"Hmm... so this is Rossi. It's more prosperous than I expected."
Rei murmured in admiration as he looked around, having entered the capital of Reblurina.
Indeed, Rossi was more prosperous than he had expected. Of course, it couldn't compare to Gilm's current state, or even Gilm before the expansion construction, in terms of population. But even so, it wasn't desolate by any means, and it had enough liveliness to deserve being called a capital.
"Rei, what do we do first? Look for an inn? Or head to the Guild?" Marina asked.
Naturally, Rei's party stood out considerably, drawing all manner of gazes from the people around them. Starting with Marina, who had just spoken to him, there were three beauties in the group—and not just any beauties, but the kind one might be lucky to encounter once in a lifetime.
Normally, it wouldn't be unusual for someone to try approaching Rei, surrounded by such beautiful women. Byune, too, gave a somewhat doll-like impression due to her unchanging expression, but there was no denying that her features were well-defined enough to look forward to her future.
The fact that no one approached the party, however, was surely thanks to Set at Rei's side.
Set, carrying Ielo on its back, was surveying the surroundings with round eyes. Anyone who had grown somewhat close to Set could guess it was probably wondering if there was any delicious food around, but of course, no one in Rossi was familiar with the griffon.
In fact, even during the entry procedures, Rei's party had been processed separately at a slight distance, since Set would frighten the other travelers. The guards had been quite nervous when handing over the Tamed Monster's collar, even though they wouldn't be the ones wearing it. Set had looked slightly disappointed at their reaction, but Byune petted it, and its mood improved immediately.
"Well, let's see. The guards did tell me about an inn with large stables, so should we head there and secure rooms first? I know that unlike present-day Gilm, there's no worry about inns filling up right away."
In present-day Gilm, where many people came seeking work, the existing inns alone weren't enough, and as a result, numerous crude shacks—hardly worthy of being called inns—had been thrown up near the construction sites. Coming from a place like that, it was only natural to feel compelled to secure lodging first.
"Hmm, what was the name of the inn the guards told us about?"
"The Silver Fruit Inn. Apparently it's where large merchant caravans stay when they come to Rossi."
Large merchant caravans naturally traveled with multiple carriages, which meant they used many horses and needed large stables to rest them. Since it was an inn that accommodated such caravans, the lodging costs were naturally higher than ordinary inns, but for Rei, paying a bit more was no problem at all. Daskar had provided him with a reasonable expense allowance, and there was also the loot taken from the bandit gang they had encountered on the journey. Even setting aside his existing assets, he had more than enough financial leeway.
"They said if we go down the main street, we'd find it right away, so shall we? Standing here is a bit uncomfortable."
Rei nodded at Marina's words, and the group set off down the main street. Naturally, the people who had gathered in front of them had no choice but to clear the way. For a moment, Rei was reminded of Moses parting the sea, but he quickly dismissed that as an exaggeration and put it out of his mind.
Rei's party continued walking under the scrutiny of onlookers, but they didn't have a clear idea of where the Silver Fruit Inn actually was. The guards had only told them to proceed down the main street, so that was what they were doing.
"Gruu?"
"Ah, wait, wait."
Set caught sight of a stall cooking meat and vegetables on an iron plate and selling them stuffed into bread. It looked at Rei with round eyes, clearly asking if it could go over, drawn by the aroma wafting from the stall. The scent of the sauce used to season the frying meat and vegetables spread instantly through the surrounding air with an almost violent allure.
Rei sympathized with Set's desire to visit the stall, but since the residents of Rossi weren't accustomed to the griffon, he couldn't just let it wander over on its own.
"I'll go buy some. What about the rest of you?"
The first to nod was Byune. When it came to eating, she harbored a desire just as strong as Rei's—if not stronger—so that was only natural. Elena and the others also seemed interested in the foreign cuisine, and all three nodded in turn. For the record, Elena and the others, while not to the same extent as Rei and Byune, also ate fairly large portions. The fact that they didn't gain weight was probably because they exercised accordingly—though that exercise took the form of mock battles that bordered on actual duels.
With everyone on board, Rei approached the stall. Many people around were watching his party, but the stall owner seemed busy with his cooking and paid them no attention at all. From Rei's perspective, that focus on his own work was rather commendable.
"Can I get a moment?"
"Sure thing! How many servings?"
The still-young owner, somewhere in his twenties, responded energetically.
"For now... I'll take ten servings."
"Huh? Ten servings? ...Oh, for the others too, huh. But can you carry ten portions?"
Perhaps because he was only looking at Rei, he didn't seem to notice the others—including Set—waiting a short distance away. Puzzled but willing to assume Rei would call his companions over if needed, the owner pulled out some bread.
It was quite large, about fifteen centimeters across. Rei's first impression was of a French baguette. There were surely differences in detail, but seeing the properly baked outer crust, it was easy to understand why such an impression came to mind. The inside of the bread, however, was mostly hollowed out, leaving essentially just the outer shell.
The owner tossed something white and square into the meat and vegetables sizzling on the iron plate and resumed stir-frying. Rei couldn't immediately tell what the white pieces were, but soon realized they were bread—the hollowed-out insides, cut into cubes. The bread absorbed the sauce, meat juices, and moisture from the vegetables while being stir-fried on the iron plate, remaining firm enough not to become soggy. The finished filling was then stuffed into the hollowed-out bread.
"Here you go, all ready! So, ten servings. Can you carry—whoa!"
The stall owner couldn't finish his sentence. The moment he looked up, Set's figure—a full-grown griffon—was right in front of him. Rei had told Set to wait, but the aroma drifting from the stall had apparently been too much to resist.
Well, I can certainly understand that feeling.
Okonomiyaki, yakisoba, grilled squid—the fare sold at summer festival stalls. The charred scent of sauce and soy sauce drifting through the air possessed an almost violent drawing power. Granted, with okonomiyaki, most of the filling was cabbage, and many weren't actually that tasty. But even so, there was no denying that the smell of sauce and soy sauce caramelizing had an undeniable charm. The fact that Set and even Elena and the others had gravitated toward the stall was for that very same reason.
"Ah, it seems we startled you. I apologize."
When Marina offered those words with a smile, the owner's face turned remarkably red. It clearly had nothing to do with standing over a hot iron plate in midsummer—anyone watching could tell that much.
"Ah, ahaha. Um, well... our food is delicious, so please give it a try! It's Panyan, a specialty of Reblurina."
Rei looked down at the food handed to him. So this dish was called Panyan. He distributed portions to the others and stored the remaining ones in his Misty Ring. The stall owner stared in surprise, but Rei paid it no mind and spoke while settling the bill.
"By the way, could you tell me where an inn called the Silver Fruit Inn is?"
"Eh? Oh, the Silver Fruit Inn! If you keep going straight down this road, you'll see a large inn on the right. That's the one. There's a sign with a silver fruit on it—literally—so I don't think you'll get lost."
"I see. Thanks."
"No... please come again!"
Whether that was because Rei had bought a large quantity or because the owner wanted to see a beauty like Marina up close again was anyone's guess. Regardless, Rei nodded and bit into the Panyan.
The first thing to spread across his palate was the savory richness of the meat and the crunch of the vegetables. If vegetables were cooked too long, their texture would suffer. But if the stir-frying time was too short, they'd end up half-raw. The owner's clear understanding of this delicate balance spoke to genuine skill. And beyond the meat and vegetables, the bread cubes—cut into bite-sized pieces—soaked up the meat juices, sauce, and vegetable moisture, tying everything together in harmonious flavor. The bread serving as the vessel had a nicely crisped exterior as well, and Rei found it thoroughly delicious.
"Yeah, this is good. Food this tasty is more than welcome. I'll definitely stop by again."
"R-right! I'll be waiting!"
Leaving the stall owner behind, Rei's party continued down the main street, searching for the sign with the silver fruit.
After about ten minutes of walking...
"Hm? Is that not it?" Elena murmured, glancing ahead.
The others followed her gaze. There, just as she had said, hung a sign with the word "inn" and a silver fruit—a picture shaped like an apple—painted on it.
"That's the one. ...Well then, shall we?"
"Gruu!"
"Kyu?"
Set voiced its agreement, and Ielo, who had been dozing on Set's back, raised its head with a confused look, wondering what was going on. A few passersby who had been watching the group broke into charmed expressions at the sight.
Ielo is still young, but it's definitely a dragon... Is cuteness all that matters?
Rei entertained the thought, but seeing the people around him radiating the conviction that cute was justice, he gave up. There was no point in arguing.
"Then, for now... Marina, would you come with me?"
"Oh, requesting me specifically?"
At Marina's words, spoken with a smile, Elena and Vihera showed slightly envious expressions. But for Rei, the choice of companions for this task was limited.
Elena was even more famous by her alias than Rei was by his. Vihera's outfit all but guaranteed unwanted attention from men. And Byune, brought along, would serve no particular purpose. For those reasons, Rei had chosen Marina. Of course, Marina herself was a Dark Elf—a fairly rare race—so the chances of being approached were just as high. Especially given that Ajas had possessed Slave Collars, it was certain that the organization he had belonged to, somewhere here in Reblurina, had such Magic Items as well.
"Yeah, let's go."
Rei gave a brief reply and stepped inside the Silver Fruit Inn. The interior was quite spacious, befitting an establishment that catered to large merchant caravans. Behind the counter, a thin woman in her thirties who had been working on something looked up at Rei—or more precisely, at Marina—and was visibly startled.
"W-welcome. ...Um, will you be staying with us?"
If Marina had already been a guest at the Silver Fruit Inn, the woman wouldn't have needed to ask. But naturally, if someone as distinctive as Marina had been staying there, the woman would have remembered. Anyone who could forget such a person probably had no business running an inn.
"Yes. For now... let's see, about ten days. Rooms for me, Elena, Marina... Vihera and Byune can share, so four rooms in total. Also, I have a Tamed Monster with me, so I'll need you to look after it as well."
In place of Marina, Rei was the one to convey this.