Chapter 350  Party Interlude

Inside Riley’s room stood a large wooden rectangular table, its polished surface reflecting the soft glow of the chandelier above.

Six seats were arranged neatly, three on each side, creating a balanced setup for the evening.

At the center of the table, a grand assortment of dishes was carefully placed, the warm, inviting aroma filling the room.

Wisps of steam rose from each plate, a clear indication of their freshly prepared warmth.

“Damn… I know we all decided to cook for each other, but who’d have thought we’d go all out like this?” Kagami muttered, setting down the large tray he had been carrying.

With a quick motion, he removed the metal lids covering the plates, revealing an array of mouthwatering delicacies.

At the center of his tray was a perfectly seared steak, its surface glistening under the light, the marbling promising a tender, melt-in-your-mouth experience.

The rich scent of butter, garlic, and freshly ground pepper immediately filled the space, making it hard to resist taking a bite right then and there.

But it wasn’t just his dish that stood out.

Across the table, a plate of golden-fried fish sparkled with a crispy, delicate crust, its brilliance making it almost too beautiful to eat.

Kagami had a pretty good idea who had made that one.

On the opposite end of the table, a fresh batch of steaming dumplings sat neatly arranged on a large serving platter, the soft dough glistening with just the right amount of moisture.

Beside it, a large pot of soup bubbled with rich, savory aroma, its piping-hot surface occasionally rippling as if teasing them to dig in.

Next to the soup stood a beautifully roasted whole chicken, its skin golden brown and crispy, glistening with its own juices.

A small drizzle of sauce cascaded over the surface, further enhancing its mouthwatering appearance.

Kagami couldn’t help but take a step back and admire the spread before them.

Each dish, in its own way, stood proudly—vivid, appetizing, and undoubtedly prepared with effort.

If this was a competition, then it seemed like no one was willing to lose.

It was clear that the dishes in front of them were widely varied in both flavor and texture, each one distinct in its own right.

However, the most obvious part of it all was the sheer size of the portions—every dish was made in excess, almost as if they had unknowingly prepared a feast meant for twice their number.

Of course, considering that most of them were knights with hearty appetites and high-caloric needs, eating large quantities of food wasn’t exactly a problem. But still…

Maybe they should’ve put a little more thought into planning this dinner.

Rose, who was already seated in one of the chairs, observed the assortment of dishes with her usual calm and collected gaze.

Her golden eyes swept across the table before landing on a specific dish.

After a brief pause, she turned her attention to Janica.

“You made that?” Rose asked, her eyes shifting toward the large pot Janica had just placed on the table.

Janica tilted her head slightly before giving a simple, “Yes.”

“I see…” Rose murmured, her eyes gleaming for a fraction of a second.

A silent decision was made in her mind.

Janica blinked, feeling a small wave of uncertainty rise within her.

She wasn’t sure why Rose had asked, nor did she understand the brief moment of contemplation that followed.

For a second, she wondered if she had made a mistake.

Did the dish look unappealing? Was there something wrong with it?

But as quickly as the thought crossed her mind, she brushed it away.

Rose was naturally reserved, and she often reacted to things in an unreadable manner. This wasn’t any different.

Instead, Janica turned her attention back to the abundance of food laid out in front of them.

It seemed that, somewhere along the way, they had all become too focused on silently competing against one another—each person wanting to showcase their skills and put effort into their dishes.

And that’s how this situation happened.

But in all fairness, none of them had actually taken the time to plan anything out.

Everything had been done on the go during the afternoon, and now, they were left with an unintentional culinary showdown

Janica glanced around the room, silently marveling at its sheer size.

For context, they were currently inside Riley’s room, which he shared with both Seo and Rose.

Since it was the largest out of everyone’s, they had all decided it would be the best place to host their first group dinner party.

Janica had known the room would be spacious, but this… This was on another level.

The room was at least a few times bigger than their already privileged dorm rooms back at the academy—and those weren’t exactly small to begin with.

Even Lucas, who was seated right next to her, was reacting in the same way.

Seeing him subtly glance around, equally awestruck, made Janica feel a little better about her own reaction.

Still… she couldn’t help but scold herself internally.

She shouldn’t be acting like some country bumpkin who had never seen a luxurious place before.

After all, she had already experienced a certain level of comfort and privilege back at the academy.

But in the end, she wasn’t that different from Lucas.

She might have been a noble, but only in name—a small-time noble, at that. Compared to those from true prestigious bloodlines, she was closer to a commoner in terms of status.

And so, just like Lucas, a place like this still felt completely unreal to her.

Kagami, who had just taken his seat next to Lucas after setting down his plates, glanced around the room and quickly noticed something missing.

“By the way, where’s Riley?” he asked, realizing that Riley’s dish was the only one yet to be placed on the table.

“Riley is still cooking his pasta dish,” Rose answered calmly. “He said it might take a little while, and we should eat first if we’re already hungry.”

“Is that so?” Kagami muttered, leaning back slightly. “Let’s wait for him a bit, then.”

Though he was already feeling the hunger creeping in from his solo travels earlier that afternoon, eating without Riley—**the host of the room and essentially the one who brought them all together for this dinner—**just felt a little rude.

The rest of the group seemed to silently agree, none of them making a move toward their plates just yet.

Janica, noticing the slight impatience settling in the air, suddenly clapped her hands together.

“Why don’t we have some appetizers first before diving into this feast?” she suggested with a bright smile.

“Appetizer?” Lucas blinked at her.

“Yes, hehe~!” Janica giggled, picking up the ladle and giving the pot of soup a light stir. “The soup I made is perfect to curb some of those hungry stomachs. I’m sure you already recognize it, Lucas, but it’s your favorite soup!”

Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she continued, “I made it a little healthier than usual, so the taste might be a little different, but I’m sure you’ll like it!”

There was a beat of silence.

“A-ha…ha…” Lucas let out a forced chuckle, shifting slightly in his seat. “I’m… not sure.”

His expression wavered slightly, and his posture grew subtly tense.

His gaze landed on the brimming pot of hot soup, and though he tried to mask it, there was an undeniable look of hesitation in his eyes.

“I think… we should probably wait for Riley, no?” he added, his voice uncertain as he carefully avoided Janica’s expectant gaze.

Janica tilted her head, a slight pout forming on her lips.

“Are you sure? It’s Mountain Ox’s Lung Soup, you know? Your favorite.”

Lucas let out a small sigh, his shoulders tensing. “Yeah… but we should probably wait for Riley still.”

Janica furrowed her brows in confusion, but before she could press further, Kagami suddenly cut in.

“What are you even going on about, bud?” he muttered, shaking his head. “Taking a few sips here and there wouldn’t really be that bad, right?”

As he spoke, his gaze naturally drifted toward Seo and Rose, both of whom were seated across from him.

At this point, considering that the two practically lived with Riley, they might as well have been the ‘wives’ of the room.

Seeking their approval before doing anything major had become something of an unconscious habit for him.

Seeing Kagami’s expectant look, both Seo and Rose nodded at the same time.

“Yes, actually—Riley said he wouldn’t mind if all of us started eating first,” Rose confirmed, her tone as calm as ever.

“See?” Kagami grinned, turning back to Lucas. “Let’s go ahead and dig in. Just a few sips!”

He gave Lucas a firm pat on the shoulder, his grin widening.

“Janica did say it’s your favorite soup, right? Can’t say I’m not curious to finally see what you consider ‘good’ food, bud.”

With that, he casually draped an arm around Lucas’s shoulders, his expression one of amused anticipation.

“Ah, but you really shouldn’t—” Lucas mumbled under his breath.

“Hm?” Kagami tilted his head, not quite catching what Lucas had said.

Before either of them could say anything else, Janica’s enthusiastic voice suddenly broke through.

“Here you go!” she chirped, swiftly handing out two small bowls of steaming hot soup to the boys beside her.

Kagami accepted his bowl with a satisfied grin, the rich aroma making his stomach rumble in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Lucas hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking his own bowl.

“You’re really not acting like your usual self, Lucas…” Janica noted, her eyes narrowing slightly in concern.

“Ah—no, it’s nothing, really…” Lucas muttered, shaking his head. Then, as if trying to get it over with, he closed his eyes, lifted the bowl, and swallowed the entire soup in one swift gulp.

A deep silence settled in the room.

Janica blinked. Kagami stared.

“…I-it’s good,” Lucas forced out, his voice just a little strained.

“Hey, are you crazy?!” Janica immediately panicked, her voice rising. “I know it’s your favorite, but drinking something that hot all at once—you’ll burn your throat!”

Lucas let out a strained chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just like it so much, so… hahaha.”

But instead of stopping there, he suddenly turned toward Kagami’s bowl, eyes locking onto the remaining soup.

Kagami immediately narrowed his eyes. “Hey, what are you doing?”

Without answering, Lucas reached out, hand moving toward Kagami’s bowl.

Kagami leaned back just in time, pulling his soup away.

“It’s my favorite soup, you see,” Lucas said, his expression eerily serious. “So, I wanted to take another sip.”

Kagami scoffed. “You can just ask Janica for seconds. There’s no need to steal mine.”

“You don’t understand, Kagami. You really don’t…” Lucas said, his voice low and intense, as if he were revealing some profound secret.

Kagami blinked. “Hah?”

Lucas clenched his fists, his eyes darkening with an almost unnerving level of conviction.

“I like her soup so much… to the point that I actually want to drink all of it on my own.” He took a step closer, gaze locked onto Kagami’s bowl with predatory intent. “That’s why—give me yours. Right now.”

The entire room fell into a strange silence.

Everyone visibly tensed, a mixture of confusion and discomfort settling in the air. Something was definitely off.

All except for Janica, at least.

“…Lucas…” Janica mumbled, her cheeks flushing pink at his passionate declaration.

Kagami stared at them both, utterly bewildered. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?” he muttered under his breath.

Lucas, despite knowing he was being beyond rude, couldn’t back down now.

This wasn’t about manners anymore.

This was about Janica’s dignity.

This was a matter of sacrifice.

He couldn’t let anyone else suffer like he had. He couldn’t let Janica be hurt by the painful truth—that her beloved soup was, in fact, absolutely awful.

His gaze flickered toward the large pot still brimming with the ominous broth, its sheer quantity enough to feed an entire battalion.

Lucas swallowed hard.

Yeah. He should have monitored Janica more closely when she was making this…

But his thoughts were too preoccupied with Riley—so much so that he had completely overlooked a crucial fact about his lovely childhood friend.

Janica was utterly, irredeemably, catastrophically bad at cooking.

The only reason she had ever believed otherwise was because he had been silently suffering through her food alone for years.

Ever since they were kids, Lucas had endured every single failed dish with a straight face—smiling, nodding, and forcing himself to swallow every charred, undercooked, or questionably textured meal she had ever made.

And somehow, some way, she had convinced herself that she was an amazing cook.

A part of him wondered—how had Janica never noticed?

How had she never questioned why no one else ever ate her food?

Lucas wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain.

She could not find out now.

Not with all these people around.

If Janica realized the truth here—if she saw the sheer horror in their faces and understood what she had done—she would never recover.

She would die of embarrassment.

Lucas cursed himself.

If only he had paid more attention to her this morning, he could have stopped this disaster before it happened.

But it was too late now.

There was only one course of action left.

Even if he had to act insane, even if they all thought he had completely lost his mind, he could not—would not—let anyone else suffer.

Not today.

Not ever.

“Kagami, return your soup to the pot,” Lucas said, his voice calm but deadly serious.

Kagami frowned. “Dude, what is wrong with you?”

“Don’t worry.” Lucas took a step closer, his determination unwavering. “I’ll drink all of it.”

Kagami’s eyes narrowed.

“Okay… that’s definitely not normal.”

Lucas lunged, trying to grab Kagami’s bowl.

But Kagami was fast.

Despite he’s bulking body he dodged every attempt with the reflexes of a seasoned fighter, holding onto his soup as if his life depended on it.

Meanwhile, completely unnoticed in the midst of the chaos, a certain red-eyed girl had quietly approached the pot.

Seo.

Standing there with a ladle in hand, she scooped up a bowl of soup for herself, her expression calm yet curious.

“…Is this really good?” she murmured, lifting the steaming bowl toward her lips.

Lucas’s heart stopped.

His stomach dropped.

His entire existence flashed before his eyes.

“W-WAIT!”

His voice ripped through the room.

But it was already too late.

“Thanks for the meal!”

Kagami, right next him, also took his first spoonful with enthusiasm.

Lucas had no time to react.

All he could do was brace for the inevitable.

He closed his eyes.

And accepted his fate…

…..

“This sure took longer than expected…”

I let out a small sigh as I gazed down at the pasta dish I had just finished preparing.

It wasn’t exactly picture-perfect, but the taste should be on point.

I had adjusted the portion size at the last minute, meaning the ingredient ratios were slightly off, but… well, it should still taste great.

With that thought, I grabbed the plate and stepped out of the kitchen, making my way toward the dining area.

That was the plan, at least.

Until I nearly bumped into someone.

“Janica?”

Standing right in front of me was Janica, cradling a large pot in her hands.

Her expression was strange—her eyes were red, her gaze slightly unfocused.

Had she been crying?

“Ah, Riley… Please go on inside,” she said, her voice oddly soft as she tightened her grip on the pot. “I’m just going to throw out this trash…”

Trash?

I blinked, glancing at the pot she was holding.

Then, out of curiosity, I peeked behind her.

And what I saw inside the dining area left me speechless.

Lucas was sitting at the table, his head down, shoulders slumped, looking like he had just suffered an existential crisis.

Seo—who was usually so calm, so expressionless—had a slight twitch in her eye, her mouth foaming ever so faintly.

And then there was Kagami.

Kagami…

Did he die?

His face was so green, it looked like he had just swallowed the deadliest poison known to man.

I stared at them.

Then at Janica’s pot.

Then back at them.

Rose gave me a small, almost imperceptible look of worry—a hint of apology laced in her expression.

I was still confused as to what exactly had unfolded here, but as I turned my gaze back to Janica, her embarrassed expression spoke volumes. She avoided my eyes, her posture tense.

“You can go inside now, Riley…” she muttered, her voice softer than usual.

Then, without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel, making a beeline for the door, her arms tightening around the pot she was carrying.

But before she could leave, I stopped her—my free hand reaching out and gently grasping onto her right hand.

“Wait…”

I could feel her flinch slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

Slowly, my eyes moved back to the scene inside the dining room.

Lucas was still slumped over the table, his face drained of all hope.

Seo was leaning back in her chair, her usual expressionless face marred by faint traces of foam at the corners of her mouth.

And Kagami… well, he looked one step away from the afterlife.

I turned back to the pot in Janica’s hands.

Then back to Lucas’s haunted expression.

Then back to the near-dead bodies of Seo and Kagami.

The puzzle pieces started clicking together in my mind, the truth unfolding like a cruel joke.

‘It was her cooking, wasn’t it?’

I completely forgot about Janica’s… unfortunate talent for making food that was more of a biological weapon than a meal.

In the game, there had been a similar event, one where Janica finally found out that Lucas had been lying to her all this time about her cooking.

It was a scripted event, something inevitable, no matter what choices were made.

I had expected it to happen at some point.

But… I hadn’t expected it to be now.

When I suggested we cook for each other earlier, and Lucas didn’t seem to oppose it, I had assumed that this particular event had already happened in the background.

Clearly, I was wrong.

Looking at Lucas in the distance, still slumped over in visible defeat, I sighed. This is going to take a while, huh…

In the game, you had about three days to patch things up with Janica before completely ruining your romance route with her.

If you failed to make amends, her trust in you shattered beyond repair.

I couldn’t afford for their relationship to fall apart now.

Besides, we had a dungeon to clear tomorrow.

Or rather, they had a dungeon to clear.

If the atmosphere between them stayed tense, if their teamwork crumbled because of some bad food… it could lead to real consequences.

That’s why, before she could walk away, I suddenly reached for the pot in her hands.

“What are you doing?!” Janica gasped in shock as I slowly lifted the lid.

Ignoring her protests, I grabbed the ladle resting at the side of the pot, scooped up a portion of the infamous soup, and without hesitation—

I drank it.

“Stop, Riley! I already know it’s bad—”

“It’s good.”

I said it honestly.

Janica froze, her red, wet eyes staring at me in disbelief.

“I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate that, Riley… but please… you don’t have to lie.”

She clutched the pot tighter.

“Just wait while I throw this trash away— w-what are you doing?!”

She flinched as I took another sip.

“I told you, it’s good, right?”

“L-Liar!”

Well… in all honesty—

It really wasn’t great.

But it wasn’t so bad that it warranted Kagami’s near-death reaction.

It was bad, sure. Really bad.

But compared to the god-awful MREs the empire had fed us back in my previous life?

This was angelic.

Placing the ladle back into the pot, I let out a small sigh before turning to Janica, who still stood frozen in place.

Then, without much thought, I gently took her hand and pulled her closer to me.

“You don’t have to throw it away.”

She flinched slightly at my words, but I continued, my voice steady.

“I told you, it tastes great. And judging from the medicinal herbs I can pick up… you put in some real effort, didn’t you? You tried to make it healthier while still keeping the flavor.”

Her fingers tightened slightly around the pot’s handle.

“…T-That’s right…”

She mumbled it quietly, her red-rimmed eyes looking up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

I didn’t push her to say more.

Instead, I gently pulled her along as I walked back toward the table.

“Come on, then…”

She didn’t resist.

“Don’t worry. If no one else is going to have it, I’ll make sure to drink all of it.”

Janica didn’t reply, but she silently followed beside me, her grip on the pot still firm.

As I walked, I subtly glanced over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of her expression—though I still couldn’t read it, her eyes landing across my hand that held her, while subtly avoiding my gaze.

Still… I knew Janica well enough.

She was stubborn, yes.

But even someone as prideful as her… wanted to be understood.

Needed to be reassured.

And being honest with her, instead of brushing her efforts aside…

I knew that meant something to her.

At the table, Lucas looked up. His eyes flickered between me and Janica before settling on me with an apologetic expression.

I sighed internally.

This guy…

I should probably tell him to pick up that flower for Janica later as an apology.

[Fruhling Flower]

In the game it was the perfect apology item towards Janica to re-establish their broken trust.

He owed her at least that much.

‘Managing a party in real life is a lot harder than I thought….’

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