Chapter 18

Just stepping away from the table for a moment, the young sage was already waiting with her fork planted, impatiently tapping her foot in the dining room.

I sighed and placed the plate of food in front of her.

"What is this? Just a lump of meat! Don't think you can satisfy me just because there are several kinds on the plate!"

"Just try it. Complain after you eat it!"

"Hmm... If I'm not satisfied with this, I won't give you the spellbook!"

I sat across from her and watched as Natalie stabbed her fork into the meat and cut off a bite with her knife.

"What... It cuts so easily!? And juice is flowing out!? What is this!?"

As she put it in her mouth, Natalie's eyes widened in surprise. I couldn't help but make a victory pose under the table.

"What is this delicious meat!? Meat should be chewier. But... this is definitely meat. How about the others?"

The dish I placed was a "mixed grill." It included a hamburger, teriyaki chicken, and a sausage, with potatoes and corn on the side. In the game, there's a hunger gauge, and these are items to restore it.

I placed two pieces of bread in front of Natalie, who was engrossed in the meat. This is also a recovery item. It doesn't restore much, but it's still better than any bread in this town. The supply is limited, but it should be fine for today.

"Eat the bread too. It's delicious."

"That's perfect. I was thinking it was all meat."

Natalie picked up a piece of bread, tore it, and brought it to her mouth.

"What is this bread!? It's soft and chewy. I've never eaten anything like this!"

As I watched her eat in surprise, my stomach growled from hunger. I took the same dish and started eating.

"Really delicious..."

I savored the modern Japanese cuisine, which used a variety of seasonings.

After that, we ate in silence. Natalie muttered to herself but didn't stop eating.

Despite being called a sage, with her small mouth moving, she still looked like a little girl.

After finishing my meal, I sipped my drink and waited for Natalie to finish.

"---I lost. I've never eaten anything like this... I'm satisfied!"

Natalie admitted it honestly and took out three spellbooks from her dimensional storage, placing them on the table.

"Here are the items we agreed on. Take them! I'm satisfied today."

I took the spellbooks and put them in my dimensional storage, then placed a plate in front of Natalie.

"This is a service from me. Consider it a thank you for the spellbooks."

"What is this white thing... and there's a red thing on top?"

"Just try it. It's delicious."

I smiled and handed her a new fork.

Natalie took the fork with a curious look and put the shortcake in her mouth.

The moment the whipped cream hit her tongue, her face showed shock, but then her expression softened, and she looked happy. Seeing this, I felt confident that I had "won."

She couldn't stop eating until the cake was gone. Then, she looked at the empty plate with a sad expression, glancing at me, clearly wanting more. But in this world, where I can't reproduce things, I couldn't give her all the limited items I had.

"---No more, okay?"

At my words, her shoulders slumped in despair, but she didn't give up.

"Hey... I want to eat that white thing again... I've never had such delicious sweets..."

But I shook my head.

"Really? If you want it, will you give me something in exchange? Like the one you just gave?"

"Well... I don't have much left... and I might not be able to make it again."

"I'll give you anything! Even a higher-level spellbook. So... let me eat it again..."

"No, no, that's a problem..."

I maintained my refusal, and Natalie crossed her arms, thinking. Then she made a surprising offer.

"---Alright. How about the spellbooks and this mansion? What do you think?"

A spellbook would be great, but the mansion too!? That's fine.

---I still have 98 left...

"---Alright. Let's do it. But just one more, okay?"

"Wow! Really! Thank you!"

Actually, I should be the one thanking you...

I brought out another plate of shortcake and placed it in front of Natalie.

"Here! The sweetness of the white part, the softness of the cake, and the tartness of the red part all blend together perfectly."

Natalie started eating the shortcake slowly, savoring it. I watched her, resting my cheek on my hand.

With Felis here, it might be nice to relax in this mansion... Maybe I'll even get a wife here someday...

I let my imagination run wild.

While I was daydreaming, Natalie finished the cake.

"I'm satisfied. As agreed, I'll give you this mansion. I didn't bring the spellbooks today, but I'll give them to you tomorrow. We'll change the name at the commercial guild. Come by around noon tomorrow."

"Understood... I'll gratefully use this mansion."

Natalie left after eating and feeling satisfied.

I took a bath and went to bed.

In the empty room, I spoke to the ceiling.

"Felis, I'm getting this mansion tomorrow. Let's work together from now on."

After saying that, I closed my heavy eyelids and fell into a dream.

Thank you as always.

I worked hard this week, but I plan to reduce the update frequency a bit next week.

I need to start taking the revision work more seriously...

Thank you for your continued support.