Volume 3, Chapter 1 – A Casual Gourmet Trip with Three Girls

We have arrived in Novarbour, an independent city-state located right between the Blue Star Republic and the Red Sky Empire.

The city lies right on the border between the continent where the White Moon Kingdom and the Blue Star Republic are located, and the continent where the Red Sky Empire and the Yellow Planet Federation are located.

It sits on both shores of a narrow channel known as the Bosdanels Strait.

In the past, due to its overly strategic location, the former Blue Star Kingdom (now a Republic), the White Moon Kingdom, the Red Sky Empire, and the Yellow Planet Federation all vied for sovereignty over it.

It has a tragic history of being repeatedly caught up in the fires of war.

Consequently, under the mediation of the Temple, Novarbour was established as an independent city that belonged to no nation, ensuring its permanent neutrality and freedom of navigation through the strait.

Now, as a vital hub for trade, Novarbour has just about everything.

While the White Moon Kingdom and the Blue Star Republic featured mostly Western-style goods, here they sell everything from Arabian carpets to Chinese-style ceramics.

Stalls line the streets, selling a bounty of delicious-looking food.

There are things resembling kebabs and others like hamburgers, and they even sell ice cream—though it’s incredibly expensive.

“Lu-chan, what do you think we should have for lunch?”

“Onee-sama, I’ve already bought some!”

As expected of Lu-chan. She’s so reliable at times like this.

Recently, I bought her a wallet and have been giving her an allowance of about one or two gold coins at a time, and she certainly puts that food radar of hers to good use.

“Onee-sama, this is ‘Durum,’ which is roasted lamb and vegetables wrapped in thin flatbread; this is ‘Ekmek,’ a grilled fish sandwich; and over here is ‘Mantu,’ a steamed bun filled with lamb. For dessert, there’s Novar ice, but let’s go buy that later!”

Lu-chan brought back three types of street food.

We decided to enjoy our lunch in a beautiful plaza overlooking the strait.

The Durum is basically a kebab. It looks delicious.

The Ekmek apparently uses grilled fish as its filling.

Rеаԁ оո KαtReαԁiոɡСαfе

The Mantu looks exactly like a meat bun.

Since Lu-chan knows how much I can eat, she divided it into a smaller portion for me.

Lu-chan is eating the rest, but her thoughtfulness in cutting just the right amount for me makes me very happy.

Truly, I am lucky to have such a wonderful little sister.

Now then, let’s start with the kebab-style food.

I take a big bite. The crisp crunch of the vegetables feels great. The lamb, seasoned with fragrant spices, and the yogurt-flavored sauce match perfectly. This is delicious. It’s a bit spicier than I expected, but that just adds to the flavor.

“This is delicious, isn’t it?”

“Right?! I love this too!”

Lu-chan is already moving on to her second kebab. Furthermore, she has another one waiting, plus my leftovers—which is about three-quarters of the original size.

It seems Lu-chan’s stomach is working normally as usual today.

“Fiene-sama, this sandwich is also quite good.”

“Then I’ll try it now.”

Let’s see… grilled fish and bread is a combination that’s a bit hard for a Japanese person like me to wrap their head around, but let’s give it a go.

I bring the fish sandwich, which has been cut in half, to my mouth.

Oh, this is much better than I imagined.

It’s filled with finely chopped onions and leafy greens like lettuce, and the citrusy acidity—like lemon—and saltiness are an exquisite match.

The fish oils soaked into the fluffy bread further enhance the flavor.

“It’s true. This is delicious. I never imagined bread and fish would go together this well.”

Rеaԁ oո КatReαdіոɡCαfе

“I know, right! I was surprised by how tasty it was when I tried a sample earlier. It’s a flavor you can’t get in the forest.”

Apparently, Lu-chan even did some taste-testing. I’m jealous that she can eat so much without gaining weight.

Well, in my case, I have a small appetite to begin with, so I can’t eat enough to get fat anyway.

“Now, how about this meat bun?”

I bite into the meat bun, which I had been secretly looking forward to. Lu-chan is eating the other half of this as well.

…

…

…

Hmm… the taste is a little different from what I expected. It’s not bad, but it’s not exactly amazing either.

How should I put it… it’s not like the meat bun I imagined. The dough isn’t fluffy, and the meat is somewhat tough and spicy. I feel like this would be better if it used minced meat.

“It’s not bad, but the flavor was a little different from what I had in mind.”

“I see. Which one did Onee-sama like best?”

“The kebab—wait, no. The one wrapped in the thin dough.”

“The Durum! I thought so. Onee-sama, you really do like those kinds of flavors!”

Lu-chan seems to have reached some sort of realization.

Does “thought so” mean she already figured out my preferences?

“Then, once we’re finished eating, it’s time for dessert! There’s a shop that serves ice cream at a cafe with a view of the sea. Let’s go!”

Looking closely, all those street foods Lu-chan had are already in her stomach.

Rеаd оո ΚаtRеαdіոɡCafе

“Lu-chan, wait a moment. I’m still eating.”

“Muu, okay. Then, can I play with Riche-chan?”

“Sure. Riche, come here.”

Since I couldn’t see Riche anywhere, I gave the Flower Maiden’s Staff a light wave and summoned her.

Riche looked around curiously.

“Lu-chan says she wants to play, so please play with her.”

“Riche-chan, come here!”

With that, Lu-chan trotted toward a flower bed in the plaza. Riche followed after her.

In Riche’s wake, faintly pink-tinted white petals fluttered through the air, melting away as they touched the ground.

It was an incredibly ethereal and beautiful, wondrous sight.

The two of them laughed happily as they looked at the flowers in the bed.

An Elf girl, a tiny spirit, and flowers—it was a scene as lovely as a painting.

Chris-san couldn’t help but smile softly at the sight.

Oh right, I realized a while after contracting with Riche that I’ve become able to faintly sense the presence of other spirits as well.

That said, I can’t see them clearly; it’s more of a vague feeling that something might be there.

Once, when I noticed a presence and asked Lu-chan, she confirmed there was indeed a spirit there.

It’s a shame I can’t talk to them or borrow their power like Lu-chan does, but perhaps the day will come when I can borrow the strength of other spirits. I intend to hold onto that hope.

“Fiene-sama, I have finished as well.”

Rеaԁ оո КatRеαԁinɡСafе

“In that case, let’s head to the cafe Lu-chan picked out. Lu-chaaan! We’re finished eating!”

“Okay!”

We moved to the cafe adjacent to the plaza, took seats on the terrace, and ordered the ice cream and tea sets.

After waiting a short while, we were served black tea with a gentle aroma and a mellow flavor.

This might even be delicious as milk tea.

The ice cream that arrived was a bit lacking in creaminess and felt more like a sherbet, but it was proper ice cream.

Since magic is required to keep it cold, the set for the three of us cost one silver coin—roughly five thousand yen.

It was quite expensive, but it was worth every coin.

Riche, ignoring us, was looking quite happy next to the flowers in a planter on the terrace.

A tiny spirit frolicking beside flowers. What a healing sight that alone was.

And I’m sure both the flower bed in the plaza and the flowers on this terrace will become quite healthy.

The mere presence of Riche, a Flower Spirit, revitalizes the plants around her.

Riche’s existence isn’t just about her role in purifying things like miasma; she provides a great blessing to all plant life in her vicinity.

According to Ingolvina-san, because revitalizing plants is an exercise of Riche’s power—just like Purification—it also leads to her growth.

That’s why I try to summon her as often as possible in places that seem safe.

After all, I want to see my cute Riche grow up into a magnificent form, don’t I?

While watching the adorable sight of Riche playing with the flowers, I popped a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.