Chapter 109:
Cabbage Rolls
THE FREEZING WIND cut through the torn hood of Salia’s cape and the ragged clothes beneath, making her shiver.
“It’s so cold!” she cried without thinking, pulling her hood even farther over her head. She looked at the path extending before her. This should be the right direction.
How long had she traveled since leaving home? The city where she and her kind could live peacefully was far away, and she’d walked so long there were holes in her shoes and scars from bloody blisters on her feet. Yet somehow, she was still nowhere near her destination.
I’m so hungry. Salia held her grumbling stomach, then looked in her torn hemp bag and sighed. There was no longer food inside, and her wallet contained but a few copper coins. It was a sad fact that she’d simply wither away if she didn’t reach the capital and find her big brother soon. I hope he’s still alive.
Attempting to forget the pain, Salia lost herself in thought.
She’d decided to head to the city because her older brother, who’d left home years ago, invited her. Unlike her, Salia’s brother had a combat blessing. He’d left home after stealing the old sword their great-grandmother used in the war decades ago, claiming he was going to test his own strength. He’d become an adventurer with some measure of success, supposedly.
Salia had always assumed her brother fell in with bandits, but according to a human merchant who’d visited their village, he’d opened a small shop in the capital and was living happily with a lovely wife.
A few months ago, Salia had decided to take her brother up on his offer. She lacked combat prowess, but she was tough as nails, and she had excellent night vision. With only her small hemp bag and the clothes on her back, she’d left home to walk to the capital.
It’s already noon. I hope it’s possible to get to the city before nightfall. Despite her night vision, camping outside alone as a single woman was frightening. Mulling that over, Salia quickened her pace.
The sunlight made her narrow her eyes—until, suddenly, she couldn’t help widening them at the foreign object that appeared before her. Uh, what’s that? A black door stood between the trees of the forest. On it was a picture of a cat with familiar eyes. What the…?
Salia was always curious, so she quickly approached the door, examining it without a second thought. It was free of dirt or dust, despite being in the middle of the woods. Its polished metal handle practically screamed for Salia to touch it.
“Sure…!” She grabbed the handle, only to find that the door wasn’t locked. She opened it to the sound of a bell ringing. “Ah…”
The warm air and barrage of enticing aromas pouring out of the bright room beyond the door tickled her stomach; it rumbled again.
Salia passed through the door into the unknown space. As soon as she entered, her pupils adjusted to the light, and the blurry interior became clear.
“Wow!”
Several people sat in the room, eating. Two old men drinking large glasses of beer and eating some sort of brown food were arguing over whose granddaughter was the cutest.
“You just don’t get it! My Sarah is the most adorable granddaughter in the world!”
“Lies! My dear Adelheid is the jewel of the Empire! She certainly isn’t second to a citizen of the Kingdom!”
She overheard another conversation.
“Whoa! Not bad at all. For a human, you can really drink!”
“When you’re high priest of the Lord of Light, that’s about all you have, as far as entertainment goes! At any rate, let’s talk about you! Aren’t you the one who recently introduced umeshu to the Duchy?”
Nearby, a dwarf and a human woman drank quietly together; the atmosphere at their table was relaxed.
To Salia’s surprise, there was a young man in the restaurant who looked as though he lived the same kind of hard life she did. His eyes were locked on the woman in front of him, who was similarly dressed; he seemed to be building the courage to say something extremely important.
“So, what’d you want to talk about?” the woman asked.
“Well, Ellen, I just thought that it’s about time we…”
What is this place? Salia wondered. A restaurant? It must be. Although the foods weren’t familiar, the warm scent coming from the dishes in the bright room made her stomach growl.
After she’d stood there in shock for a while, another young man called out to her. “Welcome, Miss. Is this your first time here?”
That made Salia panic. She pulled her hood far over her head, turning in the direction of the voice. The young man appeared slightly older than her; his hair and skin were neat as a pin. Even his white shirt and black pants were of far higher quality than Salia’s ripped apparel. Although she hardly thought herself very pretty or clean at the moment, the young man gave Salia a charming smile, waiting for her answer.
“Ah, um, yes,” Salia replied, avoiding eye contact. She was certain she’d disgust him if he saw her face.
“I see! Then welcome to Western Cuisine Nekoya. Let me seat you.” The young man kept smiling, trying to lead her to an open seat.
“Ah…um…I’m so sorry. I don’t have any money. Goodbye.” Salia turned to go through the door.
Although she was drawn by the tantalizing scent, Salia knew there were only a few coppers in her wallet. Had this been the kind of pub someone dressed like her could normally enter, she could barely have afforded a drink. This wasn’t a restaurant where she’d be able to buy a meal.
The young man, however, said something that stunned Salia. “Oh, that’s fine! We still serve first-time customers, even if they don’t have any money on them.”
“Huh?”
“Well, you see, since our entrance tends to show up in bizarre places, no one ever comes in thinking this is a restaurant. So, of course, lots of folks wander in without any money. On top of that, they wouldn’t know whether they enjoyed our food without trying it,” the young man explained the restaurant’s system to Salia. “Won’t you please grab a bite? Not to brag, but people really seem to like our food. You can just pay the next time you come in.” He walked to a clean table and pulled out a chair. “Today’s lunch special is cabbage rolls. They’ll warm you right up.”
“Then I’ll take those,” Salia responded with a little smile.
Luckily for Salia, the food came quickly. An elderly gray-haired gentleman brought out her meal. “Sorry about all that. My dumb grandson can’t remember how to behave like a proper waiter.”
Salia thought the gray-haired man was most likely the chef. Now it seemed he was also the grandfather of the young man from earlier.
As he apologized, the gray-haired man set some large green morsels stewing in a deep bowl of red soup on the table. “This is today’s special—cabbage rolls. If you want more bread, you just need to let me know. It’s all you can eat here. You won’t be charged extra or anything.” He set a piece of golden-brown bread down on a clean white plate. “Take your time and enjoy!”
The old man left Salia to her meal. With deliberate care, she reached for the beautiful silver spoon likely meant for the soup and submerged it in the bowlful of red liquid. As she pulled the spoon out, the soup’s aroma made her mouth water. She quickly put the spoonful in her mouth. Delicious!
The soup ran smooth down her throat, leaving the taste of simmered meat and vegetables and a slightly sour flavor. When it came to “soup,” Salia usually envisioned unappetizing vegetables floating in lukewarm water. This thick, rich soup was on a different level. It passed over her tongue, down her throat, and into her stomach.
Salia took a deep breath as she felt the warmth in her belly. Regardless of the fact that this was her first proper meal in ages, it was the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten in her entire life.
She shoveled spoonful after spoonful of soup into her mouth. Her hands simply wouldn’t stop moving; in fact, she pulled her hood off because it was getting in her way. This soup alone is incredible.
As she continued to gulp down the soup, Salia looked more closely at the large green morsels within it. Those put a smile on her face. They were the main course—the cabbage rolls the young man had mentioned.
Salia gulped again, then bit into the bread next to her soup bowl. Her eyes widened in disbelief at its sweetness and softness. This bread was unbelievably delicious, yet according to the older man, it was complimentary; she could get seconds without the restaurant increasing her bill.
“Excuse me! Could I get two more slices of bread?!” Salia called to the young man, who was attending another customer.
“Of course! Coming right up!” he replied with alacrity.
While waiting for her second helping of bread, Salia turned her attention to the green cabbage rolls floating in the red soup. While I’ve got time… She cut into a cabbage roll with her spoon. Having absorbed the broth, the boiled cabbage itself was delicate, allowing Salia to slice it with no resistance and reveal its stuffing. Something rich and brown was wrapped in the green cabbage. Is that…meat?
Salia lifted a piece of the cabbage roll and peered at the slightly reddened cabbage leaf and braised brown meat stuffing. Moistened by the soup, the cabbage roll almost appeared to glisten in the light. Salia’s hunger demanded that she eat, and she didn’t fight back, biting right into the cabbage roll. Ah…it really is meat!
With each bite, the meat’s warm juices poured into her mouth, mixing with the bitterness of the vegetables and broth. It warmed Salia’s entire body, filling her heart with joy so delightful that she kept slicing the cabbage rolls and eating more. At first, they’d looked so large, but now they disappeared into her stomach.
“Ah…” Salia let out a satisfied sigh at the first proper meal she’d had in ages. It had been so delicious, but she wanted more.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” the young man exclaimed. “I have your bread. Did you want seconds on the cabbage rolls?”
“Yes! Ah…” Salia whirled to face the young man. After looking at him, she realized the fatal mistake she’d made. H-he saw me!
She panicked and pulled her hood back up, but it was too late. There was no doubt the young man had seen her catlike, vertical pupils—in other words, he’d seen that she was a demon.