Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Banquet and Revelry (6)
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Letia Dravel.
This elven woman was the wife of the elf knight Fien Dravel, and she also ran a restaurant as a hobby.
Whenever Sir Fien chased after gold and glory, leaving home empty, Lady Letia would scour the empire in search of ingredients that caught her fancy.
Only when she personally went hunting and secured the finest ingredients by cutting their throats herself would she return to Hiragart to cook. That was the secret behind the limited menu.
Otherwise, the hired staff handled the restaurant's operations.
The head chef was exceptionally skilled, so there were no issues even with daily operations.
That was why running the restaurant could be called Lady Letia's hobby.
She took immense pride in her cooking. She didn't serve it to just anyone, and she enjoyed elevating her own reputation through her dishes.
In other words, regular reservation guests were handled by the head chef. Her cooking was special.
So special, in fact, that only those in the know knew about it—others remained oblivious.
Such a lady clenched her fist tightly and raised her arm.
The head of the male guest who had caused a commotion in the restaurant was yanked up.
And then—thwack!
She slammed it down onto the wooden table. The table didn't budge an inch, only a dull thud echoing through the room.
"Kyaa—mmph!"
The woman, his companion on the other side, tried to scream but had her mouth covered.
Lady Letia gripped her right hand firmly and said,
"Quiet."
A brief silence fell. Roll... Only a wooden bowling ball rolled across the floor, making noise on its own.
Soon after, Lady Letia began to walk.
The man with his hair gripped and the woman barely able to breathe were dragged across the floor.
"……."
Asha's face filled with shock as she watched.
She stared at the scene, forgetting even to blink.
They rounded the corner and exited the restaurant. Thud, thump! Crash! Noisy sounds echoed back inside. A few staff members hurriedly rushed outside.
Blink, blink.
Only then did Asha blink. But her mind was still in chaos.
Unrefined thoughts kept rising and fading in her head.
Just like that, as if nothing had happened, the elven woman returned to the restaurant, laughing heartily as she approached the table where Asha sat.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Asha. I've heard a lot about you from my husband. I'm Letia Dravel."
"……Ah, a-ah! So you're Sir Fien's wife. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Asha hastily straightened her posture and bowed in greeting.
Letia then exchanged greetings with Elysia as well. They seemed to know each other.
While the two women chatted about recent happenings, Asha subtly turned her head to glance at the table where the couple had been.
The staff had already come and cleaned it up; it looked pristine now. As if the commotion from moments ago had been a lie.
Asha turned her head back and looked down at the table before her.
"……."
It couldn't be, but...
The reason they used such sturdy materials...
'N-no way. It can't be real!'
No way. Yeah. Definitely not.
Think about it.
She's a noble lady. The matriarch of the Dravel family. From the snippets of conversation drifting over, it sounded like the restaurant was just a hobby.
A hobby! What an elegant ring that word has.
Cooking was an art to her. And artists have always lived a bit outside the bounds of common sense. A few quirks wouldn't be strange at all.
They had touched this eccentric's nerves... so getting scolded was inevitable.
Even Asha herself would frown if someone noisily interrupted her while she was immersed in a good book.
That scene just now was just like...
'……But smashing his head for it?'
No! No! Stop with the wild thoughts!
It wasn't good to fixate on one detail and interpret everything through it.
And people could get a bit overzealous when excited, right?
Besides, look at her now, chatting gracefully with Elysia. How serene and kind she looks.
She must have just overreacted a tad out of a sense of responsibility as the restaurant owner.
Asha glanced at Lady Letia's apron.
Stains like blood had been rubbed off.
……She pretended not to see and looked away.
Just then, Letia finished her chat with Elysia and turned to Asha.
Her hair swayed with the motion of her head.
Asha, momentarily captivated by the sight, blurted out,
"Lady! That hair ornament suits you perfectly."
"Hehe, doesn't it? Void Jaguar hide—it's been ages since we got something this rare."
She elegantly tilted her head, shaking her hair to show it off.
The headband, made from Void Jaguar leg hide, neatly secured her hair on top.
It was a gift from Sir Fien to his reunited wife.
"Oh dear, your food must be getting cold. I'll head back to the kitchen, so please dig in. And there's still a special service coming—look forward to it."
'Those lowlifes ruined the surprise.'
With a hand over her mouth, laughing hoho, Lady Letia returned to the kitchen.
A staff member belatedly noticed the bloodied wooden bowling ball rolling on the floor, quickly picked it up, and followed her to the kitchen.
Asha, who had only turned her head to look, muttered,
"H-honestly, I was pretty shocked..."
"Mm. She's quite the firecracker."
As Elysia picked up her fork and knife, Asha began eating too.
"She doesn't show up often, so I didn't know she was in Hiragart. She must have returned recently."
"Ah, I see."
'Does she have wanderlust or something?'
Asha tilted her head slightly. Then she elegantly took a bite of the beautifully plated appetizer.
Asha's eyes widened round. Another bite right away. She chewed thoughtfully, tapping her toes on the floor.
"……Wow. This is insanely good?"
"The head chef's skills are top-notch. That's why reservations are backed up solid."
Hmm—Instead of answering, Asha nodded and tried another dish.
Her eyes narrowed pleasantly at the flavors filling her mouth. Her appetite kept building.
"You went out during the day, right? Did you get a new sword?"
"Yes. I bought a standard one for now. Oh, right. Can you come with me later when I go shopping for clothes?"
"Of course. What do you plan to do with the Void Jaguar hide?"
"Well.... I've thought about it a lot."
Asha took a sip of water and continued.
"I'm thinking of making it into a cloak. It's great for temperature control, and it'd be a shame to cut up the pretty patterns."
Best of both worlds in practicality and style! Asha added with a grin.
Elysia nodded in satisfaction.
"You should reinforce the lining too. If you add magic treatment, you can flip it inside out depending on the situation."
"Oh...."
She hadn't thought of that! As expected of a knight—expert advice.
As Asha nodded with pursed lips, Elysia chuckled and added,
"Though it'll cost a pretty penny."
"……."
Asha froze mid-motion. Her eyes, sparkling moments ago, dulled like fish at a market stall.
Elysia's advice was reasonable, of course, but that's how people's moods worked, right?
Plant a wonderful dream, then shove a price tag in their face.
Torture by hope...
Asha stabbed an innocent dish with her fork—poke!—and shoved it into her mouth.
As she crunched away, the main course finally arrived.
The dishes Asha and Elysia had ordered earlier. And...
"Oh...."
A dark red steak, perfectly portioned for eating.
Thick juices seeped between the bright red meat fibers, surrounded by spices enhancing the flavor.
Lady Letia, who brought it out on a tray herself, said,
"See how the grain stands out?"
"Yes!"
"Void Jaguar steak. The best cut from the freshest one."
"…!!!"
Monster meat!
Asha's eyes went wide as saucers.
She'd imagined it might exist, but this was her first time seeing it for real.
The vivid image of the Void Jaguar from her memory flashed in her mind.
Then she looked down at the steak before her.
"……."
At that moment, Letia, who had been watching quietly, smirked and spoke.
"Now, please share your honest impressions."
Asha's eyes darted to the lady's apron.
At that moment, in the Knight Order headquarters office.
"Hm? What brings you all here?"
Vice Knight Commander Roderick was just about to head home when the elf knights visited.
"Haha! We have something to discuss with you, Vice Commander."
Fien Dravel stepped forward as representative.
"We're feeling restless. If a new mission comes in, could you assign one to us?"
"…Hm? Didn't you say you'd rest until spring after finishing the bandit purge?"
"Ah, well, about that."
Sir Fien smirked and opened his mouth.
"I met Miss Asha, and now I'm all fired up."