Chapter 97:
Spanish Omelet
DEEP IN THE WOODS, a three-day walk from town, Carlos passed through the door of the small cottage where his elder sister was staying. He was about a head taller than other demi-humans with wolf blood, and he was careful not to bump his large bag against anything as he entered.
“I’m glad you’re here, Carlos! I’ve been waiting.”
Apparently, the young woman had been waiting, since she called out to Carlos as soon as he entered the room. She was also a demi-human and was likewise about a head taller than average. Next to Carlos, though, she really didn’t seem anything but petite. Her ears perked up and her tail wagged excitedly—like a puppy’s—as she greeted her little brother, a respected warrior.
Seeing his elder sister’s affable smile for the first time in three months, Carlos couldn’t help grinning. “It’s been a while, Adelia.”
Carlos thought of his elder sister as “cute,” which saddened him a bit. Not only was Adelia actually stronger than him, she was, of course, older. Although Carlos had trained as a warrior, and was proficient with a bow and arrow, he was nothing compared to her. Adelia’s talents had been clear even when she was a child; she’d been taught in the city and became a priestess.
Priestesses and priests borrowed the powers of the Ancient Six, wielding them to protect the people. They were deeply respected. The dragon scales that appeared when they prayed deflected powerful warriors’ blades and arrows, and their claws ripped through metal and even scales. Their dragon breath could take down a whole squad of warriors, while their wings let them fly across battlefields faster than any known bird. Their blood instantly healed not only their own wounds but others’ injuries.
Great priests and priestesses could use those skills at will and even transform into dragons. They were also as fearsome as dragons—no, even more fearsome, thanks to their intelligence. A great priest summoned to battle for fertile land could kill hundreds of opponents and stop thousands more, deciding the battle by keeping another god’s great priest or priestess at bay. Carlos had witnessed that countless times.
Carlos and his tribe were helping his sister train to become a great priestess. If Adelia weren’t a priestess, she’d have been wed with children soon after coming of age, he thought. What a waste.
“Sorry for making you bring all this stuff,” Adelia said apologetically.
“Please, think nothing of it. Just focus on getting stronger,” Carlos replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Adelia had yet to gain the strength a great priestess needed, but the Lord of Green’s great priests and priestesses believed she had the talent to become one if she trained diligently for another twenty years.
The Lord of Green, one of the Ancient Six, held dominion over land. Among his followers were a number of demi-humans living in the woods, like Carlos and his tribe. Tribes that produced a great priest or priestess became important in demi-human society, where the strong ruled.
“Yeah…right. I know,” Adelia answered uncertainly. She wasn’t fond of violence. As a priestess, she could fight, and she’d do so without question if necessary. However, the thought of killing made her uncomfortable.
“I’ve got a bunch of gifts for you,” Carlos told her. “A jar of salt, spices, and some preserved food. I’ve even got those dried appuls you like so much.”
“Fantastic! Thank you!”
Her little brother’s words wiped away Adelia’s doubts, and she watched him lay out her gifts on the flat stone she used as a dining table.
As Adelia continued to train to become a great priestess, the bevy of treasures her little brother brought her from town kept a smile on her face. She was especially happy today, since she hadn’t eaten a certain food in the last month.
Carlos smiled at his elder sister. “I also brought five sets of freshly sewn underwear, as well as the meat and hide from a one-horned boar I just took down. Oh, and two fire stones, three fishing hooks…” He pulled out the gifts he’d brought till he got to the last thing. His brow furrowed slightly.
This was definitely what Adelia asked for, although her request had initially puzzled Carlos. Since it was something she’d asked for after coming home for the first time in three months, Carlos knew it was important.
So, after pausing for a moment, Carlos took what he’d brought out. “And fifty silver pieces, right?” The leather bag jingled as he set it on the stone table.
“Aw, thank you! You actually brought it!” Adelia looked at the bag joyfully; it bulged with sparkling coins.
Her reaction puzzled Carlos. “What do you need this pile of metal for?” he asked. He had no idea; fifty silver pieces was a significant sum of money, but it’d be completely useless in the middle of the mountains. Of course, if Adelia descended the mountain, she’d have plenty of ways to spend it. Still, it was a three-day walk from this cottage to town, where Carlos—her closest family—lived.
“Oh…um…I’m going to spend it on fried eggs at the Restaurant to Another World,” Adelia answered nonchalantly.
“Fried eggs?” Carlos looked at her blankly. “What’s this Restaurant to Another World?”
“Huh…? Oh! I totally forgot that you don’t know about it!” replied Adelia, realizing that she’d never told Carlos about Nekoya. “In that case, you have perfect timing! Today just happens to be the Day of Satur. Want to come with me?”
She was inviting her elder brother to one of her favorite places—a spot she hadn’t been able to visit recently for financial reasons.
✦ ✦ ✦
Beyond the cottage, there was a rocky area where Adelia often trained. Among the stones, Carlos could see claw marks she’d made while practicing…as well as something else. A black door sat atop the largest rock nearby. “Adelia, what the heck is that?”
“What do you mean? That’s the entrance to the Restaurant to Another World,” his sister replied, glancing at him. Quickly, she opened the door.
Ring-a-ding! The bell echoed through the air.
“Come on, hurry up!” Adelia exclaimed. “Go ahead of me. When this door closes, it disappears.”
Once, Adelia had realized on her way into the restaurant that she’d forgotten her wallet; when she went back to grab it, she’d made the unfortunate discovery about the door disappearing. Her tail drooped sadly as she recalled it.
“A-all right.” As his sister directed, Carlos stepped through the doorway. After watching him walk all the way into the restaurant, Adelia dove through the door as well.
Carlos peered at the white light—likely magical, he thought—coming from the ceiling. “It’s certainly bright in here,” he whispered to himself. This place was far removed from anything he knew.
“Now, now, don’t worry about it! Let’s eat! Everything here is delicious.” Adelia led Carlos by the hand to a table as he gazed curiously around the dining room. Sitting down, she quickly called her order out to Aletta. “Hey, could I get one of those spa-something fried-egg doohickies? Party size!”
The waitress was carrying another guest’s meal. “One Spanish omelet, party size, coming right up!” she replied, seemingly used to Adelia’s style of ordering, before disappearing into the kitchen to relay the order.
“Adelia, isn’t that girl a follower of Chaos? Is it safe here…?” a stunned Carlos asked after watching his sister’s back-and-forth with the waitress.
The Ancient Six had brought their powers together only once: to eliminate the Million Colors of Chaos that threatened the world. Those who worshiped that monstrous being were called “followers of Chaos.” Many members of the Baphomet race followed Chaos. Aside from their horns, they looked human…but as far as Carlos knew, they were all servants of darkness.
Followers of Chaos sought to summon the Million Colors of Chaos back into the world. Some were said to have power that surpassed even a great priest or priestess in dragon form. They were the enemies of all the followers of the Ancient Six.
Over the last few decades, the followers of Chaos had gone quiet for some reason. Still, Carlos felt there was no way a priestess could overlook the blatant presence of a follower of Chaos like this waitress.
However, Adelia simply laughed off her brother’s concern. “Ah ha ha! It’s no problem. Aletta’s a sweetie.”
It was true that, when the master at Nekoya hired a follower of Chaos, Adelia had been surprised. But as far she could tell, Aletta was a nice girl who did her job well and was serious about her work. Since she hadn’t done anything wrong, there was no need for Adelia to act, either. In fact, doing so would’ve caused Adelia more of a problem, because anyone who raised a fuss in Nekoya was banned forever.
Apparently, the other priests and priestesses who frequented the restaurant felt the same. Adelia had never seen any of them make a stink over Aletta.
“I see. Well, if you say so.” Carlos finally let his shoulders relax. His sister could be a little careless on occasion, but she was a good judge of character. If Adelia said the waitress was fine, then she was fine.
Just then, Aletta hurried over to their table with food in hand. “Sorry to keep you waiting!” she declared. “Here’s your Spanish omelet!”
Their tray contained two small empty plates, a knife, forks, some kind of red box, and a large ceramic plate requiring two hands to hold. On the plate sat…