第９４２堀：甘い物はみんな好き (Part1)
Chapter 942: Everyone Loves Sweets
Side: Labyris
"Ho. This is delicious. Indeed, indeed. To think that such delicious things exist among the common folk—there is nothing better."
Seeing the Emperor of Eupia happily eating the pancakes Aslin had handed over, we all let out a sigh of relief. I never expected Aslin and Firia to take such a bold action. I’ve taught them properly that they shouldn't just do things like this without permission. If things went poorly, they could even be killed. They aren't children who don't understand that, so there must have been some reason behind it.
"You aren't children anymore, so you're getting a thorough lecture later."
"“Ehh—!”"
"Saying 'ehh' won't change anything. The Emperor of Eupia was generous enough to forgive you, but we won't."
"Wah-ha-ha! Well, they are right. Usually, you would be scolded. And that scolding comes from a place of caring for you, Aslin. You should accept it gracefully."
"“Aw, man...”"
As the two of them pretended to be dejected, the Emperor of Eupia laughed even harder.
"It is fine, it is fine. To eat well, learn well, play well, and pull pranks well—that is the privilege of childhood. Hmm, I finally understand why Yuki-dono brought you all along. So this is the kind of country where such children exist, is it?"
"Yes. We are doing our best to ensure they can spend their days happily."
"A good country. To have children who can smile—it sounds simple, but it is truly difficult."
As the Emperor of Eupia said this, watching Aslin and the others with a warm smile...
"But, while it's certainly delicious, it's a shame there's nothing to put on it."
"Mm! Dore-onee is right! That's why I have jam and chocolate here!"
"Hiiro, what on earth did you bring with you...?"
*Twitch!?*
...She reacted immediately to the toppings Hiiro had whipped out. Well, I actually have various things like that tossed into my own item box, too. But I certainly wouldn't think to use them in a place like this. However, the Emperor of Eupia was reacting perfectly. This was an unexpected development.
"Hey, Yuki."
"What is it, Labyris?"
"It looks like the Emperor of Eupia is interested in the jam and chocolate sauce that Hiiro and the others brought out."
"Well, of course she'd be interested. It's probably something she's never seen before."
"That's not what I mean. As a woman. Since it's a sweet, it would be more than enough as a tribute, wouldn't it?"
"Ah, I see what you mean. Hmm, I was thinking of presenting things like that at the banquet later, but..."
"You can still present them then. If we let Hiiro and the others offer them now, it could deepen our bond, and it might save us from having to explain every single thing at the banquet, don't you think?"
She seems like a surprisingly easygoing Emperor, and she seems to understand the balance of power between us. If we give a little push now, it might make things easier later on.
"That would be appreciated. Well, either way, it's not a bad deal for us. Let's ask them."
Yuki agreed and whispered to Hiiro and the others. Aslin and Hiiro happily presented the jam and chocolate sauce to the Emperor of Eupia.
"Emperor Eupia-chan. It's even more delicious if you put this on it."
"Hiiro recommends the marmalade or the chocolate."
"Hey, hey, there's no way the Emperor can just eat something without it being tasted for poison first."
"That's right. And it's rude. I'm sorry, Emperor Eupia."
Dore-ssa and Vilia hurriedly stepped in to stop them, apologizing to the Emperor for their overly direct behavior. Vilia is always like this, but perhaps because Dore-ssa has been gaining experience as a commander lately, she has started taking proper care of the younger ones.
Setting that aside, I wonder how the Emperor of Eupia will react? I don't think she'd call it an insult and have them executed, but...
"It is fine, do not worry. I, too, am very interested in this 'jam' and 'chocolate.' However, as this person says, I must have it checked for poison. I apologize for the rudeness, but please forgive me."
"It's okay! So, who's going to eat it?"
"Strawberry jam is also recommended."
As expected of our "angels," Aslin and Hiiro. Even though it shouldn't be fun to have their offerings checked for poison, they accepted it with a smile. Well, obviously there's no poison in them, so it's not a problem. And more importantly, the person who luckily got to be the taster was...
"!? How is it?"
"No, I cannot say it is safe with just this one."
Saying that, they went on to spread the jam and chocolate one by one to check them. Once they finished, they started saying, "No, this isn't enough... one more time," and just as they were about to reach for the first jam again with a pancake in hand...
"That is enough! Your tedious way of tasting is proof enough that it is delicious! You are going to finish my share! Besides, this was given to me by Aslin and Hiiro! Just finish it in one bite!"
Perhaps this exchange is a common occurrence; as the Emperor of Eupia complained with a grin, the surrounding crowd burst into laughter. The taster, looking truly reluctant, handed the jam jar over to the Emperor.
"Honestly. You are capable at your job, but you always love to tease me like that... Well, fine. So, I spread this jam on the pancake, yes?"
"That's right! Take it with this spoon."
"Just a little bit. If you put too much, you can only taste that one flavor."
"Hmm, hmm. I see."
The Emperor of Eupia followed Aslin and Hiiro's instructions, spread a little bit of jam, and took a bite.
"Ho. Hmm. This is delicious. What a wonderful sweetness this jam has. Jam this sweet does not exist in our country."
"Heh—so Zrable has jam too?"
"Indeed. Well, it is simply crushed fruit boiled down. This, however, likely uses plenty of sugar, does it not?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"I see. So, sugar, which is a luxury item in our country, is abundant here as well. Truly, Weed is a good country."
"“Yeah!”"
"Very well, then. I shall conquer all of the jams and chocolate sauces used in Weed. You two, help me."
"“Okay!”"
With that, the Emperor of Eupia and Aslin’s group happily repeated the process of adding various jams and chocolate sauces to their pancakes, eating them, and getting excited. However...
"““Ugh...””"
By the time we arrived at the castle, they were all stuffed from overeating. Well, that’s to be expected, considering they had us buy extra pancakes several times along the way.
"My apologies. It seems I, too, have eaten too much. Aslin and Hiiro must be feeling quite full as well. I shall have rooms prepared for you, so please take a moment to relax there."
And so, we were shown to our guest rooms for a short break.
"I completely forgot. You always end up eating too much of Weed's food."
"That is especially true the first time."
"Yeah... I remember Micos-chan couldn't move the first day she ate food from Weed."