The bell rang as father and son opened the door.
“This is another world…?” Gustavo surveyed his surroundings. The space’s interior was unfamiliar, and the people inside sat at tables. The majority were human, like Gustavo and Antonio, but many wore unfamiliar clothes and were eating strange foods.
There are quite a few guests here.
Upon closer inspection, Gustavo spotted lamia—likely followers of the Lord of Red—beast people wearing the robes of the Lord of Green’s worshipers, and even sirens, a race known to follow the Lord of Gold.
Besides the followers of the Lord of White, a deity that granted humanity a particularly strong blessing, there were few humans among the followers of the Ancient Six. Many races had the intelligence to worship the gods. Generally speaking, the closer you were to the region a specific god governed, the stronger the blessing you’d receive.
The Lord of Gold whom Gustavo worshiped, for example, governed the sky. Therefore, many sirens, harpies, birdmen, and tengu—species born with wings—were priests of the Lord of Gold. Humans who trained vigorously and gained wings were few and far between. Despite that, there were lots of humans in this room. It’s hard to believe they all worship the Lord of White.
That wasn’t all. The young woman who seated them, cheerfully conversing with Gustavo’s father, had horns and gave off traces of magic. As far as Gustavo knew, those were qualities of followers of Chaos, the enemies of all the gods.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the young woman told Antonio. “I’ve brought the item you preordered last time.”
“Mm, much obliged,” Antonio replied. “I’d like some warm milk as well.”
After she left, Gustavo pointed out her horns and magic in a hushed voice. “Surely we should do something, Father.”
“No, it’s all right. On the contrary, we need to make sure not to cause trouble here. The gods watch over this space,” Antonio explained to his young, somewhat stubborn son. “On top of that, the master prepared something special for you today. Let’s enjoy it, not throw our weight around.”
Antonio looked down at the confection sitting on a platter in front of them. He’d ordered it a week earlier. The bronzed tart shell was full of golden kumaala and caramelized appuls.
“This is rather extravagant,” Gustavo noted, impressed by the treat. Like his father, he had a sweet tooth despite his tough looks. “Are the gold bits kumaala?”
“Mm-hmm. After consulting the master here, I learned that this ‘apple-and-sweet-potato tart’ is good in autumn, so I ordered it.”
This would be Antonio’s first time eating the dish, too. However, he wasn’t concerned about its potential quality; having sampled the restaurant’s sweet-potato tart, he was well aware of how delicious Nekoya’s kumaala desserts were. “Shall we dig in? Just sitting here looking is painful.”
The father and son began their humble celebration. Antonio picked up a shining silver knife to slice the pie. Hrmm, he mused. This kind of large tart certainly is eye-catching.
The appuls had been cut into half-circles and arranged to form pale moons. Below them was a sea of golden kumaala; Antonio’s silver knife parted that ocean. Hearing his son swallow loudly, he cut a large piece, placing it on one of the small plates the waitress brought.
He handed the slice to Gustavo. “Today’s about you. You should eat first.”
Gustavo took the plate, surprised. “Are you sure…?”
His father was the head of the family and the priest of his people. Usually, he ate the largest portion during mealtimes. Yet here he was, offering his son the biggest and best piece of the tart he’d ordered.
“You think too much. No one’s watching us here. It’s just you and me,” Antonio said, discarding his usual strictness with a smile. Being a powerful priest meant that a stern, tough manner was expected when dealing with others. Barely any of the Lord of Gold’s followers were here, though, so he let himself dote on his son today. “At any rate, eat up. I’ve never had this dish, either. It looks amazing.”
“All right.” At his father’s words, Gustavo reached for the treat on the plate in front of him.
The kumaala peeking out from the tart’s cut side was vibrant enough that Gustavo thought it was almost a waste to eat it. Hmm. I’ve never seen such bright-golden kumaala. Since he felt that way, he couldn’t imagine what his mother would make of the tart. She often sought out delicious kumaala in the marketplace, so this dish would probably thrill her. With that in mind, Gustavo bit in.
The first things he tasted were the caramelized appul and the crust beneath the kumaala. The parboiled appul was tender but still retained a bit of crunch. The syrup’s sweetness, the slight tartness of the fruit itself, and the reddish-brown spice the chef had sprinkled atop the appuls after boiling them combined to create something truly extraordinary.
The crust fell apart under Gustavo’s teeth. He tasted a sweetness different from the fruit’s, the round flavor of milk and butter in his mouth.
Then there was the kumaala filling that brought the appuls and crust together. The golden kumaala was a feat in itself. To Gustavo, it was clear that it’d been well mashed after being cooked, since it lacked fried or boiled kumaala’s crunchy, dry mouthfeel. The kumaala’s sweetness, unlike that of the fruit and sugar, spread smoothly through Gustavo’s mouth.
The kumaala had been mixed with diced appul pieces different from the fruit decorating the top of the tart. Since the diced appul wasn’t caramelized, it was quite tart, which brought forward the sweetness of the caramelized appul, crust, and kumaala brilliantly.
Gustavo shared his first impression. “This…this is good. I never thought something so delicious existed in the world.”
“You’re right.” Hearing his son’s opinion, Antonio joyfully shared a secret with Gustavo. “I, too, was stunned the first time I ate a tart.”
The priest reached for a piece and bit into it. Much like his son, he was surprised by its flavor. Mmm. This is tempting. The small tarts he usually ate were delicious, but the larger apple-and-sweet-potato tart was truly a treat for a special occasion. The carefully prepared, scrumptious kumaala and the tangy decorative appuls’ sweetness melded far better than Antonio ever could’ve imagined.
This single slice isn’t enough. As he reached for another, Antonio realized that his son had already eaten three pieces. “What…?!”
Evidently, Gustavo had forgotten his deference in his hunger. And since Antonio had gotten lost in thought, he’d only eaten one piece. This is bad! Is Gustavo going to polish off the tart?! Sensing the end was nigh, Antonio quickly shoved another slice into his mouth.
Ultimately, the single large tart wasn’t enough for both men, so Antonio ordered more of his usual smaller tarts. After eating their fill of those, he and Gustavo drank warm milk together. The slightly sweet beverage washed away the sugar lingering on their tongues and flowed into their tart-filled stomachs.
“Whew!” Inadvertently sighing at the same time, they both smiled awkwardly.
“That was wonderful, master.” Offering his compliments to the chef, Antonio pulled a coin purse from his pouch and paid more than usual.
“Glad to hear it!” the master replied. “Thank you for your patronage. Looking forward to your next visit.”
“Absolutely. We’ll be back.”
While his father conversed with the restaurant’s human master, Gustavo quietly called over the waitress. “Is there any way I can get more of those tarts? I’d like to take some home. I’ll pay and everything.”
The tarts truly were delicious. If Gustavo offered some to the priest’s daughter he was fond of, surely he’d gain her favor. He would spend the money he’d earned as a priest on the gift.
“Of course. That’s easily done,” replied the waitress, giving him a beautiful smile that totally lacked the dark, obscene edge followers of Chaos were known for.
Tarts wouldn’t last days, but they stayed fresh for at least one day, so plenty of guests ordered some for the road.
Gustavo held up all five fingers on both hands. “Can I get ten?” he requested, thinking of the girl he would share the tarts with. Little did he realize these tarts would force him to fly up the dangerous cliff over and over in the year to come.