Chapter 84. Chef Ula
Ovisland.
Just hearing the name conjures images of a pastoral, idyllic world.
But beneath that peaceful-sounding name, a dark shadow loomed.
In reality, it was a massive laboratory where all creatures, except for the ruling species, were subjected to experiments and modifications.
The ruling species of this world was called the *Alchemists*.
They were known for their semi-transparent skin, which faintly revealed their internal organs and blood vessels.
These beings were more than just scientists or magicians.
They possessed unparalleled and mysterious abilities that allowed them to reconstruct and alter life itself.
For thousands of years, the Alchemists honed their skills in modification and enhancement.
Over time, they created and destroyed numerous species and life forms. To them, life was merely experimental material, and the concept of ethics didn’t exist.
And the sheep Beastmen, like Merino Ula, were one of the Alchemists’ greatest masterpieces.
Their horns, when ground, produced a powder that allowed them to eat anything, while their wool contained a power that added flavors, like a seasoning, to anything it touched.
Apart from that, they had no other abilities.
Their combat prowess was non-existent.
The Alchemists, fearing rebellion, had made the entire species extremely weak.
In Ovisland, much like most other species, the sheep Beastmen held the status of livestock.
They weren’t respected as living beings.
They were nothing more than a valuable resource, used to solve the Alchemists’ food supply issues.
***
Merino brought her hand to her horn.
Then, with a gentle push—
*Snip!*
With a light and crisp sound, the tip of her horn broke off.
The severed part was smooth and clean.
【Mysticism】─😱
【Yumi】─Gasp?
【Pururu】─What? So, that just falls off?
“If I grind my horn, I can produce powder. And this powder lets me eat anything!”
Merino took the stone she was holding and rubbed it against her severed horn.
Soon, the stone was covered with powder.
“Now, just wait a moment…”
*Hisss—*
Out of nowhere, the powder scattered, and a blue smoke began to rise.
The smoke quickly enveloped the stone before being absorbed into it entirely.
“Now, the stone is edible! The blue smoke has been absorbed, so there’s no problem eating it!”
Merino, wearing a proud expression, held out the stone toward me.
Then, suddenly, she pulled the stone back to her chest.
“Oh! But you can’t eat it yet! Even though it’s edible, it won’t taste good like this!”
She plucked a small amount of the fluffy wool from her shoulders.
“This is the key! By absorbing my wool, it’ll taste delicious!”
【Pururu】─? So, it’s like seasoning?
【Bubble Bubble】─I’m not convinced.
She started rubbing the wool onto the stone.
Like before, the wool transformed into smoke and was absorbed into the stone. This time, the smoke was red.
“I can recreate the taste of any food I’ve eaten before. Right now, I’ve made it taste like curry!”
Merino proudly held out the stone again.
Despite her claims of it tasting like curry, the stone’s appearance hadn’t changed at all—it was still gray.
“Try it!”
“…”
【Rizenova】─Be careful. You might die from eating it.
【Bubble Bubble】─Yeah, it could be a murder attempt.
Should I trust her or not?
While I hesitated, a Centaurides, who had been watching with us, stepped forward and took the stone from Merino.
［Explorer, allow me to taste it first. It could be dangerous.］
【Mysticism】─A royal food taster! 😃
“…Alright. If it seems off, spit it out right away.”
［Understood.］
With a determined expression, the Centaurides boldly placed the stone into her mouth.
*Crunch. Crunch crunch.*
She chewed on the stone roughly.
［Hmm…!?］
Her eyes suddenly widened.
She looked shocked.
［This is…!］
Her hands trembled as she raised both arms high and shouted.
［Delicious… I mean, *mimi*!!!］
【Mysticism】─🤔
【Yumi】─Mimi? Does that mean it’s tasty?
【Pururu】─Idiot.
［Unbelievable! This stone is incredibly delicious! How can something like this taste so good?!］
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s good? Seriously?
【Rizenova】─I find that hard to believe.
The Centaurides was raving about how the stone was divine and even begged Merino for another.
It didn’t seem like she was lying.
She had no reason to deceive me, after all.
So, it must really taste good…
I turned to Merino again.
“Hooeeeng.”
“…Give me one too.”
“Got it!”
***
*Crunch. Crunch crunch.*
I tried chewing on the stone Merino had made.
It tasted like curry-flavored snacks.
It wasn’t addictive, but as the Centaurides had said, it was one of the ten best things I’d ever tasted.
“It’s really good.”
“Yum yum. It’s delicious!”
Merino munched on the stone too, looking at me with a pleased expression.
She seemed happy that I was enjoying the food.
【Pururu】─Wait, isn’t she F-class? How can a regular person have this kind of power? If she can even make poison edible, that’s a broken ability, isn’t it?
【Yumi】─Maybe threat level and having abilities are separate things?
【Pururu】─Like Medical Mushroom. It only has healing powers, but it’s still S-class.
【Yumi】─That’s true. Now that you mention it, it does seem odd.
【Mysticism】─🧐
“It’s probably because her horn and wool have abilities that aren’t directly tied to her body, so the threat level detection didn’t pick it up. If those parts were removed, she’d be just like any regular person.”
For some reason, her horn and wool didn’t seem to be recognized as actual body parts.
【Yumi】─Ah, I see.
【Mysticism】─😮
【Bubble Bubble】─That makes sense now.
【Pururu】─So, it’s like her abilities are more like items than actual body parts.
【Rizenova】─Considering her abilities, what do you think her actual threat level would be?
“Even with these abilities, she’s still F-class. No matter how amazing and overpowered her abilities seem, she’s so weak she’d die if you flicked her. Pururu could easily beat her.”
【Pururu】─Damn, she’s that weak?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to classify her, so I answered like that.
Unlike a healing ability, which could be used in countless ways in combat, I had no frame of reference for this kind of power.
Healing abilities, which can be detected by threat level measures, are easier to gauge.
But this ability doesn’t register with my instincts either.
“Merino, this won’t cause any side effects, will it?”
“No side effects at all!”
“And it’s nutritionally sound?”
“It’s full of nutrients!”
“That’s a relief. By the way, what happens if you use up all your horn? Can you never use your ability again?”
“My horn and wool grow back as long as they aren’t all removed at once.”
If she didn’t completely remove them, she could use her ability permanently, Merino explained.
“So if you lose them all, they won’t grow back, huh.”
“That’s right! That’s why if I accidentally lose all my horn and wool, I’d be discarded immediately!”
“…Huh? Discarded?”
“Yep.”
It seemed like I needed to hear more details about this.
***
I learned about the origin of Merino Ula’s abilities.
To summarize:
Merino and the other sheep Beastmen were livestock in Ovisland.
Their horns, which could make anything edible and serve as antidotes, and their wool, which acted as a seasoning, were abilities granted to them through modification by the rulers of Ovisland, the Alchemists.
In other words, Merino wasn’t a naturally occurring species but an artificially created one designed to fulfill a particular species’ desires.
‘So her horns and wool are modified parts of her body, and that’s why their abilities don’t register as part of her threat level…’
In any case.
From what I gathered, the sheep Beastmen didn’t have any particular objections to their life as livestock.
Merino herself, too.
“Merino, do you want to return to your original world?”
“Yes! There are so many people waiting for the food I make!”
She was quite content with her life.
She had probably been thoroughly brainwashed from birth.
They weren’t kept in cages either.
Since they were allowed to roam freely, they believed they were living free lives.
【Pururu】─Hmm.
【Yumi】─That’s so sad.
【Mysticism】─It’s heartbreaking…
【Rizenova】─That world could use a revolution.
【Bubble Bubble】─Hey, Merino, sorry for being so annoyed with you earlier.
When I looked at Merino with a complicated expression, she looked up at me with anticipation and asked,
“Can I go back?”
“…”
I hesitated for a moment.
What should I do with Merino?
The decision didn’t take long.
Having a cook around would be nice.
For now, I decided not to send her back and keep her with me.
No matter how content she seemed with her life as livestock, sending her back didn’t sit right with me.
“Merino, would you like to make a contract… no, a deal with me?”
“A deal? What kind of deal?”
“I have the power to send you back to your original world. But I can’t use that power for free.”
“You’re right! Nothing in the world is free!”
“You know that well. So, if you cook for us for a certain period, I’ll send you back in return.”
“Deal! How long do I need to cook?”
I pondered whether it should be for a year or two.
Finally, I made my decision and answered.
“Until I become the ruler of the labyrinth.”
If, when I became the ruler, Merino still felt no happiness with us, if she believed her life in Ovisland was truly better, and if she still wanted to return to her homeland, I would respect that choice.
Although I doubted she would make that choice.
I was sure Merino would prefer life here.
After all, she had told me she was often beaten in Ovisland.
A life where she constantly feared being discarded and endured endless abuse.
Once she compared that life with the peaceful one she could have here, she’d eventually realize that her life as livestock was anything but normal.
Incidentally, I hadn’t considered the possibility that I wouldn’t become the ruler.
“How long will it take to become the ruler?”
“I don’t know exactly. I’ll tell you when I do.”
“Hooeeeng.”
Anyway.
With that, I had officially gained a personal chef.