Chapter 99 – Reversal Charm
Surprised by Vanessa’s overwhelming power, the bandits stopped fighting the adventurers and retreated, leaving the corpses of their comrades unattended.
In the blink of an eye, more than 10 people were slaughtered, so it was frightening.
The person who actually did it doesn’t seem to care.
Anyway, I thought it would be better to join before it was too late, so I returned to base camp with Dorothea.
“Thank you!”
After the work is over, it is the person in charge of the guild who first runs to Vanessa and bows her head.
It was as if Vanessa had made the thieves retreat by herself, so it was nothing strange for him to come out in such a low profile.
The bandits’ attack was initially suppressed, so there were no casualties.
Several members of the corps who were hit by blind arrows fell to the ground, but it seems that they suffered only minor injuries.
From this person’s point of view, it must have felt like ten years.
Judging from the size of the bandits, it seemed that the attack was purposeful from the beginning, but it ended without any significant damage.
However, Vanessa, who had just tidied up all the tents, said coolly that it was no big deal and shook his hand.
“Oh, I want to eat.”
When Vanessa, who was expected to refuse, accepted the offer, the head of the guild also spoke to us.
“Please come along with your companions.”
Then Dorothea, who was listening to the story, asked with her eyes shining.
“Do you have any alcohol?”
“If you wish, I will provide you with a drink that I have brought for you personally.”
“Oops! It’s free alcohol!”
… Even though I, a member of the party, say this, aren’t these guys too weak to eat?
***
The average employee’s diet is very modest.
A good example is the turnip soup we ate yesterday and the rye bread that looked like a stone.
However, a person who is in charge of the ascending is a person in a high position in his own way, and there is no way that such a person’s meal is the same as that of those below.
As promised right after defeating the bandits in the morning, the person in charge of the uptrend invited us to his table to have lunch on the way.
“This way.”
Upon entering the barracks, guided by what seemed to be an employee, a fairly generous meal was set on the table.
Of course, it was absolutely not the same as the dinner I used to eat at the castle.
However, the market was a side dish, so it was not the kind of food you could eat on the street.
It seems that there is probably a dedicated chef.
“Oh oh.”
Dorothea, the first to enter the barracks excitedly, showed excitement when she saw the table prepared with all sorts of dishes.
No, to be precise, he must have exclaimed when he saw the bottle of alcohol lying in the corner.
On the other hand, Vanessa, whose hobby is eating, nodded lightly.
It seems to be a passing line in her own way.
It is said that he was a nobleman during the imperial era, so it seems inevitable that he has a picky appetite.
As we sat down one by one, the person in charge of the ascendant seated at the top seat spoke to us with a big smile.
“I don’t have anything prepared, but eat a lot.”
It was clear to anyone that he cared, but let’s pretend we don’t know here.
That’s the manners of a socialite.
‘Still, there are quite a few types.’
It is the second day since leaving Hamburg.
There were still a lot of ingredients bought there, and colorful meat and vegetables were on the table.
Originally, being able to eat this kind of food while traveling is a luxury in itself.
Usually, it was not possible to have a full meal because it was mainly carried around in terms of volume and preservation.
However, since this guild mainly handles ingredients, it seems that they were relatively free from such circumstances.
Steak made with salmon, a specialty of this area, literally melted in your mouth.
Coq au Vin, chicken stewed in wine, sausages made from lamb, which is the main livestock raised in the area, and grilled lamb ribs, were also delicious because they did not have a sour smell.
In the end, Dorothea hurriedly began to eat, probably because she hadn’t eaten breakfast.
As I was smiling wryly at this sight, the head of the guild, like Vanessa and I, hadn’t even eaten a few bites, asked insinuatingly.
“If you’re not rude, can I ask for the name of the benefactor? I think someone with that level of swordsmanship must have a great reputation.”
Then Vanessa didn’t answer right away, but looked in my direction.
I leaned over her and whispered to her.
‘Tell me a suitable alias.’
Vanessa is the captain of the royal guard of the Demon King’s Castle, and unlike the famous Four Heavenly Kings, her name and appearance are completely unknown to humans.
However, since there is an if, it would be better to use a pseudonym here.
Perhaps understanding my meaning, Vanessa took off her helmet and replied.
“My name is Janet.”
Then the head of the upper ranks said with a surprised expression.
“Your benefactor was a woman.”
Although Vanessa is said to be wearing less than usual, her helm still makes her gender ambiguous.
He must have realized he had made a mistake, so he cleared his throat and asked our names to change the subject.
I answered, swallowing the mutton in my mouth.
“It’s Patrasche.”
“It’s Patrasche-sama. So, who’s the lady over here?”
Then Dorothea, who was hastily filling her stomach with her wine and meat, not paying attention to our conversation, pushed up her sunglasses and said:
“Quattro Virginia.”
“Quah… Can I call you Virginia?”
“Do whatever you feel like.”
After answering the man’s question bluntly, Dorothea began to unleash her twin swordsmanship with her ribs.
It’s to the point where I’m a bit suspicious where so much goes into that small body.
Perhaps it was because he looked like someone who came only to eat, the head of the upper ranks laughed as if he was embarrassed, then hurriedly gestured to us and said,
“You stopped eating because of me. Please eat now.”
Lunch starts again.
Perhaps because she was originally from an aristocratic background, seeing Vanessa eating, which becomes a picture when her mouth is shut, was a very nice sight to see.
Nana Dorotheana was originally from the lower classes.
Although she had manners that were forced into her body, she couldn’t help but feel like she was wearing clothes that didn’t fit her body.
On the other hand, the way Vanessa was eating seemed to show us what dignity is.
She doesn’t have many opportunities to eat together, so this kind of appearance of her feels very unfamiliar.
‘Looking at this, they say it’s an anti-war charm.’
After the meal, which took about an hour, the top manager praised Vanessa while eating dessert.
“Your benefactor’s manners are so excellent that I was stunned without even realizing it. Are you the daughter of a famous aristocratic family?”
Then Vanessa answered, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“The family name was abandoned a long time ago.”
“Ah…”
The person in charge of the upper rank exclaims in admiration.
From a third person’s point of view, it would seem that Vanessa had complicated circumstances, but from the point of view of knowing the truth, it was a little funny.
It was obvious that all kinds of imaginations were forming in his head by now.
After all meals were finished by eating dessert, when we were about to leave the barracks to return to the procession, the person in charge of the corps came out to meet us and said,
“I look forward to escorting you for the rest of the period. Also, if you need my strength later, please let me know. I want to remain in a good relationship with my benefactor at our guild.”
Perhaps, to say this one word, the man may have laid a long paving stone.
Cancer, there is an ulterior motive when giving away expensive food for free.
From a male point of view, I would like to somehow capture Vanessa, who has shown overwhelming incompetence to the extent that being a sword expert is unbelievable, but unfortunately, we are not ordinary adventurers.
“I really enjoyed the meal.”
Still, thanks to the grandiose futility, I had a decent meal, so I decided to just watch the exorcism and eat rice cakes.
Geuk-
***
The upward journey, which had continued endlessly since the morning, stopped in the evening when they arrived at a village called ‘Withel’.
Weedel is a name I’ve heard before.
It was probably a town famous for its apple pie festival.
After arriving at the village, the members of the guild and the adventurers dispersed and unpacked their belongings at the inn.
It was the same for us. Usually, to save money, we would reserve one room for each party, but perhaps because of what happened in the morning, they specially reserved two rooms, so I got a room by myself.
After unpacking, I went straight to the sauna at the back of the hostel.
Even if I was sleeping, I wanted to sleep after washing up.
