"Sorry for the wait."

Carrying the large serving plate filled with food, I stepped into the dining room.

Before me was a simple table with a pair of chairs nicely cleaned up and free of dust. A large window in the wall was open and the light of the sun bounced off of the huge amount of dust in the air. The mini god rays gave me a distinct feeling of unease, but that couldn't be helped. It wasn't like they would suddenly angle further into the room considering that it was still before noon.

Peitho was patiently waiting while sitting on the far seat.

(Or maybe less than patiently? She's staring at me real hard.)

"No, it's not a problem."

She might have said that, but I didn't miss the gulp the elf did as she finished her sentence.

I put down the plate in front of her before sitting down on the remaining chair.

"That's, quite a bit of food."

I may have been the one to have made it, but even I agreed despite my weird ability to eat more than my body should be able to fit.

"Sorry. I've been making food for groups a lot lately, so I ended up making too much."

"No no, it's fine. I can just have the rest later on. Ummm, what about cutlery?"

(Right. I forgot about that. Well, it's not a big deal.)

"You eat it with your hands."

After all, what I had placed in front of her were a bunch of burgers and fries. While technically they could be eaten with a knife and fork, that kinda killed the spirit of this sort of quick and easy meal. At most you'd only use a fork for the fries, and only if you doused them in some sort of sauce. A napkin was more than enough otherwise. Presuming that I didn't forget that either.

Peitho hesitantly picked up a burger and brought it close to her face.

The elf gulped as she got a concentrated whiff of its scent before opening her small mouth as wide as it could go. Fortunately, I hadn't made the common mistake of stacking the sandwich too much to fit in my diner's mouth.

Despite that, I clearly saw the contents shift slightly as she bit down, but pretending not to notice, I watched as her nervous expression changed drastically.

The elf quickly gobbled up the burger, and despite spilling some of its contents she picked them up with her fingers and finished it off before continuing to the fries, then a second burger. This time she learned her lesson and squeezed the bun hard enough to imprint her fingers into the toasted crust. This time she managed to finish the burger without spilling anything, but that was her limit.

Though from my perspective, it was quite a surprise to see her eat almost half the fries and two of the four burgers. Her slim figure suggested that she wouldn't be able to eat nearly that much. It made me wonder if there was some sort of strange effect in play on the stomach of a native of this world, allowing them to eat more than someone from Earth could.

But the glow on Peitho's expression when she leaned back against her seat as she patted her belly which visibly bulged out slightly gave me all the satisfaction I needed. Any doubt that tearing her away from that restaurant was wiped clean away.

<The food you made smells so good, but for some reason it just doesn't make me want to eat any of it.>

<It is an odd feeling, but you'll get used to it. On the other hand, while it smells good, my tongue can't handle normal food like that. It'll just taste awful.>

<I see. I miss eating your cooking Scarlet.>

<I miss feeding you my cooking as well Alicia.>

I understood her complaint fully. Alicia hadn't spent much time in a vampire body compared to me, so this fact seemed to still surprise her. For me, at most it was a mild annoyance, but just because I couldn't enjoy the food directly didn't mean that I couldn't enjoy it through others experiencing it.

Nowadays, for the most part the only bit that really sucked about not being able to eat normal food was the nervousness that came from making food not from a preset recipe since I couldn't taste test it myself to know that it was turning out well. An assistant during my cooking would be nice but...

<Claret, can you eat physical foods like this?>

<No Master, just like you can't, I'm unable to. I can't eat anything but mana after all.>

Most likely that potion I had given her a while back was either an exception, or she was only able to benefit from the imbued mana within it.

"Looks like you enjoyed it."

I couldn't help but grin seeing someone like her completely destroy her serious atmosphere due to the food I made.

"It was incredible. I can't believe that you made something so good from such cheap ingredients."

"Thank you. Though it would've been better with some beer or ale to go with such greasy food, I forgot to buy any."

"No, it was quite good without such a thing, and drinking in the middle of the day wouldn't reflect well on me. Although, I was worried about how much you were spending with all that oil and the spices, but if the results were this, I wouldn't mind spending that much every time."

"Haha, you're flattering me."

It was nice of her to say that, but those ingredients really were expensive. Though the ingredients I had bought were mostly cheap ones, the fact that those alone were several magnitudes more expensive than the rest of the ingredients combined spoke of the difference in value of those ingredients.

While you could make burgers without black peppers nor chili peppers, you couldn't make fries without oil. The oil was only a fraction of the price of the spices though (despite costing more than the meat and vegetables combined), since while a lot was needed, not much was consumed in the deep frying process, so french fries were probably still within the realm of common foods.

"No, I'm not. I'm not sure if I've ever had a meal this good, and yet most of the ingredients were some of the cheapest on the market. Your [Cooking] skill must be quite high. It makes me wonder what you could do with proper ingredients."

"I just know a few tricks. I'm not..."

I stopped myself. The words from Philia about being too humble rang through my mind for a moment.

"Well, maybe I am a bit good at cooking."

It felt awkward saying something like that, so I ended up turning away while scratching my cheek.

<I think you're amazing at cooking though. Pretty much everything you made me was incredible Scarlet.>

<Master, nothing you do is anything short of marvellous!>

Putting aside the ass kissing of one individual, the words that rang in my mind further made me blush.

"*Chuckle* I suppose you're not used to being complimented, are you? It really is a shame, but I hope you don't quit being an adventurer to become a cook."

"I don't think I'd do that."

"Though personally, if I'd be able to eat your cooking every day, I'd be willing to pay that price."

I turned right towards the elf in shock, but the way she was staring at the remaining food made me feel like an idiot for somehow expecting something.

(What was I even expecting in the first place anyways?)

Somehow my misinterpretation of that unexpected line had messed up my feelings and I didn't know what I was feeling anymore. All I could do was forcibly shove those confusing emotions down and put a lid on it. It wasn't like I was planning on staying in this city, nor could there be a good enough reason to stay, so we weren't going to see each other for a long time after this.

"Ahem, anyways, do you have a magic bag? While this won't spoil before dinner, it won't be nearly as good after it's cooled down and simply heating it up won't make it as good as new."

"Right, that's true. I have one right here."

Peitho pulled out a small hip bag she had slung on her belt. Since it matched the colour scheme of her uniform, it made me wonder if it was guild made or something. I doubted that such a thing would've conveniently shown up in a dungeon as a drop or something, though it might have been modified to look like a part of the guild uniform on the outside.

"Since you already have an idea about me regarding these sorts of things..."

"Yes? You've done quite a lot for both the guild as well as myself, if it's something I can answer, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Then...that bag. Is it made by the guild, or was it from somewhere else?"

"Ah, this thing?"

The assistant guild master patted her bag after she shoved the whole plate straight into it.

"They're usually made by guild employees at large branches like the ones here, though in reality magic bags of this level can easily be made by almost anyone with a decent rank in [Enchanting]. That said, magic bags are only issued to high ranking personnel and members who need it in the line of work. They're not so cheap as to be a standard part of the uniform. Everyone else just has normal bags of the same design."

"Ah, I see."

(The [Enchanting] skill is it? I have that, and it's even at rank 8. I don't really need another magic bag, but if this is made from that skill, then maybe I can add some more magical properties to some of my other gear?)

The thought was enticing, but I didn't even know how to use the skill, so for until I learned more, it was on hold.

"Well, I'm sure that you don't need such an item anyways. Your bag is much better than mine. If you need something, I should be able to get our branch's enchanter to put something together for you, but it won't be cheap."

Peitho shrugged. It looked like she hadn't decided to change back to her professional mode yet, as she was still sitting slouched in her chair. It made me wonder if this was the real her, or if it was just how she looked like when she managed to unwind.

"Hmm...I don't think I need anything enchanted for now."

Unless if there was some sort of anti-sun enchantment, I couldn't really see anything that I really needed. And while as much as I'd like some enchantment to protect me from the sun, it would instantly give my species away, and I wasn't ready to do such a thing. Especially not for something where I didn't even know if such a thing even existed.

"That's fine. The offer's still on the table the whenever you come to visit. And when you do, you can stay here rather than in an inn. You'll only have to make my meals for payment."

"That sounds convenient. I'll consider it...if you clean the place up first that is."

"I'll make sure to do that then."

Peitho's expression soured instantly, but the determined glint in her eyes suggested that she was taking my words pretty seriously. To be honest, I didn't mind if she continued to neglect her home as long as she put in some basic effort to clean it up if I chose to stay here in the future.

Then again, if she made keeping her home clean on even a basic level a habit, it would probably be better for her health when she did actually use it, even if it was only to sleep.

After spending a few minutes watching the assistant guild master's uncharacteristic way of relaxing, I slowly got to my feet again.

"Well, I think it's time for me to get going."

"Mmm...I suppose. I need to get back to work as well."

The elf's expression turned gloomy, but the instant she forced herself to fix her posture all traces of that darkness had disappeared as if it had never existed.

"I hope you'll come visit us again soon. While it was short, it was nice having you here."

"It was nice being here as well."

I shook Peitho's extended hand before she showed me the way out and we went our separate ways. The assistant guild master to her office and me to the shopping districts.

While taking care to not cause too much havoc to the local economy, I took advantage of my recently acquired riches and spent the next while clearing out the various grocers in the area. From fresh fruits and vegetables to bread, flour, nuts and seeds. I had especially taken the effort to gather a large amount of eggs, butter, sheep milk cheese, sugar, salt, herbs, spices, and virtually all the goat milk I could find.

Since almost everything was kept at ambient temperature, things that went bad quickly was only kept in small quantities at specialist stores, so while I had cleared out the few places that carried milk, I had only managed to get a dozen litres of it or so, and all of it was goat milk. If I tried to make ice cream, I'd probably end up using it all for just a single large tub of it.

Despite my experiences on Earth, it seemed like there wasn't such a worry regarding that with the eggs. Either that, or the sale of eggs were just that good in this city so such a thing wasn't a concern? Regardless, I managed to easily acquire 50 eggs.

Overall, this was quite a lot of food that I, nor my companions couldn't eat ourselves, but all that depended on the idea that I'd end up not meeting people who I felt were worth making food for. But considering the trend I had experienced over the last few months, it was better to be prepared for such an occasion. At the worst, I could just use it all up on Magni when we met again.

Finally, I spent a little bit of time at a used clothes store.

While I was a little hesitant on buying clothes where I didn't know where they had been, I didn't have the time to spare on having new ones tailored and it seemed like the idea of selling premade clothes was absent in this world.

(Well, the economic power of the cities I've seen compared to my old home city was virtually incomparable anyways.)

After quickly browsing through the items and not being satisfied by the selection nor the materials, I simply gave up and grabbed whatever would meet my bare minimum requirements on the idea that I would work on replacing it all once I returned home again. These would only be temporary until I got around to gathering enough spider silk and went through the arduous process of turning those single strands into threads, then cloth, then full fledged clothes.

I bought three pairs of leather gloves that varied between slightly too tight to so-big-that-they-almost-slip-off-while-my-hands-are-hanging-at-my-sides, four shirts that despite being so long that they could be dresses on me yet made me worry that the buttons could close around my chest, four pairs of pants that all were way too long for me but the only smaller sizes were child size, and three sets of dresses. I didn't know what I'd do with those dresses, but at least they seemed to fit for the most part at a glance unlike most of the rest.

The reason why I had bought so much was because frankly I had no need to be reserved, and having to go without clothes again after it being damaged in a fight because I was being cheap when I was carrying more wealth than I knew how to use felt stupid. I didn't know when I'd next be able to buy more anyways, aside from the next city I was visiting, but I'd likely not need to buy any that soon.

With all my purchases done, I made my way to the southern gates and passed through to the outside.

As it was still the early afternoon, there was a trickle of people coming towards the city, but not a single person could be seen making their way southwards.

I checked that the little fluffballs were mostly accounted for. As they would often disappear for no reason and more would suddenly take their place, I didn't worry too much about any individual ones. Happy with their condition, I went into a light jog and started my way down the packed dirt road.

The moment that Knossos city was out of sight, I turned off of the road and made my way until the other travellers were little more the specks on the horizon.

Here, I finally did what I had been craving.

Not eating, but rather, I dug a large hole in the ground before using the displaced dirt to create walls and a roof. Only a singular hole in the middle let a small amount of light enter, but the hole was angled so that no direct sunlight could enter. The light was little, but enough for my enhanced sight.

Inside, I made a large tub from hardened clay and filled it with hot water before stripping down and placing my things on some simple shelves made from one of the walls.

Taking out a bar of soap, a jar of hair oil, and a rag, I took my time to thoroughly wash myself before rinsing my body and settling into the big bath tub. I eased by body into the heated water as the excess overflowed and filled the sealed ground, but I didn't mind about such details. My mind was filled with the bliss of finally being able to enjoy a proper bath after so long.

"Ahh, this is what I needed."

<It's really been too long.>

I was happy to know that Alicia agreed with me. So many things had been happening lately, and especially with the inability to simply quietly relax while soaking my body, I had ended up missing enjoying such a simple pleasure with Alicia.

Well, Claret was a new addition, but at times like this she only hung off of my body and the feeling of the strange astral warmth of her body was nice. Even the little fluff balls were effected by the relaxed atmosphere and they simply floated around lazily above me.

After a while, I opened the jar of hair oil.

<Ah! This is...!>

<I'm glad you remember. It's your favourite.>

<I do. That scent, it makes me so happy.>

The hair oil I decided to take out was the one Alicia liked the most: orange essential oil and coconut butter. The scent was exactly the decadent sort that make you want to eat some sweets, though I had the feeling that she chose it so that she could enjoy the scent even if she couldn't have these things for her treats. Not like I particularly avoided such a thing, but I liked to give her variety as well. It was hard to figure out what she liked and didn't like when she happily ate everything I gave her though.

I scooped out a liberal portion of the hair oil and started massaging it into my long hair. Thankfully it had reached its limit at almost my knees, but even then taking care of such long hair was quite a chore. Even more so when I couldn't spend the time to do proper daily maintenance. But despite that, the act of kneading the oil into my hair was strangely therapeutic. It was like getting a light feeling of zen thanks to the simple and repetitive motions required.

Once I wiped away the excess oil on the rag, I carefully draped my hair onto the rim of the bath tub and adjusted the water's temperature before returning to relax in the hot water.

It probably was really important to find joy in the little things in life, though I did wonder if I lacked joy in the bigger things, such a thought did little to bother me.

Big things didn't suit me anyways. I didn't need fame or glory. Or rather, I didn't want them. They were only a hassle to someone like me. They were merely things that took away from the things I truly enjoyed, which was spending time with the people I cared about, making them happy, and relaxing just like this.

(Well, fighting strong monsters and drinking good blood was always nice as well.)

After a while of enjoying the long awaited soak, obviously also after reheating my precious bath water for at least the third time as well, I forced myself up. My fingers had long since shrivelled up and I was slightly worried that the rest of my body would follow suit and prune up, even if the rational side of my mind stated that such a thing wasn't possible since finger pruning was caused by a neurologic reaction to becoming wet, not some weird physical symptom of the skin being exposed to water for a long time.

But more importantly, the light entering through the hole in the ceiling was slowly starting to get weaker. It was getting close to the time when I could take flight to my destination. And since that time was approaching, I had a little bit of work to do before then.

I dried my body with my signature evaporation magic, then proceeded to wash my usual outfit using the remaining bath water and soap. Once I dried those as well, I took out my comb and brushed my hair. I idly wondered if I should have waited until this stage to apply the hair oil or if I should have done it twice, but the hair oil was supposed to replace the conditioners used back on Earth, so I wasn't really sure. Feminine hygiene trends wasn't exactly something I was knowledgeable about and talking to the women I knew in this world wouldn't help. Especially the ones that were with me currently.

Once I tied the light pink ribbon that Alicia had given me so long ago onto the end of my hair to keep it together, I extracted the clothes I had bought earlier, and subjected them to a thorough cleaning. The bar of soap I was using had ended up performing a magic trick and turned entirely into bubbles in the process. After several wash and rinse cycles, I sprinkled a small amount of my own usual hair oil with the lavender and lemon extracts and rubbed them in to override any lingering scents.

Finally, I dried them all with magic and through all of them but one shirt, a pair of pants, and a pair of gloves and put those on.

As expected, the fit was pretty poor.

The pants were also too big. Even after pulling them up all the way, not even my toes poked out. The waist was way too large as well, and I had to fold a large portion of the belt line so that they were snug when I tied a cord around my waist.

The shirt was all over the place for me. The sleeves were so long that I had to fold them so that they won't drape over my hands, the body was so long that it looked more like a short dress on me, yet despite that, I had a hard time buttoning the front all the way. The way that the buttons struggled against my oversized mounds made me worry that one of them would fly right off like in some comedy or something. I could only hope that if such a thing would happen, my cloak would catch the button so I could reattach it later on.

For now, I put that said cloak back on along with one of my new pair of gloves. Even these fit poorly, as they were also too big for me. At least they did a proper job of covering my hands, and their leather makeup meant that as long as they didn't fall off on some inopportune time, I didn't have to worry about my hands getting burnt in the sun.

That said, I did make sure to double check that the buckles on the sleeves of my robes were tight and there was no chance that they'd flap open accidentally.

Finally, I finished putting on the rest of my usual things and I broke down my little bath house.

The sun was clearly fleeing under the horizon. It was almost time for me to take flight and make my way to Eremus city.

Ninetailed_Furball

Hi everybody! It's your usual furball! (≧∇≦)/
Sorry for the slightly late release. Iceborne still managed to keep its death grip on me. That, and my local transit system's been quite a pain lately, so not only have I been late almost every day at work, but I get home later than normal taking away time from everything! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Well, aside from that, I also ended up having a weird craving for some fruit, but the only 24h place was like 20 minutes away. I tried to suck it up, but caved. It was so worth it, even though I forgot to wear socks or a scarf so I froze half my face off. Tomorrow I'll get real juice and fresh fruit so it won't happen again.

Well, I don't have much more to say.

What did everyone think of Peitho? It sounds like she's been through quite a bit, and her current job isn't doing her any favours either. That said, I suppose Scarlet can't do anything about it right now. They probably won't even meet for a while anyways.

So who figured out that the food Scarlet made was a simple set of burger and fries anyways? Virtually everyone? I suppose I did almost nothing to hide that fact. （´∀｀）

Anyways, I'll see you all in the next one!

Bubay! (^o^)／