Chapter 16
Cannot Return
“Thank you for everything during this short journey. Please give my regards to the knight order, Cassian, and Datian.”
I felt the light gradually envelop my body. Now, just like when I arrived here, the floor would give way beneath me.
It will give way. Give way… right? Huh? Why isn’t it giving way? Give way already!
The light began to scatter again. The dim streams of light flew away a handful at a time and vanished into thin air. The faces of the Princess and Asel standing in front of me began to color with fluster. Hey, the one who wants to cry here is me…….
When the light finally disappeared, I collapsed onto the ground while clutching the cauldron. Princess Elise tried hard to remain calm and muttered.
“Um, it seems this is not it.”
At the Princess’s words, the treasury became quiet as if cold water had been poured over it. The inside of my chest also chilled cold.
The brilliant light that surged from the ring was nowhere to be found, leaving only a rough, heavy iron ring sitting blankly on my finger. Just as I felt a burning heat slowly gather in my eyes, my vision turned blurry. Unable to accept it like this, I spoke with an earnest heart.
“Wait, I’ll try again. Was my earnestness lacking? I really want to go home, you know? I miss my mom! I even keep thinking about the chicken I left in the fridge!”
Like a mad person, I gripped the ring and called upon all kinds of gods. God. Buddha. Oh, Allah! But the ring remained completely silent. Only the floating status window overturned my stomach.
[Notice: The energy to open the dimensional gate has been blocked by an external factor.] [Cause: ‘Contaminated Nutrients’ are interfering with the flow of mana in this world.] [Hint: Until the world’s nutritional balance is restored to 80% or higher, only one-way tickets are valid.]
“One-way? Are you kidding me? You’re telling me to bury my bones here?!”
Seeing me rolling on the floor while hugging the cauldron, Asel cautiously approached me.
“Saintess…. Er, please do not be too heartbroken. I will escort you even more diligently. Yes?”
Those words, which normally would have moved me, sounded right now like ‘cook meals here for the rest of your life,’ bringing tears to my eyes. But at that moment, the ‘Ancient Dragon’s Stomach’ cauldron held in my arms began to hum and vibrate.
[New Main Quest Generated] [Quest: Find the ‘Sage.’] [Content: The mana veins of this world are rotting from the toxins of ‘sugar and chemical substances’ spread by the fake sage. Purify the world with the cauldron and secure the power to return home.]
The look in my eyes changed. Despair turned into anger in an instant. That scammer bastard didn’t just torment the Princess. He was even blocking my homing instinct.
“Asel.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Sharpen your sword.”
I gripped the cauldron tightly and stood up from my spot. Brushing off the dust, I looked at Princess Elise. The Princess was looking at me with a peculiar face mixed with apology and relief.
“Princess, I’ll have to rely on your hospitality here a bit longer for the time being. Instead, this kingdom that the scammer bastard ruined… I’ll completely revamp it all. Whether it’s mana or nutrients, if the balance isn’t right, everyone dies.”
The Princess’s eyes sparkled.
“Your help is always welcome, Lady Ian. Ah, and that cauldron is now truly yours, so please use it to your heart’s content.”
I wiped the bottom of the cauldron with my finger. Dust came off, but it was sturdy and usable. With this cauldron, whether it’s demonic beasts, poisonous herbs, or ingredients contaminated by black magic, I can throw them all in and extract only food packed with nutrients.
Losing my mind, I began to cackle softly right on the spot. That laughter echoed loudly throughout the royal treasury.
At the laughter that was beyond desperate and border-line bizarre, Asel held onto my shoulders nervously, seemingly thinking that I had gone crazy from the shock.
“Saintess, please get a grip! It is unfortunate that you could not go home, but to laugh like this…!”
“Asel.”
“Y-Yes!”
I stopped laughing abruptly, raised my head, and looked at him. There were probably blood vessels popping in my eyes.
“Do you know why I’m laughing? I thought that sage fellow was merely a scammer, but I don’t think that’s it. He is someone who tampered with the system of this world. And I am a ‘nutritionist’ who can only go home if I match the nutritional balance he twisted.”
I gripped the cauldron in my arms tightly.
“This is a head-on match. Whatever that bastard ruined, I will purify it all and feed it to them.”
Princess Elise nodded as if overwhelmed by my venomous attitude. Just like that, I left the treasury holding ‘Dragon’s Stomach’ instead of the ‘Sanctuary Ring.’
When we came outside, I felt my energy drop rapidly. I barely managed to grab the arm of Asel, who was supporting me.
“Ah…”
“What is the matter?”
My head was spinning. I barely managed to spit out the words through my teeth.
“I want to rest today.”
To my words, Asel asked cautiously.
“By the way, Lady Ian. What exactly does ‘twisted nutritional balance’ mean?”
“Sir Asel!”
When the Princess’s scolding dropped, Asel hastily supported me again. Even so, affection had grown too deep to hate him, so I swallowed a dry laugh and replied.
“There’s something like that……. Asel doesn’t need to know……”
I was placed in a room even more resplendent and cozy than yesterday. Once left alone, I buried my head in the pillow and wept for a long time. What a damn world. As I muttered and buried my face into the pillow, moisture gathered in the corners of my eyes touching it.
The next morning.
The royal kitchen of the kingdom I decided to conquer was somewhat frantic from the morning. I had requested to look around the kitchen again during breakfast and arrived at the kitchen after receiving permission from Princess Elise. Screams were pouring out from inside the kitchen upon arrival.
“It won’t cook! Why won’t it cook!”
With the cauldron tucked under my arm, I peeked open the kitchen door and popped my head in. The newly hired chef was tearing his hair out in front of a boiling pot.
“What’s the commotion? So early in the morning.”
“Saintess! You’ve arrived! Look at this. The eggs, the eggs are strange!”
Inside the pot pointed out by the chef, dozens of eggs were dancing in boiling water. Normally, it was time for the egg whites to harden firmly. Another chef scooped one of them up and tapped it open with a knife.
The scene unfolding before our eyes was beyond flustered.
What poured out from inside the shell was not firm white egg whites. It flowed down like transparent jelly or sticky silicone, and the yolk was in an unnaturally yellow liquid state, as if mixed with paint.
“Isn’t this an ominous sign? Perhaps the chickens were cursed and laid such eggs.”
When the chefs backed away trembling, I touched my finger to that sticky ‘liquid’ pooled inside the ladle. This lukewarm thing is not a real egg.
The status window that floated in front of my eyes confirmed that my guess was right.
[Notice: Food-engineering synthetic compound detected] [Component Analysis: Sodium alginate 15%, calcium chloride aqueous solution, Food Yellow No. 4, synthetic flavor (egg flavor)] [Nutritional Value: 0 kcal (Contains chemical substances that may be harmful to the human body)]
“Fake eggs?”
I snorted and threw the vinyl-like white onto the floor. Splat, what poured onto the floor didn’t mash up like a cooked egg, but melted transparently.
“This wasn’t laid by a chicken. It’s a fake that someone created.”
All eyes in the kitchen locked onto me. I slammed the Ancient Dragon’s Stomach cauldron that was under my arm onto the cooking counter with a loud bang.
“Scammer sage. So now you’ve swapped even eggs with fakes?”
The price for drawing my anger will be costly. Reaching my hand toward the seasoning compartment, I shooed the chefs back.
“I will try it once, so please step back.”
