The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 395



Only Noblemtl

Episode 395 Outside.

Just a moment ago.

I was sitting in my private room inside the Vimana.

I was checking the rewards for my achievements while sitting on the chair.

however.

‘Where is this…?’

Immediately after the confirmation of compensation.

After I came to my senses, I was at… … .

It was an unidentifiable space where everything was shining pure white.

Why was I suddenly dragged to a place like this?

I have one guess.

{The transcendent beings who hold and control fate recognize your presence.}

‘That system was supposed to protect us from something unknown.’

The moment that protection is weakened.

Something recognized my existence and brought me here.

‘crazy.’

Cold sweat is running down my face.

My breathing is getting faster.

In the case of the enemies I’ve met so far.

Although the power was beyond imagination, it still spanned the physical realm.

No matter how strong one’s physical strength is.

It was understandable that it even changed the climate of an entire large area.

‘This is not it.’

It’s not like I was wandering around outside or anything.

How dare you suddenly drag me, who was safely protected in the heart of Vimana, to a place like this.

This is… … .

It was a power beyond my knowledge.

and.

{Hehe, that guy really looks fierce.}

“… … !”

At the sudden voice.

I looked back, startled.

Then there.

{What are you doing standing there blankly?}

A beautiful garden that doesn’t fit in with this completely white space.

An oriental-style pavilion located in the middle of it all.

{Come and sit here.}

Inside sat a small, old man who looked like he was easily over a hundred years old.

***

A grotesque old man with countless wrinkles on his face, sagging flesh, and liver spots all over his body.

He was looking at me, wearing a martial arts uniform that looked like something out of an old historical drama.

‘Is the race closer to Oriental…?’

Because his face looked so old, I couldn’t even tell for sure.

And then, when I observed the old man’s appearance up to that point.

‘… … Something is strange.’

I was overcome by a strange sense of discomfort.

A strange sense of alienation, different from usual.

This is… …yeah.

‘{Ingredient Identification} not working?’

Despite continuing to observe the old man.

My trait didn’t activate.

Since I gained this power.

There could be no such thing as an unknown being before me.

Even if they are said to be of a much higher rank than me.

If only I could somehow see it with my own two eyes, I could at least grasp a part of its identity.

“Who are you?”

{Who are you? You’re asking a stupid question.}

But, the interest was not like that.

How on earth?

{I’m the one who brought you here.}

Horok- and so on.

An old man continues talking while drinking tea from a cup.

{So, are you going to just keep standing there?}

“… … .”

{I prepared a nice car for you, but you don’t even answer. What a rude kid.}

According to the system description.

That being is probably a being called a transcendent being.

An entity that I, as of now, cannot possibly stand against.

{Come up.}

“… … Uh, um. Yes.”

If you go against those words, you never know what might happen.

I follow those words.

He climbed up onto the unidentified pavilion and sat down in front of the old man.

The old man who was drinking tea glanced at my face and said.

{Your soul is shaking. You seem very nervous.}

“… … .”

{Well, I understand. It must have been a sudden situation for you.}

As you said.

I stared at the old man’s figure, unable to relax my whole body.

however.

Blink… … .

‘uh?’

A moment of blinking.

The old man who had been sitting in front of me just a moment ago suddenly disappeared.

instead.

The person drinking tea in front of me is… … .

‘… … a girl?’

The complete opposite of the old man from before.

She was a young girl who looked to be about ten years old.

{Don’t worry too much. I don’t really intend to harm you.}

A somewhat mature tone of speech for coming from a child’s mouth.

The child in front of me was naturally continuing the story that the old man had just been telling.

A being with a completely different appearance and voice.

At first I thought it was someone else.

There were several monarchs of those {Belsnickels}.

but.

‘Unlike monarchs.’

I instinctively.

I could just tell that the old man and this child were the same being.

“… … You said you had no intention of harming me.”

I kept my nerves.

He… … or she opened her mouth, holding the teacup that was offered to her.

“Then why did you call me to this place?”

He says he has no intention of harming me.

It was hard to just believe that.

In the first place, you wouldn’t have dragged me to a place like this just because you were bored and had no intention of doing so.

{Don’t be so annoyed. I didn’t want to do something this annoying either. Besides.}

To my question:

He frowned as if he was annoyed, then stared straight into my face and said:

{Whew… … No matter how I look at it, I can’t see even the slightest bit of talent.}

“yes?”

{I didn’t necessarily want to call you to a place like this. Even though the situation was unavoidable… … This is the only choice. Tsk. I can only sigh.}

A sudden outpouring of nagging.

It was so frustrating to be suddenly dragged to a place like this, and now I’m being cursed at without even knowing why.

{I don’t like it at all, but there’s nothing I can do about it.}

“… … ?”

{You ask why I called you here? The answer is simple.}

Swish.

A middle-aged man with a skinny face pointed to my face and said.

{To help you.}

***

{I don’t like it, but I intend to help you. So don’t be on your guard anymore.}

“… … ?”

What is that?

Even if you say so,

‘Do you believe me?’

It is the being that suddenly kidnapped me to this space.

That alone would have been scary enough.

Horok… … .

{You’re lucky. You have someone nearby who can help you in times of danger.}

The being before my eyes had already changed its appearance.

At first glance, he looked like an old man who was easily over a hundred years old.

Next was a girl who looked to be about ten years old.

And now, a young man with a face so handsome that just looking at him makes you jealous.

‘It’s not a normal existence.’

A being whose appearance continually changes.

What was even more bizarre was that he was so nonchalant about his own appearance constantly changing.

If you believe me here and believe meekly,

There’s no one like that fool.

No matter how powerful the author is.

Perhaps, there may be a being that can trap me in this space forever.

This was something that couldn’t be passed over easily.

“You… … .”

How do you believe it?

I opened my mouth to say something like that.

‘……for a moment.’

But, at that very moment.

The moment I open my mouth to speak, I feel… … .

There was a strange sensation.

“you are.”

Through that sense.

I was able to realize one thing.

“You’re really saying… … that you’ll help me.”

A feeling that is familiar yet unfamiliar.

A strangely bland feeling on the tip of the tongue.

{Ugh… I thought I would be wasting my time trying to persuade you.}

The author is friendly to me.

That realization… … no.

{Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be that stupid.}

that…….

I could feel the ‘taste’.

***

‘……what?’

At first, I thought the being was hypnotizing me.

If there is a being that can summon me to a place like this, then it might be able to control my mind as well.

but…….

My intuition was telling me.

‘This is my feeling.’

This realization that I feel now.

It must have come from my senses.

‘The author is somehow friendly to me.’

It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling.

After realizing that fact.

This pure white space too.

The garden and pavilion that were placed so incongruously within it did not feel entirely scary.

“Can I ask you a question?”

{Try it.}

“You said you wanted to help me.”

Once I realized that the other person was not hostile to me.

I was able to let go of my guard and ask questions with a little more ease.

“I don’t even know who you are. Why do you want to help me?”

The author clearly said this:

-These are the only choices.

I’m not sure, but the author has some kind of goal.

And I was the ‘option’ for him.

I wanted to know what the goal was.

{Well, I did ask a question.}

He took a sip of tea.

He said with a calm expression.

{I never promised to answer the question.}

“… … .”

No, what?

That’s true, though.

“Is this a question you can’t answer?”

{okay.}

“Could you at least tell me why you can’t answer that question?”

{No.}

“… … If you could just tell me who you are.”

{That won’t work either.}

“At least a name.”

{I don’t like it.}

… … .

This kid… … .

I know that you are a person who is kind to me.

It seems like he has no intention of telling us anything else.

“At least you should tell me what to call you. I can’t keep calling you ‘you’.”

{Hmm, that part makes sense.}

He stroked his chin for a moment as he listened to me, lost in thought.

He opened his mouth slightly and said.

{In advance.}

“… … ?”

{Call me in advance.}

Pay in advance.

This is probably not the real name either.

“Okay, Mirinae. Then… … why did you call me here?”

You said you would help me.

He doesn’t tell me who he is or why he’s helping me.

Then why did you call me here in the first place?

{Didn’t I tell you? To help you. To be exact… … to protect you.}

“… … ?”

Protecting you.

“What are you protecting me from?”

{External entities.}

… … Outside.

It was a sudden remark, though.

There was something to that statement.

[The transcendent beings who hold and control fate recognize your presence.]

Exactly what the system said.

I had an instinctive intuition.

‘What Lee Ja is trying to say now is… … .’

That’s what I was so curious about.

It must be related to the structure of this world.

{It seems that this world was originally completely cut off from the outside world.}

“Is that so?”

{But… … About a year ago in this land’s time, the wall that protected this world collapsed and its existence became known to the outside world.}

That means the curtain has been broken.

The distinction between inside and outside has disappeared.

‘It is the day of destruction.’

Things outside.

I guess you’re talking about the day you were able to come inside.

{And, anyone who has even glimpsed this land will have noticed that there is no ‘guardian’ in this land.}

“… … .”

{A weak world without any guardians… …. The perfect conditions for outside beings to take notice.}

In that regard.

I bit into it.

‘A guardian.’

That’s the thing that I’ve had to feel wronged over and over again.

The fact was that there was no powerful being on Earth to protect this land.

and.

That’s it.

Because that’s what we’re talking about as the cause of this destruction we’re experiencing.

“Why did the walls of this land collapse?”

I clenched my fist and asked the next question.

Interest is somehow favorable to me.

Also, it was clear that he knew things I didn’t.

then.

‘I have to find out everything I can from this interest!’

Let’s ask a question with that in mind.

He answered my questions surprisingly obediently.

{I don’t know why the wall collapsed. I didn’t witness that moment myself. But… … .}

“but?”

{The outer walls of the world never collapse for no reason. There must be some reason.}

at least.

The story was that this destruction did not happen by accident.

I immediately asked the next question.

“Since that wall collapsed, all kinds of strange beings have been flowing into this world.”

{I guess so.}

“I know they are beings from another world. Are these the [outside beings] you speak of?”

The author said he was trying to protect me from outside forces.

I wondered if he meant those monsters.

{No. They are just things that flowed in. They are no different from [outside beings].}

“Then what is this being you are talking about?”

{……hmm.}

To my question.

He frowned as he suddenly transformed into a beautiful lady wearing a beautiful palace attire.

I looked at the expression and asked.

“… … No way. Is this a question that you can’t answer?”

{No, that’s not it. It’s not hard to tell.}

“Then why are you holding back your words?”

{It’s not hard to explain, but… … I think it’s a bit difficult to explain in words.}

She thought about it for a moment.

He then motioned to me and said:

{Wait a minute. Come closer here.}

“… … ?”

{hurry.}

At her gestures like that.

I approached her hesitantly, feeling puzzled.

Then she sat me down in her arms and said,

{As I said, it’s hard to explain in words. So… … .}

She hugged me from behind.

The hand reaches out to my eyes.

{Let me see for myself.}

Cool, cold fingers block my gaze.

Between those fingers… … .

‘……uh?’

The once pure white world is collapsing.

As the white wall collapsed.

What appeared beyond that.

‘dark.’

Infinitely vast darkness.

Endless emptiness filled my vision.