CH 2

The place is a resting area at the end of Count Mainz’s kitchen.

I am standing with Sebastian, the butler, drinking coffee and talking.

I brewed a pot of coffee to take a break, and Sebastian was very interested in it, so we are drinking it together.

By the way, it is black.

“This drink called coffee has a wonderful aroma. At first I thought it was a black, ominous liquid, but now it is rather exquisite. The unique bitterness is also very addictive.”

An elderly man staring at coffee with an enchanted expression.

The look on his face was strangely fitting.

Thank you very much. Actually, this coffee was more popular than the tea at the store.

The cooks in the kitchen said the coffee was too bitter to drink.

I gave them plenty of sugar and they managed to drink it, but they said sugar is too luxurious because it is an expensive product.

Sebastian seemed to like it so much that he took a second cup of coffee.

“Lady Sophia has a good eyes. Her personality to genuinely help the injured is also great. Helping  Ginjiro-sama who didn’t even have a weapon, with such clothes, shoes, dark eyes, and dark hair that rarely can be found. There aren’t many monsters in that place …”

When he about to start further talking about that place…Sebastian stopped.

After that, we had a small talk and decided that the meeting for the tea party would be the day after tomorrow.

With Sebastian and Amelie, one of Lady Sophia’s personal maids, the three of us took a carriage and were guided to the inn.

After a short time outside the castle gates, we arrived at a three-story inn facing the main street.

This inn, with its distinctive large bear sign, is run by a couple of former adventurers and is said to have delicious meat dishes.

The inn is frequented by adventurers, merchants, and travelers, and the building is large with a spacious yard.

There is also a place to park a carriage and a stable.

The inn has a connection with Lady Sophia, and although she does not usually use the inn, she has a contract for a room for her guests.

So I was told that I could stay here for as many days as I wanted.

Sebastian gave me a bag containing five large gold coins for today’s tea.

He told me that the five gold coins were not included in the cost of the upcoming tea party, although I told him that this five gold coins more than enough to pay for the tea.

The maid, Amelie, is talking with the innkeeper’s lady.

Apparently, she used to work at this inn and then became the maid of Count Mainz’s family.

She is also talking to the customers, which I feel is kind of a good thing.

I parted from Sebastian, the butler, and Amelie, the maid, agreeing that they would pick me up the day after tomorrow at noon, around the time the second bell rang.

I was told that Sophia-sama would pay for the meal and other expenses related to the lodging, but I politely declined, saying that it’s okay if it was just the lodging fee.

It might be disrespectful because I’m dealing with aristocrats, but Sebastian laughed and agreed when I told him that I had received enough money and that I would never serve coffee again.

I was taken to a large room on the third floor.

The son of the innkeeper who showed me around told me that this room was rented out by the Counts of Mainz and was well furnished compared to the other rooms.

When I asked his name, he said I’m Hantz, nice to meet you.

He’s a cute little kid with a curly hair and a natural chestnut hair color.

I glanced at the innkeeper, who, as his name implies, had a body as big as a bear, but his son apparently looked like his mother.

I asked Hantz if there were baths available, but he said there were none and I could bathe in a well or pay an additional three coppers to have hot water brought to me.

Toilets were in a hut in the garden and were shared, but there was a sewer system.

Soup, bread, and salad for breakfast and dinner are free for guests.

Other meals and alcoholic beverages are charged separately.

After listening to the explanation and receiving the key to the room, Hantz, who showed me around, went back to his room in high spirits.

Having nothing to do, I lay in bed, but my stomach was growling, so I decided to head for the dining room.

In the dining room, Hanz was working in a hurry.

The owner and his son, who is older than Hanz, were in the kitchen, preparing food.

Apparently, they were quite prosperous.

While I was watching the scene, a person who must have been the proprietress spoke to me kindly.

Welcome to Hungry Bear. The tables are full, so please sit over here at the counter.”

His wife is petite and lovely.

Her name is Clara, and surprisingly, she used to be an adventurer with her bear-like husband.

Such a woman, Clara-san, explains today’s menu to me.

The free evening meal for guests is vegetable soup, salad, and bread.

For one silver coin, you can have a wild boar or rock bird steak today.

Ale and wine are five coppers.

“Which would you recommend, Wild Boar or Rockbird?”

I wasn’t sure, so I asked her honestly, and she said the Wild Boar was selling better today.

I ordered a Wild Boar steak and an ale and handed over one silver and five copper coins.

As soon as I was about to wait for my order to arrive, Hantz brought me a wooden mug of ale.

Thinking to myself that they are working well together, I picked up the mug of ale, but it was not cold.

I sipped it and wondered what it would be like to drink a drink from another world, and found it to be slightly low in alcohol content, but not bad.

I drank it in no time and ordered another.

“You drink a lot. I don’t see you around here. Are you traveler?”

“It’s not really traveler, but I’m thinking of staying in this town for a while.”

Apparently, he thought I was a suspicious guy in strange clothes and spoke to me.

The other party was a group of adventurers, and he spoke to me to check if there was any problem.

Since I had unknowingly caused inconvenience, I treated them to an ale as an apology and asked them to talk with me.

When drinking ale, they say “progit” and bump each other’s mugs.

Knowing how to toast in another world, Ginjiro was drinking ale with the adventurers until late that day.