If they set up a system to be able to cook multiple different dishes, their costs would actually increase. As a result, Vandalieu was eating this rice porridge.

“It’s not very tasty, is it?” said the shopkeeper in a serious tone, seemingly aware of this.

“… That’s not true,” said Vandalieu.

“Nah, it’s fine. Since you saved Ivan’s life, I’d like to give you something that tastes better to eat, but this is the best I can do with the rice we grow here.”

“Oyaji-san, we agreed not to say that, didn’t we? Still, it’s true that the rice we grew in the Sauron Duchy tasted better. It didn’t have the smell.”
Apparently, they had grown a type of rice similar to Japonica rice* in the Sauron Duchy north of the Hartner Duchy, commonly known as Sauron rice.

TLN*: To my understanding, this is the typical rice eaten in Japan.

But climate and soil of the land of the Hartner Duchy that they had fled to wasn’t suited to growing Sauron rice.

With no other choice, they began growing the rice commonly cultivated in the Hartner Duchy, the Indica rice… known as southern rice in the Orbaume Kingdom.

“In other words, it’s all the Empire’s fault.” Vandalieu came to the conclusion that it was the Empire’s fault that he couldn’t eat rice similar to the Japonica rice that he was used to today.

“Yeah, it’s all the goddamn Empire’s fault!”

“That’s right, that’s right! Everything was caused by the Empire!”

Since this was a cultivation village full of refugees who had been chased from their homelands by the Empire, they were unanimous in their agreement with Vandalieu’s words.

“Still, to think that you can use magic.”

“It really surprised me. I thought you’d be a Warrior or Unarmed Fighter for sure,” said Kasim.
He and his friends were eating the same rice porridge as Vandalieu.

The priest of Alda nodded. “Yes, I was quite surprised to learn that you are so loved by Vida. The fact that you have appeared on this day on which Kasim’s party and Ivan’s lives were in danger is surely the will of the gods. Though we offer prayers to Alda and Vida, the gods who parted ways in the myths, let us take each other’s hands and strive to do good deeds,” he said, smiling at Vandalieu while placing his hand on his chest.

His smile still appeared shallow to Vandalieu, but his words seemed honest. At the very least, he was much more like a clergyman than High Priest Gordan had been.

It was possible that he was an unexpectedly virtuous person.

“It makes me happy to hear you say that,” said Vandalieu. “I’m not party of any ministry, though.”

Come to think of it, what’s the Church of Vida in the Hartner Duchy like? I’ll visit it once I get to the city.

“By the way… how is it that you are speaking so clearly while eating rice porridge?” the priest asked.

“… It’s a special skill,” Vandalieu replied.

Vandalieu had used Out-of-body Experience to create a spirit-form face beneath his clothes, and he had been using its mouth to speak this whole time.

“Ah, another helping, please,” he requested.
“You’re still eating more?! I mean, it’s fine, but that’s already your third bowl,” said the shopkeeper.

“I was quite hungry. I’m sorry.”

Vandalieu was smaller and thinner than other children his age, but he ate an amount that was impossible to imagine considering his size. This was because the amount of energy he required was already more than double that of the average adult man.

“First your strength and magic, and now even your appetite is like an adventurer’s,” Kasim remarked.

Thin people with large appetites weren’t rare among adventurers, as they had combat-related Jobs and greater physical abilities than those with creation-related Jobs. Kasim and his friends, who had attended the adventurers’ school, weren’t as surprised as the shopkeeper.