“Ahem, mm.”
At that moment, Hubert, who had been watching from the side, cautiously interjected.
“Shall we go for dinner, both of you?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sylvia, brushing his fingers aside, exited the room first. Felix quietly followed her.
[Sylviaaaa.]
At the sound of Erin’s earnest voice, Sylvia turned around and conjured a few fruits with plant magic. She whispered ‘stay here and eat’ in a very soft voice and closed the door.
Upon reaching the first floor, the members of the group and Dennis were already waiting. Despite the late hour, the dining area was bustling with people. Sylvia kept looking around as she sat next to Felix, intrigued by the familiar smell of food coming from the kitchen.
“In this region, noodle dishes are quite popular. They’re well-liked, I’ve heard.”
Dennis mentioned, raising his hand, and a waiting server promptly approached.
“May I take your order?”
Sylvia recalled a server from a restaurant she had visited shortly after arriving in this world. A server who looked similar handed them the menu and explained,
“Our popular dishes are ‘Pork Noodles Drenched in Black Blood’, ‘Red Flower Pork with Blazing Noodles’, and ‘Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along’ are our house specials.”
Despite the server’s slick attitude and bright smile, the names of the dishes caused Sylvia’s lips to twitch.
“You can adjust the thickness of the noodles when ordering, customer. How would you like it?”
“Then…”
Perhaps because Sylvia had always cooked for them, the Croban mercenary band was quietly waiting. Sylvia pointed at each type of noodle listed on the menu, placing an order.
“Please bring three types of noodles, enough for everyone. Add one of each noodle thickness. That means we’ll get a total of four types of noodles per dish, right?”
“Uh? Oh, yes.”
The server looked at Sylvia with a very surprised expression. Still not looking up from the menu, Sylvia asked,
“And uh… what kind of alcohol do you have?”
When asked about alcohol not listed on the menu, the server hastily noted it down before responding,
“For summer, we have ‘In Love with Ice, Barley Wine’ available, customer.”
“In Love with Ice, Barley Wine?”
“Yes, customer.”
“Um…”
Sylvia slowly surveyed the Croban mercenary band sitting around the table, hand on chin. Considering their previous encounter with sangria that left everyone intoxicated, she pondered whether it was wise to order alcohol again.
Seeing her expression, the members looked at her with eager, pleading eyes, swallowing their saliva.
Reminded of dogs waiting for a treat at the command of ‘wait,’ drooling in anticipation, Sylvia couldn’t help but let out a small laugh and placed the order with the server.
“Please bring enough alcohol for everyone.”
“Yes! All right!”
With an order of an astonishing quantity, the waiter responded with gusto and disappeared into the kitchen.
“I’m really looking forward to this. This is my first time in Caudatismum.”
The youngest, Jordan, said with a bright smile.
“I’m also here for the first time in Caudatismum. Or, has anyone here been to Caudatismum before?”
Given the geographical location of the Kingdom of Capitis and the Caudatismum State, with the Corpora Empire in between, there was very little exchange between them. Hence, it was everyone in the Croban Mercenary Company’s first time in Caudatismum.
“It’s my first time too. They seem to have a variety of noodle dishes here.”
Sylvia’s lips kept curling up in anticipation. Although she had made noodle dishes from scratch by kneading flour herself, it had been a very long time since she had encountered such a variety of noodle dishes.
The continuous aroma from the kitchen was too familiar, and she eagerly awaited the dishes. The waiter first brought the barley drink. Sylvia was enchanted by the white foam filling the large wooden mug.
The appearance was very familiar and even welcoming.
“This is the ‘In Love with Ice, Barley Drink’.”
She quickly sipped the overflowing foam. The taste was exactly as she had hoped, causing Sylvia to burst into a giggly laugh.
“It’s beer.”
Her mumbled comment was keenly picked up by Felix who asked,
“Beer?”
“Ah, it’s a similar type of drink.”
“I see.”
Before the noodle dishes arrived, Sylvia wanted to enjoy the barley drink. Seeing her eyes light up, Felix told the rest of the company,
“Drink up.”
As if they had been waiting for his permission, everyone drank their barley drinks in unison. Sylvia also eagerly took a big gulp.
“Aah!”
The foam and carbonation combined perfectly… it was truly, truly refreshing. She now understood why it was called ‘In Love with Ice’.
The large round ice that remained in her half-empty mug wasn’t frozen water but barley drink. It seemed designed to keep the coolness lasting longer.
“Mm.”
Felix let out a small exclamation of admiration at the unfamiliar taste. It matched the hot summer weather perfectly.
“Wow, this is really good!”
“It feels like it’s clearing my insides!”
Pleased with the drink, the members emptied their large mugs in one go and ordered more. In the meantime, the ordered dishes started arriving. The waiter, with a large tray full of food, moved tirelessly.
“Here are your Black Blood Pork Noodles, Red Flower Pork with Blazing Noodles, and Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along.”
Seeing the noodle dishes, Sylvia almost screamed with joy.
“Wow…”
The Black Blood Pork Noodles resembled the Jajangmyeon she knew, and the Red Flower Pork with Blazing Noodles seemed similar to the spicy and savory Tan-Tan Noodles. Lastly, the Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along closely mirrored Tsukemen she had tasted locally.
Her turquoise eyes widened as if they might roll out, eagerly observing the dishes.
“Mm…”
Though they looked and smelled similar to the foods she knew, something seemed lacking. With the thought of trying them first, Sylvia picked up her chopsticks and said,
“Let’s enjoy the meal!”
“Let’s enjoy the meal―!”
Following her lead with enthusiastic voices, the mercenaries ambitiously picked up their chopsticks but paused simultaneously, unsure of how to proceed with the unfamiliar food. Thus, all eyes turned to Sylvia. Even Felix, unfamiliar with the dish, looked at her, seeking guidance.
Sylvia first tackled the Black Blood Pork Noodles. She picked up a large piece of pork from the center with her chopsticks and bit into it.
“Mmm!”
The others started eating after her. Sylvia put the bite of meat back into the bowl and rubbed it against the noodles, which were very similar to the medium thickness noodles used in Jajangmyeon.
The rich and greasy aroma constantly tickled her nose, making Sylvia swallow her saliva. After evenly spreading the sauce, she picked up a large portion of noodles and started slurping them. As she began, slurping sounds echoed around her.
Felix, although initially wary of the black sauce, filled his mouth with it after seeing Sylvia enjoy her food.
“Mmm…”
It tasted good, but something was lacking. Or rather, it was somewhat greasy. Rotating his eyes, Felix scooped up another mouthful.
Sylvia, while amazed at the exact resemblance to Jajangmyeon, felt a pang of regret. Vegetables were scarce here, so they weren’t used in such common dishes. Although the taste of the sauce was good, the absence of onions in the Jajangmyeon was a significant disappointment.
After quickly finishing a bowl, Sylvia moved on to the noodles similar to Tan-Tan Noodles. The piquant aroma and the smell of pork were very appealing. However, like before, there were no vegetables to be seen, making her miss bok choy terribly.
Having eaten medium thickness noodles before, she tried the Tan-Tan Noodles with thin noodles first. The spicy flavor stimulated her appetite.
“Ah, it’s a pity.”
As she ate, Sylvia murmured in disappointment and then took the noodles similar to Tsukemen, “Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along”, towards her. She dipped the thin noodles into the nutty brown broth before sucking them up.
Loud slurping sounds filled the air.
“Mmm… it’s a bit greasy.”
Despite the layer of oil on top, it seemed that wasn’t the issue.
“It’s such a pity there are no toppings.”
Even as she enjoyed the meal, Sylvia kept voicing her regrets. After trying all three types, she cleansed her greasy palate with the barley drink.
“Ah, it’s still incredibly cool because of the ice.”
She set down her mug and turned her head, checking if Felix was enjoying his meal…
But Felix wasn’t the only issue. Except for Sylvia, the Croban Mercenary Company was struggling to enjoy their meals. Their uncharacteristically tentative chopstick movements looked odd.
Felix, like the other mercenaries, had tried all three types following Sylvia’s lead, but they didn’t suit his taste, causing him some distress.
Then, Hubert commented with a puzzled expression.
“I used to eat roasted wild boar without any problem… Why does this feel so greasy?”
His remark was met with vigorous nods from the other mercenaries.
“I agree with Hubert.”
Dennis washed down his mouthful with barley drink before adding,
“Sylvia’s cooking is always delicious…”
Alan mumbled with his chopsticks in his mouth.
Sylvia, pondering their comments, raised her hand to call the waiter.
“Did you call for me, madam?”
Approaching with a friendly attitude, the waiter listened as Sylvia apologetically made her request.
“Sorry, but we packed some food to eat later, and I completely forgot about it. It might go bad if we don’t eat it soon. Could we possibly eat it here?”
The waiter happily agreed to her request.
“Yes, that’s fine. Normally, it wouldn’t be allowed, but since you’ve ordered so much already, let’s say it’s a one-time exception, haha.”
Sylvia smiled broadly in agreement.
“You know how to do business.”
She didn’t forget to discreetly tip him, recalling how pleased the staff had been at the steak restaurant when they received a tip, thinking it would be well received here too.
The waiter’s eyes widened in surprise at the silver coins Sylvia handed him, then narrowed into a pleased smile.
“Of course. I’ve been working here for years. If you need anything, please make sure to call for me.”
Since there were other waiters around, the man made a point to Sylvia.
“Understood.”
After the waiter left, Felix asked Sylvia,
“You had a packed lunch?”
He would have preferred to eat that instead, but Sylvia’s response was different.
“No.”
Sylvia bit her tongue at the sight of Felix’s disappointed expression. Recently, his expressions had become richer, sometimes unbearably cute, causing her trouble.
“Just continue eating. I’ll be back from my room shortly.”
Sylvia announced her departure and quickly headed to her room. Her actions left the mercenaries and Felix puzzled, but they slowly continued eating as instructed.
In her room, Sylvia channeled magic into her plant magic circle.
She finely chopped scallions and onions, sautéed them in oil, and sliced cucumbers. She blanched bok choy and bean sprouts, roasted peanuts before crushing them, and finely chopped green onions. Bamboo shoots were blanched and cut into bite-sized pieces.
She took out chili oil and apple vinegar she had prepared with chili powder, scallions, ginger, garlic, and placed the ingredients into lunch boxes, filling them up. Quickly prepared, she carried three large lunch boxes back down.
Felix stood up to help carry the lunch boxes upon her return.
“Thanks, Feri.”
His nickname naturally slipped from her lips.
“No problem.”
His ears reddened, and he responded gruffly, though his lips twitched into a smile.
Sylvia explained as she opened the lunch boxes for the mercenaries,
“Ahem, mm.”
At that moment, Hubert, who had been watching from the side, cautiously interjected.
“Shall we go for dinner, both of you?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sylvia, brushing his fingers aside, exited the room first. Felix quietly followed her.
[Sylviaaaa.]
At the sound of Erin’s earnest voice, Sylvia turned around and conjured a few fruits with plant magic. She whispered ‘stay here and eat’ in a very soft voice and closed the door.
Upon reaching the first floor, the members of the group and Dennis were already waiting. Despite the late hour, the dining area was bustling with people. Sylvia kept looking around as she sat next to Felix, intrigued by the familiar smell of food coming from the kitchen.
“In this region, noodle dishes are quite popular. They’re well-liked, I’ve heard.”
Dennis mentioned, raising his hand, and a waiting server promptly approached.
“May I take your order?”
Sylvia recalled a server from a restaurant she had visited shortly after arriving in this world. A server who looked similar handed them the menu and explained,
“Our popular dishes are ‘Pork Noodles Drenched in Black Blood’, ‘Red Flower Pork with Blazing Noodles’, and ‘Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along’ are our house specials.”
Despite the server’s slick attitude and bright smile, the names of the dishes caused Sylvia’s lips to twitch.
“You can adjust the thickness of the noodles when ordering, customer. How would you like it?”
“Then…”
Perhaps because Sylvia had always cooked for them, the Croban mercenary band was quietly waiting. Sylvia pointed at each type of noodle listed on the menu, placing an order.
“Please bring three types of noodles, enough for everyone. Add one of each noodle thickness. That means we’ll get a total of four types of noodles per dish, right?”
“Uh? Oh, yes.”
The server looked at Sylvia with a very surprised expression. Still not looking up from the menu, Sylvia asked,
“And uh… what kind of alcohol do you have?”
When asked about alcohol not listed on the menu, the server hastily noted it down before responding,
“For summer, we have ‘In Love with Ice, Barley Wine’ available, customer.”
“In Love with Ice, Barley Wine?”
“Yes, customer.”
“Um…”
Sylvia slowly surveyed the Croban mercenary band sitting around the table, hand on chin. Considering their previous encounter with sangria that left everyone intoxicated, she pondered whether it was wise to order alcohol again.
Seeing her expression, the members looked at her with eager, pleading eyes, swallowing their saliva.
Reminded of dogs waiting for a treat at the command of ‘wait,’ drooling in anticipation, Sylvia couldn’t help but let out a small laugh and placed the order with the server.
“Please bring enough alcohol for everyone.”
“Yes! All right!”
With an order of an astonishing quantity, the waiter responded with gusto and disappeared into the kitchen.
“I’m really looking forward to this. This is my first time in Caudatismum.”
The youngest, Jordan, said with a bright smile.
“I’m also here for the first time in Caudatismum. Or, has anyone here been to Caudatismum before?”
Given the geographical location of the Kingdom of Capitis and the Caudatismum State, with the Corpora Empire in between, there was very little exchange between them. Hence, it was everyone in the Croban Mercenary Company’s first time in Caudatismum.
“It’s my first time too. They seem to have a variety of noodle dishes here.”
Sylvia’s lips kept curling up in anticipation. Although she had made noodle dishes from scratch by kneading flour herself, it had been a very long time since she had encountered such a variety of noodle dishes.
The continuous aroma from the kitchen was too familiar, and she eagerly awaited the dishes. The waiter first brought the barley drink. Sylvia was enchanted by the white foam filling the large wooden mug.
The appearance was very familiar and even welcoming.
“This is the ‘In Love with Ice, Barley Drink’.”
She quickly sipped the overflowing foam. The taste was exactly as she had hoped, causing Sylvia to burst into a giggly laugh.
“It’s beer.”
Her mumbled comment was keenly picked up by Felix who asked,
“Beer?”
“Ah, it’s a similar type of drink.”
“I see.”
Before the noodle dishes arrived, Sylvia wanted to enjoy the barley drink. Seeing her eyes light up, Felix told the rest of the company,
“Drink up.”
As if they had been waiting for his permission, everyone drank their barley drinks in unison. Sylvia also eagerly took a big gulp.
“Aah!”
The foam and carbonation combined perfectly… it was truly, truly refreshing. She now understood why it was called ‘In Love with Ice’.
The large round ice that remained in her half-empty mug wasn’t frozen water but barley drink. It seemed designed to keep the coolness lasting longer.
“Mm.”
Felix let out a small exclamation of admiration at the unfamiliar taste. It matched the hot summer weather perfectly.
“Wow, this is really good!”
“It feels like it’s clearing my insides!”
Pleased with the drink, the members emptied their large mugs in one go and ordered more. In the meantime, the ordered dishes started arriving. The waiter, with a large tray full of food, moved tirelessly.
“Here are your Black Blood Pork Noodles, Red Flower Pork with Blazing Noodles, and Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along.”
Seeing the noodle dishes, Sylvia almost screamed with joy.
“Wow…”
The Black Blood Pork Noodles resembled the Jajangmyeon she knew, and the Red Flower Pork with Blazing Noodles seemed similar to the spicy and savory Tan-Tan Noodles. Lastly, the Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along closely mirrored Tsukemen she had tasted locally.
Her turquoise eyes widened as if they might roll out, eagerly observing the dishes.
“Mm…”
Though they looked and smelled similar to the foods she knew, something seemed lacking. With the thought of trying them first, Sylvia picked up her chopsticks and said,
“Let’s enjoy the meal!”
“Let’s enjoy the meal―!”
Following her lead with enthusiastic voices, the mercenaries ambitiously picked up their chopsticks but paused simultaneously, unsure of how to proceed with the unfamiliar food. Thus, all eyes turned to Sylvia. Even Felix, unfamiliar with the dish, looked at her, seeking guidance.
Sylvia first tackled the Black Blood Pork Noodles. She picked up a large piece of pork from the center with her chopsticks and bit into it.
“Mmm!”
The others started eating after her. Sylvia put the bite of meat back into the bowl and rubbed it against the noodles, which were very similar to the medium thickness noodles used in Jajangmyeon.
The rich and greasy aroma constantly tickled her nose, making Sylvia swallow her saliva. After evenly spreading the sauce, she picked up a large portion of noodles and started slurping them. As she began, slurping sounds echoed around her.
Felix, although initially wary of the black sauce, filled his mouth with it after seeing Sylvia enjoy her food.
“Mmm…”
It tasted good, but something was lacking. Or rather, it was somewhat greasy. Rotating his eyes, Felix scooped up another mouthful.
Sylvia, while amazed at the exact resemblance to Jajangmyeon, felt a pang of regret. Vegetables were scarce here, so they weren’t used in such common dishes. Although the taste of the sauce was good, the absence of onions in the Jajangmyeon was a significant disappointment.
After quickly finishing a bowl, Sylvia moved on to the noodles similar to Tan-Tan Noodles. The piquant aroma and the smell of pork were very appealing. However, like before, there were no vegetables to be seen, making her miss bok choy terribly.
Having eaten medium thickness noodles before, she tried the Tan-Tan Noodles with thin noodles first. The spicy flavor stimulated her appetite.
“Ah, it’s a pity.”
As she ate, Sylvia murmured in disappointment and then took the noodles similar to Tsukemen, “Noodles and Broth Not Getting Along”, towards her. She dipped the thin noodles into the nutty brown broth before sucking them up.
Loud slurping sounds filled the air.
“Mmm… it’s a bit greasy.”
Despite the layer of oil on top, it seemed that wasn’t the issue.
“It’s such a pity there are no toppings.”
Even as she enjoyed the meal, Sylvia kept voicing her regrets. After trying all three types, she cleansed her greasy palate with the barley drink.
“Ah, it’s still incredibly cool because of the ice.”
She set down her mug and turned her head, checking if Felix was enjoying his meal…
But Felix wasn’t the only issue. Except for Sylvia, the Croban Mercenary Company was struggling to enjoy their meals. Their uncharacteristically tentative chopstick movements looked odd.
Felix, like the other mercenaries, had tried all three types following Sylvia’s lead, but they didn’t suit his taste, causing him some distress.
Then, Hubert commented with a puzzled expression.
“I used to eat roasted wild boar without any problem… Why does this feel so greasy?”
His remark was met with vigorous nods from the other mercenaries.
“I agree with Hubert.”
Dennis washed down his mouthful with barley drink before adding,
“Sylvia’s cooking is always delicious…”
Alan mumbled with his chopsticks in his mouth.
Sylvia, pondering their comments, raised her hand to call the waiter.
“Did you call for me, madam?”
Approaching with a friendly attitude, the waiter listened as Sylvia apologetically made her request.
“Sorry, but we packed some food to eat later, and I completely forgot about it. It might go bad if we don’t eat it soon. Could we possibly eat it here?”
The waiter happily agreed to her request.
“Yes, that’s fine. Normally, it wouldn’t be allowed, but since you’ve ordered so much already, let’s say it’s a one-time exception, haha.”
Sylvia smiled broadly in agreement.
“You know how to do business.”
She didn’t forget to discreetly tip him, recalling how pleased the staff had been at the steak restaurant when they received a tip, thinking it would be well received here too.
The waiter’s eyes widened in surprise at the silver coins Sylvia handed him, then narrowed into a pleased smile.
“Of course. I’ve been working here for years. If you need anything, please make sure to call for me.”
Since there were other waiters around, the man made a point to Sylvia.
“Understood.”
After the waiter left, Felix asked Sylvia,
“You had a packed lunch?”
He would have preferred to eat that instead, but Sylvia’s response was different.
“No.”
Sylvia bit her tongue at the sight of Felix’s disappointed expression. Recently, his expressions had become richer, sometimes unbearably cute, causing her trouble.
“Just continue eating. I’ll be back from my room shortly.”
Sylvia announced her departure and quickly headed to her room. Her actions left the mercenaries and Felix puzzled, but they slowly continued eating as instructed.
In her room, Sylvia channeled magic into her plant magic circle.
She finely chopped scallions and onions, sautéed them in oil, and sliced cucumbers. She blanched bok choy and bean sprouts, roasted peanuts before crushing them, and finely chopped green onions. Bamboo shoots were blanched and cut into bite-sized pieces.
She took out chili oil and apple vinegar she had prepared with chili powder, scallions, ginger, garlic, and placed the ingredients into lunch boxes, filling them up. Quickly prepared, she carried three large lunch boxes back down.
Felix stood up to help carry the lunch boxes upon her return.
“Thanks, Feri.”
His nickname naturally slipped from her lips.
“No problem.”
His ears reddened, and he responded gruffly, though his lips twitched into a smile.
Sylvia explained as she opened the lunch boxes for the mercenaries,
