Chapter 651: Summer Spirit Festival 9
After shopping at the market, we took a rickshaw back to Carlos’ mansion. Lunch was prepared for us.
“You’ve come at such a good time. I’m busy so it’s a shame we can’t have a seated dinner, but you’re my benefactors. I’ll do my best to entertain you”
Nancy-san declared and set up a table in front of the house where we were staying and served us a mountain of food. Starting with a whole roasted pig, there was an elaborate stew, a large fish, which is hard to find in these parts, and a basket overflowing with freshly baked bread. A mountain of fruit was served with a maid to cut the fruit.
“There is also alcohol”
“You should have just the right amount. I know it’s not for me to say, but”
The glass cups of the beautiful purple liquor that glistens in the sun, Luna showed interest in it, but I had to give her a warning. I’m usually the first one to go down with this kind of drink. I’m not very persuasive when I try to warn her.
“Umm. It’s really delicious. Come on, Fennel, you must drink too”
“It would be a shame if you didn’t eat the food as well, Irina-sama”
Irina started drinking without hesitation. Well, it’s safe here so it’s okay if I get drunk and Hilda is here so I can always use magic to get rid of the sobriety……I think I’ll have a drink too. And while I was already starting to feel unsteady, Neia and Beatrice were approaching the roasted pig.
“The pig is full of wildness. I’m proud of you, Celesta”
“These things are kind of egregious……”
“Is it? Beatrice didn’t do much to imitate roasting and eating monster meat outside the valley?”
“I, I don’t go on expeditions that require me to do something like that. I mean, do you do that on a daily basis?! You’re trying to eat it, but the monsters don’t get more and more, you know!?”
“If the rest are in the range where they come to you by smell, you don’t have to go looking for them. It takes time for the fire to fully cook anyway”
“……You say things like that with a straight face……”
She spends days traveling alone outside the valley, hunting monsters while gathering food locally. That’s not sensible for a girl to do alone, but for Neia, even the smoke from cooking was an aid to the hunt.
“But just roasting a monster would have been enough to make it 『Edible』. It would have been impossible to create an aroma that would stimulate the appetite. It is wonderful to have a rich food culture”
“Well……even a pinch of salt was precious……”
Neia quickly slices off a piece with a knife. She suddenly cuts a thick piece of meat the size of two palms, but I wonder if it’s okay. ……I’m sure it will be fine. It’s Neia after all. The maid poured me a glass of alcohol and I gulped it down. The clear sweetness combined with the heat of the alcohol makes me think that this is something that girls would like.
“Is this one of those famous cocktails?”
“Yes, it’s a cocktail called Baby Baby. It’s said that it is often used to give girls who are not used to drinking a good time”
“……Yeah. Well, I understand”
What’s with the maid explaining that so openly? Normally, women don’t like to talk about that sort of thing.
“Andy, I got some meat”
“Here are the fruits”
As if to show me the way, Anzeros and Aurora came up to me with my share of the food.
“Yes, aah”
“A, Aah……ngu”
I have no reason to refuse the meat offered to me by Anzeros, so I take it as it is. Yes. It was top-quality. The sweetness of the fat and the tenderness of the meat are on a different level from the skewers served at street stalls. It was so good that I felt ashamed of my narrow-mindedness in putting it in the same category just because it was meat.
“Is this meat from Neia´s place?”
“It was grilled separately. Apparently it was wild buffalo meat that was carefully prepared for steak using magic”
“There’s something like that……”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that at home, either. Celesta’s magic culture is amazing”
The dark elf culture has a large population that can handle magic as a matter of course. This means that there are people in various fields who are thinking of using original spells for business purposes. If you can use it in the direction of food processing, you can make high quality meat that is delicious on a different level than ordinary meat.
“I hear that the oranges here are also of the highest quality, thanks to the introduction of magic management in their cultivation”
“I see……wow, these look like candy or something”
I take a bite and am surprised. The sweetness and aroma of this orange is unlike any other orange I know. The acidity is slightly reduced, there is not the slightest bit of acidity in the juice and the grains themselves are plump and……only leave a pleasing sensation in the mouth.
“I thought Celesta cuisine was all about boldness……I was a little naive”
I can only tip my hat to the exquisite experience, no matter what I eat. I’ve had feasts before, but this time, as it was lunch, many of the dishes were simply prepared and perhaps the quality of the ingredients was once again pushed to the forefront. Nord and Hilda were a little satisfied with my impression.
“There were some high quality ingredients that you can’t serve to everyone. Sister-in-law Nancy must be very grateful”
“I think it’s not wrong to think of the cooking method itself as being simple☆ It’s a different direction from Trot’s elaborate cooking”
I guess the Trot way is to devise cooking methods to make delicious food, while the Celesta way is to improve the ingredients themselves in various ways. Only the very rich can afford such ingredients, though the average person is unaware of this culture. Seeing the lunch in such a state, Mira-san and the other sisters were somewhat aglow.
“I can’t believe they’re doing something so childish……they can’t serve anything more lame than this”
“Huhuhu, it, it’s a good opening to make them think that this is the limit”
“Say that. Cima, are you sure you can handle that material……? Can we go to the market again?”
“No, I’ve already bought the ingredients. It’s a chef’s pride to go and try!”
I remembered that the three sisters promised to cook dinner for us. If they are going to give us a taste experience beyond this, I can’t help but hope for the best. ……By the way.
“Hey Emma, what’s up with Laila and the others?”
What I was wondering was that there was good booze, but no Laila or Maia. They were the ones who would be the first to jump at it. Emma was modestly sipping grilled fish and alcohol, but she panicked a little and said, 「Didn’t I tell you?」.
“Those two are going to Helicon for some sandworms”
“……A, Ah, they mentioned something like that, over there”
Sandworms, giant worms that crawl around in the sand. Only a dragon would feel comfortable luring them out and eating them. When the dragon stamps its foot on the sand, the sandworms respond to the sound and gather. If a sandworm bites a dragon, a normal race would lose an entire arm and a leg, but a huge limb covered with scales would not be hurt much. For Helicon, which is sometimes attacked by entire towns, the dragon’s playful behavior must have been very gratifying.
“I thought it was odd that they went to the trouble of having Emma escort me while Maia was there, but I guess that’s how it works”
“I, I don’t intend to let that blue dragon dictate that much to me”
“No, it’s not like her to leave my protection to someone else when she has no other business. She’s always clingy”
The fact that she flew to help Laila suggests that Maia must like Helicon in her own way.
“……Now that I think of it, how are Bauz and the others doing?”
I almost forgot they were being entertained, but I wonder if they are being treated well, too. The maid who was serving the drinks answered that question.
“We have been talking to them during the evening and those who are willing to work here at Onyx are being trained immediately. As for Becker-sama, he is currently negotiating with Trident’s main office. The Trident’s owner is a bit of a long-winded man, so he may not be back until nightfall”
“Trident?”
“The center of the tricorn ogre union. It’s the family home of Becker-sama’s wife”
“Ah, I see”
It’s a little troubling to be told on the assumption that I know it, but I guess it’s that famous in Talc.
“What about Bauz?”
“Bauz-sama is still in the guest room with Yufa-sama. I guess Yufa-sama feels awkward in the middle of all the dark elves”
“Oh, I see”
Yufa-dono is an ordinary elf. It’s probably hard to casually go sightseeing in Talc, where there are a lot of dark elves. I wonder why he’s so timid even though he’s a dragon rider, but I’ve heard that dragon riders who do strange things to stand out are in the minority, so I guess that’s just how it is.
“So I guess that means……I can’t move today”
By moving, I mean moving from Talc to somewhere else. Well, I’m not in such a hurry at the moment. Neither Laila nor Maia were present. And Special Agent Becker has not returned yet. I can’t go too far without going out.
“I think I’ll just relax in my room this afternoon……”
As I mumbled to myself while munching on my feast, I heard a clap of hands behind my back.
“If you’re looking for a place close by, how about our place?”
When I turned around, I saw Miss Cosmos with a big smile on her face.
“Our brothel is very close. If you sound the trumpet, we’re close enough to hear you”
“Ah, no, even so, it’s not like I’m going to just walk in there”
And also, the female slaves don’t look good, so please don’t talk openly about brothels and such like that. The only one who looked blatantly unhappy was Luna, who thought that the atmosphere of the place was going to get worse…….
“……What’s a brothel?”
“……That, it’s a place……where women take money in exchange for having sexual intercourse with men”
“Eh, is that the kind of thing where the women take money on their side……?”
Beatrice didn’t understand the concept of a brothel and Neia had a hard time explaining it. As for Anzeros and Aurora.
“Can I come with you? Hilda mentioned it before and I’d like to see if there’s any professional etiquette”
“Indeed, as a female slave, it’s better to know how to satisfy a man”
Eh, has it been decided that I’m going? The rest are Irina and Fennel……ha, Irina is starting to get drunk. Fennel gestured lightly and said, 「I have to take care of this」. Baby baby, you’re really strong. Hilda and Nord chuckled and said, 「Well, it was our turn yesterday and today」. They seemed to be giving up their turn since sex had been given priority. The other three sisters had gone off to prepare food and it was up to Gloria…….
‘”Of course you’re going, right? A real, authentic dark elf brothel!”
Her eyes lit up.
“It’s not just dark elves, though. There are ogres, humans and fox beasts too”
“It sounds extra interesting♪”
……So, what are they going to do by going to look around in droves? Are they all going to peek into other people’s rooms? Well, I’m starting to get a little interested too.