I Became a Raid Boss

“What should we do with the caught fish?”

After a short discussion, we decided to hand the fish over to Artisha.

Although it looked like an ordinary fish with pitch-black scales, the Magi emanating from its body told us it wasn’t just a regular fish but a monster.

I thought this level of Magi wouldn’t be harmful even if consumed.

I was disappointed that we couldn’t eat it, but Da-eun insisted on not eating it.

“Us Apostles have a culinary tradition of eating fish raw, sliced into thin pieces, without cooking it. What do you think? Artisha, would you like to try it?”

Artisha seemed skeptical after hearing Da-eun’s suggestion.

“Eating fish raw…? I can’t really imagine that….”

“Could it be poisonous?”

“Uh… Isn’t it too late if we find out only after eating it?”

“A little bit should be fine, right…?”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring at all.”

Da-eun and Artisha continued their discussion, their heads close together.

The conversation, which started with whether to eat the fish as sashimi, soon turned into a debate on whether it was poisonous.

Watching the two chat so closely stirred a strange sense of nostalgia within me.

There was a time when I had such discussions too.

Debating whether monster meat was edible or not.

‘Captain.’

‘Oh, Kana. What’s up?’

‘This.’

‘Hmm? The monster we caught earlier, huh? Why’d you bring it all of a sudden?’

‘Don’t you think we could eat it?’

‘Hmm… With your level of resistance, it should be fine. Sure, let’s have some monster meat after a long time.’

‘Yay!’

‘…Vice-Captain, the meal is ready, so stop thinking about eating strange things and come over. And Captain.’

‘Uh, y-yeah?’

‘Instead of encouraging the Vice-Captain to eat strange things, shouldn’t you, as a guardian, be stopping her? What if it’s poisonous?’

‘I mean, unless it’s something like the “World Tree’s Bane,” neither Kana nor I would be affected by most poisons, so why worry?’

‘…Captain, have you forgotten that the Vice-Captain is still young? Children’s bodies are weaker than adults’. I don’t care what happens to you, Captain, but if the Vice-Captain gets poisoned because you were careless, it’d be a disaster, a disaster!’

‘R-right… …Wait, what do you mean you don’t care what happens to me?’

‘And what if this makes her start eating random things off the ground? Do you want people to point fingers and gossip if the Vice-Captain picks up things off the street and eats them?’

‘…That would be bad! Kana! Sorry, but no monster meat grilling today!’

‘…Do you two want to get hit?’

The memory of Dad being completely flustered in front of Eren, who was frowning, came back to me vividly.

As I dug up that dust-covered memory, I tilted my head.

Hmm, I guess this situation is a bit different…

Well, the general context is the same, so it’s fine.

That was just the first memory that came to mind, but I had a few other similar experiences.

For example, when our rations ran out due to an unexpectedly long journey, or when ingredients were contaminated with Magi while fighting monsters.

Each time, a heated debate would ensue.

Just like now.

Whenever a group of individuals with enough power to resist light Magi gathered, this sort of situation always seemed to arise.

“…Are you okay?”

“Yeah… Surprisingly, it’s fine… It’s chewy and savory….”

“No, I meant if you’re feeling any ill effects after eating it.”

“Ugh, cough…”

“Don’t suddenly start pretending like that.”

“Wasn’t this what you wanted?”

“Why would I want that?”

While I was lost in my memories, their conversation had progressed further.

They were now taste-testing the raw sashimi, neatly sliced into pieces. Artisha shared her thoughts on each bite she took, while Celine, using her divine power, provided support on the side.

Even if she was just a novice, Celine was still a candidate for sainthood. Using such high-level personnel for something as trivial as eating monster meat…

I wonder how the followers of the Church of Edel would react if they saw this.

As I pondered this, I approached them.

Nom.

“Gasp…!”

“Nom nom—”

“Ka-Kana! You can’t eat that! It’s dirty, dirty!”

“…Dirty?”

Artisha’s expression shifted dramatically after suddenly being labeled as someone eating “dirty” things.

“Ah…! That’s not what I meant! I was worried that, since Kana’s not part of the Demonic Race, eating monster meat might be dangerous…!”

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Da-eun hastily tried to explain herself.

Gulp.

Despite Da-eun’s frantic explanation, I continued to chew the sashimi and swallowed it.

In the world of Silia Online, while there was a culture of eating raw meat, there was no tradition of consuming raw sea creatures, so this was my first time eating sashimi.

Of course, if you consider my past life, this wasn’t my first time.

But since I didn’t remember how it tasted or what the texture was like, I suppose it could be considered the first.

Either way, my first experience with sashimi wasn’t bad.

It had a slightly fishy taste, but the subtle savory flavor combined with the chewy texture made it quite enjoyable.

As I picked up another piece, Da-eun looked at me with curiosity.

“Is it good?”

“It’s decent.”

“Really? That’s surprising. Most people are repulsed when they try it for the first time.”

That’s because I’ve had it before back when I lived on Earth.

…Not that I could say that, and even if I did, she wouldn’t understand.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve had worse things before?”

“Worse things?”

“Like bread picked from a trash can, or half-rotten meat.”

“…Be honest. You’re saying that to guilt-trip me, aren’t you? Hm? You’ve been doing that a lot lately…”

Hmm, I wouldn’t say no to that.

But I didn’t want to admit it so easily, so instead of answering, I picked up another piece of sashimi.

“Sigh… Fine, eat as much as you want. It’s good to see you enjoying your food.”

Da-eun gently stroked my head.

From the way her voice carried a hint of pity, it seemed what I had just said had made quite an impression on her.

Well, objectively and subjectively, I did have a rough life.

But there was something Da-eun misunderstood.

“That half-rotten meat was actually a great find.”

Would street kids living in the back alleys even get a chance to see such expensive meat?

Even if it was half-rotten, finding meat was like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Just eat more….”

She continued stroking my head, speaking as if something strange happened.

“You must’ve had a really hard life….”

Swoosh.

Artisha pushed a few more pieces of sashimi toward me, and I gratefully accepted her offer.

If I remembered correctly, we used to dip it in sauce, but since there was no sauce here, there was nothing I could do about it.

Even Celine, who had been observing with divine power, joined in on the meal, and seeing her, Da-eun, who had been hesitant, reluctantly took a seat.

However, she still seemed uncomfortable. While the others ate the sashimi in regular-sized pieces, Da-eun cut the already small pieces into even smaller bits before eating them.

She clicked her tongue as she chewed.

“The meal isn’t complete unless we make soup with the leftovers…”

“Soup…?”

“Yeah. You gather the head and bones and boil them together—it’s really delicious.”

“Hmm….”

Artisha didn’t seem very interested.

Understandable. Even I, who knew what Da-eun was talking about, didn’t find her description particularly appetizing.

After the meal, Celine blessed us with her divine power, just in case, and we cleaned up.

The fish had been so large that even with the four of us eating, there was a lot left over.

“What should we do with the leftovers?”

“Since it’s raw fish, just throw it into the sea… Or use it as bait….”

“But what if the fish eat it and turn into monsters?”

“Do you think there are any normal fish left around here?”

“Ah, good point.”

With that, we disposed of the leftover sashimi, and Da-eun, having completely lost interest in fishing, returned the rod to its original place, concluding the series of events.

As soon as the meal ended, everyone scattered to do their own thing, almost as if it had been planned.

Da-eun leaned against the railing, staring blankly at the sea, while Celine stood beside her with her eyes closed, enjoying the breeze. Artisha was piloting the boat.

Now that I think about it, the only one really doing any “work” was Artisha.

Of course, myself included.

…Since I’ve eaten and feel drowsy, and have no other tasks, maybe I should just take a nap.

I slowly blinked as I sat on a reclining chair with a gentle slope.

Warm sunlight and a cool breeze.

Though the air was tinged with Magi, the atmosphere was still perfect for a nap.

Emptying my mind and feeling the wind, my eyelids gradually grew heavier.

La…-

“…?”

As I allowed my slowly closing eyes to shut, a faint melody carried by the wind reached my ears.

It wasn’t a clear song with lyrics, but a soft, humming tune.

Thinking that Da-eun might be singing a lullaby, I lifted my heavy eyelids.

But to my surprise, the source of the humming wasn’t Da-eun.

“What’s that sound?”

Da-eun was bewildered by the humming she heard from somewhere and was searching for the source.

Celine, standing next to her, was doing the same.

If it wasn’t Da-eun or Celine, then the only one left was Artisha.

But I quickly dismissed that thought.

Out of all people, Artisha humming a tune seemed the least likely.

Besides, the pitch of the sound was too high for me to confuse it with hers.

Artisha’s voice was on the deeper side, after all.

At that moment, Artisha approached us and casually spoke.

“It’s a Siren….”

“A Siren?”

“Yeah…. It’s a monster that lures its prey with songs and steals their life…. Looks like one has made its nest nearby….”

As soon as Artisha finished speaking, the faint mist over the water began to clear.

And what emerged were figures—dolls.

Those dolls were floating on the water, circling the ship we were on.

Da-eun, unable to hide her tension as she watched them, tilted her head.

“…They’re ugly, though.”

“….”

La…

…The Siren’s humming seemed to stop for a moment.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

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