Chapter 47: Pot-au-feu

Chapter 47:
Pot-au-feu

Arnold the adventurer sighed with relief as he and his daughter holed up in the abandoned cabin.

“I think we’re going to be okay. Elly, it’s all going to be okay.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

He slowly let down the girl from his back. In the evening darkness, it was safer for her to travel like this.

Earlier, before the sun set, the pair had taken refuge from the light rain by setting up a cloth as a makeshift shelter beneath a tree. But once the sky went dark, the drizzle became a downpour. The cloth provided little shelter, blowing sideways in the heavy rain and winds.

The storm was so strong that their campfire was doused almost instantly. Arnold knew that if they stuck it out here through the morning, the cold would do them in. And so he took up his lantern, put the young girl on his back, and went off into the dangerous darkness of the night.

He’d made the correct choice. They hadn’t gone far before Arnold came across the cabin.

“Elly, hurry and get changed into some dry clothes, okay?”

“Okay.”

After making sure the young girl was actually doing as she was told, Arnold reached into his sturdy leather bag and pulled out a change of clothes for himself.

Arnold took a moment to wipe himself down with his cold, wet clothes before changing into the dry set. Now he was finally in a position to examine their new shelter.

“Yeah, this should be good. We don’t have to worry about the rain anymore.”

As far as he could tell, the cabin had been built by some noble. What its purpose could be was anyone’s guess. The whole building was sturdily constructed, meaning the rain would be no problem; they couldn’t even hear the sounds of the storm outside.

That being said, it was dusty as all hell.

Arnold guessed that the place had been out of use for some years. But this meant that there’d be nobody around to complain if they chose to stay until this awful rain let up.

“Now then, let’s hope there’s some firewood laying around…”

But the adventurer was disappointed to find that while there was a fireplace in the cabin, there was no firewood left to speak of. He grabbed Elly’s hand.

“Let’s go, Elly. Time to explore a little.”

“Okay.”

Now changed into dry clothes, the little girl nodded and grabbed Arnold’s hand. Given that the only light they had to rely on came from his small lantern, he knew she was probably scared. Her little fingers had a tight grip on him.

Now that I think about it, this place could very well be haunted.

At this passing thought, Arnold reached into his pouch to confirm that he still had holy water.

These sorts of buildings, left abandoned for years on end, tended to be haunted by the ghosts of their previous residents. Such places were called “haunted houses.” If you were fortunate, you’d only stumble across a harmless ghost. It was easy enough to live alongside one for a few days and come out unscathed, albeit creeped out. However, if you happened to cross paths with a wraith, your only option was to flee as quickly as possible.

As a simple warrior with a child in tow, a wraith would be too much for Arnold to handle on his own.

“All right, let’s go,” Arnold said.

“Okay,” Elly replied.

Arnold could feel the strength building in his hand as he held on to Elly’s. His wife had risked everything to protect the girl from the monsters. No matter what happened, Arnold had to make sure their daughter was safe and sound.

That was why he’d left his job as an adventurer and had been traveling through all these dangerous places; all so he could deliver Elly to his parents, back in his hometown where they ran a weapons shop.

“Okay, let’s start here.”

One door stood out among the many in the cabin: a beautiful one with a brand-new knob. Arnold put his hand to it, checking to see if it was locked. There did appear to be a locking mechanism, but it wasn’t currently triggered.

Arnold opened the door quickly and decisively.

***

The sound of bells rang out as the door opened.

“Whoa?!”

“Aaah!!”

And all of a sudden, Arnold and Elly were blinded by a bright light.

“Oh? Welcome! Is everything all right? It’s quite late.”

“You both look kind of wet. Are you okay?”

Arnold heard voices talking to him. As far as he could tell, one of them sounded like a middle-aged man, while the other sounded like it belonged to a rather young lady.

Ugh, what do I do?!

He had accidentally wandered into this strangely bright room with strangers in it. Wasn’t this cabin abandoned?!

Arnold found himself having to decide between two courses of immediate action: greeting them as friends or attacking them as enemies. He had to make a choice, and he had to do it fast.

“Dad…”

Elly was frightened; she tightly grabbed her father’s sleeve.

That was when everything began to move.

“You must be real cold, huh? Aletta, sorry, but could you go grab me a towel?”

“Yes, of course!”

The pair in front of them spoke with kind, warm words, but Arnold’s hand tightened up over the sword at his waist.

Upon closer inspection, the young lady disappearing into the back appeared to be a demon. The middle-aged man in the room with them slowly stood up, bowing his head to Arnold and Elly.

“Welcome to Western Cuisine Nekoya.”

“N-Nekoya…?”

Arnold tilted his head in confusion at the foreign word. The master continued.

“Yes, that’s this restaurant’s name! Folks from your side like to call it the ‘Restaurant to Another World.’ Unfortunately, we’re actually closed for the day, but it seems to me like you two are in a bit of a pickle. All I can really offer you is some leftovers, but if that’s all right, would you like me to fix you up something?”

The master’s words washed over the adventurer. All he could feel was his daughter tightly clutching his sleeve.

Along with the cute sound of her stomach rumbling.

Arnold and Elly wiped their bodies and hair dry with the strange cloth that the middle-aged man called a “towel.” It was able to soak up the water like magic. Now that they were dry as could be, father and daughter sat down and observed their strange surroundings.

“…This place is amazing.”

“It sure is.”

Elly had never been outside of the town where she was born, but even if she had, this still would have been a shock to her. Arnold couldn’t help but feel the same way. He was an adventurer who’d been through all kinds of dangerous situations, but this place was as strange to him as it was to her.

There was a line of tables and chairs, all of them polished and well kept. The room itself was bright as if it were daytime, although there were no fireplaces or lanterns to speak of. Hell, there was no fire at all, and yet it was warm as a spring day.

On top of each table there was a small glass bottle containing some sort of substance, along with a small porcelain pot.

Arnold glanced over at the door he and his daughter had only just come in through. According to the master, this was the door that connected his world to the other.

So did someone build that cabin specifically because of the door?

The adventurer began to think. A door that only appeared once every seven days. It was entirely possible that somebody long ago had learned of its existence and built the cabin around it so they could more readily travel to the other world.

“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your hot milk.”

As Arnold continued to theorize, Aletta came out holding their first order. Warm cow’s milk, something both he and Elly were very familiar with.

The milky aroma coming from the large porcelain cups was enough to take the weight off of their shoulders.

“The master said he’s reheating the food, so it’ll be just a little bit.”

With that, Aletta waddled back into the kitchen.

“…It’s nice and warm.”

“Yup. And tasty, too.”

Arnold and Elly both let out satisfied sighs.

The warmth of the hot milk was a real treat for the both of them. They sat in silence and drank.

With each sip, their bodies warmed up, reminding their stomachs that the last thing they’d eaten were some cold preserved foods, hours ago during the daytime.

“I wonder what sort of food we’re gonna get to eat,” Arnold whispered.

“Me too…”

Elly nodded her head in response. The master had said he didn’t have left much in the way of ingredients. If anything, he’d seemed sad that soup was the only thing he could offer them. A soup from another world.

But beggars can’t be choosers, and besides, the cost of this meal was going to be easy on Arnold’s money pouch.

So while neither of them were certain what they’d be served, they were sure it’d be more than enough to fill their empty stomachs.

Just as they were finishing their hot milk, the master appeared before them with bowls in hand.

“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your pot-au-feu.”

The middle-aged man gently placed the main dish before them on the table.

“Wow, it looks amazing.”

The deep dish was filled with a soup consisting of big chunks of vegetables and thick pieces of sausage.

Beside the soup was a large silver spoon, along with two fresh-baked rolls, each the size of Elly’s hand. The aroma wafting off of them was sublime.

Arnold looked up at the master. “Are you sure it’s really okay to have this? This is all way more than I imagined.” He could feel his mouth watering.

Normally when someone says “leftovers,” they’re referring to some uneaten slices of meat or a soup made up with vegetable scraps from other dishes. Perhaps a piece of hard bread with a single slice of cheese.

It was impossible for Arnold to look at the dish before him and believe it was anything but a proper soup, prepared freshly for them.

But the master simply nodded his head.

“Yeah. I just whipped that up real quick using the leftover vegetables and sausages I had in stock. Oh, and you get free refills on the bread and soup, so eat as much as you’d like. Take your time and enjoy!”

With that, the master returned to the kitchen, leaving Arnold and Elly alone in the quiet dining area.

Arnold turned to his daughter. “Wanna dig in?”

“Sure.”

Arnold wasn’t about to complain about getting to eat something that looked so delicious. More importantly, his appetite couldn’t hold off any longer. They started digging into the pot-au-feu.

This is one helluva soup.

It only took one sip for him to realize that this soup was in a category of its own.

Arnold could taste root vegetables like cobbler’s tubers and karoots, along with light green leaf veggies, sweet oranie, and thick cuts of mushrooms. He could also taste what he imagined was the flavor of the sausage, along with the butter that had been melted into the broth.

But the biggest mystery of the soup was that Arnold could sense the flavors of vegetables and meat that it didn’t actually appear to contain. And there was another thing he noticed:

I can’t believe how seasoned this is…

The soup’s well-salted flavor was complemented by the unmistakable hotness of pepper.

Pepper was a precious commodity in the Eastern Continent. Considering how much Elly was enjoying the dish—she had been quietly digging into her soup and bread since the start—the master hadn’t added too much pepper. But nonetheless, the subtle flavor gave the whole dish an extra kick.

And this bread is something else, too.

Its surface was crunchy, but its insides soft and fluffy. Arnold had never had bread quite like this before.

In fact, the bread alone would have gotten this place a thumbs up from him.

Meanwhile, Elly had bought a one-way ticket to food town. Unlike her father, she wasn’t wrapped up in the details. The girl held out her empty plate and called for Aletta.

“More bread and pot-au-feu, please!”

“That’ll be right out!”

Aletta quickly collected her dish, bringing out another serving for the girl. Watching all of this unfold, and feeling pressed for time, he started eating faster. The vegetables had been so well boiled that they barely had any resistance to them, despite maintaining their form. One bite caused them to erupt with the flavor of the soup they’d soaked in. The sausages burst in his mouth, spilling out their juices.

“Sorry, but could I get seconds as well?!”

The pair used their remaining bread to soak up the dregs of the soup before requesting another serving of everything.

And so, father and daughter enjoyed their quiet little feast well into the night.

***

The next morning, Arnold and Elly began their journey anew. The clouds had parted ways in the sky, and the sun was shining.

“And today’s meal wasn’t so bad, either.”

“Mm-hmm…”

The pair recalled the breakfast of eggs and bread they’d just had.

In the end, the master allowed Arnold and Elly to sleep in a corner of the warm restaurant. The next morning, he whipped up what he called the “morning special” for them before they went off on their way.

“I hope we can go again…” Elly sighed.

“We will. We definitely will,” Arnold replied, nodding his head.

***

It would be another four or five days before they arrived at his hometown.

There, the journey would come to a close. The father and his daughter would live their lives to the fullest, in remembrance of their departed wife and mother.

When she gets bigger, we should really head back there…

Elly was all Arnold had left of his beloved wife, and he’d take good care of her. He gripped the girl’s tiny hand tightly.

Next time, they would visit the restaurant during the day as proper customers.

With all this in mind, Arnold slowed his pace down to match Elly’s, and father and daughter walked into the future.