Stranger’s Handbook Chapter 18

Chapter 18: In Order to Never Make a Bento Again

“……..It was a tough and relentless battle, right Zest?”
“Yeah, master. I thought my mind was going to break. Also, my teeth……”

Together with my master, I was currently being shaken inside the carriage while licking some candies the maids offered us.
We really made it out alive.

At that time, we somehow managed to deal with that frightening weapon in the shape of the desert, and since we were too tired to continue with the training, we were now returning home while enjoying the company of each other.
At first, the plan was to continue to train until evening, but since we entrusted everything to Albert, who actually ran away when the young lady showed up, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

“However, that d.a.m.ned Albert…..That’s to be expected from a kemon.o.bito. He ran away before I could even notice.”
“Yeah, master. But still, if he were to be engulfed in all our magical attack, I don’t really know who would have been more miserable in the end.”

That’s right! Albert realized the young lady was about to show up with a terrible weapon so he ran away before anyone could notice.

“It can’t be helped. He’s also one of my disciples, and bad boys who don’t help their master would definitely be punished.”

We exchanged glances and grinned broadly.

We both sprawled our bodies on the chairs inside the carriage…….The damage we received was truly enormous.

“But, master. Why didn’t you stop her?”
“……..I’m sorry.”

“If she were to do that every day, both our lives will be in danger, you know?”
“Yeah, I realize that.”

He clenched his teeth and looked me intensely in the eyes.

“Zest. I have a task for you, and you’re the only one capable of doing it.”

………I don’t wanna hear about it!

“I want you to explain things to Bea and make her stop. As it is now, both our lives will be in danger, but more importantly, the servants in my house will surely die pretty soon, if nothing is done.”

“What? The…..servants?”

Master slowly raised his body and continued with a serious expression on his face.

“Those who are affected by her magical power and collapse, during her ‘cooking’. Those who are forced to taste her ‘weapon’ when she cooks too much…….Half of them have already collapsed.”
“My…goodness!”

“I already have my father-in-law, the Frontier Count’s approval. I’d like you to come to my house right away and do everything in your power to stop her weapon creation!”

Even the old Frontier Count backed off from this.
Moreover, this is rather an order than a request.

“………Master. With my life on the line, I promise I’ll accomplish this!”

Even though I answered so confidently, I was still lying down on the chairs…..
I couldn’t yet muster the willpower to get up……..

We received a grand welcome when we arrived at the Frontier Count’s Household.

“Hero of the light!”    “We beg of you….We beg of you…..”      “Our savior….”

The poor servants, they were really desperate……But I absolutely understand their feelings.

“Leave it to me and rest a.s.sured!”

I told the servants who were bowing to me while shedding countless tears, and entered the mansion.

“Well, well! We bid farewell only a few moments ago, what business made you come all the way here?”
‘You’ve come to see me already? Zest-sama, I’m surprised you missed me this fast.’

The cursed witch……no, the young lady showed me a veritable Frontier Count smile that would make the weak hearted people start weeping.

“Thank you very much, young lady Beatrice, for your lunch earlier today. Since you made something like that only for my sake, I will forever honor this memory.”
“Bea, Zest said he has something to say to you. Since he wants to talk with you by all means, I ended up bringing him home with me. Come, I’ll prepare a room for you.”

“I know it’s selfish of me, but please hear me out, young lady Beatrice.”

The young lady came beside me extremely fast and joined her hand with mine into a lovers’ bond.
However, her face was obnoxious as always.

“It can’t be helped. Well, let’s go already, father.”
‘He really came to see me! Ah!’

Master staggeringly led us to the mentioned room.
Will this be ok?…….A shiver ran down my spine.

We soon arrived at the reception room and after the maids prepared some tea for us, they left, leaving only the three of us inside.

It can’t be just the two of us.
It’s not good for an unmarried woman to be alone with a man, and even when being engaged the man can only visit and be alone with her just for a few moments around noon.
It’s really annoying, but since this is a custom for this world’s n.o.bles, I can’t do anything about it.

I sipped some tea a looked at the young lady.
She wore a sinister black and red dress…..the perfect choice for a witch…… Gloves? She’s wearing them again……

“Young lady Beatrice. Pardon my rudeness, but what happened to your delicate hands?”

The witch’s cheeks were touched by a pink color.

“…….What are you talking about?”
‘No way! Did he find out I injured my hand?…..I wonder if he thinks I’m such an irritating woman, since I injured myself while preparing an obento……’

She narrowed her eyes and glared at me, but her thoughts are all exposed to me.

“I will heal your hand. I’m better at healing magic than my master. Please leave it to me.”

I knelt down in front of the witch…..wrong, in front of the young lady, and used healing magic to heal her wounded hand.
As I thought, she really injured herself.
If wonder if master couldn’t heal her……The effects of the dark magic were too strong so the wound turned into a curse.

While I held her hand in my grip, the young lady was watching me like I was her family’s greatest foe, but I started talking as kindly as possible.

“Young lady Beatrice. No, Bea. I really thought it was strange! You’re wearing gloves even though there’s no important event, like a party or such. When you were outside, I figured it was a way to protect yourself against sunburn, but wearing them indoors is quite puzzling.”

‘Bea…..It’s the first time someone that’s not family called me that……He called me Bea…..’

The young lady was frantically waving her fan with her free right hand.

“Bea? I’m very happy you made an obento for me. However, injuring yourself because of that is something I can’t endure!”

It’s going well until now. All that’s left is to convince her to give up the weapon creation!

“Therefore, it’s really all right not to make obentos anymore. No, in fact, please don’t make them for my sake anymore! If you want to give me relief…..If you care about me, I beg you. I can’t…..stand this….anymore! !”

When I realized it, I was already crying……..Master was also crying.
Tears from the heart.

“I understand. Really now, men shouldn’t show their tears to others so easily.”
‘Zest-sama……You were so worried about me that you started crying…..I can’t make you even more worried than this!’

The young lady was looking at me like I was a c.o.c.kroach and wiped my tears with her handkerchief, a scene that my master decided to ignore.
Master, don’t make such an expression…….This moment now is really important.

She smells so good…..I was kneeling in front of her and the young lady closely approached me and started to wipe my tears in all honesty.
Her dressed chest was intermittently wiggling.
Such a wonderful perquisite! My heart would shatter if not for this level of reward.

The young lady has an unexpectedly big chest…….Is she a D cup? Yeah, that’s definitely a D cup!

“Really now, Zest-sama, you worry too much. I know! If we start keeping an exchange diary, there will be nothing to worry about anymore!”

‘I can’t make him worry anymore! If we keep an exchange diary, Zest-sama would be able to relax!’

The D from ‘D cup’ turns out to be the D from ‘death’!

Young lady, your kindness is so painful……I might die this time.