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Chapter 386: At the Empty Spot

There’s an es — no I mean an isu perched on Es’s head. It’s tiny of course, but it’s a chair no matter how you look at it. Es, isu (japanese for chair), pun intended.

— If I’m not mistaken, didn’t the French and English affluent nobles, both gentlemen and ladies, compete for the most creatively outrageous hairstyle back in the day? Let’s just say that Es’s hairstyle is much better than having a huge ship perched on your head; thank goodness the chair isn’t that big either.

「Erm, can you taste it? 」
「Mm. All things favored by my blessing are lovely. 」
Es replied with a smile.

「This Doggy is satisfied with everything the Goddess Es brings, whatever it may be…! 」
So it doesn’t work for Doggy, huh.

「…Wait for me, I’ll just grab some ingredients first! Drink this and relax 」
I took out several bottles of the wine I bought in Es and placed them on top of the blanket, together with a handful of dried dates and different types of nuts bought in the city market.

【Teleport】.

「Hey! You’re seriously gonna leave us here in this situation… 」
I heard Dinosso yelling something, but the things I prepared definitely tasted bland! The ingredients I used don’t have anything to do with the ‘blessings’ of River Es!!!!

And so, I 【Teleport】near the market and ran around buying stuff. 【Teleport】back to 『House』 . Riche rushed toward me as soon as I arrived, but he halted in his tracks and sniffed me uneasily.

「Ack, sorry Riche, I can’t play with you now. 」
I sandwiched Riche between my calves and rubbed him all over, before making a beeline for the kitchen.

I was in a rush to cook, although technically speaking I’ll just do some additional preps on pre-cooked food since they’re already seated and waiting for lunch to be served.

I hit up the market yesterday and even before that, so most of the dishes were made with stuff from Es. But I didn’t expect Es and Doggy to join, so I bet there won’t be enough dishes that they can taste.

I cut the loaves I bought into halves and warmed them up again. The flattened dough must’ve been baked in one go in the oven since the bread was fluffy and had air pockets in them. It would easily get burnt if I’m careless.

While waiting for the bread to warm up, I untied the grilled fowl — it’s also bought in the market — and rubbed it with a blend of herbs then prepared the stuffing.

Hmm, I wonder how it would turn out if the spirits lend a hand? The Changelings could taste the food after — would simple spirits work fine? If the goal is to make something that can affect their taste according to their personal preferences, then that would be a tad difficult since the spirits that would help out must be Es’s kin or retainers.

「Riche, I’ll go now, let’s play later at night, okay. 」
I bid Riche farewell and 【Teleport】once again.

「I’m back, I have some stuff that Es and Doggy might be able to taste — oh, there’s more of you now… 」
A huge, lime green guy and a woman who was strangely twisting her body flanked Es.

「Who? 」
「Skos-sama and Nenet-sama. 」
Khan replied to my question. He was drinking wine while sitting on a spot a bit far from the deities.

「It’s a pleasure to join you. 」
Skos said while raising his cup.

「It’s been a long time since we had a banquet. 」
The lady had chocolate brown skin and pink hair and lipstick. Nenet was already flashy on her own, but when she’s together with Green Skos, they were quite the flamboyant couple.

Ah, wait, will the food be enough? Oh well, I guess it’d be fine since I bought a lot of alcohol for taste testing.

「You sure took your sweet time! Why did you suddenly vanish while still in the presence of the Goddess Es!! 」
Doggy yapped.

「Sorry, the food I first served probably won’t suit Es and your taste, so I had to go grab something else. 」
「Hey, don’t leave us hanging in this sort of situation, will you… 」
Retze muttered under his breath beside Doggy.

So Doggy didn’t stay beside Es, but kept on guarding Retze beside him, huh. He didn’t change into his human form either, and he was drinking from his cup as is. Maybe he has a strong sense of duty?

「Really, I beg you… 」
Dinosso squeezed those words out, unable to continue speaking as he grabbed my shoulder.

Hauron was pale, a smile plastered on his face as he poured wine for Skos. He was moving mechanically without so much as glancing at me… Will he be okay?

「Sorry, sorry. I just thought that Es and Doggy won’t enjoy their meal at that rate, so I can’t help it… 」
I placed the dishes on top of the picnic blanket.

The pita bread sandwiches were filled with either chicken or sauteed ground meat and veggies.
There are also croquettes made with crushed fava beans, legume dips, whole grilled quails and roasted herb-stuffed whole chicken.

Several types of sandwiches, mentaiko (spicy cod) mochi pizza, margherita, cheese, sausages, ham and braised tripe were spread in front of Retze and I.

「Ah right, I also have this. 」
I tried making my own version of the stewed legume dish that I frequently see everywhere in Es’s markets, so I also put it on the blanket, pot and all. I plated some, drizzled it with lemon juice and olive oil before serving it to the deities.

「Oh, this one is pretty spicy. Nenet, try it, it’s tasty. 」
Skos tried it first as if he’s doing poison testing, before recommending it to Nenet.

「Oh my, it’s true, so delicious. You pass. 」
Nenet.

「Uh, thanks? 」
Did I just get a passing mark for my culinary skills?

「Then accept our names and be contracted to us. 」
Skos.

Huh? What did you say?