Chapter 23: At That Moment, Mino Knew...

"What did you say?!"

Perhaps it was because of his illness or a decline in mental resistance, but Mino felt Kretina’s smile was somewhat infuriating.

"Guh, don't look down on me, Shadow Demon Kretina. It’s just a minor sickness..."

Enduring the weakness aching through his lower back, Mino forced himself to sit up in bed, his face set in a look of grim determination as he battled his ailment.

"It’s just an interrogation. Do you really think I’d let you succeed just because I’m not in top form?"

"Come on, whatever methods you have, bring them on!" Mino said, his face pale.

"But..." Fim looked at Mino, appearing somewhat worried. "This interrogation, Mino, might be a little... cruel."

As the words fell:

[Interrogation quest generated—]
[Phase One: Accept a new round of questioning from the demon "Fim," and endure for at least ten minutes.]
[Reward: One "Healing" at a critical moment.]

Mino’s eyes, previously conflicted, brightened slightly. Healing! He was saved!

In this world, healing was no simple term; it was a divine blessing that required a dozen priests working in unison, spending a vast amount of time praying to the Goddess. It wasn’t just for simple colds; even the constitutional frailty of the old King and Princess Calia could be suppressed by it for a long time.

Seeing Mino’s pale complexion, Kretina’s heart softened.

He was truly the Hero Mino; even reduced to an ordinary human, his will would never yield. At this moment, in his bright eyes, Kretina saw profound hope. Even with sickness consuming his entire body, he still possessed such unyielding courage...

"That’s enough, Mino. We demons don't have a penchant for abusing captives. I don't intend to interrogate you while you're unwell; that would be too boring."

"Fim, let's go." Kretina turned to leave.

Mino’s eyes widened. A feeling of "the cooked duck flying away" surfaced in his heart again. Wait, why did he say "again"?

"Don't you dare leave!" Using all his remaining strength, Mino grabbed Fim’s small hand.

"Hm?" Fim turned her head, looking at Mino in confusion.

"Your tendency to give up halfway disappoints me." Mino’s serious gaze swept over Fim and Kretina before he continued in a stern tone: "Don't forget your identities! What are you? Demons who symbolize evil, the public enemies of humanity!"

"Defeating humanity at any cost is what you should be doing! Not changing your convictions just because of a small setback."

Mino looked up, his tone filled with intense disappointment: "You all... you disappoint me so much..."

"Hey!"

At this, Artotai, listening from the side, was dumbfounded: "My Lord, what is with this tone of an experienced veteran? You’ve been possessed by a demon, right? It must be that. Why are you teaching demons how to do their jobs?!!!"

Fim pursed her lips and turned to look at Kretina by the door.

Kretina felt genuine admiration welling up inside her. She finally understood the source of Mino’s strength: he was never satisfied with his own power, and he never minded if his enemies were troublesome.

"Fim, begin the interrogation." Kretina said after a moment of contemplation.

Fim nodded, turned, and went to the small cart, revealing a pale white clay pot resting on a heating stand. Beside it, a small bag of translucent, crystalline rice and some vegetables sat on the rack.

Artotai sneered: "Rice porridge again? It seems your methods are limited after all. Honestly, isn't this looking down on my Lord a bit too much?"

After Mino had successfully survived one interrogation, Artotai’s confidence in him had grown significantly. It turned to look at Mino, only to find the latter staring intently at the clay pot, quietly... swallowing his saliva.

"My Lord?"

Fim donned furry gloves and carefully approached the clay pot, gently lifting the lid from the low flame.

Soft steam drifted up, and a rich, mellow aroma of rice, accompanied by the "gurgle-gurgle" sound of boiling, wafted through the air. Only then did Artotai see the food in the pot and exclaim:

"What the—is that porridge?!"

Fim nodded, patiently explaining: "Rice... not much. So, Fim... often... makes porridge."

Artotai’s sword body went slightly numb, sensing something deeply ominous. For someone sick in bed, warm, delicate white porridge was a delicious, medicinal cure no less potent than a Goddess’s healing spell!

Mino sat on the hospital bed, his gaze drifting: "I-I’ll ask just one thing: what kind of intelligence are you looking for..."

"My Lord!!!"

"No intelligence is possible!" Mino snapped back to reality, shaking his head vigorously, and said firmly: "Don't forget, I am humanity’s strongest hero, a steel warrior tempered by countless bloodbaths and trials. Using a mere bowl of white porridge, heh..." Mino straightened his back as he spoke, twisting his mouth into a smirk: "Isn't that a bit insufficient?"

Artotai retorted: "Are you setting a flag with that last sentence?"

"Heh, Artotai, you underestimate me too much." Mino regained some spirit and spoke eloquently: "Although your master eats rye bread every day, I haven't missed a single issue of the 'Kull Kingdom Gourmet Weekly,' which is renowned across the continent."

"I am very picky about food!" Mino wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and pointed at the porridge in the clay pot. "This porridge is clearly lacking in heat. To lift the lid so early—you must know that the perfect state for porridge is when the grains have blossomed and the soup is thick... to move me, it must be that kind of porridge!"

Mino clenched his fists, the Hero’s iron will on full display.

"Why are you exposing your weaknesses to the enemy at a time like this?!!!"

Unexpectedly, Fim waved her hand and explained: "Not yet... finished."

She then pulled a few fresh shrimp and clams from a water pouch.

"These are... seafood? Could it be—"

*Swish—*

Several blade-flashes crossed the air. The newly unearthed shrimp were effortlessly gutted and deveined, the tender meat lined up neatly on the cutting board; the clams were cleaned under running water, their soft meat plucked out as easily as shelling sunflower seeds.

Immediately after, the freshest parts of these two seafood items were poured into the white porridge, stirred evenly and thoroughly.

Fim covered the pot to simmer for three more minutes. When she lifted the lid again, the shrimp meat bloomed with a mouth-watering crimson.

"S-so that’s it?!" Mino’s eyes widened at that moment.

"You aren't making ordinary white porridge, but seafood porridge that fuses savory and sweet flavors! It wasn't that you didn't master the heat, but that you had to fully integrate the ingredients' flavors before the rice grains fully bloomed?!"

Mino felt the rich fragrance drilling into his nostrils like a frenzy.

Fim’s work wasn't done yet. She took out seasonings, drizzled a few drops of sesame oil over the freshly opened seafood porridge, and sprinkled it with a dash of chopped green onions.

Mino gulped, looking at the dull yet adorable Fim amidst the rising steam.

At this moment, Mino knew he absolutely had to hire this maid.