Chapter 94: Lodging

I went to the general store and felt exhausted. I want to quickly return to the lodging and rest peacefully.

…When I returned to the lodging, I saw Martha-san and Kalk-kun bustling around. They seemed busy. It’s probably because of the tomato sauce, but I find it strange that it has become so popular. I’ll ask about it tomorrow morning.

“Welcome back. Just wait a moment,” Martha-san spotted me and called out, then came over after arranging the dishes on the table.

“Sorry for the wait. What will you have for dinner? Today, we have pasta with meat sauce and pizza toast that you taught me.”

“I was thinking of eating here, but it seems busy.”

“Sorry about that. It’s a bit crowded, and since you have children with you, it might be tough. How about I bring the food to your room?”

Hmm, it would be helpful if they could bring the food to the room. If I order extra, Bell and the others can also have some. It might work out well.

“That would be much appreciated. Since the children’s room is more spacious, could you bring it there? Also, I’m willing to pay extra if I can get about four additional portions.”

“I don’t mind, but are you going to eat that much?”

Martha-san seemed surprised. I actually wanted to add seven more portions, but that would be too abnormal. Should I mention that the spirits will also eat? …It’s better to avoid that topic. They might come to observe with great curiosity.

“Well, they are growing, after all. Ahahaha.”

I laughed it off, and Martha-san also seems to have a good appetite. Kalk eats a lot too. We all laughed cheerfully. She doesn’t seem to mind too much. I paid the additional fee and went to Sarah’s room.

I knocked on the door, and Sarah opened it and welcomed me.

“Master, welcome back.” “Master, you’re back.” “Welcome back.”

“Yeah, I’m back. Were there any problems?”

“No, no problems occurred.”

“Well, that’s good.”

Well, it hasn’t been that long, so I guess it’s scarier if something did happen.

“Welcome back!” “Kyuu!” “Welcome home!” “Kuu!”

While talking with Sarah and the others, Bell and the others flew over to greet me. It’s a heartwarming feeling. My lips naturally curled up, and I pet Bell and the others. They truly have the effect of a mental stabilizer.

“Everyone, we’ll have dinner in this room today.”

Though there are two beds and a small table, it’s a bit cramped. Once the food is brought, I’ll store the beds and bring out the table. Dealing with a large group is quite challenging.

After chatting with everyone for a while, Martha-san and Kalk-kun brought the food. They must have brought it all at once on a large tray.

Naturally, not all the dishes fit on the small table, so some were left on the tray and placed on the bed.

“Thank you. What should I do with the dishes?”

“Well, I’ll come to collect them later, so if you could gather them together, it would be helpful.”

“Understood.”

Seeing Martha-san and Kalk-kun rush out of the room, presumably busy, I bid them farewell. I motioned for the kids, who were captivated by the steaming food, to move to a corner of the room. I stored one of the provided beds in my magic bag.

“Oh, there’s a bit of dust. Silphy, could you gather the dust with your wind?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Silphy replied, a gentle breeze blew inside the room, gathering the dust in one spot. It’s amazing.

“Thank you, Silphy.”

I thanked Silphy, and brought out a table and chairs to the now clean center of the room. I arranged the food that had been brought.

I took out the dishes from the magic bag and transferred the food onto small plates. Should I also arrange the street stall food I stocked up on? Oak skewers should be fine.

………… The gaze of everyone except Silphy is intimidating. They’re focusing too much on the food. Especially the spirits, even if they don’t eat, it would be nice if they could calm down a bit. Feeling pressured by their gazes, I quickly removed the meat skewers from the tray and finally finished the preparations.

“Everyone, you can start eating.”

As soon as I spoke, everyone except me, Silphy, and Sara began to eat. It’s like a battlefield. Is everyday life like this for a big family?

But it’s a heartwarming scene. Well, there’s quite a variety, with dolphins, fox cub, boar, owls, and all. It’s a chaotic dining scene that feels like another world, and in a way, it’s a good feeling.

“If you need more, there’s street food, so let me know.”

Marco, who had stuffed his mouth full, nodded vigorously as he looked at me. Sara and Kika were also eating well, and they’ve gained some weight… maybe?

Hmm. I feel like they’ve gained a bit of weight, but since they were originally very skinny, it’s hard to tell. I’ll observe them a bit longer.

“Silphy, how about some alcohol?”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“Yeah, you flew all the way to the Labyrinth City today, and it’s been quite a tough day.”

“Hehe, I’ll gratefully accept.”

At Silphy’s request, I took out a bottle of red wine and poured it into the specially made glass wine glasses from Nomos. I’m feeling tired today, so I’ll have a little drink too.

————

After lightly drinking alcohol and getting a good night’s sleep, I felt completely refreshed from yesterday’s fatigue. I’m still young, huh. As I got up, Silphy and the others appeared.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Yuta, good morning.”

“Yuta, good morning” “Kyu-kyu.” “Good morning.” “Kuku.”

I greeted Silphy and the others and performed a cleansing spell all over my body while changing clothes. I always think this cleansing magic lifestyle is very convenient. But I also want to take a bath soon. Maybe I should consider building a bath in the Land of Death.

…Huh? …I wonder if I could find a hot spring if I ask Dyne or Nomos. It feels like I could dig a hot spring if it’s considered a development tool… No, if I ask Nomos, he might easily drill a hole to the hot spring source.

When I imagine myself taking a bath in the scorching heat, one thing bothers me. Is it really enjoyable to take a hot bath in the midst of a heatwave?

Even in summer, I feel like the air conditioning plays a big role in making baths enjoyable, but I wonder if that’s really the case? Hmm. If I have Silphy cool me down right after taking a bath, there shouldn’t be a problem, right? I need to think about these things carefully and make a decision.

“Yuta, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. Shall we go to Sara’s place?”

I left the room and knocked on Sara’s door, calling out to her.

“Good morning, Master.” “Master, good morning.” “Good morning.” “Ho” “Pya”

I was invited into the room and exchanged greetings with Sarah and the others. However, Uri, as cute as she is, I can’t help but think that a boar isn’t suitable as a pet every time.

“Good morning, everyone. What would you like for breakfast?”

“Meat bread!”

As soon as I heard that, Bell quickly raised her hand. It refers to a sandwich with thick orc meat. Bell loves to take big bites out of that sandwich.

“Are you okay with having a meaty breakfast?”

“I’m fine!”

Seems like she’s fine. She’s young, after all. Rain and the others also nodded in agreement, so the decision for the spirits’ breakfast was set on sandwiches with thick orc meat. I need to buy more soon, or Bell and the others will be disappointed when it’s gone.

“Well then, we’re going to the dining hall, so everyone stay here.”

Leaving Bell and the others who were already biting into the bread, Sarah, Silphy, and I headed towards the dining hall for breakfast.

“Good morning, Martha-san.”

“Good morning. Breakfast, right?”

“Yes, please prepare it for four people.”

“Alright, just wait a moment.”

We sat at the assigned table and chatted leisurely while waiting for breakfast to be served. However, the children were filled with enthusiasm and kept asking questions about being a spirit mage, which made me a little troubled.

I don’t know many helpful things, so cracks are starting to appear early on the facade of my role as a mentor, and it’s quite a difficult situation. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Martha-san bringing the food.

“Sorry for the wait. Today’s breakfast is a new creation. Give it a try.”

Looking at the dish placed on the table, is this chicken tomato stew? They’re already developing new menu items.

“Is it tomato stew? I’m looking forward to it.”

“We have the same dish. It’s stewed rough bired. Let me know if you notice anything strange.”

“I’m not confident, but I’ll let you know if I notice anything.”

“Thanks. Oops, I have to bring the food. See you later.”

As Martha-san returned to work, we started eating breakfast. The chicken was tender and fell apart in my mouth, and the tomato soup containing the softened meat flowed in my mouth.

As always, Torque-san’s cooking has a strong garlic flavor. I love it, but it might be too much for some people.

The chicken is a bit dry, so it seems like it was cooked for too long. But even the chicken stew I had in Japan was quite dry, so maybe it’s unavoidable? Hmm, dipping the hard bread in tomato soup makes it quite delicious, but I don’t have any advice to offer. Speaking of which…

“Sara, Marco, Kika, how does it taste?”

“It’s delicious.” “Yummy.” “I like it.”

It seems like Sara and the others also enjoy it, but their opinions don’t provide much reference. It seems I can’t pretend to be knowledgeable. Let’s just enjoy the food without overthinking.

“Phew, it was delicious. I’m going to talk to Martha-san for a bit, so Sara and the others can go back to the room and rest.”

After sending Sara and the others back to the room, Martha-san, who seemed to have some free time, approached me.

“How was the taste?”

“It was delicious. I couldn’t find any flaws.”

“Oh, is that so? My husband will be happy too.”

Martha-san happily patted my back. It’s strange how even though I’ve leveled up, I can still feel the pain.

“By the way, there were many customers during lunch and dinner, but there are fewer people in the morning.”

“Yeah, in the morning, it’s only the guests staying overnight. Well, if I can’t relax in the morning, delicate me might collapse, so it’s just right.”

I see. So the number of overnight guests has decreased, huh? Are you okay? And by the way, weak people can’t just harm me by hitting me, right?

“By the way, there are so many customers coming here, just with the recipes I taught. Is it really because of me?”

“Oh, well, at first, it was just a few customers out of curiosity. There’s a receptionist at the Commercial Guild in the Labyrinth City who is passionate about gourmet food. She heard the rumors and came to try it. And then, she praised it highly, saying it was a new flavor. She’s an influential person, so the next day, we were booming with customers.”

…I see. So there’s a charismatic figure in gourmet food. It seems to have the effect of being featured on a TV program. The question now is whether we can sustain popularity.

“Is that so? I’m sorry if I caused some trouble by ordering various things and making the inn a bit different. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“Hahaha, thanks to you, the boss is all fired up. You haven’t caused any trouble. But if you teach us new dishes, we’ll gladly accept them.”

Should I take that literally? It’s true that there are many customers now… but even if things get tough, they won’t burden me, so it’s better to stay quiet. I should request a dish I want to try when the timing is right. That way, I can be somewhat helpful.

“If I come up with something, I’ll ask for it, so please take care of me when that time comes. Also, could you make a full pot of roughbird Stew for me?”

“Sure thing. But it’ll get busy in a little while, so it’s only possible tomorrow morning. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

I say goodbye to Martha and return to my room. Personally, I’d like to try some Orc meat tonkatsu, but it seems like it would be tough for the restaurant right now, so I’ll wait and request it later. Silphy seems interested too, and I want to feed Bell and the others as well, so I should buy some in advance.

Alright, next, I’ll go to the Adventurer’s Guild alone, take on a quest, and then we can all head to the labyrinth. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Adventurer’s Guild, and I’m excited to see what kind of reception awaits me.