◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (17)

Chapter 4. Creating Together (3)

Where did KiJun's light magic and spiritual power come from?

Without a doubt, it was from his contractual spirit, Lucy.

If the answer couldn't be found in combat using spirit magic, then focusing on the spirit itself for skill and stat growth was the natural choice.

—Hehe, I'm a little embarrassed.

"Let's all work hard together since it's for everyone."

—Huff, okay, contractor! Let's do our best together!

"......"

The Demon Lord watched as KiJun and Lucy faced each other.

She was plagued by a reasonable suspicion that Lucy was purposely not telling KiJun how to advance to the next grade because she enjoyed their continuous sweet nothings.

Lucy, being a high-ranking spirit with long years of life, couldn't possibly have forgotten how a contractor's advancement works, even if she had been sealed for a long time.

'It's better for him to realize it himself rather than being taught directly.'

But if that took too long, it would be troublesome for the Demon Lord.

She was absolutely, absolutely not jealous that the hero was only concentrating on the spirit.

It was simply because she had no one else to play with.

And it was inconvenient for meal times to be delayed.

The meals made by the hero were delicious, after all...

So, she thought it was time to intervene, to pry them apart at the right moment, and to coerce the spirit into revealing the growth method if necessary.

Just then, KiJun and Lucy abruptly stood up.

"What's going on?"

"It's time for our morning run. Let's go, Lucy!"

—Alright, I'll run diligently today too!

What's the point if a spirit runs, they just flail in the air?

The Demon Lord watched the two with a twisted gaze.

She couldn't really know Lucy's appearance, being without spirit power and not the contractor, but she seemed to be grinning foolishly, or so the Demon Lord felt.

"Whatever, light spirits... if it were spirits of mischief, then maybe..."

While they were running, she resisted the urge to interfere and spoil their fun, for the sake of maintaining the dignity she had kept in front of the hero.

In reality, that dignity had long vanished, but the Demon Lord was unaware of it.

"Phew. You worked hard, Lucy. Next up is breakfast time."

—Got it, I'll keep watching!

That was what she always did.

Staring as if possessed...

The Demon Lord inwardly scoffed at Lucy's usual behavior, completely ignorant that she was doing the same.

"Having Lucy watch seems to make cooking go better."

—Oh dear, contractor really...

"Eurgh… I can’t look anymore! (Enough watching, I can't take it anymore!)"

The Demon Lord got up with a start.

She was determined to confront that spirit today.

She would smash that pathetic pretense of a romance with the fist of justice and make the spirit confess the method of advancement!

But the next moment, she saw Lucy reaching out to the nearly finished cooking, and a light seemed to infuse into it.

"No, why is this happening."

It couldn't be real...

It must be just a lighting effect; there couldn't be any real change.

Believing so, the Demon Lord waited for the cooking to finish, but the completed golden fried rice was indeed much more exquisite than before.

It even had an addictive quality that tugged at the heartstrings.

"What is this? It's delicious..."

KiJun and Lucy also expressed their amazement in turn after tasting it.

"It's really so much tastier? Maybe Lucy's spell made a difference."

—Truly! Our contract was surely meant to be!

"Cut the crap... hero."

Receiving a refill of the golden fried rice without any gap, the Demon Lord spoke.

"Why don't you just keep cooking today?"

"Because when that spirit uses her power, the cooking tastes better. Didn't you know this could be a sign of skill growth?"

"Of the cooking skill?"

"And the spirit magic skill too."

Really? KiJun's incredulous look prompted another firm nod.

"Do it as if you're in battle using spirit magic. Raise your light magic while you're at it."

"Is this that combat cooking thing or something..."

Although KiJun had doubts—after all, his Boomerang Throw evolved into Flash Throw due to the influence of his spirit magic and light magic—cooking was a new territory.

Still, he hesitated but nodded, trusting the Demon Lord's word, as he had never been led astray by her before.

"Then, let's go, Lucy!"

"Okay, contractor! Now that it's come to this, I won't hold back my strength either!"

They ignited the flame and placed the pan.

After all, any finished dish could be neatly stored in the inventory to be consumed at any time, so there was no need to differentiate by category.

Then the first dish to cook was, of course, high orc pork belly—!

"May it be delicious!"

—May it be delicious!

They exclaimed with the fervor of battle as they grilled the pork belly.

To any onlooker, it would seem absurd, but the only being who could stop them, the Demon Lord, watched with a serious expression.

The crowning touch was the succulent pork belly shining brightly as it grilled to perfection.

"What in the world is going on..."

Thus, the fairy, who had come for a long-overdue tutorial second-round progress report and to check for bugs' survival, stood apart, marveling at the strange scene.

"Ah, you've come?"

The Demon Lord greeted the fairy with the gravity of a culinary judge, then motioned towards a plate of freshly grilled and sliced pork belly.

"Do you want to try some? It's really delicious."

"Me? You want me to eat that... made by an Earth hero?"

"Hey, Demon Lord. I didn't grill this meat for that little bug."

It was supposed to be a treat for the Demon Lord's tasting, not for a little fairy.

KiJun, visibly annoyed, received a cool response from the Demon Lord.

"Hero, you've been cooking too narrowly focused until now. You should aim to make delicious food that anyone can enjoy, not just for someone specific. Shouldn't a true chef aim for that?"

"But I'm not a chef!"

"For now, as you're trying to grow your skills, you need to embrace the heart of a true chef!"

"Ugh, sounds like nonsense, but there's some truth to it..."

Defeated by logic, the hero reluctantly told the fairy.

"Eat, moth... dip it in the soy sauce..."

"Hmph, I was going to eat anyway. What can a hero, still trapped in tutorials, do with limited ingredients... Ah..."

And the fairy's speech trailed off.

Overwhelmed by the perfectly grilled pork belly's texture and the deep flavor of the soy sauce that avoided it being too greasy, the fairy began savoring it, finding it too precious to continue speaking.

The Demon Lord, who intended to save most of the pork belly for herself, widened her eyes as the little moth swiftly devoured the meat. But by then, the fairy was no longer paying attention to her.

"This isn't tutorial-level, you know? It's at least rare-grade! This is a rare-grade cooking skill!"

"There really is such a thing as a rare-grade cooking skill?"

"It's exceedingly rare, but yes! Does this even make sense?"

The hero, usually unruffled even in the face of any crisis, was now gaping in amazement at a simple dish, which seemed to slightly alter his mood.

The strangest thing was that it wasn't a bad feeling.

"I need to eat more to be sure. One bite isn't enough to confirm it!"

"...Wait. I'll make you another dish. Ready, Lucy?"

—Of course, contractor!

Just this once for the growth of his cooking skill.

Just this once.

As KiJun once again focused on cooking, the fairy spoke to the Demon Lord with a slightly serious expression.

"Hero, this is really good. With cooking like this, there's no worry of starving in Leta, this is..."

"Quiet, I know."

"But still, Hero. You..."

"It's fortunate, isn't it?"

The Demon Lord smiled tenderly at KiJun, who was diligently boiling noodles.

"It means the possibility for that kid has increased even by a little."

Two hours later, after cooking various dishes and sacrificing the stomach health of the Demon Lord and the fairy, KiJun finally found the perfect way to combine his light magic with Lucy's spirit power to create a more perfect dish.

Likely, had it been something other than cooking, the result would have been the same.

"Lucy."

—Contractor...

Without words, they felt a warm understanding pass between them.

Not just telepathy, but a much faster way to draw power during battle was within their reach.

If only they had realized this during combat... But perhaps, to increase the synergy between a bound spirit and a contractor facing their limits, it wasn't destructive action that was needed, but something they could both invest their sincerity and heart into.

He spontaneously thought of this after his realization.

Then, like a deluge, system messages flooded in.

—Your uncommon-grade [Cooking] skill, influenced by light spirit magic, has grown into a rare-grade skill [Cooking of Light]! It will not only make the dishes look more beautiful but also boost the eater's vitality and resistance to fatigue, giving them courage to stand against evil!

—Your rare-grade [Light Spirit Magic] skill has evolved into a unique grade through the realization of merging magic power with spirit power! This will allow more efficient use of the spirit's power and enhance recovery and attack capabilities using the light spirit!

—A positive adjustment is added to your rare-grade title [Skill Creator] for creating a new skill.

—You've earned the qualification for a new class 'Spirit Chef,' which is of rare grade. Would you like to transfer classes?

As he refused the Spirit Chef class change at lightning speed, KiJun felt a fundamental change within him.

It was a sensation he'd experienced before.

His status grade was growing.

—Successfully drawing closer to the light, you've unleashed your inherent potential. Your Light Magic (Uc) stat surpasses its limit and evolves into a Rare (R) grade! Light Magic (R) is now 1.

—The immense spiritual power within you stirs for the first time due to the union with the spirit. Your Spirit Power (R) status surpasses its limit and evolves into a Unique (Unique) grade! Spirit Power (U) is now 1.

—Sometimes your fatal charm can be poison, but those intoxicated by you will willingly swallow even that venom. Your Charisma (Uc) status surpasses its limit and evolves into a Rare (R) grade! Charisma (R) is now 1.

Wait a minute.

There seemed to be something odd in the last part.

"Suddenly poison...?"

Until now, KiJun had never understood why his Charisma stat grew from Common to Rare grade.

Moreover, calling his charm 'fatal' could have been dangerous if those who knew him on Earth heard it.

"You've worked hard, hero."

Any questions he had dissipated at the sight of the Demon Lord smiling knowingly at him.

The fairy had already left, but there was a pile of ingredients on one side, possibly as payment for the cooking.

"I've heard about the second round. Everyone's running hard, aren't they?"

"What a service from that fairy."

"Your party members, especially, are doing incredibly well. They're picking out exactly what they need and growing rapidly, so they might even manage a stat advancement, not to mention a race advancement."

"Good to hear."

A fleeting thought crossed his mind—'I hope they weren't too shocked by my absence'—but he dismissed his worries upon hearing they were doing well.

If they forget about him... well, that would be regrettable, but it's better for him to be a bit sad than for them to fret needlessly over him.

"They're really looking for you, you know."

That thought faded with the Demon Lord's next comment.

A fleeting joy followed by a surge of self-disgust at such thoughts.

As KiJun frowned in confusion, the Demon Lord laughed as if understanding his complex feelings.

"People's hearts aren't easy. But since they're converting their feelings for you into motivation and working hard, they'll complete the tutorial just fine."

"Is that so?"

"Don't worry, the fairy didn't deliberately omit talking about you. During the tutorial, discussing the outside world is strictly forbidden."

"I didn't expect anything from that fairy."

"But instead."

The Demon Lord, having approached closer, reached out to smooth the wrinkles on KiJun's forehead and said.

"It seems your cooking was too delicious today. Within the limits of not breaking the rules, she said she'd pass on that you're still alive and well."

"Really?"

Watching the complex expression on KiJun's face, the Demon Lord smirked mischievously.

Lucy, attempting to break away from KiJun to attack the Demon Lord, was easily caught in one swoop now that KiJun's spiritual power and spirit magic grade had become visible even to others.

"Yikes, what are you doing, you demon!"

"How about it? Cooking for others isn't so bad, right?"

"Well... maybe, you're right."

Still with a complex expression but nodding agreeably, KiJun added,

"Then let's just sleep tonight and head back to the dungeon tomorrow. We've grown everything we can."

"Oh."

—Ah.

The Demon Lord and Lucy suddenly looked aghast, but it was too late to turn back now.

Who would have known that they would complete an advancement in just one day!

And that night.

—The rose has a magic that brings back even those pricked by its thorns. You have now become such a rose. Charisma (R) has increased by 1.

Now, what on Earth does that mean?

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