The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 40

Episode 40: The Excited Witch and the Flustered Heroes

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“Hearty Eater.”

I’d heard the rumors—just a little.

Apparently, they’re Walkers who eat magical beast meat.

People who stray from common sense, ignoring morals altogether.

So, naturally, I always thought of them as pretty savage.

“Ehehe… This is kinda overwhelming…”

I couldn’t hide my goofy grin as I kept packing my things.

This was the appraisal office—a place where mages gathered to perform “magic appraisals” for visitors.

Basically, a spot where those with appraisal skills could earn some quick cash.

But me? Since my race had shifted to “Witch,” I was often met with cold stares.

A being similar to a “Demon,” something fundamentally different from humans.

That’s how people saw me—something to be looked down on.

So, I isolated myself.

That’s why I decided to put on an air of authority, to never let myself seem weak.

I crafted my words carefully, walking the fine line between sounding dignified and not provoking anyone.

It was a delicate balance—too soft, and I’d be underestimated, too strong, and I’d make enemies.

So, I aimed for the middle.

Someone who carried weight, but didn’t offend.

And that’s how the character of me was born—

A witch who acted like a big shot, but never belittle anyone.

I’d managed to pull that off for years.

People accepted my appraisals, paid up, and left without issue.

I thought this time would be the same.

But then, out of nowhere… three guys proposed to me.

Like, huh?

I’m a witch, you know?

No one’s ever even looked at me that way before—I’m practically totally innocent in this stuff.

While I panicked and tried to focus on the appraisal, one of them said—

“Don’t stress about it. You’re fine.”

The white-haired customer offered me those comforting words.

Oh no.

She totally saw through me.

She knows I’m a total softie inside.

“And don’t overthink the proposal either. He’s… well, kind of an idiot. If you think about it too hard, you’ll just get tired.”

I mean… rude, but fair?

She smiled kindly and stood up.

What… was that?

While I mulled it over, I moved on to the next appraisal.

“I might be overstepping, but… I think they were serious about what they said. But being with them won’t be easy. Spend some time with them, see it for yourself. There’s no rush to decide.”

The next client—a man—left me with that cryptic advice before leaving.

Wait a sec—wasn’t I the one doing the appraisals here?

And finally, the last client—a girl with beautiful black hair and piercing eyes, clearly a beastkin.

She simply said—

“I won’t lose.”

That’s it.

Just that one line before she stood up and left.

What… what is happening?

I had lived my whole life far removed from romance.

And now, I am suddenly smack in the middle of it?

With hints of a love triangle—or more?

The beastkin girl’s reaction, the way those guys acted so impulsively…

There are definitely others involved in this mess.

That girl’s probably feeling all sorts of complicated emotions about it.

And now, here I am—a new rival tossed into the mix.

It’s like I have been shoved into the pages of the romance novels I usually read.

And on top of that, three guys—potentially the main characters—just proposed to me.

This is wild.

Like, seriously, what is this?

Was this the twist waiting in my life all along?

Is that why I never had a boyfriend until now?

Honestly…

I am so here for it.

“Ufufu… Fufufufufu… Things just got a whole lot more interesting~”

Practically skipping, I packed my stuff and informed the office that I was quitting.

One small bag—that’s all I owned.

As a “witch,” there were not many places where I could shop freely anyway.

With just that bag in hand, I made my way to Hearty Eater’s “home,” as directed.

A new life, a new beginning was waiting for me.

My head was full of all kinds of wild imaginings…

But what I found there was so not what I expected.

“Hey! She’s here, everyone! Our new buddy, Annabelle!”

One of the guys who proposed—Kitayama, I think?

He was manning a barbecue set, wearing an apron over his armor, flipping food with a pair of tongs.

“Finally! We’ve been waiting for you, Witch-sama! The party’s just getting started!”

Another one, Nishida, called out while stirring a giant pot of soup, beaming like it was the best day ever.

Around them were the women I’d seen before, some dwarves, and more.

It was…

A full-on welcome party.

“Welcome! Oh wait, maybe now it’s more like, ‘Welcome home’? Anyway, dinner’s almost ready, so have a seat!”

Azuma, the man in question, was drenched in sweat as he shoved something into a massive oven, then pulled out a pizza unlike anything I’d ever seen.

It was incredibly colorful and looked absolutely delicious.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

And what happened?

The mouthwatering scent of various meats and fish, the rich aroma of hearty soup, and the toasty, stomach-rumbling smell of the pizza all hit me at once.

This is bad.

This environment is dangerous.

Forget romance novels or love stories—this was not about that.

This was about survival in the face of overwhelming hunger.

Imagine coming home to a husband who’s cooking for you like this.

Would not that be perfect?

I am not exactly young anymore. It’s time to think more about marriage than romance.

That is how I felt.

And if I am going to tie the knot, I want it to be with the best partner possible.

“Annabelle Cromwell. A mage! I specialize in enchantments and magical appraisal, but I can use pretty much all types of magic! As of today, I am joining ‘Hearty Eater’ as a ‘witch.’ Now, feed me some of that magical beast meat!” (she changes her tone from here on after)

They say if you eat magical beast meat, you turn into a “Demon.”

Pfft, like I care.

I’m already a “Witch.”

So, it doesn’t really matter anymore.

And the best part? No one here cares either.

No one’s bothered that I’m a Witch, nor that Annabelle the Witch is standing right here.

No one gives it a second thought—I can just be “Annabel.”

Feeling that acceptance, I decided to fully commit to my over-the-top “Witch” persona.

“Annabel! The meat’s done grilling! Eat as much as you want!”

“The soup’s ready too! Go drop off your stuff and dig in!”

“Pizzas are flying out of the oven! Get back before the Dwarves eat it all!”

They didn’t even flinch.

Even after I introduced myself as a Witch, they responded like, And? So what?

It felt like I’d suddenly become part of a huge, chaotic family.

…Weird. I could’ve sworn I was being proposed to a minute ago.

Now it feels like I was the one chasing after them.

Well, whatever.

“Alright! I’ll be in your care from now on!”

And just like that, I became a member of “Hearty Eater.”

I might not be of much use, and maybe I’m not exactly battle crews.

But still, everyone accepted me—just me, the Witch—without a second thought.

………….

……

…

“Hero-sama, there’s a battle in a few days. Please get some rest soon.”

“Yeah, got it.”

With that, the dedicated maid bowed and left.

She was about my age and ridiculously cute.

Compared to “the other world,” girls here had different builds and features.

Honestly, it was paradise.

Would it really be a big deal if I got a little handsy?

I mean, come on—I’m Shibata Yuu, a Hero.

Grinning at the thought, I quickly hid my smirk when—

“Yuu-kun, you should listen to the maid. There’ll be more magical beasts than ever this time, right? You need to rest properly.”

The gentle voice belonged to Kanzaki Nozomi, my childhood friend who was summoned to this world with me.

Her long, straight black hair reached her waist, and she wore a pure white outfit, almost like a nun’s. She was stunning.

The proof? She’d been granted the title of Saint.

Summoned to another world with my longtime crush—me, the Hero, and her, the Saint.

It was destiny.

My life’s glow-up arc was officially underway.

The excitement was off the charts.

“Hmph. Climbing the social ladder by chasing after girls… hope a magical beast chews you up.”

And there it was—she never failed to kill my mood.

Kagemori Hatsumi.

Nozomi’s friend, summoned here with us.

Back in the “real world,” she was way out of my league.

Beautiful, athletic, top of the class.

She turned down more guys than I could count.

She was the ultimate “untouchable flower.”

Was.

“You sure talk big for someone with a worthless title. Who do you think you have to thank for still being allowed to stay in the castle?”

“…! Then why don’t you just kick me out right now, like you did with the other two!”

Besides the three of us, two more people were summoned together.
They were honestly pathetic.

No title. No notable skills.

I mean, what’s the point of being summoned to another world just to be a regular person?
I almost burst out laughing.

And then there’s her—Hatsumi.

She’s got this weird title, “Shadow” or something. I don’t even know what it means.
The only reason she’s still here is because I vouched for her—she’s Nozomi’s friend, after all.

“If they were complete strangers like those two, I wouldn’t have lifted a finger. This world’s pretty brutal, right? I’m sure you can figure out what happens when you get thrown out with nothing but the clothes on your back. You were a top student once, weren’t you? Right, Hatsumi?”

“Don’t call me by my name so casually!”

Unlike Nozomi, who wears pure white like a saint, Hatsumi is dressed in all black.
Her outfit looks like a tight, form-fitting rider suit, paired with a crimson scarf.
Her shoulder-length black hair only adds to the look.

In this world, all-black gear is seen as the bottom tier.

Apparently, slaves forced into battle get their armor painted black.

Talk about a fall from grace compared to “the other side.”

Watching her now, I can’t help but grin—but I’ve gotta hide it. Nozomi’s right here.

“Stop it, Yu-kun! Hatsumi, calm down too, okay? If we get kicked out now, we won’t survive! They might even make us give back all our equipment!”

Nozomi really gets it.

Even after being thrown into another world, she still puts her friends first.

The title of Saint really does suit her.

“And besides! We’ve got an important battle coming up. I heard the king himself will be watching! And the princess too—though I guess I should say princess royal. I haven’t met her yet, but I’m kinda excited!”

She forced the conversation in another direction, but it was clear the mention of the princess actually had her a little hyped.

I guess even Nozomi dreams of that sort of life—being royalty.

Though, as the Saint, I think she’s already pretty close.

“Didn’t they call it a Stampede? A horde of magic beasts coming this way… and the king wants to come watch? What’s he thinking? And that princess? Probably just some stuck-up brat. Figures.”

“You’re no fun, Hatsumi. It’s a princess! She’s gotta be cute.”

The two of them—black and white—bantered back and forth.

Though, the one in black only ever spouted negativity.

Seriously, with that kind of attitude, how does she even enjoy life?

“A horde of magic beasts? No problem with me around. Thanks to my title, even the soldiers fight better. Plus, I’ve got magic. You saw it, didn’t you? I’ll wipe them out in no time.”

My magic affinity is Light.

I’ve been out beyond the city a few times to level up, and no matter the monster, my magic turns them into charcoal in one shot.

That’s when it really hit me—

I’m the hero of this world.

There’s nothing I can’t beat.

Everything’s lined up for me—like a cheat code come to life.

“And that cocky attitude is exactly why you’re dangerous. You can only use one type of magic, yet here you are, acting like you’re invincible.”

“When that one type is all I need? Yeah, I’ll act however I want. Honestly, I wish something tougher would show up already.”

“You’re the poster boy for someone who’s gonna get blindsided and wiped out.”

“Then bring it on. Let’s see you try.”

Every time I talk to her, it turns into this.

Such a waste. She’s got the looks and the figure, but that personality? Ruins everything.

If she wasn’t like this, I might’ve treated her better—maybe even second only to Nozomi.

“Ugh, you two! Enough already! We’re a party, so can’t we at least try to get along?”

“Nozomi, you really don’t see it, do you? This guy’s been riding his luck, thinking he’s some kind of king around here.”

“Aw, someone’s salty. What’s wrong? Mad that someone like me ended up on top while you’re stuck at the bottom?”

“Pathetic. Borrowed strength never lasts. You’ll crash and burn soon enough.”

“Is that so? Then how about you try and take me down?”

“STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!”

This is how it always goes.

Ever since we got here, she’s been in my way.

But whatever. The Stampede is coming.

That’ll be my real chance.

I’ll show them what I’m really worth.

Even Hatsumi will have to shut up after that.

And the king? He’ll probably reward me even more.

I seriously can’t wait.

This world—

This world actually needs me.

It respects me.

Not like the other side, where cocky idiots acted like they were better than me.

Here, I’m the strongest.

“Man, I can’t wait for the next event.”

“There you go again. Acting like this is some kind of game… I hope you die.”

“Geez… you two seriously never stop fighting, huh?”

And so, another night passed for the Hero’s party, waiting eagerly for the coming Stampede.