kscans

Chapter 117 - The Claudia Kingdom's Secret and Little One

"Mmm…"

After settling in at the inn, Little One visited the dining hall and was now staring intently at the menu with a stern expression.

"Oven-roasted lamb… or pan-fried winter mackerel… unyuu, which one should I choose?"

And the side dishes were either baked cheese or a small shrimp cocktail. Perhaps due to the proximity of the sea, the lineup was likely more extensive than in the Claudia Royal Capital.

"Uwaaah? The accompaniments are assorted breads or a mini omurice? Omurice wasn't just a Frontier thing?"

The bread basket also contained about five types, including butter rolls and baguettes. Watching his sister instinctively wipe her drooling mouth, jururi, Chihaya offered a helping hand with an exasperated look.

"You can't eat all that, can you? Let's split it with me."

"Nice idea, Nii-ni!"

Little One’s face lit up, paa.

Don’t waste it on something like this, Chihaya thought, lightly tapping his sister on the head.

Wasting a smile?

Little One, wondering what he meant as she stared at the menu, didn't notice. Unsavory gazes had been fixed on the twins for some time now.

There’s no malice. But they are suspicious gazes.

Chihaya glanced at them and sent a sharp look to Dorfen, who nodded slightly in return. Little One was amusingly sensitive to malice, but completely indifferent to everything else. Her focus was ironclad, leaving everything else off her radar. Even now, she was staring at the menu, this time agonizing over dessert. Perhaps it was a blessing of being in the borderlands, or perhaps the lord here was wise. For a small village near the border, they had an unusually appetizing selection of dishes. In the kitchen, visible from the dining hall, were cooks in proper chef's coats. And there were several of them. In a rustic village like this, a cook itself would be a rarity.

Thinking that far, Chihaya’s eyes widened.

Ah, so that’s how it is?

Little One was happily munching on the food that had been brought to her, magumagu, looking completely satisfied.

"Sooo delicious! You should try some too, Nii-ni. We’re so lucky to find such delicious food in a place like this, aren’t we?"

"Yes, we are. Probably…"

…though it’s man-made luck.

Chihaya didn't say the last part out loud.

The very fact that a proper chef's high-class cuisine was being served in a place like this was unnatural. Once you realized that, the answer was obvious. The people in the kitchen had probably been prepared for the Frontier party. By the royal palace, or a noble of equivalent rank. His eyes narrowing cynically, Chihaya brought the food to his mouth.

Herb-roasted lamb seasoned with spices. Yup, no doubt about it. This is not commoners' food.

The source of the suspicious gazes was probably a spy observing Frontier's movements. To put it nicely, they were being welcomed. To put it badly…

As Chihaya’s sardonic smile deepened, his sister’s plate was pushed in front of him. On it was half of a piping hot fish.

"Nii-ni, hurry, trade, trade!"

At the sight of Little One fussing about, wakyawakya, Chihaya’s cynicism evaporated, and his face went slack. Ah, right. If you’re happy, then nothing else matters.

The twins exchanged plates and smiled at each other. The members of the Little One Squad watched the ever-close siblings with fond smiles. A moment of bliss was upon them.

More than ten years had passed since Little One was reincarnated in Arcadia. Fulfilling the true desire of a well-fed Japanese person, and with the tailwind from Kilfan, the numerous menu items that had been魔改造, or magically modified, in Frontier had taken the world by storm. Little One didn't hide her recipes either. In fact, she practically forced them on others, telling them to be fruitful and multiply. As a result, decent cuisine had evolved everywhere, incorporating the local character of each country.

Chihaya tasted the mackerel and smacked his lips. The accompanying shrimp cocktail, tossed in a rich shrimp-flavored sauce, was also very delicious.

"What is this…? It has more flavor than the shrimp itself."

Chihaya tilted his head as he licked the sauce.

"It’s probably miso. Shrimp miso is the base, nyo. They fry the shells whole to make the stock, nyo."

It was what would be called Américaine sauce on Earth.

On Earth, large shrimp were often used, but it could be made perfectly well with small shrimp too. Instead of a sauce, you could add vegetables and make a potage. That was called bisque. Either way, as long as it was delicious, it didn't matter.

Little One, patting her satisfied stomach, got down from her chair and headed for the inn's entrance.

"Hiro?"

Chihiro turned back to the questioning Chihaya and grinned, nishishishi.

"I’m going to buy dessert, nyo. I have to try the food here too. I wonder what they have?"

Hearing those words, the several men at the table Chihaya had been suspicious of shot to their feet with a clatter, gata.

So she knew.

This was the only inn in the village. If they were passing through, they would likely stay at this inn. It was undoubtedly a banquet prepared by someone. To satisfy the Frontier party. To make a good impression. But Little One had seen through all that. There was no way a gourmand wouldn't notice the unnaturalness of the food.

Akyakyakya. Laughing loudly and swinging her arms, Little One burst out of the inn, leaving the suspicious men flustered. Narrowing his eyes at the comical sight, Chihaya, along with Dorfen, also rushed out of the inn after his sister. Watching the three of them go, Hyrulia sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. Adonis and Zack exchanged looks of resignation. The members of the knight order, being used to this, got to work as soon as they finished their meal. Some went after Little One and the others. Some stood guard around the inn. Some checked each room.

Kazuki stared at these people with wide eyes, utterly speechless.

My, oh my. The young lady is far too free.

He had thought she was some sheltered young lady, but she led monsters, charged into a Lord's Forest, threw a tantrum about wanting to stay at an inn, and now she was running off into the town at night. She was off the charts.

As Kazuki looked at Hyrulia and the others with pity, a flustered voice reached his ears.

"To think she would go into the town…! This is bad, have the poor people been moved?"

"They should have been. What about the arrangements with the shops?"

"We haven't. We never thought Her Highness the Princess would go into the city proper…!"

Hearing that much, Kazuki couldn't help but choke.

Huh? Her Highness the Princess? Eh? Eeeeh?!

Gafu gafu. As Kazuki choked, forcing down the food in his mouth, his companions tilted their heads, while his two childhood attendants, who had heard the same thing, stared in astonishment.

"...We haven't been disrespectful, have we?"

"Probably…?"

"No, more importantly, a royal from Frontier who leads monsters, could it be…?!"

Everyone’s eyes widened. The name of the same person came to mind.

The Golden King…?

Didn't she only descend once every few hundred years?!

Ignoring Kazuki and his merry band, who had turned from pale to ghostly white, Little One was running around the night market.

"That, that! Hey, that looks delicious!♪"

"Hiro, I can't carry any more."

Little One bounced from stall to stall, buying everything in sight. The twins' hands were not only full of sweets, but also bags of light meals. Chihaya’s head ached at his sister, who had cleverly brought multiple foldable bags. Holding a cloth satchel full of food, the delighted Chihiro was lifted up by Dorfen.

"Let's head back soon. Before Hyrulia-dono starts smiling."

"Ah, you're right."

That graceful smile that curved but didn't reach her eyes was terrifying enough to make one's heart want to flee.

When Hyrulia gets angry, the grooming sessions increase. We don't want to be scrubbed from head to toe. Being the victim of Hyrulia's stress-relief method was something the twins wished to avoid.

However, no one had expected that Little One, on her way back to the inn, would stop by the church she saw along the way.

"There's no way we can finish this much food by ourselves, right?"

It was only a little later that Dorfen and Chihaya learned that half of the satchels the three of them were carrying were offerings for the church.

No matter where she was, Little One never forgot to share her happiness.♪