231 - - Episode 229. Mr. Betty

I went to Marie's place to wholesale adamantite, and when I asked her about a light-attribute wand, she agreed to write a letter of introduction to the country's financial bureaucrat. If we can get the staff through negotiations, we don't have to worry about suffering from the shortage of the staff, right?

Here it is.

Marie led us to a place near Mel's workshop. She said it was a place where blacksmiths gathered. Maybe this is where they store their metalwork.

As you can imagine, there are several kinds of metals and ores in the warehouse. It seems that the Polurius Trading Company does business quite extensively.

"I can put adamantite out here, right?"

Yes, please.

At any rate, we should just give out as much as we always give out wholesale demons. We can consume the adamantite from the dismembered ones or the ones that Ifu beat up. A nicely defeated golem might fetch a good price if there is someone who likes it. It seems unlikely, though.

"I've never seen this much adamantite before."

Marie is pleased, but her excitement level is not as high as it has been for the previous materials. There are troublesome reasons such as the price collapse of adamantite, which must be more time-consuming than before.

"Marie-san, can I put various kinds of medicinal herbs here?"

"Oh, here, please."

I put the magic grass, the almighty grass, and the divine power grass on the desk that Marie told me to put them on. Marie's eyes are always clouded with desire as she looks at the medicinal herbs. I feel at home. While we were chatting lightly, Ms. Sonia came into the warehouse.

"Mr. Yuta, here is the letter of introduction and the payment for the materials you gave us wholesale last time. Would you like a breakdown?

Come to think of it, the previous payment was supposed to be combined with the wholesale materials this time. It's going to take some time to process the adamantite, I guess it can't be helped.

It's all right if you just tell me the total amount.

Awe, sir. The total is 510 million elts. Is that a problem?

The amount of money has increased quite a bit since we increased the amount of herbs we wholesale.

The prices are as good as ever. Do the prices of medicinal herbs drop yet?　I'm sure everyone in the labyrinthine wings and Muscle Star collects medicinal herbs, too, right?"

Yes, the price of panacea may come down soon. However, there is a shortage of medicines for restoring magic power and defects, including those stockpiled by the government. I don't think the price will fall for the time being.

Can they still be sold at a high price? It may saturate eventually, but let's make money while we can. I get the money and the letter of introduction, and I'm off. It's still early in the afternoon, but I think I'll go back to the inn and have a meal.

I'll go back to the inn and have a bite to eat, though it's still early in the afternoon.

"Welcome home. Betty's here!"

When I returned to the inn, Martha told me something I didn't understand.

"What?　You're here?　Ask for the time and make your schedule ......."

"I sent Kalk on an errand and told him I could fit him in for a couple of days starting this afternoon, and he took the day off and came here on the spot.

That's scary. I don't mind a surprise visit myself, but I'm the type of person who gets intimidated by sudden visitors. If possible, I wanted some time to prepare myself before we met. I mean, if I hadn't come back to the lodge and played, he would have been waiting for me, so please think a little more about it.

"I see. ...... Well, where is this Betty?"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting for you in the cafeteria. This way."

Martha leads me to a table in the back of the cafeteria. That must be Betty.

Betty, Yuta is back.

Martha calls out to me, and Betty stands up and smiles at me. She has a kind of warm and cozy atmosphere. She is pale and plump, not fat, but with some meat on her. She has a motherly and reassuring atmosphere. She is more cute and calm than a beautiful woman.

"You must be Yuta-san, my name is Betty. I'm Betty. I'm sorry for the sudden visit. I couldn't resist meeting you."

After smiling, Betty-san bowed her head with a smile. What is this feeling? If she talks to me with such full of love, my feelings of "you came out of the blue" will fly away. It's too easy for me.

"Yuta, your face is broken!"

Sylphy, what do you mean, "broken"?　I'd like to tsk tsk, but I can't do that in front of Martha and Betty in an empty space. Maybe they are grinning. I look at Sylphy to thank her and pull my face into a tight line.

"No, I'm glad to see you too. Betty complimented me on my cooking and I was able to return the favor to the innkeeper who has caused me so much trouble.

"What, you were worried about that? Thanks to you, Torque's on a roll. We're the ones who are taking care of you, so don't worry about it.

Martha, who was standing next to me, tells me not to worry about it, but it's true that I've lost some customers. I'm worried about Martha and the others who were so kind to me because they are too nice. If I were the owner of the inn, I would have kicked them out for sure.

"Well, why don't you two sit down and talk, and what are you going to do for lunch?　Today it's cheese chicken cutlets at Rough Bird's!"

As I tried to continue the conversation, Martha, perhaps feeling embarrassed, asked me about lunch. Betty had not eaten either, so we decided to have lunch together. I'm sorry Sylphy. I looked at her again and apologized, but she waved me off with a flapping hand as if she didn't mind.

It's a little sad at times like this, since the menu has been expanded and Sylphy and the others have been eating with us more often. But it's hard to advertise that spirits can be caught with food and drinks. I'm afraid that the baiting effect will be very effective with Fuku-chan and the others, not to mention Sylphy and the others.

Betty and I take our seats again and talk briefly until our food arrives. She seems to be a charismatic gourmet, so I'm sure we'll have a good conversation about food.

"You've eaten most of the food at this inn, haven't you Betty?　Do you have any favorite dishes?"

"I did eat. The tomato sauce was a shock!　I can only say that it is wonderful and can be applied to a variety of dishes. But that fried food. That is the food of the devil. It was so good, so delicious ...... that I gained a little weight ......."

He started talking with a big smile on his face, but in the latter half of his speech, his voice became quieter and he started to sound depressed. Well, I must have contributed to her plump body. Oily food is high in calories, which is certainly dangerous for those who don't move their bodies. Well, I guess that they have much more chances to move their bodies than in Japan, and I don't think that they will evolve from plump to chubby.

And above all, please do not talk about a topic full of landmines at the first meeting. I am very worried whether I should pick it up or not.

"It's true that eating a lot of fried food is a bit dangerous for those who don't have much opportunity to move around. I think it's a good dish for adventurers.

I'm not sure if I should ignore a topic that's been thrown at me from the very beginning, so I take a cautious approach to the topic.

"Yes, of course. I also gave up eating fried food every day. But lately I've been trying to exercise as much as possible, so I should be able to eat a little.

I say a little, but what you're about to see is a cheese chicken cutlet. It's very destructive. But still, this guy is totally thinking about nothing but cooking. Is that right for an employee of a commercial guild?　I'm a pretty good money-maker, if I do say so myself.　

"Ha ha, yes. Exercise is good for your health, and it's best to eat a good meal while exercising."

"That's right. It's good to have a good meal!

Betty nodded her head and said, "Yes. Just then, Martha brought in some freshly fried food. My eyes were already glued to the food. Her eyes are just like Marco's, Kikka's, and Belle's. They don't seem to be interested in money or anything like that.

"Shall we talk about it after we eat?"

"Yes. Fried food is best when it is freshly fried!

So, we start eating for now. Betty takes a bite of the cheese chicken cutlet with her mouth wide open. I love how she doesn't hesitate to open her mouth.

"Mmmm, I can't get enough of this melted cheese!

The way she eats her rice, shaking her body and looking delicious, makes me smile. Most people would be tempted to try the dish if this person recommends it to them as delicious. I had heard that he was a food charisma, so I imagined him to be an ultimate or supreme type of person, but he seems to be a friendly type of person who says "maiyasu" (delicious). Thank God I'm not nervous.

"Yuta-san, the food was delicious, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it is. It's amazing that you can make such delicious food with such vague explanations.

They talk for a while about the food that Mr. Toruku made. ...... Let's see, can we keep this up?　All we talked about was what we thought of the food. I guess I should ask him what he wants to talk about, since he seems to go on and on about his cooking.

"So, Betty, what is it that you came to see me about?　I enjoy talking with Betty, so even if you don't have an errand to run, you are more than welcome to do so. ......"

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry, Mr. Yuta."

No, no, no, don't worry about it. So what can I do for you?"

When I asked her what she wanted, Betty fidgeted a little and then began to speak with a serious expression on her face.

"Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you, Yuta-san, about ......."

What are they going to ask me?　Is it really that important?

"Yuta-san, don't you make sweet pastries?　Of course recipes are a valuable asset. I can't force you to teach it to me, but I'll do my best as much as I can for a reward, so please help me spread the sweet treats in the labyrinth city."

"...... Um, sweet treats?"

"Yes, sir!"

I wondered what was going on, but it seems he wanted to eat a sweet candy he had never tasted before. I wonder what would happen if I gave him some of the ...... Japanese sweets that are a treasure trove for him?　But if they run out, there won't be a next time, or they might resent me for it. Besides, I have never met a sweet candy in this world. I know there is sugar, so there must be sweets, but I didn't think about it.

"I've never had anything sweet in Labyrinth City, have you? What kind of sweets are there?

"You haven't been eaten? The basic ingredients are baked goods mixed with sugar and honey. Another popular item is fruit and sugar boiled down. It's delicious on bread.

You have cookies and jam. There doesn't seem to be much else. But I've never made much pastry, let alone cooked.

The one I can barely make is pudding, which is ...... a classic of the other world. What else seems easy to make is ice cream or crepes?　Well, first let's see if pudding exists in this world.