Sea Monster Stew Chapter 72

“I’m having another bowl.”

Admiral Moose shot up from her seat, holding her stew bowl. 

 

Tusa called out in an urgent voice to the back of her head as she rushed towards the kitchen.

“Get it from the pot over the hearth! And don’t you dare touch the meat that’s being prepared!”

Biche only stirred the stew listlessly with her spoon. 

 

A tight, uncomfortable feeling gripped her chest. The warm stew before her felt like it had transformed into something sinister.

“What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste?”

Tusa, who had been watching Biche’s expression, let her shoulders slump with a sullen face. Biche shook her head and forced a smile.

 

“No. It’s very delicious.”

“Right? I’m glad my cooking suits your palate. I heard even Imperial nobles sometimes eat this as a restorative.”

How could mere meat stew be a restorative? Still, it didn’t seem like this stew was made with any special recipe.

As Biche tilted her head in thought, she carefully put a spoonful of stew into her mouth. 

 

The moment she was about to chew the piece of meat while watching Tusa’s reaction, she sensed a rough presence behind her.

 

Before she could even turn around, a thick finger was shoved abruptly into her mouth. 

 

The spoon clattered onto the wooden floor.

“Admiral Kisa?”

Tusa stared past Biche, her eyes wide. 

 

‘Kisa? Was Kisa behind her?’

 

Biche grimaced, making a choking sound. 

 

The finger rubbing against her tongue made it hard to breathe.

Kisa pushed all the thick stew and pieces of meat out of her mouth.

 

Her body flinched and trembled, and a violent wave of nausea surged belatedly.

She shook her head roughly, meaning she was choking, but Kisa didn’t stop scouring her mouth with his hand.

After scraping all the stew from her mouth, he finally wiped the corners of her lips with the back of his hand.

 

The stew bowl was swept aside and disappeared from her view. 

 

A large hand covered her mouth.

With half her face covered by Kisa’s hand, Biche slowly turned her head. 

 

Kisa was standing tall behind her chair, glaring at Tusa as if he wanted to kill her.

“…It can be dangerous to consume the witches’ food right away.”

Kisa’s expression, which had been fiercely glaring at Tusa, suddenly softened. 

 

He lowered his gaze to Biche and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“It would be better to start with food that doesn’t have spices, little by little, Arco.”

“Hey now, Admiral Kisa. Other guests always ate my food just fine…”

“The rooms, I assume they’re ready?”

He cut off Tusa with a cold voice. Tusa nodded with a bewildered expression.

“Uh… Yeah, I prepared them. But did you get the entry permit?”

 

“Just finished. Where’s my room?”

“Go to the room at the very end of the right corridor on the 4th floor.”

 

Kisa nodded silently and pulled Biche to her feet. 

 

Just then, Admiral Moose’s voice boomed loudly from the kitchen direction.

“Tusa! You get over here right now!”

“Uh, yeah! Coming!”

Tusa widened her eyes like a rabbit and spun her body towards the kitchen. 

 

As if not wanting to miss the chance to escape Kisa’s fierce gaze, she hurried away as if fleeing.

“Arco, go up to the room and rest first.”

Kisa gently patted Biche’s back as if soothing a child.

“I need to go meet Calyxo.”

 

“Admiral Moose seems angry. Shouldn’t we go stop her?”

“I’ll go check, you go up to the room.”

He shook his head firmly and turned Biche around. 

 

The moment he gently nudged her towards the stairs, a loud crash came from the kitchen direction. 

 

Tusa’s shrill shout followed.

“Moose! Are you crazy?! What are you doing in someone else’s establishment!”

“Shut up!”

Biche flinched and glanced back towards the kitchen. 

 

*Thud!*

 

Another loud crash was heard. A short vibration followed, and dust fell from the ceiling.

“Kisa, they’re fighting.”

“Getting caught up in a witch fight won’t do you any good.”

Kisa pushed Biche towards the stairs and shook his head firmly again.

“I’ll have a fresh meal brought to your room, so get upstairs now.”

Biche glanced towards the kitchen entrance, where green light flashed intermittently, and nodded. 

 

Leaving the noisy kitchen behind, she carefully went up the stairs.

 

Reaching the fourth floor and pushing open the arched wooden door at the end of the corridor, a room bathed entirely in shades of blue unfolded before her.

It was a spacious room with a large balcony window overlooking the town. 

 

Green flames blazed vigorously inside a brick fireplace, and the large, sturdy furniture gave off a heavy scent of wood.

Biche cautiously approached the bed surrounded by tall posts and blue curtains. 

 

Clean towels and spare clothes were neatly arranged on the bed.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

 

“I’ve brought your meal and bathwater.”

A young girl’s voice came from beyond the door. 

 

Biche ran over with an awkward expression and opened the wooden door.

A tray holding steaming bread, cabbage salad, and roasted quail, along with a large wooden tub filled with hot water, floated mid-air.

But the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Live-Skinner Kisa said stew was absolutely out, so I hurriedly prepared other food!”

A cheerful voice came from the empty air again. 

 

Biche tilted her head, peering in the direction of the voice.

Only after squinting her eyes did she see a black butterfly fluttering its wings. It seemed to be Tusa’s familiar.

“There’s a public bathhouse in the basement, so if you want to wash with warmer spring water, you can go down there!”

 

The tray slowly descended onto the rustic wooden table, and the tub settled onto the carpet.

“If you need anything, just call me anytime!”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“But, hey. Are you really in that kind of relationship with the Live-Skinner Kisa? A Helios Empire noble? With a pirate?”

 

Her face flushed hot at the unexpected question. 

 

The butterfly familiar laughed gleefully, as if Biche’s reddened face was answer enough, and closed the door.

 

* * *

 

To meet Calyxo, they had to go to the Emerald Castle at the center of Witches’ Cove. 

 

However, Calyxo did not permit the remnants of the Crocus pirate crew to enter the Emerald Castle. 

 

Instead, she granted an audience at the resistance headquarters in the gray mine.

Kisa, Admiral Moose, and Admiral Chaitan entered the headquarters deep underground. 

 

The resistance guides escorted the three admirals to the meeting room in the headquarters.

“I don’t understand why she insists on meeting at the resistance headquarters.”

Chaitan smoothed his bushy beard and grumbled.

“I don’t even know why the sea witches are helping the resistance in the first place.”

“Well, Witches’ Cove also holds quite a grudge against the Helios Empire… Ugh…”

Admiral Moose covered her mouth and muttered.

 

“My stomach is still churning…”

 

She was slumped over the large round table, repeatedly dry heaving. 

 

Kisa sat next to her and snorted.

“Moose, give it a rest.”

 

“Couldn’t you… pat my back or something?”

“Why should I? You’re not Arco.”

“Cruel bastard… Chaitan…?”

“I’ll pass too.”

Chaitan shrugged and sat as far away from Mus as possible.

 

“Why are you being so dramatic, Moose. Isn’t Witches’ Cove your hometown? You said you ate ‘that’ often when the village was famished?”

“That was when I was very young, and during a time of food shortage! Witches’ Cove has plenty to eat now!”

“Humans are a species that, when their hearts are at ease, start eyeing all sorts of exotic ingredients and restoratives. I doubt witches are much different.”

“Listen to him talking about restoratives. Ingredients are one thing, but, ugh…”

 

Moose, her face pale, buried her nose in the round table again. 

 

Kisa gritted his teeth, remembering the meat stew Biche had been picking at.

“Not exactly words from someone who emptied her bowl with such relish, Moose.”

“Shut up, Kisa. Easy for you to say, huh? How would you feel if you’d accidentally eaten that like I did?”

“Drop it. Just the thought makes me nauseous.”

“That damned Tusa… I’ll curse her forever… How could she serve that to a guest…”

As Moose started dry heaving again, Chaitan, unable to watch, pulled his chair closer and began patting her back. 

 

Kisa recalled Biche’s nearly untouched stew bowl.

“…Moose. Are you sure Arco definitely ate a mouthful of the meat that was in there?”

“Positive. Right before I went into the kitchen for another bowl… I saw your lady take a bite of it…”

Kisa unconsciously covered his mouth, suppressing the urge to vomit. 

 

He felt unbearably sick to his stomach. 

 

If he felt this bad, how great would the shock be for Biche if she learned the truth?

 

“Kisa. It would be best to keep this a secret from your lady.”

Chaitan offered advice while firmly patting Moose’s back.

“Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?”

“…That’s the plan.”

The moment Kisa nodded, patting his nauseous chest, the meeting room door opened cautiously and a woman appeared.