How did I turn my victim into a phoenix-like hero?

Page 19

"?....puff..."

Brid froze, then suddenly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, finally bursting out, "Hahahahahahahaha—"

Sirocco patiently waited for her to smile.

I laughed for a full minute.

"What are you... thinking? So narcissistic?"

Sirocco just looked at her seriously.

Hmm? Is he serious?

Brid wiped away the tears that had welled up from laughing, then responded with a serious expression:

"Don't worry. I could never have those kinds of thoughts about you, not even a little bit, and I never will."

She sighed, as if looking at her troublesome younger brother: "I just don't want you to get surrounded by goblins and become their dinner while you're walking around in the dungeon."

"I hope you really can do it."

The form was different from what Sirocco had expected, but he still gained the opportunity and guidance for spiritual practice.

It would be perfect if the object of affection wasn't the protagonist's wife...

Sirocco composed himself and said, "Let's not delay, let's begin today, please! Teacher Brid!"

"No problem... I'd like to say that, but were you injured yesterday? I saw you went to the infirmary."

As expected of Bridgman, she actually saw through my disguise...

"Because of the power of love, I'm all better today. It's Brid who's willing to take time out of her busy schedule to help me, as she's going to face Cliff next month."

"Love?...Never mind, come with me. The dojo was cleaned yesterday, let's start today."

Suddenly, Brid's stomach made a weak "gurgling" sound.

Sirocco's eyes widened.

Brid blushed.

"You're still just as prone to hunger as ever, you gluttonous demon."

"Tsk, let's not talk about your old nicknames."

Brid began searching her person, but found no spare food, which made her feel disappointed.

"Does no one in your family cook?"

"Yes, I ate two bowls this morning, probably because I burned a lot of calories after exercising... Mom went to play with her friends and won't be back until the afternoon..."

I couldn't bear to see Brid clutching her stomach in such a pitiful state; I felt like she would starve to death before her mother even got back.

Sirocco intervened, saying, "If you don't mind, I'll cook for you."

"...I don't want to eat instant noodles or compressed rations."

"It's not that kind of thing, it's just a regular breakfast. Consider it tuition for the lessons you taught me. If you have any ingredients at home, I can make it at your place."

"Huh? You can cook? Impossible, impossible."

Brid denied it three times.

"You really don't want to eat?"

Brid's stomach rumbled again, forcing her to give in: "There's still some food in the fridge... I'll trust you this once, but let me make it clear, I'm very picky about food."

15. Final preparations before entering the dungeon

Brid's house.

Just across the street from the Shilock house, it looks unremarkable from the outside, but the interior is elegantly decorated and tasteful, reflecting the owner's sophisticated taste.

In the equally tasteful kitchen, Sirocco was efficiently washing vegetables, cooking rice, and sterilizing dishes. Whether it was adding oil to the pan while putting rice in or the crisp, quick chopping of vegetables, the kitchen was like his domain, completely under his control.

Brid sat obediently at the dining table, somewhat at a loss, and could only admire Sirocco's cooking skills.

It wasn't that she didn't want to help; she had told Sirocco from the beginning that he could ask for whatever he wanted, but Sirocco only said, "Just sit there and don't touch anything."

So she sat down.

Just as her stomach was growling and she was wondering whether she should go out for a run to relieve the hunger,

"it is done."

Apple risotto, with its glistening, thin bacon, and the combination of rice and apples, creates an irresistible aroma.

He can actually cook!

Brid even had a strange feeling that after eating this meal, there might be no going back, and that her tastes might become very picky in the future...

"Don't you like apples?"

"How could that be? I love apples the most."

Sirocco had already started eating when Brid came to her senses, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in her mouth.

Really fragrant!

The deliciousness speaks for itself; all Brid wants to do now is eat and get the good food into her stomach.

"Sirocco, I admit you can cook, and it's a hundred times better than what you get in restaurants."

Seeing that Brid was enjoying her meal, Sirocco smiled with satisfaction.

Brid looks cutest when she's happily eating...

I prefer the way Sirocco watches her eat to unlocking Brid's suggestive CG.

Beren must not know this...

"What do you see me doing?"

"No, seeing you enjoy your meal so much makes me feel very accomplished."

What I learned at the culinary school in my previous life wasn't wasted.

If it weren't for the need to kill the minotaurs, he would have preferred to just find a restaurant and work as a cook to make a living.

"Speaking of which, you didn't run into Cliff later, did you?"

Sirocco didn't eat much; he finished quickly and then started cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

"Why bring up that kind of scum?"

Brid ate heartily, finishing her bowl before saying, "I can protect myself, you're the one who needs to be careful. Have another bowl."

Sirocco, unfazed, took the bowl and served Brid another one.

If I'm not mistaken, she's planning to eat the whole pot of rice...

"It's good that we didn't run into each other. If you did, run away quickly. I admit you're very strong in one-on-one combat, but Cliff definitely won't let himself fight you one-on-one. You absolutely can't win."

Brid wanted to argue, but Sirocco looked at her with a resolute gaze, exuding an aura that left no room for argument.

Brid replied weakly, "...I understand."

--------

Training can be deadly.

"Whoosh...whoosh..."

"I taught you to breathe through your nose using the pattern of three long breaths followed by one short breath. Breathing through your mouth can easily burn your throat."

At 9:20 a.m., after breakfast, Sirocco's training began.

Sirocco ran alongside Brid.

Having already run 10 kilometers, Brid wasn't even out of breath, while Sirocco next to her was seeing stars.

Sirocco was covered in sweat, his black hair was sticking to his skin, and his sweat-soaked, semi-transparent clothes attracted the attention of some passersby.

Brid glared at them with murderous intent, and the others turned away, pretending not to see her.

"If you can't keep going... rest for a while before running again."

20 kilometers to go.

There's other training after the run.

"It's...okay...continue...we agreed...don't hold back..."

So painful, Kurushi...

My head feels heavy, my limbs are emitting signs of fatigue, my hands and feet feel so heavy they almost don't belong to me, and a soreness spreads throughout my body.

Sirocco gritted his teeth and endured it.

The more an explorer's body is tempered, the more resilient it becomes. What will happen if you give up halfway now?

The tragic end that would result from insufficient ability flashed through my mind.

Sheer yellow wool, sheer yellow wool, sheer yellow wool...

Driven by emotion, Sirocco ran again.