Avi2112
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Chapter 97: Erina || Harem in a Labyrinth
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 19:28:34 +0000 UTCAs I stare at her, wide-eyed in shock, the surrounding crowd—composed of Merchants, Adventurers, Warriors, Explorers, and even Knights—fires questions at her.
"Miss Erina, have you ever seen the King in person?" a knight asks curiously.
"Oh, His Royal Highness? Yes. When I was little, my grandfather once took me to meet him during dinner. I even served him a dish I made myself. He thought it was delicious," Erina replies with a smile, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Fascinating! As expected from the God Tongue— even the King couldn't resist being impressed by your cooking," a Merchant chimes in, beaming.
"Miss Erina, I want to know more about the castle..."
My lips twitch as I watch the crowd surrounding her, keep bombarding her with questions like curious children. This doesn't feel like an exhibit—it's more like a fan meet.
"Is she really the one on sale?" I whisper to Anastasia, who stands beside me. "Why are they treating her so respectfully?"
"Master, I know her," Anastasia replies, her tone carrying a trace of excitement. "She is Erina Nakiri, from the renowned Noble house of Nakiri. She is famous in the Imperial Capital as the 'God Tongue.'" I notice even she is looking at the girl in awe. "She looks even more noble in person," she murmurs.
I glance at Anastasia speechlessly. With more people pushing in, I take her by the arm and move to a corner to observe.
'Why do they keep calling her God Tongue? Actually, tell me everything you know about her,' I ask through our party chat.
'Ah, yes, Master,' Anastasia responds eagerly. 'The Nakiri family has cooked for the Royal family for generations. Many Noble houses practically beg them to cater their banquets, and they own numerous inns in the capital, bringing in a constant stream of money.' I can tell she is ready to get lost in the world of profit, but a look from me gets her back on track. 'Erina has been famous since childhood—a rumored prodigy with a godly culinary sense. It is said that even the King himself once declared that she would become the greatest Royal Cook in the Empire's history.'
'So she is called God Tongue because she can cook well? And is 'Royal Cook' an advanced job for a chef?' I ask curiously.
'I think so. I am not entirely sure, but only Royal Cooks are permitted to prepare food for the Imperial Family, so it must be an advanced job like the ones you have told us about.' She nods before adding, 'Master, she is called God Tongue because it's rumored that just by tasting a dish, she can pinpoint exactly which demon drop, from which labyrinth floor, and even from which specific labyrinth each ingredient came from.'
I raise an eyebrow. 'That specific?'
'Yes! Even the Cook's Guild has confirmed it as fact. They say the gods gifted her with a divine tongue, which is why people started calling her 'God Tongue.'' Anastasia's awe is evident.
I glance back at the girl, who remains poised and graceful despite the swarm of people around her. She is the very picture of nobility. But my mind lingers on the striking similarities between her and someone I know from my past life.
Erina Nakiri… the same name as the character from Shokugeki no Soma, or more popularly known as Food Wars. In that anime, she is also called God Tongue. But that Erina is a high school student living in modern Japan, in a world without isekai, labyrinths, or magic. It was purely a culinary setting.
I smile. This is the first waifu I have encountered here who doesn't make me feel uneasy or panicked. If Food Wars exists in this labyrinth world, it won't make things any more dangerous—just more interesting. And delicious.
Also, the original novel never mentioned an advanced job for cooks, so I am glad to learn that 'Royal Cook' exists.
'Do you know anything about the poisoning incident that led to her becoming a slave?' I ask Anastasia.
'Poisoning incident? No, Master, sorry… I am just as shocked as you to see a famous noble like her being sold as a slave,' she replies, puzzled.
I quickly relay what I have overheard from the gossip around us.
'I haven't heard much about her father, but I know her grandfather was a famous Royal Cook. For the Nakiri family to be brought this low… it must have been a serious scandal,' she muses through the party link.
There is one thing that keeps bugging me—why isn't anyone asking real questions about her? No one is asking what she can actually do or about her labyrinth experience. Instead, their questions revolve around noble gossip they have heard. And their attitude toward her is strange too. They are treating her with so much respect... but isn't she a slave now?
I relay my doubts to Anastasia through the party link.
'Master, she is a famous noble. Even if people know she is a slave now, it is not easy to change their perception of her," Anastasia replies with a wry smile. "Also, I think everyone is afraid of being implicated in whatever this poison incident was. That is why most of the crowd isn't here to seriously buy her, and no one is asking real questions about her. Even as a merchant, I wouldn't want to get caught up in noble family disputes.' She adds seriously.
Interesting.
Well, if no one else is going to ask the real questions, I guess that job falls to me.
"So, Miss Eri—"
"Erina, have you been to a labyrinth before?" I step into the crowd, cutting off an Adventurer mid-question. He glares at me, but I glare back, activating Intimidating Glare, a skill I earned as my Warrior level 30 level up reward. He immediately backs down.
"Yes, I have been to a labyrinth," Erina replies, her violet eyes studying me with interest.
"Sir, Erina has already obtained the Cook job. She is a genius who achieved it at the tender age of 15," a Level 48 Slave Merchant steps forward, an old man dressed in sleek, expensive clothing.
I notice that his Slave Merchant level is even higher then Alan.
"Wow, at such a young age," someone in the crowd murmurs.
"Don't you need to be a highly experienced Explorer to be accepted into the Cooking Guild?" an Explorer asks an Adventurer beside him.
"She is from the Nakiri family. They have always produced the Empire's top Royal Cooks, so it must be in her blood," the Adventurer whispers back.
It is certainly impressive. Even I only unlocked the Cook job after reaching Explorer level 30—and that was only possible thanks to my ridiculously boosted EXP rates. And she did it at 15?
As a reader of the original story and now a native of this world, I have noticed that most common people have levels roughly equal to their age. A 30-year-old Farmer or Villager, for example, would at most be around level 40. So we can surmise that on average, people gain 1 to 1.5 levels per year, as an adult.
Active labyrinth explorers, however, can earn on an average about 2 to 2.5 levels per year at best. It's tricky to calculate precisely, since different jobs require different amounts of EXP, and some jobs—like Adventurer—only unlock after reaching level 50 in Explorer, meaning the total levels earned by that person should be stacked.
But nobles? Nobles cheat. They can gain more than 3 to even 3.5 levels per year on average. For example, in the original story, a certain Duke had over 100 total levels by age 35—some of which were in advanced jobs, which require even more EXP. This happens for many reasons: better equipment, frequent labyrinth expeditions… but the biggest factor? Their early start.
It was explained in the original story that noble children are taken into labyrinths as babies alongside experienced parties to gain EXP passively. Even without understanding the concept of levels or power leveling, nobles have essentially gamed the system, ensuring they always have the advantage over commoners from a young age.
I glance at the high levelled Slave Merchant, then turn my attention back to Erina.
"So, are you actually comfortable fighting in the labyrinth?" I ask, studying her. Her soft, unblemished skin, delicate hands, and long, silky hair all suggest the same thing—she power-leveled those 30 Explorer levels without ever fighting or killing demons herself.
The slave merchant is about to answer, but Erina rises gracefully from her seat.
Now that she is standing, I can fully appreciate how her white shirt hugs her curves. Her body is undeniably stunning—her breasts, while smaller than Roxanne's, are still more generous than Miria's. Even her height was impressive. She is definitely taller than Roxanne, and if not for my recent growth, she might have been taller than me too. But right now, I still have the edge.
"Sir, although I am not an expert in combat, I am confident in my ability to prepare exquisite dishes using Labyrinth ingredients," Erina says with a polite yet confident smile. Then, with a hint of pride, she adds, "I guarantee that if you taste my cooking even once, you will never be able to enjoy ordinary food again." She pushes out her impressive breasts slightly as she speaks, as if emphasizing her words.
The old slave merchant steps closer, his voice lowering into a sly whisper.
"Sir, Erina has not consented to being a combat slave," he explains. "However, she is a virgin, and she has consented to being a sex slave… meaning you could experience and enjoy a Noble Woman if you purchase her." His smirk widens. "Such a rare opportunity—to own a young, beautiful, virgin noblewoman—won't come again. Don't miss your chance." He then backs of with a grin and proceeds to converse with other people.
I had barely registered his words, my attention still fixed on Erina. The crowd around us have already resumed questioning her, eager to hear more about the dishes she had made and the Labyrinth ingredients she had used. She answered gracefully, but every so often, I noticed her violet gaze flickering back to me. She must have realized that I was genuinely considering buying her.
Well I am sure, if not for whatever this poison incident was, the people here would likely be fighting tooth and nail to place the highest bid on her—not just because she was gorgeous or a noblewoman, but because of her renowned talent: God's Tongue.
Her ability wasn't just useful for cooking—it meant she likely had extensive knowledge of labyrinths, especially those with food-dropping demons. That kind of information was invaluable in a world without the internet or Google, where knowledge was hoarded in libraries and not easily accessible.
And for me? It was an opportunity I needed. I had been craving the flavors of home ever since coming to this world, trying to recreate them with limited success. But with her skill, I could finally experience the taste of my world's cuisine again.
My eyes drift towards her fair cleavage, and for some reason, my mind conjures an image of vanilla ice cream… no, chocolate ice cream, dripping over her bare big breasts. Yum.
Shaking off those thoughts, I glance at Anastasia and gesture towards the exit. I feel Erina's gaze following me as I turn to leave.
"You can sit back down now," I tell her with a small smile, meeting her brilliant purple eyes. I didn't like the way the crowd was ogling her while she remained standing on display.
She inclines her head slightly before settling back into her seat with the same effortless grace. With a composed smile, she continues answering the others' questions as if nothing had happened.
But I can still feel her gaze on me until Anastasia and I step out of the crowded room.
***
This chapter is a previous week's extra chapter and it is redeemed as a birthday gift to my supporter Van the Beard!
Happy Belated Birthday Van!
May you live long and may you keep supporting me even longer 😝
Comments
Avirat Dulera
Yes definitely, there families will be explored for sure. But there is still time for that! You can come to our discord there are some labyrinth ppl there who do love discussions! And send me a hi if you do so I can raise your tier!
Avirat Dulera
Wow thank you for your kind words! Chile looks so beautiful online btw 😲
Franz Irijillo
Question... The MC said that he would like to know more of the girls and in the OG story there's a bit dedicated to Roxane's past the problems she faced specially how she ended up a slave, on the other side Sherry's motive to become a slave was willingly made by herself to protect her family. Could there be a possibility that this MC could take Sherry to see her family again so they see that she lives a good life as a slave with a master that takes good care of her (I assume that could be worried about that)?
Franz Irijillo
Thanks for the chapters. Love what you're doing with the story. You gain a fan, greetings from Chile
Orvious
Thanks for the chapters. I caught up and am excited about the new waifus.
Avirat Dulera
Thanxx! Fixed!!
IEU097
"I glance back at the girl, who remains poised and graceful despite the swarm of people around her. She is the very picture of nobility. But my mind lingers on the striking similarities between her and someone I know from my past life." Double paragraph.
Vanthebeard
I swear I didn't read this chapter title before posting my last comment.
