MTM 54

The inn was one Allen had stayed at before. It was a four-story building, large in size and full of noise as if guests never stopped coming. The group took rooms on the third floor. Zed and Harto shared one room, and Allen and Leon shared another.

The room was smaller than the one they had stayed in at Belnok and had no sofa, but it was clean. There were even two beds.

Thump.

As soon as Harto entered, he dropped onto the floor. Before coming in, he thought he could still endure, but once he relaxed, all the fatigue hit him at once.

“Harto, do you want to wash up and eat? Should I ask for warm water?”

“Yes… just a bit later….”

Even though he hadn’t changed into monster form, Harto stretched out on the floor.

Click.

Unlike him, Zed took off his outer clothes, hung them on the rack, and opened the window to air out the room. A gust of wind blew in, but the open view made it refreshing. The desert and the mountains spread beyond the green plains without end.

“Zed.”

While lying down, Harto looked toward the window and asked.

“I just remembered, what did Allen say earlier? Leon was curious.”

“……”

“Zed? Before we came here….”

“Harto, didn’t you say you wanted chicken?”

Zed fell silent for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject.

“I saw a place on the way here that sells whole roasted chicken.”

“W-whole roasted chicken?!”

At that, Harto’s eyes widened as he jumped up.

“Yes. Oh, and there’s a bakery too. I saw a cake with strawberries on top of whipped cream.”

“Strawberry cake…!”

He was salivating. He had wanted something sweet for days and had searched for berries in the mountains, but since the season had grown cold, most were mushy or rotten, leaving him disappointed.

“When are we going to eat?”

Harto, who had already moved close beside Zed, asked with sparkling eyes.

“After dinner. Or tomorrow morning if you’re too tired.”

“Yes! Anytime’s fine!”

Harto brightly smiled. In his past life, even when he wanted to eat, he had to endure, and there were many days when he couldn’t eat because of the medicine. But now he could eat whatever he wanted and enjoy good food. It was even better because Zed was with him.

“Then should I wash now?”

Harto, who already felt energized just thinking about eating, asked. Zed nodded and stood up, saying it was a good idea.

“Alright, I’ll ask for warm water.”

“Yes.”

Zed patted his head and left the room. Alone, Harto swallowed his saliva and muttered,

“Whole roasted chicken… strawberry cake….”

He imagined each food one by one and wiped the drool from his lips, then suddenly realized something.

“Ah, I didn’t get my answer!”

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

The four of them ordered so much food that the people of Hipora stared in shock as they passed.

They started with the golden whole roasted chicken Harto had wanted so much, its skin crisp and shining, followed by thick smoked sausages and tangy pickled cabbage, a large pot of beef stew simmered for hours until rich with flavor, freshly baked rye bread with soft butter, mussel soup full of ocean scent, and steamed trout seasoned with herbs and lemon juice. It wouldn’t be wrong to say the restaurant’s full menu was spread out on their table.

“Didn’t we order too much…?”

Harto asked, though his eyes were sparkling at the dishes before him. Allen laughed heartily and tapped the pouch of gold coins at his waist.

“Don’t worry. Tonight’s special! I’m paying. When else would I get to spend like this?”

“That’s true. Getting a meal from Allen might be the first and last time. We should enjoy it while we can.”

Leon, sitting beside Harto, spoke calmly as he grabbed a piece of rye bread. Allen frowned at that but didn’t bother arguing.

“I see… then I’ll eat well!”

Now that the bill was covered, Harto started eating in earnest. Each bite made him sigh in delight, and it tasted so good it almost made him cry. With every mouthful, he felt grateful just to be alive. He ate so eagerly he even forgot to breathe.

“Yes, yes. Eat plenty, Harto. You should put on a bit of weight.”

At some point, Allen’s face had turned red as he lifted his beer mug. Feeling good, he said it had been ages since he last sat down to eat like this with friends, and he ordered another dish.

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

Zed, who was sitting next to him, asked. Allen grinned and put down his mug.

“Some days are like this. Save too much and it’ll rot.”

Harto vigorously nodded as he chewed a mouthful of meat. Life was short, so he thought you had to do everything you wanted or you’d regret it.

“Harto, drink some water.”

Zed handed him a glass. Harto thanked him and drank it down.

“You too, Zed.”

Because Zed always took care of him, Harto wanted to return the favor this time and handed Zed a glass of water himself. Zed found it amusing, and he smiled as he drank it all at once. Harto’s eyes lingered for a long time on Zed’s throat as it moved up and down.

“Harto, try this too.”

“…Huh? Okay.”

Then Leon nudged his arm and pointed at the pickled cabbage. Harto came back to his senses and focused on eating again.

While the group was happily immersed in their meal,

Bwooooo–!

The sound of a horn blew from somewhere. The people inside the restaurant stopped eating and looked at one another, their eyes widening one by one.

Startled, Harto turned his head toward the sound. Outside the window stood a man wearing an iron helmet with bull horns jutting out on both sides. His beard covered half his face, and his harsh features combined with the black cloak around his shoulders gave off heavy pressure.

The man met Harto’s eyes through the window. Then he lifted the horn, thick as Harto’s arm, and blew it again. At last, everyone’s gaze turned toward the window.

“They’re here! They finally came!”

The people in the restaurant jumped up as if they had been waiting. Those who were drinking, and those whose food had just arrived, all moved like they had been waiting for the signal.

“What is that…?”

Harto tilted his head and tore a piece of bread. Allen casually answered, as if it was nothing special.

“He might look like that, but he’s just a peddler. Though I’m not sure what he’s selling.”

He leaned toward the window, curiosity filling his eyes.

A moment later, the peddler untied the large bundle on his back and laid out his goods on the ground. Swords, axes, bows, shields, maces, chains, and all kinds of blades appeared.

“Wow, he’s a weapons peddler!”

Allen jumped up from his seat. Zed, who also seemed interested, wiped his hands and said he would go see for a bit, then stepped outside the restaurant.

“Leon, aren’t you going?”

Harto looked across the table and asked. Leon, quietly spooning soup into his mouth, shook his head.

“It doesn’t look like he has any magic tools.”

“I see.”

As Harto nodded, Leon leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“More importantly, Harto.”

“Yes?”

“Did you notice? Those two are hiding something from us.”

“Hiding something…?”

Harto froze with wide eyes. Leon’s meaningful gaze turned toward Zed and Allen outside the window.

“When they were whispering earlier.”

“Oh, right…!”

He had been curious about it earlier in the room and had asked, but Zed had changed the subject to food.

“And they told us not to go to the other side of the market.”

“The other side? Where?”

“The Feast District. I got Allen to admit it after some questioning.”

He said he had found out while casually talking to Allen, since they shared a room.

“The Feast District…?”

Harto muttered softly for a moment.

“But Zed didn’t tell me anything about that….”

Leon shrugged.

“Maybe it’s because you’re always with Zed? He might have thought there was no need to mention it.”

“Maybe…”

Since it was true that he was always with Zed, it made sense, and Harto nodded.

“So, about that….”

Leon turned his eyes back toward the window. Allen was carefully examining the weapons the peddler sold, and Zed stood a bit away, looking indifferent.

“How about we go see it ourselves without telling those two?”

“Just us? When?”

“Tonight.”

Leon said that, and smirked, looking like someone about to plan something amusing.