Chapter 46 – Bear-san Delivers Pudding
I arrived in front of the Foucherose family manor after I left the orphanage.
Cliff was whatever. I was here for the sake of treating his daughter Noire to pudding.
I told the gate soldier that I would like to meet Noire.
The gate soldier knew about me and told me to wait a moment.
A short time later, Noire came running over from the front door.
Noire dove into my waist.
However, it didn’t hurt, thanks to the Bear Dress absorbing the impact.
「It’s been a while, Noire.」
「It’s fine if you call me Noa, you know. So then, what did you need me for? Even if you don’t have any business, I welcome you from the bottom of my heart.」
「I made a dessert, so I wanted Noa to try it.」
「A dessert?! I look forward to it!」
She tugged on my hand and took me to her room.
「So then, what kind of food is it?」
「It’s a dessert made from a clucker’s eggs.」
I produced a pudding from the Bear Box.
Of course, I didn’t forget the spoon.
Noa took the spoon, and took a bite of pudding.
「I’m glad you like it.」
「It’s the first time I’ve eaten something this delicious.」
「It’s not that big a deal.」
「That’s not the case. This kind of melting, cold, smooth, and gentle-tasting flavor is a first for me!」
「Well, it’s a flavor that women and children like, after all.」
「Oh, I’ve already finished eating it.」
The cup was already empty.
She stared at me wistfully.
「Just one more, okay?」
「Thank you very much!」
When I handed over a new pudding, there was a knock on the door.
「Noa, I’m coming in. I heard that Yuna came over, but...」
Noire’s father, the feudal lord Cliff, came into the room.
「Sorry to be imposing on you.」
「It’s not a problem. So, what are the two of you up to?」
「Yuna-san made this... pu..ri..n dessert that I’m about to eat.」
Noire ate a mouthful of the new pudding she received.
A child-like smile appeared on her face.
Just that alone made it worth coming here.
「Is it that delicious?」
Cliff asked me, after seeing his daughter’s face.
「Yes, it’s super delicious!」
「Noa, sorry, but aren’t you going to give me a bite too?」
Noa blatantly refuses.
「No way. This is something that I got from Yuna-san.」
Cliff looked at me wistfully.
Don’t make such a face as an adult!
「Haa, I understand already. Please tell me your impressions after you eat it, okay? It’s still just a prototype, so I haven’t adjusted the taste yet.」
「This is a prototype? It’s more delicious than any other dessert you know!」
「Even though I say it’s a prototype, I’m only planning on adjusting the sweetness later.」
I handed a pudding over to Cliff.
Cliff, who received the pudding, took a bite.
Cliff’s face changed.
「I have never eaten such a delicious thing, even in the royal capital!」
I wonder if the level of desserts in this world is low?
There might be no helping it if eggs are hard to obtain.
Cliff’s and Noa’s spoons kept moving without pause.
「Yuna-san, thank you for the treat. It was very delicious.」
「I see. That’s good. Was there any particular place that you felt could be improved?」
「No, I don’t think there’s any particular problems with it.」
「Like, would you prefer it to be a little sweeter or a little less sweet, you know?」
「I think it would be better if it were a little less sweet. The first bite at the beginning was delicious, but the sweetness gradually became overpowering.」
「Is that so? I thought it was very good.」
「Well, everyone will have different taste preferences, so I’m consulting everyone.」
「Are you going to open a store?」
「I don’t have that intention at the moment. It’s not just for the children looking after the birds, but if there are kids who want to cook certain cuisines or make certain foods and desserts, I was thinking of helping to create a path for their future.」
「You were thinking that far ahead?」
「If there is a store, then I won’t have to go out of my way to make something whenever I want to eat it.」
「Yuna is a better adult than me when it comes to leading the children, hmm.」
I retrieved the empty cups from the two and put them away into the Bear Box.
「So then, did you need something?」
He purposely went out of his way to his daughter’s room to meet me.
「Ah, I have a request. Can you escort Noa to the royal capital?」
「To the royal capital?」
「Yes, I must participate in the king’s 40th birthday commemoration, but thanks to somebody, I have a mountain of work.」
「Thanks to somebody...surely you aren’t referring to me, right?」
「I’m grateful to you, but it’s the truth.」
「Well, it’s fine, but why me? What about the other adventurers?」
「In case you forgot, I’m also an aristocrat. There’s a chance that my daughter might be targeted, in which case I want someone I trust to take care of my daughter.」
「So you’re saying you trust me.」
I wanted to go to the royal capital anyway though, so it was fine.
「So then, when are we going?」
「As early as tomorrow is fine with me, since I think Noa also wants to meet her mother as soon as possible.」
That reminded me, I had never seen her mother in this house.
Since she had never come out to talk to me, I thought she had passed away, but that was apparently not the case.
「Her mother is at the royal capital?」
「Yes, she has some work at the royal capital.」
「In that case, shall we depart tomorrow?」
I nodded and asked Cliff about an important matter.
「So then, am I the sole escort?」
「Yeah, won’t it be encumbersome if there are others? You have the summoned beasts, so you’ll probably be riding them if you need to escape. In addition, you have the power to defeat a Black Viper. There aren’t any adventurers at your level in this town, you see.」
「I understand. In that case, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.」
「You saved me some trouble. There are some things that I want you to take with you, but I need to prepare them, so please wait for a bit.」
Cliff left the room for a moment and came back quickly.
「This is for Elenora, please hand it to Noa’s mother.」
I received two letters and a large box.
「Inside this is the Goblin King’s sword that I received from you. After thinking of the worst-case scenario, I wanted to pass it to Elenora. I wrote detailed explanations in this letter, so I think she’ll understand if you give it to her. Also, this letter is for the Adventurer’s Guild, for handling this as a nominated request, so you can receive this request at the guild.」
I stowed the letters and the Goblin King’s sword away.
In order to quickly make preparations for tomorrow, I left the feudal lord’s manor.
First of all, I needed to tell Mylene that I planned to leave town, so I headed towards the Commerce Guild.
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At last, we’re going to the royal capital.
Though initially, the reason I had come up with for going to the royal capital was to be a merchant’s guard.
The story has kind of wandered off into a considerably weird direction because of the Goblin King’s sword that I irresponsibly wrote about.