theevilfoodeaterconchita - Tumblr blog

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Directory

For those on mobile who can't access the index page

Aperitif—Blood Grave

Hors D’oeuvre–Tasan Pig Liver Pâté With Assorted Vegetables

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8—-Scene 9—-Scene 10—-Scene 11

Soup–Cupid Horn Neck Soup

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene  6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8

Poisson–Smothered Ziz Tiama

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8—-Scene 9

Sorbet–Plateau Sherbet

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8—-Scene 9

Viande–XXXX Steak

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8—-Scene 9—-Scene 10—-Scene 11—-Scene 12

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7—-Scene 8—-Scene 9—-Scene 10

Digestif

Afterword

Gloom of Held

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Afterword

Evil Food Eater Conchita, afterword

This work has the theme of “food”, so in the interest of gathering writing material I went out and tried various rare foods.

For example, when it comes to meat the average Japanese person daily eats beef, pork, and chicken—maybe lamb at the most. But there are actually a lot of other edible animals out there. And when it comes to internal organs, even in Japan there’s no small number of places that cook and offer parts outside of the commonly eaten liver and giblets. Though unfortunately there’s no restaurants that trade in human meat.  Though even if there were, I don’t think I’d go to them.

As for why rare food ingredients are hardly ever supplied in your average supermarket or restaurant, there is a problem of cost and distribution, being unable to obtain them from scarcity, or just that they simply don’t taste good.

It’s not all that hard to live without eating them. After all, human beings are able to eat a large variety of animals. If I had to go a step further I would say that the concept of a “gourmet” is a privilege that can only be given to a human, and is little more than a luxury to show off an advanced culture.

In that sense, you could say that the protagonist of this novel who sought “the ultimate food”, Banica Conchita, was faithful to the most human desire of all. Perhaps her deeds were not accepted by those around her, but you can’t easily conclude that she was mistaken as a human being. In the end, it was little more than that providence of the natural world, that the weak fear predators.

Around the time I had come up with the plot of the song that serves as the basis for this novel, “Evil Food Eater Conchita”, I was still fairly early into the Deadly Sins Series. Specifically speaking Conchita was the next song I thought about making after “Daughter of Evil”. Only, in my ideas at that time Conchita was a kaiju girl, and in the end she flew into space to eat a meteorite that was heading for Earth.

Things got closer to how they look now after I reworked my idea some more, but at that time Miku had a role in it as a servant alongside Rin and Len. When I made the song I asked Ichika-san, who was in charge of the illustrations for this novel, to make illustrations I could use for the video. However, as there wasn’t a single Miku in sight in any of the completed illustrations, I erased her role accordingly and stealthily deleted her from the chorus. As a final result it made the character composition feel more unified, so ultimately it turned out okay.

As for my going out and trying rare foods that I talked about at the beginning, my personal greatest takeaway is that “deer testicles are surprisingly delicious”. That’s just my personal opinion. The people who ate it with me made some doubtful expressions, so you probably shouldn’t take my word for it. Also, please restrain yourself from bringing me testicles as a gift at an event or something just because I wrote that in here. I don’t generally accept perishables.

.

AkunoP (mothy)

directory

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Gloom of Held; Part 3

Evil Food Eater Conchita, bonus story 

After the red cat left, Held called to him one of the spirits who served him.

"You called me, Lord Held?"

"Ah, here you are, Gumillia. I have something I'd like you to tell the other spirits from me."

"What is it?"

"I want you to get everyone to put their power together and form a barrier around the whole forest for a time. A barrier that keeps out those with very strong magical power."

"But, if we do, Elluka won't, be able to enter either."

"Ah, I don't mind. Actually, that would be preferable."

"Did you have, a fight, with Elluka?"

"No, it's not that…On the contrary, this is something I want done for her sake."

"…Understood."

The spirit called Gumillia hadn't taken an animal form like Michaela from earlier. It was likely that no living creature could see Gumillia, in the spirit's true amorphous state.

"Oh, that's right. Gumillia. There is something I want you to bear in mind a little bit."

"What is it?"

"Someday I may have you leave this forest for a time."

"…? For what purpose?"

"There is someone I don't want Elluka to meet. If the time comes that this person tries to establish contact with her, then I want you to become her guardian, and keep an eye out so she doesn't get near them."

"But, how, specifically?"

"We'll…think of that when the time comes. What? That's a long ways from now. For the time being I…entrust the barrier to you."

Held gave a great yawn.

"Anyways, I think I might go back to sleep again soon."

<<prev------directory

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Gloom of Held; Part 2

Evil Food Eater Conchita, bonus story 

Several hours after Elluka left.

A new visitor appeared at Held's side.

"Oh ho, my my. Someone so much more novel than just before has come to me."

Just like Elluka, the man who stood at the end of Held's gaze was garbed in a black robe.

But the person Held was talking to was not the man, but rather the red cat on his right shoulder.

"What are you here for? Irina Clockworker."

"It has been quite some time since I've been called by that name. I now go by AB-CIR," the red cat said, hopping down from the man's shoulder. When it did, the man tumbled to the ground as though his soul had been drawn out.

"Phew. It's quite difficult to puppeteer a male body."

"Now that you mention it, this is the first time I've seen you not dwelling in a woman. Have you had some change in your mental state?"

"Not at all. My circumstances just made it unavoidable."

"Ho, what sort of circumstances?"

"…I've no obligation to tell you, and I didn't come here today to chat about something like that," the red cat said, scratching Held's face with her claws.

"That doesn't hurt me…but I'd ask that you stop damaging my trunk."

"Then tell me, old man. Where is Elluka now?"

"You, who has up until now only continued to run from Elluka…again, how novel."

"It seems the bitch has started meddling with one of my pawns. If I can I'd like to take her back."

"If I said that I won't tell you--what would you do? Would you burn me down with some spell?"

Held was speaking as though to provoke the red cat, but his tone was as calm and low as it had ever been.

"Hmph. Even if I burned your tree body, that wouldn't kill you."

"That's true. On the other hand, while I inhabit this tree I cannot lay a hand to you. Though I know you are an 'HER', and that you have the 'Vessels of Deadly Sin', I can't do a thing about it."

"And if you were to lose your tree body?"

"I would stop existing in this world. But right before that, for just a moment, I would be able to employ my powers as a god. In that second, maybe I would be able to make all of you, including your soul, vanish away."

"I'd ask your pardon, then."

Though despite saying so, the red cat then started to claw at Held's face with both of her paws.

"So then stop scratching my trunk."

"I have one more question. I know that you can't do anything about me directly. But why have you not told Elluka of my existence? The extermination of 'HER' and the 'Vessels of Deadly Sin'--that's your goal, isn't it?"

"I can't afford to let you and Elluka meet."

"Ha. Are you afraid of contact between Elluka and an 'HER'? You're joking. Then why are you having Elluka search for the 'Vessels of Deadly Sin'? As long as she's chasing after them she's bound to run into plenty of 'HER's that are contracted with the 'Demons of Deadly Sin', isn't she?"

"It's not that you're an 'HER'. I want to keep you and Elluka from meeting."

"Whatever your expectations, when the time comes I intend to approach her myself. And then I will steal both her body, and both of them which lie dormant in her soul!"

"Then does that mean you don't plan to meet her now?"

"Didn't I tell you? I just want to get back my pawn. As long as I know her whereabouts, I can just order other pawns to recover her later. Despite appearances I am quite the busy person--so tell me! Where is Elluka!?"

The cat began to furiously scratch at Held's face.

"Oh dear, it's going to take some time before my bark will regenerate."

"Ha ha…the oaf I've started serving recently makes a pastime of 'torture', so I thought I'd try it once myself. So spit it out! It'll be easier on you once you talk, yes? Hm?"

.

The red cat's assault with her claws lasted on for several minutes, but in the end Held refused to reveal Elluka's location.

"Huff…Huff…Tight-lipped old god…Nothing for it, looks like I'll have to give up for today."

Defeated, the red cat poked the man's shoulder with her head, and he woke up, eyes opening. Then she hopped on his shoulders and returned home.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Gloom of Held; Part 1

Evil Food Eater Conchita, bonus story

"The Forest of Held", the southern region of Elphegort.

The sorceress Elluka Clockworker had come to the forest for the first time in a long while to meet with an old friend.

There were no paved roads in the forest of Held. There was no way for people to move through aside from difficult animal paths, and if anyone who wasn't accustomed to them wandered in they would instantly become lost.

As Elluka had come to these woods many times before, it wasn't very difficult at all for her to reach her destination. All she needed to pay caution to was to make sure the robe she was wearing didn't catch and tear on any tree branches.

Shortly thereafter she came out into a clearing. In the middle of it stood an enormous tree.

The moment Elluka arrived, the tree's trunk began to roil and swell, and eventually took on a shape like a face.

The large tree had grown a face. A low voice emanated from its mouth.

"If it isn't Elluka. Does your being here mean that there has been some great calamity outside the forest? Or are you here regarding the 'Vessels of Deadly Sin'?"

Even if someone other than Elluka were there, they wouldn't be able to pick up his voice. Only those with great magical power could talk to this great tree--the earth god, Held.

"--I see. The 'Twin Swords of Levianta' that had been in the great Levin church in Lucifenia were fakes, hm?" Held murmured regretfully.

"Good grief…it's always like this. I finally find a clue on a 'Vessel of Deadly Sin', and after all I had to go through in the end it was all for nothing. It's been three hundred years already and I still haven't managed to get my hands on a single one!"

Elluka slammed her fist on Held's face before her.

"You won't get anywhere by hitting me. My body is a tree, after all, so even if I'm struck it won't hurt me."

"I know that. That's why I do it."

"Well, the world is vast. What's more, it seems they are always being passed around from person to person. I guess all you can do is be patient."

"You make it sound like it's someone else's problem. Weren't those 'Vessels of Deadly Sin' originally born here in your forest? I've only been searching for them because you told me to! That is to say, I'm just a volunteer! A VOL-UN-TEER!"

"But don't forget, you are part of the reason those 'Vessels of Deadly Sin' were created, Elluka. You released the 'Demons of Deadly Sin' that dwell in those vessels--"

"Augh--That's enough talk. Very well, I see how it is. It's my fault for blowing up the Magic Kingdom with the 'Clockworker's Secret Art'."

Elluka stuck out her tongue and punched Held again.

"Did I not just say that you can't hurt me? By the by, I've heard that the Magic Kingdom has been newly rebuilt."

"'Holy Levianta', huh? That's something else entirely, it just has the same name. Seems as though they haven't even taken over any of the legacy of their past, so there's no need for concern."

"Still, that place isn't good. If they were ever to do anything that would dig up the relics of our era that lay dormant in that land--"

"…I think you're worrying over nothing, but I'll watch out for now."

As Elluka and Held continued their conversation, a green-feathered robin stopped on one of Held's branches and began to talk to Elluka. "Ah, it's Elluka! Long time no see!"

Elluka looked to the robin and grinned.

"Michaela, so sorry. I'm talking to Held about something important for a little bit. I'll play with you later, so could you excuse us for a minute?"

"…Tch."

After the robin named Michaela's head dropped in disappointment, they left once more.

"Still an energetic spirit as ever.  How many others are there, again? Spirits that serve you, I mean."

"Not sure. I don't remember well."

"What an irresponsible god you are."

"Well then, let's return to the topic at hand. It was about Holy Levianta, wasn't it?"

"I think we're done talking about that. I came here because I had an area of interest other than my report on the 'Twin Swords of Levianta'."

"Ho…"

The wind blew, and Held's leaves and branches faintly swayed.

"Recently I've hired a maid. An unpaid one."

"How unusual for you to hang around with another person. Does she have any magical talent?"

"She is stupendous--stupendously untalented. I tried to teach her two or three simple spells as a test, but she failed each one."

"Then why do you have this person working with you?"

"Mikulia Greeonio…I spoke with you about her, before."

"One of the mistresses of Duke Venomania…and the one who resembled the 'Original Sinner', right?" Held's tree bark eyes faintly narrowed as though trying to remember.

"The maid that I've got employed is apparently a descendant of that Mikulia. And she also--"

"Has the same face of the 'Original Sinner', I'm guessing."

"The 'Original Sinner' shouldn't have any descendants. I'd heard that the first Project 'Ma' was a failure. So then why are there so many people showing up who look like her?!"

Held closed his eyes and seemed to think about Elluka's question for a moment, and then finally opened them again and replied, "I don't think you need to concern yourself with it much. I think it's quite common in this world for people with the same face to show up through the ages, regardless of blood relation. Things like that happened in our era as well, but it seems more striking in this world. Though of course, if they are blood descendants then the likelihood of it is much higher."

"Why in the world does that happen, you think?"

"Ask 'LeviaBehemo'. After all, it was them who constructed the humans of this world, not I."

LeviaBehemo was the name of the divine dragon worshipped by many of the people who lived in Evillious. But, unfortunately, Elluka had never met them.

"Then where should I go to meet this 'LeviaBehemo', hm?"

"…"

"Why are you quiet on that?"

"Anyhow, you didn't sense any demons inside Mikulia Greeonio, did you?"

"Yeah. And I don't sense any of that at all in my maid."

"Then you needn't worry. It's just an accidental resemblance between strangers. --Did you not bring this person here today?"

"She seemed like if I brought her here she'd cause mayhem with the spirits. I put a capture spell on her and left her locked up in my house."

"Such cruel things you do…"

"It couldn't be helped. The second I take my eyes off her she tries to run off, that girl."

"Did you at least leave her anything to eat?"

Elluka looked taken aback, and put a hand to her mouth.

"Ah…I forgot. I'd feel just terrible if she starved to death, I should head back before too long. --I'll see you later, Held."

So saying, she jogged away from Held.

A robin flew through the air at breakneck speed after Elluka

"Hold on, Elluka~ Are you going back already~?! Didn't you say we'd play together~!?"

directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 10

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 250-256

They left town, and when they stood on the mountain thirty minutes later Elluka and Platonic had reached the front gate of the Conchita mansion.

Certainly, just as the minstrel had said, there was no sign of anyone outside the mansion or inside.

"Well then, how are we going to get in?" During the trip Platonic had made scattered complaints the whole way, but with the mansion before them she seemed to have finally secured her resolve, and asked her question with serious eyes.

"We're not going any which way in particular. We'll go through the front door."

"Huh?! But the gate might be locked. I could open it up for you if you want, but--"

"That won't be necessary."

Elluka snapped her fingers, and with a click the lock was undone--the gate opened all too quickly.

"…Ah. You just used some unlocking magic didn't you, Miss Elluka. That's great--if I had a spell like that I'd be able to steal as much as I wan--"

"It's impossible for you," Elluka replied immediately, cutting off Platonic's words.

"Yeah yeah. Guess I don't have a shred of magical talent."

They entered the main gate, and advanced through the gardens. According to Platonic when she'd snuck in before there had been lots of white livestock grazing around inside, but as expected none of them were there now.

"First I suppose we shall go meet with the mansion's owner. Platonic, where is Banica Conchita's room?"

"Uuh, if I remember right it's a corner room on the third floor."

Even after entering the mansion there wasn't a soul around. As there was no sign of anyone appearing to deal with Elluka and Platonic, the two of them moved on without hesitation.

"--Maybe everyone's already fled." Platonic said to Elluka, keeping her voice low.

"Fled? The Beelzenian army surrounds all the checkpoints leading to other regions. They couldn't get out that simply."

"It's easier than you'd think to get around the checkpoints. I've done it plenty of times before."

"…Well, at any rate, let's search the whole mansion. We'll consider the possibility that they've escaped after that."

The two climbed the stairs, and arrived at the second floor.

At that point, Platonic noticed a noise that she'd heard from a nearby room.

"…Sounds like there's someone here."

"Let's go in."

Elluka opened the door without hesitation, and went inside. Platonic timidly followed after her.

There was no one inside the room, but this time they heard much more clearly than before what sounded like something moving.

It was coming from the fireplace. The two of them peeked inside, and lying down there was a white pig wearing a necklace of roses.

"…Was it hiding here? Seems like it's hardly breathing now."

"Platonic, poke it."

"N-no way! I was bitten by this thing before!"

"Touch it, I command you."

Platonic resignedly reached out and hesitantly poked the dying pig on the stomach with her index finger.

In that moment, the pig's body crumbled in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only bones.

"Well, good gracious! Platonic, you've remorselessly slaughtered an innocent little pig! How cruel!" Elluka cried in an affected tone.

"You little…That wasn't me! Why in the world--"

"--The pig was already dead. Just like the Pale Man in the cell. It had been revived by force using some strange power. In other words, this pig returning to the soil like this--"

"….That means that the source of the strange power has vanished?"

Elluka sighed regretfully.

"Let's go to the third floor. Conchita's corpse is likely to be in her room, or else somewhere else in the mansion. It'd be great if we found the wineglass with her…but my hope is slim."

.

On the third floor was Banica Conchita's room.

The sight that they both saw when they entered it was far different than they'd imagined.

There was a single figure inside.

But it wasn't Conchita, nor was it the twins that were her servants.

The two of them dropped their eyes to a desk in the center of the room.

.

Lying there was the wineglass, stained in blood--

And a small baby lying sleeping on a plate.

--In the end, Elluka and Platonic were unable to find Banica.

She had unexpectedly vanished from the mansion without a trace.

Upon receiving a report on that from Elluka, Empress Juno declared to outside countries that Banica had gone missing. Naturally, leaving out the parts regarding the existence of the dead soldiers and that she'd been plotting a rebellion.

Having received that report, Empress Juno judged that Banica had fled to foreign territory.

The Conchita territory once more fell under rulership of the imperial family, and eventually it was officially annexed into the Beelzenias region. Incidentally, the border town of Gasto was brought into Rucolebeni, which gained the large-scale townscape that it has today.

The baby that had been in the Conchita estate was at first made into Juno's adoptive child.

However, there was opposition from those around her, and so eventually things calmed down by having the baby raised as the child of Juno's servant.

Among historians there are those that posit a theory that proposes that child's descendant was Germaine Avadonia, the hero of the Lucifenian Revolution, but it isn't very well endorsed.

As for what happened to the wineglass--I can't rightly say.

There is the theory that Elluka took it with her after that, and it's also said that Platonic outwitted Elluka and secretly stole it away.

In regards to historical developments, the country of Marlon won its war, and the country of Lioness perished.

There's no one who knows what happened to AB-CIR.

A war began between the Beelzenian Empire and the country of Asmodean, and, stretching on so long without a resolution, it impoverished both countries.

Taking advantage of that, the Lucifenian territory of the Beelzenian Empire began to work towards its independence, and so Duke d'Autriche, taking on the name of Lucifenia the First, founded the Kingdom of Lucifenia.

In this way begins the history of the Beelzenian Empire's decline--

And it is here that the story of Banica Conchita, and your meal for the day, has come to an end.

Did you enjoy yourself?

As for compensation you may pay your bill at the front desk.

Please note, we don't allow credit--

…Do you still have some business here?

...Huh!?

Our business permit?

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

...What’s this piece of paper?

...“USE Dark Star Bureau”!?

I--I don't know what you mean.

We haven't done anything illeg--

.

Wh—who are these people!?

I'm being arrested!?

Stop it, stop it this instant!

Don't lay waste to this restaurant!

.

The glass?

The mirror?

I don’t know! And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!

Agh! Stop it, don't you take that out of here!

The owner?

I’ve never met him!

The—The chef’s gone!?

That bastard freaking ran off without me!

.

--Unhand me, you insolent thug!

No matter how many times you ask, I can't tell you what I don’t know!

.

I’m just the Waiter!

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 8

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 241-243

Elluka and Platonic had arrived in the town of Gasto.

At that point, the Conchita mansion was right before them.

But at a bar in town, the two women heard some surprising news.

"The dead soldiers--have disappeared?"

The person who explained all this to Elluka was a minstrel named Xenos Jaakko. He was apparently traveling, seeking out interesting events that he could use as the basis for his songs, and as such he'd come over all the way from Levianta in the north upon hearing tell of the lord of the Conchita territory going crazy.

How could this man know of that, despite the fact that Juno must have blocked all reports on the Conchita territory to keep it from leaking?--Elluka had thought it strange at first, but she became much more wrapped up in the information that he had with him.

"Well, you see. I wanted to see those 'Pale Men' at least once, so while acknowledging the danger I headed up to get close to the mansion. I figured I would just run away if it got too bad. But--when I actually got there, there wasn't a soul there, much less a Pale Man! And I'd heard a mountain of the ghastly things were puttering around up there! I didn't want to head back empty handed, so I got up on the outer wall and looked inside a little. But there was no one there either, and it was dreadfully quiet. So much so that I thought it might be uninhabited. I started to think, maybe I ought to sneak inside, but uh--all the same, it is a mansion belonging to a noble, right? I thought again that maaaaybe it wouldn't be so great if I got caught breaking in, so I gave up and came back here to town. Ah--I was so disappointed and regretful that I made my feelings into a song, so please, give it a listen, won't you? The title is 'A Twenty Five Thousand Six Hundred Year and Ten Minute Love'!"

Xenos puffed up his chest and started singing, but Elluka and Platonic ignored him and left the bar.

"Hmm. That is a bit odd," Platonic began as they walked along, talking about her impression of the story they'd just heard. "Even leaving aside the matter of the dead soldiers, the fact that no one was in the gardens--when I got in there, there were a lot of white livestock wandering around in there, you know."

"So in other words, including the livestock all the white creatures have up and vanished altogether."

"That seems to be the case."

"…This could be our chance, or--perhaps a predicament."

"I can see how it's our chance, but what do you mean by it being a predicament?"

"…I mean that someone might have beat us to the punch."

Elluka pulled a bitter expression.

That was because she'd had experience with some other person overtaking her right when she'd thought she was closing in on her target, in her past.

“We’re going to the mansion now, Platonic.”

“Whaaat!? But it’s already late. Let’s do it tomorrooow—”

“No, we must hurry! Because this time, no matter what it takes—we’re going to get our hands on the Vessel of Deadly Sin!”

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 7

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 238-241

Banica would often look out over the scenery from the mansion she lived in, erected on the top of a hill.

Banica's room was on the third floor, and from her window she could gaze at the view to the south and the west.

Visible to the west was the town of Gasto. It wasn't particularly big, and a large highway running north and south through its center. If you went north from that highway, you would reach Rucolebeni in the Beelzenias region. Whenever Banica went to the imperial castle, she would always use that road.

To the south spread fields of Trauben. And established alone by it was a winery. All of that had been made by Banica.

Though she couldn't see it from her room, the world extended to the north and east as well. There were all manner of buildings there, all manner of people, and also all manner of foods.

Banica had always poured her passions into eating. By eating she learned of animals, learned of plants, learned of people--learned of the world.

She felt that by learning about food, she could unravel the mysteries of the world.

Why was the world born? Why did rain fall? Why did the sun set? Why did people fall in love? …She felt that the answer to all of those lie in food.

People couldn't live without eating.

No, not just people. Animals and plants, anything that had life sought food.

It was the providence of nature. An instinctual desire.

Each time Banica ate something she was satisfied. Through eating the world had little by little come into her grasp.

That was how things were. At least, Banica had always thought so.

--But right now, there was nothing in her mansion.

There was no food. Banica had eaten it.

There were no livestock. Banica had eaten it.

There were no dead soldiers. Banica had eaten them.

There was no Carlos. Banica had eaten him.

There was no Arte. Banica had eaten her.

There was no Pollo. Banica had eaten him.

Through eating, she had continued to obtain something.

But through eating she had also continued to lose something.

And now she could no longer create new dead soldiers.

Though she had no idea why, Banica had lost the power she'd been endowed with.

No more did red liquid flow from the wineglass. It couldn't revive corpses anymore.

Even so, she was hungry.

That was because Banica was alive.

She had to eat something. But there wasn’t anything left in the mansion to eat.

If she went to the town at the base of the hill, she would be able to get food. Or she could gather and eat Trauben from the fields.

But that wouldn’t do.

Banica’s hunger wouldn’t be satisfied with any ordinary food.

If it wasn’t something that Banica had never eaten until now—

Then she wouldn’t be satisfied.

--She could hear crying. It wasn’t her.

But she could hear it from somewhere close to where she was.

Banica looked down.

And Banica realized that she was clutching something in her arms with both hands.

The crying was coming from there--from a baby there.

Why was there a baby there, again?

Banica thought. And then she remembered.

.

That’s right. I gave birth to this child.

This is mine and Carlos’ child, isn’t it?

.

Banica had always wanted one.

A child of her own flesh and blood.

Because that—

.

Was something that she had never eaten before.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 6

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 232-237

The walled city in the northwest section of the Conchita territory, Re Tasan.

The name "Re Tasan" had the meaning of "Vassal State to the Great Tasan Empire", and the country that bore its name had once existed in that land. The city's name had its origins in that.

It was said that until the country of Re Tasan was annexed by Beelzenia, this location was used as a fortress. However, it had largely lost its original purpose, and was presently little more than a town surrounded by high walls.

Elluka and Platonic arrived in this town resting on the border between the Beelzenias region and the Conchita territory.

They were there now, in the Conchita territory. From what she'd heard from Juno, Elluka had reasoned that Banica Conchita was possessed by something inhuman, and so she'd thought that they'd face some sort of resistance on the way up there.

However, in truth they'd arrived cleanly without any interference. Perhaps it was a good thing that they'd come by themselves, without any soldiers accompanying them, but thinking on the case of the imperial army soldiers being killed four months back it was unusual that visitors from the Beelzenias region would be accepted into this town under the Conchita territory without reservation.

But any confusion on that point was resolved by meeting with the town mayor and hearing what he had to say.

As a matter of fact, governance of the territory by Conchita had already broken down. It seemed the current state of affairs was that the town mayors received no commands or direction from their regional lord, and so they would each impose their own municipal government on their own.

"This is one of the aforementioned 'Pale Men'."

The mayor led Elluka and Platonic to their jail, and showed them the Pale Man locked up in one of its rooms.

"Th-that's it! It was one of these guys! That's what I saw at the mansion!" Platonic cried the moment she saw the Pale Man, pointing at it.

Until she'd heard it from Juno, Elluka hadn't known that Platonic had snuck her way into the Conchita mansion. Though they'd been living together for close to a year, Platonic had hardly told her anything about what she'd done as a burglar, and she still had dodged on telling her the real reason for trying to steal the twin swords of Levianta.

It was just that Elluka wasn't the kind of person who liked to question other people about their pasts. It was a different matter if it was necessary for her own goals, but if not then forcibly interrogating someone about things they didn't want to talk about could only put them at odds. It wasn't like Elluka herself didn't have a dark past behind her.

The Pale Man did nothing, merely standing in the cell in a stupor.

"We went to great pains to capture it alive. Fortunately this Pale Man was relatively tamer than the others, and so we were able to subdue it with only three soldiers receiving serious wounds, but--"

While listening to the mayor's explanation, without warning Elluka drew close to the iron bars.

"I see…A 'dead soldier', huh? Mayor, can you open this up for me?"

Elluka pointed to the locked iron cell door.

"N-no you can't! Like I said, this one is extremely dangerous--"

"Just open it up."

Pressed on by Elluka's quiet determination, the mayor reluctantly unlocked the cell.

The Pale Man made no immediate move to attack. It only loitered around as though on guard, seeming to have ascertained that the atmosphere around it had changed.

"I hope this works out…"

Elluka put her palm on the Pale Man's forehead, and whispered something.

Watching behind her, Platonic witnessed the Pale Man's entire body shine for just a moment.

"UUU…"

Arms dangling languidly, the Pale Man began to softly moan.

"What's your name? Can you say?"

When Elluka asked her question the Pale Man finally stopped groaning, and then slowly spoke with human words.

"UU…Ron…Ron Grapple…"

"Mr. Grapple. Please tell me. What on earth happened in that mansion? How did you end up like this?"

"I-I…work…at the ma…nsion…ate…the Baemu."

"The 'Baemu'?"

"The…glass…the…wineglass…inside it…cursed…"

As the Pale Man spoke, he was faintly trembling. After a moment his right arm came off and it fell to the floor, bones and all.

"Lady Banica…the twins…demon. Please…take…wineglass."

"Is the wineglass the source of everything?"

"Yes…take…wineglass…save…Lady Banica."

The Pale Man's left arm also fell to the floor. It seemed to be just barely managing to stand up.

"Got it. I will make sure to retrieve the wineglass. And I'll find a way to save Banica Conchita too. So…relax, go to sleep."

"Please…Lady Banica…and the child…"

"'The child'? What child--"

"…UUUOOO!"

The Pale Man's whole body began to crumble at once.

Once it fell to pieces on the ground, it turned into a mere skeleton.

"…I guess that's it."

Elluka adroitly turned and left the cell.

"But I know the source of all that with this now. There's a 'wineglass' in that mansion, which drove Conchita mad and has the power to bring forth dead soldiers. This must be what I'm searching for, a--"

"No waaay, you're really something Miss Elluka!" Platonic suddenly started to give Elluka a forced compliment. "I seee, a cursed wineglass huuuh? What a shock to learn such a fearsome thing was in that mansion."

"…My, how transparent of you. I'm quite sure you must have known about the wineglass--"

"Nooope! I had no ideeaaa. I just slipped in there looking for something valuable in a noble's house!"

Though Platonic tried to defend herself with a cheery tone, she looked interminably shifty-eyed.

If the wineglass was the item that Elluka thought it was, then that meant it had the same peculiarities as the real "Twin Swords of Levianta".

If Platonic was after not just the twin swords but also the wineglass, then that meant that she was fronting for someone else who was looking for the same things that Elluka was--that was what Elluka surmised.

In any case, perhaps she needed to investigate into Platonic a bit more deeply when this situation was put to rights. All the more if this person was going to be getting in Elluka's way.

"…Very well. At any rate, with this my goal is clear. I shall make preparations, and then march to the Conchita mansion!"

"Kaaay. Good luck with thaaat."

"…Obviously I'm taking you along, Platonic!"

"Huh!?" In that moment, Platonic's expression dropped. "N-no way! No way am I ever going back to such an awful place!"

"I don't know the mansion's layout! I have no choice but to have you guide me through it!"

"Then I'll just tell you the layout! Go by yourself ya oldie!"

"'Oldie'!?"

"Uh…crap."

"…I'm determined. I'll take you along even if I have to force you. Even if I have to kill you I'll bring you along. …You have no right to veto, maid."

Gazing side-eyed at Elluka, giving off an ominous aura, and Platonic, trembling like a rabbit, the mayor nervously jumped at the chance to suggest they go outside for the time being.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 5

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 230-232

When Pollo arrived at Banica's room, he knocked. However, there was no reply.

"I'm coming iiiiin."

It wasn't locked, and so Pollo entered the room without reservation.

Banica was lying in bed, sleeping. It looked like her belly had gotten even larger than when he'd seen her yesterday.

Somehow, the room smelled of blood. Perhaps that was because it hadn't been cleaned up much. But, Pollo and Arte both hated cleaning.

While considering how he might go about waking up Banica, Pollo aimlessly looked down, and noticed that a strip of black fabric had fallen to the red carpet.

"This is…"

He recognized it. Pollo thought a moment, then realized what it was.

--It was the ribbon Arte wore on her head.

It was her favorite, and so she always, always wore it.

Why was it lying around in Banica's room? Pollo didn't know.

"Hn…Oh, Pollo. You're here."

Banica opened her eyes, looking at Pollo while rubbing her eyelids and sitting up.

 “Hey, Lady Banica. I’m hungry.”

“…Yeah. I am too,” she said.

For some reason Banica's lips looked redder than normal.

Maybe she'd changed her lipstick. As a man, Pollo didn't understand.

“But Arte’s not around. Without her there isn’t anyone here who can cook.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to make something today❤”—That was the reply Pollo was hoping for, but what Banica ended up saying was different.

“Then I guess today we’ll eat everything raw.”

"…Well, no, if we don't properly cook the ingredients then--"

“It’s just as delicious raw—as long as the ingredients are right."

Banica gazed at Pollo with upturned eyes.

“But…shouldn't we still just wait for Arte to come back?"

“Arte…Yes, Arte. She was delicious. You two are different from ordinary humans. I thought as much.”

At her words, Pollo grasped everything.

“You’ve eaten Arte? But that’s terrible! Without her there’s no one here who can cook! Ohh, we’re in trouble.”

Pollo drew back his shoulders in astonishment.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not in trouble.”

“What are we going to do about today’s meal!?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not in trouble.”

Banica continued to stare at Pollo in utter stillness, her tongue just as red as her lips sticking out.

Then her eyes opened wide, and she brought her mouth gradually closer to him.

“Hey, Pollo. What—do you taste like, I wonder?”

.

In his dimming consciousness, this thought came to Pollo.

--Was this room's carpet always so red?

He didn't really know.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 4

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 227-229

The livestock pen in the gardens of the Conchita estate hardly served its purpose nowadays.

Once, when Muzuri had been alive, it had been filled with a great deal of livestock. But they were not to be held in by such a little pen now. They had been let out, and now the entire gardens was their domain.

Even so, the feed trough inside the pen was still being used.

"Come ooon, it's time for food!" Pollo shouted.

When he did, the livestock walking around the garden all gathered self-importantly before the pen. They were all blind and eyeless, but they could hear Pollo's voice, and they could smell the scent of feed.

The feed had finely smashed flesh and bone pieces mixed into it.

Acting as the main ingredient for the livestock's feed today was the peddler Apollinare. There were hardly any people who would even come near the mansion, but Apollinare alone would periodically come to bring rare ingredients over, unafraid of the animals or dead soldiers.

But today, he died. Pollo had killed him by Banica's orders.

Recently, Banica had grown unsatisfied even with the bizarre foods that Apollinare had been bringing. Banica desired even newer foods, but when she learned that he was unable to bring them to her she had all too quickly had him cut down.

Right now Lady Banica was acting a bit strange--that was what Pollo thought.

Pollo had thought that Banica would use the dead soldiers to invade other territories. But though several months had passed since then, she hadn't made a move.

Pollo could in some way guess the reason for that.

Banica's power was weakening, little by little.

The fact that the dead soldiers were beginning to dwindle in number was proof of that. Some of them had started to by degrees return to just corpses. It was the same with the animals.

Her appetite was also starting to go down. She would still eat all there was without leaving anything, but it was clear by her expression she was no longer satisfied by it. It wasn't the dissatisfaction of not wanting to eat any more, but rather a displeasure with its flavor. In actuality, the amount that she ate had clearly gone down from before.

In contrast to that, it seemed her desire towards "evil food" was growing stronger. Banica was always hunting for ingredients that she'd never tasted before. That frustration was linked to her anger towards Apollinare.

Her slender frame had started to change too. Her arms and legs stayed thin, but her belly was steadily growing larger. It was quite strange, considering she'd been eating less.

Maybe there's some problem with Arte's negligent cooking?

Perhaps they should hire on a new cook soon. Banica had started to change shortly after the old one died.

But how will we restock our ingredients now that Apollinare is gone?

If they had all been normal people, there would be enough food in the larder for the three of them to hold out for half a year. But considering how much Banica ate, it would barely last a month.

Should they search for a new peddler? Pollo didn't quite know about something like that. Everything that was troublesome, either Banica or Arte did.

But Banica's just been sleeping in her room lately, and Arte--

Just then, a new animal came running towards him from the open backdoor to the mansion.

It was Murara, Arte's pet. She slipped through a gap in the other livestock and began to eat at the feed trough with the others.

"Oh. Hungry too, Murara? Alright, eat up."

Normally Murara would only eat that which Arte prepared. But he hadn't seen her around at all today. Had she gone out to play? But then why wouldn't she have taken him along? Abandoned, Pollo was secretly resentful.

Without Arte around there was no one who could fix Banica's and his meals. Watching Murara and the livestock wolfing down their feed, Pollo's own stomach growled.

I guess I should go consult Lady Banica for now…

Though they had lived together for some time, Pollo had never actually seen Banica cook anything. But she was such a fussy person over "food", surely she was a master in cooking.

Lady Banica's home cooking…♪

With only that in his head, Pollo's mood grew a little lighter again.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 3

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 223-226

One year after that, Platonic and Elluka were now before Empress Juno.

Platonic had both of her hands bound by rope, but Elluka was leisurely standing there, with no restraints at all.

"--Well then, shall I have you answer something for me first?" Juno asked the black-robed sorceress after clearing her throat. "Elluka Clockworker. Why are you with Platonic?"

"Oh, are you displeased?" Elluka swayed her robe, and then lightly pushed out her hand in front of her. There was a smirk on her features, but she didn't look to be in a good mood. "I'm the one who should be complaining. Being treated like some band of thieves and taken here from Lucifenia without warning."

"But I did receive a report from my soldiers just a while ago that you were acting alongside Platonic here?"

Hands bound by rope, Platonic looked in the opposite direction with no expression on her face. It seemed she felt it had nothing to do with her.

"Miss thief here was just serving as my maid. As punishment for sneaking into my abode I was trying to pull a bit of 'mischief' with her."

Elluka looked down on Platonic. Her face was still averted, but she grumbled, a sour expression crossing her features, "Ugh…They were awful days. Do this, do that…Why me?…"

Giving a sidelong glance to Platonic as she muttered to herself, Elluka explained to Juno what had been going on between Platonic and herself.

.

"She tried to steal something of yours, Lady Elluka? But I thought that the Phantom Thief Platonic only targeted nobles?"

In Juno's words were both an expression of light disbelief and a question directed at Platonic; however, Platonic only hmphed in response, face still looking the other way.

"At any rate, once you had captured her you should have brought her to the lord of the region immediately. Why did you not do that?"

"I had no obligation to."

"But as long as you are in this country you must abide by its--"

"And there were a few things I was curious about regarding her face…" Elluka said, lightly patting Platonic's chin.

Platonic's whole body faintly twitched.

"--Did you sense something wrong with her, perhaps?"

Juno guessed there was a good reason why Elluka had deliberately kept a criminal by her side.

However, the answer she came back with was:

"Oh, no at all. She's just really cute, isn't she?"

In short, it seemed that Elluka had chosen her to be her maid simply out of her own preferences.

"…Very well. I didn't really call you here to charge this Platonic's crimes, after all."

Upon hearing those words, for the first time Platonic showed a clear reaction.

"Huh!? You mean this isn't going to end in me getting executed?"

"Let's put that aside for now. I had no idea that you would be tagging along with Lady Elluka…but perhaps that's actually more convenient for us."

Juno once more turned to face Elluka.

"Lady Elluka. I'm afraid I must once more ask for your help in resolving a problem."

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert–Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 2

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 217-223

In time, Platonic ended up going back to receive a new mission from AB-CIR.

After that, she once more headed for the Beelzenian Empire. But this time her destination was not the Conchita territory, but the territory of Lucifenia in the northwest.

The territory of Lucifenia was a land that shared a border with the country of Elphegort to its north, and to its south was the Demilamb territory, the place that had led to Platonic's wanted poster being spread around. It was right there upon crossing the Hark Sea from Marlon by boat.

A forest could be seen almost immediately to the north from a port town on the coast. It was called the "Forest of Held", and it was an enormous woodland that surpassed the northern border of the Lucifenia territory, even stretching into the south of Elphegort.

However, Platonic's goal wasn't that place either. She did not enter the forest, but rather switched to a highway to the east, and a little ways on from there arrived at a town called "Lucifenian". It was the largest town in the Lucifenia territory, and also where the lord of the region, Duke d'Autriche, lived.

Platonic's target must have been somewhere in that town.

"Well then. First I guess I'll head for the 'Association'."

Heading east even further along the Orgo river that flowed to Lucifenia's south, she eventually slipped out of Lucifenian and this time made it to a small town called "Rolled". Unlike Lucifenian, where many nobles lived, most of the people who lived here were merchants, and so many shops were lined up along the main road that ran through the town.

The "Association" in the Lucifenia territory was based in a barn on the outskirts of town, and it seemed that their branch leader "Bruno" publicly went by the name of Lionel Corpa, and worked as a merchant.

"As I recall, the 'Twin Swords of Levianta' were stored in the great Levin church of Lucifenian. Until recently, that is."

Compared to the "Bruno" of the Conchita territory he was much calmer, and spoke with a gentle-mannered tone.

"Until recently, huh? Then do you mean they aren't there now?"

"Yep. I've heard that the abbe handed them away to a sorceress who visited the church. Though I'm not sure what details led to that happening."

So it seemed she was a step too late. Platonic clucked her tongue for a moment, but she quickly rethought the issue--maybe it just depended on how she was looking at things. Perhaps she'd have an easier time of stealing from that sorceress than sneaking into a great church filled with believers.

Though of course, she couldn't be optimistic as long as she didn't know this sorceress' power, or the existence of any apprentices following her.

"What's that sorceress' name?"

"I think it was 'Elluka Clockworker'. A woman."

She'd never heard that name before.

A profession like "sorceress" was itself fairly unique, and her like rarely ever made actions publicly. And in her line of work Platonic knew well that most people who bore the title of "sorcerer" or "sorceress" were merely charlatans.

To the extent that she knew, the only person she'd call a true sorcerer would be AB-CIR.

"And do you know where this 'Elluka' is now?"

"Of course. Fortunately for you, she's currently staying in the town of Rolled. Room 404 of an inn on block 36. You can check the layout with this map."

So saying, Bruno handed Platonic a sheet of parchment.

"Thank you. You're quite efficient."

"That's our job, after all."

"You must be that much of a success in your public trade too."

"I would hope so. I certainly don't hate my 'association' work, but it's a little painful to have things I need to keep hidden from my family."

After thanking him again, Platonic left the barn and headed straight for the inn on foot.

.

Compared to infiltrating a noble's estate, sneaking into a compact little place like an inn with no real need to investigate into it was extremely easy for Platonic.

The problem was, the small nature of the place itself made it complicated for her to steal her objective without being caught by the owner. This time, the "Twin Swords of Levianta" that Platonic was trying to steal were, naturally, in the same room as Elluka herself.

If AB-CIR was after them, then the "Twin Swords of Levianta" probably had some substantial value to them. In that case, it was hard to think that Elluka would leave them in her room whenever she went outside. It would be difficult to take the swords from Elluka by force for a variety of reasons, and Platonic had no wish to on a matter of her personal aesthetic as well.

In that case then, the most suitable method available to her was to creep into Elluka's room in the dead of night when she was sleeping, steal only the twin blades, and then quickly escape; the most orthodox means for a burglar to use--and now, having safely carried out her trespass into the room, Platonic was looking down upon the face of the sorceress sleeping soundly in her bed.

She wasn't likely to wake up from a few small noises. Platonic had handed over a sum of gold to the inn owner beforehand, and had a sleeping drug put into the tea that Elluka drank.

The objects she was after had been put carelessly right next to the bed. The twin swords were in hilts that gleamed silver, and just by looks alone she could tell that they must have some monetary value.

"Well then, I'll be borrowing theeese♪" Platonic whispered quietly, and reached for the twin swords.

But at that moment, Elluka, who should have been asleep, quickly reached out her hand and seized Platonic's right arm.

"I can't allow that, Miss Phantom Thief Platonic."

"Wh--!! …How!?"

Her "How!?" had two things she was referring to.

How was Elluka awake?

And how did she know Platonic's name?

In contrast to Platonic's alarm, Elluka answered her question with a relaxed smile on her face. "I have a little bit of prophetic power, you see. Though it's unstable, and I can't activate it at will. But this time it served its purpose. That you came here, and that you would have a sleeping draught put in my tea, I knew all beforehand."

"P-prophetic power!? That's cheating! That's against the rules!"

"Maybe you ought not to cause a fuss, hm? It would be most inconvenient for you if someone else were to wake up."

"Ugh…" Just as Elluka warned, Platonic lowered her voice. "Good grief, this is the worst…It's been nothing but screw-ups lately."

"I could just take you to the lord of this region right now…But depending on your behavior I could help you too."

Elluka gazed right into Platonic's eyes, while gripping her right arm. She was smiling, but her eyes were stone serious.

"You adorable phantom thief. I'd like to check one thing first. Where were you born?"

"What are you trying to achieve by asking that?"

"It's very important to me to know. So hurry up and tell me." Elluka's tone changed to hold just a bit of anger in it.

"…Elphegort. Merrigod Plateau in Elphegort."

"I see…Have you ever heard the name 'Mikulia'?"

"I think I have someone with that name in my ancestry, if I'm remembering right."

"Got it…Okay. Seems like you have no relation to the 'original sinner', then." Elluka once more returned to her calm manner of speech, and the tension in her shoulders relaxed just a bit.

"The 'original sinner'? What's that?"

"That's none of your business…Next question. Who had you come here to steal the 'Twin Swords of Levianta'?"

"…No one in particular. I just heard that something valuable was just lying around in this inn and thought I'd take it."

To just blurt out the name of your client was an unworthy act for a burglar. No matter what kind of torture she received, Platonic had no intention of giving up AB-CIR's name.

"Leaving aside whether or not I can simply trust what you're saying...One way or the other, Platonic, your judgment has missed the mark. These 'Twin Swords of Levianta' are fake. Even the silver-looking hilts are no more than polished lead. Even if you sold them it wouldn't even be enough to pay my inn fare for three days."

"Y-you lie! You think I'll be taken in by such--"

"I have no reason to lie to you with things the way they are. Come to think of it didn't you get your face seen on the estate of Duke Demilamb, and have a wanted poster passed around? Have you no skill as a thief?"

"Uuuugh…"

Unable to come up with a rebuttal, Platonic could only start to wail, teary-eyed.

"If so, maybe you should get a new job--Oh ho ho, that's right…how about this?"

Elluka gazed at Platonic with eyes that seemed to scheming something.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Dessert--Combo Platter of Varied Desserts; Scene 1

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 214-217

The last of today’s menu is a “Combo Platter of Varied Desserts”.

.

The five varieties of food it employs are apple, banana, orange, peach, and melon.

Among all of them we have selected cultivars that are sparing on their sweetness.

There are some guests who are dissatisfied with that, but we are of the opinion that overly sweet desserts are not suitable for the concept of our restaurant.

.

When you eat in the "Graveyard", please enjoy a conclusion that contains both the sweet and the bitter.

It was three days after Empress Juno had heard information that the Phantom Thief Platonic had been captured in the Lucifenian territory.

Duke d'Autriche had wanted to punish Platonic himself, but Juno had rejected that and instead ordered the Duke to escort her to the imperial castle.

Juno had things she wanted to ask her. Platonic had committed burglary in several regions, and though Juno would hear of many reports on her, there was one among them that she was interested in.

It was close to one year ago, but she had heard tell that Platonic had been seen in the Conchita territory. Generally speaking she only targeted the homes of nobles. And when it came to nobles that Platonic would be after in the Conchita territory--there were no other candidates but Banica Conchita.

If Platonic had made her way onto the Conchita estate, then Juno wanted to know what she knew. She had wanted to ask her directly--just what in the world was going on inside that household--

Four months had passed since the soldiers she'd deployed to the Conchita mansion had gone missing, but she had yet to carry out any valid countermeasures. There were reports that those soldiers had defected to Banica, and that they'd become pure white monsters, prowling about the estate.

There was a high chance that Banica was plotting a rebellion. Nearby territories were calling for her to keep on her guard. But as Banica herself had not taken any action at this point, she wanted to avoid sending any great army to invade the Conchita territory as much as possible.

The movements of the country of Asmodean had been suspicious lately. It seemed that they were preparing themselves to wage a full blown war with the Beelzenian Empire. With these circumstances, if some internal dispute were to occur in Beelzenia it was doubtless that Asmodean would take advantage of that.

She couldn't deny the possibility that Banica had a connection to Asmodean. She had once traveled there long ago. She had claimed not to have contact with Burglar, but right now even that was suspect.

The reports of white monsters, and all of Banica's bizarre actions that she had been hearing about even before then--Juno was concerned about all of it. In all of the Beelzenian Empire's history, there were several cases of nobles who had been thought sensible suddenly taking insane actions and getting caught up in insurrections. They had all happened before Juno was born, so she had never personally experienced any of them, but Juno had the suspicion that there was something that Banica's case shared with all of them.

Something representative of nobles going wild would probably be the "Venomania Event". The event where Sateriasis Venomania, the Duke of Asmodean, which had at the time been a territory of Beelzenia, had kidnapped many women and made a harem out of them--and, supposedly with that acting as a catalyst, it even extended to internal strife occurring in Marlon. That was because Duke Venomania had kidnapped the then queen of Marlon.

And it was said that a single sorceress had contributed to the resolution of that matter.

There existed someone in the current era who had inherited that sorceress' name.

And Juno had been looking for her too. Each time a great problem occurred in Beelzenia she would appear, and then once she had splendidly solved it she would disappear again somewhere. Juno and the previous emperor had both appealed several times for her to come serve the imperial family, but she had never acquiesced.

It was considerably difficult to locate someone elusive like her. She was always showing up on her own after catching wind of events.

Perhaps she was already caught up in Banica's case. If so, then surely she would appear at the imperial castle eventually--

And Juno's expectations on that front were not wrong.

The Phantom Thief Platonic was pushed before Juno's eyes in the audience hall.

The pink-haired woman standing next to her was none other than the sorceress Juno had wanted to see--

Elluka Clockworker.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Viande–XXXX Steak; Scene 12

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 209-212

The next night.

Banica sat in a chair at her dining table alone.

"Thank you for waiting!"

"It's all dooone!"

Together, Arte and Pollo brought out a meal that was sitting atop an enormous platter.

As their cook had died again, today Arte carried out the preparations for the meal, for the first time in a long while. Her maid-special-made dinner was set before Banica with a great deal of leaden noise.

It was a meat dish, made using the "animal" in its entirety. Fillet, roast, ribs, shanks, neck, tongue, and every internal organ--all of it was present.

"I've set it up without removing any of the body hair. Was that alright?"

Banica wordlessly nodded at Arte's question, gazing at the dish before her and licking her lips.

“It looks delicious...”

First, Banica took the left arm still on the bone from the plate and began to gnaw on it from the side.

“Ah, so delicious...These slender arms...These dear arms that held me so tightly.”

Next she picked up her fork and speared an eyeball, bringing it to her mouth.

“This is wonderful too...These blue eyes...These dear eyes that gazed so directly at me.”

With an expression of ecstasy resting on her face, one by one she ate up the legs, fingers, hair, and lips.

She began to shed tears, perhaps moved by how delicious it all was.

Banica steadily continued her meal as she cried.

Watching her, Pollo said with a sigh, "But, are you sure you liked it? It's not a 'dead soldier' like usual."

While chewing the meat in her mouth, Banica replied thusly:

"I want to eat up all that there is! This was a chance to be able to eat someone I love--and that doesn't come often, does it?"

--Another small digression.

The "golden powder" that Carlos had was said to be in actuality something shaved from a treasure, the "golden key", that was passed down through the Marlon family.

Its composition isn't certain, but as there was no mistaking that it was made of metal, it was only natural that it would be poisonous to drink by itself.

I myself am much more intrigued by the Ziz Tiama ink that could cancel out its toxicity.

The "golden key" was passed down among the Marlons as a weapon that could defeat demons. Actually, there are records that claim that a Marlon ancestor, Karchess Crim, used the key to kill Duke Venomania during the "Venomania Event".

Carlos had probably recalled that story himself.

However, the amount of powder wasn't enough to kill Banica Conchita--that was why it went wrong.

.

"You're so cute I could gobble you up" are words often spoken by smooth-talking men and doting parents, but there aren't many who would actually carry it out.

Cannibalism is a significant crime by our current laws, you see.

--The meat you were eating earlier?

Are you still hung up on that?

You've already eaten it all up, so maybe you shouldn't be nitpicking so much--

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Viande–XXXX Steak; Scene 11

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 206-209

“Banica, I’ve brought supper.”

Carlos knocked on the door to Banica’s bedroom, and after a moment it opened.

“Come in...Oh? Why are there two servings?”

It seemed Banica found the fact that there were two dishes resting on the platter that Carlos carried to be strange.

“I thought I might eat with you today, while we had the chance. May I?"

“Sure. I think it’s much more fun to eat with someone else than to eat alone.”

A muddied brown potage lay on top of the dishes.

“Well then, let’s dig in.”

Banica scooped out some potage from the dish on the table, and took a single mouthful.

After seeing that she had, Carlos took a little of his own soup.

“…This is delicious, but it tastes a little different than what I was expecting.”

“That’s because today’s soup has a very special secret ingredient put in.”

Carlos took out a small bottle from his breast pocket.

“And that is...?”

"This is a reserve medicine that I carry around with me all the time. --Though, I never drink this golden powder by itself."

Carlos took out another bottle. Inside was blue liquid.

“This is the ink that Ziz Tiama give off. This has no benefit on its own. But when it's mixed with this golden powder, it negates the lethal toxicity that the powder has as a side-effect and becomes a medicine that can cure every ailment."

"Lethal…tox…icity."

Suddenly Banica's eyes grew blank, and she pitched forward to fall prostrate on the table.

"…Looks like it's taken effect."

"You…put the powder…alone…into the soup?"

Banica looked up at Carlos, her body wracked with small tremors.

"It was a gamble. I know that you have a resistance to poison. So I imagine a normal one wouldn't have an impact on you...But I remembered. A legend...about this powder...that I heard from my father long ago...”

Carlos' voice as he spoke quickly became faltering and slow.

“-Cough-” He hacked up blood, and collapsed there just as Banica had.

“Carlos...You also...ate the powder like I did?”

“I had...no intention of...making you die alone.” Carlos’s face grew pale. “Banica...let’s...fall down to hell together...”

“...You’re a really stupid man.”

Banica abruptly stood up.

Her blank eyes had regained their sparkle, and her tremors had ceased.

“Wh...at...!?”

"I went a little numb, but I can't be killed with this meager amount of poison. It was no more stimulating than a spice for me."

"I see…I guess I lost the gamble."

Carlos' eyes grew unfocused, and diffused like the ocean. He could no longer see anything, his vision enfolded by darkness.

Even so, he could still hear Banica’s voice.

“Carlos, I’m going to ask you once more. Why did you go as far as put the poison in your own soup?”

“I...di...dn’t...want...to run away.”

He must never drink the golden powder on its own--his father had lectured him on that severely.

It's not ordinarily something that a child should have, and it's only because your illness will never get better otherwise that you're being allowed to drink it--his father's old words resounded through Carlos' mind.

I've broken my promise…I’m sorry for being a bad son…Father…

He was no longer able to form words.

But his ears alone had yet to lose their functionality.

He heard a voice.

“You didn’t want to run away? …You’re wrong.”

The voice sounded somewhat gloomy to Carlos.

“You’ve…run away again…Leaving me.”

And then in the end, he finally stopped hearing anything at all.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[theevilfoodeaterconchita]

Viande–XXXX Steak; Scene 9

Evil Food Eater Conchita, page 201-204

Carlos had no way of knowing how the actions that Banica and the others took would be perceived by the Beelzenian Imperial family, and the rest of the country.

Since that day, the imperial army made no attempt to invade the mansion again. Perhaps Juno was trying to make it so that news of the incident wouldn't go public. Or maybe she was gathering up her forces to defeat the Pale Men in one fell swoop…

At any rate, right now Carlos had no way of knowing what was going on outside. Those in the mansion were under house arrest.

He had grown completely terrified at seeing those Pale Men. Finally he had come to understand that he'd stepped into a domain that he should have never trifled with.

It wasn't a matter of her being a pervert, or creep.

Banica had become a witch who had sold her soul to a demon.

Even more frightening, even though he'd seen that witch's true personality himself--the fact remained he still harbored affection for her.

The following day, Carlos tried to escape the mansion. He was unable to bear facing the truth. In the end, he was no different than the other cooks--though at the time he didn't have the composure to feel bad about that.

However, his plan tragically failed. The mansion had already become surrounded by Pale Men, and Carlos did not have the reflexes to slip past and escape from either them or the twins who commanded them.

Captured by their number after sneaking out of the mansion, Carlos was brought before Banica with both arms seized by the twins.

Faced with Banica silently gazing down upon, Carlos could think of nothing whatsoever to say to her. The best words to put forward--if Carlos had them at all, he wouldn't have tried to run away to begin with.

In the end the only thing that left Carlos' mouth was a bluff.

“--Before long might I be able to take a vacation?”

Upon hearing that, Banica turned her back on Carlos in disgust, and said only, "…All of the cooks up until now would ask that and then vanish. Good grief--I can't do anything with you people…"

At her words' cold tone, Carlos prepared to be killed. The thief had told him that she'd seen the previous cook dead in the basement, and he had been killed by the twins as well. Though he had tried not to think about that, not until he had seen Pollo, stained in blood from murdering a soldier.

But the judgment that Banica handed down to Carlos was simply that he continue cooking in the mansion like always. He was spared punishment under the condition that he never go outside the mansion.

"Ingredients are a dime a dozen, but it's hard to find a cook who can prepare them well," she'd shared regarding the reasons for her decision.

Was that her opinion, or was it a result of her feelings towards Carlos?--For his part, Carlos wanted to believe that it was the latter.

The Pale Men's numbers continued to increase. It seemed that Banica and those twins had the power to turn people who died into Pale Men. Adding that up with what the thief had told him, perhaps it had some relation to that wineglass.

Sooner or later, Empress Juno would deploy a military unit to this land.

Once she did it would be a civil war. Banica would eventually be executed as a traitor.

Or, perhaps the Pale Men she and the twins commanded would be successful.

--Either outcome was horrible.

He couldn't flee outside. Perhaps he could had found some means of egress if he were able to seek aid from AB-CIR, but that method didn't occur to Carlos.

<<prev------directory------next>>