"Mr. Ira, regarding the food situation in the Demon King's Castle..."

As Sirina led the way, her tail swishing back and forth, she said, "Mr. Ryme is in charge. He and his slimes are the only chefs in the Demon King's castle. Please bear with us if the food doesn't suit your taste."

It sounds like Shirina doesn't want Ira to have any conflict with the chef named Lyme.

"It's not a matter of whether it suits my taste anymore. Your chefs... seem to have no ability to select ingredients at all."

As Ira said this, she made up her mind to have a good talk with the Demon King's chef and discuss the food issue, but this name... Rem, could it be slime?

Slime?! Let a slime, which has no sense of taste, be the chef?!

As Ira thought this, he followed Shirina through one corridor after another, encountering several maids along the way, all of whom cast curious glances at him and Shirina.

After navigating several bends and descending a flight of steps, the two arrived at their destination.

In the kitchen, a group of small green slimes were washing pots and pans and the stove. Directing the slimes was a green, gelatinous humanoid creature. Because it had no facial features or physical characteristics, it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

The humanoid slime wearing a chef's hat noticed the arrival of Sirina and Ira. He turned to look at the two of them, nodded slightly, and greeted them in a muffled voice that was neither clearly male nor female, saying, "Good evening, Miss Sirina... and this one too."

It seems they don't recognize Iraq...

"I'd like to talk to you about your dinner tonight."

Ira, who was quite serious about food, said that he didn't think the dinner was acceptable at all, saying, "First of all, the salad, with shredded greens and apples is a typical combination, but..."

Before Ira could finish speaking, the slime named [Lyme] knew what Ira was going to say before he could even raise the issue. He said, "The silk grass isn't fresh enough, and the snake fruit is too sour... I'm very sorry, I'll do better next time."

Seeing Lym readily admit his mistake, Ira paused for a moment, then said, "That's true. It's good that you understand. This is very important because of the nature of Silk Grass itself..."

Then, before Ira could finish speaking, Lyme interrupted him again, simply saying, "Because the sweetness of the shredded greens is only noticeable when they are young, if the apples used are too sour, then the whole salad will only taste like apples."

"..."

Isn't this perfectly clear?

"Besides that..."

Iraq opened her mouth, ready to point out other mistakes...

"In addition, the blue basil mushrooms were not of good enough quality, and the braised pork chops were made with inferior mountain sheep instead of the usual antelope. The pork chops were not served with blueberry sauce."

Lem rattled off a whole bunch of things. Although he knew Ira was there to nitpick, he didn't show the slightest displeasure. Under Ira's puzzled gaze, he kept talking, almost incessantly:

"The goose meat was also tough, and no sage was added for seasoning. Furthermore, the fruit was also unseasoned; instead, they were eaten raw, like ordinary people. And..."

"..."

Listening to Lem keep pointing out his own problems, Ira hesitated and stopped him, saying, "Wait, that's enough... you don't need to continue."

Ira looked a little embarrassed.

"Pfft~ Hahaha... Cough cough cough, sorry."

Shirina couldn't help but laugh at Ira's posture. Her heart pounded with each laugh, before she calmed down under the helpless gazes of Ira and Lem.

"Since you already know, then..."

To Ira's question, Lem chose to answer before Ira could fully ask, saying, "The conditions don't allow it. In other words, there's no room for ensuring the food is perfect within the Demon King's castle... For a chef, that's a disgrace."

Lyme's tone was full of helplessness, and the little slimes in the kitchen seemed to sense this frustration as well. Instead of jumping around, they hid behind the cupboards and pots, peeking out half their heads to watch Ira and Lyme talk.

"Now that most cities are outwardly compliant but inwardly disobeying and no longer conducting trade and tribute according to custom, we have no right to be too picky about the ingredients based solely on the resources of one city."

As he spoke, Lem showed the shelf behind him and explained, "This is where the spices are kept. There are twenty-one kinds of spices and seasonings, but now there are only seventeen left in the Demon King's castle. If you go through that door into the cellar..."

After pointing to a wooden door behind him, Lem thought for a moment and figured out how to describe it. He said, "The sparse ingredients and empty shelves are as striking as the World Tree standing in the mangrove forest."

It's a beautiful adjective, but it proves that the current state of the Demon King's Castle is not "beautiful," even though it doesn't have much to do with Ira.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been in such a hurry to question you."

So, Ira sincerely apologized to Lem. Looking at the chef who clearly knew the problem with the food, he said with some admiration, "You've done a great job to reach this level."

But a true chef doesn't need that level of praise.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!