"Excuse me, but did you just say that we should hire adventurers?" Sean's voice echoed in the silent corners of the meeting room.
"Those kobolds may be second-grade levels, but those are weak compared to what may possibly come if we let this move on," the Baron explained.
After finishing our scouting mission, we headed back straight to the meeting hall inside of the baron's estate where we reported our findings.
Because of the negative implications, I got from Brandon and Denis, I also assumed that we should just clear the upper floors to avoid a dungeon overflow, but the baron had different ideas.
To him, even if these kobolds seem dangerous, it is more lenient compared to what the dungeon may spawn later on. If we want to clear the dungeon, it is only reasonable that we strike early where the spawns are weaker.
Obviously, everyone has mixed opinions. Sean may be looking at the dungeon spawn's current level of danger, but the baron's perspective is that of someone who thought of the worse possible future.
Personally, I also prefer the Baron's idea since it saves time and it's also rational. If we somehow finished off the dungeon earlier than expected, then we can continue my traversals faster, and then I could enroll myself in Eun Frigore.
However, Sean has mixed feelings about the baron's idea. I don't know if he's considering the threat level and the possibility of casualties or is just afraid of the second-grade dungeon spawns.
I doubted the latter, so it's probably the former. If so, then I do get where he's coming from since I did have to survive day one on this world by fighting off a beast which is also a second-grade, and understands the danger they present.
Now that I think about it, compared to myself when I first arrived here, didn't I get a little too prideful knowing that I have an advantage in sword style and magic? Well, I guess it's best to stay on guard in any case.
"...Fine, but we first need to see which of the adventurers we're hiring. I would also like to personally see them so I propose a rotation between dungeon exploring duties," Sean sighed in resignation before answering.
In my previous world, as an imperial continent, those of higher titles are much more influential and can bind those of the lower titles to their will. In this world, however, because the noble title isn't bonded to an empirical hierarchy, Sean doesn't have the ability to overturn the Baron's decision.
So even if he were to go against the baron's decision, it would be fruitless as this is the baron's domain. What's more, Sean is simply an heir and has yet to actually take on the title.
But the conditions he presented are good compromises, so it's totally not a loss in his case. The baron must have noticed this too, so he approved of it.
"For now, have a good night. We'll call the adventurers Lady Sitri had analyzed for tomorrow and discuss the shifts for the dungeon duties," as such, the baron ended the meeting.
I didn't notice it at first, but it's already dark outside. Well, not really dark because of the astral beauties high above but the sun, or dorr as the residents of this world called it, had already set.
Sean headed straight back to his room. Although it didn't look like he was mad, he did look a bit serious, so I just gave him space.
"You wanna join us grab dinner, White?" Denis invited me. It looks like they're all going to eat in town, but since I didn't have any pocket money with me because we literally just got out of the dungeon, I simply declined and told them next time.
I'm also pretty tired, so I decided to just eat here in the baron's mansion rather than going outside. With that in mind, I headed to the kitchen to ask the chef for a meal.
Surprisingly, it's not only the baron's chef that's in here, but also Sitri, Sophia, and Anna, who's in a wheelchair. They're wearing aprons and tied their hair which made them look even more mature than they already are.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked. "White! Want to help here?" Sitri asks, revealing her more delinquent nature with her unusually rough mannerisms she doesn't normally show.
I tilted my head in confusion before I surveyed what they were all doing. "That's an oven, right?" I asked. Anna and Sophia were both watching the insides of the oven with curious eyes.
As I didn't have much experience other than the things I was supposed to experience in my previous world, I didn't have much knowledge regarding other areas other than book knowledge. What's more, our house here didn't have anything like that in the kitchen.
So I was pretty unsure whether what they're watching is indeed an oven or not. "Mhm. I'm baking muffins right now and these guys are helping me," Sitri said, pointing at Anna, Sophia, and the Chef.
I've read in books before that the kitchen is a chef's domain, so I assumed he would be territorial with it. However, the old chef in front of me just looked fine with Sitri taking over his domain.
'Could it be that this delinquent threatened him?' I thought in my head, but I was probably just letting my assumptions run wild again. Then again... no. I shouldn't think too much about matters like these.
"Y-yeah, sure. I don't know how to navigate my way around the kitchen though," I replied. "Don't worry, we'll teach you," She reassured me.
...
"You're hopeless," Sitri's exhausted voice rang in my ears, making me feel as if I'm shrinking in shame. "it's my first time so..."
"Huh?" She snorted at my petty excuse. I eyed Sophia for help, but she just looked at me blankly before giving me a thumbs up. This kind of made me feel a bit happy, but her thumb suddenly turned downwards which felt like a grim aftershock.
Anna just tried to suppress her laughter in the background, holding the smoking black muffins I made. Actually, Sitri first thought me the basics of baking, saying that failing baking is harder than failing cooking.
This kind of boosted my confidence, which made me a bit rash, and ended up making something of an abomination. "Honestly, who puts a jar of salt in a single batter and burns muffins from the oven," Sitri sighed.
"I-I thought it was sugar so... and I thought multiplying the heat in parallel to the necessary time would be more efficient," I mumbled my excuse. To be fair, Sitri has the right to be mad at me since she's the taste tester of my muffins.
"Sorry about that," I meekly added before averting my gaze to escape Sitri's scary expression. In the next moment, however, Sitri burst out laughing in tears. Anna was still trying to keep her cool demeanor but failed when Sitri started laughing.
"Didn't expect you to have different expressions other than your calm side," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
'I can't help it could I?' I thought in my head. I'm not scared of dangerous things because I keep my rationality even while facing danger, so I could immediately plan a course of action and use my strength. But because of the guilt and her pressure, my composure just died.
When I first arrived in this world, something else was at the back of my mind. Followed up by the fact that I was in a new world and in a new body, I didn't really have much composure when I first arrived here.
Now that I think about it, I just wanted to grab a meal and rest. Anna already rested on the way back here, so she's probably full of energy right now. On the other hand, there's me who's pretty tired from the rough journey.
"How about we make something easier?" Sophia suggested with a thin smile. I simply nodded and tried to regain my composure before listening along. "Okay, first things first, sit down," Sophia ordered.
I followed obediently and sat on the chair beside the counter. "Next step," I waited patiently for the next instructions. After all, I'm not planning on making another mistake. "just stay there," Sophia added.
'Okay, I would-... what?' my thoughts started like a race car engine just to be abruptly shut down, making me feel as if my thoughts just lagged. I was confused by her order, so I looked at her curiously.
"You learn better when you observe right? So for now, just learn first," Sophia said as she patted my head. So I can't help after all, huh. I kind of feel sad, but as I watched the three make more food, I also noticed that Anna's actually pretty bad at cooking.
In the end, observing Anna's horrible cooking skills also made me lighten up as I rebounded from my earlier shame. With the basic knowledge I learned from watching them, I decided that I should make something next time for them as well.
Soon after, I asked the chef to actually make me dinner instead of pastries. Anna and Sitri also asked for dinner. Anna and I talked to Sitri and Sophia about what happened today and the plans for tomorrow.
Since Anna wasn't part of the meeting since she was asleep when we were in the middle of it, I took it as an opportunity to also brief her.
After dinner, I retired to my room to rest. Although the day is exhausting, it was pretty eventful, to say the least. To think that I only arrived in this world about five months ago and am already experiencing new things I wouldn't have dreamed of in my previous world.
I contemplated the happiness this new world brought me which seems surreal, now that I think about it. But as I was doing so, my senses suddenly dissipated, as if like the time Velxia separated my body and mind to another pocket dimension. No, this might be worse than that time.
For a split moment, the hollow emptiness for the lack of perception and sense made it feel as if I was being kicked out of this world and body.
As if I was ceasing to exist.
It only lasted for a split second but the lack of feeling, be it physical or emotional, grasped my heart to the very core.
"W-what was that..?" I calmed myself and caught my breath as I thought things through.