ITK C419: The New Emperor’s Growth Part 5 – Ramen Invasion
I’m Ardheg.
Prince Arowana is my best friend.
I am a dragon, and he is a mermaid. But our differences in race cannot sever the bond we have forged from traveling and experiencing hardships together.
Above all, Prince Arowana is a great man.
When I was a mere Glintz Dragon, the test given to me in the Geyser Dragon succession struggle was to find a “champion who is not a hero” or a “hero who is not a champion”.
For this reason, I set my eyes on the prince, who turned out to be both a hero and a champion.
Despite being a human being, he fought alongside me to defeat Father.
It was truly a heroic act.
And since he is of mermaid royalty, he would later ascend to the throne and become king of his own people.
I am truly honored to have become friends with him.
Some dragons look down on humans as an inferior race, but I’m different.
Or at least, that’s what I’d like to think…
“…”
“Sis? Sis Mary…?”
My sister won’t stop glaring at Prince Arowana.
But why?
“Our life together… Our love nest…! All because of some lowly merman’s advice…!!!”
It’s rude to silently bite your nails and stare daggers at a guest, sister.
“Please stop it! You’re being disrespectful to the prince!”
“No, perhaps I have done something impolite? I apologize, I’m unfamiliar with dragon etiquette…”
While the prince and I are perplexed, Father, watching from the sides in his human form…
“We won’t get anywhere with two blockheads present here!”
He said something incomprehensible.
Anyway, Sis Mary and Father, I transformed from dragon to human form to accommodate our guests.
Since the prince is here and the castle is complete, I’d say welcoming him inside and inviting him to a feast is the right thing to do. But…
“Whoo! I’m here.”
…Another character barges in, crowding the place even more.
Who in the world has come?
It’s Sis Veil, a Grinzel Dragon who has taken up residence on Lord Saint’s farm.
Why is she here?
“Eek! Veil?!”
Sis Mary hid behind me as soon as she saw Sis Veil.
She got beaten up by Sis Veil in their showdown, after all.
That memory probably haunts her till today.
“Here again without any prior notice? What is it this time?”
“Excuse me? And what can you say about yourself? No dragon makes an appointment to visit someone. That’s our freedom as dragons!”
Right.
I’m sorry, Prince Arowana. Etiquette just isn’t part of a dragon’s vocabulary.
“So, why did you come here, Sis Veil?”
The reason I’m curious about my sister’s sudden visit is that mysterious object with her.
What is that?
A hut?
It’s a hut just large enough to accommodate one human. But it’s not just any hut—it is equipped with wheels on both sides.
Sis Veil, who had transformed into a human being to get here, is literally pulling it.
Well, with her magic, pulling it even across the sea is easy.
“Curious, aren’t we? This is a food cart!”
“A food cart?”
Sis Veil proudly flaunts her “food cart.”
“If you are going to serve ramen outside, this stall is a must-have item, says Master. This is Chef Veil’s ramen stall!”
“What’s ramen?”
We won’t get it if you try to explain an unknown word by using more unfamiliar terms.
However, if the saint is behind this strange vehicle, I can somewhat comprehend things.
Why, he does things none of us have ever fathomed.
“I suppose it’s understandable if Lord Saint is involved.”
See?
Even Prince Arowana, who has known Lord Saint much longer than I have, thinks the same thing.
Oh well.
“But what is this ramen you mentioned? And what are you really doing here, Sis Veil?”
“Man, you’re such a slow guy. I dragged my stall all the way here to serve you ramen.”
But we don’t even know what ramen is…
“You’re missing out on a lot if you don’t know what ramen is! No matter, to see is to believe. I’ll show you the real thing right now. Just wait and see!”
With that, Sis Veil goes behind her stall.
The stall is covered with a cloth, making it difficult to see what’s inside.
Is she perhaps… cooking?
“We’ve got orders for three ramen bowls!”
“Roger!”
Is someone else with her inside?
Not long after…
“Three ramen bowls, ready!”
A bowl is placed before me, Sis Mary, and Father.
I have never seen a dish like this before, but there is a large amount of something long and slender swimming in broth.
Seriously, what is this?
Is this what she calls ramen?
“Ramen is the supreme dish Master taught me how to make! Eat with reverence!”
“Well, if Lord Saint is involved in its making, then I’m not worried…!”
The three of us lift our bowls gingerly and warily look at its contents.
“Lord Saint’s cooking never disappoints! This is a good opportunity! Lady Veil, please let me have a bowl too!”
Prince Arowana also shows interest in the ramen.
“No. You can’t have it.”
“Aww…”
I didn’t expect Sis Veil to be such a bully.
“No, that’s not it. I made my own twist on Master’s recipe. But I went a little too far in my quest for the ultimate ramen.”
That sounds a lot like something she’d do…
“If a human eats this, they will either go insane and become immortal or explode and die.”
“What?!”
“That’s why only fellow dragons can have this ramen bowl. Hence, I came here.”
I see.
But it’s going to be okay, right?
Although I remained slightly uneasy, I had no choice but to try my sister’s special ramen.
Besides, wasting food is bad.
“…It’s good.”
These long and slender… noodles? They’re delicious and chewy with each bite.
“A dragon, cooking? But wait, I wonder if Ardheg likes a woman who can cook?”
“Aha. It is indeed dense in dragon aura. Humans would be in serious trouble if they consumed this.”
Sis Mary and Father relish their food.
“Ah… That was delicious.”
All of us managed to finish our bowl.
“The broth is rich in dragon aura. That must be the secret of its deliciousness, but how on earth did you accomplish this?
“You really know your stuff, Father. Allow me to tell you the secret behind Chef Veil’s special ramen!”
Bam.
The stall’s short curtain is rolled up to reveal the inside.
Inside it is…
A naked woman in a very large pot.
The pot is full of other ingredients boiling in the water.
“Greetings, everyone. My name is Seidour, a Grinzel Dragon.”
“Seidour’s extract is what makes my broth unique!”
Hearing this, the three of us gag on our food.
They got choked after learning of pseudo-cannibalism kekw.
Glad to know that the weird ones are just Veil and Seidour, and that even other dragons aren’t okay with “Dragon Extract”.
Dragon girl bath water ramen seems to have been a miss.