A Hot Meal After Making It Back Alive

The monsters along the way merely watched them pass, showing no intent to fight.

Perhaps they'd earned recognition by defeating the Blood Knight.

Or perhaps they simply had no interest in fleeing prey.

That said, this only applied to the Undead.

The Slimes still saw Elza's group as prey and rolled after them in pursuit.

Worse, the dense concentration caused them to merge together, growing ever larger.

Elza ran at the front, glancing back periodically.

"Nothing but Slimes chasing us. I wonder why."

"Who knows. It works in our favor, so I won't complain."

"That's true, but…"

"I just want to get somewhere safe already…"

The group retraced their route without slowing down.

The Hill of Lament wasn't particularly large compared to an ordinary labyrinth, if you set aside the fighting.

With no floors to descend, they reached the entrance in no time.

"There it is. Once we pass through that archway, we're outside."

"The Slime behind us keeps getting bigger, though."

"Don't look back. Labyrinth monsters almost never leave unless there's an overflow."

Alexia said this and conjured a wall of fire behind Kazusa.

The Slime barreled straight through the firewall, but it seemed to have some effect, as its speed dropped.

"Here we gooo!"

Elza practically flew through the boundary.

Next came Alexia with Azu on her back. Then Kazusa made it out.

The next instant, there was the sound of something massive hitting an invisible wall, but that was all.

"It's true. They don't come outside."

"If monsters constantly poured out of labyrinths, humans wouldn't be able to live anywhere."

"That's… a fair point."

Labyrinths existed all across the continent, and there were places that had gone untouched by human hands for years.

Those were registered as hazard zones and said to be overrun with monsters.

However, labyrinth monsters had a natural tendency not to stray far from where they were born.

Because of that, human territory remained intact.

The one exception was the great pit next to Spartia, a city-state in its own right.

That place alone constantly disgorged monsters.

And those monsters headed relentlessly toward human settlements.

Which was precisely why Spartia stood as a bulwark against them.

"Mm… huh?"

It was then that Azu finally woke up.

"Oh my, the princess has opened her eyes."

"Um… ah!"

Taking in her surroundings and grasping the situation, Azu let out a small cry.

"Thank you for saving me."

"Think nothing of it."

"Um, I'll get down now."

Azu tried to push herself off Alexia's back, putting strength into her hands.

But she couldn't muster any real force and immediately went limp.

"Huh? That's strange."

"Come on, you pushed yourself too hard. Just stay put for a while. My healing miracles can mend wounds, but they don't help much with physical and mental exhaustion."

"Right, of course. I'm sorry. Please bear with me a little longer."

"Learn to rely on others once in a while."

"You're one to talk, Alexia-chan."

"Do you have a complaint?"

Alexia's glare made Elza throw up her hands in surrender.

They found a spot free of monsters and finally took a breather.

It was near a small lake.

Elza used her remaining holy water to create a sanctuary.

"This'll keep beasts and monsters away."

"Monster repulsion isn't something a mage can do, so that helps."

Alexia said this in good spirits, then set Azu down on a small boulder.

She could at least support herself sitting up.

"Now then, I really must change."

Everyone's wounds had already been treated by Elza, but their clothes were another matter.

Elza and Kazusa had only gotten some dirt on theirs, but Alexia's outfit was beyond salvaging.

"Haah. I don't dislike dresses, but when they end up like this, having so much skin exposed isn't ideal."

She stripped off the battle dress, now reduced to little more than rags.

Down to her undergarments, her supple figure was laid bare.

"Wow, you're beautiful."

Kazusa said this with genuine admiration.

For Kazusa, who was underdeveloped for her age, Alexia's proportions were an object of envy.

"Why, thank you."

Alexia reached into their luggage and pulled out a change of clothes.

What she'd packed was a simple outfit of the sort a village girl might wear.

Even so, on Alexia, her natural beauty made it stand out.

"Phew, finally wearing something decent."

She reached both hands behind her to pull her hair free from where it had gotten tucked inside the shirt.

Even after a labyrinth expedition, her red hair maintained a lustrous shine.

Elza gently ran her fingers through it.

Alexia accepted this in silence.

"Anyway, let's get something in our stomachs."

Kazusa said this and laid out portable fuel on the ground, then placed some dried branches she'd found nearby on top.

She struck a flint, and a fire quickly spread.

"Ooh, you're good at that."

Elza sat down beside Kazusa and praised her handiwork.

"There's often no mage around, so I've gotten used to it. Plus, this kind of portable fuel just gets in the way when you have leftovers, so people give it to me fairly often."

She dropped a block of solidified fat into the pot, and the heat melted it down.

"Since you all helped me so much, let me treat you this time. It's hardly enough to repay you, but still."

"Don't worry about it. 'Fellow travelers share the road,' as they say. Besides, you were a big help."

In truth, without Kazusa, they would have had to turn back partway due to carrying capacity alone.

And everything they'd obtained from the Blood Knight fight was loaded into Kazusa's large bag.

Kazusa took a large fruit from her small bag.

She peeled it to reveal white flesh, which she shaved off with a knife and dropped into the pot.

The shaved pieces were long and slender.

Soon, a sizzling sound filled the air.

"What's that?"

"Breadfruit. Ah, I bet you're from a well-off family. It gets soft and delicious when you cook it."

Kazusa then shaved off slices of salt-cured meat.

A savory aroma wafted over, and Azu's stomach growled.

"Ah, ahh…"

Azu ducked her head in embarrassment.

She couldn't move, yet her stomach was full of energy. That seemed to bother her.

"If you've got an appetite, you'll be back on your feet in no time."

"That's right. And this fruit is packed with nutrition."

Kazusa then pulled out something wrapped in grass leaves.

She peeled the leaves away to reveal a white lump.

"Oh, cheese! Nice."

Elza identified it immediately.

"It's my secret stash, but since we made it back alive, let's celebrate."

Goat's milk cheese wasn't cheap.

But it was rich, nutritious, and filling.

She added it to the pot and killed the heat. The cheese melted and coated the ingredients.

"All done. Let's eat."

"What's this dish called?"

"Hmm, it doesn't really have one… Cheese stir-fry?"

She portioned it into bowls.

Azu still looked like holding a spoon was a struggle, so Kazusa fed her.

"Here, say aah."

"Aah. Mm, it's delicious."

"Right?"

"It really is. The richness of the cheese is lovely."

The meal finally eased the tension, and a smile returned to Azu's face.