Chapter 508: Haulon’s Break
“Did you really expect Haulon to end up like this?” Retze sighed, glancing at Haulon, who was slumped over the table.
I mean, I figured Retze would be fine, but I did wonder if Haulon would shout or collapse. At the same time, I thought he’d be okay with Retze around, but I guess there are limits to how much he can help in public. Or does he just not shout when there are people around?
As soon as we returned to Kanum, Haulon buried his face in the table, not moving an inch. It seemed he had exhausted all his energy. So this is what happens when you don’t shout?
“You might have forgotten, but unlike me, Haulon is bound by an Oath Document not to talk about your abilities or act in a way that would lead to any predictions,” Retze pointed out.
“Oh. Now that you mention it, Rudil did show up.”
Wait, hold on! I demand the release of my cheeks!
“Sure, it’s partly because the cat is too clever, but if you throw in something unexpected like the Spirit King, it’s bound to throw him off. You should have given a proper heads-up.”
“Right.”
With Captain Cat’s comment about knowing what it is and whether it’s standard for contracts to bring it up, could it be that we’re receiving some sort of penalty from the Spirit?
“Is Haulon okay?”
“…I’m in bad shape, both mentally and physically.”
That’s not good!
“Anyway, it’s lunchtime. How about a warm little pot?”
I’ll undo the Oath Document later.
If we go to the island, it’s going to be a big deal with just Soleil and me. I thought that as I set the late lunch on the table.
“I won’t stop you from trusting Haulon since Karn is here, but don’t loosen the restraints too quickly, okay? Just because there’s a Silence Oath doesn’t mean you should spill everything to your contract partner.”
Retze said as he reached for his tea.
“Got it.”
How did he know I was planning to undo Haulon’s Oath Document!?
Is it my face? Could it be that my cheeks have betrayed me and are leaking information to Retze? No, that’s probably not it.
The little pots for everyone contained grilled green onions and wild boar belly. There was tofu and mushrooms in there too, but the green onions were the star of the show. Alongside that, we had chawanmushi and spinach ohitashi.
“This is delicious. The fat soaked into the green onions is sweet.”
“Yeah, it’s just right. Not too greasy.”
While Haulon was slumped over, Retze and I enjoyed our little pots.
“…Give me a magic stone.”
Haulon reached out toward us, still face down.
“Huh? A magic stone?”
I pulled one out from [Storage] and placed a suitably sized magic stone in his hand.
It was dark red, but when held up to the light, it glowed orange like flames, beautiful. Haulon crushed the magic stone in his grip. What’s his grip strength!?
The crushed stone slipped through his fingers, losing its shape and color as it fell.
“Ahh. At least I’ve barely recovered from the magic power depletion.”
Haulon sat up slowly.
“You were depleted?”
“By the time Captain Goat noticed, a huge chunk was already taken from me. I’m glad that the secret wasn’t revealed outright. And thankfully, the penalty isn’t a curse that turns me into a cat.”
He sighed deeply and took a sip of tea.
“You had a backup plan in your Oath Document, didn’t you?”
“I added a few items when I expanded it, yeah.”
Haulon shrugged at Retze.
“So, just remember that Oaths and contracts aren’t foolproof, so don’t let your guard down.”
He winked at me this time.
“As expected of the Great Sage, that’s sneaky.”
“Even with the backup, it didn’t help much since Rudil showed up.”
He picked up a small ladle and scooped some ingredients into a bowl.
Haulon, it seemed, had a sensitive tongue, eating slowly to cool down his food.
“Wow, it’s true. The green onions and mushrooms are tastier than the meat. Is this white one tofu?”
“Yeah.”
It’s the tofu from the [Food Storage].
Since I grew soybeans, I should try making tofu from scratch someday. I want to expand the soybean cultivation, but neither Kanum nor the island can grow soybeans.
It seems I need to deal with the root nodule bacteria that coexist with legumes first, but unfortunately, there’s none of that in the [Food Storage]… My field at home managed to get by thanks to the Spirits.
“But it feels a bit lacking. Could I get some bread?”
“I’ll turn the leftovers into a porridge after you finish the ingredients.”
When it comes to pots, the end is usually porridge, ramen, or udon. This time, I added rice that I washed to remove the stickiness, and then an egg!
This is delicious. The egg mixed in lightly on the surface, the melted fat, the flavor of the grilled green onions and mushrooms—pure bliss.
“I understand why you request rice cultivation, Gene.”
Haulon seems to enjoy Japanese food quite a bit. Maybe just after Retze?
Ash also eats whatever I serve without hesitation, but he seems more at ease with the more traditional dishes of this world, like wine and meat. On the other hand, he enjoys sweets quite a lot.
“So? What’s this other matter?”
Retze asked while eating his chawanmushi.