Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Magical Restaurant
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The duke subtly turned his head and wiped the corners of his eyes. It was a sight unbecoming of the supreme ruler of a nation.
Loan turned his head and waited in silence.
After a moment of studying the shapes of the clouds, he gently asked.
"What kind of person was he?"
It was only natural to be curious about someone he supposedly resembled.
A moment later, Duke Barchino’s voice regained its usual cheerfulness.
"He was pure and bright. Just looking at him would open one’s heart."
"Open one’s heart…"
Liking the sound of the phrase, he repeated it under his breath. The corners of the duke’s mouth lifted slightly.
"When you're in a position of responsibility for an entire nation, it’s not easy to trust people. I was like that, and so were the other leaders of the duchy."
"Yes."
He had never considered it before, but he could well imagine the weight of that burden.
The duke continued, his gaze still chasing something in the distance.
"And yet, he was different. It wasn’t just the composure of a powerful man. It was his nature. There were no lies in his words, and his actions were transparent. Therefore… the current assessment of him is entirely false."
Not knowing who 'he' was, Loan remained silent at the duke’s assertion.
He waited for the duke to clarify the subject, but the duke simply shook his head without answering.
"I must be getting sentimental in my old age. Don’t pay any more mind to talk of resemblances. However, do not forget that heart of yours that pities even ghouls. As I see it, your inner self is already complete."
"Yes…"
It felt as though the duke had closed the topic, making it awkward to ask more.
Besides, it wasn't a particularly important matter, and there was something else Loan had been curious about.
Loan gauged the duke’s mood and carefully brought up a new subject.
"Your Grace’s longsword. It had a certain crest on it."
"Hmm?"
"If I didn’t see it wrong…"
Loan slipped the necklace out from under his shirt. He also lifted the scabbard at his waist.
"I believe it was the same as this crest. Is that correct?"
"Where did you get this?"
The duke’s eyes glinted with a strange light, his brow deeply furrowed.
Seeing the duke’s unexpectedly strong reaction, Loan grew anxious, wondering if he had done something wrong, and answered.
"The necklace was a reward from the Governor-General for my meritorious service, and this brooch I brought from the shelter where I grew up as a child. I was told it’s the crest of a very old elven family."
"Indeed it is, but what a strange coincidence…"
The duke stared intently at Loan’s face.
Just like when they first met, his eyes were filled with the determination to find an answer.
"What is a coincidence?"
"Hmm… The man you remind me of had a deep connection to that crest as well."
"…"
"To be precise, it was his wife. This crest. It is used by her family. My sword was also a gift from her, a token of friendship."
"…What a strange connection."
At this point, a certain hypothesis naturally formed in both their minds.
The duke asked.
"I heard you grew up in a shelter. Do you remember your parents?"
"No, I was too young."
"I see."
Silence fell again.
Loan could tell that in that moment, the duke was lost in a great many thoughts.
He also looked very confused, a contemplation undoubtedly born from equating Loan’s father with the man he remembered.
"Did the Union’s Governor-General not say anything in particular when she gave you this necklace?"
"No…"
"Then I have nothing more to say either. I cannot presume to fathom her thoughts, but I know the time is not yet right."
"What time do you mean?"
"If your past is connected to this crest, then it is your task to uncover its history. It wouldn’t be wise for me to voice my own speculations."
"Hearing you say that makes it feel as if I have some grand secret of birth. I feel like a protagonist."
For a moment, the duke wore a look of disbelief before letting out a hearty laugh.
"Ha, haha. What an amusing way to put it."
"It was a common trope in the novels I’ve read."
"Is that so? And what choices do the protagonists in those novels make?"
"They uncover their past and suffer. In the end, they either break down or overcome it."
"Overcome it…"
As his words trailed off, the very air in the room seemed to grow heavy.
Loan could actually see the mana floating in the air sink low under the formless pressure emanating from the duke.
The forceful suppression of his intense emotions was affecting his physical surroundings.
A powerful man, difficult to fathom.
It was an unfitting thought for that moment.
"If you are fated to be a protagonist, I hope you are one who overcomes. Perhaps I can be of help."
It was a vague promise, almost conceptual, yet it felt far more reassuring than when he had received the bull badge.
"Thank you."
What is meant to be known will be known, even without effort.
Loan decided to respect her wisdom, just as the duke had done.
Above all, right now, the future was all that mattered, not the past.
* * *
The next day.
The Faith Division party departed for the eastern coast, seen off with a grand farewell.
Duke Barchino did not take his eyes off Loan until the very end.
The occasional signs of people disappeared, until the sheep on the plains and the birds gliding through the air outnumbered the humans.
Lucas asked his father.
"Where are we supposed to meet the Stability Division?"
"All I know is that it’s a very famous restaurant."
At Oscar’s reply, Lucas immediately looked at Loan.
"Loan, could it be that place? You said there was a restaurant you really wanted to visit."
"Yeah, maybe it is."
His somewhat troubled mind instantly cleared, focused on a single point of anticipation.
But after arriving at the eastern coastal town, what surprised Loan the most was seeing the sea for the first time.
"Whoa…"
"Whoa…"
Loan and Lucas stood on the beach, staring into the distance for a long time.
Is that what infinity looks like?
The sense of space expanded endlessly, the unobstructed view almost dizzying.
The bold, irregular sound of the white foam, the beautiful halo of light shimmering like an illusion—it was all too magnificent for the boys to take in.
For a while, the two were speechless, filled with awe for nature.
Then, Lucas suddenly looked at Loan.
"Loan, I finally know what to call the color of your eyes."
"Huh?"
"They’re sea-colored. Sea-colored. Blue and greenish like that, and they sparkle too."
"What are you talking about…"
Having been so moved by the sea, his friend's playful teasing felt like a compliment.
"Those kids are having a blast, huh?"
"Yeah. It's nice to see."
The senior Union members left the two boys alone for a while.
Loan and Lucas scuffed the sand with their toes, tasted the seawater and simultaneously shouted, ‘It’s salty!’, made a fuss dodging the incoming waves, rolled up their pant legs and splashed in the water, and watched as the names they wrote in the sand were washed away by the tide.
Then they sat haphazardly on the wet sand, staring blankly once more.
It felt like they could watch the sea all day.
And they might have, if Commander Hans hadn't called them for dinner.
The restaurant was situated serenely on a low hill overlooking the sea.
On the way there, Hans asked Loan.
"This restaurant. You know of it, of course?"
"Yes. After reading *A Gourmet’s Stroll Across the Continent*, it became a place I absolutely had to visit."
`El Toro.`
Befitting a Barchino restaurant, it had the simple name ‘The Bull,’ but it was renowned as the best restaurant on the continent, with several hundred years of tradition.
And El Toro had another name: ‘The Magical Restaurant.’
"Why is it called the Magical Restaurant?"
"Because the food is so amazing, it’s as if a mage created it."
Hans answered Lucas’s question.
That was precisely the reason Loan had wanted to come.
The chef here, Pherant Adri, was famous for his special cooking methods.
Hans, the author of *A Gourmet’s Stroll Across the Continent*, had written the following in the Barchino section:
[His cooking was like a re-creation, born from deconstructing and analyzing every ingredient down to the micro-level of flavor.]
Besides that, the praise was endless.
The beauty of the plating and the creative, unprecedented menus. The taste they produced reached the very pinnacle of the culinary arts.
He was curious about everything, but what had truly captivated Loan’s mind was the phrase ‘micro-level of flavor.’
‘Could the chef here handle mana directly, like me?’
For that reason.
Loan expressed his deep gratitude to Hans for booking this restaurant.
For once, Hans didn't act modest.
"Actually, reservations are booked a decade in advance, so it’s nearly impossible to get a table."
"Does that mean you predicted this day and made a reservation ten years ago, Commander Hans?"
Lucas asked, his eyes wide.
Hans casually ignored the question and turned his gaze to Loan.
"There was a request from the duke, but the restaurant was also quite pleased to hear that the boy hero was coming. They were actually closed today but made a special exception for us."
Loan felt embarrassed all over again, and that feeling continued even after they entered the restaurant.
Everyone recognized him by the bull badge on his chest.
No, even before that, it was possible just from his widely known description. A face like his was anything but common.
A man who appeared to be the manager stepped forward to express his thanks.
"I heard that thanks to you, Libertha has been exterminated."
It was amusing that he used the word ‘exterminated,’ given that this was a restaurant.
"We pay our respects to your hard work. We are very fortunate to have the Union."
With so many senior members present, Loan felt he had to respond when addressed so directly.
"It was nothing. Did those fiends cause this restaurant much trouble?"
"Thanks to them, we often had guests who couldn't make it. No-shows are a big problem."
"Yes…"
"Other than that, no. Not even they would dare to mess with El Toro."
"Is that because they’re afraid of the chefs here?"
He wondered if someone with abilities like his own could be an object of fear.
Given the restaurant’s long history, the chefs’ skills must be considerable, so he didn’t think it was too wild an assumption.
"Perhaps it’s because this restaurant is worth preserving? Even villains have to eat, after all."
"Yes…"
"Haha. Please, come inside. Your meal will be ready shortly."
The manager let out a good-natured laugh as he led them all inside.
El Toro consisted of a single hall.
The ceiling, walls, tables, and chairs were all a uniform white, giving it a clean and simple feel.
Above all, the seemingly ancient furniture simultaneously raised one’s anticipation and trust in the food.
"Well then, we will prepare your food."
Members of the Faith Division, the Honor Division, and the Stability Division.
As the twenty or so Union members took their seats, dishes began to line the tables in succession.
These were people worn down by official duties. For all of them, it was their first time in such a high-end restaurant.
Exclamations of awe erupted here and there, marking the beginning of a grand culinary journey.
A dish of fried red flounder bones wrapped in cotton candy, meatballs coated in flour that dissolved into a soup, grilled olives with a crispy skin, goose liver, vertically sliced to reveal its inner pattern, hot ice cream that maintained its crystalline state within a flame, and more.
A ceaseless parade of beautiful and fantastical dishes left the members bewildered.
But for Loan.
"Ah…"
Every moment was a source of inspiration.