Chapter 23 - Hearty Dinner
Dahlia and Volf walked a little longer, heading south of the central district.
At Volf's suggestion, they made their way to a tavern known for catering to common folk, with a wide selection of alcohol and hearty dishes.
Upon entering the red-roofed establishment, Volf requested a private room at the very back from the staff.
Though it was called a private room, it had three walls and one partition separating it from the rest of the tavern.
"Now, let's make sure we eat properly. What drink would you like? There are various kinds of red wine. I’d rather not go for the wine barrel though."
The menu handed to Dahlia was quite thick. She was surprised to hear that half of it consisted of alcoholic drinks.
"They have wine barrels..."
At the very end of the menu, there were three types of wine barrels: red, white, and rosé.
"It’s for large celebrations."
In this world, commoners did not typically wear special dresses and have weddings. It was more common for families and friends to gather together and have a meal and drinks at home or at a tavern, often taking place during a holiday shortly after the marriage certificate had been filed.
As for Dahlia, she had never experienced such an event herself.
"Then, I’ll have the white ale."
"Then, I’ll go with the black ale. What about the food? If you’re okay with it, how about we order a few things and share?"
"That sounds good; we’ll get to try various dishes."
The staff came to take their order, and they replied while spreading out the menu.
"One white and one black ale, two sets of grilled seafood skewers, a pork and vegetable fritter set, and some steamed chicken. What about you, Dahlia-san?"
"I’ll have the black pepper fried potatoes and grilled broad beans, please."
Once the staff left, Volf fixed the way he sat.
"Sorry, would it be alright if I use this to prevent eavesdropping?"
From his pocket, Volf pulled out a small silver triangular object.
It was a magical tool used by nobles and wealthy merchants to prevent eavesdropping.
"Go ahead. Though I don’t think we’ll be discussing anything that should be kept a secret."
"As for me, I use it not to discuss secrets, but when I want to chat casually with my comrades in the squad."
When he touched the silver triangle, it glowed faintly with a blue light.
"I have a request first. If, by any chance, I get dead drunk, please arrange for a delivery carriage to send me to the royal castle's barracks—cash on delivery."
"Understood. If I’m unable to move, I’ll need a delivery carriage to the Green Tower in the western district."
It was tempting to comment on how he seemed to be assuming he would pass out, but since they weren’t close, it was essential to be prepared.
If they didn’t know each other’s home addresses, there would be no way to figure out where to send each other.
Near shopping streets and busy areas, there were "delivery carriages" that worked like taxis, so it would be best to have one of those take them home.
"I’ve never gotten drunk from alcohol before. How about you, Dahlia-san?"
"I’ve never gotten drunk, but I've also never gone overboard with drinking."
"How much have you had before?"
"Well, I once drank four bottles of red wine and was still able to work normally."
"That’s enough for most people to be considered a 'king snake.'"
The term "king snake" was a metaphor in this world akin to the expression uwabami, which is used to refer to heavy drinkers in her previous life.
The king snake was a type of desert monster that could be lured with the scent of alcohol—and, apparently, it could hold its liquor. It was said that if someone filled a large jar with alcohol, the creature would start drinking from it, making it easy to capture once it became thoroughly intoxicated.
"I haven’t drunk more than that. What about you, Volf-san?"
"For now, I've experienced being fine with drinking bottles of white wine even when the number of digits have increased."
"An increase in the number of digits... You're totally a sea serpent."
An increase in the number of digits meant drinking ten bottles or more.
Sea serpents were of a higher level than king snakes. It was a term used for people who "basically never get drunk."
In this world, whether it was due to physical differences or magic, many people surprisingly have a high tolerance for alcohol.
Dahlia herself had become more tolerant to alcohol than she had been in her previous life, but there were still people who could drink much more than she could, so she couldn’t exactly say she was strong when it came to alcohol in this world.
"There are plenty of sea serpents in the Chivalric Order."
"It'll be tough to treat those kinds of people. I think it's best if we split the bill here."
"I seemed to have said something unnecessary. Pretend you didn’t hear that. Oh, but if you’re going to drink from the wine barrel, let’s split the bill."
It seemed Volf was determined to treat her today, so Dahlia decided to accept his offer.
"Then, let’s raise another toast to our reunion."
"To our reunion."
As the drinks and food started arriving, they clinked their cups of ale in a toast.
The cold white ale was rather light in flavor. Even so, the hop was fragrant, and the slight bitterness passed smoothly down her throat, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. It wasn’t overly carbonated, but it suited the drink perfectly.
Volf had already finished his first cup of black ale during the toast. The bottle was almost empty.
"Now, is it difficult for you to speak freely? If I put up an anti-eavesdropper, there’s no worry about others overhearing us."
"That might now be appropriate when speaking to someone from a Count's family..."
"Although I’m technically part of the Scalfarotto family, I'm the youngest child. They let me do as I please so much, I don’t even have guards or anyone tailing me. My mother was a rank-less third wife. I was raised in a separate residence, and live in the barracks now. So, I’m not good with formalities. Is it still no good?”
His golden eyes slightly glistened as they looked toward her.
Why, in front of such a handsome young man, did she suddenly remember the medium-sized dog she had kept in her previous life?
"...I understand. I’m a commoner, so I don’t know noble etiquette, so I’ll speak comfortably. By the way, how is this anti-eavesdropping magical tool made?"
"The castle’s mages said they use sound to cancel each other out. It doesn’t block the entire conversation, but it irregularly muffles sounds, so if you’re far enough away, you won’t be able to follow the conversation. Of course, it wouldn’t work in places where the tables are too close together."
"I see. So, it’s not foolproof against lip-reading, then."
It wasn’t a perfect anti-eavesdropping tool, but more of a device to make it difficult to hear naturally.
“Huh? Dahlia-san, do you perhaps take on jobs like that?”
"I’m not sure what you mean by ‘that,’ but I work in the Merchant Guild, dealing only with everyday magical tools like dryers and waterproof cloths. As for anti-eavesdropping tools, they’d fall more under a mage’s domain than a magic toolmaker’s."
"I see. I thought these kinds of tools were mostly made by magical toolmakers."
She divided the freshly roasted broad beans in half, nibbling on them while drinking ale. Peeling them while they were hot was a bit troublesome, but they were soft, fragrant, and had a lightly sweet aftertaste. The roasted beans, with a bit of a charred edge and extra salt, tasted just like the ones from her past life.
"Volf-san, I was surprised by how much your atmosphere changed earlier."
"I thought it might help wrap up the conversation. That was me trying to act more like a noble. Do you think I should speak like that instead?"
"I’d prefer if you didn’t. It makes me... want to distance myself as much as possible."
"I’m glad. It's exhausting to keep that up because it's not really who I am. If only my looks could have been as casual as my personality…"
If a normal man had heard those words, he probably would’ve protested strongly.
But it must be true that even handsome men had their own troubles.
Dahlia recalled the times when she had been with others back in the academy, and how those with beautiful looks often had their own struggles as well.
"You must get approached a lot, don’t you?"
"Today, I got stopped three times just walking from the barracks to that restaurant."
"It must be difficult to walk around..."
"When I walk around alone, I wear a hooded cloak or glasses. Today, I thought that maybe you wouldn’t recognize me, so I purposely walked around in a way that stood out."
"I’m sorry... I should’ve at least introduced myself properly and made sure you could contact me through the Merchant Guild."
"I’m the one who should be apologizing for talking about something so pathetic. And I’m not blaming you, I just really wanted to talk to you again..."
Volf scratched his head with one hand.
"Since we managed to have our reunion, let’s switch gears and eat."
"Right, let’s do that."
He handed her half of a seafood skewer set, and they began eating one by one.
There were large shrimp, small fish, scallops, and a kraken. All of them were grilled with salt.
The round, plump shrimp were firm and sizable, about the size of a fist, making for quite a satisfying meal.
The fish, whole, resembled shishamo smelt a little, but they were bright red. The sweetness of the white meat and the slight bitterness of the innards made for an indescribable taste. Perhaps this is also a type of monster.
The scallops, while of a reasonable size, were incredibly tender and retained a strong sweetness even after being grilled.
The most mysterious of all was the kraken.
Kraken, a type of monster, was regularly captured by fishermen and mercenaries with large fleets, so it was a cheap and widely available food source and material.
Though it was cut into manageable portions, the flesh looked like it had a reddish-brown side, resembling an octopus. But when eaten, it had a chewy texture and tasted like a savory squid.
Though kraken was said to have a strong odor, the one here was well-prepared, and the seasoning completely masked any potential smell.
"Have you ever wondered if kraken is closer to octopus or squid?"
"Well, it looks like an octopus, but the taste is more like squid. You can’t tell when you’re eating this, but if you think about how many people one kraken could feed... it’s incredible."
"True. Given the season, I’d love to fully support the ice mages."
The size of a kraken would depend, but it could likely fill several storage rooms. While some parts of it were processed at sea, further cutting was needed to distribute it to markets.
Except in midwinter, ice mages would use their magic to freeze the storage warehouses, keeping the meat cold while it was dismantled.
Back when Dahlia was at the high academy, students who could use ice magic often took up that task as a lucrative part-time job.
While continuing to eat a set of fritters and black pepper fried potatoes, they ordered another round of ale. This time, both of them chose the red ale.
"...It’s really red."
"It’s because it’s made with red barley."
The beautiful ruby-like color caught their attention, and they couldn’t help but adjust the angle of their glass to admire it.
When they tasted it, the ale was quite fruity, with a lot of carbonation. It paired really well with fried food.
Especially the large-cut potatoes that were fried and generously seasoned with salt and black pepper—they were impossible to stop eating.
Dahlia was starting to think she should start worrying about having to add another hole to her belt soon.
"The magic enchantment on magical tools—does it usually only allow for one enchantment?”
"Yes. Normally, one enchantment per item is standard. If multiple enchantments are layered, it’s usually within the realm of skilled mages or alchemists."
"What do high-level mages do when they apply multiple enchantments? Have you ever heard of it, Dahlia-san?”
Volf sliced a whole, headless steamed chicken in half with the knife that came with it, serving it onto plates. Though the internal organs were removed, it was quite a hearty dish.
"Probably, each mage or alchemist has their own secret method. After applying an enchantment, they likely perform a procedure to prevent the magic from being repelled, and then apply the next enchantment on top. I’m not sure if that procedure involves magic or chemicals, though.”
"I see. I guess it’s not that simple. After hearing about the knife last time, I was thinking that if the swords of the Subjugation Force had hardening and cleansing enchantments, it would be great. Also, if there was a way to lighten the weight during transport."
"...Hmm?"
Dahlia stared intently at the knife that had just been used to cut the chicken.
After thinking for a moment about the shape of a sword with a hand on her forehead, she turned to Volf.
“Volf-san, do you replace the guard and scabbard of the swords used by your squad?”
"Yeah, it’s normal to replace them. Sometimes they break, after all."
"I thought that maybe since they can be replaced, doesn’t that mean they’re treated as separate items? I’m not sure if it’s possible, and maybe it’s been tried already and it failed, but... would it be possible to dismantle the sword, enchant the blade with hardening, apply purification magic using either water or wind magic on the guard so that the blade is cleaned when sheathed, and then enchant the scabbard with weight reduction before reassembling everything?"
"That's..."
Volf’s golden eyes widened, and then his mouth formed a perfect "U" shape.
"If that could be done, it would be amazing. It would make things so much easier for our squad, and it would basically be a man-made magic sword!"
Apparently, the last part was the real thought behind his excitement. His voice grew louder, and he quickly cupped his mouth.
When talking about magic swords, his expression occasionally shifted to that of a child. His eyes were brightly colored with curiosity and adventure, making it quite amusing to watch.
"Sorry, I got carried away..."
"You really love magic swords, don’t you, Volf-san?"
"Yeah, magic swords and enchanted weapons are the stuff of dreams. I can’t apply enchantments myself, but just thinking about them is fun..."
"I also love magical tools. I enjoy coming up with new ideas, so I completely understand..."
Dahlia realized that she and this man were alike in that regard.
And, probably, the man in front of her had come to the same realization. His golden eyes were beaming with joy.
"Do you still have time today?"
"Yes, I’m fine."
"Seems like I’m really getting into the alcohol now."
Volf emptied the remaining ale from his glass in one go.
"Anyway, let’s eat the steamed chicken while we talk."
Both of them began eating the steamed chicken while continuing their conversation.
Though it had cooled down, the meat was tender and soft, and the texture when it broke apart in their mouths was pleasant. There was no unpleasant odor at all, and it was delicious either on its own or with a sauce made of onions and spices.
"Shall we get another round of drinks? I’ll have aquavit on the rocks, but what will you have?"
"What kind of drink is aquavit?"
"It’s a distilled spirit made from potatoes. It’s got a bit of a caraway flavor, so it’s easy to drink."
"In that case, I’ll have the same."
Volf went to place the order, and the server quickly brought over a bottle, glasses, and a full ice bucket.
"Well then, let’s make a toast with this new drink. It’s a bit cliché, but here’s to tomorrow’s good luck."
"Here’s to tomorrow’s good luck."
They exchanged the usual toast and made their third cheers of the evening.
The aquavit, chilled with ice, was smooth and easy to drink. It tasted good, but the moment it slid down their throats, the green fragrance of caraway swirled around—such a satisfying sensation.
However, if they weren’t careful, it had a strength that might hit them straight in the knees.
"...I hope it’s not rude to ask, but would it be alright if I call you Dahlia? I’d like you to call me Volf.”
"I don’t mind being called that, but it’s difficult for me to call you that. I’m just a commoner."
"Got it. I'll have a document drawn up with a notary public, stating that no matter what you say, it won't be considered disrespectful, 'in order to treat each other as equals in town'."
What a terrifying joke.
There was no way a precious notary public would be used for something like that, and besides, the implication was subtly different.
Primarily, it was women, followed by the nobility, like the Count's family, and then there was the fear of potential repercussions at work.
"But..."
"I’m the fourth son, the youngest, and my mother came from a baron’s family. She’s no longer around, and my mother’s family has fallen to commoner status with no backing. Though I’m from the Scalfarotto family, I can’t use water magic or any of the five elemental magic. Eventually, I plan to leave the nobility and live as a commoner. So, I guess you could say it’s all part of preparing for that."
The five elemental magic consisted of fire, water, wind, earth, and healing magic.
These are considered important among the nobility.
"Won’t you marry into a noble family as a husband?"
"Any noble ranked viscount or higher that doesn't possess one of the five elemental magic is considered completely no good. Marriage itself is fine, but as for the inheritance, they'll need to adopt or have another man's child. It’s common for someone to be unable to inherit the family if they don’t possess any of the five elemental magic. Even if I married into a noble family, I'd just be a decoration. Oh, and some families are hoping for a daughter, thinking they can marry her off to a wealthy family in the next generation."
"That’s a world I didn’t know about..."
After hearing more from Volf, Dahlia learned that leaving the nobility wasn’t that rare an occurrence.
In the nobility, the eldest son or the most capable one is usually chosen as the heir, and at least one person is kept around as a spare. The rest have to either marry into a family or descend to commoner status.
For women, some might marry into noble families, but most often, they ended up marrying wealthy merchants or citizens with important positions.
Since the number of nobles didn’t increase, that was the standard practice.
Her father had been an honorary baron, but his title was only for one generation, and Dahlia, being a commoner, knew very little about the world of nobility.
"Nobles have it hard too, huh?"
"Yeah, some prefer a laid-back life and become lovers to married women. In our country, we allow polygamy and polyandry, but unlike husbands, it’s rare for wives to take on second or third husbands. The more common situation is something like a boy toy arrangement.”
One of the things that had surprised Dahlia in this world was the difference in marriage, particularly when it came to marriage registration.
In this world, when filing for marriage at the government office, polygamy, polyandry, and same-sex marriage were all legally recognized.
For the most part, commoners practiced monogamy, while among the wealthy merchants, polygamous marriages were the next most common.
As for the nobility, besides polygamy, polyandry was a rare practice, typically used for reasons such as passing on rare magical powers, securing an heir, or protecting land and wealth.
Nobles might appear glamorous at first glance, but in reality, their lives seemed to be quite challenging.
"Sorry, our conversation went in a strange direction..."
Volf chuckled awkwardly as he poured more aquavit into their glasses.
"Hey, Dahlia. If I bring one of the squad’s swords, would you be able to try the magic enchantment we talked about? Of course, I’ll pay whatever it costs, including any labor fees."
Somehow, he had started calling her by her first name, but strangely, she didn’t feel uncomfortable about it.
"About calling you by name... well, if it’s just the two of us, then it’s fine. But as for the magic enchantment, if it fails, the item could become useless. So, how about we start with a cheap dagger and test it secretly, Volf?”
At her response, the young man widened his golden eyes for just a moment, and then he smiled, the light in his eyes spilling out.
"Okay. I’m looking forward to it, Magic Toolmaker Dahlia."
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