Chapter 321: Conquering the Domed Palace
Although only a few words had been exchanged and he hadn't quite figured out what was going on, Shirou found himself being ushered toward the kitchen. However, he was deeply worried about the state of his companions, so this worked out for the best.
Upon hearing that there was melon bread to be eaten, Satania vigorously raised her hand and said, "I'll lead the way! Everyone is over at the kitchen!"
"Right, I'm counting on you," Shirou said. He turned back to Gabriel and Vigne and added, "Thank you both. I'll go meet my companions first."
"Yeah, go ahead, go ahead. Do your best~ Just remember to bring the potato chips back," Gabriel said nonchalantly.
"Fufu, don't mention it. I'm looking forward to your melon bread, Shirou-senpai—no, you're a classmate now," Raphi said with a gentle smile, her squinted eyes shimmering with a mischievous light.
Satania felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked at the silver-haired angel warily, sensing she was plotting something wicked again. She quickly grabbed Shirou and pulled him toward the exit.
"Shirou, let's go!"
"Oh," Shirou complied.
Stepping out of the room adorned with Persian carpets and inlaid with gold and jewels, Satania led Shirou toward the kitchen located in a separate building of the palace complex. As a "servant," she was responsible for carrying fruit platters, pouring juice, and running errands. After a few days, she had become very familiar with this domed palace.
"Satania, by the way, how many people do I know over at the kitchen?" Shirou asked.
"Well... the group leader Asuna is managing the kitchen supplies and work distribution. The cooks and chore staff all listen to her. The one peeling fruit is Yuigahama, and the skilled cook Yukinoshita is acting as the head chef. She's the one I like; she offers up tribute to the Great Archdemon Satania-sama every day. Shirou, you should learn a thing or two from her."
"I see. With Asuna and Yukinoshita there, even a world like this won't be a problem," Shirou nodded. However, that left the question of where Artoria and her group had ended up.
"Vignette is there too," Satania added.
"Vignette... ah, that girl." In Shirou's mind, the image surfaced of the girl who often contacted him in the group to ask for cooking advice—a studious and polite good girl.
To be honest, that Jungle Witch was far too bizarre. Her goals were unclear, and she had even laid hands on innocent girls. Even though they were friends from a player group, they were completely caught up in this.
Arriving at the door of the kitchen building, Shirou felt a sense of relief that he was finally going to see his comrades. He had originally intended for everyone to attend the Spring Festival together and watch the fireworks; he never expected them to be dragged into an incident like this. Even searching for them in the dense forest hadn't kept them from danger; instead, they had been pulled into this world once again.
'This time, I must have a proper talk with everyone and send them back to their safe homes.' Shirou clenched his fists and swore an oath in his heart.
Shirou pushed the door open and shouted inside.
"Everyone! I'm here!"
The ideal reunion scene did not happen. When the three young girls in the kitchen saw the boy enter, their reactions were entirely different.
"Pfft... what happened to you?" Yukinoshita covered her mouth, her body trembling uncontrollably, before finally losing it and bursting into laughter.
"Little Shirou! How novel~!" Yuigahama said, clasping her hands together.
More terrifying was the girl in the back whose "inner switch" had been flipped. A physical black fighting spirit seemed to emanate from her body, obsession mixing with dark aura to kick up a chilling wind, as if a spectral samurai woman was coalescing behind her.
"Waaaah, Asuna, what's wrong with you?" Yuigahama cried out in surprise.
"Shirou-kun has become such a cute boy... I want to take him home and pamper him~!" Asuna lunged forward, burying Shirou in her embrace while stroking his head. The connection within her to a certain Heroic Spirit emitted brilliant flashes of lightning, seemingly threatening to break through the world barrier set by the witch and manifest by force.
"Asu—mph!" Shirou was caught off guard and pulled into the girl's bosom. Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a unique fragrance against his face, sinking deep into softness.
Then he realized he couldn't even breathe. The available oxygen was gone. His face turned pale, and only his free hands flailed up and down.
"Yes, yes, Mama Asuna is here." Asuna wore a smile full of motherly instinct as she held Shirou.
At this, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama exchanged a look, nodded, and stepped forward, each grabbing one of Asuna's shoulders.
"Wait... calm down, Asuna. Shirou is going to suffocate."
"Her strength is incredible! She's not even supposed to be able to use Possession Summoning, so why?!"
Yukinoshita and Yuigahama used every ounce of their strength to pry her off, finally managing to rescue Shirou from within.
"Hah... hah... finally saved." Shirou gasped for air, looking dazed and shell-shocked. He was certain of only one thing: the Possession Summoning Shaping Method was real. That "terrifying mountain range" that almost cost him his life just now—Asuna had definitely "grown" quite a bit since he last met her.
"Ah, sorry, Shirou." Asuna finally snapped out of it and rushed over to apologize.
"It's fine... but Asuna, could you stop rubbing my head?" Shirou said uncomfortably.
"Eh? Why?" Asuna asked with a beaming smile.
'She's a little scary...'
Since his body had shrunk, Shirou felt a sense of dread from a girl for the first time.
The kitchen maids all looked over curiously. After all, this was a sacred workplace where only women were allowed; they hadn't expected a cute boy to walk in.
At this moment, the accompanying adjutant stepped forward and shouted loudly:
"Quiet, quiet! Listen up, everyone! This is a Prince from an Eastern Kingdom! He has come here to present potato chips and cola to Gabriel-sama! If he has any needs, you must satisfy them!"
"Potato chips and cola?" The three girls looked at each other.
"Eh! A Prince!!!" The maids cried out in surprise, then pulled the girls they had become acquainted with and said, "So you were acquaintances with the Prince all along? How rude of us. You should go rest. Leave the kitchen work to us."
"No, it's fine. We're doing this voluntarily. And 'he who does not work shall not eat'—that's the basic rule of being away from home. Besides, Shirou isn't that kind of 'grand' existence," Yukinoshita Yukino said.
"Mm-hmm, I still think Yukino's cooking is better." Yuigahama nodded repeatedly. After all, eating the food made by the army cooks here—who were only slightly better than her—wasn't unbearable, but she naturally wanted to eat something that made her happier.
Shirou also walked over and said, "Please don't be formal. Thank you for taking care of my companions. I came here specifically to cook as well."
"Speaking of which, what's this about making potato chips and cola?" Yukinoshita asked.
Shirou nodded as if realizing something and said, "Ah. As expected, even you don't understand, Yukinoshita. After all, this isn't just about cooking; it involves biological, geographical, and chemical knowledge. If I didn't have experience camping in the wild and finding food on the spot, I wouldn't understand it either."
"What do you mean by that? Even though you're so small, in this world, women's status is much greater. The ones responsible for working and supporting the family here are all women, and married men must stay at home. Though, the profession of a stay-at-home 'house husband' really suits you," Yukinoshita said, raising an eyebrow, sounding a bit annoyed as if she felt she was being looked down upon.
"Don't call me small!" Shirou retorted.
"If it's the current Shirou, staying at my house forever is also fine," Asuna said, leaning in.
"She's overflowing! She's overflowing!" Yuigahama quickly held Asuna back. The black aura called "motherhood" was constantly rising from her, and one could clearly see the silhouette of a tall, long-haired woman.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but for now, let's gather the necessary materials. Is the selection of ingredients here the most complete available?" Shirou asked the adjutant nearby.
The adjutant nodded and said proudly, "Of course. For the Angels, we have mobilized the strength of all surrounding garrisoned cities. Everything edible from the mountains and waters—even spring water from famous mountain springs—has been collected."
"Mm, that should be enough." Shirou surveyed the ingredients placed in wooden crates along the corners of the wall and nodded.
"Shirou, what do you need? I've been in charge of this for the past few days. I'll get you whatever you need," Asuna leaned in, saying with a doting expression.
"...Then I'll trouble you, Asuna. First, bring over some cassava and tubers." Shirou spoke, feeling very unsettled looking at an Asuna who was clearly possessed by something.
"Yes, leave it to me. Shirou's wishes, no matter what they are, will be realized by me." Asuna smiled and ran out.
"Since your territory already covers the Indian subcontinent, there shouldn't be a lack of spices, right?" Shirou turned to the adjutant.
"Of course! For the Angels, we provide the highest quality of all ingredients and seasonings. Even for something as precious as gold like black pepper, we wouldn't be the slightest bit stingy!" the adjutant declared.
"Good. To make different flavors of chips, spices are a must. Although chili peppers are far away in the Americas, Chinese Sichuan peppers and Indian black pepper will work. However, since they are very pungent, we have to be careful," Shirou said.
"Humph, humph, humph. Leave it to me! Let me, a Great Archdemon, make a hell-level super spicy chip that will make Gabriel cry and repent to me! Hehehe~!" Satania raised her hand and volunteered herself.
"Right, I'll leave that to you then."
"That cassava needs to be peeled and soaked first, and this needs to be disinfected. I'll leave these to you," Shirou instructed the maids.
"Yes! I'll help too! Leave the peeling to me!" Yuigahama raised her hand.
"Eh, Yuigahama, maybe you should just rest," Shirou said.
"Shirou, don't look down on me! I've become much more skilled lately. At the very least, when it comes to peeling, I shouldn't lose to anyone. After all, I can't do any other work, hehe," Yuigahama said, brandishing her dedicated small knife with a giggle.
However, one could see several small nicks on her hands. Though the wounds were small, there were a lot of them.
"That's right, Prince. Yuigahama has worked very hard. Even when we're resting, she's still working," the surrounding maids chimed in to help.
Working with a knife for long periods, even an experienced hand will slip. That's why the "cat's paw" grip is so important when slicing, but it's hard to avoid when peeling—not to mention for a high schooler like her who rarely touched such things.
Shirou thought for a moment, then used Graduation/Projection Magecraft. Infusing magical energy, he formed a new kitchen utensil and handed it to Gahamako, saying, "Mm, I know. Yuigahama, sorry, I underestimated you. But from now on, use this instead."
Yuigahama looked at the peeler in her hand. Her palm felt warm, and she looked at Shirou with deep emotion. "Shirou... even though you're so small, you're so thoughtful. Your Onee-chan is so happy!"
"Can you stop saying 'so small'?" Shirou said gloomily, though it was much better than Asuna's look of treating him like her son.
On the other side, Asuna, carrying a large basket of washed cassava, sensed Shirou's gaze. She smiled radiantly and even waved one hand back and forth. That large basket of cassava, having just been soaked in water, weighed at least fifty or sixty pounds. It was held steadily by the girl with one hand—Minamoto no Raikō had definitely possessed her.
"Ohhh, so these are cassava? They look just like yams! Hehe, as expected, this thing is great!" Once Asuna brought the ingredients, Yuigahama picked up a long, root-shaped tuber and began scraping with the peeler. She easily shaved off a layer of skin—not too deep to be wasteful, and not too shallow to be unclean. The depth was perfect.
The ironware Shirou created after his special training under Muramasa's possession was the finest of the fine.
"Ooooh, is this a miraculous secret technique from the Eastern Kingdom?" The maids gathered around curiously.
Then, Shirou projected pairs of waterproof gauze gloves made of special materials. They protected the skin while remaining light and flexible. He distributed them to the helping maids and workers.
"Everyone, please put these gloves on before working. Otherwise, the toxins on the skin can easily cause skin irritation."
"Here, let me show you how to put them on." Shirou spoke gently as he helped one woman don her gloves. Her palm, roughened by years in the kitchen dealing with grease and water, was held gently by the boy as he slipped on the gauze glove.
"Prince..." The woman's eyes shimmered with tears of emotion. She hadn't expected that for a "tough woman" like her, the boy before her—no, the Prince—would be such an angel.
Everyone held their breath at the scene, and then the women in the entire kitchen crowded around, competing for attention.
"Me too! Me as well!"
"I want one too!" At that moment, a pair of fair hands, different from the maids', reached out.
"You're an official here, aren't you?" Shirou asked, looking at the woman in surprise.
"I... I can help too," the adjutant said with a blush, hesitating under Shirou's gaze.
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