Chapter 54: Meal

As I entered the village, all sorts of sounds and smells greeted me.

People chattered, horses neighed, and even the sound of a blacksmith’s hammer from afar.

Although it was a small village, it was full of life.

“Wow… there are so many people!”

I exclaimed in excitement.

Despite the cold weather, a market was open on the streets, and the village was full of energy, with old people sitting in a circle chatting and children running around in the snow.

However, the expressions of the residents who noticed me changed in an instant.

At first, they all seemed to crouch in surprise, but soon they began to look at me with eyes full of awe.

Their gazes were especially directed to Miel sitting on my head, Cecilia on my shoulder, Lotte hovering around me, and Glessia following behind.

“That girl is the owner of Michel’s flower scent…”

“The wizard mentioned it earlier…”

“She’s friendly to us…”

I could hear people whispering here and there.

“Hehe, I guess I’m a famous person.”

I recalled the guard’s words.

When I received the trait from Master Michel, I saved the village.

I was so proud.

“Licorice-sama,”

Ryandel approached me cautiously.

“How about going to the inn first? We can decide the exact schedule there and have a meal.”

“A meal?”

My eyes suddenly sparkled.

“A meal?”

“Yes, of course. The inn called ‘Moonlight Rest’ in this village is especially famous for its local specialty soup.”

A meal…

Come to think of it, I’ve never had one properly.

When I was a flower, all I could eat was blood, sunlight, and the occasional alcohol brought by humans.

“Real food!”

I tickled Miel’s wings excitedly, and Miel must have noticed my mood because she flapped her wings more vigorously.

Cecilia, who was sitting on my shoulder, also spread her wings brightly and lightly, sending sparks flying.

Glessia, unusually busy with her antennae, expressed her anticipation for the food.

Only Lotte was expressionless…

No, Lotte originally had no expression, but she was floating in the air in the same pattern as usual.

‘The poor guy who can only eat minerals…’

A question suddenly occurred to me.

‘Wait, then can I eat it…?’

My body was human, but I was originally a plant.

I’m a flower, so can I eat human food?

‘Well, you’ll know once you try it!’

“Okay! Let’s go to the inn!”

When I answered cheerfully, Ryandel smiled in relief.

We headed to the center of the town, receiving the attention of many residents.

“It’s over there.”

Levi took the lead and pointed to a magnificent wooden building.

The inn called Moonlight Rest seemed larger and cozier than I thought.

The wooden building had a warm atmosphere, and the moon-shaped sign at the entrance swayed slightly in the wind.

The walls were entangled with purple vines, and large and small ice sculptures were decorated next to the door.

The moment I opened the inn door, warm air rushed in.

The cozy sound of flames crackling in the fireplace could be heard.

“Welcome… Oh my!”

The woman who greeted us at the counter was a large middle-aged woman.

Her eyes widened at the sight of me and the four Aces, then she smiled brightly.

“Oh, I heard the story a little while ago! Seraphina Bloom is really coming!”

When I tilted my head, she quickly added,

“Oh, would it be better if I called you Lady Lycoris?”

“Yes, my name is Lycoris.”

“Yes, Lady Lycoris. I am Helga, the owner of this Moonlight Sanctuary. May I prepare a meal for you?”

Ryandel stepped forward.

“Yes, please make the dinner as plentiful as possible.”

“Of course! I will prepare it right away. The dining room is this way.”

As we followed Helga’s directions and entered the inn, a large dining room appeared.

Rodrik, Carl, Terry, Torven, and Elina were already sitting at a table there.

“Now, you can sit here.”

Helga guided us to the largest table by the window.

Outside the window, the town square and the majestic landscape of the Sia Kalt Mountains beyond were visible.

The sunlight reflected off the snow-capped peaks, shining like a silver carpet.

The four Aces naturally found their places.

Miel nestled comfortably on my head, Cecilia warmly draped herself on my shoulder.

Lotte circled me in slow circles, and Glessia, too, laid comfortably on the floor.

“Food will be here soon,” Ryandel said.

He took out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a small bottle of ink from his bag.

He then held his wand over the parchment and began to mutter something.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m making a certificate. Take this to James’s Company for five hundred gold pieces.”

Blue light flowed from the tip of his wand, and letters and magic circles began to etch themselves onto the parchment.

I craned my head forward in curiosity to examine it more closely.

“Oh… You’re writing with magic?”

Lyandel smiled and nodded.

“This is basic magic that you learn at the Magic Tower. These types of magic documents cannot be forged, so they are widely used in financial transactions.”

When he finished, the parchment flashed blue and then disappeared.

Lyandel handed it to the humans sitting across the table.

“You can take this to any branch of James Trading Company and receive five hundred gold coins. I guarantee the credit of the Golden Magic Tower.”

The humans looked grateful and carefully folded the parchment and put it in their bags.

“Thank you. This is a huge amount of money.”

“Of course. Thanks to you all, I was able to obtain the Frost Aether safely.”

Terry smiled at Lyandel’s words.

“I will finish my research on Frost Aether!”

Ah! As I listened to the humans, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Oh! I didn’t bring the money!”

Everyone looked at me.

“The master’s treasury was full of gold coins!”

The humans froze for a moment at my words, but Lyandel came to his senses first and spoke.

“Don’t worry, Lady Lycoris. I have enough money for the trip.”

“Yes! Lend me some!”

Lyandel made a bewildered expression, then smiled.

“Of course… But is this a loan or a gift?”

“I’ll compensate you sufficiently after the journey is over! There’s just so much gold in your treasury, Master!”

“Haha, I understand. Don’t worry.”

Then he hesitated for a moment and asked carefully.

“But… After we arrive at Deathmere, do we have to return to Sia Kalt?”

“Hmm…”

That’s right.

We need to come together to give you the reward.

“I guess since we’re with you, it’ll be quick to get back. You even flew away when you caught that Flame Lion!”

“…Just a moment.”

Then Helga began to bring in large trays.

Behind her, other employees followed, carrying trays full of food.

“Here, the best banquet of our inn, for our special guests!”

A variety of foods were placed on the table.

Grilled meats, steamed meats, boiled meats…

and various colorful vegetable dishes and purple soups.

The meat dishes looked really delicious.

The sight of the freshly grilled meat juices flowing out made my mouth water.

However, the moment I saw the vegetable dishes and purple soup, a strange feeling came over me.

‘These are… the same kind…’

I didn’t know that being a plant would make me this uncomfortable.

Carrots, cabbage, etc., and even this soup…

They were all plants.

It felt like human flesh was being served to a cannibal.

Helga began to explain the food.

“This is a wild reindeer roast and smoked pork dish from the Sia Kalt Mountains. And this is a salad made with wild vegetables picked from the valley, and lastly, the pride of our inn, Nippy Lavender Soup. It has an exquisite aroma and flavor extracted from flower petals.”

I instinctively flinched at the mention of flower petals.

“Put these and this away.”

I pointed at the vegetable dishes and purple soup with my finger.

The humans all looked confused.

Helga stood there, not knowing what to do.

“By any chance… Do you have any vegetable dishes for Lady Licorice…”

Ryandel seemed to understand my situation.

“Uh… That’s right. Absolutely not…”

Ryandel nodded as if he understood immediately.

“Miss Helga, would you please move the vegetable dishes and soup to another table?”

“Oh, yes… Of course.”

Helga looked somewhat confused, but she moved the vegetable dishes to another empty table with the waiters.

Now, only various meat dishes remained on the table.

Looking at that, my heart felt much more at ease.

I carefully forked a piece of grilled reindeer meat and put it in my mouth.

“Mmm!”

My eyes widened at the rich, savory taste that filled my mouth.

It was a completely different taste from blood.

Blood had a strong metallic taste, but this tasted richer and deeper.

“Delicious!”

I was so excited that I started eating the meat.

Fortunately, I seemed to be able to digest the meat well in my human form.

It felt like something was being processed in my stomach.

Glessia also got up, sat down at the table, and started eating the meat.

The sight of her swallowing meat in one go with her huge mouth was a little threatening, but Helga held back her surprise and brought more meat.

At the next table, Cecilia was eating her vegetable dish with her small mouth, and Miel was dipping her beak in the lavender soup and sucking it up like honey.

‘Are you eating it for me…?’

I felt a little sad that my own kind was being eaten, but it was okay when I saw them eating it so deliciously.

While everyone was eating deliciously, Lotte was the only one floating in the air.

‘Poor guy…’

Then suddenly, alcohol came to mind.

“That’s right! Give me some alcohol too!”

At my words, Carl looked at me with eyes that were checking my height.

Did I add anything to his height?

“Excuse me… How old are you?”

“Six.”

I answered with meat fat all over my mouth.

All the people at the table stopped eating and looked at me.

Rebi coughed as she drank water.

“Uh… Six? Then, can I have a drink?”

Rebi managed to say.

‘Oh my, if you include my previous life, I’m in my late twenties…’

“Of course. I’ve drunk so much alcohol until now, and on top of that, I’m not human.”

When I answered calmly, the humans simply nodded without saying anything else.

Helga soon brought a pitcher and glass filled with clear golden alcohol.

“Nippy whiskey. It’s the pride of our village, distilled after fermenting lavender petals.”

I flinched slightly at the word lavender, but my heart eased at the fragrant smell wafting from the bottle.

I poured the alcohol into my glass and took a sip.

“Hehe. Delicious!”

While enjoying a meal of delicious meat and alcohol,

Ryandel took out his crystal staff and drew another map in the air.

“To get to Desmere, you must first completely pass through this snowy mountain range. Then, you must pass through the Kingdom of Genes or the Kingdom of Afron and go to the Empire of Heshet. If you take a ship from the southern port of the Empire of Heshet, you will be able to reach the Desmere Trench.”

A blue line was drawn on the map, indicating the travel route.

“Which Kingdom would you like to pass through, the Kingdom of Genes or the Kingdom of Afron?”

The name of the Kingdom of Genes sounded familiar.

Thinking about it, it seemed like Brian had said it.

The knights that Edgar was with were the Knights of the Kingdom of Genes.

‘Oh, I guess I can get revenge on the way there?’

“Let’s go to the Kingdom of Genes. I have something to pay you back.”

The humans froze for a moment at my words.

Rodrick in particular swallowed hard and looked at me with a worried expression.

Ryandel slowly nodded at my words.

“I… I understand. I will go to the Kingdom of Genes.”

At that moment, the door of the inn slammed open, and an old man came rushing in.

He was wearing a fur cloak over his solid armor, and his beard roughly decorated his face.

His gaze, as he looked around the inn, was fixed on our table.

“You… are you, Lord Lycoris?”

He approached me and bowed deeply.

“I am Evan, the leader of this town’s adventurer’s guild. It is an honor to meet you!”

‘Oh! The adventurer’s guild!’

I waved my hand curiously and greeted him.

I had heard about the adventurer’s guild through Brian and Arthur’s party when I was a flower.

The adventurer’s guild was a must in this world!

Evan continued, sweat dripping down his forehead.

“If… you have time, would you be able to visit our guild? We have a lot to talk about…”

We had finished eating and had a rough schedule, so now seemed like a good time.

“Yeah! Let’s go now!”

I jumped up from my seat, stretching out both arms.

The Aces also moved immediately.

Miel flew up to my hair and settled down, Cecilia on my shoulder, and Lotte began circling around me again.

Only Glessia was lying leisurely on the table.

Ryandel and Rebi hurriedly got up, and the other humans followed suit, scurrying about.

“Let’s go! To the Adventurer’s Guild!”

I’m sure they’d recognize me as a national-level adventurer right away, right?

I’m much stronger than Seraphina and Beatrice!

“Hehe!”