Quietly holding the plate of sauce in front of me, I glanced at Gerald and immediately scanned the area.

Talking alone with him in a place like this would easily lead to misunderstandings with Ethan or the others.

“…Where’s Ethan?”

“I asked Seraphin to distract him for a bit.”

“And Silenna?”

“Serista’s keeping her busy.”

“……”

He’s really thorough, isn’t he? What’s so important that he needs to go to all this trouble?

“If you’re about to ask me for another favor like before—something about another event—you can forget it…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t need your help from now on.”

“…Then what is it?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to thank you for all your help. To be honest, when I think about it, this wasn’t even your problem, and I ended up making you go through a lot.”

“…It’s fine. If I want to live a peaceful life in the future, I’ll need to take down the Demon King anyway.”

“To be honest, talking to you alone like this makes Ethan and Seraphin suspicious. From now on, we won’t be meeting alone like this anymore. If I have something to say, I’ll pass it through Agnes or Seraphin. They’re both discreet and mutual acquaintances, so it should be fine.”

He laughed slyly, suggesting that because they’re women, Ethan wouldn’t have a fit or get overly defensive. Typical Gerald.

“Yeah, that sounds better. After all, our goals in this world have always been different. It’s probably best if we go our separate ways.”

“But it’s really impressive, you know? In your past life, didn’t you hate Ethan the most?”

“…Out of all the characters in Lumia, yeah, he was my least favorite.”

“And now look at you, Lilgirlchang (Lilith Fangirl), working hard for a pure-love ending with Ethan. I’ll have to report this on LuaGal when we return to reality.”

“…Don’t. Unless you want to die.”

He doesn’t know, but I was pretty active on the forums, and a few of the guys there even know I’m a man. Especially those from the co-op gaming group chat I used to be in. If they ever found out about this, I’d be so embarrassed I might actually kill myself. Not that it would matter since I’ve already died once.

“Well, in the end, didn’t you get what you wanted? You always said you wanted the Lilith pure-love ending in Luminor Academy. Sure, the target isn’t the protagonist, but it looks like you’re achieving your goal.”

“…Honestly, I’ve been thinking the same recently, which is why I feel conflicted. So please, shut up.”

“Kuh, haha… Oh, seriously… Lilgirlchang is now Ethan’s fiancée…”

“…If you came here to pick a fight, just leave.”

“Oh, right. And this.”

When he placed the familiar-looking sauce on the table, I stared at it in silence as the hero explained what it was.

“Here, ssamjang. I figured you’d want it.”

“…Where did you get this?”

“I made it using the ‘Cooking Recipe’. You wrote down where to find the recipe in the guide, didn’t you?”

“…Oh.”

“I didn’t collect everything, just what wouldn’t interfere with the story, so unfortunately, I don’t have any kimchi.”

“…It’s fine. I’m in no position to be picky about food right now.”

Besides, grilling kimchi with meat here would just attract way too much attention toward me and Gerald, so it was a dream that could never come true.

“Don’t you use the ‘Cooking Recipe’? I think there were two recipes you could get from Blackwood Mansion.”

“…Lilith can’t learn them. It’s probably a protagonist-exclusive perk. If I could’ve learned them, that ssamjang recipe would be in my hands right now.”

“True. If I had to fight a veteran like you over recipes, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“…Anyway, thanks. I’ve been missing Korean food. I’ll enjoy it.”

“If you want to wrap it in something, that Mandragora leaf over there works. It’s not exactly the same, but it tastes similar to perilla.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Alright then.”

With those words, Gerald left, returning to his harem, leaving me with just a plate of ssamjang.

So, he really came just to give me this sauce. I felt a little bad for doubting him at first.

Then again, after all the times I’ve been pushed around by him, my suspicion was somewhat justified. Still, now that he said he wouldn’t bother me anymore, I felt a strange mix of relief and melancholy.

‘It really tastes like ssamjang.’

After nearly seven years in this world, I was finally tasting something that resembled Korean food, and my taste buds reacted instinctively. Well, to be precise, I wasn’t possessed but reincarnated, and I recovered my memories seven years ago, so it was slightly different from possession.

Except for the slightly sharp garlic flavor, it was almost identical to the ssamjang I used to eat in my past life.

The sharpness was something Lilith’s body was probably sensitive to, so I’d just have to live with it. Still, the balance of salty, sweet, and savory flavors made it decently enjoyable.

I was about to wrap some meat with the Mandragora leaf and eat it when Ethan, who had been chatting with Seraphin, returned to my table.

“Lily, what’s this?”

“The hero gave me some seasoning, Ed. He said it pairs well with grilled meat.”

“…It’s not suspicious, is it?”

“Of course not.”

“He gave it to just you? It’s not some weird drug that makes you feel funny if you eat too much, is it…?”

“It tastes similar to the special sauce my mother used to make. It’s sweet and salty, which goes well with the meat. It’s probably something similar to that.”

“I-I was just asking. So, it tastes like something your mother made…”

In reality, it was the taste of ssamjang from the supermarket in my past life, not anything my mother in this world made. But I mentioned my mother just to shut Ethan up. If I let him keep questioning every little gesture of goodwill, the tension between him and Gerald would only grow.

Ethan should know that Gerald has no lingering feelings for me now that Serista has awakened as the true Saintess, but his worries were a bit over the top.

‘He likes me way too much. That’s the real problem.’

Ethan was nothing like his original counterpart, except for one thing: his obsession with Lilith. That was the only trait they shared.

Still, I felt a little bad for scolding him, so I wrapped a piece of meat in a Mandragora leaf, added garlic, ssamjang, and a few vegetables, and held the makeshift perilla wrap in front of him. There’s nothing like food to resolve conflicts.

“Here, Ed. Say ‘ahh~’.”

“…Huh? Lily?”

“I said, ‘ahh~.’ Just eat it all in one bite.”

“…Lily, you’re joking more these days. But no matter how much you say, that’s way too big to eat in one bite…”

“Last time, you shoved something bigger and tasteless into my mouth, didn’t you? And now you’re refusing something I made?”

“Aah! Mmm, mmm… It’s, it’s delicious, Lily….”

Before I could finish speaking, Ethan hurriedly took the wrap and ate it, and I made a small one for myself, quietly eating it.

It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to make sauces like ssamjang or soy sauce. When I lived alone in my past life, I got curious about homemade doenjang and even tried making it myself.

I’d seen my grandmother make meju (fermented soybean blocks) a few times while helping on her farm, so I could probably replicate it. If I added a few seasonings and adjusted the consistency, I could make ssamjang.

Of course, making meju as a maid of the Blackwood family was impossible, so I gave up on the idea long ago.

‘Maybe I’ll try it after I become independent.’

Since I’m not planning to get married, no one would be able to say anything if I lived alone. I’d try making not just ssamjang but also soy sauce and doenjang.

As I mused over these thoughts, I noticed a couple that particularly stood out.

It was obvious that the other people had intentionally given them space, and I inadvertently caught sight of them as they fed each other.

“Open your mouth.”

“I’m already eating, Lady Agnes.”

“……”

Gulp.

“Did you finish it? Open your mouth again.”

“…I can hold the fork myself, Lady Agnes. Only my right arm is injured, my left arm is still fine.”

“Quiet. If you weren’t injured, you’d be using your right hand to eat, wouldn’t you?”

“…Well, yes, that’s true.”

“Stop trying to be considerate. I’ll take care of you for the next three days, so don’t try to be polite. It’ll only hurt my pride.”

“…Understood, Lady Agnes.”

“Then, open your mouth.”

“…I told you I can’t eat that much at once….”

Agnes, strangely persistent in taking care of Prince Antonio, who, despite his protests, accepted her care with a faintly pleased expression.

Whatever had happened during their battle at the lake, I’d need to find out the details.

And, I also needed to figure out why a monster that didn’t exist in the original story had appeared there.