The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 41

Episode 41: The Frontlines and Omurice

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The Stampede.

Apparently, it was quite the emergency, and a huge crowd had gathered in front of the city gates we usually passed through.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is it really safe to have everyone stationed this close to the gate?” But seeing the familiar gatekeeper smiling reassured me—probably fine.

Well, it’s likely thanks to the unwavering trust in the so-called “Hero.”

The layout was a textbook example of a hierarchical society.

At the top, the watchtower above the gate had been turned into a viewing stand for the royal family.

“They’re actually coming all the way out here? Is the King an idiot?” I thought, but I held my tongue.

Next, near the gates were the nation’s soldiers, all wearing matching armor. They were packed so tightly it was almost comical—full plate armor everywhere.

“Man, bathroom breaks must be hell.”

And lastly, there was us—Walkers.

“Guess where we’re stationed? That’s right, the frontlines!”

Well, I figured as much.

Only about fifty of us showed up. “Seriously, how unpopular is this King?” I wanted to ask.

And where was our gluttonous group, “Hearty Eater,” stationed?

“Why the hell are we right at the front? I swear, I’m gonna deck that branch manager later.”

“Maybe it just means they really trust us… yeah,” Azuma replied, clearly trying to see the bright side.

“Kita, whining won’t help.”

Surrounded by my black-and-white-clad teammates, I was at the very tip of the frontlines… making omurice.

I was using ostrich eggs. The chicken rice inside? Made from Minami’s favorite blue chicken. This was gonna be amazing.

“Hey, Kou-chan, I’m gonna hand out some soup to everyone around us. These stares are killing me. Mind if I use some ingredients?”

“Go for it, Nishida! Use as much as you want!” I replied.

“Kitayama-san, I’ll help too. If anyone asks for monster meat… how should I respond?” Nakajima asked.

“Tell them to ask the branch manager if they’re okay turning into a demon. Up to them.”

“Understood.”

Lately, Nakajima’s been acting like Sebastian or something. But honestly, it suits him. I should make him a tailcoat sometime—he’d totally rock it.

“Kita-kun, should I make some mixed rice too? If I get some dried meat, everyone could eat it.”

“Oh! I’ll help with that. I’ll grab some from the others,” offered Airi.

And with that, Azuma and Airi were on the move.

Man, never thought I’d end up camping so close to a city.

“U-Um… is there anything I can do?” Annabelle asked nervously, fidgeting as she approached.

That witch outfit is still way too sexy.

But anyway, I handed her a freshly made omurice and some ketchup.

“Write something on it—make it fun.”

“Eh?”

Writing with ketchup takes serious skill—not something I can pull off. So, I left it to her.

Flustered but focused, she dipped the brush into the ketchup and started carefully writing on the omurice.

“She’s not gonna draw a magic circle or anything weird, right? …Right?” I silently worried.

But I left it to her sense of style and kept making more omurice.

By the way, the dwarf crew stayed back at “home base.” Instead, they handed me a bunch of prototype weapons before we left.

Why don’t they ever go back to their own shop? Not that I mind.

This time, the “Hearty Eater” lineup included:

Me, Nishida, Azuma, and Minami—the classic North, West, East, and South crew.

Then there was Airi, Shiro, Nakajima, and Annabelle.

I had some doubts about Shiro and Nakajima, but they promised not to overdo it, so they tagged along.

And then there were Airi and Annabelle.

These two… their levels are way higher than ours.

Airi’s level 50, and Annabelle’s level 58.

Plus, they both have titles—“One-Man Army” and “Spell Master.”

I don’t even need to say who’s who.

They’re insanely capable.

Meanwhile, I, the supposed leader, still have the most cryptic title of all.

“Can someone explain this nonsense already?” I was thinking when—

“Yo! Hearty Eater boss!”

“Kitayama! Ah, no, wait—Dead Line, right?!”

I heard some familiar voices.

“Alright! Whoever just called me Dead Line—you’ve crossed your deadline! I’m gonna kill you!” I shouted back.

“Stop it, you idiot! Don’t reduce our forces before the fight even starts!”

The rowdy voices belonged to the “Wind of War” party—Gill and his wife.

Wait… he brought his wife to the battlefield? Is he serious?

“Uh… Sophie-san, why are you here too?”

“Long time no see, Kitayama-sama. I am a mage, you know?” she replied sweetly, twirling an absurdly massive staff.

“Nope. Not questioning it. I lose if I care.”

But seriously, how did Gill end up such a wimp with her around?

“Anyway… it’s been a while, guys.”

“Yup! They stationed us right next to you, boss!”

“Kitayama! Got any food again?”

“Kitayama-san! We brought money and ingredients, so hook us up too!”

“Hohoho, will there be monster meat today?”

The “Wind of War” crew was just as free-spirited as before.

It hadn’t been that long, but it felt surprisingly nostalgic.

Kyle, the greatsword user. Poal, the scout. Riri, the archer. Zaz, the mage.

For some reason, I remembered these guys clearly.

They were a bit chaotic, but easy to get along with—and we’d fought together once before.

“Kitayama, I went out of my way to get us placed nearby, alright? Sophie wouldn’t stop insisting—she wanted to see how you guys cook and how to use my prosthetic hand.”

“Everyone’s been talking about ‘Hearty Eaters’ cooking, but most haven’t had the chance to try it. I thought I’d take the opportunity. Oh, and of course, I’ll help out and brought some ingredients too.”

Gil averted his gaze with a troubled look, while Sophie, looking nothing like her worn-out self from before, was fixated on the prepared magical beast meat.

“Yeah, whatever, but at least get permission from the branch chief first… He’ll seriously flip if this goes any further. I’ve already brought in more test subjects as it is—”

“Kitayama-sama! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Interrupting the conversation was a familiar face—blonde twin-tails.

The one and only Young lady.

“Uh, I wasn’t waiting though…”

“Eleonora Kreis Astarte. I have come to offer my strength to ‘Hearty Eater’!”

She made her grand introduction, and right behind her were the same mages I’d seen before.

Wait, didn’t the War Princess have been disbanded?

“They’re just temporary party members. When they heard I’d be fighting alongside you, Kitayama-sama, these volunteers gathered.”

“Ah, I see. Well, it’s nice to see you’re all still close.”

And so, the frontlines ended up packed with familiar faces.

Hearty Eater, Wind of War, the ex-War Princess, and the lovey-dovey normie couple.

Is this really okay?

I kinda want to ask the branch chief why there aren’t higher-ranked folks here. I think our clan’s like, Rank D or E, right? Can’t really remember.

But seriously, are these really the guys you want at the very front?

“Well, whatever. You guys want food? I’ll make something without magical beast meat too. But you’re paying.”

“‘Wind of War’ will take food for everyone. If I say no, they’ll kill me.”

“Sophie and I will take some too. And Sophie, no magical beast meat this time, alright?”

“We’ll have some as well. A battle on an empty stomach would be most unwise.”

And just like that, we ended up cooking way more food than expected.

I tried to avoid using the magical beast meat, using the ingredients they brought and some wild veggies instead.

Sure, the regular market meat wasn’t as flavorful, but it was good enough to eat.

So, I kept on cooking when—

“Kita, another omurice. This time with magical beast meat.”

“M-Master… I’m sorry, but I’d like another one too…”

“Ah—hold up! I’ll make it right now!”

Man, customizing dishes for each person is a serious hassle.

Especially when you’ve got a bunch of hungry dudes with bottomless pits for stomachs.

So yeah, that’s how I spent the first day of the Stampede operation—killing time by cooking.

…………

………..

………..

“Are they seriously cooking right at the frontlines…? If they’re just support, shouldn’t they be somewhere less conspicuous? No sense of caution at all. They’re basically expendable.”

“But it kinda looks fun though, like a camp-out.”

“Even while cooking, they haven’t let go of their weapons for a second. Plus, they’re keeping an eye on their surroundings. Can’t you even notice that, oh great Hero?”

“Hah?”

“Just stating the facts.”

“You two… seriously…”

A meal was placed in front of Shibata Yuu, the so-called Hero, who was reclining smugly in his seat.

Same for Nozomi.

They sat in what was basically a VIP spectator area, right next to the royal family.

None of them had a shred of tension.

In front of me was some high-grade rations.

But to someone like me—born in Japan, a country obsessed with safety and food quality—it was barely passable.

“Haha! With the Hero here, we’ve got nothing to fear! But for the others, this is life or death. They’re probably stuffing themselves while they can. Or maybe… they’re thinking of it as their last supper.”

The king chuckled, shoving greasy meat into his mouth, completely unbothered by any concept of moderation.

Disgusting. Everything about this world is filthy.

The king, the hero, even the very air around us.

I hate this world.

That’s all I could think as I chewed through the bland rations.

“Excuse me. You are Kagemori-sama, correct? May I sit next to you?”

Before I realized it, a girl dressed in a luxurious gown was standing beside me.

I hadn’t noticed her.

When did she get here?

“Does it really matter? Nice to meet you… though I’m sure a formal introduction would only irritate you. You may call me ‘Princess’ or ‘Your Highness’—those ‘derogatory’ titles suit me just fine. Kagemori Hatsumi-sama.”

With that, she picked up the hem of her dress and gave a graceful bow.

Blonde hair, blue eyes—truly a textbook “princess.”

Yet, somehow, she was speaking to me without anyone around noticing.

What… is this girl?

“It was truly unfortunate that we couldn’t offer proper relief during this summoning. However, they saved the day. You should keep an eye on them. They aren’t Heroes—they weren’t chosen—but they are definitely worth watching.”

She pointed toward the party clad in black armor, cooking at the very front lines.

“Not chosen, huh? Are they also ‘otherworlders’ like me?”

If that was the case, then they must’ve been cast out from the castle too.

Yet there they were, alive and thriving.

And just like the princess said, I could see the two others who were summoned with me, the ones cast aside. They were with that group now.

Strong. They’re strong.

Way more “hero-like” than Shibata, who acts tough just because he’s flaunting borrowed power.

They even took in the so-called “failures.”

Why aren’t they the Heroes?

“Indeed. I can’t speak for the will of the gods, but the ‘Hero’ is Shibata-sama. Still, even if they weren’t chosen by a god, they’ve been chosen and praised by the people. That’s who they are.”

Not chosen by the divine, but by the people—those are what we call “heroes.”

Is that what she’s trying to say?

She clearly has a lot of faith in them.

“They’ll become monsters, you know? They’ll swallow Heroes whole without a second thought. That’s what I see in them, which is why I’ve given them my full support. Country, Hero, demons—it doesn’t matter to them. They don’t care about race, rank, or status. They devour everything without discrimination. They’re called ‘Akushoku,’ it seems.”

“Hearty Eaters, Gluttony…”

Her words seeped into my mind like some kind of hypnosis.

If I had refused the king’s help and been thrown out too… would they have saved me as well?

Not that I’d have had the courage to choose that future.

Still, it was clear—this princess saw something in that ‘Hearty Eater’ party.

“They are truly free. If they want to eat something, they hunt it down themselves. They find their own way to survive in this world. Isn’t that enviable? They can go wherever they want, grow as strong as they wish. But that’s the result of their hard work. Freedom lies beyond responsibility and results. I’m sure you can understand that much, can’t you?”

“Yeah… I still don’t have enough strength. That’s why I’m not free.”

“Not quite, but… close enough. See for yourself in this battle. Figure out whether they can be the final haven you can run to—even if you have to throw away your pride.”

With those words, the princess began to walk away.

Graceful to the very end, and unseen by anyone.

“Why… give me advice like this? If I leave the palace, I’d just be another burden, wouldn’t I? Even so, my level’s gone up. I’m stronger than most of the palace guards now. Why push me away?”

I called after her.

She turned back with an even brighter smile than before.

“Because this way, I get to make more ‘friends.’ And the more I help ‘Hearty Eater,’ the sooner they’ll come to see me. I can hardly wait—to see how far the so-called ‘failures’ can go, and just how much they can devour. It’s thrilling, really.”

She smiled.

With a twisted kind of joy, her emotions barely intact.

“Hope they help you too. That ‘Hearty Eater’ of yours.”

“…? Yes, they’re my knights in shining armor, after all.”

Without even grasping what I meant, the princess walked away.

‘Hearty Eater’—the ones trusted with the front lines.

I don’t know why the princess, or anyone else for that matter, puts so much faith in them, but if there’s anything I can say…

“Good luck… I guess. Nothing’s heavier than carrying other people’s expectations…”

With that, I bit into my ration bar.

Ugh. Disgusting.

That was the only thought I had left.