Epilogue: An Old Country Bumpkin Enjoys His Fill
“Welcome, Mistress Lucy. For two?”
“Mm-hmm. The same private room as usual.”
“Certainly.”
After the successful secret mission in Flumvelk and the attack by the Verdapis Mercenary Company on the way back, we’d somehow managed to return to Baltrain, report everything, and even plan some for the future. After all that, I’d somehow found myself going out for dinner with Lucy.
I had no idea how it’d ended up like this. Well, you can criticize me somewhat—I agreed the moment I found out that she would be footing the bill. In my defense, I was also curious about what kind of place Lucy would choose when she went out to eat.
“W-Wow...”
“It’s nothing to gawk at. Anyone with a certain level of money can come here.”
“So you say...”
She’d brought me to a restaurant in the northern district. I immediately found myself in awe, and we hadn’t even gone past the entryway. The exterior and interior of the building weren’t flashily decorated or anything, and the furniture wasn’t as resplendent as the stuff I’d seen at the party in Flumvelk either.
However, there wasn’t a speck of dust on the floor or any stains on the calming coat of paint on the walls. I could see how much care was put into maintaining the place. All of the employees really put effort into their appearances too.
Above all else, there were private rooms. It was impressive for a restaurant to have partitioned rooms when the place wasn’t even an inn. Normally, you wouldn’t waste space—this would prevent more customers from coming in. There was just less profit to be made that way.
I had a feeling this place wasn’t somewhere you could enter only by having money. It felt like, while not restricted only to royalty or anything, it was a place for people of considerable status to be able to enjoy a friendly chat and sometimes discuss things in absolute privacy.
“This way, please.”
“Mm.”
A primly dressed waiter guided us to a room. Inside was a table large enough to seat four. There were only two chairs around it, showing that they’d likely adjusted it for Lucy and me specifically. The room wasn’t that large, but it didn’t feel cramped at all—it was a really relaxing space.
The restaurant I’d taken Mewi to and the one Kinera had invited me to for lunch hadn’t been seedy in any way, but this place was on another level. Lucy had brought me, so I didn’t need to be nervous around her, but I was still a little worried about whether my anxiety would prevent me from tasting the food.
“I’ll have wine,” Lucy told the waiter before turning to me. “What about you?”
“Ummm... Ale, please.”
“Certainly,” the waiter confirmed before leaving the room.
I was a little relieved that this place served ale too.
“We’re just here to eat,” Lucy said. “Why are you so nervous?”
“I mean... I’ve never been to a place like this, so...”
“Eat better food.”
I didn’t think I had bad food on a daily basis. Did Lucy come to places like this all the time? I doubted my wallet would last if I did that. I would constantly feel ill at ease too.
After sitting restlessly for a short while, the waiter came back.
“Thank you for waiting. Here is your wine and ale.”
My ale wasn’t served in a tankard like it would’ve been in a tavern but was instead in an expensive-looking glass.
“Let’s start with a toast,” Lucy said.
“Ah, sure.”
An elegant clink—something I wasn’t used to hearing—rang out as we tapped our glasses together lightly.
“Oh... This is good.”
I poured the frothing ale down my throat and was met with the rich flavor of barley. There was very little sweetness to it, but after passing over my tongue snappily, a pleasant aroma tickled my nose without leaving a bitter aftertaste. It was really good. The ale I’d had in Flumvelk had also been quite the delicacy, but this was an entirely different kind of flavor. In terms of flavor, I preferred this one.
“This is my favorite restaurant,” Lucy said. “It’s important to have a place where you can relax with some food and drink.”
“You’re not wrong.”
For someone as famous and influential as Lucy, there were surprisingly few places she could settle down and eat in peace outside of her home. It would be troublesome for other customers to make a fuss and even worse for the staff to do so. That kind of incident would make it hard to ever come back.
I’d never experienced something like that for myself, but someone of her status had likely gone through it more times than she could ever want. This restaurant definitely met all her needs, and it was no wonder she called it her favorite.
“Order whatever you want,” she told me. “It’s my treat today.”
“Thanks...”
I wasn’t bold enough to accept on the spot. I was definitely grateful, but Lucy was a repeat offender. I couldn’t help but feel like there was some ulterior motive. That said, it was rare to be able to eat at such a high-class restaurant, so maybe it was best to take her up on it and eat what I could.
“Once you’ve decided, ring that bell,” Lucy said. “A waiter will come quietly flying over.”
“G-Got it.”
Come quietly flying over? That’s a pretty crazy expression. Does she mean he’ll come quickly so that we aren’t left waiting, but in a way we won’t notice? What kind of training do they undergo here? They almost seem more refined than a noble’s servant.
“Whoa...” I unintentionally uttered as I looked over the menu.
There was a huge lineup. I figured we would be served a set course like at the palace or in Flumvelk, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Among the many foods I didn’t recognize, there were some pretty crazy ingredients on the menu. I didn’t see anything normal like boar, but I did spot griffon. There were also a lot of ingredients I’d never heard of. To add to that, there were no prices listed. This is nuts.
“You’re really picking up the bill...?” I asked. The menu was too frightening for me. That was simply how high-class this restaurant was.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Order whatever you want.”
“Okay...”
After thinking it over for a bit, I decided on something. I reached for the bell at the corner of the table and tapped it. It chimed delightfully, and a waiter showed up in an instant. He was seriously quick.
“I’ll have the braised griffon and the griffon tail soup,” I said.
“The same as usual for me,” Lucy added.
“Certainly.”
I was set on challenging the first thing that had caught my eye: the griffon meat. It was being served at a fancy restaurant, so it couldn’t possibly be bad. Normal chicken meat was very tender, but could griffon meat be classified as the same thing?
Lucy went with “the same as usual.” Man, that sounds kinda cool. She’s a total regular. She must’ve come here often enough for that line to work. And she’d called it her favorite restaurant, so we weren’t going to be served lousy food. That was a relief, at least.
“So? What brought this about?” I asked after knocking back some more of the crisp ale.
“Hm?”
I wanted to know why Lucy had chosen to bring me to this restaurant. My relationship with her was somewhat difficult to explain in one or two sentences. You could call us friends, but the way we’d met had been the worst. For me, it’d been like coming across a random killer on the streets looking to test her new blade. Still, it was a strange connection formed through our mutual acquaintance in Ficelle, and we were definitely on friendly terms now. We weren’t on bad terms at all. I couldn’t find a reason for her to invite me to a high-class restaurant, though.
I would’ve understood if this were just a casual invitation to share a meal at an appropriately casual restaurant with some relatively cheap booze for us to split the bill over. I wouldn’t have said anything in that case. In fact, I probably would’ve gone home tapping my belly, thinking about how a meal with Lucy every now and then wasn’t so bad. However, the situation and atmosphere now were clearly different from that.
“Well, I suppose you can consider it a little bit of a celebration,” she said.
“For what?” I asked, cocking my head.
A celebration? I’m pretty sure nothing has happened recently worth celebrating. Our expedition to Flumvelk had ended, and we’d survived the attack on the way back—I could almost understand celebrating that fact, but it wasn’t a good reason for her to treat me to fancy food.
“There’s something I’ve always believed,” Lucy started, taking an elegant sip of what was probably some extremely high-class wine. “Those with power should live in a way that matches said power.”
I knew what she meant by “those with power.” It could be anything from simple combat ability to influence to knowledge. I also understood what she meant by “living in a way that matches said power.” For example, Allucia was my pupil, but her talents shouldn’t have remained buried in that countryside village. That was exactly why I’d given her a farewell sword, signaling that she’d learned everything I had to teach.
“I believe that self-awareness has finally sprouted within you,” Lucy stated. “This meal is in celebration of that.”
“I see...”
Self-awareness of the power I possessed—I wondered if that was true. These days, I was much less self-deprecating, and I didn’t deny my abilities as much, but that didn’t mean I was suddenly brimming with confidence. This feeling within me was far muddier and more primitive. In a way, you could call it filthy. I had nothing more than a simple desire to reach the summit of all swordsmanship, and I wasn’t sure you could call that a self-awareness of my own power.
“It’s nothing that nice,” I said. “I just want to be strong. I want to cross blades with new and formidable foes. That’s all it amounts to.”
I understood her thought process, but I didn’t know if I really fit the definition. Well, maybe I did. She was the one who saw me that way, after all. In this sense, I had a lot of trust in the woman known as Lucy Diamond.
“That’s fine. Totally fine,” she assured me. “The weak never develop the desire to fight stronger and stronger opponents.”
“I guess you’ve got a point there...”
It was true. It would be unnatural for the weak to want to fight the strong. From that perspective, I was indeed aware of my own strength now. Under no circumstance could I abase myself as a weakling when I had the ability to defeat my dad.
“Excuse me. Here is your braised griffon and griffon tail soup. And here is your charcoal-grilled Azlaymian mushrooms with Basel bream.”
“Ooh, thank you.”
Around the time our conversation reached a good stopping point, our food arrived. Mine was the braised meat and soup. But going just off the name, I couldn’t tell what Lucy’s was—it certainly looked like mushrooms and fish, but none of the words the waiter had said were familiar to me.
“I can’t calm down unless I have this at least once a month,” Lucy said.
“Mine looks good too. Smells great.”
My braised griffon had a beautiful light hue to it. The tail soup featured tender chunks of meat that looked like they could just fall apart. Even the very appearance of my meal gave me a glimpse into how concentrated the flavor was going to be.
“Thanks for the meal.”
After giving thanks, I started with the soup.
“Wow... Delicious.”
A flower garden of umami rushed through my mouth with a single spoonful. A slight saltiness was followed by an abundance of flavor. And yet, the salt didn’t emphasize its presence, and the broth warmed my chest as I swallowed. It was indisputably delicious. The menu had no prices listed, so I didn’t know how expensive the food was, but the soup still made enough of an impact for me to want to come and try it again if I ever got the chance.
“As for this one...”
The soup was already spectacular. What kind of explosive flavor would the braised griffon have? I couldn’t even picture it.
“Whoa... So soft...”
I tried piercing the meat with my fork, but it practically fell apart the moment I touched it. Could any form of cooking really make meat this tender? I had no idea how they’d achieved this, but it must’ve taken tremendous dedication. My expectations were soaring to even greater heights.
“Hrm...”
It was difficult to stick the meat onto my fork, so I scooped it up instead. The moment I put it into my mouth, the meat crumbled apart. In the next instant, a light and refreshing taste surged through my mouth. The flavor was somewhat thin, but it was seasoned to a perfect degree so that it didn’t seem entirely absent. It didn’t have a burst of flavor like a fritter would, but this was just about right for an old man in his forties. I couldn’t get enough of it.
“Pwah...”
The meat was further accented by its exquisite compatibility with the ale. My drink emphasized snappiness with just the faintest sweetness, matching the lightly seasoned dish to perfection. It was great to wash down rich flavors with a chug of strong ale, but this was splendid in a whole other way. It was like I’d discovered a new world.
“Ha ha ha! You sure do enjoy your food,” Lucy observed.
“Well, yeah. This stuff is seriously good...”
It was in a whole different dimension. I could understand why this place was Lucy’s favorite. If I ever had as much spare money as she did, I would definitely be a regular too. That was how much of an impact the flavors had on me.
“Your, um...fish platter? It looks great too,” I commented.
“Mm-hmm. It sure is. It uses fresh Basel bream that has been transported here in ice.”
“I-In ice...?”
“Such things are also part of our vocation.”
“Aah... I get it.”
I’d wondered how it was possible to transport anything in ice, but it seemed it was all thanks to the power of wizardry. Now that I thought of it, Lucy had created blocks of ice during our battle too. Magic had applications beyond fighting that could help with daily life. This was a new discovery for me.
It made sense, though. Not all wizards were part of the magic corps. Some chose to become adventurers, while others took on jobs more suitable for civilian life. It was a really flexible profession. In contrast, swordsmen could only swing a sword around. Despite the times we lived in, it was really hard to put food on the table using nothing but a blade. I’d managed somehow because I’d been blessed with wonderful connections.
“Wizards sure are amazing,” I mused.
“The grass is greener on the other side,” Lucy stated bluntly. “From my point of view, swordsmen are far more terrifying.”
The grass is greener on the other side... I know nothing about magic, so I think it’s amazing. But if Lucy sealed her magic and used only a sword, I’m confident I could beat her with ease. That’s how different our fields of expertise are.
“I guess that makes Ficelle completely out of this world, huh?” I said.
“She’s a genius. I’m surprised you managed to discover a talent like hers.”
“It was just a coincidence.”
Ficelle was amazing, even in Lucy’s eyes. Only the word “genius” could describe the girl who’d mastered both sword and magic to such a degree. To top it all off, she was still so young. She had plenty of room to grow. Her talent was terrifying—she was also the type of person to dedicate everything she had to her own growth, making her even more amazing.
“Oh yeah,” Lucy muttered as if suddenly remembering something.
“Hm?”
“Am I not included among these formidable foes you wish to cross blades with?”
“Ha ha ha. Not at all.”
“Tch. You’re a cruel man.”
Given the opportunity, she was always asking for a fight. She really had a lousy personality. At least this was an improvement over our first meeting—she hadn’t even asked back then.
“I’ve thought up some new magic to use in close quarters, though...” she grumbled.
“Stop trying to test spells on me...”
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in her new magic. Still, I didn’t want to get hit by it—not in a million years. Regardless, I honestly admired Lucy’s constant pursuit of greater heights despite already possessing great status and power. I, too, wanted to continue polishing my own skills—I didn’t want to forget that feeling.
“Oh, sorry for changing the subject, but...mind if I order this too?” I asked.
“Ooh, feel free. Go ahead. Don’t make me repeat myself. Order whatever you want.”
“Ha ha ha, then I’ll take you up on that.”
Well, it was time to enjoy this exquisite dinner to the fullest. I held back my impatience as I reached for the bell to call the waiter. Its chime rang out like a manifestation of the excitement within me.
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