After securing our inn, we headed over to the place Rose had recommended.
It turned out to be a restaurant situated along the city's east-west thoroughfare, Main Street.
Judging by the weathered building and the diverse array of student uniforms inside, it appeared to be a common diner. It was a choice thoroughly characteristic of Rose. Frankly, I found a lively, unpretentious spot like this far more relaxing than some stiff, upscale establishment anyway.
"Come, let us sit."
Prompted by Rose, we took our seats at a table in the corner.
"It is delicious!"
"Delicious...!"
Faf and Mew, our little gluttons, blissfully shoveled meat dishes into their mouths.
"It really is quite good."
While not on par with Nine-Tails' cooking, the chef here clearly possessed genuine skill. In fact, the ever-honest Faf had done nothing but praise the food from the moment we started eating. In this world, at least, they were undoubtedly a top-tier cook.
Even so, despite our table being tucked away in the farthest corner, we had been drawing a noticeable amount of attention for a while now. The cause was almost certainly Rose. She was, after all, an enrolled student at the Tower and the First Princess of the Holy Amelia Kingdom. No matter how disappointing a princess she might be beneath the surface, her name carried considerable weight.
Amid this atmosphere that felt like sitting on a bed of needles, a slight stir broke out, and a silver-haired girl with long ears approached our table. She wore a purple-and-white pleated skirt and vest beneath an elaborately embroidered robe.
"Good day, Lord Kai."
Offering her greeting, the silver-haired girl pinched the hem of her skirt and bowed with practiced elegance. If I remembered correctly, her name was Mille-Feuille. According to Rose, she was a classmate of hers at the Tower of Babel.
"Yes. It is good to see you in good health."
"Good day to you as well, Rose."
I raised a hand lightly toward Rose, who offered a polite smile in return.
"Yes, Miffy. Good day."
As Rose answered, the silver-haired girl turned back to me.
"May I join your table?"
She asked plainly. At the prospect of her sitting with us, the surrounding room began to murmur. What was with these people? It was just fellow students sharing a meal, wasn't it? Why make such a fuss over it? I simply could not fathom the reactions of the students here.
"Sure, I don't mind. How about you, Rose?"
When I glanced at Rose to check with her, she offered a chillingly forced smile.
"Yes, I do not mind in the least."
She gave a stiff, formal nod. Rose, seriously, stop with that smile; you're terrifying Faf and Mew. Judging by her demeanor, were she and this Mille-Feuille girl on poor terms? When Rose had mentioned her before, it hadn't sounded like they disliked each other.
At the very least, Anna was casually wiping the sauce from around Faf's mouth without batting an eye, so this sort of exchange between the two must not have been particularly unusual.
"Then I shall not hesitate."
Taking the empty seat beside Rose, Miffy placed an order with the server.
She had been utterly terrified of me the last time we met, but there was no trace of that dread now.
"Will you be staying in this city as well, Lord Kai?"
"It seems that way."
Much to my personal dismay, however.
"Kai is my knight, so naturally."
Without bothering to answer Rose's remark, Miffy leaned forward and took both of my hands in hers.
"Lord Kai, I will be cheering for you in next week's Standardized Exam! Though I am certain you will pass at the very top of the class."
She casually brought up an event I knew nothing about.
An exam next week? I hadn't heard a single word of this. When I shot an accusing glare at Rose, she hastily averted her eyes. She had intentionally kept me in the dark.
Well, whatever. Whether I knew about it beforehand or not made no difference to my plans.
Just as I was about to speak, an even louder commotion erupted—on a scale completely incomparable to the whispers before.
Resting my chin in my hand, I turned toward the source of the noise. A group dressed in uniforms bearing the same ornate decorations as Miffy's was filing into the diner, led by a handsome blond youth.
I had seen him once before during the succession dispute. It was Prince Gilbert of the Holy Amelia Kingdom, if I recalled correctly.
"Come on, is a dump this run-down really going to have good food?"
A red-haired boy beside Gilbert looked around the interior with open contempt, voicing his crude opinion.
"Y-Yes! The food here is truly delicious! I am certain it will please Your Highness's palate!"
A meek-looking boy with freckles across the bridge of his nose cowered pitifully, his voice trembling as he spoke up.
"It had better. We're sick to death of your incompetence. More importantly, this is a meal for His Highness. A blunder will not be tolerated!"
One of the sycophants grabbed the boy by the collar and glared him down, driving him to the verge of tears.
"Now, now, I am sure he understands the gravity of serving the Prince. If it tastes foul, my boy, you know full well how you will be held accountable, don't you?"
A blond young man in immaculate white armor—evidently a guard—placed a heavy hand on the freckled boy's shoulder and whispered into his ear.
For an adult guard, who ought to reprimand such behavior, to threaten a child... As expected, the nobility of the Holy Amelia Kingdom inspired nothing but disgust.
"Y-Yes... I believe... it should be fine."
The freckled boy nodded, his voice trailing off to a faint whisper.
Once Gilbert's entourage reached the center of the diner,
"Hey, get lost! The Prince is taking this table!"
One of Gilbert's lackeys shouted harshly down at the students who were currently eating there.
"Y-Yes, right away!"
Terrified of getting dragged into trouble, the students scrambled in a sheer panic, retreating to a table farther away.
Hmm, it was rare to see someone act so blatantly arrogant in public. Or was this standard conduct for the royal nobility of the Holy Amelia Kingdom? Having been a minor noble from the countryside, I was blissfully ignorant of their high-society norms.
Regardless, this was Babel, not the Holy Amelia Kingdom. No matter how powerful Amelia might be, it was baffling that the royal government let such shameless fools run wild. By any metric, they were an embarrassment to their nation.
Rose ground her teeth and moved to stand, but Anna caught her right arm and shook her head. Judging by their reactions, these kinds of spats were an everyday occurrence.
Gilbert finally noticed Rose. His face warped in irritation, and he slumped arrogantly into the chair his attendant pulled out for him.
The lot of them were more childish than Mew.
An unnatural hush fell over the room. While most of the patrons quietly picked at their meals without daring to speak, the food was delivered to Gilbert's table.
Gilbert's expression twisted into blatant revulsion.
"What is this slop? Do you actually call this food? My pets eat far better than this."
Spitting directly onto the plate, he swept the entire dish off the table with his right hand. The porcelain shattered against the floor, splattering the meal everywhere.
"Bring whoever is in charge here!" the blond knight roared.
"Y-Yes, right away!"
The waitress sprinted into the back in a panic.
Moments later, a short man in black clothes—presumably the owner—hurried out, dragging a petite, blue-haired girl in a white chef's uniform who wore a stubborn, sulking scowl.
"I am deeply sorry! Come on, apologize to the Prince!"
He forcibly shoved her head down and began groveling to Gilbert on her behalf.
Rose moved to stand again, her face practically demonic with rage, but this time I caught her by the arm.
"Kai, why—"
"Enough. Leave this to me."
I was sick of watching the antics of these unsightly beasts. In fact, it was thoroughly grating on my nerves. As I pushed back my chair and rose to my feet,
"Master, don't go too crazy. Your brand of training is a little too harsh for spoiled brats who've never seen a hard day in their lives," Zack warned with an insolent, scandalous grin.
"Indeed. Bestowing a water flea's worth of mercy upon pitiful vermin would be quite fitting. Besides, as they say, 'a bad deed a day'—I would gladly handle their discipline in Master's stead."
At Asta's utterly nonsensical proposal, Zack frantically waved his hand in front of his face.
"No, no, nobody says that! It's supposed to be 'a good deed a day'! Asta, you're just projecting your own twisted desires! Please, anyone but you!"
"So Lord Kai will be punishing them personally? Oh, I am deeply intrigued!" Miffy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Kai, as Zack said, try not to go overboard," Anna chimed in, dishing food onto a fresh plate and offering a remark that would have been unthinkable from her in the past.
"Anna, aren't you supposed to be a royal guard? Shouldn't you be stopping him?"
"Knowing Kai, trying to stop him would be completely pointless anyway."
"That might be true, but... wait, that's beside the point!"
"Besides, I haven't forgotten what they did to Lady Rose!"
Being surrounded by weirdos and eccentrics had truly changed Anna. Not so long ago, she used to be much more...
"Anyway, Kai, get 'em!"
Anna gave me a cheerful thumbs-up.
You people are thoroughly enjoying this, aren't you?
"Big Brother...?"
Mew was the only one looking up at me with genuine worry, so I gently patted her head. Yes, yes. I was glad at least one person here remained sensible.
"Stay here and eat your meal with Faf."
I gave the instruction while gesturing toward Faf, who hadn't even looked up and was still happily devouring her food.
Then, picking up the water pitcher from the table, I walked toward Gilbert and his group to administer a little discipline.