Chapter 301: It All Ended Before We Could Deal with It
「Great work. 」
I handed the cup of wine to Retze when he sat down.
「Did you eat already? 」
「Already did, but not regular meals, so lemme eat a bit tonight. 」
I see, he couldn’t eat a lot, huh.
「So, Retze won’t finish the bread if it’s huge, so here you go. 」
「Sticks? 」
「It’s bread, bread, okay. 」
Was it grissini or something? It’s crunchy bread sticks that look like twigs. And nope, it’s not a stick.
「You can enjoy it as it is, but it tastes great when you wrap ham around it, or you can dip it in olive oil. 」
Roasted and fresh bell peppers, roasted potatoes with butter, avocado salad with hard-boiled eggs — I prepared a little bit of each dish. Butler set the table while I carved the duck. The warm minestrone was served in cups.
「Duck, huh. It’s yummy. 」
「It goes well with the wine. 」
Retze and Ash tried the duck that had been roasted on the fireplace first. They chose the well-done red lean meat. The juices didn’t overflow right away, but the flavor becomes deeper as you chew on it.
「This twig-looking thing also pairs well with the alcohol. 」
「Really? Then give me some. 」
Dinosso’s interest was piqued when I told him the bread sticks go nicely with alcohol. So the deciding factor for him to try a dish isn’t the taste of the food, but how well it goes with alcohol?
「Sure thing. Want some too, Khan? 」
「Yeah. 」
Yup, it’s quite popular, if I may say so.
「We’ll have bite-size tarts for dessert. Ash, the big one’s yours. 」
Although everyone likes delicious food, everyone except Ash prefer snacks that can be paired with wine compared to sweet treats.
「… Is this peach? 」
Retze suspiciously asked. Yes, it’s peach, it’s great if you eat it with great gusto.
「Ah, the butt thingy! 」
Dinosso recalled something as soon as Retze said that.
「Well, I thought you’d be tired after exploring the dungeon. This is great for your skin. 」
「Hey, don’t you talk to me in that polite tone of yours! 」
「Mm. Delicious. 」
Ash was already eating hers.
「Jean-sama….? 」
Butler called my name with a smile.
「If you’re gonna drag us into this, then at least remove the butt effect, will you. 」
Retze commented with a side glance towards Ash. Eh, no, no, that’s not it!!
「Hm? Am I wrong? 」
He mused, as if taken aback that he was mistaken.
「Yeah. It’s because your complexion is bad, Retze. Can’t be helped then, I’ll play along with you. Shiva likes it, after all. 」
Dinosso bit into the tart. Does that mean you’ll have that gorgeous bum until we’re back in Canum?
「Hmm… 」
Khan took a bite. Well, that small bite is already worth two bites for ordinary folks though.
The duo who have someone to flaunt their butts to….!!!
「Hmm, you’ve gone out of your way, so I guess I’ll eat it. Ah, but you eat too, alright? 」
「Eh? 」
The pressure is on with Retze’s smirk…!
Everyone got beauty bums in the end. I didn’t check, though.
「About the『Fae’s Path』, they weren’t able to use it in the end, apparently. 」
We discussed the Fae’s Path once everything calmed down after dinner.
「Oh dear… I did hear rumors that it was a capricious thing that can be created and would disappear whimsically. Wouldn’t it be an old one if the fake hero used it for his own purposes? 」
Butler expressed his doubts regarding Retze’s words.
「Old? 」
I asked dubiously.
「He meant the stable Fae’s Paths that have existed since a long time ago. 」
Dinosso explained it to me.
Since the fake hero came to the fortress city to get his hands on a spirit sword, he probably used that Path precisely because he knew it would lead to the destination he had in mind. That would mean the Path he used was already established long ago and it wasn’t one that would appear and disappear on a whim.
「The fake hero ate some spirits before going back, apparently. The entrance to the path remained closed for a while after that incident, but I bet it’s because Jean sent that lot of spirits to Canum. 」
「Eh, me? 」
But I don’t think they’re that many — only the ones who followed me in the temple, you know?
「Spirits sometimes follow the powerful spirits they are related to when they’re on the move. 」
Khan mumbled. So it’s me, it’s my fault!?
「It’s just my guess based on what I heard from the folks related to the temple, as well as from Dinosso’s master’s connections — the deity in Shrum where the heroes are is the same one being worshiped in the temple here, right? 」
「Yeah. Same name and attribute with that Ball. 」
「Ball… 」
Butler muttered as he repeated after me. Indeed, I do believe that “Ball” is more than fitting for that thing.
「It’s said that Fae’s Path connects to a place where spirits with the same attribute gather together, and where other attributes couldn’t easily mingle. So, that fake hero tried eating spirits with that in mind, but right after that, you sent the temple’s relatively powerful spirit somewhere else. The entrance closed up because of that, apparently. 」
「So the entrance was in the temple? 」
So Fake Hero, you moved in and out of such a conspicuous place?
「Well, it’s not an established fact yet, but it’s somewhere near the temple. A lot of people, including possessed folks, come and go in the temple, so there’s nothing that can be done above ground, but it’s a different story below. However, light spirits don’t thrive underground. Oh well, some of the priests knew the exact place, apparently. 」
「Some of the information are rumors since a long time ago, but it’s truly amazing that you have gathered so much in such a short period of time. 」
Butler seemed in awe.
「It’s confirmed that the Path exists because the fake hero used it, and the folks who knew about it became loose-lipped probably because the entrance vanished. Besides, I already knew that the fake hero used the Fae’s Path even before getting intel about Jean sending the spirit away. 」
Retze shrugged as if to say it wasn’t a big deal.
「The only thing left is about Roza and her group pressuring the fake hero because of the spirit sword, I guess .. 」
「That’s great. Hope they’ll get as frustrated as I was dealing with their pestering. 」
Dinosso smirked.
The spirit sword should have been sold quickly for a hefty sum, so I bet the persuasion and retrieval must be a total pain-in-the-neck.
「Sorry for bringing up an unrelated topic, but can I just ask one thing? 」
Ash said.
「What is it? 」
「Jean, why do you see the Goddess Namina as a ball of light? 」
「 — because she’s weakened? 」
「So did her existence fall to something that’s even weaker than Az? 」
Huh?
Notes
T/N: grissini
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Thanks for the treat.