Chapter 306

However, naturally, the innkeeper, who thought he would take her order, refused her request.

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible.”

“…What?”

At the innkeeper’s refusal, she showed a shaken expression for the first time since entering the inn, looking shocked.

It was an expression unimaginable from her previously cold demeanor, akin to a puppy abandoned by its owner.

“Wh-why…? Do you not want to serve me food anymore…?”

“No, it’s not that. I can’t serve you that dish because I didn’t make it. That dish was made by those people who borrowed the kitchen.”

“…Oh, I see.”

But soon, at the innkeeper’s explanation, Regina quickly composed herself and spoke.

“Then I have no choice. Just give me a clam chowder.”

“…Alright. As I said earlier, it will take some time.”

Thud thud

With that, the innkeeper disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the clam chowder.

“Hoo… Maybe I shouldn’t have come…”

Left alone at the table again, she sighed quietly, regretting her choice.

“I should have just kept going and returned to the unit…”

She hadn’t expected special treatment, but if the atmosphere was going to be like this, maybe it would have been better not to come in the first place.

Thinking that, the inn felt unusually large and lonely to her today.

Perhaps because she was used to the inn always being full of guests since she was a child, the quiet, dimly lit inn at dawn felt unfamiliar.

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Maybe it was because of the shock from the misunderstanding with the innkeeper.

As she waited quietly for her food, gloomy thoughts began to surface one by one in her mind, and once they started, they quickly multiplied, one after another.

Especially the fatigue accumulated over the past few days and the hopeless progress of her work served as excellent nutrients for such thoughts.

Though the work was tough and exhausting, it was also rewarding.

She wasn’t playing a grand role, but doing her best to protect Leila from monsters and criminals, even without significant financial rewards, seeing the smiling faces of Leila’s people filled her heart with satisfaction.

But not everything about her work was good.

She realized this not long after becoming a soldier.

Despite dedicating herself to her job, often postponing or skipping her off-duty hours to protect Leila’s peace.

The disapproving looks from her family, who didn’t recognize her achievements.

At first, they weren’t disapproving, but at some point, they started looking at her work with dissatisfaction, subtly or outright urging her to quit.

Telling her to quit being a soldier who didn’t earn much and just quietly take over the family business.

She felt deeply hurt by this.

She had worked hard day and night, sometimes risking her life, to protect Leila.

She didn’t expect recognition at home as much as she received from her colleagues and juniors at work.

She didn’t ask for full support or cheers for her job.

At least, acknowledging her work shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Like an ordinary family.

Couldn’t they be a little proud of their daughter doing a great job?

And the random thoughts that followed.

What terrifying scheme was the Lowdrake Pirate Crew plotting?

Since enlisting, nothing had been easy, but this time, it felt like they genuinely wanted to become chefs and open a restaurant, as there were no leads to the case.

Could she really protect Leila’s future?

Speaking of Leila’s future, what were the various anomalies that had struck Leila this year?

Man-eating crabs, man-eating piranhas, unstable currents.

Why did all these anomalies happen simultaneously in one year?

Or perhaps these anomalies weren’t separate but caused by a single underlying reason.

If so, what could that reason be, capable of causing such widespread anomalies?

If we’re talking about influence, the recent cooking competition also had a significant impact.

That event made the already famous Inn ‘Red Shell’ even more renowned.

She had been somewhat curious about the rumors, but she was busy collecting intelligence on the Lowdrake Pirate Crew at the time and couldn’t attend.

Come to think of it, she heard the food there was incredibly delicious…

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Perhaps it was because she had been running around in the cold, interrogating pirates, and gathering clues about the remaining pirates, working tirelessly.

The warmth flowing into the cozy inn seeped into her tired body, and before she knew it, she was half-dazed.

Her thoughts, which had been worrying about the gloomy reality and uncertain future, naturally shifted to trivial, unrelated imaginings.

Yes.

It must be because of the inn’s warmth.

Moreover, it felt like the temperature inside the inn had become even warmer than before.

As she melted both physically and mentally in the inn’s warmth, lost in thought.

“Hey…”

“Huh? You are…?”

Someone approached and spoke to her.

It was, of course, one of the adventurers, the only other guests in the inn.

A beautiful woman with bright, soft golden hair like warm sunlight, with ears slightly longer than a normal human’s, likely an elf.

Seeing the adventurer, she quickly put on the stern expression of Leila’s soldier, hiding her fatigue and daze.

Leila’s soldiers must always be a reliable presence for the citizens.

Even if it was an adventurer who seemed to be from out of town.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. It’s just that I heard you say you wanted to eat the dish from our table earlier…”

“Huh? Oh.”

Regina quickly recalled her conversation with the innkeeper.

So they heard her talking with the innkeeper.

“It seems you wanted to eat the dish we’re having.”

“Oh, no. I just thought it was a new menu item being sold here.”

Regina waved her hands, denying the adventurer’s assumption.

While she was indeed curious about the adventurers’ dish, it was merely out of curiosity for something new, not a strong desire to eat it.

She wanted to make sure she wasn’t seen as coveting the adventurers’ food.

“Would you like to join us?”

“…Huh? Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly impose on first meeting. Besides, fried dishes are usually very expensive…”

“It’s fine. Kurt suggested it first.”

“Kurt…?”

“Ah. That’s the name of the person who cooked it. Anyway, no need to refuse, let’s eat together.”

“Huh? Oh, no. I…”

Contrary to her expectations, the female adventurer invited her to join their meal, and though Regina initially refused, she was soon pulled along by the adventurer to their table.

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Sitting at the adventurers’ table, Regina.

“You seemed quite interested in our dish.”

“No, I was just…”

“No need to deny it. I heard you talking with the innkeeper earlier.”

As she sat down, she was greeted by a tall Lizardman adventurer.

Unlike the gentle, beautiful elf who had invited her, the Lizardman, towering over 2 meters, overwhelmed Regina.

Though she had followed the kind elf adventurer’s lead, facing the Lizardman, she felt her daze dissipate.

Just as she decided to apologize to the elf adventurer and return to her seat.

Clatter

“Here. This is…”

“Just eat. We made plenty, so don’t hesitate to ask for more if you want.”

A bowl placed in front of her.

Inside the bowl, golden fried food glistened under the inn’s light.

Freshly fried, it steamed warmly, not losing to the inn’s rising temperature, the vapor carrying the savory aroma of frying oil, tickling her nose.

Gulp

She had been on a relentless pursuit of the pirate crew, barely sleeping day and night.

And not sleeping properly naturally meant not eating properly either.

Though meals, unlike sleep, could be managed with just 5 or 10 minutes to get enough nutrients…

But such meals were inevitably mundane.

Portable, easy-to-carry preserved rations.

Dried fruits and jerky were most of what she had eaten in the past few days.

In such a situation, having freshly fried food before her…

Gulp

The hunger and appetite she had forgotten in her fatigue began to stir deep within her.

“B-but receiving such expensive fried food for free…”

“No need to feel burdened. As you can see, we’re adventurers, so the fish we used for cooking was hunted by us, costing nothing, and frying, once you start, whether you fry ten or twenty, the oil used is the same.”

“Thinking that way, it’s better to have as many people share it as possible to make the most of the oil used.”

“Right. And eating alone is boring, isn’t it? Since we’re the only guests in the inn, why not chat while we eat?”

“We also have cold beer.”

The Lizardman adventurer and his party blocked her retreat, not allowing her to refuse.

But still, Regina hesitated to accept their offer.

While the fried dish looked delicious, accepting such a dish for free felt too shameless.

As mentioned several times, fried dishes require a large amount of oil, making them very expensive in this world where oil is precious.

Frankly, it’s not a dish ordinary adventurers can casually eat like everyday food.

For ordinary citizens, fried dishes are something to prepare for mentally days in advance, usually reserved for special occasions, and even for her, as a soldier, it’s not something to order lightly.

Moreover, she was not just a regular citizen but Leila’s soldier.

While receiving a meal wouldn’t be a big issue, it still wasn’t a good look for her to accept such an expensive dish from others.

Thus, Regina tried to refuse the adventurers’ offer.

Grumble

“If you insist so much… It would be rude to refuse your kindness…”

But sometimes, humans act contrary to their own will.

So, against her rational refusal, Regina, feeling a light shame, closed her eyes and sat down, and the Lizardman across the table looked at her with a pleased expression.

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