Dragon Ball: Saiyan's Gourmet Journey

Chapter 700 The Goddess's Bento and the Swordsmanship Contest Seven Years Later

The next day, at Freya Familia's residence, the Freya Familia's logistics members got up early to prepare breakfast and saw that the magic stone lamps in the kitchen were already lit.

The logistics staff in charge of breakfast exchanged glances, assuming that someone from the clan was hungry and had come to the kitchen looking for food.

But as they got closer and looked into the kitchen, they saw a tall, beautiful goddess bustling about inside, along with a gray-haired girl.

"Ah, Lady Freya, what are you doing here?"

The logistics manager exclaimed in surprise.

"Tona, don't worry about me. You do your thing, and I'll do mine."

The goddess waved her hand, but she was already using kitchen utensils, which filled half of the kitchen's preparation table.

"Uh……"

The human woman named Tona watched this scene in the kitchen. If it weren't for the goddess herself, she would have given the person who did this a good scolding, even if it was any other member of the Freya Familia. The kitchen was where she was dedicated to serving the goddess.

"Hey, did I make a mess of the kitchen and bother you?"

Freya asked belatedly.

"No, no, I just wanted to ask, Lady Freya, are you preparing a bento for that boy from the Hestia Familia?"

Tona quickly denied it and asked what was going on.

"Ah."

Freya smiled and nodded. Yesterday, she heard Ryu say that Broly liked her cooking, so she decided to cook for herself today.

Of course, she was also aware of her own cooking skills, so she only planned to prepare a small portion of the prepared meals, although even a small portion would still be quite a lot.

"Lady Freya, do you need our help?"

Tona asked with some hope, "Although Lady Freya occasionally cooks, she's not usually at the Familia's camp in the Battle Wilderness."

The view from the top floor of the Tower of Babel is excellent, giving one the feeling of overlooking the entire Orario. Ever since her clan became one of the two major clans of Orario, Lady Freya has lived in the Tower of Babel for this reason, supposedly to prove that she is no weaker than the goddess Hera, the former giant clan of Orario.

Therefore, this was a rare opportunity, and she naturally had to seize the chance to work in the same kitchen as Lady Freya.

"No need. I plan to prepare Broly's lunch by myself today. I don't need anyone else to help."

Upon hearing this, Tona's gaze involuntarily turned to Helen, who was busy to the side. Freya noticed this and explained, "Helen is my personal attendant, and she is one with me (also Seele), so there is no problem with her getting involved."

After a pause, she added to Tona, "You can prepare three bento boxes for the other people."

"yes,"

Before dawn, I was already busy in the kitchen.

It wasn't until dawn that the elaborate bento box, stacked with more than a dozen layers, was finally ready.

Freya was very satisfied with the result and took Helen to the Abundant Mistress Tavern.

The Freya Familia members on the Battle Wilderness side saw this and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Not long after, the blue-haired dwarf Pan found out what was going on from Tona, the head of the kitchen.

"Ah, Lady Freya's bento box is so... uh, I'm so envious."

Hegni, one of the Black Knights and a dark elf, said with a mixture of envy and reluctance.

I'm envious. I'm envious that Lady Freya personally prepared the bento boxes.

The reason they were reluctant to accept it was because Lady Freya's culinary skills were simply too good for the members of their kin who had tasted her cooking.

"The boy from the Hestia Familia was treated like royalty today. If he dares to vomit, we'll have to make some preparations."

Hedin, wielding the White Demon Staff, said this, and the four Flame Gold Brothers nodded in agreement.

"Anyone who can't even accept Lady Freya's terrible cooking doesn't deserve Lady Freya's favor."

"Hey, Graves, you bastard, you've finally told the truth!?"

Freya Familia healer Haiji felt a bit overwhelmed. Compared to the others talking about how they would react to the Hestia Familia boy who might refuse a meal personally prepared by Lady Freya, she was more worried that her goddess would play a bad hand.

If a boy from the Hestia Familia were to develop a dislike for the girl who is the goddess in disguise because of a bento box that caused him to be poisoned, things would definitely be in trouble.

"I'm going out."

Thinking this, Haici stood up and said.

"Hey, Haici, where are you headed?"

Hegny asked, somewhat curiously.

"I don't need to report to you where I'm going, right?"

The dark elf choked, and in his non-chuunibyou state, he revealed a wounded expression.

"Yes, it's good to prevent accidents."

Hedin glanced at her and said something, clearly already aware of where his therapist was headed.

Cleaning up after their goddess, who occasionally caused trouble, was something the Freya Familia members were already used to.

. . . . .

"Ryu, this is today's bento."

"Hey, why are there so many?"

"Because of what you said yesterday, I prepared an extra bento for Mr. Broly today."

"Yes, I got up before dawn this morning to prepare this carefully for him. You'd better keep a close eye on him to see if he really likes my cooking."

Having arrived at the Abundant Mistress's Tavern, Freya, disguised as Seele, handed a bento box half her height to the female elf and instructed her to observe the Saiyan boy's reaction to the bento she had made.

"Of course, if he finds it unpalatable, there's no need to force him to eat it."

However, at the very last moment, the goddess, who was self-aware of her own skills, added a sentence.

“Seele, your cooking is delicious. How could he possibly need to be forced to eat it?”

Ryu was somewhat puzzled by this.

"That's not necessarily true. My cooking today probably won't be as delicious as usual."

"Hey, did you deliberately make it taste bad?"

"It wasn't on purpose. I just wanted to find out if my cooking was bad (unlike my seemingly girlish appearance), would he still say he liked my cooking?"

Liu was a little confused about her friend's actions, but she nodded anyway: "Okay, I'll keep an eye on it for you."

“Remember, if Mr. Broly really insists, you don’t have to force him.”

The goddess, still not convinced, reiterated it once more.

Yearning for love, yet questioning it.

What if I want to verify something but am worried about being rejected by the boy?

While I could force it, I worry that such coercion might lead to inaccurate answers.

After seeing off her elf friend who had taken the day off, Seele found herself in this conflicted state.

She was somewhat absent-minded, sweeping the ground in front of the tavern with a broom.

"Hey, Miss Seele, are you spacing out?"

It wasn't until a pair of slender little hands waved in front of her and called her name several times that she snapped out of her anxious and complicated feelings.

"Oh, Miss Lefia, Miss Ais, I'm so sorry, I was just thinking about something."

You seem to have something on your mind.

The thoughts of the elf girl and the swordswoman girl.

"Is there something you need from me?"

The signboard girl asked.

"We wanted to go see Mr. Broly today, but we don't know where his family's residence is. We would like to ask you for directions."

"Uh, why are you looking for him?"

With her thoughts somewhat in disarray, Seele unconsciously revealed a cute, wary, and possessive expression on her face.

"I want to have him train me in swordsmanship. I already rested yesterday."

Ais stepped forward and calmly answered the mascot girl's question with a blank expression.

"I accompanied Miss Ais to her sword training."

Lefia quickly added that she actually had no reason to go to Broly. It didn't matter where the desensitization training was done or who helped with it; she simply wanted to spend more time with the person she liked.

"Oh, I see. What a coincidence."

"Ok?"

"No, no, I'll tell you right now where the Hestia Familia is located."

Seeing the two looking at her with a puzzled expression, Seele quickly waved her hand and said, "Thank you very much, Miss Seele."

Having obtained the address of the Hestia Familia's residence, the two Loki Familia girls waved goodbye and left.

"Ryu and the Sword Princess, I wonder what will happen when they get together under the guise of sword training."

Thinking about this, Seele felt that it would be very interesting.

"Miya's mom, can I ask for a day off today?"

"No, if Ryu takes leave and you take leave too, who will do the work at the shop?"

The little giant Mia showed no mercy and refused the girl's attempt to run away.

"Oh, what's wrong? Should I have someone else cover my shift?"

Seele offered a solution and said so.

"You're not young anymore. Is it really okay to keep causing trouble for those around you like this?"

Mia adopted a no-negotiable attitude, simply because she felt sorry for the other girl, Seele, who was exhausted. When she saw Helen today, Helen already had dark circles under her eyes, clearly exhausted from the capriciousness of a certain goddess these past few days.

Freya doesn't cherish that child, and that child doesn't cherish their own situation either, but Mia won't indulge them, after all, they are children who often come to the store to help out.

"Okay then."

Freya was a little annoyed, but she could also tell that Mia was unhappy with her overuse of Helen.

"I'll give her a day off, okay? Let her have a good rest today."

Yes, it's a place for holidays, where you don't have to stay with your own clan.

"Helen, you've worked so hard. You can rest today."

And so, the goddess's maidservant who had been summoned back was given a day off to do as she pleased.

"Eh?"

Helen was a little confused, not understanding how she suddenly had a day off.

"Ah, I really want to know what's going on with the Hestia Familia."

However, the girl on the signboard's sigh quickly made her understand the origin of this day off.

They have a good relationship, and the goddess wants her to act as a mobile surveillance camera.

"I understand, Lady Seele. I'll go keep an eye on the Hestia Familia right away."

Helen said.

"Ah, this isn't surveillance, Miss Helen. You were just checking on things over there for my friend during your vacation."

"Well, just observe what happens after Ryu and the Sword Maiden interact. After that, you can do whatever you want with the rest of the time."

Freya said somewhat embarrassedly, but thinking that it shouldn't take much time, and since it was indeed a holiday, she gradually felt at ease.

Helen simply nodded, not caring at all about whether she would get a holiday or not, and went to carry out the request from the goddess in her girlish mascot persona.

When she arrived at the Hestia Familia, she happened to run into a pink-haired girl who was also coming to the Hestia Familia's residence at the street corner.

"Hey, Haici, what are you doing here?"

"That's what I should be asking you, Helen. Aren't you going back to help Lady Freya with the daily affairs of our clan?"

"Lady Freya gave me a day off and asked me to come here and check on the situation."

Helen explained.

"I'm worried that Freya's lunch might cause her some trouble."

After listening, Haici also offered an explanation.

"That together?"

"it is good."

The two Freya Familia girls hit it off immediately and teamed up to keep watch outside. Since they weren't wearing clothes with Freya Familia insignia, no passersby looked at them with awe.

"Young ladies, you two want to join the Hestia Familia, right? Let me tell you, the Hestia Familia is definitely a promising family. If my child wasn't still young, and if the Hestia Familia weren't an exploration-oriented family, I would want her to join as well."

Meanwhile, a neighbor lady who lived nearby came out for a stroll and saw the two girls wandering outside. She mistakenly thought they wanted to join the Hestia Familia, so she took the initiative to approach them and speak well of the Hestia Familia.

"Ha, we're not..."

Helen interrupted Heci before he could finish speaking.

"Yes, we are considering joining, but we don't know much about the Hestia Familia yet. You seem to know, could you tell us?"

Upon hearing this, the neighbor lady enthusiastically introduced the two to the original church in Forgotten Alley: "This was originally an abandoned church, but after the Hestia Familia took over, it underwent a major transformation in just three months."

Not only were luxurious family residences built, but Lady Hestia also had Hephaestus's craftsmen repair all the roads in the vicinity. Places that used to flood on rainy days no longer flood..."

Benefiting the people has given the Hestia Familia a good reputation in the Forgotten Alley.

“You really need to think this over carefully. Orario doesn’t often encounter a rising clan like this.”

Before leaving, the neighbor lady couldn't help but say something, as if missing out on the Hestia Familia would be a loss for them.

"Helen, you wouldn't be thinking of betraying Lady Freya and switching allegiance to the Hestia Familia, would you?"

After the middle-aged woman left, Haici looked at the young maid with a somewhat unfriendly gaze.

"Of course not, it's just that if we stand here outside without a proper reason, we'll be very conspicuous."

Meanwhile, gathering information about the Hestia Familia will also allow Lady Freya to gain a clearer understanding of the current situation of the Familia in which the child she favors is located.

"Well, you could say the Hestia Familia only rose to power so quickly because they were lucky enough to encounter Broly."

Helen explained the situation to everyone.

"Okay, you're right."

Haici stopped speaking and looked through the iron bars outside the Hestia Familia's compound into the courtyard.

At this moment, Ryu and the swordswoman girl have come face to face. When she learns that the other party has also come to receive sword training from the Saiyan boy, the elf girl feels surprised but also expectant.

"Of course I'm free. Miss Ryu is practicing sword dance, and Miss Ais is practicing defense and counter-attack. If you two don't mind, you can train together."

"Eh?"

"I do not mind."

"Does Miss Ryu have a problem?"

Ais had no objection, and Broly looked at the elf lady who had made the surprised sound.

"Uh, I'm fine with that too."

Seven years ago, during their first battle where she vented her anger by picking a fight, Ryu never expected that their second battle would take place under such circumstances. But whether Broly was instructing her on swordsmanship first, or whether she was interested in the current strength of the swordswoman she had fought seven years ago, Ryu would not back down. So, she readily agreed.

Miss Ais is incredibly capable, but how could a mere waitress at a tavern possibly be...?

Lefia initially thought this was a waste of time and doubted the purpose of the swordsmanship training, but after the swordswoman and her fellow elf lady clashed with their wooden swords, she realized she was wrong. The waitress seemed to be a little too strong.

Will she recognize me, the one she fought before?

With that thought, Liu unleashed a sweeping slash towards the swordswoman in front of her.

That swordsmanship seems a bit too fast...

Ais parried with her sword, which moved like a snake, trying to deflect the elf's wooden sword.

But her opponent moved like a willow catkin in the wind, following the momentum of her longsword as she spun and kicked.

Ais raised her leg, and the protective gear on her leg collided with the elf's spinning kick.

He blocked the attack, but was still kicked away.

There was no injury, and the force was dissipated before landing.

Upon landing, Ais didn't hesitate at all and rushed over to continue attacking the elves.

They claimed to be practicing sword dance and the Water God Style, but when these two actually started fighting, they didn't seem to have any intention of practicing the moves at all.

Once the fighting starts, it's a real-world combat scenario, using whatever you have available, and the swordsmanship isn't limited to specific moves.

Broly did not stop them from practicing swordsmanship. Since neither of them were beginners, they obviously did not need to use a rigid training method.

Broly hovered around the two sparring partners, occasionally pointing out their mistakes in their moves and their loss of rhythm, displaying the demeanor of a professional coach.

In response, both Ryu and Ais were in perfect sync, reducing their attack power while they were distracted by the Saiyan boy's instructions.

Well, there weren't any interesting developments at all. All there was was the pure combat sparring between the waitress elf and the swordswoman.

Due to the intensity of the battle, both sides maintained a tacit understanding and kept the fight at a similar level, resulting in a very exciting battle scene.

If Lefia hadn't been certain that Miss Ais hadn't had any personal time these past few days, she would have almost suspected that the bar's waitress and her Miss Ais had been rehearsing in secret.

(End of this chapter)