The air in the surrounding area quickly calmed down.

It was shocking enough that someone was still in the restaurant, but they even ended up eating and dying right there.

When pufferfish cuisine made its world debut, I wondered if it felt something like this if I could return to the time when someone fainted after eating it.

The Record Keeper casually left the scene as if it was just another ordinary day for the cook.

Still, perhaps out of courtesy, the cook approached the person, shook their body, but there was still no sign of movement.

Could it be that Lia told me not to eat something off the street for this reason?

If that woman hadn’t seen the incident and just quietly ate the food that was served…

No, this won’t do.

It really is better to leave.

I figured it was wiser to escape now rather than awkwardly stay put.

So I immediately stood up.

“…Early Bird Wake-Up!”

The person I thought was dead suddenly lifted their head with a snap.

W-what?

Didn’t Lia just say that their heartbeat had stopped?

Looking at Lia in confusion, she shook her head as if she didn’t know anything about it either.

Sure, how would you know about such an anomaly?

But what was even more shocking was that even though she had just fainted after eating, the woman started shoveling more of the food into her mouth.

And she was smacking her lips as if it was delicious.

“…Huh! This is truly delicious to the point of death… cough.”

Then she banged her head on the table and fainted again.

Lia carefully approached, checked her pulse, and shook her head as if confirming whether she was really dead this time.

But before long…

“Ki-hee!”

As if nothing had happened, she lifted her head again and started stuffing her mouth with the food.

Eat.

Thud.

Eat.

Thud.

Eat.

Thud.

That series of events felt so bizarre that my previous determination to leave just crumbled away.

I felt like if I moved recklessly, I might end up becoming the target for something terrible.

W-what on earth is going on with this person?

The cook quietly observed and finally smiled brightly at the person who had finished all the food.

“Did the meal suit your taste, dear customer?”

“Ha, one more bowl!”

No.

What kind of situation is this?

I really needed some explanations, but there wasn’t anyone around to ask.

I stood there, dumbfounded, and the cook came over with an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting! I’ll get it ready right away!”

“Ah, okay.”

What’s going on?

I was just having a meal, but maybe I overreacted.

However, Lia’s expression also suggested she was bewildered.

Right, right.

Maybe she’s just an unusual person.

“…Hey, but why did I come here?”

… I tried to think, but then I noticed that person was drooling.

No way!

That person just made a remark that sounded like they didn’t even remember why they were here!

But the cooking had already started, and with a loud bang, the shop’s door closed.

“Ahem~”

It seemed like the cook was about to start cooking as they headed toward the kitchen.

What happened next made me doubt my own eyes.

As she reached out to the air, suddenly her arm disappeared.

No, it wasn’t that her arm had vanished; it appeared to have moved to another space but looked as if it just disappeared from my sight!

As if searching for something, she made cheerful sounds like “Where is it?” and began to wave her arm here and there, before pulling something as if she’d found what she was looking for.

What emerged was…

A giant wild boar that filled the entire kitchen.

And this wasn’t just any wild boar; its eyes were red, and its fur was excessively crimson.

Moreover, was it captured alive? It was violently thrashing around!

How ferocious!

“That’s what often shows up in the garden. So that’s why we haven’t seen it for a while.”

…If it’s showing up in the Outsider’s garden, isn’t that an incredibly dangerous creature?

The cook seemed to be the Outsider after all.

With a bright smile, she lightly gestured, and the living creature was instantaneously chopped into neat pieces as if the process had been omitted from a game and landed on the cutting board.

Thud thud thud.

“Oh.”

The way the cook moved her hands looked like a performance to me.

Thanks to the Super Coward Mode, otherwise, it would’ve been a splatter of blood everywhere.

I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if I had ended up here without this mode.

No, I wouldn’t have even come here in the first place if I hadn’t installed this mode, right?

The cook placed the remaining ingredients in the refrigerator, just like before, before returning with various vegetables from another space and laying them on the cutting board.

As if searching for something, she snapped her fingers and lit a match, which she then tossed into the air.

Suddenly, it seemed that the flames grew larger, transforming into fancy knives and spatulas.

I watched in dumbfounded awe as she approached to grab a frying pan while the knives automatically sliced the ingredients.

She was humming contentedly, clearly enjoying the cooking process, which felt cozy, yet I couldn’t shake off the daunting thought of the woman banging her head on the table, making me feel uneasy.

Once all the finely chopped ingredients were tossed into the frying pan and stir-fried, a delicious serving of spicy pork was ready in no time.

The cook filled a bowl generously with rice and beautifully plated the dish right in front of me.

As I straightened my neck to look, the cook smiled brightly while resting her chin on her hand.

“I hope you enjoy your meal!”

Hah.

Sure.

If I felt like fainting, I could always call the Gardener for help, right?

Although the party whistle was currently on cooldown, I had boasted about it once, so I figured they might help me out at least once.

… Even with that bravado, I just couldn’t bring myself to lift the spoon, fearing I might end up tasting like that woman had.

However, the overwhelming smile directed at me made it all too challenging to just endure in silence.

Meanwhile, Lia encouraged me, saying it was okay to take a bite, and she started eating herself.

Turning to her, she held her cheeks, looking blissfully happy.

Her actions were so different from when she was warning me outside, filling my head with confusing thoughts.

“So, is food outside forbidden while food inside is fine?”

… For now, seeing Lia in perfect condition even after some time seems to imply that there aren’t significant issues among the Outsiders.

Or could there be another trick hidden that I’m unaware of?

Reflecting back, I remembered how Lia had a tendency to drop hints during such moments.

Since she couldn’t express it outright, perhaps she signaled in this subtle way.

So I carefully observed how Lia was eating.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed she had set aside the spoon and was exclusively using chopsticks.

I thought perhaps the spoon was too heavy, but she didn’t seem to struggle at all while handling the chopsticks.

In contrast, the woman who was still banging her head on the table had both chopsticks and a spoon, but she was solely using the spoon to eat.

It seemed she wasn’t used to using chopsticks.

But is it really such a big difference merely based on the kind of utensils?

While quietly watching how the woman ate, a realization dawned on me.

Lia was enjoying a pork cutlet, cutting it as close to a perfect circle as possible with the provided knife, ensuring it didn’t crumble while eating with chopsticks.

But that woman was practically mashing the rice grains with her spoon as she ate.

Was it sort of like this?

Maintaining a circular shape gave food its value, whereas failing to do so made it toxic.

It’s reminiscent of sodium and chlorine; both are dangerous substances on their own, but when combined, they become delicious salt.

That’s why Lia warned me not to eat the food lying outside.

It wasn’t just that the food looked odd; it might have been grotesquely twisted among themselves.

Eating such food seemed likely to lead to death.

The standard for mashing also seemed fine if I noticed while eating with Lia—properly cutting things or scooping them was acceptable.

… Alright, let’s give it a try.

It’s do or die!

I picked up my spoon and delicately scooped out the rice without mashing it, then carefully laid a piece of meat on top.

“…Alright.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and started chewing, recalling what I just saw, and my mind was filled with chaotic thoughts.

Please, let it be just fine… okay?

As I kept chewing, my expression gradually softened.

It wasn’t just the appearance; it truly tasted like spicy pork!

And it was reminiscent of the flavor I had experienced in a hidden master’s home-cooked meal in the countryside!

Reasoning through the taste that everything would be fine, I swallowed the food without any noticeable problems occurring in my body.

“Hah… Hah…”

I had been so tense that gasps escaped me, only to realize it wasn’t a big deal after all.

Lia was looking at me with an expectant gaze.

Her face seemed to say, ‘See? It’s totally fine, right?’ I gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled brightly in return.

Thus, one spoonful led to another, and before I realized it, I had scraped my bowl clean, leaving not a single grain of rice behind.

Letting out a relieved breath like I had just completed an important mission, I looked up at the cook and said,

“Thanks for the meal… didn’t I?”

The cook’s expression, which I expected to be filled with joy, turned out to be quite different from my thoughts.
When witnessing an unbelievable scene, my eyes widened in shock, displaying a classic expression of disbelief.

“Wait, could it be!?”

Could it be that there was poison hidden in here all along?

I was trembling with fear at the thought that I might end up like that woman.

“…Huh.”

Suddenly, before I could process anything, a sobbing sound reached my ears.

Huh?

Who’s crying at a time like this…?

Realization hit me that the sound was coming right from in front of me, and when I looked up, I saw the cook with her hands covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

“W-What’s wrong?!”

“Sniff, haah, sob. Was the food to your liking?”

Wanting confirmation again, the cook, despite still chewing, asked about the food.

I had no idea why she was crying, but regardless, I was fine and the food was delicious…

“Yes! This was the best thing I’ve eaten so far.”

At that moment, it seemed like the dam of the cook’s tears had burst; tears started flowing freely down her cheeks.

“Wahh!”

“Y-Yes?! Are you alright?”

Even as I tried to calm her down, her tears showed no sign of stopping.

—

It wasn’t until the cook began speaking again, having composed herself, that I understood why she was in such a state.

“The Knight’s Restaurant was… truly set up to serve the knights in the human world.

In this world filled with relentless cold, where beings devour one another, and even resort to cannibalism, it was the knights’ despair and hunger that called out to me.

Hunger and fear. I exist to fulfill that need.

I established this restaurant hoping to alleviate even a fraction of their suffering, but reality was different.”

So, that’s how it was.

Given Rondan’s rule to avoid anything related to Outsiders, it was no surprise that those who had consumed food from Outsiders wouldn’t be in good shape.

Even if it was out of goodwill.

As I listened to the cook’s words, I felt immune, thanks to the fact that nothing awful had happened so far…

In fact, it almost felt like my health had improved after eating.

Without thinking, I stood up, but due to the newfound strength in my muscles, I lost balance and toppled over.

“Ugh, ack!”

“Are you okay?!”

W-What’s going on?

Was it really just my imagination that I felt healthier than usual?

Feeling something was off, I jumped from my spot, and my body bounced unnaturally high.

It was almost alarming.

“…So that was it.”

“Gardener?”

At that moment, I heard the Gardener’s voice.

“The Outsiders’ nutrients can be tolerated by humans, so it seems another effect has manifested. You truly have a remarkable body.”

So that meant consuming the cook’s food somehow enhanced physical abilities.

I could get stronger just by eating?

If I could leverage this properly, it would help immensely in dealing with Outsiders!

Just like that candy I had eaten before!

I wouldn’t have to worry about physical limitations while rescuing the Outsiders!

“Are you hurt anywhere?!”

Concerned, the cook dashed out of the kitchen, inspecting me closely while bouncing around.

“Eh.”

“…Would you like to be friends with me?”

It was a surprising request, yet the cook, after pausing for a moment with a blank expression, responded with a bright smile.

“Even though it’s sudden, yes, if you’re okay with it….”

Alright, great!

I just gained another secret friend in the Outsider realm.

It felt like I was strategizing for a game character, and in a way, it was quite fun.

…Though that was something I didn’t want to say in front of her.

So does this mean I can now summon the cook with my horn too?

Having taken a risk resulted in a pleasant outcome, and I felt a little uplifted.

Thud.

“…So how long will that person keep crying?”

“Right? I’m glad you enjoyed it, but…”

Ignoring everything else, that woman who was repeatedly caught in a cycle of nearing death continued to offer me a bowl.

“One more bowl!”

…Is this really okay?