“... It’s plain, huh?”
“... Plain is… still good.”
While Belphegor was preparing his fish, Fenris had skewered his own fillets and set them by the fire to cook. However, Fenris didn't have any seasonings on hand, so he and Ami were just eating plain, unsalted fish.
“It tastes muddy though…” Ami complained, taking another bite of the fish anyways.
“Mud… is good.”
“It is not.” Murmur retorted as she added more wood to the fire. “You don’t have to eat it if you don't like it, you know.”
“I’m a growing girl, so I gotta eat properly!” Ami huffed. Seemingly pleased with this, Fenris praised her while patting her head.
“Nn… good job." Ami thoroughly enjoyed the hair-ruffling.
“That's a good attitude to have, but nutrition only matters in real life…”
““Ah.”” They forgot that they were in a game.
“Ha ha ha…” Belphegor let out a strange chuckle, causing Fenris’s instincts to suddenly blare warnings. “Yes, that's right!”
What is this? The chill running down his spine felt oddly familiar; his mind raced as he tried to understand it. What was this sensation? Where had he felt this before?
Belphegor—with his usual smile widened into a disturbing grin—reached into his cloak.
“Nutrition doesn't matter in VR… That's why--"
He pulled out an unreasonably large amount of seasonings and sauces, and spread them out on a picnic blanket.
“--You can make food as delicious as possible without worrying about the calories!”
Fenris blanked out for a moment. Ami raised her fists into the air excitedly, shouting “Woo!”.
A shaker in each hand, Belphegor sprinkled salt and pepper onto Ami’s fish for her, which she immediately dug into with a blissful expression, all thoughts visibly leaving her head.
“Salted fish~ Sho yummy…” Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
“Eat as much as you’d like!” Belphegor cackled. “There's plenty of fish, and plenty of flavors to try! As for you, my dearest…”
Belphegor pulled out a stein of ale and held it out to Murmur. She started raising her hand to take it, but suddenly froze.
It's barely midday, Murmur reasoned to herself. I would be setting a terrible example for the children if I were to start drinking now... I should not drink that beer.
“... Let's not make a habit of this, darling.” Murmur sighed, snatching the mug from him before downing the entire thing in one go. She immediately buried her face into her hands when Ami started cheering.
“End me,” Murmur groaned, overwhelmed with shame.
Fortunately for her, Ami’s attention was quickly diverted towards finding a topping for her second piece of fish. As Ami smothered it in a thick, brown sauce, a question suddenly came to mind.
“Hey, Bel… Why’d you get so much stuff in the first place?”
There were at least twenty different jars out. Setting aside the excessive variety, buying all of those condiments couldn't have been cheap; Ami thought it would have made more sense to spend the geld on his equipment first.
“... There's an important reason for that.” Belphegor’s face turned serious.
Ami gulped—definitely because she felt the tension in the air, and not because she had just taken another bite of fish.
“I’ve been playing full-dive games for a long while now, and there's always some kind of flaw that just breaks the immersion… Not that I blame the developers, mind you—properly simulating all of the senses is an obscenely difficult task, nevermind tuning the gameplay for fluidity.
Even so—from what I’ve experienced thus far—this game is practically flawless; if I were to turn off the UI elements, I would be hard-pressed to distinguish this game from real life. In fact…”
Fenris didn't really understand what Belphegor was talking about, so he started zoning out.
…
“—nyways, where was I? Ah yes, the food—”
Fenris snapped back to attention.
“If you ever travel to another country, I think the best way to immerse yourself in the local culture is through their food. The same applies here—in such a splendid, new world, is there anything quite as exciting as discovering new flavors? No! Food is the most important thing!”
And, as if those final words were the trigger, Fenris finally realized why Belphegor’s mood shift had unsettled him so much—
—”Fashion… is the most important thing.”
It was the same madness, the twisted passion that drove countless others—many far wiser than Fenris—to pursue their respective derangements at any cost. For some, it was fashion; for Belphegor, it was flavor. Regardless—for Fenris, it was incomprehensible.
“Fen, aren't you hungry?” Ami innocently asked, drawing the Beast’s (Belphegor’s) attention towards Fenris. “You haven't gone for a second piece yet.”
Fenris unconsciously took a step backwards as Belphegor’s gaze locked onto him, his tail curling between his legs and his ears pinned back against his head.
“Oh dear, that won't do at all!” Belphegor said, picking a skewer from the fire and presenting it to him. “You must try some of these sauces, m’boy!”
Fenris felt danger from the fish skewer—not from getting poked by the pointy stick nor the potential mouth burns from scarfing down on the hot fish—but the instinctive knowledge that, if he were to come to understand this… perversion, there would be no turning back for him.
“Uhhh, lemme try something.”
Confused by her brother's apparent lack of reaction to the food right in front of him, Ami took the skewer from Belphegor and tantalizingly waved it beneath Fenris’s nose.
“Hey, ya smell that, Fen? That smoky, fishy smell…? That’s a perfectly-grilled fish, right there.”
...
“The delicate meat… The crispy skin… Don't you wanna just… take a bite?”
... He had to stay strong.
“... Alright, he’s drooling. Finish him, Bel!”
Belphegor took a spoonful of the deep-red berry sauce and slathered it on the fish, the freshly-cooked meat’s heat amplifying the sauce’s spicy, herbaceous aroma. The devastating fragrance directly impacted Fenris’s brain, causing the half-wolf to physically jolt.
… Fenris took the skewer.
The meat was light and sweet, unlike the fish Fenris had “prepared”; it flaked apart easily, but had an enjoyable chew. The skin, slightly blistered from the flames, provided a good contrast to the meat—not only in its crunchy texture, but also the strong flavors of the seasonings that coated it. It was the best fish he had ever tasted.
Despite this, it was the berry sauce that had shattered Fenris’s senses. It had a peculiar, resinous sweetness that complemented the herbal notes of rosemary and black pepper; however, it also had an indescribable spiciness—different from that of hot peppers or horseradish—which spread through his upper body and slowly increased in temperature, scorching his senses until he felt numb.
…
Fenris couldn't remember what he was worried about.
Belphegor’s fascination with food was basically normal; everyone can enjoy good food, after all.
Perhaps fashion was normal, too, and Fenris simply didn't understand it; his friends would surely be interested in teaching him.
And so—Fenris’s corruption began.
———
Fenris stared blankly into space, slowly eating the fish.
Ami and Belphegor were sat in front of Murmur, who towered over them menacingly.
“Why do his eyes look dead?” Murmur interrogated them. “Hey. Why is he twitching? What did you do to my child?”
“... In my defense, his eyes normally look like that,” Belphegor unwisely said.
“Are those your last words?”
“... I’m sorry.”
———
(EXTRA: Upon Fenris's ‘awakening’...)
“... Why does it feel like I’m in danger again?” Lily mumbled to herself.
““Lily, try this on!”” Gen and Louis appeared, carrying various garments.
“... I don't want it.”
———
(EXTRA 2:)
[Genepbeskruid Sauce ()]
- A traditional Firrstad sauce, made by Granny Irma. It consists of fresh genep berries and long pepper. The techniques needed to extract all of the essence from the genep berries have been perfected over several decades, allowing for the production of this wonderous sauce. The unique “spiciness” of the sauce is actually from the genep berry's poison, which causes an extremely mild case of paralysis; the sauce has many other medicinal properties that are more beneficial.
———
Spoilerwimbledon
I couldn't sleep for two days and started writing. Can you tell where my delirium started?
[collapse]
“... It’s plain, huh?”
“... Plain is… still good.”
While Belphegor was preparing his fish, Fenris had skewered his own fillets and set them by the fire to cook. However, Fenris didn't have any seasonings on hand, so he and Ami were just eating plain, unsalted fish.
“It tastes muddy though…” Ami complained, taking another bite of the fish anyways.
“Mud… is good.”
“It is not.” Murmur retorted as she added more wood to the fire. “You don’t have to eat it if you don't like it, you know.”
“I’m a growing girl, so I gotta eat properly!” Ami huffed. Seemingly pleased with this, Fenris praised her while patting her head.
“Nn… good job." Ami thoroughly enjoyed the hair-ruffling.
“That's a good attitude to have, but nutrition only matters in real life…”
““Ah.”” They forgot that they were in a game.
“Ha ha ha…” Belphegor let out a strange chuckle, causing Fenris’s instincts to suddenly blare warnings. “Yes, that's right!”
What is this? The chill running down his spine felt oddly familiar; his mind raced as he tried to understand it. What was this sensation? Where had he felt this before?
Belphegor—with his usual smile widened into a disturbing grin—reached into his cloak.
“Nutrition doesn't matter in VR… That's why--"
He pulled out an unreasonably large amount of seasonings and sauces, and spread them out on a picnic blanket.
“--You can make food as delicious as possible without worrying about the calories!”
Fenris blanked out for a moment. Ami raised her fists into the air excitedly, shouting “Woo!”.
A shaker in each hand, Belphegor sprinkled salt and pepper onto Ami’s fish for her, which she immediately dug into with a blissful expression, all thoughts visibly leaving her head.
“Salted fish~ Sho yummy…” Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
“Eat as much as you’d like!” Belphegor cackled. “There's plenty of fish, and plenty of flavors to try! As for you, my dearest…”
Belphegor pulled out a stein of ale and held it out to Murmur. She started raising her hand to take it, but suddenly froze.
It's barely midday, Murmur reasoned to herself. I would be setting a terrible example for the children if I were to start drinking now... I should not drink that beer.
“... Let's not make a habit of this, darling.” Murmur sighed, snatching the mug from him before downing the entire thing in one go. She immediately buried her face into her hands when Ami started cheering.
“End me,” Murmur groaned, overwhelmed with shame.
Fortunately for her, Ami’s attention was quickly diverted towards finding a topping for her second piece of fish. As Ami smothered it in a thick, brown sauce, a question suddenly came to mind.
“Hey, Bel… Why’d you get so much stuff in the first place?”
There were at least twenty different jars out. Setting aside the excessive variety, buying all of those condiments couldn't have been cheap; Ami thought it would have made more sense to spend the geld on his equipment first.
“... There's an important reason for that.” Belphegor’s face turned serious.
Ami gulped—definitely because she felt the tension in the air, and not because she had just taken another bite of fish.
“I’ve been playing full-dive games for a long while now, and there's always some kind of flaw that just breaks the immersion… Not that I blame the developers, mind you—properly simulating all of the senses is an obscenely difficult task, nevermind tuning the gameplay for fluidity.
Even so—from what I’ve experienced thus far—this game is practically flawless; if I were to turn off the UI elements, I would be hard-pressed to distinguish this game from real life. In fact…”
Fenris didn't really understand what Belphegor was talking about, so he started zoning out.
…
“—nyways, where was I? Ah yes, the food—”
Fenris snapped back to attention.
“If you ever travel to another country, I think the best way to immerse yourself in the local culture is through their food. The same applies here—in such a splendid, new world, is there anything quite as exciting as discovering new flavors? No! Food is the most important thing!”
And, as if those final words were the trigger, Fenris finally realized why Belphegor’s mood shift had unsettled him so much—
—”Fashion… is the most important thing.”
It was the same madness, the twisted passion that drove countless others—many far wiser than Fenris—to pursue their respective derangements at any cost. For some, it was fashion; for Belphegor, it was flavor. Regardless—for Fenris, it was incomprehensible.
“Fen, aren't you hungry?” Ami innocently asked, drawing the Beast’s (Belphegor’s) attention towards Fenris. “You haven't gone for a second piece yet.”
Fenris unconsciously took a step backwards as Belphegor’s gaze locked onto him, his tail curling between his legs and his ears pinned back against his head.
“Oh dear, that won't do at all!” Belphegor said, picking a skewer from the fire and presenting it to him. “You must try some of these sauces, m’boy!”
Fenris felt danger from the fish skewer—not from getting poked by the pointy stick nor the potential mouth burns from scarfing down on the hot fish—but the instinctive knowledge that, if he were to come to understand this… perversion, there would be no turning back for him.
“Uhhh, lemme try something.”
Confused by her brother's apparent lack of reaction to the food right in front of him, Ami took the skewer from Belphegor and tantalizingly waved it beneath Fenris’s nose.
“Hey, ya smell that, Fen? That smoky, fishy smell…? That’s a perfectly-grilled fish, right there.”
...
“The delicate meat… The crispy skin… Don't you wanna just… take a bite?”
... He had to stay strong.
“... Alright, he’s drooling. Finish him, Bel!”
Belphegor took a spoonful of the deep-red berry sauce and slathered it on the fish, the freshly-cooked meat’s heat amplifying the sauce’s spicy, herbaceous aroma. The devastating fragrance directly impacted Fenris’s brain, causing the half-wolf to physically jolt.
… Fenris took the skewer.
The meat was light and sweet, unlike the fish Fenris had “prepared”; it flaked apart easily, but had an enjoyable chew. The skin, slightly blistered from the flames, provided a good contrast to the meat—not only in its crunchy texture, but also the strong flavors of the seasonings that coated it. It was the best fish he had ever tasted.
Despite this, it was the berry sauce that had shattered Fenris’s senses. It had a peculiar, resinous sweetness that complemented the herbal notes of rosemary and black pepper; however, it also had an indescribable spiciness—different from that of hot peppers or horseradish—which spread through his upper body and slowly increased in temperature, scorching his senses until he felt numb.
…
Fenris couldn't remember what he was worried about.
Belphegor’s fascination with food was basically normal; everyone can enjoy good food, after all.
Perhaps fashion was normal, too, and Fenris simply didn't understand it; his friends would surely be interested in teaching him.
And so—Fenris’s corruption began.
———
Fenris stared blankly into space, slowly eating the fish.
Ami and Belphegor were sat in front of Murmur, who towered over them menacingly.
“Why do his eyes look dead?” Murmur interrogated them. “Hey. Why is he twitching? What did you do to my child?”
“... In my defense, his eyes normally look like that,” Belphegor unwisely said.
“Are those your last words?”
“... I’m sorry.”
———
(EXTRA: Upon Fenris's ‘awakening’...)
“... Why does it feel like I’m in danger again?” Lily mumbled to herself.
““Lily, try this on!”” Gen and Louis appeared, carrying various garments.
“... I don't want it.”
———
(EXTRA 2:)
[Genepbeskruid Sauce ()]
- A traditional Firrstad sauce, made by Granny Irma. It consists of fresh genep berries and long pepper. The techniques needed to extract all of the essence from the genep berries have been perfected over several decades, allowing for the production of this wonderous sauce. The unique “spiciness” of the sauce is actually from the genep berry's poison, which causes an extremely mild case of paralysis; the sauce has many other medicinal properties that are more beneficial.
———
Spoilerwimbledon
I couldn't sleep for two days and started writing. Can you tell where my delirium started?
[collapse]