Chapter 198

‘There’s no way Roan would get lost!’

How could a kid who managed to find his way to places he had never even heard of get lost?

It seemed far more likely that the rest of the group, excluding Roan, would get lost instead.

At any rate, Espard was merely joking, and as long as Tirmy kept a sharp eye on the students, getting lost was actually more difficult.

Even under these conditions, however, Roan knew one person who was capable of getting lost.

‘…Though the story would be a bit different if it were Demona.’

Wouldn’t it actually be something Roan would welcome if Demona got lost?

Then he changed his mind.

‘If that jerk gets lost, they’ll tell me to go find her.’

As expected, it seemed best simply not to go out with Demona.

At any rate, after stepping slightly out of the square, the Gilsberg Restaurant soon came into view.

The wooden building was old, but it did not give off a dilapidated impression.

It was clean and polished as if well-maintained, giving off an antique impression instead.

— Hello, do you have a reservation?

The employee waiting at the entrance greeted them politely and asked.

“Yes, Espard Quiliore, five people.”

— Confirmed. It is an honor to serve the Saint and the people of Akerandir.

In fact, the employee seemed to have recognized the group just by looking at Espard’s face and the Akerandir uniforms, but asked just to confirm.

“Huh? Uncle, when did you make a reservation?”

Yusina asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

Espard chuckled and replied:

“I requested it when I sent back the Pope’s Palace carriage. I’ll treat everyone to dinner today. Since you and Roan are here, and as a way of asking Sion to get along with us. In that sense, is it alright if I speak comfortably, Sion?”

“O-Of course! I should have suggested it first…!”

Sion nodded repeatedly, hopping slightly as if it were only natural.

In truth, she hadn’t really understood why Espard had gone out of his way to speak formally to her until now.

— Now, please come inside. I will guide you to the Hazelnut Room on the second floor.

The employee opened the door and showed them to the reserved room.

“Wow…”

The inside of the restaurant was neat yet luxurious.

The interior design was quite modern, as if it had undergone several remodelings and renovations.

The second floor contained rooms for reserved guests, and looking briefly inside the rooms with open doors, each was decorated with a unique theme.

Among them, the Hazelnut Room they entered had a quiet, oriental-style atmosphere.

“Hmm.”

Tirmy made a satisfied sound as she sat down.

‘Though it was probably because Espard had set a reservation rather than because of the atmosphere.’

On the other hand, Yusina and Sion seemed to like the oriental-style room quite a lot.

“Wow, the lanterns are really pretty.”

“Indeed, the cushions are soft too~ and the wallpaper is fascinating.”

*Slide*—

— Thank you for waiting. Your meal is served.

“…I think it was served immediately?”

As expected of a reservation-based system, the employee appeared pushing a cart almost the moment they sat down.

It was Korean food matching the oriental-style room.

‘My goodness…’

Roan felt a boundless wave of emotion as he looked at the japchae, galbi-jjim, various stews, and side dishes laid out one after another.

They say one craves Korean food so much while traveling abroad, and was this what they meant!

Until now, he had enjoyed eating foods he had only seen in “God and Devil” without regret, but

eating Korean food for the first time in so long brought a tingle of emotion to the tip of his nose.

“Wow~ The dishes are fascinating too. What is this?”

“It is called galbi-jjim. It’s beef ribs cut off and braised in soy sauce.”

“Galbi-jjim? Soy sauce?”

“What is this? It has a spicy smell.”

“…Naturally, it’s kimchi. It’s a dish made by salting napa cabbage, tossing it with salted seafood and red pepper powder, and fermenting it.”

Roan explained to those who tilted their heads at the foods that no Korean could possibly not know.

He realized anew that, so to speak, they were foreigners!

— Uh… Young Master, you are truly knowledgeable about the cuisine of the Khan Continent. May I skip the explanations for the dishes?

The employee, who had intended to explain after setting down all the food, chuckled awkwardly and asked this.

The Khan Continent was a common setting—a mysterious land that appeared after traveling east by ship for several months from the continent where the Empire was located.

Although exchanges were gradually increasing, it was still an unknown continent that extremely few people knew about.

Thus, it was indeed very surprising that Roan knew the names of these dishes.

‘But it’s not like I can pretend not to know galbi-jjim and kimchi!’

Not to mention Yusina and Sion, even Espard and Tirmy looked at Roan with curiosity.

“First the elevator, and now this. Roan, you really know everything. Where did you see such things?”

“…I read the culinary illustrated book of the Pope’s Palace.”

“Even things like this are in there…?”

“Good.”

Unlike the others who were merely amazed, Tirmy simply nodded with satisfaction.

She naturally thought that having a disciple like him would be highly efficient if she had to wander the continent later.

“Mmh… of course, I only know galbi-jjim and kimchi. Could you explain the rest?”

Roan, who wanted to avoid becoming a disciple of any professor at all costs, quietly backed off.

However, the way he spoke made it look to anyone that

‘…it seems he knows.’

It did seem as if he were pretending not to know on purpose.

That was enough to convince even the employee who was seeing Roan for the first time.

— Ah, ahaha… of course, it’s only natural that you wouldn’t know. Now, this is Grilled Swordtooth. Please be careful of the sharp bones when eating it…

As could be inferred from the name, the swordtooth was a fish shaped similarly to a largehead hairtail.

For the most part, they were Korean dishes with slightly altered names.

— Then enjoy your meal!

The employee finished the explanation politely, bowed, and left the room.

Just as they were about to begin the meal in earnest,

“Hmm? But what are these two sticks here?”

Espard held a chopstick in each hand and tilted his head.

“They are chopsticks. You hold them like this to pick up food.”

Naturally, Roan skillfully used the chopsticks to pick up and eat the side dishes.

“Oh… mmh… like this? It’s not working well…”

The others tried to use chopsticks like Roan, but of course, it was impossible for them to do it well.

Roan spoke with a faint smile:

“You may simply eat with a fork and spoon.”

The chopsticks seemed to have been provided as a gesture to experience foreign culture.

In any case, Western-style utensils were placed at each seat according to the number of people.

Just as everyone picked up their familiar utensils following Roan’s suggestion,

only Yusina struggled with the chopsticks and grumbled.

“It’s not working… How does Roan use this so well? Anyone would think he is from the Khan Continent.”

“Hahaha! As if that’s possible.”

Espard then laughed heartily and dismissed it as a joke.

“…”

However, Roan could not take those words as a joke.

Though he was Korean rather than from the Khan Continent, it was similar anyway!

“““…?”””

Watching Roan freeze and remain silent, the expressions of the group turned complicated.

‘Did the Darc family really originate from the Khan Continent?’

At least, looking at Roan’s demeanor, such a thought crossed their minds.

Although the Darc family had participated in the founding process of the Empire as one of the four great families, nothing was known about their history prior to that.

Currently, even the existing records had completely vanished, making further research impossible.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ah… just because.”

When Roan glanced around and asked, the people quickly avoided his gaze and spoke.

They would feel apologetic if Roan got hurt by them needlessly bringing up the topic of his family.

Roan could guess what they were thinking based on their reactions.

‘Well, since I don’t know either, I can’t say anything.’

“Is the feed to your liking?”

Instead, he asked while stroking Bel and Charlotte, who were busy eating beside him.

Shifting the topic to the divine/spiritual beasts was the best option.

*Krrr*—

Fortunately, Charlotte seemed to like it quite a bit.

[Yum, yum, they say you don’t even disturb a dog when it’s eating, Master!]

“…Yes, eat a lot.”

It seemed Bel liked it so much that it was a problem…

‘They say you don’t disturb a dog, so I shouldn’t disturb an Abyss Dragon.’

To his eyes, the feed looked similar to what they usually ate, but the taste must have been unique.

At that, Yusina and Sion also looked after and patted their divine/spiritual beasts.

Fortunately, they all seemed to eat well.

“By the way, Saint… do you not raise any spiritual beasts?”

Sion asked Espard, who was staring at the students with a pleased expression.

Espard replied with a gentle smile:

“Yes, I don’t have any creature I raise and take around with me.”

“Ah, why… ah, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to!”

Sion was about to ask the reason but quickly waved her hands.

Espard’s tragic tale from fourteen years ago was already widely known.

If it was because a spiritual beast he raised back then had died, asking the reason would be highly rude.

“Mmh…”

Sure enough, Espard groaned, feigning a sad expression.

At this, Sion fidgeted, not knowing what to do.

“I-I am sorry…”

She really shouldn’t have asked such a presumptuous question!

Meanwhile, Roan, who had been watching the scene, spoke up:

“Your prank is too much.”

“? Yes?”

Sion tilted her head and looked back and forth between Roan and Espard.

Espard smiled and apologized to her:

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help it because you were so cute. Sion, you are a truly kind child.”

Actually, there was a reason why Espard did not take any spiritual beast around.

Roan gave Sion a hint instead:

“The Saint inherited the blood of the Quiliore family quite strongly.”

“That means… Ah!”

Sion also let out an exclamation, having caught on.

The characteristic of the Quiliore family was a somewhat unique affinity for spiritual beasts.

Normally, affinity for spiritual beasts meant receiving a loyalty bonus in a master-servant relationship.

The Quiliore family’s way was to form friendships with spiritual beasts rather than master-servant relationships.

“Of course, it’s not that I can’t take them with me, but as you know, I travel all over the Empire, right? That isn’t good for a spiritual beast either.”

“I see!”

Sion clapped her hands at Espard’s explanation.

It was best for spiritual beasts to stay in environments that matched their innate attributes.

For example, in the case of Riel’s Tree Emperor Monkey, it received massive bonuses in forest terrains but struggled immensely in places like deserts.

Since Espard traveled through such diverse terrains, he avoided keeping a specific spiritual beast with him constantly.

…In fact, most citizens of the Empire did not pay much attention to such details, meaning Espard was exceptionally kind.

“Instead, if I need help, I tend to ask the spiritual beasts of that region. That fits my style better too.”

Thus, forming a party with Espard was highly convenient in many ways.

Since it was difficult even for a player to have spiritual beasts of every attribute type.

“Wow… That’s really cool.”

Sion marveled repeatedly, as this was something virtually only possible for the Quiliore family, and specifically Espard.

Meanwhile, Yusina, who had been listening to the conversation, asked Tirmy:

“Professor, why don’t you raise any spiritual beasts?”

Tirmy replied instantly:

“It is inefficient.”