The Military Chef of a Ruined World-Chapter 126.1

After concluding my visit with her, I began sorting through the last rewards that I had received from the underground expedition.

However, “sorting” might not be the right word to describe what I was doing.

A more accurate term would be “cooking.”

[Magica Black Pudding]

[Magica Blood Pudding]

“…gulp. Master? When will it be ready to eat?”

“It’s not finished yet. Just hang in there a little longer.”

“Ugh…”

Standing eagerly before me, practically panting with anticipation, was my loyal vassal, Ariella. Though she belonged to the race known as the [Nobles of the Night], she had once possessed a power strong enough to wipe out our entire unit.

However, after our unit was dispatched to quell her forces, she lost all the strength and followers she had amassed.

Until now, she had managed to perform adequately despite her diminished state, but wasn’t it time for her to become even more useful?

[Magical Blood of the Gourmet Glutton]

This being thrived on blood, acquiring strength through it. The substance I was currently cooking came from the [Gourmet Glutton]’s blood.

Given its massive size, the amount of blood tucked away in the shadows was considerable. Although the quality wasn’t particularly high due to a blend of various monsters’ magic.

“…it looks delicious.”

The sheer volume of magical power it contained was indeed rich. I had been contemplating Ariella’s growth for quite some time, especially after we defeated the [Pope].

I even thought about cooking his blood for her.

‘The Pope’s blood was far too high-quality of a material, and there was a risk of me failing, so I refrained from touching it.’

However, this blood was at a level suitable for cooking. Despite Ariella being significantly weakened due to my “blood-sucking,” it had been a fair amount of time since then.

Under my command, she had participated in numerous battles and surely consumed a fair amount of enemy blood. Plus, I had also been feeding her meals made from the blood of monsters three times a day.

Although the number and quality of the [Vampire Knights] might not match the past, Ariella’s innate abilities had recovered to a certain extent.

Moreover, she had mentioned that she was close to being promoted to a [Baroness].

In that case…

[The course meal has been completed]

[Theme – Aromatic Rich Blood]

“It’s done. Eat it all without leaving a single drop.”

“I’ll enjoy it~!”

The blood of the Gourmet Glutton, infused with a dense magical essence, had been transformed through my careful cooking. The dishes piled high to the point of breaking the serving plates.

After devouring every drop without any broth left behind, the following message appeared before me:

[Your vassal has fulfilled the conditions necessary for evolution]

[Would you like to proceed with the evolution?]

“Heh heh, as expected.”

The words appeared in front of my eyes.

It was just as I had intended.

“Since the experience bar is almost full, I figured I just needed to land the final blow.”

By the way…

“It’s kind of reminiscent of that creature-catching game (Pokemon).”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

In that game, creatures that didn’t evolve often did so because they wanted to maintain their cute appearance, right?

I glanced over at my Ariella.

There she was, a vampire, sprawled out as if she had just feasted and was now happily lethargic.

“…Not particularly cute right now.”

But it didn’t seem there was any reason to prevent her evolution.

I clicked on the system window and immediately approved the evolution.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

Then the message appeared:

[Your vassal is advancing to the next stage]

At that moment…

Boom!

The vampire, who had been lazily sprawled out after a hearty meal, was now enveloped in an explosive surge of dark energy.

Gooooo…

Just moments ago, Ariella had been languidly lounging around.

Now, shadows spread out from her body, expanding continuously in all directions.

It didn’t take long for those shadows to engulf the entire room.

“What is happening?”

Just a few seconds ago, it had been an ordinary commercial building.

But now…

The place where I stood was shrouded in an unknown, dark expanse.

“Is this similar to the [Shadow Veil]…?”

I felt as if I had been thrown into the void of space.

In that pitch-blackness, nothing was visible.

Swoosh…

At the center of that space, something appeared—glowing ominously like a red jewel.

No, it wasn’t a jewel.

It was my vassal.

Ariella’s blood-red eyes burned brightly in the depths of that darkness.

Ever since I took her as my vassal, a system message informed me that she could not resist, making her quite easy to manage.

She proved to be fairly useful, too.

Perhaps it was just her nature, but these days, she seemed quite comfortable in her role.

Seeing that side of her made me forget one crucial fact.

Only after witnessing her transformation did I remember…

“She’s a creature from another realm…”

According to the [Combat Power Evaluation] trait, this creature’s potential is rated as ‘blue.’

It ranks among the highest of all the monsters I have encountered so far.

The slovenly, bloated appearance that had once characterized it was nowhere to be found.

Standing at the center of the dark space, it simply stared at me with fiery eyes, vacant yet piercing.

“This appearance is merely a fragment of the potential that she possessed.”

Soon enough, the black shadows that had spread throughout the area began to ripple with blood-red hues.