Chapter 3: How about mine, big and thick(2)?

Until not long ago the strongest of the kingdom army who protected the front lines, Arthur.

Unlike the masculine name, she was braver and more womanly than anyone.

But half a year ago, after losing her right arm in the battle against the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army.

Arthur’s life changed one hundred and eighty degrees.

She could no longer stand on the battlefield. Having become one-armed and with her swordsmanship greatly diminished, she was no longer the strongest knight but merely a burden.

The king had designated her as the training officer of the royal knight order in consideration of her past merits…

Yet to her who had lived on the battlefield overflowing with honor, it only felt as though she had become a back-room old woman overnight.

In the safe royal palace Arthur’s eyes died day by day.

———Yet today, when she was forced to attend the hero summoning ceremony.

A miracle of god descended upon her.

-Suddenly.

“Sir Knight? From what I see it seems you need this the most.”

“…Do you mean me?”

“Yes. Please eat it.”

The hero who right after being summoned suddenly declared he would present cooking, and actually brought some cooking.

When he held out the food basket in front of her, Arthur could not help but feel bewildered.

‘Why me of all people…? Ah. Does he mean for me to taste it before presenting it to His Majesty the King.’

Yet Arthur, who misinterpreted Sihyun’s intention with an extremely knightly way of thinking.

She picked up one hot dog without refusing.

-Grab.

“May I eat it as is? Cutting or something like that…”

‘Hey now. Even if you are a woman that is too much. Who cuts a hot dog to eat it?’

“Just bite into it. Nibble from the front.”

“…A hearty food indeed.”

And. Arthur took a large bite of the hot dog while everyone watched.

-Crunch!

“………!?”

Her eyes widened as large as lanterns.

The first thing she felt was the crispy texture of the well-fried potato coated in crunchy sugar.

Before she could even be surprised by the potato that was crispy outside and fluffy inside. Her teeth soon sank into the soft bread.

A warm and soft texture that filled the mouth, completely different from the crispiness she had felt earlier.

What put the finishing touch on the texture was the well-boiled bratwurst inside.

-Crunch!

The bratwurst chewed with a pleasant crunching sound.

That texture of chewing meat held a pleasure that could never be felt from carbohydrates.

-Chew chew.

‘Good heavens. Such a delicacy…’

Arthur began chewing the contents filling her mouth as if entranced.

Bread. Potato. Bratwurst. A combination anyone from the kingdom, regardless of status, would have eaten at least once.

Yet the hot dog that had been well fried into one threw a fresh shock even at her who was well-versed in gourmet food.

The salty bratwurst whose juices burst with every chew. The French fries and soft bread that received that juice. The various textures that delighted the mouth.

Even each time the sugar crunched a sweetness lingered and harmonized with the saltiness of the bratwurst.

The potato hot dog was a food delicious enough that even she who had been the strongest knight lost her reason for a moment.

-Gulp.

‘…You have every right to be confident in your cooking.’

Arthur chewed and swallowed the first bite as if savoring it.

Afterward she took another bite of the hot dog.

Even larger than before. Filled with greed.

———Without knowing what change was occurring in her arm.

“……? W-wait a moment. That…”

‘How noisy during a meal.’

-Crunch crunch!

While the people who had been watching the hot dog mukbang while drooling began to murmur, Arthur took the second bite.

And the second shock covered her.

“………!!”

‘There is sauce sprinkled here!’

The ketchup and mustard Sihyun had generously drizzled.

The two sauces crumpled beneath her lips and gave a great change to the monotonous taste of the hot dog.

This was what Sihyun had intended.

By deliberately not sprinkling sauce on the front part so the first bite could purely enjoy the frying, and the remaining part could be bitten where ketchup and mustard were alternately sprinkled so it would not grow tiresome.

That intention struck exactly true.

‘This is… tomato sauce? The sweet and sour makes the appetite come alive at once.’

-Chew chew.

‘The yellow one is mustard sauce, is it. The pungent taste is delicious.’

Outwardly it looked fancy yet when taken apart the potato hot dog was a simple combination of meat and carbohydrates.

With only sweetness, saltiness and fat taste it would easily grow tiresome if eaten alone…

Yet the ketchup sprinkled there washed away the heaviness of the rich meat juices with its sweet and sour umami.

The mustard punched the tongue that was about to grow used to the carbohydrates with its pungent spiciness.

And again ketchup, mustard. Ketchup, mustard.

At that endlessly varied change of taste, she hurriedly finished the hot dog without even knowing what was happening to her.

Just as Sihyun had wished, deliciously without growing tiresome until the end.

-Chew chew. Gulp.

“Phew…”

‘When was the last time I ate food this deliciously. I cannot even remember.’

Arthur who had hurriedly finished the hot dog only let out the breath she had been holding after swallowing the last bite.

Only then did she emerge from her private world.

She licked even the single drop of sauce on her hand as if it were a waste, then habitually took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

Just naturally, with both hands.

“Such, such a delicacy…”

“A-Arthur-kyung…?”

“…Tsk. What is it.”

The murmuring of the surroundings that only began to be heard after she had wiped her entire mouth.

Arthur who was folding the dirty handkerchief frowned at the unpleasantness of having the aftertaste of gourmet food interrupted.

But soon she realized the sense of incongruity.

‘…Wait. Folding a handkerchief? Me?’

The all-too-natural act of wiping the mouth with both hands and folding the handkerchief to put it away.

…An act impossible for Arthur who had only her left arm remaining.

A shout burst from the mouth of her who was blankly staring at her own right hand.

“…………!!!? M-my arm!!!!”

“A-Arthur-kyung’s arm has grown back!!”

“…………What!!!!?”

Arthur’s slender right arm revealed beyond the breastplate that only covered the chest.

The priest who had been watching only the hot dog mukbang while swallowing saliva beside her widened his eyes as large as lanterns.

Even he who was a fairly high-ranking priest could at best only bring a severed finger and attach it. To make an arm that had been severed for several months grow back from the bare body without any loss of the area.

“A m-miracle… It is the Lord God’s miracle!!!!!”

The priest who witnessed the miracle of god shed tears of joy.

“Aaaah, aaaaah!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!!”

Arthur who had regained her life as a knight also sobbed in emotion.

“……This time, truly.”

-Trickle.

Even the king who had been exhausted by despair while watching that let a single tear trickle down.

If there was that overwhelming recovery ability the hero party would not die meaninglessly like five years ago.

If there was that man’s cooking, this time at last the hero party would overcome every hardship, defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the world.

And in the meantime.

Sihyun who had caused the miracle smiled brightly.

It was a smile filled to the brim with benevolence.

“How was it? My big and thick hot dog.”

“The best, it was the best…….”

“I am glad you ate it deliciously.”

‘Kuuuu! This is a reaction and this is a game!!!’

…Of course, inwardly he was thinking a little rotten thought.

*

[Additional Effect : Over Heal (Mythic, Unique) – The healing power used by a noble saint. It treats all kinds of injuries, status abnormalities and curses and regenerates the body.]

‘It would have been awkward if it did not work, but it worked. As expected of the cooking skill.’

I who made the one-armed female knight’s arm sprout with ‘Over Heal’, one of the great success effects of the cooking skill granted to the special potato hot dog.

The people who saw that fell into a frenzy of joy.

The knight who had been one-armed prostrated herself, the person who seemed a priest cried while calling it a miracle, and even the king let tears trickle, and the delicious reactions they showed were a bonus.

…It was a sight that kept making me think of nationalistic TV-style drips like ‘The reason the pope sobbed and the emperor shed tears over K-hotdog!’.

But the effect seemed certain, for at the banquet held right afterward I received tremendous treatment.

“It is a small token of gratitude filled with sincerity. Please accept it, gentleman.”

‘Why is a woman so greasy!? Did she grow up eating butter instead of baby food, really.’

“……I will gratefully accept only the sentiment. If I were to covet wealth the Lord God would not look kindly upon it. Fufu.”

I even received ninety-degree bows of thanks from the lucky people who had eaten my hot dog. Of course I returned all the return gifts because what use would a man have for necklaces and rings.

“For such a noble person to be a hero, the Lord God’s grace is endless.”

The king who saw that praised me with an expression that wondered if a person could smile so brightly.

Calling me an angel the Lord God had sent down and such.

And after the splendid banquet ended.

I headed to my private room after receiving the royal command to rest comfortably today since I must be tired from performing a miracle.

“Please rest comfortably. If there is anything inconvenient or anything you need please call me.”

-Creak.

The Head Maid guided me to a splendid room that did not envy a seven-star hotel, bowed respectfully and closed the door.

And after she closed the door.

“Heh, heheh…… heheh.”

-Bounce.

I immediately jumped onto the bed.

Throwing away even the hero acting I had been doing until just now, simply grinning.

There was no need to keep the role-playing until I was alone. Of course.

-Sink. Flap flap.

‘Crazy, crazy, crazy!! It is too fun!!! This is a game!!!!’

After diving onto the bed bouncing like an arctic fox, I buried my face deep into the pillow and kicked my feet.

This was unavoidable.

To me who had hardly gone outside and lived only dabbling in games and cooking at home, today’s experience had been far too stimulating.

I had cooked to my heart’s content until my frustration was relieved. Watched others eat it as the most delicious thing in the world right before my eyes. And even received treatment befitting that.

As someone who liked cooking, as a gamer, how could I not enjoy it.

The dopamine I had been holding back in front of others to keep the concept exploded belatedly.

‘Game world is the best! Cooking skill is the best!!’

It was the moment when I, who had been living merely because I could not die in the empty room alone, finally felt the worth of living.