Chapter 245: Let’s Get the Stall Ready – Sequel Sequel Sequel

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Now that I finished the first part of the work, I’m going to make the food for the staff. The croquettes were just snacks after all.

I baked pita bread.

“Yep! It’s grown nicely!”

At once people swarmed me.

“Hmm? This is the bread for the staff’s food. You see how it’s expanding in a spherical shape, right? The inside is empty. So if you cut this in half, it’ll have the shape of a pocket. So, you can put fillings into the pocket and then eat it just like that!”

I made the filling, stir-fried meat and veggies, stuffed it into the pita bread, and let everyone eat it. In the meantime I finished up the cooking.

After I made a certain amount and dished it out, I roasted everything for the looks. I decided to also roast the gyoza.

Thereupon one of the children approached me.

“Bro, you’re not gonna eat?”

“I’m no bro, but a sis, okay? …I don’t get hungry in the middle of cooking. My stomach gets sufficiently filled with all the nice aromas… So, as long as I’m cooking, I never eat anything other than sampling for taste.”

“Ohh! That’s incredible!”

Is it?

“Really? I think all cooks are like that though?”

They think it looks delicious, but they don’t get hungry, right?

“…I’ll tell you what, this was really tasty.”

I unconsciously stroked the child’s head when it told me that.

“I see! Being told that something is tasty is the best praise for me, no, all cooks. So it makes me happy to hear that you liked it.”

As I was stroking its head, the child put on a troubled expression, “…I wanna eat a bit more.”

“Hmm? I see. But, you’re going to eat it up without leaving anything behind, right?”

It nodded, “…Also, you see, I want the priests of the church to enjoy this as well.”

“A souvenir, huh? …Oh well, why not. But, you won’t get any pay then, okay?”

The child’s face immediately lit up.

“I’ll make something that tastes great even while cold for you to take back. You yourself can eat as many second servings as you want. Please tell the others as well. But, don’t leave any food behind!”

“Gotcha!”

The child raced off without even listening to the end, and soon everyone started to get more servings. They sure got some appetite.

It’s good that I made lots in advance. To be frank, I thought that it might be too much, though.

“Everyone who wishes to exchange their pay for souvenirs to take back, report to me now!”

“”””Heeere!!””””

All of them raised their hands.

I went with croquette sandwiches as a substitute for wages. Those are the perfect example of something that tastes great even when cold.

I added some veggies and deepened the taste with soy butter and sauce. Then I wrapped the sandwiches in paper and tied the packages with strings.

＊

Meanwhile all the staff apparently ate their heart’s fill. And almost nothing was left, too.

Wow.

“”””That was great!!!””””

They apparently listened earlier as they all praised my food in a chorus.

“Good! That’s wonderful to hear!”

Even the adult helpers said, “It was truly amazing,” “I don’t need any pay, I just want to eat this food,” and, “Nothing less of an S-Rank adventurer.”

When I nodded after throwing out my chest in pride, all of them laughed at me. But, why?

Since I got caught up in the moment, I added some extra to the souvenirs.

“I’ll add dried meat as a bonus! You can eat it after lightly grilling, eat it just like that, or chop it up and add it to another dish. It’s Sword’s favorite dish, so we’re always carrying it with us as emergency food. But, unlike the usual emergency food of adventurers, it’ll lose taste and become moldy if you don’t eat it for too long, even if it does last a while. Keep it in a place that’s as cool as possible. Even if it gets moldy, you can scrape off the mold and eat it, but if it starts to stink or becomes sticky, then it’s definitely rotten and should be tossed away at once.”

Once I handed them their souvenirs while giving them those instructions, everyone broke out in cheers.

＊

The group of helpers supposed to go back home before evening was done at this point. The children and adults with family went back with their souvenirs in hand. I had the remaining helpers assist me. I got them to serve the dishes and clean up the tables.

Fortunately, Sword came back too.

“Line up over there, okay?”

Eh? That many?

＊

Once Sword told the people to line up and come forward in turns, people flooded in. In the meantime, I taught the remaining helpers how to pour ale or cider, and I also prepared some water.

It seems to be customary for a Spanish bar for the guests to drink water in-between the servings!

The pricing was the same for all dishes as it’d be too much of a hassle otherwise.

“So far as it goes, we’ve now got the order sorted, but if you haven’t decided what to get yet, yield your place in the queue. You’ll get the orders depending on the order anyway.”

＊

Our very first customer was the guild master.

Seriously? What about your work, dude?

And his order was, “Please give me everything.”

“……… Ale or cider, which is going to be? Or to be precise, one is made out of barley and tastes bitter while the other is made out of berries and tastes sweet.”

“Ale!”

So, after he paid I passed everything to him.

Sword did his own thing, dishing up and pouring alcohol as he pleased. And then he went over to the guild master’s table.

We handled the continuous stream of customers, but I think things are going rather well. At this rate, it should also be alright for me to slip out and leave the servicing to the helpers.

I contacted Sword through the wireless transmitter.

『Indra speaking. Sword, the place isn’t as packed as I thought, so I’ll do a live show in one hour. Spread the word』

『Sword speakin’. Roger that』

『Eh? What’s that!?』

『Ah, this? It’s a magic tool made by Indra. It’s kinda similar to the guild’s communication device, I’d say』

『What did you say!? Those are a big secret of the guild, you know!?』

『That girl’s a grand sorceress, ‘kay? She can easily imitate somethin’ like that after takin’ a short peek. Moreover, this one’s here is much more powerful. You can already tell her skill from the booze n’ food, no?』

『Ughh… Certainly! I’ve never eaten and drunk anything as great as this!』

『By the way, folks at the capital are throwin’ gold coins to get their hands on this booze. That girl loves to open bars like this, so you can buy the booze for a reasonably cheap prince here, but normally you’d have to fork over a ridiculous amount of cast, man』

『For real!? Then I gotta grab more!』

…when such a conversation could be heard echoing through the kitchen, everyone broke out into laughter.

Sword, cut the transmitter.