“Come on, folks! We got good, cheap stuff here! Lord Weiss has personally eaten here; it’s one of his favorite joints! I can guarantee the flavor!”
Rosalia had brought me to the meat-skewer stall we had visited once together. It was doing really well, and not just because of the festivities. The Hamilton crest on the sign and the meat and mushroom skewers were the real reasons behind its success.
“Today, we’ve got special shroomboar and mushroom skewers!” the vendor called out. “This is the only way to experience these two great flavors together! Your tongue will be overwhelmed with flavor!”
“Did he just say shroomboar?! And it ain’t fake?”
“Look at the Hamilton crest! I doubt he’s lying.”
The crowd stirred in response to the owner’s promotion, and not just the tourists either; the merchants and nobility who’d come here incognito were responding the same way. It just went to show how much of a rare delight shroomboar was.
“Looks like our plan was a success,” I observed.
“Yes,” Rosalia agreed readily. “Selling the shroomboars wholesale to a handful of participating vendors, then guaranteeing their authenticity with your crest was a brilliant plan, Lord Weiss. You profited off of selling the use of the crest while they profit by acquiring goods to draw more customers in with. Both sides benefit from this plan. Well done!”
“Ha ha, all that studying on how to be a proper lord has paid off,” I answered, somewhat bashful at hearing Rosalia praise me so earnestly.
It was a simplified version of the franchising system that existed in my old world. I was just copying it, but the idea hadn’t spread into this world, so I didn’t feel bad about making use of it to the best of my ability.
“Though I never expected this vendor to be one of the participating businesses… It’s nice to see.”
The guy running this stall had given Weiss a genuine appraisal, and the fact that he was lending us his aid meant that he recognized his lord’s abilities. I was grateful.
“Actually,” Rosalia leaned over to whisper in my ear, “the owner visited your mansion once before to say hello.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“He wanted to apologize for saying such rude things in front of you, and he said he was glad you enjoyed his food so much. Remember when I served skewers at the manor that one time? Those were actually from him.”
That was right! After we saved Astesia, there was a night where Rosalia served us a special dinner. The meat was different from what she usually made, so I remembered being surprised.
“Now that you mention it… No wonder you were grinning so much the whole time. He should have told me”
“Hee, well, the owner is a bit shy, so he asked me to keep it a secret. Lord Weiss, since we’re already here, how about we have a bite? I’m sure the owner would be more than happy to join in celebrating your birthday.”
“That’s why you brought me here.”
In all honesty, I’d been avoiding this stall because I thought it’d be awkward for the owner if he figured out who I was. Turned out he already knew! Rosalia had gone the extra mile to fill me in so that it’d be easier for us to swing by in the future. She truly was an exceptional maid.
“Thanks, Rosalia.”
“What are you thanking me for?” she replied, happily taking my hand to lead me toward the stall. “More importantly, let’s hurry, otherwise he’ll run out of shroomboar meat.”
I hesitated for a moment before speaking to the owner, just like I did the last time.
“Um, owner, I’d like a skewer for myself and the lady here.”
“You’re…” His eyes widened momentarily, but then he took my order like he did before. “Aye! I see you’ve still got that beauty with you, eh? I recommend the shroomboar skewers today. I used my own sauce on ’em, so it’ll taste even better than the ones you had at the mansion.”
“Wonderful.”
We were acting just like we did the first time we met: a nobleman in disguise and a humble stall owner. The aroma of cooked shroomboar meat and mushrooms tickled my nostrils.
“Those look incredible,” I said. “How much?”
“I don’t need your money, lad,” he replied. “Today’s your birthday. Consider this thanks for doing your best for the city.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you.”
I took the skewers from the owner, my heart filled with gratitude toward his kindness, then took a bite into the aromatic, crispy surface of the meat that was soaked in a special salty-sweet sauce. The concentrated flavors of the meat exploded into my mouth, and at the same time, I could feel the flavor of the mushrooms stimulate my sense of smell.
“What the heck?! This is incredible!”
“It’s even better than I imagined!” Rosalia echoed.
The more I chewed, the more I tasted the shroomboar’s meat juices and flavor, and the more they mixed with the sauce, creating an orchestra in my mouth. This might’ve been the best thing I’d eaten since coming to this world.
In the game, the characters not only recovered HP by eating this, but their affinity levels also went up. At the time, I’d thought that was ridiculously over-the-top, but now? If anything, that undersold how good this was.
“This shroomboar is crazy delicious!”
“Ha ha, we have Lord Weiss to thank for this! I heard he happened to find a bunch and hunted them down himself.”
“That’s insane. I was worried about the state of things not too long ago, but now I’m glad I live here!”
While we ate, the other customers began eating their skewers and sharing their impressions. I could hear the people in the crowd who recognized how hard I’d been working. Rosalia and I exchanged glances and nodded.
Little by little, the people who lived here were thinking better of me and smiling more.
“We’ll be by again soon.”
“Aye! I’ll be waitin’!”
We said our goodbyes to the owner who was getting busier by the minute, then made for the mansion, our steps lighter than they were on the way here.