(Chapter 14) ‘The more meals I owe you, the deeper my debt… Are you planning to tally up the bill all at once and drag me to bed?!’
In this town with a name so unremarkable that it was almost forgotten—where both outsiders and the locals simply referred to it as "The Town"—its actual size surpassed that of an ordinary town. Strange and uncommon sights could be seen here every day, things rarely found elsewhere.
For example, knights patrolling the red-light district, magical beasts suddenly going on inexplicable rampages, and knights casually strolling around during working hours… Wait a minute, why do all these oddities seem to be related to the Border Knights?
Despite being called a "Town," this place is large enough to surpass the scale of an ordinary town. It even has distinct districts for the wealthy and the poor, serving as a crucial trade hub between the empire and the kingdom. The so-called "small town" boasts well-established wealthy and poor districts, and with city walls of such remarkable quality, no one would question it if you claimed this was the capital of a county.
At the same time, one of its unusual traits is that it lacks a central castle, something rarely seen in towns of its size.
So, when two female knights were seen walking down the commercial street, the townspeople hardly found it out of place. Especially since one of them had been patrolling the town for over six months, earning the recognition of at least half the population. Many even greeted her in passing.
"Anna Senpai, you're really popular with everyone, huh?" Louise commented, watching Anna respond to yet another young man who came up to greet her. There was a hint of envy in her voice.
"Not exactly," Anna replied with a wry smile. "Did you notice something common about the people who came up to greet me?"
"A common trait?"
Louise was momentarily puzzled but quickly figured it out after thinking for a moment. "Most of them seem to be men?"
"Exactly. And most of them are single, too."
"…They're after you, aren't they?" Louise’s expression darkened in an instant. "Senpai, you shouldn't pay attention to those filthy guys anymore."
"Louise… are you jealous?" Anna could almost smell the sourness in the air.
"Hmph." Louise's face turned red for a moment, but she quickly returned to her usual demeanor, her gaze shifting to a restaurant by the street.
"Senpai, if we're going to eat, how about trying that place?"
"Where?" Anna followed Louise's gaze and immediately stiffened.
"Uh… wouldn't that place be a bit too expensive?"
Louise was pointing at a recently opened Imperial-style restaurant. Its decor and ambiance were top-tier, the kind of establishment one would typically only see in the royal capital. Anna had already heard about its opening while patrolling the town.
With an average meal costing around 100 gold coins, Anna had never even considered dining there.
"Expensive? Would a meal cost 10,000 gold coins?" Louise tilted her head in confusion.
"…Not that much."
It's not like they're serving some ultra-rare delicacies imported from the Far East. How could it possibly cost that much?
"Then it's fine. I have over a hundred coins on me!"
‘Girl, carrying over a hundred gold coins on you, good thing you're a knight and not just some ordinary noble lady, or you'd be a walking target for bandits!’
Anna didn't really have the heart to refuse Louise's invitation, and besides, she was indeed curious about the place.
"Alright, let's take a look then…"
The moment she finished speaking, Anna felt her hand being grabbed again, and before she knew it, she was being pulled into the restaurant by Louise.
"Just the two of you… knights?"
As they entered, a waitress dressed in a maid outfit came forward to greet them. However, upon noticing the gleaming armor they wore, her voice became a little stiff.
"Yes, just the two of us. Please seat us somewhere quiet," Louise said, suddenly shedding the aristocratic demeanor she had displayed in the clothing store earlier. She now truly resembled a proper knight.
"Understood. We happen to have a vacant private room. Please follow me."
It seemed like this was the first time the restaurant had knights dining in. Though initially surprised, the waitress quickly regained her composure and led Anna and Louise to a private room before excusing herself.
"So this is what a private room looks like, huh…"
Seated on a chair that appeared heavy but was actually quite light and not cold at all, Anna glanced around at the decorations, each one so extravagant that even selling her entire family might not be enough to afford them. She nervously rubbed her hands together.
If she became a courtesan, would she be able to earn 50,000 gold coins a week?
No, no, that’s just the kind of rhetoric those courtesans use to lure people into the business! How could that possibly be…
But what if it’s true…? Ahem ahem ahem.
Just as Anna's thoughts started spiraling out of control again, the maid returned with a menu.
"Don't look at me, I'll eat whatever," Anna quickly shook her head when she noticed both Louise and the maid looking at her.
As a struggling noble, just stepping into such a high-end restaurant already made her feel out of place. If she were to order, she'd probably hesitate for half an hour just because of the high prices.
"I'll do the ordering, then," Louise said casually, taking the menu. After flipping through a few pages, she looked up at the maid and began listing dishes.
"I'll have the Crispy Lime Royal Cheese, Royal Creamy Violet Soup, Red Wine Braised Beef, and Caviar Salad…"
As Louise continued naming dishes, beads of cold sweat formed on Anna’s forehead. She quickly raised her hand.
"Order less… Don't waste food."
"It's fine, the portions are small."
Small portions…? But with both cheese and beef, even small portions would be filling, right?
And she'd never even heard of these dishes before. Royal cuisine really is diverse, huh…
As Anna watched the maid exit the room and close the door, Louise finally spoke up.
"Senior, don’t worry. I’m not some wasteful rich girl."
"Is that so…"
"You don't believe me?"
"…It's not that I don’t believe you. It’s just hard to imagine," Anna said, shaking her head as memories of her academy days resurfaced. "But let's not talk about unpleasant topics. Louise, you seem pretty familiar with Royal cuisine?"
"Of course, my family has an Imperial chef."
Louise unintentionally made an incredibly boastful statement. "I wouldn't say I love it, but I know what the dishes taste like."
"If you don’t mind, Senpai," Louise looked at the somewhat uneasy Anna, "I can take you here regularly from now on!"
Better not.
‘The more meals I owe you, the deeper my debt… Are you planning to tally up the bill all at once and drag me to bed?!’