Chapter 88: Chili Chicken

Chapter 88:
Chili Chicken

 

If you ever find your way to this area’s biggest tree on a Day of Satur, you should check it out. The food there is incredible.

The traveling bard Alzas had once met a fellow bard in a massive city, and the two had traveled together for a time.

The bard in question was a young halfling woman on the road all by her lonesome. She played her tiny harp as Alzas sang his songs, her young-but-pretty voice occasionally harmonizing with his.

Since their performances always drew passersby who flipped them some coins, they agreed to travel together, on the condition that they split their earnings.

After the bards walked the same path for half a year, Alzas decided to stay in town until spring, since the cold months were dangerous as soon as winter rolled in. The young woman opted to continue her journey.

Grateful for their time together, she’d taught Alzas something when the two finally parted ways. She’d told him about the Restaurant to Another World, a mysterious place that only opened on the Day of Satur. Alzas had recalled her words only minutes earlier.

A pained grin crossed Alzas’s face as he dragged his injured leg along the ground. If he was going to survive, his only hope was to make for the restaurant. All he could do was laugh at how hopeless his current situation was.

I can’t believe I’m actually depending on that nonsense.

Bards lived lives of freedom, traveling alone. That meant the shadow of death always accompanied them while they journeyed across the land. Without the bodyguards whom merchants hired and traveled with, or an adventurer’s teammates, any injury or encounter with a monster could mean certain death. That said, bards couldn’t afford to just stick around towns and wait for a lucky encounter with a departing merchant or adventurer, either.

Bards’ songs were their lifeline. As soon as a song’s newness wore out, the amount of coin it made decreased noticeably. That said, an experienced bard like Alzas could play and sing numerous songs, so he kept himself afloat without too much difficulty.

One day, Alzas had set out on his journey and found himself caught in a rockslide, injured. It was a bit of crazy luck that he wasn’t crushed and killed on the spot, but one large chunk of stone had smashed into his leg. That was as close to a worst-case scenario as one could experience.

Each step Alzas took was pained, but it wasn’t that he couldn’t walk. If he got to a town of some kind and rested for a month, he could heal up. The problem was that his walking speed was about as slow as a baby crawling on all fours. He would run out of food and water before arriving at any kind of settlement.

That meant he was going to die on the roadside.

In this incredibly dire situation, Alzas remembered his old traveling companion’s words. The last time he’d passed the tree in question, it unfortunately hadn’t been the Day of Satur, so he’d simply made his way to the next town.

This time, though, the large tree was just close enough that he’d make it there on his injured leg.

If nothing else, I can at least rest by the tree. I won’t be moving much until this pain subsides at least a little.

His expectations low, and his trusted instrument digging into his shoulders, Alzas very, very slowly continued to walk.

Eventually, the bard reached the tree, finding a hole just large enough for a single adult. Even luckier for Alzas, previous travelers who’d used the space—likely small halflings who’d dropped by—had stuffed it full of soft weeds and such, even building a small rock furnace. It was a simple little camping spot.

Perfect. I can at least get some rest.

Alzas would be safe from the rain and wind, and could try and tend to his wound a bit. As soon as he entered the hole, however, his eyes widened.

“What is this? Wait—could this be the door that Marina spoke of?”

A well-kept oak door stood before him. There was a cat plaque on its smooth surface. It was undoubtedly the very same door to the Restaurant to Another World that his halfling bard companion had told him of so many moons ago.

“Fine.”

After thinking for a moment, Alzas made his decision and put his hand on the doorknob. As luck had it, today was the Day of Satur, so he had no choice but to go.

He turned the knob.

As Alzas set foot in a completely different world, the sound of bells ringing lightly filled the air. The room beyond the door was windowless and so brightly lit that he couldn’t tell what time of day it was.

A strange room stretched out before him. Alzas had crossed much of the continent, yet he spotted monsters like lamia and ogres in clothes he didn’t recognize. They sat peacefully at tables, and in front of them were all sorts of dishes full of different foods and drinks.

Since hurting his leg, all Alzas had eaten was dried meat. He was starving.

“Um, are you okay? You seem to be injured,” a blonde demon girl called out to him. She wore what looked to be a uniform of sorts, so she was likely a waitress.

Completely caught up in the restaurant’s mysterious atmosphere, Alzas looked the same as he had back when he was just a country bumpkin who’d left home for the big city for the first time.

“Yes, I actually hurt my leg quite badly. If possible, I’d like to rest here for a moment. Um, could I get a glass of water and your cheapest meal? Thank you,” said Alzas to the young lady.

In his current situation, it seemed silly to give much thought to the state of his wallet. Still, he felt that it was better to conserve his money as much as possible.

“Absolutely. Let me take you to a table.” The waitress immediately led him to the seat closest to the entrance.

“Please hold on for a minute—oh, actually, sir, do you like spicy food?” the waitress asked Alzas after ensuring that he was seated.

“Spicy food? Well, sure. I don’t mind it.” Alzas nodded, imagining what kind of dish might come out. He’d eaten a few heavily spiced high-class meals in port towns.

“All right! I’ll be back shortly,” said the waitress, turning around and heading for the kitchen.

Now that Alzas was seated and somewhat relieved, the pain in his leg came flooding back. “Ow…ow…! Crap. I managed to walk on it, so it’s not broken, but…”

He pulled up his pant leg to check the wound. “Yikes. It’s completely swollen.”

The area that the rock had hit had turned purple. No wonder it hurt to walk on it.

Alzas sighed loudly. “And I don’t have any tonics on me, either.”

In Alzas’s experience, the wound would swell further if he left it, making walking even more difficult than it already was. Even if he rested here, as soon as he left the restaurant, all that waited for him on the side of the road was death.

Just as he thought of asking whether he could stay for a few days, someone suddenly spoke to Alzas.

“What an awful injury. But don’t worry. Everything’s going to be just fine.”

When Alzas raised his head to look at the person, he was shocked. “A high priestess of the Lord of Light?!”

The young woman with golden-blonde hair was positively stunning. Resting on the robes across her ample chest was a gold sigil.

Sigils showed a priest or priestess’s rank within the church, based on their abilities and skills. They were made by artisans who served the shrine and were gold, silver, or copper. Having a sigil around one’s neck without a shrine’s permission was a grave sin and felony.

The fact that the woman in front of Alzas wore hers so proudly proved in and of itself that she was a true high priestess.

Now that Alzas was aware of the priestess, he realized that three women with silver sigils around their necks sat at another table. They wore surprised expressions as they gazed over at him. It was more than likely that this priestess was their boss.

Caring not a bit for their watchful eyes, the woman knelt. “Please, excuse me for but a moment.”

She placed her cool hands on Alzas’s swollen leg. “Great light that rules over the heavens, please grant your mercy to this man. Heal his wounds and give him the power to live through tomorrow.”

As she spoke, bright light coursed through Alzas’s leg, relieving his pain. It touched him for but a few moments, but it was more than enough to completely heal his wound.

“There. You’ll be fine now, sir.”

“Th-thank you so much,” Alzas responded, almost in a whisper.

This wasn’t the first time that Alzas had encountered a follower of the Lord of Light. At various towns during his time on the road, he’d had priests, priestesses, and servants of the Light heal minor wounds or give him tonics for healing. But he’d never been healed at this speed nor directly by a high priest or priestess.

“You’re quite welcome. Please be careful on your journey, sir.”

One normally had to offer at least a gold coin to be healed by high-ranking shrine clergy. However, this woman asked for nothing and simply smiled at Alzas before returning to her table.

The blonde waitress soon came back with water and a box with some sort of green cross on it. “Sorry for the wait! I brought you a glass of water, and, um, a first aid box—huh?”

She gave Alzas a puzzled look. He’d appeared to be in so much pain earlier, but now he looked fine.

“Oh. Um, a kind high priestess healed me,” he said to the confused young waitress.

“H-healed you? O-oh, is that so?” The girl smiled nervously, setting down a pitcher and a transparent glass full of ice water.

“Your food will be out shortly,” she added before leaving for the kitchen.

“Phew.”

Alzas had just been walking the line between life and death, and yet now he found himself safe, sound, and healed. As relief washed over him, he let out a massive sigh and turned his attention to his water.

I only asked for a single cup.

The pitcher full of water and ice made Alzas nervous. What if they charged him for it against his will?

No, they won’t. Marina would never recommend a place like that.

Alzas shook off his concerns, picked up the cold glass, and took a sip. As the water cooled his tired body, he immediately noticed its refreshing aroma.

This is good. Given how much he’d sweated from pain, the water tasted extra delicious.

Now that he was actually drinking the water, Alzas was rather grateful that the waitress had brought an entire pitcher. As soon as he emptied his cup, he filled it again. By the time he’d quenched his thirst, the pitcher was half empty.

Now that his pain and thirst were both gone, his hunger began to take over.

“I’m starving.” Alzas gently rubbed his stomach.

I’ve brought today’s special.

Almost as if she’d aimed for this timing, a different waitress—an elf girl with black hair—appeared with his food in hand.

There are free seconds and refills on the bread, soup, and water.

As she spoke those incredibly welcome words, she gently put his food down in front of him.

The special is chili chicken. It’s chicken meat fried in oil, but it’s a little spicy, the waitress explained with a blank expression.

Alzas gulped as he saw the sizzling food in front of him.

Take your time and enjoy, said the elf girl before disappearing, leaving the bard to his meal.

He picked up his fork and looked down at the chili chicken. The light brown fried chicken was cut into big pieces topped with bright red sauce. The aroma coming off it reminded him of chili pepel.

Hrm. This does look rather spicy.

In fact, the chili chicken reminded Alzas of soup he’d eaten at a port town he’d stopped by recently. It was made of chopped fish and vegetables boiled together, with fresh chopped chili pepel from the Western Continent added to spice it up.

That soup had a uniquely delicious taste, but it was incredibly spicy. Alzas recalled how he hadn’t been able to sing for the entire day.

Hmm…what to do, what to do.

It would be rude not to try the chili chicken. Alzas made up his mind, grabbed the beautiful knife off the table, cut a small piece of chicken, and took a bite.

“Oooh, this is…!” He couldn’t help but speak aloud.

The red sauce was indeed spicy, but it wasn’t too spicy. In fact, it was slightly sweet and even tasted vaguely savory. The sauce made Alzas hungry for more, if anything. It drew out the fried chicken’s true potential.

The white meat fell apart with each bite, revealing the soft chicken below the aromatic skin’s surface. Any pieces that still had skin attached were full of juices that rushed into Alzas’s mouth as he chewed. There, those juices combined with the red spicy sauce, forming a delicious combination of flavors.

I see why Marina gave this place such high praise.

After devouring about half the chili chicken and a number of crunchy, fresh vegetables, Alzas turned his attention to the bread and soup. He felt that it’d be a waste if the meal were over so soon.

He wiped his hands clean with the warm, moist cloth—had it been run through hot water?—then grabbed the bread. Feeling its warmth in his palm, he took a bite and tasted the loaf’s soft, sweet, freshly baked flavor.

This won’t fill me up, but it’s delicious.

The brown soup’s taste vaguely reminded Alzas of fish sauce. Floating on the broth’s surface were bits of a crunchy white vegetable and some soft-looking yellow stuff.

Wait, is that egg?

After chewing the vegetables and eating the mysterious yellow ingredient, Alzas figured out that the cook had actually put some kind of egg into the hot soup. The egg, too, was incredibly soft, making its way down his throat quickly.

Now, time to go back to the chicken.

After doing the flavor rounds, Alzas took a bite of the slightly lukewarm chili chicken and noticed that it tasted different. Hm…?

As he’d eaten the other courses, the sauce atop the chicken had soaked into its breading. In exchange for its crunchiness, the meat had gained a perfect tenderness. Each bite of chicken mixed its oil and juices with the sauce, giving the dish a whole new flavor.

I see now. This is also captivating.

Both the crunchy and tender textures were appealing in their own right. Alzas put his fork down, thoroughly satisfied with his plate of chili chicken.

So, this is what Marina meant when she said that there was a restaurant that served nothing but delicious food.

Alzas thought about how strange fate could be. Before coming to the restaurant, he’d been on the verge of death. Now he was not only fully healed but also deeply satisfied.

You know, this might just make for a great song.

With that thought on his mind, Alzas quietly rested.