Erica followed Emil into a worn-out little alley. She had thought they would go to a place where meat was carved from large ovens, wine was served, and glowing dishes cost ten gold coins a meal.
‘Is Emil intentionally heading toward more secluded areas?’
It was strange.
*Pat-tap, pat-tap.* Because the road had been dug up to prevent mud from pooling, the muddy path instantly dirtied the glazed shoes Emil had just bought and put on.
“I think this is the place…” As she hurried along, Emil’s eyes were fixed on the signs on either side. She didn’t pay any attention to the ground at all. At this rate, she was definitely going to step right into that puddle.
Although Erica wanted to see Emil’s pathetic state and her throwing a tantrum after falling into the mud, she immediately calmed down when she thought about having to endure the Big Guy’s 1,000,000 horsepower of fury.
‘There’s no need to mimic Red Bull. It’s okay to have fun, but don’t risk your life.’
“Sorry.”
Erica quickly grabbed Emil’s arm and pulled her toward herself.
“Whoa!” Her center of gravity shifted in her glazed shoes, and her body swayed violently, almost falling into the young girl’s arms.
However, the light-bodied Big Guy managed to regain her balance and looked up in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“There’s a puddle over there. If you had kept walking, your glazed shoes and half your leg would have sunk in.”
“…I knew there was a puddle there. But the shoes are already dirty.” Erica gently pulled up the hem of her skirt and tied a knot at her thigh, revealing her slender, white calves and knees.
She leaned against the wall and half-squatted, patting her own knee with her small hand. “Please rest your leg here. I’ll wipe the glazed shoes for you.”
“Um, that won’t do.” Emil was clearly tempted by the suggestion, but she maintained her reserve. Besides, she and Erica were no longer in a master-servant relationship. What would it be if she let the other girl wipe her shoes?
“Alright, stop being difficult, Lady Emil.” Erica directly placed Emil’s calf on one of her knees and used a handkerchief from her bosom to gently wipe away the mud from the suspended shoe.
*Rustle, rustle.*
“Hey! People are watching! If someone sees us, they’ll think I’m a spoiled girl!” Emil seemed very embarrassed, but with one foot caught, she could only support herself against the wall with one hand and let Erica continue.
Erica found it quite strange. ‘Is she afraid I’ll overthink the status issue? That’s a bit of an exaggeration.’
Although this was something many attendants often did, there shouldn’t be anything strange about people close to each other helping one another out, right?
“Don’t do this anymore, you hear me? It doesn’t make a difference anyway…”
‘Do I really have to be lectured even when I’m helping out of the goodness of my heart? Even feeding a stray cat gets you a couple of meows. Sigh—what a difficult person.’
**[Inadvertent thoughtfulness, the basic quality of Central Air Conditioning!]**
**[Obtained Job Experience for Alluring Enchantress. +10]**
Erica chose to ignore it.
“Anyway, this is the place. I caught a glimpse of it when we passed by earlier!”
The destination Emil led her to was a common adventurer gathering spot. It featured a tavern and restaurant on the first floor and an inn on the second and third floors. It reminded Erica of Noel’s Elven Stream tavern.
“Well then, I sacrifice five Kyubeys to summon the highest-tier Magical Girl! With this, your Goblin Legion is completely wiped out. This has been a hard-fought battle; now we both only have one card left. The outcome is decided!”
“Indeed. In that case, I win.”
“Hahaha, based on what? Based on that newbie card you have left?”
“Yes, because this card is the ‘Tentacle Monster’.”
“?”
Many customers were already seated on the first floor. Some were playing cards, some were playing chess, some were drinking, and others were drunkenly singing songs in languages Erica couldn’t understand. The atmosphere and style here were completely incompatible with the status of the eldest daughter of the Leones family; it was a scene of chaotic and disorderly street life.
Erica couldn’t help but frown in confusion, but the Big Guy seemed exceptionally excited upon seeing this noisy and boisterous scene. The corners of her mouth curled up, revealing her sharp little tiger teeth as she let out a chuckle.
“Great! There are so many customers. Places like this often hide unexpected, exclusive delicacies.” After saying that, her glazed shoes made a *click-clack* sound as she strode into the shop.
As Emil and the veiled Erica appeared, the girl could feel the gazes of the drunken men instantly focus on the two of them.
“Hey! Look over there. Who are those two? Are there girls this pretty around here?”
“I don’t know. They look like daughters of a noble family? Based on their appearance and temperament, they don’t look like master and servant. They’re probably close friends out for a stroll together, haha.”
“Could the one wearing the veil be Miona Drake? I heard the only daughter of the Drake family is visiting Regtaya…”
Having an outstanding appearance always attracted all sorts of gazes and speculation, let alone two top-tier beauties.
Dazzling girls always attracted too much attention. The veil actually felt unnecessary; if anything, it intensified everyone’s curiosity about Erica’s identity.
Either her looks were of peerless beauty, or her status was exceptional; otherwise, why would a normal person wear a veil when going out?
‘Besties? What kind of besties are constantly plotting against their sisters…’ Erica complained in her heart.
“Come, please sit here!”
Under the enthusiastic greeting of the staff, the girl and Emil sat at an empty table that had just been cleared. Although the table had been tidied, it had only been wiped simply with a rag. Some oil stains remained, making it feel slightly greasy to the touch.
‘This is just like street-side snacks; it’s unexpectedly nostalgic.’
“Here is the menu. Please call me once you’ve chosen!”
Looking at the menu, the most expensive dish here was a pork bone chop for 10 copper coins. Aside from high-end red wine, most of the dishes were priced in copper coins: 5 copper coins for stew, 3 copper coins for beer, and 1 copper coin for a grilled wingette…
“Which ones would be good? I’m not very good at choosing these things.”
Watching Emil carefully study the wooden menu, Erica finally couldn’t contain her curiosity and spoke up. “I didn’t expect Lady Emil to eat this kind of commoner food.”
“What? Do you think I should be elegantly sipping wine while cutting beef with a knife and fork, eating only a tenth of the meal before stopping to wipe the corners of my mouth when there’s nothing there?”
‘Wait, isn’t that the case?’
“Yes, after all, Lady Emil is a noble daughter from a prominent family. Those things naturally suit you…”
“Hmm, that’s true. It’s no wonder you think that way. After all, I do look like an elegant noble.”
Even though these words came from the Big Guy, they didn’t feel strange. Simply considering her appearance and temperament (when she wasn’t speaking), she was the undisputed jewel of the Leones family.
“I’ve chewed on plenty of dried meat and yellow flour cakes on the battlefield. Compared to those outposts piled with mountains of corpses, this place can be called a top-tier restaurant.”
“Oh, I see.”
‘This person is like an old woman who constantly has the phrase “back in my day” on her lips.’
When the food arrived, Emil sliced the meat pieces that had been cooked on a hot stone plate with great relish before bringing them to her mouth.
This was a type of food similar to thick-cut pork belly. The taste was also similar, so it was tentatively called Stone-plate Pork Belly. The skin was grilled until golden and the boiling oil made a *sizzling* sound. It was much more delicious than expected.
Cutting the plump and juicy meat into chunks and dipping them into a sauce that resembled chili powder and peanut butter resulted in a flavor explosion. The popular cuisine of the Church City, Regtaya, was unexpectedly quite good.
Emil ate two bowls of rice and then ordered another one. Three empty bowls, where not even a grain of rice could be seen, were stacked together. Erica could only watch in awe.
‘Where does all that food go?’
‘Is it stored in her chest?’
Erica couldn’t help but wonder if… well, she meant maybe, was there a possibility that a girl’s second stomach was inside her chest?
‘Hmph—’ Her gaze naturally drifted toward the Big Guy’s chest, then she looked down at the small buns on her own.
Erica remained silent. There was probably a reason why her appetite was so small.
Emil quickly finished the food in front of her, boldly wiped the oil from the corners of her mouth with her fingertips, and stood up from her seat. “It’s time to go.”
“Are we going shopping again? Is there anything else to buy?”
“No, shopping is over, at least for now. But… didn’t we make a promise? If you followed me properly today, I would give you a reward.”
“Ah…”
“Boss, are there any rooms left upstairs?”
Emil booked a guest room at the inn with unexpectedly skilled precision. It was a small room located in a corner on the second floor of the tavern. The furnishings inside consisted of only a wardrobe, a table, a chair, and a window…
No, none of that was important.
The most important thing was that there was a large bed in the room, big enough for two people to lie down side by side. The blanket seemed to have been freshly washed and dried, looking quite fluffy and soft.