Chapter 369

After turning down Megumin’s invitation, Haruto looked over at Aqua, who was idly kicking pebbles nearby.

"Aqua, I’ll be counting on you next."

Aqua immediately looked up and proudly puffed out her chest.

"Leave it to me! No matter what troublesome job you have, the great Aqua can handle it!"

Haruto smiled and brought out a barrel of water, setting it in front of her.

"I’d like you to purify this for me."

"That’s all? Easy!"

Aqua agreed without hesitation.

She didn’t even bother taking out her staff. Instead, she simply rested one hand lightly against the surface of the water.

A soft blue glow spread from her palm, sending gentle ripples across the barrel.

The light lasted barely two seconds before fading away.

Haruto scooped up a spoonful of the purified water and tasted it.

The water was cool and pleasantly sweet, making him nod in approval.

"Just as impressive as I expected."

Aqua’s purification ability really was extraordinary.

This had originally been nothing more than ordinary stream water, yet its quality had improved by several levels after only a few seconds in her hands.

Water like this would be excellent for cooking rice or preparing other dishes.

Since the effect was so good, Haruto saw no reason to hesitate any longer.

With a thought, he opened a passage into the Gourmet Restaurant.

"Come with me. I’ll show you somewhere interesting."

Haruto stepped through first, with Kagura and Kanna naturally following right behind him.

Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness exchanged curious looks.

Aqua, meanwhile, walked in without the slightest concern, so the other three hurried after her.

The moment they passed through the entrance, the scenery changed completely.

Fruit trees surrounded them in every direction, their branches heavy with all kinds of produce. Strange creatures wandered between the groves, while the air itself carried an enticing mixture of countless ingredients and natural fragrances.

"Whoa! There’s so much fruit!"

Aqua exclaimed.

Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness were equally stunned as they took in their surroundings.

Haruto smiled faintly at their reactions.

"This is my Gourmet Restaurant, an independent space separated from the outside world."

"I grow and raise all kinds of ingredients here."

As he explained, Haruto led everyone toward a vast artificial lake sparkling beneath the light.

The lake was enormous, covering an area comparable to more than a dozen football fields.

Its water was already so clear that the sand, stones, and swaying aquatic plants at the bottom could be seen with ease.

Schools of fish moved freely beneath the surface. Some were ordinary freshwater species, but far more were unusual creatures from other worlds.

Red-scaled Magikarp swam among the schools, while horned Goldeen occasionally flashed through the clear water.

"What a beautiful lake!"

Aqua ran to the shore and crouched down, dipping her hand into the water.

The cool sensation made her narrow her eyes contentedly.

"The water already looks clean, but it’s still just ordinary water."

Haruto stood beside her and looked across the sparkling surface.

"So I’d like you to purify the entire lake."

"Leave it to me!"

Aqua slapped her chest confidently.

Then she simply stepped into the lake.

The water rose past her ankles, calves, and knees before reaching her waist.

At that point, Aqua leaned backward and casually floated on the surface.

As the Goddess of Water, she naturally purified any water she remained in for long enough.

She could actively cast purification magic as well, of course, but from Aqua’s perspective, if lying around in the lake accomplished the same thing, why bother putting in extra effort?

Haruto wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

It would only take a little longer.

Besides, Aqua’s passive purification ability was already remarkably powerful.

Haruto could clearly sense the quality of the lake improving outward from Aqua’s position at a visible pace.

The already clear water became even more transparent. The sand, stones, and aquatic plants beneath the surface appeared sharper and more vibrant, while the fish swimming through the lake grew noticeably more energetic.

Seeing that Aqua would need some time to purify the entire lake, Haruto thought for a moment before saying, "Feel free to look around while we wait. I’ll make something for everyone to eat."

The moment cooking was mentioned, Kagura and Kanna’s eyes lit up.

They immediately followed Haruto, ready to help.

Kazuma and the others quickly thanked him as well.

Once inside the kitchen, Haruto began taking out ingredients.

There were fresh vegetables purchased from Axel’s market, along with a plump Horned Rabbit they had captured earlier.

Haruto skinned and cleaned the rabbit before cutting the meat into pieces and seasoning it.

The vegetables were left to Kagura and Kanna.

He heated an iron wok, poured in golden olive oil, then added scallions, ginger, and garlic.

A rich fragrance immediately spread through the kitchen.

Haruto added the marinated rabbit meat and stir-fried it rapidly until the surface turned a beautiful golden brown.

Then he added various seasonings along with some of the water Aqua had purified earlier, covered the pot, lowered the heat, and let the rabbit slowly braise.

While it simmered, Haruto quickly prepared several side dishes.

A refreshing cucumber salad.

Golden pan-fried eggs.

And a plate of bright green seasonal vegetables stir-fried until crisp and fragrant.

Finally, he cooked a large pot of rice.

The rice was also prepared with Aqua’s purified water, and the finished grains came out plump and glossy, releasing a rich natural aroma.

In less than half an hour, a generous lunch had been prepared.

"Come eat."

Haruto called toward Kazuma and the others.

They had already been tortured by the delicious smell for quite some time, so the moment he spoke, they hurried over immediately.

"Whoa! That smells amazing!"

Kazuma grabbed his chopsticks and eagerly picked up a piece of rabbit meat.

The meat had been braised until tender enough to practically fall apart in his mouth. Rich juices burst across his tongue with every bite, the savory flavor so intense that he almost wanted to swallow his own tongue along with it.

"This is incredible!"

Megumin was already shoveling rice into her mouth.

"This is better than anything I’ve ever eaten!"

Darkness was eating just as enthusiastically beside her.

Haruto smiled as he watched everyone devour the food.

Then he took a clean plate, piled it high with rice and dishes, poured a cup of purified water, and walked back toward the lake.

"Aqua, lunch."

Aqua swam over from where she had been floating, accepted the plate and cup, then sat directly on the grass beside the shore and immediately began eating without the slightest concern for appearances.

"Mmph... Haruto, your cooking is way too good!"

She spoke around a mouthful of food, her cheeks stuffed full.

...

While Haruto and the others were enjoying lunch, a very different scene was unfolding inside the central hall of the abandoned castle.

Beldia the Dullahan, clad in full plate armor and surrounded by a dense aura of death, stood silently in the middle of the hall.

His severed head rested in his left hand.

Beldia had already been waiting for more than half an hour.

Ever since those two Explosions had descended from the sky, he had been waiting.

As one of the Demon King’s generals, Beldia had fought through countless brutal battles.

In his experience, launching a preliminary bombardment before a large-scale assault was perfectly reasonable. It allowed an attacking force to test the enemy’s strength and defensive preparations before committing troops.

Therefore, those two Explosions had obviously been the opening salvo from Axel’s adventurers before they launched an assault against him.

The eyes of the head in Beldia’s hand opened, glowing faintly red.

He had already stationed every undead soldier in the castle along the routes leading to the central hall.

Only adventurers capable of breaking through those defenses would earn the right to challenge him personally.

And yet...

Time continued to pass.

The challengers he expected never appeared.

The area around the castle remained completely silent, without so much as a single human figure in sight.

None of the undead stationed along the approach routes had detected anything unusual either.

Beldia frowned.

What was going on?

Why weren’t they coming?

Had they gotten scared and decided not to attack?

Impossible.

A mage capable of casting Explosion was hardly some nameless weakling.

Or perhaps they had altered their plan and intended to launch a surprise attack from another direction?

Beldia carefully scanned the castle and extended his senses through the surrounding area.

Nothing.

Aside from the undead under his command, he couldn’t detect the presence of a single living person.

...

Back inside the Gourmet Restaurant, Aqua put down her empty plate and gave a satisfied burp.

Then she went back to purifying the lake.

Another hour passed before she finally finished.

By then, the artificial lake had been transformed.

The water now possessed an almost dreamlike sky-blue clarity, so transparent that even the tiniest grains of sand on the bottom could be distinguished.

"Finished!"

Aqua proudly clapped her hands and walked out of the lake.

Despite having spent so long submerged in the water, her clothes and body were completely dry, without even a droplet clinging to her.

"Thanks for the hard work."

Haruto smiled.

He walked to the shore and looked across the lake.

The fish inside were noticeably more energetic and healthy than before.

Haruto extended one hand and spread his fingers.

A second later, water erupted upward with a series of splashes.

Forty or fifty enormous Magikarp leaped from the lake and landed on the grass along the shore.

Each was more than a meter long, flopping around with blank expressions as their tails slapped against the ground.

Among the ordinary red Magikarp, however, one stood out immediately.

A brilliant golden Magikarp.

Its scales gleamed as though they had been cast from pure gold, and it was noticeably larger than the others, giving it an unmistakably rare and valuable appearance.