Chapter 207: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Elf Potato

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The dish I provided to the group of starving Elves was a traditional cuisine of the Galea Kingdom known as Army Stew. It was something made by throwing a large quantity of whatever ingredients were on hand into a big pot, seasoning it strongly, and simply boiling it down.

As the name and method suggested, it was a common dish intended for soldiers and manual laborers. Serving such a thing to the delegation of a neighboring country was somewhat—no, highly inappropriate, but the Elves insisted, “We want to eat right now!” So there was no helping it. Elaborate dishes took time to prepare. And so, what ended up being selected was the Army Stew that had been prepared for the soldiers of the Liseben army as their lunch…

“Look, there’s pork in here!”

“Hee! How many years has it been since I last had pork? This is irresistible!”

The Elves themselves seemed absolutely delighted, commoner food or not. Smiling, they devoured the contents of the pot with fierce, animal-like intensity. I was glad they enjoyed it, but honestly, I couldn’t help worrying about the food situation among the Elves. What did it mean when even a delegation-level group was in this condition? They called themselves an empire, but… Was their nation actually functioning? They weren’t secretly some kind of post-apocalyptic raider gang, were they?

“But still, I can’t believe the ruler of an entire country is a man. When the Elder-sama told us, I thought she’d been tricked.”

While I was lost in such thoughts, one of the Elves said that. It was the same one who had demanded food the moment she arrived and then immediately started a fight, only to be blasted out the window by Dalaiya’s wind magic. She had a large bump on her head, but otherwise seemed unharmed. This room was on the second floor…What sturdy people they were.

However, this Elf—visually speaking—looked like the eldest among the delegation (well, that still put her around my age or a little older). Yet she was treated like a youngster by Elves who appeared far younger than her. According to Uru, Elves stopped aging and physically maturing once they reached a certain point… Perhaps the timing of that varied by individual.

“Does it not please you?”

“Rather than talking with a grumpy giant woman, it’s more fun being paired with a young man. This is much better.”

This isn’t a damn host club! 

I almost yelled, but managed to cover it with a cough.

“…Speaking of which, Albert-dono.”

Perhaps unable to watch my reaction any longer, Dalaiya spoke to me with a wry smile. She placed her spoon down on her plate, then rummaged around in the pouch tied at her waist.

“I heard from Uru that you have an interest in Elf potatoes. I brought some as a souvenir. I would like you to accept them.”

“Oh, thank you.”

While Uru stayed in the city of Carrera, I had confirmed that she’d met with crow beastkin companions of hers several times. She had been dispatched here as a liaison, after all. I had made no effort to block those contacts.

“Hmmm.”

I examined the so-called Elf potatoes I had received. …No matter how I looked at it, it was a sweet potato. After confirming that the distinctive reddish-purple skin had no dirt on it, I steeled myself and took a bite raw. …It tasted slightly sweet, with a unique earthy “yam-ness” to it. A familiar flavor from my previous life. Yep, this was a sweet potato!

“A-Al-sama!”

Sonia shot up to her feet, her expression frantic—likely fearing poison. I quickly held out my hand to stop her. With this bloodthirsty bunch, if they wanted to kill me, they’d point swords at me directly instead of doing something as roundabout as poisoning.

…Well, there still was the possibility that this Elf potato was a crop that mustn’t be eaten raw. But if this really was a sweet potato, eating it raw wouldn’t be a problem, and Dalaiya didn’t try to stop me. It was probably fine.

“…Well, how is it?”

“I don’t dislike it, but it might be better roasted or boiled.”

“I thought so. I also love steamed Elf potatoes. Try it sometime.”

Dalaiya nodded with a broad smile.

“Elf potatoes grow very well in this region’s climate and soil. Should friendship be formed between our nations, we would gladly teach your people how to cultivate them.”

Oh? She made her move quickly. Indeed, sweet potatoes—er, Elf Potatoes—were wonderful crops even in nutrient-poor soil. The farmers of Liseben were currently struggling to grow wheat, which didn’t suit the local climate. If we succeeded in introducing Elf Potatoes, our food production would increase dramatically.

…And yet, despite possessing such a high-performance crop, the so-called New Elfenia Empire was so impoverished it had to resort to raiding our food supplies. Suspicious as hell. Dalaiya was definitely hiding something. As I gnawed on the raw sweet potato, lost in thought…

“The lord of Liseben is quite the weakling, huh. Eating an Elf potato raw… Even we barely ever do that.”

“They say this one once charged into five times his number. He ain’t some ordinary man, you know.”

“Oh-ho! I’d love to spar with him sometime.”

…The Elves were saying various things, but whatever, whatever. Back in my previous life’s hometown, I rarely did it, but you could eat sweet potatoes raw. They were just a little hard to digest.

“Naturally, we also wish for good relations with you. But there will be countless hurdles we must overcome.”

They must never again commit violence in our villages or on our roads, and they must properly apologize to the citizens who suffered from their banditry. Those two conditions were the bare minimum. If we ignored them and talked about friendship, the people of Liseben—who had been forced to swallow bitterness at the hands of the Elves—would never accept it.

“Well, we can sort that out eventually, eh? Both sides have plenty we’d like to demand of the other.”

Dalaiya smiled and winked. This loli hag was dangerously flawless in appearance. With such cute gestures, I found my own expression softening involuntarily. It was incredibly hard to get a read on her pace…

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