Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 67

Chapter 67: Eating While Standing

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Claire placed an order for supplies to use in conquering the dungeon.

I had assumed she would buy them on the island, but she simply ordered everything online. However, the delivery method was unusual. Supplies would be air-dropped directly onto the villa from a private aircraft. It seemed like a rough way to transport goods, but apparently, this was the most efficient method to avoid interference. The delivery was controlled by a specialized drone, ensuring that nothing would be damaged.

Rather than a “drop,” wouldn’t it be more accurate to call it a “descent”? And was it really okay to be doing something like this? Issues like airspace violations came to my mind.

“Of course, I’ve already gotten the necessary permissions.” 

Claire said. I see. That made sense. Satisfied with her answer, I decided to go sightseeing on the island with Mio. That said, there wasn’t much to see, so our destination was the port.

I declined the butler’s offer to drive us there and chose to run instead, treating it as a light workout. Part of it was that I felt bad about making him take time away from managing the villa on his own. Another part was that I didn’t want to let my body grow sluggish.

Dressed in matching tracksuits, we ran together. I hadn’t prepared any, but something this simple could be crafted instantly. I went with a design that looked the part—mine was black, and Mio’s was white.

“We match.” 

Mio remarked. Seeing a smile on her face, one I hadn’t seen much since we arrived at the villa, gave me a sense of relief. To avoid the hassle of being ambushed along the mountain path, I had already sent out golems in advance to eliminate any threats. I only had them knock the attackers unconscious and tie them up. By the time they woke up, they’d probably be able to escape on their own—or maybe their allies would rescue them first.

When we arrived at the port, the morning market was in full swing. I watched with curiosity as unfamiliar seafood, the kind I’d never seen in Japan, was displayed for sale. Drawn by the scent of grilled fish, we wandered through the market until we reached a row of food stalls.

“Jiro-san.”

“There are a lot of Awakened here.”

“Yes.”

Mio had noticed it too. Even through the bustle of the market, I could feel the weight of numerous appraising gazes on us. It was strange—there hadn’t been many Awakened in the dungeon, but there were plenty of them outside.

“Well, let’s not worry about that. Let’s just grab something to eat.”

I invited Mio to browse the stalls with me. There were skewers of grilled shellfish, whole fish roasted and skewered, soups, and other simple dishes that were easy to eat while standing. For those who wanted a proper meal, there was a restaurant further ahead.

We ate grilled shellfish skewers and washed them down with soup. The unfamiliar spices took some getting used to, but the food wasn’t bad. It wasn’t quite something I could call delicious, but that was simply because I wasn’t accustomed to the flavors. This was probably what foreign cuisine was like when it wasn’t adjusted for Japanese tastes.

“The taste is a bit peculiar, huh?”

Her opinion seemed to match mine. Still, she didn’t stop eating. Finishing one dish, she immediately went to buy something else, showcasing her hearty appetite.

“Oh, you two!”

As I bit into a small fish coated in a rich sauce, I heard Rock call out to us. I had noticed he was here, but I hadn’t expected him to approach us himself.

“How have you been?”

“I’m doing well.”

“Have you been to the dungeon?”

“Once, but I didn’t gain much from it.”

“Same here. I barely got any of that rumored orichalcum. With this little, I doubt we could use it for mass production.”

“What brings you here?”

Rather than dance around the subject, I asked him directly. Rock gave me a wry smile before answering.

“First reason—my followers have been getting on my nerves, so I wanted to get away from the country. Second reason—I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone?”

By “followers,” was he referring to the extremists who had caused chaos in the New York dungeon? They were heavily misogynistic, but if Rock was distancing himself from them, did that mean he didn’t share their beliefs?

“Yeah, I’ve been searching for her for a long time. She’s very important to me.”

“Someone like that…”

“Without her, I…”

He trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, before forcing a smile.

“Sorry, that was a depressing topic for the morning. Anyway, enough about me. What about you?”

“I’m here investigating the dungeon on behalf of a client. While I’m at it, I also plan to record some footage of her.”

“An investigation, huh? Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t you think there’s something weird about this island?”

“Weird how?”

“I can’t put it into words exactly, but something feels off. It’s not just that this is a foreign country, but… It’s like there’s something else.”

“Is that so…? I haven’t traveled abroad much, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Yeah, maybe it’s just me overthinking it. Maybe I’ve just eaten too much fish and started craving meat. See you around.”

Satisfied with his own conclusion, he walked off.

“Now that he mentions it… I kind of want a hamburger now.”

Mio mused, nodding several times as she watched him leave. Her mouth was covered in sauce. As for me, I wasn’t particularly dissatisfied—I had beer stocked up, and the coffee the butler made was excellent. But now that she brought up the topic of eating meat, I found myself craving something with a soy sauce flavor too.

As we talked about what we wanted to eat when we got back, I noticed the atmosphere around us shifting. More precisely, the local vendors, the ones selling food at the stalls, had begun murmuring amongst themselves while looking in a certain direction.

Curious, I turned to see what had drawn their attention. A large man was walking through the market, flanked by two strong-looking guards. He wore a patterned suit and greeted the nearby townspeople warmly as he passed by, heading in our direction. He walked past us, and as he did, I heard whispers from the crowd.

“King.”

So he was the ruler of this island—the king of the Kingdom of Peschel.

Ah… I see now.

Looking at him, I suddenly understood the vague sense of unease I had been feeling. It also explained the strange feeling Rock had mentioned earlier. But why?

“If Piroane were here, she would’ve figured it out.”

No—actually, she wouldn’t. If she knew, she would have confessed everything when questioned by Minister Niitaka.

So, in the end, it doesn’t matter whether she’s here or not.

“Well… It’s Piroane, after all.”

I muttered the words under my breath, knowing that if she had been here, she would have had something to say about it. For now, I decided to ignore the matter. This wasn’t a problem I could solve immediately. After all, the fact that this island’s king wasn’t human was far beyond my ability to handle.

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