Chapter 3-8 : Relaxing Night At The Port City (part 1)
The sky had begun to darken when we returned to the inn.
「Welcome back, dear guests. Dinner is ready. Would you like to eat in your room or in the dining hall?」(employee)
A staff member in a neat uniform greeted us with a bow as soon as we arrived in the lobby.
Seems like it’s time for dinner. I can already smell the delicious aroma wafting from the direction of the dining hall.
I glanced at Thea, asking where we should eat, but she just glanced back at me. I think she says, “It’s up to you”.
Since the delicious aroma is inviting me to the dining hall, I guess I’ll eat there.
「Dining hall, please.」(Kako)
「Understood.」(employee)
「Ojou-sama, I will take your luggage to the room. You can go ahead without me.」(Thea)
Just when I thought of heading to our room first to put my magic bags away, Thea held out her hand and asked to do it for me.
「Are you sure?」(Kako)
「Of course. It’s my job as your maid.」(Thea)
「Umm, alright then. Thank you, Thea.」(Kako)
「No problem.」(Thea)
I handed her my magic bags and let her take them to my room. She looked pleased for some reason.
「She probably thinks there’s no point in her coming along if she doesn’t do something useful for you-nya.」(Nyat)
「Really. She’s truly a hard worker.」(Kako)
I’m glad to have a diligent maid like Thea, but I hope she can go easy on herself and relax for a bit.
「Miss, shall we go to the dining hall now?」(inn employee)
「Ah, un.」(Kako)
「Then, please follow me.」(employee)
The employee guided Nyat and me to the dining hall.
Just as expected from a luxurious inn. The dining hall was huge. It looked like a deluxe restaurant rather than an inn’s dining hall.
First of all, the interior was gorgeous. The tables were covered in a clean white tablecloth with complex embroidery, and the chairs were carved like works of art. Moreover, the sparkling chandeliers on the ceiling, the lovely paintings on the walls, and all the expensive decorations made the room look premium.
Also, in one corner, there was an attractive female singer singing a foreign song with her beautiful voice while the talented male pianist next to her played gentle melodies that were pleasant to hear, making the atmosphere in the dining hall lively and delightful.
All the people here, who seemed to be nobles and rich people, were enjoying their meals while listening to the live music.
I felt like I was in a fancy restaurant where only celebrities, politicians, and businessmen frequent.
「Wow! What a magnificent dining hall!」(Kako)
「Thank you for your compliment. This is your seat, Miss.」(employee)
The employee took us to our table and kindly pulled out two chairs for me and Nyat.
「Thank you.」(Kako)
「Thank you-nya.」(Nyat)
「My pleasure. Your dishes will be brought to you in a moment.」(employee)
Now that his job was done, the employee bowed to us and returned to his post in the lobby.
Soon after, another employee in a waiter uniform came while holding two trays of food with both hands.
「Thank you for waiting. Our menu for the appetizer tonight is crab salad with seaweed.」(waiter)
The waiter put two small plates of appetizer salad on the table. He then politely bowed and immediately left to serve other guests.
Crab salad, huh? At first, I thought it would look similar to kani salad in Japan, but when I saw it, it looked different.
Unlike kani salad, they seem to use various kinds of seaweed instead of vegetables in this salad. Moreover, the color of the seaweed was much more vibrant than normal seaweed, and by ‘normal seaweed’, I mean the one on Earth. It was so vibrant that it might glow in the dark.
「Uhh… This color looks kinda suspicious. Is it really edible?」(Kako)
「They wouldn’t have served it if it wasn’t edible-nya. *Munch munch*」(Nyat)
Nyat grabbed his fork and started eating the salad.
「Ugh, I feel like I’m eating grass-nya. I’m really not a fan of salad-nya…」(Nyat)
「Fufu. You prefer meat after all.」(Kako)
「Nyats right!」(Nyat)
*/TL : Kani salad literally means crab salad. It’s a delicious Japanese-inspired salad that’s made with thin crab sticks, crunchy vegetables, and a light, refreshing mayo dressing.
Since Nyat ate it, this salad must be edible despite its suspicious color.
I grabbed my fork and took my first bite nervously.
「………Hmm…?」(Kako)
I thought it would be bitter, but it’s surprisingly tasty.
The first thing that stimulated my sense of taste was the dressing. It was sweet, but also savory at the same time. It matched perfectly with the sourness of this suspicious-looking seaweed.
Lastly, the crab meat was the real star of this salad. It was thick and chewy, and it was much more flavorful than normal crab meat. I had never eaten crab this good in my previous life.
「Mmm~ It’s sooo good~!」(Kako)
Nyat didn’t seem to like it, but I love it! I was wrong for doubting it at first.
However, even though it tastes really good, I don’t think this salad is perfect. The reason is that the taste of the dressing is not strong enough. I feel like the dressing is overwhelmed by the flavorful seaweed and crab meat.
If I use my Synthesis ability to improve the quality of the dressing, it might be able to match the flavor of the other ingredients, but there’s no way I would use my ability here. Perhaps I should try it next time.
Well, regardless of that flaw, this crab salad has really impressed me. If the appetizer alone is this delicious, I wonder how the main dish will taste.
After finishing the wonderful appetizer salad, the waiter came back with another dish.
「The next dish is seafood stew. Please enjoy.」(waiter)
「Thank you.」(Kako)
I immediately took a spoonful of the soup and started eating as the waiter left.
「Mmm~! It’s really good too!」(Kako)
The soup was so creamy and had plenty of seafood in it.
I could taste various types of seafood, but the most obvious one was the clam. It reminded me of clam chowder on Earth.
By the way, clam chowder can have quite a strong flavor sometimes, depending on the ingredients and how it’s made, and some people don’t like it because of that. However, this one doesn’t taste too strong. I think the people who don’t like clam chowder will find it easy to eat.
Other than clam, I could taste fish fillets and shrimp used as the ingredients for the broth. Also, I could feel something chewy in my mouth. The chewiness is quite pleasant in my mouth. It’s not too hard and not too tender either. I think I know this texture. It must be squid.
…Hm? Hold on… Squid!?
「Nyat, stop! You can’t eat that!」(Kako)
「*Gulp gulp* Pwaah~ …Nya?」(Nyat)
「Aa…」(Kako)
I was too late. He gulped the entire bowl in one go.
「Nyat… That soup has squid in it!」(Kako)
「What’s wrong with it-nya?」(Nyat)
「It’s squid, you know! Squid!! Are you okay eating it?」(Kako)
As I panicked, Nyat calmly folded his arms and snorted.
「Huh? What are you talking about-nya? I’m okay with eating squid-nya.」(Nyat)
「Re, really? You… feeling okay?」(Kako)
「Of course-nya.」(Nyat)
As he said, he didn’t show any signs of feeling distressed whatsoever after finishing his soup.
「I see… I heard squid is poisonous to cats, so…」(Kako)
「Huh? Is that why you panicked-nya? I’m grateful for your concern, but I’m not a cat-nya!」(Nyat)
「Ahaha…」(Kako)
He looked somewhat pissed.
「Kako ojou-sama, cattos are different from cats. They basically can eat the same food as humans. Besides, I don’t know where you heard that, but the fact that squid is poisonous to cats is not entirely true. It’s poisonous to cats only if it’s raw. It’s safe if it’s properly cooked, like this soup.」(Thea)
「Ah, I see. As expected from Thea. You know a lot! …Hm? …Thea!?」(Kako)
Hearing Thea’s voice all of a sudden, I turned my head and saw her standing so naturally behind me.
「Since when were you standing there?」(Kako)
「Since you were eating the soup.」(Thea)
「I see…」(Kako)
I was enjoying the soup so much that I didn’t notice her at all.
「So? Why are you still standing? Take a seat and let’s eat together.」(Kako)
「Thank you, Kako ojou-sama, but I can’t.」(Thea)
「Eh? Why?」(Kako)
「It’s an unspoken rule here that servants can’t eat with their masters.」(Thea)
「What?」(Kako)
「Kako, look around you-nya.」(Nyat)
I looked around as Nyat told me and noticed that the people with servants were eating at their table, but their servants were just standing next to them.
Now I understand why. Seems like it’s not proper for the servants to eat with their masters at the same table, especially in a public place like this.
「I see… But, Thea, do you think I care about that kind of rule? Besides, I’m visiting this city as a merchant, not as a noble lady.」(Kako)
As I said that, Thea smiled at me, but then she shook her head.
「You’re so kind, Kako ojou-sama, but I’m still your personal servant, not your friend or your family. I will just stand here until you’re done eating. Don’t worry about me, I will eat later.」(Thea)
「Hahh… You’re so stiff as always.」(Kako)
If I knew Thea wouldn’t eat with me, I wouldn’t have chosen to eat here.
This dining hall is gorgeous, but I prefer to eat in my room if I can eat with Thea.
「Thea, next time I’m just going to eat in our room, so let’s eat together next time.」(Kako)
「Understood.」(Thea)
Thea replied to me with a nod. I could see a gentle smile on her face. She looked happy. She then silently watched over me while I was eating.
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