Chapter 10: The Stubborn Slayer and the Dragon’s Cuisine

Eileen had never encountered a dragon slayer quite so obstinate.

In her experience, previous dragon slayers would already be on their knees, pleading for mercy, before she even uttered a single word.

To outright refuse her demands was truly unexpected, leaving Eileen somewhat taken aback. Clearly, this one held some crucial knowledge.

She absolutely had to extract that information!

Eileen sampled a morsel from each dish, placing it delicately into her mouth. “There shouldn’t be any issue now, should there?”

Was that truly the issue?

Setting aside the fact that a dragon’s body was dozens of times more robust than a human’s, and what constituted deadly poison for humans might merely be a piquant seasoning for dragons, there was a more pressing matter.

More critically, why did she, a dragon, possess such dexterity with chopsticks?

And…

“Did you make all of this?”

“It’s just you and me in this room. If I didn’t make it, did you?” Eileen stared at Yarlola as if she were an imbecile.

‘This person’s mind seems to be a little off.’

“If you truly can’t trust me, we can go to the kitchen together. I’ll prepare it step by step right before your eyes, and you can see for yourself if I’ve added anything peculiar,” Eileen offered.

“No need. I’ll manage it myself.” Her body had recovered slightly, enough to perform a simple purification spell.

To Yarlola’s surprise, however, Eileen truly hadn’t added any strange ingredients.

“Can I eat now?” Eileen inquired.

“I told you, didn’t I? I will absolutely not consume dragonfolk food!”

“Do you dislike these dishes too?” Eileen couldn’t fathom why Yarlola was so resistant to the food.

Even the other dragonfolk weren’t particularly fond of it. Could it truly be her cooking?

Yet, when she ate it herself, it tasted perfectly fine.

Setia, who had taste-tested it earlier, had also found it quite good.

But Setia was the only one who gave it high praise. The other dragons, due to Eileen’s status, would force a smile and declare it delicious, despite their grimaces.

Eileen remained perplexed about where the problem lay.

It wasn’t that Eileen’s cooking was flawed; on the contrary, her food was exquisitely delicious. The dragons’ dislike stemmed purely from their carnivorous nature. While they might nibble on a few greens, it was truly just a tiny amount.

Ten percent plant matter was already their absolute limit. Eileen’s dishes, however, often comprised fifty percent or even more.

This was also why Eileen had never prepared these dishes for Faltis Calibot. She first needed to gain the approval of other dragons, ensuring there were no issues, before Faltis could enjoy them.

As Eileen savored the fragrant dishes, her gaze subtly flickered towards Yarlola.

“I thought you would have eaten by now,” Eileen remarked.

Yarlola’s mouth watered profusely, yet her resolve remained unyielding. If she said she wouldn’t eat, then she wouldn’t!

Though her stomach rumbled in painful protest, Yarlola refused to yield.

Eileen rose from her seat. “It seems preparing all this food was a bit of a waste, then.”

Eileen began clearing the table. “If you won’t eat it, I’ll simply have to throw it away. And if you don’t eat now, I won’t prepare dinner for you tonight either.”

“?!”

Yarlola fell silent. She was acutely aware of her physical condition. Normally, she could go days without food, but having just awakened, every part of her body craved nourishment.

If she didn’t consume something soon, her body would quickly collapse, plunging her back into unconsciousness.

Moreover… Eileen was about to discard the food. ‘I merely wish to prevent waste, that’s all! Yes, exactly!’

‘Besides, eating dragonfolk food now will only better prepare me for future dragon slaying! No, wait! How is this dragonfolk food? These are clearly human dishes! Therefore, what I’m eating now is human food! Yes, that’s right!’

Yarlola relentlessly reasoned with herself.

“Since you put it that way, I suppose I’ll reluctantly…”

“If you truly don’t wish to eat, then I won’t force you.” Eileen had already finished clearing the table.

“Cough, cough!” Yarlola lightly cleared her throat. “Didn’t you want me to critique the food? These are human dishes, after all, and no one understands human cuisine better than I do.”

“Really? You’d try it for me?”

“Since you’ve asked, I suppose I’ll reluctantly give it a try.” ‘She’s the one begging me, it’s definitely not because I want to eat it.’

Eileen placed the dishes back on the table. “Give it a try, won’t you? And perhaps offer some suggestions.”

“Alright.” The moment Yarlola tasted Eileen’s cooking, she froze.

The chopsticks slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor.

‘What kind of joke is this?!’

Such fragrance, such flavor! This was the work of at least a decade of culinary experience, absolutely impossible to replicate without it!

With just a single taste, she had fallen completely in love with the flavor. It was so authentic, so incredibly delicious!

‘How could a dragon produce such exquisite human cuisine?’

“What’s wrong? How does it taste?” Eileen asked.

“Is there… another human in this room?!” Yarlola absolutely refused to believe such skill could come from a dragon-human.

“…”

‘There’s really no one else? She truly made it herself?’

‘It’s delicious… but as a dragon slayer, she couldn’t possibly praise a dragon.’

“J-just average!” Yarlola struggled for a long moment before finally managing to blurt out the words.

“Is that so…?” Eileen’s ears drooped, and her tail sagged to the floor.

Eileen’s disappointment was palpable. It truly seemed to be her own fault.

“There’s nothing to be done, then. Thank you for your feedback, I understand.” Eileen lowered her head. Since this direction was incorrect, she would have to try something else. “Please wait a moment, I’ll prepare some new food for you.”

‘How naive!’

Yarlola felt as though she wasn’t herself. Eileen had prepared food for her, and even saved her…

‘No, no! Yarlola! Snap out of it! Don’t forget! It was this harmless-looking dragon maid who annihilated your dragon-slaying team!’

‘How could she be bought over by a single meal?’

“…”

“Actually, the taste is quite good… It’s just that I felt a bit resentful that you dragons could produce our human cuisine,” Yarlola eventually admitted.

‘It’s just praising her cooking; it’s not like it’s something I can’t say!’

“Is that so?” Eileen’s ears twitched, and her tail wagged happily.

*Thump!

Yarlola felt her heart leap. She admitted it; she had been moved just now. ‘Could there be such a cute dragonfolk?’

She had seen dragon maids before, but never one like Eileen. This was truly her first encounter.