CH 74

Face-to-Face Meeting?

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After finishing Sara and the others’ adventurer registration, we return to the inn. Since I had taken them around quite a bit, I need to arrange a room for Sara and the others to rest.

“Oh? These children are from the slums, aren’t they? What happened?”

Before I could start the conversation, Martha interjected with the next topic. She’s as laid-back as ever.

“Well, um, because the reputation of a spirit mage is really bad, I took them as my disciples. They should be able to overturn the bad reputation of the spirit mages. Do you know these children?”

“Well, yeah. They would occasionally come here to get leftovers. I see, you guys are lucky. This customer may have a bad reputation, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person, so do your best and make the most of this opportunity.”

So Sara and the others have been relying on Martha as well. Come to think of it, they mentioned receiving leftovers from her. Sara and the others are expressing their gratitude to Martha and pledging to do their best. They seem to be more attached to her than to me. Kika is also speaking with a smile.

“Well, that’s the situation, so we’ll need an additional room. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for one night.”

“Alright.”

Martha said it was fine to stay for free as thanks for the recipe, but I felt like I was causing too much trouble, so I managed to persuade her to let us pay for the lodging.

“Alright. Sara and the others must be tired. It’s best to rest in your rooms until dinner. After dinner, we’ll study a bit of spirit magic.”

“Understood.” “Got it.” (Hmm…)

They seemed a bit anxious. Well, they’ve managed to survive in the slums, so they’ll get used to it quickly. I should rest too.

“Silphy, how are Bell and the others doing?”

“Just a moment. Hmm, it seems like they’re checking out various food stalls. They’ve become quite interested in eating.”

It’s good that they’re enjoying eating. Spirits don’t seem to have any nutritional needs, but since they laugh and say it’s delicious when they eat, there must be some meaning to it.

If they were checking out food stalls, they must be hungry, so I’ll have them eat before dinner. I should summon Bell and the others.

“Back!” “Kyuu-kyuu!” “We’re back!” “Kuu.”

“Welcome back, everyone. Did you have fun?”

“We had so much fun! We saw lots of delicious things!” “Kyukyukyu!” “We saw something we wanted to eat.” “Kuuku.”

They all simultaneously explained what they enjoyed. …I have no idea. I can somewhat understand Turu’s explanation, but Rain’s and Tamamo’s words are completely incomprehensible.

“It seems like you found things you liked. Well then, since we’ll be returning to the Land of Death tomorrow, let’s buy lots of food from the stalls.”

Bell, Rain, Turu, and Tamamo happily started flying around the room. It seems Bell’s favorite is soup since sheh is excitedly cheering. I wonder what kind of soup it is, it piques my curiosity.

I calm down Bell and the others who are flying around and ask them what they want to eat today. After discussing among themselves, they decide on thick orc meat sandwiches. It’s heartwarming to see Bell and the others eating the sandwiches with gusto, making “haguhagu” sounds.

By the way, when I asked Silphy if she wanted to eat, she politely declined. It must be difficult to pique Silphy’s interest with regular meals.

“Alright, I’ll go have dinner, so Bell and the others can relax in the room. After you finish eating, there’s something I’d like your help with, so please.”

Leaving Bell and the others in the room, I go to pick up Sara and the others and head to the dining hall. As I enter, the dining hall falls silent. The atmosphere changes as usual. I gestured to reassure the confused Sara and the others and sit at a table.

“Is everyone okay with trying a new menu item? It’s called Naporitan, recommended by a customer.”

Oh, Naporitan, that sounds exciting. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll ask Sara and the others if they have anything they want to eat.

“Well, then. Does anyone have something they want to eat?”

As I ask, they all shake their heads, so we’ll go with the new menu item. While waiting for our meal, we discuss our plans, and Martha brings over the Naporitan.

Oh, it smells great. The appearance is quite close to Naporitan, but the flat pasta feels a bit odd. Come to think of it, don’t they have dried pasta? It might be worth looking into.

“Everyone, you can start eating. If you’re still hungry, feel free to have seconds, okay?”

“Master, can I have seconds?” Marco asked.

The meals at this inn are generally generous, so I’m not sure if you’ll be able to finish it all. The spaghetti, in particular, is piled up like a mountain.

“Yeah, but since I’ll be feeding you properly from now on, there’s no need to force yourself to eat. Once you feel full, you can stop.”

They haven’t eaten much, so it wouldn’t be good to overeat all at once. Upon hearing my words, Marco eagerly scoops up pasta with his fork and starts eating. I should teach him how to twirl the fork first.

“Mm, mmph.”

“Marco, try not to talk with food in your mouth. It’s impolite. And when eating pasta, twirl it with your fork and then bring it to your mouth.”

Perhaps because Marco still has pasta in his mouth, he nods and responds. Watching this, Sara and Kika also take their forks and bring the pasta to their mouths.

As I observe the two of them chewing on the pasta, their faces gradually turn into smiles. It seems to suit their taste.

“Master, it’s delicious.” “Delicious.”

Kika also softly voices her impression. Things seem to be going well. Food is amazing. Now, I shouldn’t just watch; I need to eat too.

I twirl the spaghetti and bring it to my mouth. Hmm… The pasta itself has a slight off-taste. Could it be the quality of the tomatoes or insufficient sugar in the ketchup? It lacks sweetness. And Napoli-style spaghetti is usually made with flat noodles, so it feels a bit strange with dry noodles.

It feels like something is missing. However, the oak meat they used is delicious, so overall, I think it’s a satisfying taste. But well, I might want some powdered cheese or Tabasco too.

As I’m assessing the taste, heavy footsteps approach.

“How is the taste? I haven’t tried it myself, so I adjusted the flavor based on instinct, but I think it’s not bad.”

“Yes, well, since I come from a distant place, please keep in mind that my taste buds might be different.”

Not just from a distant place, but from a different planet altogether. I need to consider the possibility of taste discrepancies.

“Hmm? Yeah, that’s possible. Well, go ahead and give me your opinions.”

“Understood. What I thought was that it lacks sugar or the ketchup doesn’t have enough sweetness, and I think the noodles would be better if they were a bit thinner. Also, sprinkling powdered cheese or adding chili pepper to give it some spiciness would be delicious too.”

“I see. Sweetness, huh? Hmm. Powdered cheese and chili pepper sound good. I’ll see if I can get thinner noodles from my supplier.”

Saying only that, he muttered to himself and returned to the kitchen. Looks like he’s going to pull another all-nighter.

“Master, did you teach them this dish?”

“Yes, that’s right. It seems to be a rare dish in this place, coming from my hometown. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. It’s really delicious.”

I feel like I’m being respected more than when facing the Fire dragon. Sara is looking at me with sparkling eyes. Maybe she’s interested in cooking?

“I’m glad you like it. Eat plenty.”

Sara, who seemed to have a small appetite from a frugal diet, managed to finish her plate, albeit with some effort. Kika gave up halfway through. Marco, on the other hand, finished his own plate and even Kika’s leftovers, looking a bit uncomfortable. I did tell him not to overdo it, though.

——————

“Yuta. Who are they?” “Kyuu?” “Someone we don’t know.” “Kuu.”

When I entered the room, Bell and the others eagerly asked me. Well, I guess they would be curious since I let them go play before meeting Sara. Sensing the presence of Bell and the others who had gathered, Sara looked bewildered and glanced at me.

“These guys are Sara, Marco, and Kika. They have become my disciples, so please get along with them.”

“Nice to meet you.” “Kyuu.” “Understood.” “Kuu.”

Bell and the others flew around Sara and Marco with great curiosity. It made Sara and Marco even more confused. I need to explain to them as well.

“Sara, Marco, Kika, you can sense their presence, right? I wasn’t just talking to myself. I introduced you to the spirits I’m contracted with.”

“Master has contracted with many spirits, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. You probably can’t see them, but I’ll introduce them to you anyway.”

While explaining one by one, including their names, attributes, and forms, I introduced the spirits to Sara and Marco. Bell and the others also greeted them with a “Nice to meet you,” but they obviously couldn’t hear it.

“We won’t do anything difficult today. Let’s try communicating with the spirits. Since you can sense their presence, it should be possible.”

I had been thinking about a communication method that they could do. If they can sense the presence, it should work. I explained it to both Sara and Bell.

“Bell and the others can understand words, so Sara, try extending both hands and ask them various questions. If it’s ‘yes,’ they will move to your right hand, and if it’s ‘no,’ they will move to your left hand. If they don’t understand, they will stay in place.”

Bell, Rain, Turu, and Tamamo seemed excited that they would have more people to communicate with. They were waiting eagerly.

“Oh, that’s interesting. I never thought we would communicate with spirits using this method.”

“Really? It’s surprising that no one else has tried it, considering that they can sense their presence. Weren’t there people who could talk to spirits and see their forms?”

Now that you mention it, it’s true. But in general, mages tend to keep their techniques secret, and the people they teach can only sense their presence. Maybe that’s why it didn’t spread. Nowadays, they seem to be mostly focused on studying spells, although it’s become confusing and difficult to understand.”

The art of summoning spirits seems to have taken a wrong turn. Using complicated words that aren’t understood would lead to more misfires. I understand now. I should tell Sara and the others not to reveal the training method, so that they won’t be taken advantage of. If I want to spread it, I need to come up with a strategy first.