make you end up like him.”
“Everyone!”
The leader shouted.
“Attack her!”
Ignoring her request, the assassins surrounded the girl from all sides.
Amate lowered her head.
“Today was a very good day.”
“…What is this brat talking about?”
“Father patted my head a lot.”
A faint smile appeared on her face.
“I made friends too.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“It was a happy day.”
The assassins closed in.
“Kill her!”
“I wanted it to end as a happy day.”
Through the gap in her bangs, golden eyes shone softly.
Then the little guardian deity spoke.
In a gentle voice.
With terrible finality.
“Please die.”
The battle ended before it truly began.
No—
It was a massacre.
Beams of light burst from Amate’s fingertips.
The rays ricocheted through the darkness like reflections in a hall of mirrors.
Every shot found its target.
Every shot pierced a skull.
One after another, the assassins collapsed.
Only a single survivor remained.
“U-Um…”
Amate looked apologetic.
“I left one of you alive. I’d like to know who sent you.”
“T-To hell with that!”
The surviving assassin turned and fled.
“I won’t let you capture me!”
“Ah!”
Amate panicked.
“P-Please don’t run!”
Light flashed again.
The assassin screamed.
“GAAH!”
Precise beams pierced both his arms and legs.
His weapons fell from numb fingers.
His body crashed into the ground.
Completely immobilized.
As the village slept peacefully through the night, the little guardian goddess stood alone beneath the moonlight.
Watching over the home she had sworn to protect.