Chapter 24: Black Knight(1).
One afternoon, when the flow of customers had slowed to a trickle, the doorbell chimed, signaling a new arrival.
“Welcome!”
Turning around, I saw a familiar face.
“Hey, you invited me, so here I am,” he said, holding up one of the flyers I’d handed out. It was the silver-haired man with an eyepatch over his right eye. Today, he wasn’t in his black armor but a tailored black military uniform.
His distinctive eyepatch immediately told me he was the black knight from before.
“You really came! Welcome back from your work.”
Overjoyed, I approached him.
“Yeah, your Heal Potion was a lifesaver. Thanks to it, I’m back in one piece. The bread was delicious too,” he said.
His words thrilled me.
“I’m so glad it helped! So, what would you like today?”
He glanced around the shop.
“…I’d like to eat something…”
“Right this way!”
I led him to the eat-in area. It was empty, with plenty of open seats.
“Feel free to sit anywhere.”
“Then I’ll take the window seat.”
“Got it! I’ll get everything ready.”
I guided him to his chosen spot by the window, then stepped to the back to fetch a glass of fruit-infused water and brought it to him.
“…This fruit water?”
“It’s a drink. We offer it free to all our guests.”
He looked surprised. In my past life, offering water to customers was standard, but in this world, even water or fruit water is typically a paid order. His reaction was understandable.
The glass, too, was unusual. Thanks to Grandfather’s mansion, I had plenty of glassware, but it’s considered expensive here. Most places serve drinks in ceramic mugs at best.
Noticing his surprise at these differences, I opened the menu to guide him.
“You can choose from our standard or daily specials.”
“…These are some unusual dishes. Never heard of most of them,” he muttered, astonished.
“…I don’t know what to pick.”
“How about the pork shoulder red wine stew? I put my heart into making it. I guarantee it’s delicious.”
“Then I’ll have that.”
“Got it.”
I returned to the kitchen.
The kitchen work was minimal. I took the pre-cooked meal from the Warm Storage, plated it, and added garnishes of vegetables and herbs. In no time, his order of pork shoulder red wine stew was ready.
For the appetizer, I prepared a scallop and baby turnip grapefruit marinade. The main was the stew, served with soft, reheated bread.
I brought them out one by one, along with polished silver cutlery.
“Today’s special: scallop and baby turnip grapefruit marinade for the appetizer, pork shoulder red wine stew for the main, served with warm bread. Enjoy.”
He looked back and forth between the dishes and me, surprised.
“You made all this by yourself in such a short time?”
“Thanks to the Warm Storage magical device. There’s not much to do now.”
“…Impressive efficiency. I’ve never seen dishes like these…”
“Please, dig in.”
Smiling brightly, I encouraged him, then turned to head back to the kitchen. Watching someone eat feels intrusive.
As I did, I heard him exclaim, “Delicious!” Smiling with satisfaction, I felt a warm sense of accomplishment.