Fantasy Realm [One Piece] [Harry Potter] [Naruto] - [Progression] [LitRPG]

Chapter 39: Dreamlike Days in a Dreamlike Castle

Alex and Breireicht finally reach the canteen, where Alex grabs a tray of food. Breireicht quickly excuses himself, saying, "Sorry, I still have things to do... I already showed you our sleeping quarters and the room you'll be staying in, so you should be fine, right? I really need to go. Bye!" He nearly sprints away, disappearing from Alex's sight.

"What a coward," Alex mutters, amused. "That necklace combined with my new armor is almost too effective. It's not like I was bullying him, he was the one trying to intimidate me and steal my gear."

As Alex eats, he finds himself pleasantly surprised. The food in front of him is recognized by the system as [Grill Plate]. It restores a bit of HP, MP, and Stamina but can't be taken into the inventory. "Not bad," he thinks. "This way, I'll always refresh my HP, MP, and stamina with each meal, and it tastes great too."

After finishing his meal, Alex decides to take a peek into the kitchen, which sits just behind the castle's dining hall. Naturally, only the nobles dine there, while soldiers like Alex aren't allowed. He sneaks a glance inside and sees the bustling kitchen, with weird looking chefs manning individual stations under the command of a rather odd-looking head chef, none other than Quina! Seeing Quina in person, rather than through a screen, is a surreal experience for Alex.

He waits until the dinner rush slows, then approaches her.

"Hi, I'm a new soldier here in the castle," he says, "and I just wanted to tell you that the food is really great!"

Quina stares at him with a wide-eyed expression and responds in her characteristic broken English, "I... so happy. Soldier like my food. Still, castle bad place. No yummy-yummies anywhere."

Alex suppresses a grin, already knowing what she considers "yummy-yummies." Still, he plays along. "And what's a 'yummy-yummy'?"

Quina practically sparkles with excitement as she replies, "FROGS!"

Feigning surprise, Alex responds, "Ah, a fellow lover of frogs! I used to be a hunter before coming here, and I always caught the best frogs in the marshes around Alexandria. How about I try to get some for you?"

Quina jumps up, barely able to contain her excitement. "YOU WOULD?"

"Sure," he says casually. "I'll do my best to find you some frogs. I can't promise anything, but I'll be back in a few days."

Disappointed that no "Side Quest," "Hidden Quest," or "Special Quest" prompt appears before him, he heads to his room to rest, knowing training begins early the next day.

His assigned quarters are surprisingly spacious. The room looks like it was designed for at least four soldiers, but since there are only eight knights besides the captain, who, naturally, has his own private room, Alex gets this large room all to himself. He settles in, preparing for the intense days ahead.

He immediately lies down, about to drift off when he hears his door creak open. "Damn, I forgot to lock it," he thinks, suddenly alert. "Is that thief back to steal my armor?"

Alex quickly grabs the [Barbed Dagger] he left under his pillow and pretends to be asleep, eyes half-shut, scanning the doorway. What he sees is anything but a thief. The figure has flower-shaped eyes, four petal-like formations around each eye, and a slit mouth with a tongue almost longer than Alex's... let's not go there.

"No yummy frogs yet. No can smell them!" mutters Quina in obvious disappointment, stepping back and closing the door.

"Seriously? That's going to give me nightmares," Alex mutters, once he's alone.