Chapter 17: 《Duke’s POV》Awestruck by Miltia

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…….. I originally thought… I had gotten used to her eccentric behaviour but turned out I was dead wrong. 

As always… She stared at me with eyes void of any fear and disgust. While carrying two big wash bins, she proposed the idea of a bath to me. 

『S-Still isn’t that… Dangerous? No one knows for sure what’s squirming under the master’s skin right now, you know? Besides… When we soaked master in the tub before…』

Bhadra trailed, not finishing his words. He tried to stop her by speaking through the automaton. Truth to be told, he hadn’t say anything wrong though. 

Indeed… It was a tough one… It was as if all of the demons sealed in the sea were released all at once. The bathtub, which had been passed down since my great-grandfather’s generation, was instantly covered with bizarre demons and slimy sludge. 

We took another attempt several times since then, only to realise exposing this body to water brought nothing but pain to us all. The creatures that gushed forward from my skin as the effect of the 『curse』were varied. Some had sharp fangs, some had countless spines.

Did she forget she got injured by a black creature covered in thorns before? 

“Yes…. While a bathtub might be impossible, just wiping the skin with water will definitely make Maricle-sama feeling refreshed. Besides, rather than waiting for the curse fragments to peel off on their own, I think it’s better if we wash and purify them before then… Most importantly, I think if I boil them right away, the marine creatures won’t be able to go out of control.”

“…………”

『……』

She then pointed toward a large pot that she had prepared beforehand in the courtyard. The fire was already lit, the pot was filled with bubbling, boiling water. In the end, we decided to go through with Miltia’s suggestion. 

“Excuse me, Maricle-sama.”

Gassssshhhiiii!!!

Bibibibibibibi!!!

As soon as I sat down on a chair she had prepared in the garden, she immediately pulled a spiny arthropod that was peeking out on my shoulder. The arthropod had countless small legs, and a pair of long, sharp whiskers. The tail-like thing that took up most of its body, kept on flailing to no end. That strange, dark reddish-brown creature with legs growing out of its tail part, was spreading the grime from my skin everywhere. Looking at that spectacle, I spontaneously turned my head away from it.

“…. Amazing…. What a fine spiny lobster…”

But Miltia, she gripped the creature’s back(?) hard…. It seemed the part she gripped on was the creature’s vital point. No matter how hard the creature trashed about, there was no sign of Miltia accidentally releasing the creature. 

Miltia then rinsed the creature (or lobster, according to Miltia) with water from a large clay pot she had prepared beforehand. After she deemed the creature was clean enough, she then tossed it into boiling water without any hesitation and immediately covered the pot with a lid.

I could hear the lobster slamming against the pot’s lid once or twice but… A short while later, I couldn’t hear any resistance coming from the pot anymore.  

After a few more minutes, she happily took out an incredibly red, boiled sea monster from the pot. She then cooled the boiled sea monster on a colander. 

And so… This spectacle would continue on for more than just once or twice. 

……… So strong…..

This girl… Maybe she has the potential to play an active role in subjugating the demon king…? Especially in preparing provisions for the hero’s party. Even the chamberlains, who used to serve in the military, were having a hard time. Thanks to this experience, I had learned how to survive with preserved food as a main part of my diet. But despite all that, I had never tried eating demons yet. 

While I was reminiscing about my past, she kept on harvesting the cursed creatures that had been rampaging beneath my skin. Some of the creatures were stabbed with a knife right on its vital point. Some were immediately put into the boiling pot. Some were directly tossed onto the wash bin as it was… 

There were some creatures that looked like a thin and elongated snake with obviously sharp fangs but…. Even that kind of creature didn’t even make this woman flinch in the slightest… 

And these creatures that looked like a lump of tentacles… If I wasn’t wrong, she called them ‘sea cucumbers’…? Anyway, I was beyond shocked when she chopped them and ate them raw with just vinegar and a bowl of soup. She was eating it happily, I could even hear the crunchy sound of her munching on those raw tentacle-like creatures.

While I was reminiscing about that spectacle, she continued to brush more and more dirt away from my body. 

My body, which used to always felt itchy, sticky, dirty and uncomfortable, felt strangely light now. 

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T/N: I didn’t know you can eat sea cucumber raw… (◯Δ◯∥)

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