Chapter 48

Chapter 48. Interlude 2 – The Spicy Taste of the Republic

The ‘Combat Training’ lecture, which had been quite shocking and terrifying in many ways, finally ended.

“Then, I’ll be going…”

“Stop.”

Someone grabbed the back of my neck as I tried to sneak out of the classroom.

When I turned my head, I saw Iris smiling brightly.

“Where are you going, Dale?”

“Uh… I have urgent business.”

“Didn’t I clearly tell you to stay after class today?”

“……”

I glanced at Camila for help, but Iris’s piercing gaze sent shivers down my spine.

“Ahem. Saintess, I’m not feeling well today, so I think I should head back early.”

“Oh, really? Then I guess there’s no choice. Go ahead and rest.”

“See you tomorrow morning!”

“W-Wait!”

Without a moment of hesitation, Camila turned around and dashed toward her dorm.

‘Damn it!’

The betrayal stung, but only for a moment.

Iris approached me with a bright smile (terrifying) on her face.

Just as I was preparing myself to be lectured by Iris for hours…

“Shall we go eat together?”

The soft touch of her hand and the sweet scent of peach blossoms tickled my nose.

“…Huh?”

“Huh? Don’t you remember? We agreed to have meals together every Monday.”

“No, yeah. I know that.”

I thought she would bring up what happened with Professor Elisha, given the flow of the conversation.

“What happened earlier with Professor Elisha wasn’t something you wanted, right? It was forced under the pretext of an investigation.”

“Ah, yeah. That’s right.”

“Of course, that can’t even be called a ‘kiss.’ It was more like artificial respiration. Don’t you think so, Dale?”

“O-Of course.”

“Good.”

Iris stroked my lips and took a deep breath.

“Dale, you weren’t kissed. You were just bitten by a horny bitch… no, in this case, a horny spider? Anyway, it was just bad luck, so don’t worry about it. Got it?”

Even though I wanted to say that calling the professor a ‘horny spider’ was a bit much…

“…Yep.”

For now, it was best to nod obediently and calm her down.

“Hehe. Good.”

Iris smiled contentedly.

She tugged at my hand and started walking forward.

“Let’s go to the convenience store and forget about that bad memory.”

“Convenience store? Why the convenience store all of a sudden?”

After all, Iris had professional chefs who prepared three meals a day for her.

“I want to eat something you make on Mondays.”

“Ah.”

If it’s something I make, there’s only one thing.

“You want to eat ramen, huh?”

“Ahem. N-No, it’s not like that!”

“You used to say it’s junk food and bad for your health.”

“S-Shut up!”

Iris blushed and slapped my back.

I stifled a laugh and nodded.

“Alright. Let’s stop by the convenience store and grab some ingredients.”

“Okay!”

Iris nodded with a bright smile.

We headed to the school convenience store.

Despite the reputation of the Reynaldo Hero School, the store wasn’t very large.

‘Not many candidates use it.’

Most candidates mainly used the cafeteria, so the convenience store wasn’t very big.

“Is this the convenience store?”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Ah, yes. I never really had a reason to come.”

“Right.”

With chefs preparing three meals a day, there wasn’t much reason to visit a convenience store whose only advantage was being cheap.

“Wow… There are so many things I’ve never seen before.”

Iris’s eyes sparkled as she looked around at the products on display.

Though the store itself wasn’t large.

Since candidates from all three nations lived here, products from the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Republic were all available.

‘Just looking at the products, you can see the distinct styles of each nation.’

The Empire mainly had meat and bread, the Holy Kingdom had vegetables and health foods, and the Republic had instant foods and meal kits that showcased their technological prowess.

“Dale, come here! Look at all these ramen varieties…!”

Iris, who had been scanning the store with sparkling eyes, gasped when she saw the wall filled with ramen.

“Are all of these really ramen?”

“Yeah. There are so many kinds, right?”

“W-Wow…”

“Haha. But honestly, they all taste pretty similar.”

Though there were some differences between brands, most ramen tasted pretty much the same.

“Ah, there’s the ramen you made for me before.”

Iris pointed to a red packet of ramen with the character ‘辛’ on it.

“That’s probably the most popular brand.”

“Really? Ah, what does this character mean? It doesn’t look like Continental language…”

“It’s an ancient character used by the Republic a long time ago.”

“Huh? I studied Republic language a bit before, but I never saw this character.”

“Well… It’s a bit complicated to explain.”

Honestly, I didn’t really know why they used that character either.

“It’s kind of like an ancient language the Republic used a looong time ago.”

“A long time ago… Like before the Republicans came from another world?”

“Yeah. That’s what I heard. Ah, it’s like the ancient language used during the mythical era in the Empire or the Holy Kingdom.”

“Ah, I see. Like remnants of ancient language in Continental language.”

“Exactly.”

Our Saintess is really smart.

“So, what does this ‘辛’ character mean?”

“It means ‘spicy.'”

“Ah, it was definitely spicy.”

Iris nodded, recalling the taste of the ramen Dale had made for her.

The reason she got hooked on ramen was because of that intense flavor, which was hard to find in Holy Kingdom cuisine.

“Since we’re here, why don’t you pick out another ramen?”

“Won’t it be hard for you to cook, Dale?”

“Making ramen is pretty much the same, so don’t worry.”

“Hmm. Really?”

Iris scanned the shelves with the serious eyes of an art connoisseur choosing a masterpiece.

“How about this one?”

She picked out a ramen with black packaging labeled ‘Fire Chicken.’

My expression stiffened when I saw the packaging.

“Uh… T-That one’s a bit…”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“It’s a bit different from the ramen you had before.”

“Different how?”

“It’s a dry ramen. You mix it with sauce instead of having broth.”

“Ooh!”

Iris’s eyes sparkled.

“I want to try this! Dry ramen!”

“……”

“…Dale?”

“W-Well, I get that. But how about another brand? There are other dry ramens too.”

“Huh? Why not this one?”

“W-Well… That brand is really spicy. It might be too much for you.”

Even among Republicans, who are known for handling spicy food well, many avoid that brand.

“Ah, I see. So that’s it.”

“What’s ‘it’?”

“I heard from Camila before. Republicans always make a big deal when they meet people from other nations, saying things like ‘Can you handle this spice?’ or ‘You can’t eat this, it’s too spicy.'”

“……”

“What was it called…? Ah, right. ‘Spice pride,’ that’s what they called it.”

*Snicker.*

Iris looked at me with a teasing smile.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a typical Republican, Dale.”

“……”

“Hehe. I can handle spicy food pretty well, you know? I ate the ramen you made without any complaints, remember?”

The ramen that boldly featured the ancient Republic character meaning ‘spicy’ on its packaging!

“Hehe.”

Iris puffed out her chest and shook her head confidently.

“Honestly, I thought Republicans might be exaggerating a bit about their spice tolerance.”

“…Oh?”

Is that so?

“And you said this is dry ramen, right? Without the broth, which is usually the spiciest part, it should be much easier to eat.”

Hmm.

I see.

“Anyway. I want to try this ‘Fire Chicken’ ramen. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

If that’s what Iris really wants.

“I’ll make it for you.”

I nodded with a bright smile.

* * *

After buying ramen and some drinks at the convenience store, Iris and I headed to my room.

Unlike Iris’s room, which was fully equipped with cooking facilities, my dorm room didn’t have a proper kitchen, but I had a portable burner and a pot, so making ramen wasn’t a problem.

“Here, it’s done.”

I placed the bright red Fire Chicken ramen in front of her.

“Hehe. Let’s give it a try, shall we?”

Iris picked up her chopsticks and took a big bite of the ramen.

“Oh? This is really good!”

Her eyes widened as she chewed the ramen in her mouth.

I sat back in my chair, leisurely waiting for the hell(?) that was about to unfold.

“It’s not as spicy as I thought…”

*Gulp.*

Iris’s expression froze.

“Ugh, ah.”

She trembled like a capybara caught in a trap.

“It’s spicy! What the hell is this?!”

Iris stomped her feet and screamed.

I watched her writhe in pain, tears welling up in her eyes, and for some reason, I felt a thrilling sensation coursing through my body.

‘Ah.’

I had heard that among Republicans, there were perverts who enjoyed feeding Fire Chicken ramen to people from the Holy Kingdom or the Empire and watching their reactions.

‘So, this is what it feels like.’

Just moments ago, Iris had been boasting, ‘Republicans are just exaggerating about spice, right?’ But now, watching her cry and struggle, I couldn’t help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction.

“How is it? I told you it was spicy.”

“Do Republicans not know what moderation is?! This isn’t just spicy, it’s insane!”

Iris, tears streaming down her face, looked around for something to soothe the burning.

I handed her a steaming cup of tea.

“It’s hot ginger tea. It’s good for calming the spice.”

“Ugh… T-Thank you, Dale!”

Iris gulped down the hot ginger tea.

And then.

“KYAAAAAAAH!”

The Saintess’s scream echoed throughout the room.