Yuu Tanaka Read online

  she could wipe them out with little more than a gesture.

  “Th-that’s her?”

  “They say she shows no mercy to her enemies…”

  “Mess with her and you’ll get turned to dust…”

  The mercenaries’ dissent soon dissipated. The Black Lightning Princess, for her part,

  did not care a tussle.

  “Can I go now?”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  “Bye then.”

  “We wish you safe passage!”

  The mercs sent us off with uncharacteristic politeness. I guess we could let them off,

  since they didn’t do Fran any harm. But why was the leader so terrified? Sure, Fran

  was stronger than all of them combined, but his fear seemed a little disproportionate.

  I wondered what kind of rumors were already circulating about us.

  ***

  A day later, we arrived at our destination.

  It’s been a while, Bulbola.

  “Hm.”

  “Woof!”

  A month later, and we were back. We passed through the gate and walked through the

  city. A month shouldn’t have been enough for any significant changes, but Bulbola was

  different. The town was nearly destroyed during the Fiend outbreak the last time we

  were here, but there was barely any rubble left. The repairs must’ve gone exceedingly

  well. It didn’t even look like a giant archfiend had blown up half the city.

  Let’s start by visiting our acquaintances.

  Our main goal was to get on a boat to the Beastman Nation, but it wasn’t like we had

  to go right away. We had enough time to visit our friends.

  “Hmm!”

  Fran nodded enthusiastically. First stop, the Chefs’ Guild.

  I wonder if Meckam’s in.

  “Hrmph.”

  Come on, you still don’t like the guy?

  Fran had yet to forgive Meckam for his initial harsh review of my curry. He looked like

  he walked out of the pages of a cooking manga, so I didn’t mind him. We converted him

  in the end, so there was no more reason for Fran to bear a grudge. Was she still upset?

  “I’ll show him that your curry is universally delicious.”

  The way she phrased it made it sound like the gourmet was a rival. Unfortunately for

  Fran, Old Meckam wasn’t in. Fortunately for me, it saved us the trouble of another

  argument.

  Too bad.

  “Hmm…”

  Fran was disappointed. Just as we were about to leave, the receptionist called out.

  “Fran, may I have a moment of your time?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Since you and your teacher qualify for a promotion, I would like to update your guild

  card.”

  I forgot that Fran was registered in the Chefs’ Guild. We only did it so we could

  participate in the cooking contest. But why had we qualified for a promotion? If placing

  in the cooking contest was enough to rank us up, we should’ve gotten the promotion

  before we left. I didn’t remember doing anything else of note, either. Fran shared my

  bewilderment.

  “How come?”

  “The curry recipe the two of you developed has exploded. It’s only a matter of time

  until it spreads all over the country.”

  “Wow.”

  That was wonderful news. Fran was glad to hear that she could soon have curry

  wherever she went, and I was sure variations of my recipe were already being

  developed. I could use them as inspiration to create new recipes, which meant Fran

  could enjoy even more curry. Selling our recipe to the Lucille Trade Association was

  the right choice.

  “Your economic and cultural achievements have qualified you for the Silver rank.”

  I felt a little awkward about it, since all I did was copy an old Earth recipe. But there

  were no drawbacks to the promotion, and so we gladly accepted it.

  “Here.”

  “You have both of your cards on hand, I see.”

  “Teacher asked me to take care of his.”

  “May I pass your teacher’s card to you, then?”

  “Sure.”

  Fran exchanged our cards for two silver ones. The Chefs’ Guild was still in the analog

  era, and the cards didn’t have a trace of mana in them. Then again, maybe the

  Adventurer’s Guild just had a monopoly on fancy cards.

  “Should you decide to conduct business in Bulbola, you will receive the full support of

  the Chefs’ Guild.”

  “Alright.”

  “However, if you don’t conduct any activities or develop any new recipes, you will

  eventually get demoted, so be careful.”

  I see. Good thing we came here today. I didn’t mind getting demoted, but since we’d

  just gotten to Silver, it seemed like a waste of time.

  Teacher?

  Hmm. Let’s register a new recipe.

  Our curry gave us enough points to get us to Silver, so perhaps a new recipe would

  work just as well. But which one?

  What do you think we should give them, Fran?

  Fran was a perfect measure for what the inhabitants of this world liked. Her tongue

  was reliable—if her favorite food was spreading, I was sure that whatever she picked

  would enjoy similar success.

  Hmm… katsudon?

  Katsudon… right.

  It was another of Fran’s favorites. Fried foods were a rarity in this world, especially

  those that came with eggs on top. Soy sauce was also a rare condiment and it was

  difficult to substitute. I certainly hadn’t seen anything that came close to mimicking it.

  I took Fran’s suggestion and we handed the recipe to the Chefs’ Guild. I could already

  see chefs deciding how to season the katsu. It could easily become as varied as curry.

  The receptionist seemed to be a gourmet herself, and inspected the ingredients with

  great interest.

  “This… this is amazing. Innovative, but with so much room for variation. A dish that

  uses rice and shoyu… These are not common here. Wonderful. Shall I register this

  recipe for you and your teacher?”

  Not only was the concept for katsudon strange, but she’d complimented us on our use

  of the exotic ingredients. An increase in demand for rice and shoyu might even create

  a minor boom in the economy.

  “Hm. Please.”

  “Very well, I’ll register it into our database immediately. I have a feeling this is going

  to be in popular demand.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes! You’ve established your names already, so there are a lot of chefs waiting for the

  next big thing. I daresay katsudon is going to take Bulbola by storm!”

  I hoped so. I wasn’t going to tell her, but I had a hunch that imaginative cooks would

  soon combine katsudon and curry to make katsu curry. We left the Chefs’ Guild, and

  she sent us off with a big smile on her face.

  That took longer than expected. Where to next?

  “The orphanage.”

  Oh yeah. We should drop by and say hello.

  I was curious to know what had happened after we told Amanda about them.

  Hopefully the kids were doing a lot better, but we were shocked when we arrived. The

  formerly rundown house was no more. The building was freshly renovated. In fact, it

  looked like a whole new complex. The fence was a lot sturdier, and the garden was

  beautiful and inviting with freshly planted flowers and trees.

  “Jet!”

  “Fran!”

  Good thing the kids were still the same. They ran over to us with the same innocent

  smiles. Their clothes were in a better state of repair this time. Everything fitted

  perfectly, and the fabric was no longer riddled with moth-eaten holes. Good old Amanda.

  She really didn’t hold back when kids were involved.

  “You’re back!”

  “Let’s play!”

  “Jet! Let me fluff you!”

  The kids still remembered us. They had been playing in the garden and immediately

  asked Fran to join the fun.

  “Why hello, Fran.”

  “Io.”

  Having heard the commotion, a woman stepped out of the orphanage. Io was the

  orphans’ caretaker. She acted as a kind sister to the children and was also a talented

  cook.

  “Thank you so much for your help. The kids are so much happier and we’re doing a lot

  better now.”

  Io bowed deeply, though we insisted that we didn’t do anything. Amanda was the one

  who saved the orphanage.

  “Perhaps, but Lady Amanda told me about how you asked her to help us.”

  “That’s the only thing I did.”

  “And the kids love your teacher’s curry recipe. We have curry day once a week and

  everyone looks forward to it.”

  “We love Ms. Io’s curry!”

  “It’s super delish!”

  Io could make garbage soup taste like consomme . I was curious how much better her

  cooking was now that she had access to decent ingredients. Curry day was tomorrow,

  and Fran asked if she could join. Io agreed to prepare portions for both her and Jet.

  This was going to be good.
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  “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be waiting for you.”

  “See you soon!”

  “Bye, Jet!”

  “Hm.”

  Fran left the orphanage with a bounce in her step. She was looking forward to eating

  with the orphans.

  Can it be tomorrow already?

  It’s still the afternoon, Fran.

  What now? We could track down a ship at the LTA. The only other people Fran knew

  in this town were adventurers, most of whom were still in Ulmutt for the tournament.

  “Garrus.”

  Right. We should go look for him.

  We promised that we would see him again when we got to Ulmutt, but the Bulbola

  reconstruction effort got in the way of that. That said, there was a good chance that

  the blacksmith was still in town. If he’d packed up and gone back to Ulmutt, we would

  have run into him already. There was only one road connecting the two cities.

  But how do we look for him?

  “Adventurer’s Guild?”

  That could work.

  Adventurers were always looking for a skilled blacksmith. Maybe we could get

  information on his whereabouts there. We could also visit the Blacksmiths’ Guild,

  since Garrus would need to check in to work in Bulbola.

  Let’s hit the Adventurer’s Guild first.

  “Got it.”

  The guild was like home to Fran now. She had placed third in the fighting tournament

  and was acquainted with Gammod, the local Guildmaster. They wouldn’t turn her

  away.

  We were on our way to the guildhouse when Fran and Jet suddenly stopped to look at

  the surroundings. Was there something amiss? They looked unsettled.

  What’s wrong?

  “I smell curry!”

  “Woof!”

  That explained it. Bulbola was in the middle of a curry boom, and street food stalls

  were getting in on the action. Fran floated to it like a bee to a fragrant flower. Her entire

  being longed for curry. If someone set a curry trap, I was sure she would willingly fall

  for it.

  “Welcome!”

  The stall was definitely selling curry but, strangely enough, they only had chopsticks.

  “What’s this?”

  “This here’s our specialty curry noodles!”

  The cooks of Bulbola had already reached the noodle phase of curry development.

  Judging by the look of it, they had cooked the noodles in the broth. I wondered if the

  noodles would get too soft, but I was still interested. Fran wasted no time in buying

  two bowls—one for her and one for Jet.

  “Here you go, Jet.”

  “Bark!”

  They dug right into their afternoon snack.

  “Slurrp.”

  “Munch munch. ”

  Fran lapped it up without so much as pausing.

  Aah, don’t lick your lips! Wipe them with your napkin! And Jet has curry all over his

  muzzle, too! Well, I guessed he could be excused for eating the only way he knew how.

  I knew Fran liked the noodles, but I asked her anyway.

  How is it?

  “Good.”

  “Woof woof!”

  The noodles weren’t too soft?

  “Hm.”

  They must have been specially made for the curry. An extended interview revealed

  that the noodles had the texture of shirataki or glass noodles. Very impressive. I didn’t

  think they’d develop such an interesting dish so fast! I couldn’t wait to see what

  concoctions the other shops were selling.

  We made our way to the Adventurer’s Guild, stopping at some food stalls here and

  there. Fran and Jet were satisfied with every purchase. In fact, they were so entranced

  that what was supposed to be a thirty-minute walk became an hour-long stroll.

  We’re finally here. Time to get some info.

  “Hm.”

  The guildhouse was bustling with activity. There were still adventurers who gave Fran

  weird looks because of her age, but she held them in equal contempt.

  “Got a minute?”

  “Sure, how may I help you?”

  While the receptionist didn’t know Fran, her etiquette was perfect. I couldn’t help but

  appreciate the guild’s standards.

  “I’m looking for someone.”

  “I see…”

  The receptionist paused and gave it some thought. This wasn’t really a job for

  adventurers, but she still helped us.

  “Would you like me to introduce you to an adventurer who is likely to have information?

  You can negotiate the rates later.”

  An informant adventurer? We would love to know one regardless. It sounded shady,

  but I was sure the guild endorsed him for a reason.

  “That works. Can I see him now?”

  “Of course. He’s over there.”

  The receptionist motioned to a lone adventurer who was standing a couple feet behind

  us. He seemed to have been listening, waiting for his name to come up. He grinned and

  greeted us with a casual wave.

  A quick Identify revealed that he was a middle-aged scout. While lacking in combat

  prowess, he more than made up for it in detection, stealth, and negotiation. The

  adventurer definitely looked like he would make a reliable informant.

  “Hey there. Heard you’re looking for someone.”

  “Hm.”

  “I mostly work the capital, but I’ve got a pretty good handle on the happenings in

  Bulbola.”

  Mostly worked in the capital? I didn’t know adventurers could do that. If the capital

  was as big as Bulbola, they could make a pretty nice living there.

  “Anyway, let’s get a table so we can talk. By the way, the name’s Reggs.”

  “Fran.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Reggs sat us down in a corner of the guildhouse. He was casual, without underestimating

  Fran.

  “So who are you looking for?”

  “Garrus the blacksmith.”

  “Aaah, the esteemed blacksmith himself, eh?”

  “You know him? I want to know where he is.”

  Reggs recognized the name, at least. We might be able to meet old Garrus sooner than

  I thought. The only thing left to negotiate was the price.

  “Name your price.”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Hmm? Why not?”

  “One, I don’t have valuable information about Garrus—certainly not enough to charge

  the Black Lightning Princess. Besides, I’ve already come out ahead in this deal simply

  by making your acquaintance.”

  No wonder he was so polite. The informant was worth his salt. He could probably hear

  faster than he could run. Reggs proceeded to tell us what he knew about Garrus.

  “He was definitely in Bulbola ten days ago.”

  “You’re sure of this?”

  “Yeah. He was doing maintenance on the Guildmaster’s equipment.”

  “I see.”

  Garrus had taken a contract with the Adventurer’s Guild itself, but no one knew where

  he went after that. Reggs thought that the blacksmith had already left Bulbola.

  “But he wasn’t in Ulmutt.”

  “You’ve had no contact with him, either?”

  “Hm.”

  “I see. There are a few possibilities.”

  Reggs counted them one by one on his fingers. First, there was the chance that something

  had happened to Garrus between Bulbola and Ulmutt. Like being attacked by

  monsters or robbed by bandits.

  “But the highway was crowded thanks to the fighting tournament, and the road had

  more patrols posted on it than usual. I find it hard to believe that no one’s managed to

  spot him.”

  Besides, Garrus was well trained in Hammer Mastery and Fire Magic. His hammer

  wasn’t just for smithing.

  Another possibility was that something happened to him in Bulbola. He was an expert

  blacksmith, which could make him the target of slavers or underground syndicates.

  Next, there was a chance that Garrus had undertaken some kind of confidential