Chapter 238 Borrowing a Healer (II).
Chapter 83: Borrowing a Healer (II).
Kein's POV
"Now before the four of you talk about any business matters, first, are you hungry?"
...
The dining room.
A large spread appeared on the table as servants started placing down many dishes that smelled really savory and sweet.
"Go on now, if you also need a place to stay the night before continuing on with your journey do not hesitate to ask." (Sister Gisela) places Elena by a small baby chair next to her seat.
The three of us also sat down, pulling a chair and thanking the hosts for a lovely dinner spread before us.
"Oh I'm starving! You have no idea how hungry I am, Mrs. Madrigal! Thank you!" (Avery) takes a look at the food in front of her, mouth watering.
Kazari looks around and shyly turns to the couple, "T-Thank you, Mrs. Madrigal for a lovely dinner."
"Well this is nothing, anything for Kein's friends." (Sister Gisela) points at the dishes on the table, explaining what they are. "We have paella- Saffron gives the rice its color, and the base should be left to crisp into a mouth-watering black crust, called the socarrat."
"Or you can have my favorite dish of all Amiga. Patatas bravas, in your language "brave potatoes" is named for its spicy sauce and good food with drinking." With the mention of alcohol, I could see Big Sister Valentina's smile getting wider looking ecstatic.
"Every time I am served this my tongue feels like it's on fire. You should try with beer-!"
"Mi amor..."
"Ahaha... kidding, of course I will lessen my drinking."
Everyone settled down as Sister Gisela raises her arms, holding my hand and her daughter before forming a link with everyone else at the table.
"Now why don't we hold hands and say our prayers. We will thank you for the blessings of today and for tomorrow." She closes her eyes, in deep focus.
She closed her eyes, and everyone followed. "Light goddess, we thank you for the food you've graced us for today."
"..." (Kazari)
"..." (Avery)
"..." (Big Sister Valentina)
"We hope that tomorrow it will continue, for your generosity is endless and fair. May we eat in peace with our friends and family, may the light be with us."
"May the light be with us." I replied and Kazari did the same.
The church here and back on earth may be similar in rules and rituals, just with a different deity to praise and a few magic events that take place every year.
As we finished saying grace Avery took a while before she opened her eyes.
"Amen." (Avery) whispers out, doing the sign of the cross, everyone saw that and turned to her curiously. "...?"
A second passed and she understood the meaning of their stares, "Ah-! Sorry! I have my um... I'm still acquainted with my own religion back at home. You could say I'm a devoted Christian?" (Avery) lightly scratched her cheek looking towards me for help.
"It's alright, Avery. I never knew that and it sounds amazing. Knowing other religions I mean, I've only known the sanction of light." I smiled, faking it.
I still had to keep up my facade after all.
"Other worlds have their own religion? Fascinating, perhaps we could talk more about it over dinner." (Sister Gisela) eyes gleam, being interested in Avery's religion.
I'm not sure what to make of it.
"With pleasure, Mrs. Madrigal." (Avery) seemed excited to be having to talk to someone wanting to know more about her religion.
"Well then now that is over, let us eat mi amigas. I am starving!"
With the confirmation that grace is over and that it's okay to eat, we didn't hesitate to pick up any delicious dishes that was laid upon us.
I could see Kazari being quite in the corner only taking a little, I nudged her slightly, whispering to her it's fine to take a lot.
"In here the more you eat their food, it means you enjoyed it and even asking for seconds is the biggest compliment sprivanians want." I laughed softly, taking some barbeque and putting it on my plate.
"I-Is that so?" (Kazari) looks overwhelmed with the amount of food that was in front of her and I could see her swallowing a lump in her throat. "I did not eat much... as a servant. I have never seen this much food laid in front of me- to be eaten by me."
"First time huh." I held the barbeque in my hand, and took a juicy bite out of it, chewing its soft texture. I could tell it's been marinated well. "It's alright, just enjoy yourself with this spread. We won't be eating well like this once we get to the demon lands."
We'll be eating dried foods, preserving them and rationing once we get on the territory of the demons.
I'm sure they won't take in kindly to us humans... so it'll be hard to buy anything and I'm not sure about looting demons.
"I... suppose you're right." (Kazari) reaches out for the barbeque as well and places it on her plate.
I only faced monsters ever since being in the military academy. I'm too much of a lower rank to be dispatched somewhere else or I haven't been given any mission or task involving demons so this will be my first time seeing one in real life.
"And remember- it's alright to ask for seconds."
"Right."
I continued on eating my fill, now that I've checked up on Kazari...
"Hahhh!!!" (Avery) looks around, taking everything she could get her hands on the table and starts filling up her plate until it turns into a stack. "Empanadas, Jasmine Rice, Paella, Tortilla, Barbeque- and even steak ribs! Am I in heaven?"
"Can you finish all that, Avery?" I asked her worriedly because I can't even see her face with all that food stacked on her plate.
"Yeah! Trust me! It's not everyday you can get to eat food like these! Besides in [Puronia] no offense but the portion size is so small compared to what I'm used to, back home in America you should see our portion sizes." (Avery) bragged and that only made us more worried.
The thing is, she's not in America anymore and some of the food here is made with different ingredients. Heck!
Some have mana in them!
"If she ever decides to puke, I can have a teleportation circle open to not make a fool out of herself, Miss Kein." (Kazari) leans over to me and I stare at her momentarily.
"That's... yeah that would be safe, please do that."
Kazari tells me that she made a teleportation circle below our table, just in case of an emergency. "So good! Everything you have here is so good!" (Avery) was eating everything that was on her plate like a whirlwind- a storm with no signs of stopping.
"Big appetite! Comes bien! I like this one, Kein! You are the rumored hero in the streets very down to earth. I am impressed." (Big Sister Valentina) with a snap of her finger, the servants move to refill and replace every empty dish that Avery consumed.
"Todo aquí es delicioso!"
"Hahaha, it shocks me you know how to speak our language! Gracias, gracias! Do not hesitate and take more!"
"Si!"
Well- Avery wasn't kidding that she could finish everything on her plate. n(-0VeLbIn
"I don't think we'll be needing the circle... she can handle herself when it comes to food but not much on alcohol." I sighed a breath of relief and continued on eating my portion, taking seconds before listening in to their conversation- both couples taking interest in Avery.
It's like her hero charm was working nonstop, I'm actually not sure if this was the work of a charm or Avery is just that too good of a person.
"You must've come quite the journey from all the way to [Puronia] to here." (Sister Gisela) asks, while taking care of Elena, spoon feeding her daughter some chopped up bananas.
"Mm... yeah- it took us a while ahem! These empanadas are so good! But really it's all thanks to Kazari that we got here in just a matter of-" (Avery) stopped after seeing Kazari, who was holding her fork by the hand, shakes her head insisting that the hero doesn't reveal how we got here so fast.
"...!" She immediately changed her course and laughed nervously. "A-Ah! It was a matter of carriage and many-! Many nights that we had to camp and fend off critters wandering about!"
I chimed in and backed her up before further digging herself further into her own grave.
"It took us a month before getting here, from the capital city to Florentina."
"I know how you feel... it wasn't easy having to come all the way here, especially how your back turns out after sitting for so many hours inside the carriage." she straightens her back, sighing before patting Elena's head.
"Mama!"
"Si, si. Elena tener algo más."
I watched as Big Sister Gisela took care of her daughter, she comforted her and helped the little one eat her fruit. "I wish I could go home- to the capital and the church but I think I'm not welcome there for a while. It's a good thing, Elena and Valentina are here with me."
"Mi amor... I-" (Big Sister Valentina) clenches her fist, looking disappointed and guilty.
After all it was either her- or the church. The moment they learned that Sister Gisela was dating a woman and planned on marrying her- she was disowned.
"Oh it's okay, I'll go back once things are settled. I do hope a new law will soon be passed, where people like us are welcome even in the church- after all even if I am married to a woman I am still devoted to the teachings and words of the light."
"The church of light doesn't allow that love?" (Avery) asks, her eyes innocent staring down on her food looking disappointed.
"Ah-! Still even if it doesn't it's a good place to be! Oh dear, why don't we continue eating? I'm sorry for dampening the mood." She forces herself to laugh, and I nod.
"We'll actually have to leave soon, Sister Gisela. We're still looking for a healer to accompany us in our journey in the adventurer's guild."
"Oh yeah! I had a poster request for that position- I wonder if someone answered already." (Avery) talked with her mouth full. Kazari, gives her a glass of water before turning into our conversation. "Thanks, Kazari."
"Do you need a healer? You're going to the demon lands, right? What for? That place is dangerous. I don't recommend going there." (Sister Gisela)
"It's for a mission to exterminate something really... strong. I was hoping to borrow you but- I think your little one would be lonely if I did."
"Pah! And you think I would not get lonely? You cannot bring my wife to slay the demon lord."
"Si, si sorry about that! But if you know any healers we could borrow that would be helpful." I asked. Big Sister Gisela began tapping her fingers trying to think or recall anyone, while Sister Gisela giggled.
"Hehe."
"What's funny?"
"I just wish Rose was with you on this quest, after all in the church she's one of the very talented light maidens who could heal very well. I'm sure... with the time she's been absent her magical prowess on healing would've been strong."
"Rose-" I lowered my head down, I can't tell her that Rose is the crown princess of Puronia and I can't exactly take her or else the whole kingdom will be on lockdown trying to find a missing princess- not to mention I don't want to be in the headline: Knight kidnapped the crown princess.
"...pft." (Kazari) snickered, continuing to eat.
"Nom... nom..." (Avery) was aware enough to not say anything related to Rose, her eyes looking to the side avoiding any contact.
"Hermana-! If you desire a healer I may have just the person for you. Though, I have to apologize in advance if she can't be as good as your ex-girlfriend." (Big Sister Valentina) took a jab at that fact but I didn't mind it. "Hahaha!"
She's probably having fun knowing a fact that her wife doesn't know.
"What's so funny? That's rather mean, Valentina. Rose has been missing for a while and I'm sure Kein here misses her dearly." (Sister Gisela) scolds her wife but she only laughs in reply.
"Hahaha! Oh... sure she misses her, isn't that right?" The sprivanian woman made me want to crawl into a hole. "The healder I'm recommending to you is an experienced one, I cannot give you my wife for she has to take care of my daughter but- I can give you a friend of mine."
"A friend of yours?" I became curious about this 'friend' seeing that she has many. Both business and personal friends I was only a few of those she trusted.
"Indeed, one of the descendants of the former hero. Her name is Sato Iyashi, a fine healer that has been traveling for a while to take up odd jobs and found herself in the adventurer business."
Clank!
Everyone turned to the sound of a spoon being dropped, Kazari stood frozen in place looking horrified upon hearing the name.
"Sato... Iyashi."