Let's Eat a Feast!

“Hagu hagu hagu, mogu mogu......”

It's about 8 p.m. right now.

And where I am now is Sara-chan's house, the dining room of the Salar baronial house.

It's not a very large room, but the interior, dimly lit by magic lamps hanging from the ceiling, is calm and atmospheric.

The tables and chairs are all simple and plain, but you know how dust usually piles up in the gaps and such? That's not here.

It's been properly cleaned. Spotless.

There are flowers arranged by the window, and it feels, well, stylish.

That's something my life with Master never had. Putting flowers in a room, I mean.

A baron, that means they're nobility, right?

So I was sure they'd live in some mansion with that whole gorgeous, dazzling, filthy-rich! vibe, but the place they brought me to after I saved Sara-chan and the others was an ordinary 2-story wooden house.

Then again, all the villagers' houses around here are single-story, so maybe just having 2 stories is actually impressive?

Compared to commoners' houses, it feels like there are more rooms too.

Since the only points of comparison I have are my trash family home and Master's house, I'm not really sure.

“Goku goku, mogu mogu mogu, zuzu, zuzuzuu......”

And what I'm eating now is a feast, prepared as a reward for me saving everyone in the baronial house!

The dishes lined up in front of me are all vibrantly colored and smell wonderful!

And, seriously, they're delicious.

Every single one of them is just delicious.

The simmered vegetables in the soup are melty and sweet!

Is this a vegetable like a carrot?

It's red and sweet, and so soft I can crush it with my tongue.

And when I bite down, out floods a rich broth that must have been made from all sorts of vegetables.

It's completely different from the hard, bitter, acrid grass I usually eat.

Haah, delicious......!

And the bread!

Since reincarnating into this world, this is the first time I've eaten bread!

I'd seen that trash of a man and the villagers in Trash Village eating things that looked like it, but this is my first time eating it myself!

That trash of a man never shared any food, and what Master made for me was barley porridge.

It feels a little hard next to what I remember from my previous life, but compared to the tree trunks I've gnawed on around here, it's plenty soft, and delicious.

Tree trunks, well, they're chewy and they fill you up, but they usually don't taste like anything, and they don't give you that “I'm eating food!” feeling, you know?

This bread fills my mouth with the lovely smell of wheat, and the hint of salt brings out its sweetness without getting in the way.

Haah, delicious......!!

And then, and then, most of all! Meat!

This chicken-like meat, its skin grilled crackling crisp, is fragrant on the outside, moist and dripping with juices inside, and super tasty!

My guess is they seasoned it with something herb-like before grilling it.

Is this what they call herb-roasted?

It's completely different from the bloody, gamey monster meat I hack up any old way. It tastes like civilization.

Haah, delicious......!!!

I wonder what kind of meat this is!?

<I'd say this is Topopolock, for sure.>

Topopolock?

<Huh? Emi, haven't you seen them in your previous life? They're Topopolocks, you know?>

Um, no, I don't know them?

<You know, they've got spikes, three eyes, and a cry that goes something like ‘Migyaaa!’......>

No, no, no, I don't know them, I don't! I've never heard of any weird critter like that!

<No way! That can't be!? You know, Topopolocks! The ones with subspecies of all kinds of elements, like Fire Topopolocks and Ice Topopolocks!?>

I'm telling you, I don't know them! Creatures with fantasy stuff like fire attributes and ice attributes don't even exist on Earth!!

◇ ◇ ◇

“Hahaha! My, what a fine appetite!”

The one talking to me, after I've polished off the whole mountain of food without a single break even while chatting with Omake-sama, is a handsome guy with a little mustache: Baron Martz Salar.

Sara-chan's dad, in other words.

I was so absorbed in the feast in front of me until a moment ago that I didn't even see him, but right now I'm sitting around the table with this handsome baron, his daughter Sara-chan, and the baroness, Emma-san, who I took for a pretty lady but who turned out to be Sara-chan's mom.

“I'd love to lay out a more lavish dinner, really, but a poor baronial house can only manage this much. Do forgive me, won't you?”

The baron says this with a playful wink.

What's with this guy, everything he does is just so smooth!

And ‘this much’? Oh, come now, you're too modest.

“Emi, you were eating so fast! If you like it, then I'm happy too!”

Sara-chan, the pink-haired beauty sitting next to me, chatters at me with a big smile.

“You were so busy eating! I talked to you over and over, and you didn't react at all, Emi......”

With that, Sara-chan pouts a little.

S, sorry. The food was just too delicious, and I got all focused on eating......

“Since Emi wouldn't react, Father has said the line ‘Hahaha! My, what a fine appetite!’ for the 5th time now nano.”

“Sara, you needn't say such things.”

Seriously, so sorry.

“Now then, Emi-kun. Let me thank you once more for saving my wife, my daughter and our servants. You look about the same age as Sara, yet you dealt with those thieves all on your own. That's quite something!”

While the maid clears the plates from the table, the baron talks to me with a laugh.

“Could it be...... you're the disciple of ‘Golden Arcus’ that everyone's talking about?”

Golden? Arcus? Who's that? I tilt my head a little.

“......You aren't? Ah, ‘Golden Arcus’ is one of the famous special-grade adventurers...... well, to put it simply, he's a very strong person.”

The baron picks his words so that even a little kid like me can follow.

I feel like this is the first time since reincarnating that I've met someone who shows me this kind of consideration.

He's a good person, this guy.

And the fact that he can act this way even toward someone like me means he's probably the kind of person who is considerate to everyone.

On top of that, with those handsome looks. He must have been quite popular in his youth? Though he's still youthful now!

“That ‘Golden Arcus’ took on a disciple just about your and Sara's age, you see, and it's been quite the talk. What's more, in just 1 year that disciple attained full mastery of his arts, er, I mean, became very strong in just 1 year, and though still so young, is now standing on their own two feet and has left Arcus's side to go help people in need all over.”

What's with this disciple!?

Full mastery in 1 year? What a monster!?

Wait, that person......

<Ten to one, they're a reincarnator with a blessing.>

Yeah, figured.

I don't want to get caught up in anything weird, so I'll try to avoid them as much as possible.

Not that I know where they are.

“Father's doing all the talking, no fair! I want to talk to Emi too!”

Here, Sara-chan butts into the conversation.

This girl is bright, energetic, and a good kid, but she's pushy, or rather, strong-willed.

And maybe because I saved her life, she's weirdly up in my personal space.

Even though I'm a vagrant and a cursed child with black hair and black eyes, this girl, despite her status as a baron's daughter, doesn't seem to feel any aversion toward me at all.

“Hey, hey! I want to know about Emi! Where did you come from, Emi? Why are you so strong!?”

“............”

Since my expression doesn't change and I don't answer right away, the baron and his wife look flustered, as if they've asked something they shouldn't have.

Sara-chan, meanwhile, doesn't mind at all and keeps right on smiling.

Now, it's not that I have a past I don't want to touch or anything like that; it's just that I'm bad at talking, so it takes some time for the words to come out.

I don't want them tiptoeing around me, so somehow, though I think it came out pretty halting, I tell them my story so far.

That in the village where I was born, I was persecuted for my looks, and lived in the forest.

That I had my forest base taken away and set out on a journey.

That because of my looks, I couldn't get into any human settlements.

That I was saved by Master while being chased by monsters.

That I trained with Master deep in the mountains after that.

That I came down the mountain because Master died......

Since there was nothing in particular to hide, I spoke honestly about things like that.

Oh, and since it seemed like it would be very difficult to explain, I didn't mention at all that I'm a reincarnator.

Hearing my adventure tale, Sara-chan was delighted and went, “So coool!”

The couple, however, were slightly put off by the episodes about surviving hunger by eating bugs and grass.

......After that, Baron Martz introduced himself and the baronial house, as well as the family and servants, and after some small talk, the meal came to an end.

Sara-chan threw a tantrum, going, “I'm not done talking yeeet!” but the maid dragged her off to her room.

She looked fully ready to sneak over and play in the middle of the night, but apparently she's the type who falls asleep in 3 seconds once she's tossed into bed, so that won't happen. Seriously?

Sara-chan is a bit, you know.

She's a super adorable beautiful girl, but I kind of get the feeling that, deep down, she's just a plain old idiot.

As for me, I was shown to a smallish room.

It seems to be an empty servants' room; the bleak interior holds only a bed and a small shelf.

“Sorry about this. It's a shame we could only manage a room like this for our benefactor.”

That's how the baron put it, all apologetic. Apparently they don't have any big guest rooms.

But for me, a commoner-style room like this is more relaxing, so I'm happy.

Actually......

<Apart from the half year at Master's house, you've mostly been sleeping outdoors, after all. Compared to tree hollows and branches, any room with a bed is heaven, isn't it!>

Yes, that's exactly it!

This room has a bed!

At Master's house, I slept on the hard floor on something like a Japanese futon, so this marks my first time in a bed since reincarnating.

Fuwaah, s, so soft......

I flop down right away to try it out, and it feels so much better than I imagined that it startles me.

Ah, uh-oh. I'm fading......

No wonder Sara-chan falls asleep in 3 seconds......

As the baron twirled his little mustache with a gentle, wry smile, I was out like a light in the blink of an eye.

“Golden Arcus” is, by blood, Emi-chan's uncle.

Though no one, including the two of them, has noticed.