The delighted-looking king was slightly surprised when he saw the prepared meal.

"Wow, you've prepared so much for this honored guest! The table is about to break!"

"I did put in a bit more effort than usual."

That's quite an overstatement - the table looks like it's about to break from just a simple meal. Is the table made of sugarcane?

Well, in an environment where they have little to eat besides their livestock, this is probably the best they can do.

And they likely don't slaughter their livestock every day, and it takes a considerable amount of time for the animals to mature, so it's understandable that their meals are modest.

"I'm worried the guests might leave, and we won't have enough food for ourselves."

"Well, we can worry about that when the time comes. Entertaining guests is an extremely important matter."

At the queen's firm words, the king's expression quickly turned gloomy. It seems the queen is the one in charge of the household.

Even a king of a nation can be the weaker one at home - that is, the husband.

Well, this has nothing to do with me!

The king cleared his throat lightly, found an empty seat, and began tasting the dishes.

"Mm, delicious as always. My wife's cooking skills are the best."

Quite tasty indeed. A bit rough, but that also adds to the flavor.

The hero who has traveled the world with me and tasted various foods also seems quite satisfied with these dishes.

Come to think of it, the cooking in this world is still rather rough. The bread is primitive and hard.

They haven't progressed much beyond the basics of baking and boiling, so it seems this world's cuisine still has a long way to go.

Anyway, if this faint sweetness is honey... did they start beekeeping somewhere?

"This food has a faint sweetness to it. Did you use honey?"

"Oh my, you noticed! You're quite perceptive."

"Honey?"

The hero tilted his head, seeming unsure.

Ah, the flavor is so faint that even you would find it difficult to detect.

"I'm not sure where the honey came from, but the subtle sweetness blends in nicely."

"You're too kind. And yes, honey is being produced little by little in Arcadia."

In Arcadia? Here?

Wow, that's quite surprising. I had just thought this place was barren.

"As for the honey, His Majesty would know more about it. Your Majesty, please explain it to our guests."

"Tch, I've told you many times to keep the honey a secret, my dear."

"But I didn't reveal it, the guest noticed it first."

"Ugh..."

The king let out a small groan and said,

"It was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, but since you are Hero and Dragon's Priestess, I'll tell you. But you must keep it strictly confidential and not reveal it elsewhere. Understood?"

"Mm, I'll keep the secret of obtaining honey by raiding beehives."

At my words, the king looked dumbfounded.

"Wait, you already knew about that?"

"I only had a vague idea that something like that might be the case."

After all, I've never actually raided a beehive myself. I just had a general sense of it from hearsay.

"Ahem. Well, raiding beehives is no easy task, so the rumors may have spread. But the honey we produce is completely different from elsewhere!"

"Hmm? Completely different? Is there something special about your honey? Do you only collect honey from specific flowers to infuse it with floral aromas?"

"Ah, no, it's not quite like that... but that's a good idea! We should try that later."

Hmm, if it's not that, then what makes their honey so special?

"The honey we produce... is made using monsters!"

"Monsters?"

"Haha, surprised, aren't you? When it comes to using monsters, it's usually just for their byproducts like hides or claws."

I was a bit surprised. Using monsters, huh? That's a pretty risky thing to do.

I'm curious to know how they managed to pull off such a dangerous feat.

"But using monsters... how did you come up with that idea? From what I know, most monsters are ferocious creatures."

"I thought the same at first - that they were just violent beasts that attack people on sight. But!"

"But?"

"Surprisingly, there are some monsters that can be tamed and domesticated!"

"Monsters tamed by people? How? Monsters that usually rush to attack people at the sight of them?"

I shook my head slightly at this unprecedented statement.

"Don't lie. I've seen monsters for a long time, but this is the first time I've heard of them following people."

"But it's true. To be honest, even I found it hard to believe until I experienced it directly."

But... hmm... could it really be true? I just can't understand how that's possible!

And to use monsters to obtain honey... hmm, did they use plant-type monsters or bee-like monsters?

Either way, it's unbelievable.

"So, what kind of monster are you using? Bees?"

At my question, the King of Makai nodded with an unavoidable smile.

"Yes, bees. To be precise, queen bees."

"Queen bees, huh... that's quite peculiar."

"It's late today, so I'll show you tomorrow. You'll only believe it after seeing it for yourself."

Hmm, I still don't believe it.

Well, since he said he'll show me tomorrow, I'll be able to confirm it then.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day.

The King of Makai led us to a small tent located a little distance from the village.

Compared to the other tents people were living in, this one was considerably smaller. But with a few guards stationed, it seemed to be managed quite thoroughly.

"What is this place?"

"This is where the monsters I mentioned yesterday are."

A faint sound could be heard from a distance, like the flapping of insect wings - buzzing.

"First, let me warn you. You may be startled when you see them, but please don't make too much noise. Agitating them could be disastrous."

As we approached the tent, the detailed structure came into view.

There was a small hole at the top of the tent, and a cone-shaped cloth was placed over it, slightly covering the hole.

And through that hole... a large number of bees were coming and going.

"Hmm..."

Honestly, it's a bit unpleasant to look at. Ugh, insects. I don't like insects.

Bees, or rather, bee-like monsters, were swarming around the hole.

They were as big as a child's fist, and the stinger on their tails was as thick as a syringe needle.

And for some reason, their front legs were sickle-shaped, like a praying mantis.

"It's a combination of a hornet and a praying mantis."

Moreover, their striped patterns were so vivid that it seemed like a warning, as if hundreds of them would swarm and attack if one missteps.

They tamed such a fearsome-looking monster...? How on earth did they manage that?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The couple was in trouble because they had run out of food.

The only thing left was a small puppy. But they couldn't eat this cute puppy.

The couple sighed softly and tried to go to work to endure the approaching winter.

"Woof! Woof!"

If the small puppy hadn't blocked the couple from leaving the house, they would have.

"Why is this child acting like this?"

"I wonder."

The couple looked at the puppy with curiosity.

The fluffy, cute puppy, seeing that the couple was paying attention to it, pushed the door and ran outside.

"Oh dear! You little one!"

The couple followed the suddenly dashing puppy out of the house.

The puppy kept running, occasionally checking to see if the couple was following closely.

When the couple seemed to be having trouble keeping up, the puppy would slow down, and when they got closer, it would run faster, keeping a distance from the couple. Finally, the puppy stopped in a forest.

"Oh dear. This child. Shouldn't have run away suddenly!"

The couple, tired from the sudden running, sat down on the ground, and the puppy, after glancing at the exhausted couple, began digging the ground.

"This child, You're getting dirty."

"Woof! Woof!"

The dog continued to dig the ground, ignoring the wife's words.

The dog kept digging the ground as if there was something important underneath.

Inside the hole it had made,

"Woof! Woof!"

"Is this a fruit from underground?"

"Wow, how amazing."

The ground was full of fist-sized fruits that had grown underground.

"Woof!"

The dog picked up one of the fruits and brought it in front of the couple, then scratched the sprouted part with its paw.

The sprouted part then turned black and began to melt.

"Oh my!"

"Why did you dig out this dangerous thing?"

The couple was startled and threw away the fruit they were holding.

"Woof! Woof!!"

The dog, seeing the couple, barked loudly and then started eating the fruit with the sprout removed.

"Woof!"

As if the fruit without the sprout was safe to eat.

- Classic folktale, The Grateful Dog.