The Spearmaster and the Black Cat Chapter 120 part1

Actually, on second thought, I guess I might as well exchange the magic stones for money.
I'll just end up getting more right off the bat in the next dive anyways..
I touch the second floor's crystal, chant the word 「Return」, and get warped to the crystal at the surface.
We've safely returned from the labyrinth.

… As soon as we appear at the crystal, we gather the looks of the adventurers heading towards the labyrinth.
They turn their gazes towards Rollo and I, the former seen resting on my shoulder.
Their stares are filled with various emotions such as goodwill, curiosity and suspicion.
Well, I'm guessing they don't see an adventurer with an animal on their shoulder that often, do they…?
On the other hand… the moment they see Eva sitting next to me, the adventurers furrow their eyebrows, their expressions changing into those of hate, contempt and disturbance.
Eva remains expressionless as she's assaulted with such gazes.
She operates her wheelchair and leaves through the labyrinth entranceway, where the sentinels are standing guard.

I go outside after her.
It's morning and the sunlight's dazzling. The number of street stalls is low, but you can still hear the shouting of adventurers looking to sell maps or to recruit party members.
Once she feels the sunlight on her palms, Eva quickly moves ahead.
Her wheelchair slips into the crowd of people, disappearing from sight.
Ah, I guess it's alright to act separately from here on out?
Whatever. I'm gonna go to the guild.
The guild building is packed, as usual.
Although it's not to the extent of what can be considered the “morning rush hour“, there still seem to be many adventurers getting their requests to enter the labyrinth first thing in the morning, as expected.
I slip away from the crowded boards, and head towards the reception.
A line had also formed in front of the reception area.
Oh well, it's pretty obvious that this place would be crowded as well, isn't it?
Guess I'll have to get in line since there aren't any free counters.
At the front end of the line, I can see Eva's wheelchair.
Seemingly having finished her turn and getting her reward, Eva swiftly turns around, rotating her wheelchair, and heads towards the guild entrance after throwing a glance in my direction.
I wonder, is she going back home already?
A farewell without even a single word?
… Somehow, I feel lonely.
I wait for my turn, feeling slightly empty inside.
Once it's my turn, I hand over my adventurer card, the raw materials and magic stones for the Bat Ant request, as well as the leftover stones, and the head of the dinosaur, which I collected despite having no requests for such a thing.

“This is a Silver Volck!”

The receptionist reacts to the head with surprise.

“Yup.”

“No way, are you saying that you brought down a Silver Volck by yourself?”

“Strictly speaking, there were two of us, but I guess it feels like I defeated it myself.” (Shuuya)

The receptionist drops the pen in her hands upon hearing my words.

“R-Really? You are an amazing adventurer. The subjugation request for the Silver Volck on the early floors had been left alone for such a long time after being posted, yet it was defeated, and by you yourself… say… you haven't accepted the Silver Volck subjugation request, have you?”

The blue eyes of the receptionist turn downwards while sparkling.
She skims through the information on my card.
Was it a restricted request?

“I haven't.” (Shuuya)

“Is that so…? Then you won't get the reward.”

“Understood. It'll be plenty if I can get the money for the raw materials.” (Shuuya)

“Okay. Oh yeah, did you happen to recover the Silver Volck's mucus, by chance?”

Mucus? Aah, the stuff it spat out of its mouth, huh?

“No, I haven't.” (Shuuya)

“Really? That's regrettable, since that stuff can be sold for a large sum to turn it into a special silver thread. Either way, you have fully gathered the materials for the other requests, haven't you? … That's amazing.”

The receptionist stares at me with a passionate gaze as she checks the raw materials.
Oh? I wonder, does this young woman like me?
Having such an excessively self-conscious imagination, I think of some corny pickup lines such as “Your blue eyes are really beautiful.”

“— Well then, I will prepare your reward as soon as I finish confirming the magic stones.”

Oh, the receptionist speaks in a calm tone.
Averting her gaze from me, she returns to her work mode.
… It was correct to keep the pickup lines to myself.

“… Please take care of me.” (Shuuya)

Once the settlement concerning the magic stones and requests is concluded, I receive the reward from the receptionist.
I lift up the bag filled with silver and gold coins.

This feels like a nice weight for a reward.
There's a sound of many gold coins jingling.
Putting together my earnings for the requests and the excess magic stones, they total up to a sum of 45 gold coins and 110 silver coins, I believe?

Hah~, I'm in a great mood~ I think in satisfaction.
Although I may not be the Warring States military commander Oka Sadatoshi, I still feel like I can understand the desire to sleep on gold coins.
(T/N: It's known from various anecdotes, but it's said that Oka Sadatoshi has been skilled in money-making, and that he enjoyed napping after undressing on top of money he spread out all over his room.)
However, it looks to be quite difficult to save up enough gold coins to be able to fill an entire room with it.
Wearing a complacent smile, I put the gold coin bag into the item box.
And then I check my adventurer card.

Name: Shuuya Kagari
Age: 22
Title: Dragon Slayer
Race: Human
Occupation: C Rank Adventurer
Affiliation: none
Combat Occupation: Spear Warrior - Chain User
Completed Requests: 25

… I store the card in my chest belt.
I leave the reception and pass in front of the boards, crowded with adventurers.
I guess I might as well return to the inn for the time being?
I immediately left the guild with that thought in my mind.
Oh? It's Eva.
It looks like she was waiting for me.
She's quietly awaiting my arrival at the entrance's edge.

“Yo! Did you wait for me?”

“Nn, right… come.”

Eva's cheeks dyed red.
Once she quietly murmurs “come”, she starts to move ahead, making the wheelchair advance onwards.
Shortly afterwards, I begin chasing after Eva in a light jog.
We walk together as I push the handle on the back of her wheelchair.
After about half an hour,

“Eva, where do you intend to take me?” (Shuuya)

“Nn, over there.” (Eva)

As I turn my gaze to the direction Eva is pointing at, I can see shops lining up in a row ahead of us.
Since she doesn't speak much, I don't quite understand what she means.
Right after Eva points with her finger, she starts advancing ahead, causing me to lose my grip on the handle.

“Nyaa.”

Rollo runs after Eva's wheelchair.
I wonder, just where exactly is she leading me to…?
Oh well, sometimes surprises are nice as well, I guess.
I follow after her.

I think we've been walking through streets and alleys for about three hours now…?
Since the wheelchair moves at a high speed, it's a bit of a running pace for me.
It's far away, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by that.
After swiftly descending a big slope, the Heim River becomes visible.
I can see a great number of anchoring ships, as well as a large bridge, in the distance.
It seems we are close to the port.
Heim's riverside, huh? I'm guessing this place is the south-east of Pelneet?

Rollo is sleeping inside my hood, having gotten tired of walking.
Suddenly, Eva's wheelchair stops.

“Here, come.” (Eva)

It's a shopping district located close to the port.
Eva points at a certain shop;a two-story house made out of wood.
It gives the impression of being quite old, but there's a beautiful flower bed under the overhang, with violet flowers similar to pinks sweetly blooming there. (ED: "Pinks" is a nickname for Dianthuses. Take a look: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianthus)

Speaking of violet, since Eva's pupils are violet and her hair's black, she's definitely a yamatonadeshiko*. (T/N: This is a word play. Here, yamato is an ancient name for Japan, whereas nadeshiko are pinks. The kanji combined depicts a traditional, beautiful Japanese woman)

There was a signboard up near the roof with Labyrinth Specialities Restaurant Ligna Di written on it.
Eva slides open the wooden door of the restaurant and enters.

“Welcom— Oh, ojousama! You managed to return from the labyrinth! Would you like to have a meal? Or do you want to take a bath?”

The employee, a dog-eared beastwoman waitress runs up to Eva.
She called Eva ojousama or something like that…?

“Meal. Lily, stop with the ojousama.” (Eva)

“Y-Yes, as you wish. The person over there is?” (Lily)

The beastwoman-chan's name is Lily.
Dog ears grow on her head covered with light brown hair.
There are two fangs, appearing to be high canines, protruding out of her mouth.

“Lifesaver, so, special dishes for him.” (Eva)

“Hi-Hya, really!? I will bring the dishes as soon as possible then!” (Lily)

Lily runs into the kitchen as her dog ears sway back and forth.
The restaurants interior is neither spacious nor confined.
There are stairs to the second floor at the right side of the room.
There's a deep, rectangle space in the middle. The floor is made out of wood, with plain square tables and chairs placed about on top of said floor.
There was also a long, narrow counter , also serving as reception, a bit farther inside and to the left.
Read this at infinititenoveltranslations.net to support the translator.
“… Seat, sit down.” (Eva)

Eva moves her wheelchair to one side of a table, and urges me to sit down on a seat opposite of her.

“Is it fine for me to consider this as your treat?” (Shuuya)

Saying that, I sit down.

“Nn.”

Eva nods her head up and down, as if to say that it's only natural.

“I see. Thanks. In that case, please order Rollo's share as well, okay? Though she's still sleeping in my hood.” (Shuuya)

“Nn— Lily, dishes for one more person.” (Eva)

“Y-Yes.” (Lily)

Panicking cutely, Lily runs back into the kitchen.
However, seeing that she is gathering mana in her feet to move quicker, she appears to also possess combat strength.

“… This restaurant here, is it yours, Eva?” (Shuuya)

“… No, freeloader.” (Eva)

She answers after shaking her head.
Freeloader, eh? There looks to be some kind of reason for that.
Should I try to peck at that topic for a bit?

“It seems that you were previously called ojousama, right?” (Shuuya)

“Nn… now is different.” (Eva)

Her violet eyes are swimming around.
Looks like she doesn't really want to talk about it too much.
I suppose I'll just have to get back to this topic later on…

“I see…” (Shuuya)

“… Nn.” (Eva)

She cast her eyes down with her cheeks dyed red.
The silence continues for a while.
Umm, I thought Eva planned to thank me though?
It's a really delicate atmosphere, I think, itching to say something.

I want to make a firecracker explode with a bang to end this awkward feeling.
Accordingly, I look around in an attempt to gloss over the weird tension.
There's only one other guest in the restaurant. An old man who's drinking alcohol and eating a fish dish.
Alcohol early in the morning…?

“— Shuuya, thanks for coming. I wanted to, thank you for having saved me.” (Eva)

As I'm watching that drunken patron, Eva expresses her gratitude.

“Aye, I'm also happy about the food. Thank you!” (Shuuya)

As I say so, the dishes are carried in.

“Thank you for waiting~! Ligna's Steamy Hot Dish, Ligna's Grilled Fish, Jiga's Blue Sauce Dressing, and Deluxe Pukko.” (Lily)

The beastwoman-waitress Lily cheerfully introduces the dishes she brought out, and lines them up on the table.
I turn my attention towards the dishes.
First is Ligna's Steamy Hot Dish”
This is a gratin-like dish that was put into a deep, rectangular earthenware bowl.
Next would be Jiga's Blue Sauce Dressing.
Jiga? That's an ingredient I've never heard of before.
It's pale brown, long, and thin, like a great burdock. It has been put into a long, narrow bowl. (ED: Great Burdock- Another flower nickname. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa)
Many white-fleshed balls, similar to peeled grapes, are attached to a long and narrow twig, spreading around it.
The white-fleshed balls, that give off a sense of translucence, have been dressed with a blue sauce.
I can't even begin to imagine what it tastes like.
Next is the Ligna's Grilled Fish.
This is a grilled fish similar to sea bream, I think?
It's Rollo's share.
The last one is the Deluxe Pukko.
It's just a blackish object inside a small, square bowl.
And to finish, brown bread and mead is put down as well.
The same dishes are lined up on Eva's side as well.

“Nn, nya.”

Seemingly lured by the scent of food, Rollo wakes up.

“Did you wake up? Rollo, your share's here as well, okay? It's for you to eat. Ah, and watch your manners while eating please.” (Shuuya)

“Nyaa~n.”

She lengthens her sweet voice while looking happy.
Descending onto the table from my shoulder might be a breach of manners, but, disregarding that, she starts to eat the fish dish on top of the table.

“… Rollo-chan, nice to be lively, Shuuya, you eat too.” (Eva)

Eva says to me with a smile.

“Roger— itadakimasu.” (Shuuya)

I put my hands together.
I will start my meal with the Ligna's Steamy Hot Dish, the gratin.
You can tell from its surface that it's hot. Light brown burn marks dot the milky white layer at the top.
Since a wooden spoon had been provided as well, I cut open the burn marks with said spoon, scooping up some of the gratin's thick, sticky contents.
I bring it to my mouth while it's still piping hot.
The sticky layer is cheese, huh? Although it's hot since it just came out of the oven, it's tasty.
It's thick texture spreads throughout my mouth.
Oh, *crunch*, it also gives off a crispy sensation.
Did they put something burnt and scaly inside the gratin? They may actually be scales, but they feel like thinly covered potato chips nonetheless.
A delicious gratin with a crispy crunchiness. That's the impression I'm given. Wonderful~.
And not only that, there are, in addition, fleshy mushrooms and white fish pieces inside.
The mushrooms are quite appetizing. They help enhance the flavor, making it become unbelievably rich.
Oh, a soft texture. How nice.
Something similar to mashed potatoes has been put in as well.
The spices that subtlety bring out the flavor are a great addition as well.
This might've been much more delicious though, had macaroni had been added too.
While thinking something like that, I eat the both the gratin and the hard bread at the same time, since they go fairly well together.

“Eva, thanks. This is delicious.” (Shuuya)

“Mm.”

Even while eating, Eva looks at me with a smile.
I swallow down some mead and return the smile.
And just like that, I once again chug down more, gulping sounds audible from my throat.
In the end, I ate all the bread and gratin first.
Next is…
Let's try out this mysterious Jigor-whatever food.
It's the strange, great burdock-looking grape dish.

“Can you eat all of this?” (Shuuya)

“Nn.” (Eva)

Eva nods with a smile plastered across her entire face.
It seems that the light brown great burdock part is edible as well.
But, I think I'll start with those somewhat-transparent white balls.
Are they actually delicious? I thrust the end of the knife into a white ball and bring it to my mouth.
Eh!? Meat? That's meat!?
Moreover— delicious!
W-What is this? These aren't fruits?
At first there's a meaty sensation. I suppose it's fine to call it a feeling similar to liver.
Nevertheless, it certainly doesn't smell as bad as liver. The more I chew, the more the moderate seasoning spreads in my mouth, making me experience a mildness. A faint salty sweetness permeates my whole mouth.
At the end it vanishes as if having melted…
Isn't this an as-of-yet unknown perfect food?
I heartily cram the stuff into my mouth. Yummyyyy~.
While munching on the white balls with chewing sounds, I decide to test the great burdock part too, and cut it with the knife, bringing a piece of it to my mouth.
Uuf, this is also, d-deliciooous.
The feeling of eating a crisp vegetable and the meaty sensation of the white balls, fuse together to create a savory quality similar to corn soup.
Half of the dish vanished in a flash.
Huh? Somehow mana is overflowing from within my body…
Is that, mayhaps, an effect of this food?
Amazing! Just as it enters my stomach, this happens!? A quick effect, huh?
Well, let's leave the food's spectacular effects aside.
After all I still haven't eaten the mysterious blue sauce, right?
I try to do Arale-chan's* poke-poke-poke with the knife's tip against the mysterious blue sauce. (T/N: Character from the manga Dr. Slump)
The outside is flabby, but the inside is gooey.
Is it similar to that of jelly or gelatin?
Here we go! Time to try eating it.
I bring a white ball covered in the sauce to my mouth.

“Whoaaaa!” (Shuuya)

The sweetness increased? It's tastyyy~. I'm surprised.
This is? Are there grains inside the sauce?
Moreover, mixing and biting the white balls and the blue grains, the white balls burst open on my tongue and vanish? Where did they go!? Oh, it transformed into a somewhat sour taste.
The white ball meat has now acquired a yet different flavor.
How strange. A sweet, tropical flavor, like that of pineapples?
It refreshes the inside of my mouth in one go, before changing to a mild flavor at the end.

“Mm.” (Eva)

Eva looks at my queer expression and seems as though she's trying to say something.

“Oh man, this food is ridiculously delicious.” (Shuuya)

“Great.” (Eva)

She smiles.
Eva… she speaks little, but her expressions more than make up for what isn't spoken.
I finish eating the strange Jiga's Blue Sauce Dressing while looking at the face of such a lovely Eva.
Lastly is the black, sticky-looking food in a small bowl, named Deluxe Pukko or something of the sort.
Bringing my nose close to it, I sniff and… the smell is completely that of nori tsukudani. (T/N: In this case, seaweed that has been simmered in soy sauce and mirin.)

So to speak, it's gohan desu○. (T/N: It's a product that stands as a synonym for nori tsukudani. Officially its slogan is “Edo murasaki gohan desu yo!”)
I place the black and gooey stuff on the tip of my knife and try eating it.
The color is good, the stickiness is pleasant, it seems to be perfect.
I try out a mouthful of the stuff. Once I do so, the dearly missed taste of nori spreads inside my mouth.
The sea; it's a deep, mother-like love… the scenery of waves breaking onto the shoreline pops up in my mind.
If I only had rice…
"Why is there no rice served with this!?" is what I wanted to yell out loudly.

“… You dislike?” (Eva)

Eva, who was watching for my reactions, suddenly looks worried.

“N-No, it's really delicious after all.” (Shuuya)

Saying so, I remember my hometown.
I eat up the last bit of Deluxe Pukko with tears in my eyes.
Once Eva sees me gobble down the food, she reveals a smile, looking satisfied.

“Nn… good.” (Eva)

Eva quietly mutters those two words while glancing downwards.
Like this I finish eating all the dishes.
Rollo also finishes eating everything besides the Deluxe Pukko, and starts licking her paw so she can use it to clean up her face.
How unexpected. Is she picky about her food?
Even though that nori tsukudani-like dish was so delicious.

Well then, I guess I'll return after having a talk.

————————————– End of Part 1 ——————————————

Chapter end