Chapter 74: Cheesecake, Once More

Chapter 74:
Cheesecake, Once More

“Night Strider” Hilda, a demon mercenary operating out of the Empire, visited the forest yet again that day.

“Cool. It’s here.”

Making sure that the oakwood door was in its usual spot, Hilda reached for the handle, only to be interrupted.

“Hey! Hey! What the bloody hell’s going on with that there door? Why be it here in a place like this?” One voice spoke the tongue of the Empire, albeit rather brutishly.

“Well, we’ve confirmed your objective, at least.” The other voice was feminine and polite, with a hint of a Western Continent accent.

Hilda turned around instinctively, raising her trusty crossbow in response to the suspicious voices behind her, just to find herself facing a pair of women.

“Wh-what the—?! Why are you two here?!”

The women were fellow demon mercenaries, just as strong as Hilda.

“You’ve been actin’ mighty suspicious, get me? So, we tailed ya, missy.”

Alicia the “Fembear” was blessed with bear forearms and all the strength that came with them. She crushed her enemies to bits with her trusty war axe and strong arms.

“How very unlike you not to notice our approach.”

Beneath the “Poison Viper” Ranija’s beautiful looks and brown Western Continent skin was a deadly assassin. She coated her short sword with the lethal poison her snake fangs secreted—inflicting one wound with that substance was enough to fell any magic beast. Ranija’s gecko fingers let her hang from any surface, even ceilings, which had helped her assassinate countless foes.

The Empire was certainly vast. However, few female demon mercenaries were comparable to Hilda when it came to raw skill. These two were among that number.

***

A demon’s strength was determined by the blessing they received from the demon lord, a being that flaunted its infinite life force and chaotic nature.

The type of blessing a demon was born with was more important than its gender or its age.

Long ago, when the world reviled demons as enemies, the demon lord’s blessings had brought them incredible power.

Some demons were blessed with large horns capable of generating magic that far surpassed humans’ and elves’ abilities or multiple goat heads that cast magic simultaneously. Others were blessed with hard insect armor that deflected thousands of arrows at once and insect wings that allowed long-range flight. Still others were blessed with basilisk breath that absorbed objects and then fired them back to strike down enemies. These same demons had the ability to turn things they looked at into stone.

The demon lord’s blessings were fickle. There were demon children born with weak blessings but also those born with blessings so powerful that they became monarchs and ruled over their own people. But the demons who battled the humans were all absurdly powerful.

With such power, they’d destroyed humanity’s oldest civilization, the Ancient Kingdom. The battle between humanity and the demon kings had raged for five long centuries.

Seventy years ago, four human assassins had appeared and killed many of the demon kings, then felled the demon lord itself.

Humanity later called this conflict the great demon war. With the demon lord gone, the demons’ blessings weakened significantly. It became increasingly rare to be born with the kinds of blessings the King of Lions possessed.

***

This was precisely why Hilda and the other two demon mercenaries were well aware of one another and occasionally even cooperated. Warriors with their talents were rare these days.

“Look, to be perfectly honest, you been mighty suspicious of late. For instance, you’ve been takin’ on jobs in this middle-of-nowhere forest.”

“Precisely. That first goblin extermination job you took on made sense for you, but everything after it has seemed more fitting for a rookie mercenary, not someone of your talents. I was rather worried about you.”

Thanks to their connection with Hilda, the pair could tell that she was acting strange.

Hilda was a fairly well-known mercenary, all things considered. She typically took tough jobs that paid well.

So why would such a talented fighter take numerous cheap jobs in the same area, despite not suffering from any injuries? Realizing that there had to be a reason behind Hilda’s actions, the two demons had followed her into the woods.

“So? What’s the deal with that there door? Does it lead to some ruin or somethin’?” Alicia asked.

“No, not at all.”

Hilda shook her head, resigned to the fact that she’d somehow overlooked the other mercenaries’ presence and let them see the door. It would be difficult for her to monopolize this place any further.

After thinking for a moment, Hilda decided to offer the pair a brief explanation.

“Behind this door, an otherworldly restaurant sells cheap, delicious treats.”

“Say wha…? You’ve been keepin’ all them secrets over sweets?!”

“Now, now. Calm yourself,” Ranija urged Alicia. She turned to Hilda. “’I admit, I’m rather curious. It’s unlike you to go so far over desserts.”

Unfortunately, the two women didn’t seem to believe Hilda.

***

The sound of bells ringing marked the arrival of the three demon mercenaries.

“Ah! Welcome, Hilda!” Aletta greeted the demon she was familiar with first but was surprised to see Hilda accompanied by two others. “Oh, you have friends with you?” The waitress’s expression morphed quickly into a smile. “It’s nice to meet you both!”

Waitressing at a restaurant meant always being cordial.

“Hiya. I’m back. Could you get us some menus?”

“Absolutely! One moment.”

Hilda had little need for a menu, since she almost always ordered soufflé cheesecake. However, she had guests with her today. She guided them to an empty table.

Alicia’s eyes darted around the restaurant. Her fierce smile deepened as she noticed that the customers included humans and monsters alike.

I get it now. This really is another world. Normally, it’d be a damn bloodbath if all these people got together in one place.

Like the demons of the past, Alicia possessed a strong bloodlust. She licked her lips as she imagined the carnage that would have ensued if they weren’t at the restaurant.

“So, this restaurant serves otherworldly sweets, eh? There sure is an interesting bunch here.”

“Indeed.”

Ranija caught sight of a surprising trio. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

The Sand Nation’s first prince and his little sister sat in the restaurant. The princess of the Empire accompanied them.

My, my. Now I understand. I heard claims that the Sand Nation and the Empire have been trying to come together lately. This must be why.

Ranija had stumbled upon the truth behind a rumor making the rounds of the underworld.

***

Nekoya’s two new guests had already concluded that the restaurant was bizarre by the time Aletta returned, holding a book she called a “menu.”

“Sorry for the wait! Here you go.”

The demon girl handed them the books. She had a weak blessing but wore rather cute attire.

“Thanks, Aletta.”

Hilda took the book in her hands and opened it for the two mercenaries.

“Ladies, this is the menu. Everything the restaurant serves is written down in here. Personally, I recommend the cheesecake.”

The pair collected themselves, looking at the menu’s “desserts” section.

“Hrm. So, these are those dang confections you’re so crazy about, then?”

“My! There are so many options—including three kinds of that so-called cheesecake you recommended.”

“Yeah, well, everything here is great. Recently, I bought the supposed ‘best dessert’ in the Empire, but it was super disappointing. This place’s sweets are ten times better.”

Even though the Empire’s sweets cost ten times more than the stuff here. What a laugh.

Alicia was slightly annoyed by how enthusiastically Hilda praised the desserts.

“Whatever.” She raised her voice. “It’s not like I can tell what’s good or bad. I can’t even remember the last time I had one of them sweets.”

“Indeed. After all, sugar is quite expensive in the Empire.”

Alicia had no way of knowing which cheesecake was good. Therefore, she figured they could all order one slice of each type.

“Hey, you over there! I wanna order! Get us all three slices each of them cheesecakes ya got!”

“Of course! Thank you!”

Alicia wasn’t particularly well-educated, so she didn’t know much about fair prices. However, she could at least tell that one piece of cheesecake only cost a few copper coins. The order wouldn’t dent her wallet.

“Now then! I’m pretty intrigued by these supposedly amazing sweets of yers. How’s about we compare ’em all?”

The other two women agreed to Alicia’s proposal.

***

Aletta lined up the cakes in front of the trio.

“Sorry for the wait! Here are your cheesecake slices.”

On each large plate were three pieces of cheesecake—a smooth, white “icebox” cheesecake, a baked cheesecake with a brown surface, and slightly softer soufflé cheesecake. All three looked completely different.

“Shall we?” asked Alicia.

Hilda and Ranija nodded. They picked up their forks and began to eat.

Alicia went for the delicious-looking brown baked cheesecake first.

Ooh, this is yummy!

She plunged her fork excitedly into the cake, taking a massive chunk out of it—about half the slice. Immediately, she understood why Hilda had become such a fan of the restaurant.

The cheesecake’s heavy mouthfeel filled her mouth. Its flavor mixed the slight tanginess of cheese with the sweetness of refined sugar. The orange slices decorating the surface were thinly cut and boiled in syrup, skin and all. Their slightly bitter, sour taste mixed well with the cheesecake’s inherent sweetness, adding to its flavor.

Even the cheese itself—an ingredient Alicia was used to eating—proved to be its own feast, mixed with sugar and cooked over flames. The demon mercenary wiped out the baked cheesecake in three big bites.

This ain’t nearly enough. I should order more.

Ranija, on the other hand, reached for the icebox cheesecake.

Oh… Is this uncooked?

Her unique observational abilities informed her that that was the case. Puzzled, Ranija removed a piece from the corner of the slice and examined it thoroughly. It was white, smooth, and extremely odd. Unlike the other two slices, the icebox cheesecake showed no signs of baking, which begged the question… How did it maintain its form so neatly?

No matter. I suppose I’ll understand once I take a bite.

The cheesecake’s texture reminded Ranija of a slime, which made her hesitate. Then she remembered that royalty frequented the restaurant—the master couldn’t possibly serve anything that odd.

Making up her mind, Ranija brought the slippery substance to her mouth and took a bite.

Dear me… Is this cheese?

The mouthfeel was a surprise.

It was smooth, like silk, but melted in her mouth. It wasn’t sweetened as heavily as her hometown’s desserts, but that was part of the appeal.

Ranija and the others were used to eating aged cheese. However, the cheese in the cake was refreshing and tasted heavily of milk. It was much tangier than regular cheese, but again, that was what Ranija enjoyed about it.

It resembled yogurt, but the actual flavor was something else entirely. Ranija had never imagined that cheese like this existed.

Furthermore, the red berries that accompanied the cheesecake complemented it extremely well.

I get it now. This cheese specifically pairs with the fruit.

The sugary, but slightly acidic, berries harmonized with the cake’s intense sourness, and the crushed berries atop the cheesecake helped bring out its flavor.

***

Hee hee… Looks like they’re enjoying it!

Hilda watched with a satisfied grin as the other two demon mercenaries first expressed surprise at the cheesecakes, then proceeded to enjoy them in complete silence.

At the same time, she was thoroughly enjoying her soufflé—the light mouthfeel, the gentle flavor of the cheese melting in her mouth, the sweet and sour blueberries.

However many times Hilda ate this cake, she never grew tired of it. The other two varieties were delicious in their own right, but as far as cheesecake went, the soufflé was on another level.

Hilda had no way of knowing that the other two demons preferred a different slice, nor that the three would eventually fight over which was most delicious.

It would be a while yet before the Empire’s three famous demon mercenaries would officially work together.