Chapter 104: A Long-Awaited Taste of Commoner Food
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: A Long-Awaited Taste of Commoner Food
[I can’t get any smaller! It’ll be hard to protect my master then!]
“Right, right.”
“...?”
Philip, who couldn’t hear Desmond’s voice, tilted his head at my talking to myself. However, being quick-witted, he didn’t openly voice his confusion.
I walked on my own two feet once we reached the village. It was a relief that the aftereffects of my long rest had mostly faded.
“Little Miss, shall we eat first?”
“Yes.”
Since getting new clothes wasn’t urgent yet, I nodded readily at Philip’s question. However, there was one thing I had overlooked.
“Oh? My, I’m not sure if such a precious little lady can eat in a humble place like this. Hoho.”
Since I had been staying at the Imperial Palace, my attire was quite lavish. I wasn’t wearing a full-set dress with layers of frills since I was still a child, but it was still fancy enough to be intimidating to a commoner.
Maybe I should have changed my clothes first. I glanced at the innkeeper—who seemed to run this tavern-cum-inn—as she acted awkwardly around me. Numerous gazes were fixed in my direction.
“She is indeed a person of high status, but since this is the only place to eat nearby, it can’t be helped. It’s fine.”
“Hmm? Wait, aren’t you Philip?”
“Pardon?”
The innkeeper asked, peering closely at Philip. Startled, Philip’s eyes widened.
“Oh my, it is you! Even that mole near your mouth is exactly the same! Where on earth did you go? Hmm?”
“Uh, well...”
Since he said the orphanage was nearby, it seemed Philip had interacted with the villagers in the past. As luck would have it, the innkeeper knew him, though he didn’t seem to remember her well.
“Ah, I remember now. How have you been? Auntie... Mary, right?”
“Yes, you rascal! Do you have any idea how worried I was when you suddenly vanished into thin air?”
“Haha.”
“It wasn’t just you; the other children all disappeared one day without a trace, too. Tsk, tsk.”
Clicking her tongue, the innkeeper led Philip and me toward the back of the tavern. She chattered away excitedly.
“I heard that orphanage was run by the Temple, so I’m sure everyone went to a good place. Oh, look at me. You must be hungry. I’ll get you something delicious right away!”
“Yes, Auntie.”
Philip gave a forced smile and nodded to her. He watched the innkeeper’s retreating back as she headed toward the kitchen with a bitter look in his eyes.
“Earlier, I only vaguely remembered the path, but now the things from my childhood are coming back to me. Actually, they didn’t really let us go outside the orphanage, but a few of us were quite curious.”
Philip muttered with a dazed expression, as if he were dreaming.
Of course, since the orphanage wasn’t run with good intentions, they would have kept the children under strict control to prevent rumors from spreading.
But it seemed Philip had managed to sneak out quite often, considering there were people in the village who remembered him.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Little Miss. You’re probably not interested in stories like this, are you?”
“No, keep going.”
I said, swinging my legs as I sat on a chair that was too high for me since it was meant for adults. At my words, Philip’s eyes grew misty.
“Thinking back, I think I entered that place with the kids I used to hang around with. At first, they said it was to train our bodies for the Temple, but at some point... why on earth did I do everything they told me to in a place like that?”
“Hmm.”
Now that his brainwashing had been broken, Philip was in a state of confusion. It was due to the discrepancy between the Temple and the Apocrypha. Since he didn’t yet know they were essentially the same entity, he felt a sense of repulsion toward the fanatical cult of the Apocrypha while simultaneously questioning the Temple.
‘What should I do? Should I tell him the truth?’
[Wouldn’t that just make him more confused?]
[He’s right. It’s better to let him know slowly.]
‘Hmm, alright.’
Nodding at the demons’ advice, I cautiously opened my mouth to speak to Philip.
“Um...”
“Did you wait long, Philip?”
“Ah.”
The innkeeper suddenly appeared, carrying a large tray. She began setting various bowls of food down on the table.
There was yellow soup, salad, and appetizing bread. There were even bacon and egg dishes.
To be honest, since the place I had lived in since my possession was a Marquis Mansion, these dishes were quite humble in comparison. I had been eating Imperial Palace cuisine until just yesterday, after all.
However, I had lived as a commoner in Korea for a long time. If anything, the feasts I’d eaten since my possession were what felt unfamiliar to me.
“Oh dear, I don’t know if this will suit a little lady’s palate.”
“It’s delicious!”
“Is it?”
When I took a sip of the soup and spoke with a bright smile, the innkeeper looked incredibly pleased. After a moment’s hesitation, she gently stroked my hair.
Strictly speaking, the Imperial Palace food was tastier, but it was like the difference between a 3-minute instant meal and a Michelin-star restaurant. While the instant meal was of a much lower grade than the Michelin dish, it didn’t mean it tasted bad.
Fortunately, my tongue, which had been eating nothing but Michelin-level food lately, held no prejudice. I slurped down the commoner food happily. Perhaps I had even missed these kinds of "3-minute instant" flavors.
“Hehe, she really eats well.”
“S-she certainly does.”
Philip, who had been watching me worriedly, also nodded in relief. Only then did he begin to scoop up his soup.
“Tell me how you’ve been after you finish eating. Are you still in touch with the other children?”
“Cough, well, I’m in a bit of a hurry right now...”
“Oh, right. I was only thinking of myself.”
The innkeeper glanced at me and Desmond. It seemed Philip couldn’t bring himself to say he had been forcibly taken into a cult and brainwashed. Fortunately, using me as an excuse seemed like a good way to dodge the questions.
“I don’t know what it is, but once your business is settled, make sure to stop by. Understood?”
“Yes, Auntie. Um, the bill...”
“Oh, forget the money! It’s fine, so just go!”
When we tried to pay after finishing the meal, the innkeeper waved her hand and shooed us out.
I was grateful that she had even taken care to feed Desmond, but since she wouldn’t even take our money, I felt both apologetic and thankful.
[Hmph, it’s not like this body needs to eat anyway.]
‘Still, it’s something to be grateful for.’
[Hmph, well. It wasn’t bad.]
Since the direwolf body Desmond occupied was already dead, there was no need for him to consume food. However, since he could eat, Desmond seemed secretly pleased.
“Then let’s go buy some clothes, Little Miss.”
“Okay.”
We stopped by a clothing store where I bought some reasonably ordinary children’s clothes, and Philip also changed into something unremarkable.
Since Desmond was carrying the money I had won from the previous competition, we could spend as much as we wanted. As expected, one must always have an emergency fund for personal use. It was a moment where my excellent foresight truly shone.
“Is the orphanage far from here?”
“It’s very close, Little Miss. It’s only half a day’s walk.”
“Hmm.”
However, with my stride and stamina, there was no telling if it would take days rather than half a day. So, when no one was around, I rode on Desmond after he grew in size, and otherwise, Philip carried me. Philip, who had trained his body while brainwashed by the cult, was quite sturdy.
“It’s here.”
“Oh!”
We arrived at the orphanage sooner than expected. I marveled at the modest building covered in vines from a distance.
“My, it looks exactly as it does in my memories.”
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, Little Miss.”
Since there would be people at the orphanage, I went while being carried by Philip. Philip’s cheeks were flushed with anticipation at the thought of reuniting with the people from the orphanage.
However, in front of the rusted main gate, we were met with bewilderment.
“Is anyone there?”
Philip called out as he knocked on the gate, but no one came out. Philip raised his voice even louder.
“Is anyone there! Teacher? Is no one here?”
The demons and I exchanged glances. Bibi decided to scout the inside first.
“That’s strange. Why is no one coming out?”
Tilting his head, Philip cautiously pushed the gate. The gate swung back with pathetic ease. The rusted iron door let out a long, shrill creak.
“W-what in the world...”
And there was no one inside. A flustered Philip set me down and began to search every corner of the orphanage building.
[There’s no one inside, Master!]
“Really? Did you look everywhere?”
[Yes. Since it was run by those Temple bastards, traces of their energy remain here and there, but it’s not enough to weaken me. There didn’t seem to be any secret spaces hidden by divine power, either.]
“Hmm.”
This was a disaster. The orphanage had already been completely cleared out.
I narrowed my eyes as I watched Philip trudge out of the building, looking utterly defeated.