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Chapter 52

The next day.

I was having breakfast in the inn’s dining room.
I paid a special fee and ordered fluffy white bread with butter.
The rest was a very ordinary meal consisting mainly of smoked meats and vegetables, along with a quarter of an orange.

「Now that I think about it, I used to go on really impoverished journeys back in the day…」

As I nibbled on the white bread, I remembered the time when I left Dragon Village.
Back then, I didn’t even stop by a city, instead just going to forests, mountains, ancient ruins, and dungeons, hunting and defeating high-level monsters.

Now I leave everything to Lilith, but I didn’t have an Item Box back then when I was traveling alone, so there was no way I could bring back any ingredients…

I usually eat the meat of monsters I killed by roasting it with fire from primitive fire starters, and wild plants…

Anyway, if I had free time, I would have chased and hunted monsters… Anyway, I didn’t have free time.

So, I wished I could have eaten better.

Now, I’ve become so strong that I’m approaching my growth limit, and I have a considerable amount of time on my hands.

During my training journey, I reunited with Lilith, and thanks to the Item Box, I had amassed a stockpile of materials, and during Lilith’s level-up process, I met the Guild Master of this place.

I suddenly became rich, and my dietary life suddenly became richer.

As I looked closely at the white bread I was holding, I heaved a nostalgic sigh.

「…Ramen… I really want to eat it…」

That’s my honest opinion

To be honest, the white bread in this world is delicious.
It’s a luxury item that most common people can’t afford, and it has a fluffy and chewy texture, along with a subtle sweetness that you would find in a typical hotel breakfast in Japan.

The beef and pork are also of a higher quality, as I’ve purchased aged meat, making them somewhat better than what you’d find in the average market.

However…I do miss the flavor of artificial seasonings… But I guess there is no way around it.
Well, I wouldn’t call that being extravagant.

Just as I thought that, Lilith, half-asleep, descended from her room while holding Liz.

「…Good morning, Lute.」

「Good morning…」

I replied to Lilith with a hint of hesitation.
After all, she was carrying Liz, who was around eight years old, in her arms— or, more accurately, Liz was cradled in her arms like a teddy bear.
In her sleepy state, Liz wasn’t bothering to hide her animal ears, and her half-closed eyes mumbled incomprehensible sleep talk.

「By the way, why are you holding Liz like a stuffed animal?」

「…eh?」

Lilith pondered for a moment and tilted her head.

「…Because her animal ears are cute?」

Being asked a question in response to a question was rather baffling.

「Uh, Lilith… Liz’s animal ears are visible, you know.」

At that moment, Lilith took a sharp breath.
After all, Liz was a half-elf, half-beastman.
These two races that inhabited the forest were known to be at odds, and Liz’s presence, with her elf-like appearance combined with animal ears, made it instantly clear that she was a half-breed.

Hastily, Lilith covered Liz’s head with the hood attached to her pajamas.
I had registered with the Adventurer’s Guild so that I could smoothly support Cordelia when an incident occurred, but… Lilith picked up a troublesome child.

That’s the situation we found ourselves in.

While I was lost in my thoughts about such matters, the two of them joined me at the same table.

「White bread… is it okay for me to eat it?」

Liz asked timidly, and I smiled in response.
At the same time, she eagerly took a bite out of the white bread.

「You’re eating quite vigorously. Make sure to chew properly and take your time.」

Well, given her condition of near-starvation, it wasn’t surprising.
Judging by appearances, it seemed that her strength had returned considerably after the herbal porridge from yesterday, and her weakened stomach should be able to handle food by now.

「So, what should we do for today? We have a guild request to subdue some monsters, but should we leave her at the inn for now?」

I asked Lilith, but she shook her head.

「…We’re taking her with us.」

「Well, that seems to be the way to go. Liz’s background is suspicious, and it looks like someone’s after her. What’s more, it seems like that someone might be a part of the state power. Even if it was a secret, if they really came here… there’s no way we can handle it at this inn.」

「…But, if it’s us…」

I stopped her with a hand, preventing her from saying more.

Well, even against the state power, we should be able to handle it with just the two of us.
However, if we made such a statement in the inn’s dining room, we would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention.

At that moment, my shoulder was lightly tapped from behind.

「Hmm? Who are you?」

I turned to see a slightly chubby middle-aged man with a gentle smile.

「I saw it.」

「Saw what?」

Pointing at Liz, the man’s smile grew.

「Is that child a half-breed? And just now, you hastily covered her with the hood. It seems like something that shouldn’t be revealed, am I right?」

A vile undertone crept into the man’s smile.

「So what if it is?」

「Well, I have a liking for that, you see.」

「Liking? For what?」

「Also, I don’t like beating around the bush. That’s I want to get straight to the point, but… the explanation leading up to that is a bit convoluted.」

「What are you getting at?」

The man looked up at the ceiling with distant eyes.

「I was born and raised in a poor village, you know? Well, now I’m a C-rank adventurer and I’m living a decent life, you know?」

「…?」

「I guess it’s okay to say we’re childhood friends…There was a sister in my neighborhood who was three years older than me.」

Cordelia and I are the same age…So, well, we’re similar in that regard.

「So, that older sister…I liked her since I was a child…No, I was in love with her.」

「…So?」

「However, when my sister turned 11, the feudal lord fell in love with her…He only gave her family some money and took her to the feudal lord’s mansion. Well, she was considered a concubine, that kind of things.」

It’s a little too lolicon, but it’s not an unusual story.
In such cases, after being treated like a sex slave, if they get tired of it, you will be forced to work as a servant girl.
Well, it’s a common story all over the place.

「So… I liked my sister. When we were playing in the river, you know? Well… she was beautiful.」

「She was beautiful, is it?」

At that, the man made a shocked expression.

「If I were to say whether she was ugly or beautiful, I would say it was a little more than beautiful… I think that was it, right? At least, she wasn’t to my taste.」

「What do you mean? You said she were beautiful earlier…」

「No, her toes…especially her big toes were beautiful.」

The story has taken a strange turn. I wonder what’s going on…I put my hand on my chin.

「That is to say. I like the big toe of a little girl… who is similar in age to my older sister at the time.」

「Eh?」

The man gave an ugly smile.

「I’ll keep that child’s secret quiet, so…is it okay if I suck on that child’s big toe?」

「Eh…」

I was at a loss for words, but the man said more words to me.

「I’ll take her to my room for 30 minutes. That’s all. You won’t touch anything but her big toe…」

Then, Lilith stands up.

「Higyagebu!」

And in no time, Lilith’s fist pierced the bridge of the man’s nose.
An unpleasant sound is heard.

The man fell sprawled on the floor, his nose bleeding profusely and his face twitching and foaming.
Well, from what I saw… there was no life-threatening injury.

「…Hey, Lute?」

Lilith raised her thumb and said this to me who looked stunned.

「…I know you don’t want to stand out, but…I think it can’t be helped due to force majeure.」

A deep sigh.

「Geez… Well done.」

After saying that, I shrugged my shoulders.