"Master Masayoshi, that was incredibly delicious!"

If Princess Sara, a member of the royal family, was satisfied, that’s more than enough for me. I, too, was happy to savor the professional chef’s dragon-based cuisine.

Later, I must ask Ms. Fara for the recipe of that roasted dragon dish, which was my favorite. It seemed a bit complex to prepare, but the taste was well worth the effort.

"I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it," I replied.

"I especially loved the dish you made, Master Masayoshi! The crispy coating over the tender and flavorful meat—it's amazing! And the sauce! It was so unique, yet its rich taste and aroma were exquisite!"

"Hoho, I would say this plate of grilled meat with the sweet and spicy sauce was my favorite. It's far more complex and delicious than just simple salt and pepper!"

"I loved this stew! The way the flavors of the vegetables and meat came together—I've never tasted anything like it! This is thanks to the Great Mage!"

…Well, I'd appreciate it if you gave credit to Ms. Fara and me instead. But if Ms. Gina is this happy, I suppose it's fine.

"The meat was far tastier than wyvern meat," someone noted.

"Indeed. I've never heard of a wyvern's higher species before. If it's this delicious, perhaps we should consider hunting it regularly," said another.

"Oh, um, it seems this type only appears once every few decades, so regular hunting might be difficult," I quickly replied.

I wouldn't mind telling Ms. Sara and the others that it was dragon meat, but knowing it’s a delicacy only available to select nobles might make them overly conscious. Better to keep that detail a secret.

"By the way, I heard that a dragon in the northern mountains was defeated last week."

Gulp!

The news is spreading already?! Without phones or email, word still managed to reach Luxeria within a week. I underestimated this world’s information network.

"Come to think of it, Master Masayoshi, when you last visited, you were asking Captain Darga and me about dragons."

Double gulp!

Yes, my source for dragon information was these two. Everyone here is too sharp.

"Oh, really? I had no idea a dragon had been defeated! By the way, I brought some cake today—how about having some for dessert?"

"……"

Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss. The world is full of things better left unknown, like the fact that the meal you just ate was made from ultra-premium ingredients.

After that, I let everyone pick their cakes: shortcake, chocolate cake, mille-feuille, and fruit tarts. The colorful cakes seemed as popular as last time, and everyone picked flavors they hadn’t tried before.

This time, I also made sure Ms. Fara, the chef, got to taste the cake. She seemed deeply moved and even declared that he would try to recreate it. However, replicating such desserts in this world would likely be quite a challenge.

Now, it’s Monday. If I endure this week, I can look forward to Sayama-san’s live concert with everyone.

Checking the news, it seems last Friday’s earthquake didn’t cause much damage, apart from the explosion at that factory. The blast was reportedly due to lax safety measures, and illegal waste left behind at the site was also discovered. The factory's owner is currently under investigation.

As for me, it seems I’m not mentioned in the news yet. Everyone I rescued was put to sleep afterward, so their testimonies might lack credibility. For now, it’s better this way; less attention is good.

"Good morning."

"Hey there~"

"Good morning, Tachihara-kun."

It’s Monday, and everyone looks a bit sluggish. That’s just how Mondays are. I get it; I really do.

"Feeling better? You left early last week."

"Yeah, thanks for checking on me. I recovered quickly. Did I miss anything important during homeroom?"

"Not really. The teacher took forever to come back, so we just wasted time. Honestly, I should’ve left early too."

Seems like my early departure didn’t cause any issues. My friends and Kawabata-san had messaged me, worried about my health, so I’d reassured them that I’d recovered quickly.

"By the way, did you two see that video?"

"Oh yeah, I did! It was insane!"

"Video? What are you talking about?"

"Wait, seriously? You haven’t seen it yet? It’s all anyone’s been talking about!"

"Right, Tachihara-kun doesn’t watch much online stuff, does he? Here, look. This is it: the surveillance camera footage from Friday’s factory explosion."

"Surveillance camera?!"

What?! Nobody told me there were cameras! In the middle of all that fire, a camera was still running?

Watanabe handed me his smartphone. On the screen was a popular video-sharing platform’s ranking page, filled with various titles:

• "What Caused the Explosion?! A Whistleblower Reveals the Factory’s Negligence and Illegal Activities!"
• "Applause for a Brave Young Man! Risking Everything to Save Others!"
• "Mysterious Hero Appears?! Surveillance Footage Captures Daring Rescue During Explosion!"

...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?