“Where...am I?”
My throat’s so dry I can barely speak. And my eyes hurt. It’s so bright. How long was I out?
I blinked a few times, and slowly, my eyes started adjusting to the light.
The first thing that came into my field of vision was a lavish chandelier. Honestly, it looks like the kind of tacky furnishing you’d expect from a new-rich, but maybe it’s the style in this world? It seemed to be a mansion of some sort. A grand room, a white ceiling, an enormous bed with unbelievably soft covers—it certainly wasn’t a commoner’s house.
“Oh, you’re awake, boy,” said a voice.
Huh? Is someone there?
I turned my head to see a familiar man on a bed next to mine. He was far enough away that I hadn’t noticed him until now.
“Geo...?”
I can’t. My voice is still shot.
“Can you move? There should be a water pitcher next to you.”
I glanced over and saw an expensive-looking ceramic pitcher. I sat up slowly. It hurt a little, but I could move.
I poured some water into a small cup and downed it in one go. It was probably just regular water, but it tasted incredible. It soaked into my dry throat and body, quenching everything.
I let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s great.”
“Good to hear.”
“Mister...Geos? Um, what happened to Shiro and Kuro—the beastfolk girls who were with me?”
“That’s the first thing you ask about, huh? Don’t worry. I think that, just now, Milène’s teaching them some magic.”
Geos filled me in on what had happened after I passed out.
I was surprised to find out that three whole days had gone by. We’d defeated the lord, but the only one who was in any sort of decent condition afterward was Milène. I was out cold; Shiro, Kuro, and Geos had burned through all their strength and could barely stand; and Carolina had been knocked out the entire time.
Even so, Milène managed to order the surviving knights and soldiers to get us out of the dungeon. After seeing the lord’s transformation, none of them must have had the guts to defy her.
Apparently, after using the escape circle, the three of us had ended up back in the sewers. When she saw we were gone, Milène had panicked, but Shiro and Kuro had known they couldn’t take care of me alone, so they had dragged me into town and managed to reunite with her. Right after that, they’d both collapsed too, sending Milène into a full-blown panic. She then gave the girls a nice, hearty meal, and Geos and I were sent straight to our beds.
Geos’s condition was apparently the worst of us all. Right now, he couldn’t even move on his own. They said it’d take a long recovery before he could return to anything resembling normal life.
“Is it because of that bloodbattle magic?”
“Yep. Honestly, it’s a miracle I even survived after using that stuff,” said Geos, chuckling. Then, he suddenly turned serious.
“I’m sorry, boy. And thank you.”
“Huh? I mean, I get the apology, but why thank me?”
“It’s because of you all that I didn’t hit rock bottom. That’s why I’m grateful.”
“Um...”
“My bad. Didn’t mean to make things awkward. Anyway, those girls— Oh, looks like they’re coming,” Geos murmured. I heard it too. Loud footsteps thudded down the hallway, then the door burst open with a bang.
Hey, everything in this mansion looks super expensive! Can we not break stuff? I can’t afford to pay for anything here!
“Thor!” said Shiro. “You’re awake!”
“Sleepyhead Thooor is fiiinally up!”
Shiro and Kuro must’ve sensed that I was awake and rushed over, bursting into the room.
“Thor! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You slept for threeee days.”
“Sorry for worrying you.”
Shiro and Kuro ran to my bedside and started patting me all over to check my condition. Whoa, don’t sniff me! I probably don’t smell great if I’ve been out for three days!
Anyway, the two of them looked great. Their hair and skin were glowing—they must’ve been eating well. Maybe they’re getting proper baths too? And the clothes they were wearing looked expensive, like a noble girl’s dresses.
“Your dresses...”
“They’re from Milène!” said Shiro.
“She said no one wears them anymooore.”
“I guess they were left behind by the mansion’s previous owner,” said Geos. “They really don’t belong to anyone, so you can do what you want with them.”
“They’re frilly and hard to move in, but Milène said you’d love them, Thor!”
“Well? Are we cuuute?”
“Yeah, very cute,” I said. “You two look great in clothes like that too.”
“Yay! A compliment!”
“Arf.”
Shiro and Kuro spun around happily.
Wow, we survived again.
Watching the two of them laugh so cheerfully, I felt the tension leave my shoulders. And maybe because I’d finally relaxed, I noticed what had been going on with my own body.
“Huh?” said Shiro. “I hear a weird noise.”
“Is something grumbling?” said Kuro. “What is that?”
“Oh, sorry.”
It was me. My stomach was demanding food, loudly.
“How about something to eat, huh?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Thank you so much for picking up Volume 2 of The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies.
Compared to the web version, the flow and order of events are pretty different, so even if you’ve already read it online, I hope you found something fresh to enjoy. Llo’s illustrations are absolutely adorable too!
Anyway, the afterword... If you’ve read any of my other works, you probably know this already, but I’m really bad at writing these. I mean, I don’t know what to write. So, I’ve developed this silly routine—I mean, technique! Here it goes!
Come forth, my beloved characters!
“Where are we?”
“Huuuh? Thor?”
Welcome to the Afterword Room! Today’s special guests are Shiro and Kuro!
“Who are you?!”
“Dunno yooou.”
I’m not a bad person! Look, nothing to be afraid of. Want some snacks?
“Hissss!”
“Grrrr.”
Huh? Why are you two so on guard?
“People who say they’re not a bad person usually are!”
“Anyone offering snacks is a total creeeep!”
N-No, it’s not like that! But good job, Thor! You taught them well! They’re being cautious of strangers!
Still, maybe don’t apply that lesson to me? I-I am the author, after all!
“We must take down bad people!”
“Hiyaaa.”
N-No, not magic— Aaaggghhh!
And there you have it. I get through afterwords by writing silly stuff like this.
Finally, a few words of thanks.
To my editor, “I,” thank you again for your support. I hope we get to work together on another project.
To Llo, thank you for your incredible illustrations in Reincarnated as a Sword and now The Accursed Chef!
To my friends, family, everyone involved in getting this book published, and to all the readers who continue to support me, I’m only able to keep writing because of your encouragement.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.