piratefiction Chapter 133: There Is No Disaster For The Protagonist (3)
Chapter 133: There Is No Disaster For The Protagonist (3)
* * *
“It’s been a while since we’ve had guests, so the chieftain has specially prepared a meal for you.”
Following the young orc as he led them to the chieftain, Yeomyeong didn’t utter a word the entire time.
He glanced around the tent in silence, occasionally dispersing his mana as if
Goat meat grilled with a generous coating of spam oil.
Sundae1 made from pork blood stuffed with mashed spam, accompanied by spam dusted in grain flour and pan-fried like a pancake.
The last tray that came in contained yogurt, which… also had spam in it.
When Seti took a close look, she found finely chopped pieces of spam mixed in the yogurt.
Seti swallowed the words that nearly left her mouth.
Food culture was relative, after all. Didn’t Koreans often eat kimchi fried rice with a side of kimchi?
It wasn’t as if they had served something like a foul porridge laced with poison; everything on the tray could be called food.
It was just that they used too much spam.
As she closed her eyes and took a bite, she found it surprisingly delicious.
As the saying went, ‘Hunger is the best side dish.’2 While traveling all day in the desert without food played a part, it basically seemed like it was made by someone with exceptional cooking skills.
While Seti was busy eating, half in shock and half in admiration.
Boldugu and Yeomyeong continued their casual conversation.
“Oh, so you fell to the Demon Domain due to a Dimensional Portal accident?”
“…It was an unfortunate accident. But from the look of things, it seems that the god Mordak has been watching over us since we were able to meet the chieftain.”
“The Black God is indeed cold, yet at the same time, merciful. So I suppose you have no friends or comrades you can contact right away?”
“Yes, they probably think we’re dead. I need to contact them as soon as possible…”
As their subtle conversation continued, the smell of spam oil filled the air.
Just as the trays of food were nearly cleaned up, the orcs entered the tent carrying a large pot.
Was that perhaps a budae jjigae3?
Seti cautiously glanced into the pot, but the dish inside was far from budae jjigae.
It was a thick, green broth that made her lose her appetite with just a glance.
Floating in the broth were chunks of spam, a goat’s head, and some unidentified green meat.
Its appearance was one thing, but the smell was absolutely foul.
It had an stench reminiscent of a corpse aged for three years—an utterly nauseating scent that was beyond unbearable for any human.
Just from inspecting the pot, Seti felt a wave of nausea well up inside her.
As she repeated her shallow gagging, she noticed the slew of uncomfortable stares directed at her.
Boldugu and the other orcs watching her looked discomforted.
Regardless of the taste or smell, gagging in the presence of food was considered a significant breach of etiquette.
And wasn’t she a guest of the clan? It wouldn’t be surprising if they were left feeling insulted.
“Um… this is quite…”
Just as Boldugu frowned at her unexpected rudeness and the orcs fiddled with their tusks…
Yeomyeong stepped forward, lowered his head and said,
“I apologize. My wife is currently pregnant…”
WHAT? PREGNANT? Seti screamed internally at his sudden excuse.
However, she pretended to look embarrassed, averting her gaze and put on an impromptu performance.
At that moment, there was no better excuse than the one Yeomyeong had just thrown out.
“…Oh, morning sickness, huh? You should have mentioned it earlier. I would’ve avoided strong-smelling dishes.”
“I’m sorry. It’s still early, so I assumed this would be fine.”
“Ah, I understand that feeling. I, Boldugu, made a similar mistake when my wife was pregnant with our first child.”
Whether Boldugu and the orcs were convinced by their act or not, they no longer passed any comments regarding Seti’s gagging.
However, even though they refrained from speaking up, the gazes directed at Seti were anything but friendly.
It was a different kind of look compared to when they first learned she was from Earth before mealtime.
It was a greedy gaze as if they were looking at a pile of gold coins.
They might have thought they were being discreet, but with her Superhuman senses, it was nigh impossible for Seti to miss their intense stares.
Yeomyeong must have sensed their gazes as well. So why did he not address it?
As Seti’s curiosity deepened, the orcs began to eat the disgusting green dish.
* * *
“Sorry for gagging like that…”
That was the first thing Seti said after they asked Boldugu for understanding and excused themselves.
She felt a heaviness weighing on her heart, as if her actions had forced Yeomyeong to lie.
However, Yeomyeong simply waved it off, as if it were no big deal.
“No, you did well. Thanks to you, we didn’t have to eat that disgusting dish and managed to leave the tent without any problems, alright?”
Seti pouted.
“…That’s just lip service, huh.”
“It’s not lip service. I was genuinely trying to think of a way to get out of there.”
She checked Yeomyeong’s face, wondering if he was joking, but his expression was incredibly serious.
“Seti, you sense something strange here, don’t you?”
“…Somewhat.”
Yeomyeong glanced at the nomadic orc following them and spoke in a hushed tone, slightly louder than a whisper.
“Use your mana and scan the surroundings from here.”
Seti did as he instructed, immediately spreading her mana around the nomadic campsite.
Countless tents, orc nomads, and spam boxes.
The more she scanned her surroundings, the more she felt an odd sense of unease rise within her.
But she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was causing that unease.
…What was it?
When Seti looked at Yeomyeong with a puzzled expression, he gave her a hint.
“Children and women.”
“…”
Children and women? Only then did Seti realize what was causing the strange discomfort, and she frowned immediately.
Just in case, she spread her mana once more to scan the tents.
But no matter how much she extended her senses, she couldn’t find a trace of a single child or woman in the entire nomadic campsite.
“…How can this be?”
Seti looked at Yeomyeong and then back at the tent village, her expression one of utter disbelief.
Was this even possible? It was not like they were a military camp or a band of thieves—just a normal tent village with only strong men.
While she struggled to hide her incredulity, Yeomyeong gazed at the tent village solemnly and said.
“Seti, do you remember what I told you just before we left?”
She nodded.
“If we get lucky in the Demon Domain, we might encounter nomads or slave traders… right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I thought we’d meet either one of the two, but somehow, we ended up encountering both—a nomadic tribe and a slave trader.”
“…”
A nomadic tribe and a slave trader. So, they really were a band of thieves?
Once she thought of it in that way, the attitude of the orcs they’d met in the tent suddenly made sense.
Having no idea that they were Superhumans and the orcs were planning to capture them as slaves from the start.
No wonder they lit up at the moment they heard they were from Earth or were pregnant.
“…Yeomyeong, what are we going to do?”
Seti asked, clenching and unclenching her fists.
If she could just retrieve the hammer and sword from their lodging… No, even bare-handed, sweeping through a village like this would be a breeze.
“It’s not up to me; it’s up to you, Seti.”
“…Me?”
“Do you only want to sweep through this place and grab whatever mounts we can to escape the Demon Domain? Or will you find their base, wipe it out, and gather travel expenses?”
“…”
“I don’t mind either way.”
There was no need for hesitation. Seti answered with a fierce smile.
“Of course, the latter.”
Footnotes
1. It is a type of blood sausage in Korean cuisine that features chunks of pork blood inside chewy pork intestines.2. It is a Korean idiom that literally means "Hunger is a side dish". It means that when you are hungry, hunger itself adds to your appetite.3. Budae-jjigae is a type of spicy stew dish from South Korea that is made with a variety of ingredients, often canned or processed. Common ingredients include ham, sausage, spam, baked beans, kimchi, instant noodles, gochujang, and American cheese.