Chapter 324

Arkaroid was not that large, yet somehow we were having trouble deciding on a place to eat. Whenever we looked through the windows of any restaurants, we saw that people were mostly eating noodles. Maybe that’s what this place was known for.

“We are quite close to Usk, after all. And there are many merchants who go to the capital. Since they would have no lack of ingredients, it is no surprise that they can make such things. Besides, there is a lot of water here. Have you noticed the wells?”

Daniela rattled on. Right… Yes, it did make sense. I didn’t know much about noodles, but there had been a great variety of it in the trading city.

“The fish here must be great as well. But perhaps not so much during this season.”

“Hmm… Fish. That would have been quite nice.”

“The beauty of eating is how you enjoy what happens to be in season.”

“Beauty of eating?”

Usually, whatever happened to be in front of her was what she ate without much consideration. However, she glared at me before I could reply. I gulped. In any case, there would be no fish today.

Still, there were a lot of places to choose form. Of course, most of them seemed to serve noodles. But there was no doubt a great variety of styles.

So, perhaps the first thing to consider was if we wanted them in soup or not.

“There is one place that intrigues me. We should go there.”

“I don’t really care. You can choose.”

“Alright. It is this way.”

Daniela nodded happily as she took the lead.

She glided gracefully through the throngs, and I had trouble keeping up. It almost felt like some kind of training. Every time she would move, someone would pop up out of nowhere and I’d frantically have to dodge them. And every time that happened, we’d separate and I would have to catch up. Hmm. Challenging.

“Daniela. Could you slow down?”

“Mm? …Ah, sorry. My hunger makes me want to rush.”

“Let’s go together.”

“Aye.”

I came up beside her and held her hand. She was stronger and tougher than me. Daniela was a true veteran Adventurer. But her hand was thin and soft. I guess she really was just a lady.

The place that Daniela wanted to go to was one of the first places we had passed by. And it also offered noodles. Well, it was pasta.

“Welcome!”

We kicked off the snow from our shoes and took our capes off before opening the door and stepping inside. An elderly man with a white beard greeted us cheerfully.

“Excuse me, do you have seats for two?”

“Sit anywhere you like!”

We nodded and looked around. It was practically full. But on the other hand, many of the plates on the tables were empty, and a lot of the customers were just enjoying their after-meal conversations.

I found a table in the far back that was unoccupied and had two seats.

“Daniela.”

“Hm? Ah, I see. Thank goodness.”

I elbowed here as she had also been looking around. She was visibly relieved, as this had been her idea. All over some food… I couldn’t help but chuckle.

We made our way passed the other tables and arrived at our seats. Perhaps it was because we had been walking for so long, I suddenly felt very tired when I sank into my chair. I also felt famished.

There was a menu on top of the table with a bunch of names for the dishes. I suppose this was what was in season. There actually were some fish items, but I was in full pasta mode by this time.

“So…”

We both looked at the menu together. Hmm. There was a lot on there, but most of the ingredients were unfamiliar to me. Of course, there were a few that I did recognize, and those looked like a safe bet.

“Alright, I’ve decided.

“Hmm… Which did you choose, Asagi?”

“This.”

I pointed at the tomato pasta. Safety first.

“Not bad…”

“Which are you considering?”

“It must be either the ‘Winter Vegetables and Pepper Pasta’ and the ‘Alexia Mushroom and Olive Pasta.’”

Well…those did sound pretty good. I’ve never had Alexia mushrooms before.

“Do they grow in the mountains then?”

“Aye. They are hard as rocks. And so you must crush them with hammers and boil them until they soften. They are delicious.”

“Interesting…”

A rock-like mushroom that grows in rocky mountains. They would probably be difficult to find. Perhaps they were a rare delicacy then.

“Indeed, they are quite rare. …Alight, I will choose it. Since we are here.”

“Good. It’s settled. Waiter!”

I waved my hand and shouted until the waiter came out. Perhaps they were on break. Two cups were gently placed on the table.”

“Can I take your order?”

“I’ll have the Tomato and Dana Cream Pasta. And she’ll have the Alexia Mushroom and Olive Pasta.”

“Certainly.”

Phew. I said it without stuttering. The waiting jotted everything down and then retreated to the kitchen. I suddenly felt quite thirsty, and so I drank the water that was on the table.

“Dana milk…the livestock in that village must be doing well.”

“Aye, how nostalgic.”

Dana milk was from a place called Dana Village, that we had visited once. Their primary income came from their livestock. But they had been plagued by a lesser wyvern that attacked them. We just happened to be passing through. And the unlucky wyvern was killed by Daniela and me and also an Adventurer who lived there who went by the name Yis.

“I hope Mido and Marco are doing well.”

“I’m sure they are. Since there is no wyvern anymore.”

“And Marco is strong. Yeah, they must fine.”

As we talked about those old times, the waiter appeared in the corner of my vision. He was carrying plates in both hands as he threaded his way through the tables.

“Here it comes.”

“Mm…”

Daniela’s eyes lit up and she sat straight.

“Here it is. Your Alexia Mushroom and Olive Pasta.”

“Mine.”

“Enjoy.”

The pasta that was placed in front of Daniela had large, brown mushrooms inside. But there was also a variety of other kinds inside as well.

“And here is the Tomato and Dana Cream Pasta.”

“Thank you.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

I looked down at the plate. It was a pale red. More of a pastel color than meat sauce or Neapolitan. It was because of the Dana milk that was mixed into it. There were shredded vegetables on top that looked quite nice.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes.”

I picked up my fork and rotated it, careful to get plenty of vegetables and sauce in the process. Then I brought it to my mouth. There was a mild tartness that went well with the firm texture of the pasta. And then the vegetables added a fresh crunch and sweetness.

“It’s delicious…”

“So is mine. Clearly I was right in choosing this place.”

“Let me have a bite.”

“Then you must give me two bites, Asagi.”

“That’s not exactly a fair exchange. One bite.”

“Hmph…very well.”

Daniela pushed her plate across the table and so I did the same.

So, this huge chunk was an Alexia mushroom, eh? Yes, it did look kind of hard. I tried stabbing it with the fork and was surprised. It wasn’t hard at all. It was was just spongy. Well, it was a delicacy, after all.

The rich mushrooms were a very good match for the mild and refreshing olive oil sauce. I wrapped some of the pasta around my fork and stabbed a piece of mushroom before bringing it to my mouth. My teeth tore through the spongy texture of the mushrooms and my mouth filled with the sweet juices. The taste was quite strong, but it was a good combination with the olive oil sauce. And it was really enjoyable to eat. An interesting dish, to say the least.

“It’s great…”

“Your pasta is not bad either…”

“He-hey. That’s clearly a second bite. I’ve been watching you.”

“Tsk…”

You couldn’t let your guard down with her. I was about to be pasta-less.

We traded plates again and I was finally able to eat my safely recovered pasta. We both became so concentrated on our food that we didn’t talk anymore.

Before I knew it, the plate was empty. Daniela had also finished and was drinking her water.

“That was great… I underestimated Arkaroid.”

“I guess being close to Usk is a huge advantage.”

It was a trading city after all… They had everything you could want. Well, hopefully, that meant we would be able to get a boat to take us downriver.

It would have been nice to end the meal with drink and some idle talk, but we had wasted enough time trying to find the place. Ah… I had so wanted to order some coffee and relax there with Daniela.

“…Phew. Well, let’s go then.”

“We were able to eat, so I have no regrets.”

Yes, I was reenergized. And with that, we went through the Arkaroid west gate and headed to Usk. Our next destination was not so far away.