Doubt Turns to Certainty

I’ve felt this way for a while now, but Sylvia-ssi is quite the dainty eater.

Even before the regression, I had meals with her quite often, but every time, I had this fundamental doubt: ‘Is it even possible to live on such a small amount of food?’ Her portions were always so small.

Yet, she has a hidden gluttony, and she quickly shows interest whenever she sees new food.

Sometimes, as a benevolent saintess, seemingly perfect, this might be her only flaw.

If you ask why I’m bringing up this not-so-new fact now, it’s because…

“Um, excuse me, Layard-gongja. Doesn’t that food look tempting? It looks so delicious.”

“Wow, that’s a very unique-looking dish. It looks like Layard-gongja would like it.”

“……”

Her actions of subtly recommending food to me whenever she finds something interesting are so obvious.

It seems like her stomach has its limits, but there are so many delicious-looking foods, so she’s using me as an excuse to buy them and only eat a little herself.

The problem is, I’ve fallen for it so many times that my stomach is already quite bloated.

Why not just buy one and eat a bit, then throw the rest away?

Or is she recommending it because she feels bad eating it alone?

“Gongnyeo, don’t worry about me. It’s okay if you leave some, so why don’t you buy it? I’ll pay for it.”

“Re-really…!? Ah, did you know?”

“I’d be surprised if I didn’t.”

“Kkeueung….”

Eventually, after my sharp remark that I couldn’t stand it anymore, Sylvia-ssi lowered her head and trembled, looking embarrassed and dejected.

Was I too direct?

I felt a little sorry, as if I had given her unnecessary shame.

I didn’t mean it as a reprimand, but rather to tell her not to worry about me and eat whatever she wanted, but I seem to have made her misunderstand.

“Then, would it be okay if I bought just one of those dumplings?”

Still, the advice seemed to have worked, as Sylvia-ssi fidgeted with her hands and pointed to a food being sold on the street.

It was a dumpling, famous as a representative food of the western region.

Judging by her tone, it seems Sylvia-ssi is seeing dumplings for the first time.

“Yes, I’ll pay.”

“Ah, no. I have money too.”

I tried to pay instead out of guilt, but Sylvia-ssi hurriedly waved her hands and fumbled to take out her wallet from her bag, then approached the street vendor.

“Could I have just one dumpling, please?”

“Yes, would you like the spicy flavor? Or the regular flavor?”

Apparently, you can choose the flavor of the filling to some extent. Sylvia-ssi blinked her eyes at the shopkeeper’s cheerful question and turned to me, asking.

“Which one would be better, Layard-gongja?”

“Well, I think you should choose what you want to eat.”

“Th-then, I’ll try the spicy one.”

Sylvia-ssi clenched her fists and replied with a very determined expression, ‘Spicy flavor, please.’

Come to think of it, she’s surprisingly adventurous when it comes to food.

Even before the regression, I remember that when we occasionally walked around the streets or went to new restaurants, she was quite eager to try new foods.

Maybe Sylvia-ssi has a hidden side as a gourmet.

“That’ll be one copper coin.”

“Yes, here you go.”

“Yes, thank you.”

It’s definitely a popular street food, so it’s cheap.

Soon, Sylvia-ssi, who had finally gotten what she had been waiting for, stared at the steaming dumpling with eyes full of anticipation.

Then, she made a rather cute sound, ‘Waang,’ and bit into the dumpling.

I was worried it might be too hot, but fortunately, she didn’t have to spit it out in a hurry, so it seems it wasn’t that bad.

Sylvia-ssi, who had taken a big bite, started moving her jaw and seemed to be chewing.

“Kkueueut…!?”

“…Eleanor-gongnyeo?”

Suddenly, her face turned bright red, and she started making sounds like a kettle with steam violently rising.

The reaction was so intense that I momentarily suspected there might be poison in it.

“G-Gongnyeo…. W-water….. W-water….”

“W-water? Please wait a moment. I’ll go buy some right away.”

Soon after, she barely managed to open her mouth and urgently requested water in a slurred voice as if she had bitten her tongue. I immediately went to the nearby store and bought a bottle of water.

Gulp. Gulp.

As I handed it to her, Sylvia-ssi quickly gulped down the water as if she were lost in the desert, and then opened her mouth with a refreshing sound, ‘Hua.’

“I-I showed you an unsightly sight. I’m sorry, Layard-gongja. I didn’t expect it to be this spicy….”

“No, it’s okay. But how spicy was it….”

It’s possible to react that way to spicy food, so I don’t really mind, but seeing Sylvia-ssi collapse like this made me more interested in the spicy dumpling.

When I briefly saw the cut surface she had bitten into earlier, it looked like a regular meat dumpling, so I wonder if there were any special spices inside.

“Would you like to try it if you’re curious?”

Sylvia-ssi noticed my interested gaze and asked, showing me the dumpling in the paper bag.

Since I’m already full, it would be a waste to buy another new one, so I thought it would be better to accept her kindness this time and nodded, approaching her.

“Are you sure it’s okay? Then, if you’ll excuse me….”

“…Huh? La-Layard-gongja?”

Then, I bit into the dumpling sticking out of the paper bag, just like Sylvia-ssi had done earlier, but for some reason, I heard a voice from Sylvia-ssi filled with bewilderment.

Not knowing why, I lifted my head with my mouth full of dumpling.

Hmm, it’s not that spicy.

It seems Sylvia-ssi is somewhat weak to spicy flavors.

This is the first time I’ve learned this. I should make a note of it in my head.

“Eueue….”

“…Gongnyeo?”

But why is Sylvia-ssi like this?

Sylvia-ssi, who was even redder than when she ate the spicy dumpling earlier, glanced back and forth between me and the dumpling. I realized what was happening.

Did I eat too much?

Since she seemed to be struggling so much with the spiciness, and it didn’t seem like she would eat any more anyway, I deliberately took a big bite to get rid of the leftovers.

“I’m sorry, Gongnyeo. It seems I accidentally ate too much. Should I buy you another one….”

“Ah, no! This is good! It’s okay!”

“…Yes?”

As I hurriedly apologized and tried to take out my wallet from my pocket, Sylvia-ssi suddenly grabbed my arm and shook her head.

I was dumbfounded.

She prefers this leftover dumpling that doesn’t even seem like enough? Anyone can tell that buying a new one would be better.

Only then did Sylvia-ssi realize that she had made a slip of the tongue, and she made an ‘ah’ expression, waving her hands and trying to correct herself.

“Ah, no, what I meant by good was…. I was already full anyway. I meant that I didn’t need a new one.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but….”

Even though she says that, her eyes keep glancing at the remaining dumpling, which is bothering me.

And Sylvia-ssi soon noticed my gaze, and when our eyes met, she was startled and didn’t know what to do, then stuffed the remaining dumpling into her mouth.

Wait, this is a déjà vu of earlier….

“Uueueut…!?”

“……”

I should buy another bottle of water.

And from tonight, I should tell the cooks to adjust the seasoning for Sylvia-ssi’s portion when they serve spicy food.

＊＊＊

It was around dinner time when Sylvia-ssi and I finished our outing and returned to the castle.

I was worried that spicy food might be served since I hadn’t told the cooks yet, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case, so the great disaster that happened when we ate the spicy dumpling didn’t occur.

After finishing dinner and returning to my room, just as I was about to lie down on the bed, I heard a hurried voice from somewhere.

– Master! Master! Are you listening?

This voice is…. Primo?

The voice seemed to be transmitted directly into my head rather than my ears, so I focused my mind for a moment and cast telepathy magic through the magic circuit connected to Primo.

– Yes, I hear you. Was there any progress?

– Yes! There was quite a bit. I met that annoying-looking ahjussi that Master showed me.

– That was quite fast.

– Right!? Eheehee, if I put my mind to it, this much is nothing!

Seeing him become so arrogant even though I didn’t praise him, I guess I shouldn’t give praise carelessly.

Anyway, it’s true that Primo encountered Creed Eleanor sooner than expected.

However, what’s important is what information he gathered after that.

– So, was there any talk about the word I mentioned?

– There was. Actually, that annoying-looking ahjussi was talking to some shady guy wearing a robe.

– A robe?

The mention of a robe brought one person to mind.

Could it be that guy who came to me before the regression?

– Yeah, judging by the voice, it sounded like a woman…. Anyway, that annoying-looking ahjussi couldn’t do anything to that person.

Judging by the fact that the voice was a woman, it might not be him, but voices can be easily disguised with transformation magic, so that’s not a strong piece of evidence.

However, what he said after that feels quite important.

In the first place, Creed Eleanor himself is not a person who lacks fame to the point where he would act submissively anywhere.

That means the other person is either a high-ranking figure or someone Creed Eleanor owes a great debt to, to the point where he has to maintain a low profile.

If my assumptions so far are correct, it would be the latter in this case.

Anyway, let’s hear more of the story.

– So, was there any mention of the word I told you about?

– There was. Not that much, though.

– Even a little is fine, so tell me.

– Yeah, that’s….

As Primo’s detailed report continued, my eyes gradually narrowed as I listened.

As all doubts turned closer to certainty, my eyes narrowed more and more, as if falling into the abyss.