"Come on, sit, sit. I'll bring the food out right away, so eat this and wait for now."
The Hobbyist Shop Owner gruffly told Rei and the others to sit, then set down plates loaded with generous portions of ham and sausages.
The restaurant was technically reserved as a private booking, but it wasn't as though they'd removed all but one table. There simply weren't any other customers.
...Well, the area around the table where Rei and his group sat had been cleared out widely, so that the large-bodied Set could relax without any issues.
As for who had done that, there was no need to even think about it.
It was obvious just by looking at Yohanna, who had planted herself right next to the open space, as if declaring she would absolutely never give up that spot to anyone.
Everyone seated at the table brought the sausages and ham to their mouths in a casual, "for now" sort of way... and in the next moment, several of them showed expressions of surprise.
Rei, Elena, Marina, Vihera, and Ara—the five visiting this shop for the first time were the ones whose faces registered surprise.
Set and Ielo, on the other hand, were happily eating the ham and sausages from their own plates without making a sound.
Yes, the ham and sausages served to them looked, at least from the outside, like perfectly ordinary ones—the kind you could find sold anywhere.
But the moment they tasted them, they immediately understood these were different from normal ham and sausages.
First, a faint saltiness stimulated the tongue, and then the rich umami of the meat itself spread to fill the mouth.
A flavor that was clearly a cut above the ham and sausages you'd eat at an ordinary shop.
This was by no means the kind of quality you'd expect from a place like this.
Elena, Marina, Vihera, and Ara all had their fair share of experience attending noble banquets. ...In Vihera's case, that was before she fled the Bestia Empire, though.
At any rate, the ham and sausages on the table right now were of such quality that they would rarely appear even at those kinds of noble banquets.
"Delicious! What is this...?"
Rei swallowed the sausage in his mouth and couldn't help but shout. Yohanna and her male companions each spoke up proudly.
"So even Rei-san thinks it's delicious, huh?"
"See, I told you? I said the food here would satisfy even Rei-san."
"It's delicious, isn't it, Set-chan? Here, do you want to eat this too?"
Though one of them was looking at Set rather than Rei, just a little.
"The food here is all delicious, not just the Orc meat stew. So I guess that's why Yohanna chose it as the venue for this celebration party."
"...Well, the taste of the food is one thing, but it's really about Set, isn't it?"
"Ah... yeah. Can't deny that."
While listening to the men's exchange, Rei and the others reached for the plates once more.
They savored the taste of the ham and sausages again, and while they did, the Hobbyist Shop Owner returned from the kitchen with several more dishes in hand.
"Come on, you guys help out too. Making the food is easy, but bringing it out is a pain."
"Ah, yes! I'll help right away!"
"Eh? Ah, wait, Set-chan...!"
Yohanna's companions dragged her away from doting on Set, and they headed to the kitchen with the Hobbyist Shop Owner.
Seeing this, Rei and the others began to stand up to help as well, but one of Yohanna's companions called out to them with a smile.
"Ah, Rei-san and the rest of you can stay right where you are. We're the ones hosting this celebration party."
"...Is that okay? It looks like quite a bit of work."
"Yes, the only table in use is this one, after all. It's not that much work, so don't worry about it."
After being told that and seeing them off to the kitchen, Rei turned his gaze toward Elena and the others, then reached for the ham and sausages once more.
"Huh, when you taste it carefully like this, you can tell quite a lot of spices are used. ...It's probably going to be quite expensive."
"Ah, no need to worry. The ingredients used in the cooking here are basically all ingredients obtained from the Dungeon."
The Hobbyist Shop Owner, who had returned holding ale, answered Marina's remark.
Despite seeing Marina up close—and Elena and Vihera, the very picture of beauties—the Hobbyist Shop Owner poured ale into cups and set them on the table without seeming particularly bothered.
Marina, apparently finding his attitude agreeable, smiled and spoke.
"You can make something of this caliber using only this Dungeon's ingredients?"
"Well, there are some ingredients that are a bit hard to work with, but in the end, it comes down to skill. No matter how lavish or rare your ingredients are, if your technique is bad, it's meaningless. On the other hand, even ingredients you can find anywhere can turn into an exquisite dish if the skill is there."
"...I see."
At the Hobbyist Shop Owner's words, Marina nodded in understanding, but also felt a little guilty.
He talked about ingredients you could find anywhere, but it was precisely because they had ingredients from the Dungeon that these ham and sausages—and the dishes they were about to eat—existed at all.
But the Dungeon that existed to provide those cooking ingredients was certain to vanish in the near future.
When that happened, they would never be able to eat this food again.
Well, if they could gather the same ingredients, they might be able to recreate it. But even with the same ingredients, the flavor could differ depending on where they were obtained.
In other words, it was certain they would no longer be able to obtain the exact same ingredients as those from this Dungeon.
Noticing Marina's demeanor, the Hobbyist Shop Owner wore a slightly puzzled expression on his rugged face.
But without saying anything more, he headed back to the kitchen to get the remaining dishes.
"Hey! If you carry them like that, they'll spill halfway! Hold them more securely! You guys are supposed to be adventurers, for crying out loud!"
At the shouting voice coming from the kitchen, Rei and the others looked at each other and smiled.
Marina, who had been brooding just a short while ago, also forgot about it and smiled.
While being yelled at by the Hobbyist Shop Owner, Yohanna and the others brought out dish after dish.
A few minutes later... before they knew it, the table was covered with plates of food.
And sitting in the center of the table was a large pot filled with stew.
The signature dish of the Orc Stew Pavilion, loaded with plenty of Orc meat.
And the source of the violent aroma that had drifted—no, assaulted them—when they opened the shop door was that very pot.
A rich, indescribable fragrance that stimulated the appetite.
It was the kind of scent that made you understand the stew alone would be more than enough to satisfy you.
Not only Rei and the others seated at the table, but everyone else as well had their attention drawn to the stew.
(Hm?)
Rei suddenly had a question.
He understood that he and Elena, seeing this stew for the first time, would have their attention stolen.
But why were even Yohanna and her companions, who had eaten at this shop many times, having their attention captured by the stew?
Perhaps noticing Rei's doubt, one of Yohanna's companions spoke up.
"Um, we've eaten the food here plenty of times, but somehow this stew seems different from usual..."
"Well, obviously. You paid good money to reserve the whole place. So we're going to use ingredients we normally can't afford to use."
At the Hobbyist Shop Owner's words, everyone nodded in understanding.
It was a twofold understanding—the recognition that since they had gone to the trouble of reserving the entire shop, it wouldn't be surprising for him to make dishes he normally couldn't, and the realization that they would get to eat food tastier than usual.
...Though the latter was a sentiment held only by Yohanna and her group.
"Come on, it's a celebration. Make a toast, toast."
Saying that, the Hobbyist Shop Owner poured ale into the cups that hadn't been filled yet.
He was about to pour ale into Rei's cup as well, but Rei spoke up first.
"Sorry, but I'm not good with alcohol. Do you have tea or something? If not, water would be fine."
"Hah? Can't drink? You're a disgrace to adventurers. Wait a minute, I'll bring you something to drink right now."
Even though his tone was rough, the fact that he properly accommodated the customer's request was perhaps what you'd expect from the owner of a thriving establishment.
(Is this what you'd call a tsundere too?)
Watching the Hobbyist Shop Owner head back to the kitchen, Rei wondered.
Meanwhile, the aroma drifting from the pot on the table showed no sign of stopping, stimulating the appetite of everyone around.
When the Hobbyist Shop Owner eventually returned from the kitchen, he handed Rei a container filled with some kind of drink.
"What's this?"
Seeing the transparent container, Rei thought for a moment it might be glass, but when he actually touched it, he realized it was some kind of metal instead.
"Beats me. It's something an Alchemist made from materials that came out of the Dungeon. Anyway, there's fruit water inside, so it's perfect for a kid like you."
Rei felt somewhat displeased at being called a kid, but considering his current appearance, it couldn't be helped. He judged that his inability to drink alcohol was also a factor, so he kept quiet.
Besides, his understanding from their interactions so far—that the Hobbyist Shop Owner simply had a foul mouth to begin with—probably played a big part.
(Still, fruit water in this winter season... if it were stored in the Misty Ring, that would be one thing, but how?)
Needless to say, fruit water couldn't be made without fresh fruit.
That was Rei's common sense.
But since fruit water existed here right now, even though it was winter, the Hobbyist Shop Owner must have obtained fresh fruit from somewhere...
"Ah."
He immediately thought of the Dungeon.
This time, they had used Grimm's magic to teleport straight to the Deepest Layer, but there was that forest floor where he and Elena had been attacked by a pack of Water Monkeys when they descended together.
In that forest, it shouldn't be impossible to gather fruit even in winter.
While Rei was coming to this understanding, drinks were distributed to everyone... and for some reason, Rei ended up being the one to lead the toast.
Seeing the Hobbyist Shop Owner tactfully retreat to the kitchen, Rei spoke up.
"To celebrate the resolution of everything concerning the Dungeon, and everything concerning Vihera and Rhodos... cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their cups and spoke in unison.
Unfortunately, Set and Ielo didn't have cups, but they must have understood it was a celebration. They made happy cries, and Ielo likewise vocalized on the table.
"Pwah... delicious! Nothing beats a drink after finishing a job!"
One of Yohanna's male companions shouted happily after downing the ale in his cup.
The others seemed to agree, placing their empty cups on the table, nodding, and speaking up.
"The best thing is that Vihera-san regained consciousness."
"Yeah, yeah. ...But I never could have imagined that something would happen to make Vihera-sama lose consciousness."
"Set-chan, do you want to eat this? It's delicious, you know?"
"Ah, let's have the stew, the stew."
While having this conversation, everyone reached for the food.
...But naturally, everyone's attention was directed at the pot in the center of the table—the Orc meat stew, the shop's signature dish.
Of course, the shop had various other Orc dishes as well.
In addition to the stew, there were dishes simmered with vegetables, and dishes of purely meat simmered... and so on.
Even so, the most popular was, as expected, the stew currently on the table.
Moreover, this was no ordinary stew. It was made with ingredients that normally couldn't be used.
There was no way their attention wouldn't be drawn to it.
Right away, Marina served the stew to everyone.
The stew, portioned even for Set and Ielo, released what could only be called an assault of aroma all the more intensely for having been transferred from the pot to plates and brought closer.
Using a spoon, the first thing Rei scooped up was, naturally, the simmered Orc meat.
Probably so that adventurers could eat heartily. He popped the large-cut piece of meat into his mouth.
In an instant, the meat asserted itself in Rei's mouth as powerfully as it possibly could.
Normally, simmered meat would have a texture that melted in the mouth, but this meat was different.
It retained a firm, satisfying chewiness, and yet a powerful umami spread throughout the mouth.
Even though it had been simmered, when he bit into the meat, juices overflowed.
Was the meat grilled separately and added later?
Rei thought so, but immediately denied it internally.
The meat was thoroughly infused with the flavor of the stew. Without long simmering, this would not have been possible.
"...Delicious..."
All Rei could do was murmur those words, following an impulse from the bottom of his heart.