CH 243.1

The central square of the royal capital.

「Alright! It’s time to eat!」

The bell rang to announce that it was time for lunch, and the old man pilot who had been working on paperwork at his desk raised his voice.

The married old man who was a former adventurer straightened his back.

「Is it a lunch box from your beloved wife again today too, Lightning-san?」

A young man with a mustache takes out a lunch basket wrapped in a cloth while smiling shyly. He looks enviously at Lightning’s figure.

The married man also often has a lunch box from his beloved wife. Yesterday, however, his wife was working a late shift at the brothel, so he turned it down himself.

「Where should we go to eat?」

He asked the single old man, but neither of them came up with a good place.

As they were wondering what to do, they heard the voices of the girls who were their colleagues.

「I found a good place. Let’s go together」

The one who invites her friend to go with her while shaking her magnificent cannonball-shaped breasts is Busty-chan. The girl with a ponytail and a slightly stern face seems like she agreed to go with her.

「That sounds good, why don’t you let us go with you girls too?」

The married old man approaches the girls while pointing at himself. The ponytail makes a slightly displeased expression, but Busty-chan smiled and nodded..

This is one of her qualities that should be admired.

Thus, the four of them who had joined the same group went outside to have lunch.

「Beef cooked in red wine huh? Is it something like a stew?」

A group of people headed for the central square, passing by the royal castle. The topic of conversation was, of course, the new menu of the restaurant they were going to visit.

「Yes, something like that. But it’s cooked in certain ways, and it’s very delicious」

“Here, read this” Busty-chan said, opening the magazine and showing the restaurant’s introduction page. Unlike Ponytail, she was familiar with this kind of information.

The old men put their faces close and read the article carefully.

「It certainly looks delicious, I’m looking forward to it」

They looked at each other and smiled.

Busty-chan and her group finally arrived at the store which was located on the north side of the central square. But even from the outside, they could see that the place was crowded.

「It’s lunch time now, after all. And this means their dish is indeed delicious」

It seems we have to wait for a while. The married man thought so as he looked inside the restaurant.

Although the restaurant seemed to be full, he saw a particular spot in the corner of his eye.

「Oh, that spot is empty. It looks like it can fit for four more people」

There was one person who seemed to be a customer at a seat for six people, with his back facing them.

The waitress hurriedly tried to stop the married man from walking towards it. She held him back with one hand and smiled at him.

「I’m just going to ask him if he doesn’t mind sharing a table. If not, I’ll give up and wait」

Perhaps because of his high status as a pilot, he is not hesitant to do this kind of thing. It would be akin to a pilot on an international flight calling out to a famous person they never met before.

Inviting them into the cockpit was a common and annoying practice a long time ago.

『My standing is equal, or even higher than the other person anyway』

Such a feeling appeared in him subconsciously.

「Yo, do you mind sharing a table?」

The married old man told the man without looking at his face while puffing out his chest as if to show off his pilot’s uniform.

He had probably just finished ordering, the man who was about to close the menu looked up and nodded approvingly.

「I don’t mind」

In that moment, the married old man freezes.

He wasn’t that close to the man, but he knew him. The leader of the organization to which he belonged, the knight commander of the Kingdom knight order, was there.

(Why isn’t he in his pilot uniform? How the hell am I supposed to tell that he’s here!)

He screamed in his mind. This was the knight commander’s way of showing consideration for the people around him, but he had no way of knowing that.

「Oi, what’s wrong?」

The single old man who called out from behind froze as well when he saw the customer before him.

Incidentally, these two men know that the knight commander is the Gourmet of Gold.

「What’s wrong, you two?」

Following after the two was Busty-chan. After being surprised at the sight of the knight commander, she greeted him with a smile.

However she didn’t mention his title as the knight commander, probably out of consideration for the reason for his plain attire.

(If there are too many important people present, it will be difficult for the customers to be around)

She and Ponytail had no clue about the Gourmet of Gold.

So this was her honest thought without any implications.

「Don’t just stand there. Go on and take a seat」

She sits right in front of the knight commander while thanking him.

She’s not afraid of the knight commander, on the contrary, she sees it as a chance to appeal to him. On the other hand, Ponytail who sat next to her had a tense look on her face.

「…Excuse me」

The married old man sits down next to the knight commander. And the single old man sits next to him.

The four of them all ordered the same food, and the food arrived without much of a wait. Since hashed beef and two loaves of bread was the only dish in this restaurant, they must have prepared a big pot of it.

「Wahh, it’s so delicious!」

Busty-chan exclaimed as she brought the spoon to her mouth, then clenched her fists and tightened her sides.

Next to her, Ponytail had her eyes wide open, spoon in hand.

「I’m surprised the taste would be this different even though it’s the same beef stew」

Such words leaked from her lips. Since she was used to eating the same kind of food at a cheap restaurant, she was surprised at how good it tasted.

The knight commander watched the scene with his eyes squinted.

「I’m glad you like it. This is actually one of my favorite dishes」

On the other hand, the old men sitting in a row on the knight commander’s side of the table haven’t touched the food yet.

They are just observing the women’s group.

(It’s not that, right?)

The single old man looked at the married old man who shook his head.

(With this color, I can’t tell if it’s mixed in with that)

Ponytail sitting in front of them called out to them.

「What are you the two of you doing? You should eat, too. The meat is tender and the sauce is rich in flavor. It’s not like those foods at the stalls」

Urged by the ponytail, the two old men looked at each other.

There are only five of them in this place, they can’t possibly not try the food even once.

After forcing each other to go first, they both pick up their spoon. They took a small scoop and placed it in their mouths with some hesitation.

(It’s okay…. probably)

The single old man made a strained expression while having such an impression.

(It’s really okay right? This is not a well-disguised that right?)

Returning the courtesy to the knight commander who looked at him with a face as if looking forward to his impression, he moved his spoon again.

Ponytail frowned seeing the two old men eating hesitantly.

「Why are you two eating like a princess like that?」

The old man returned with an annoyed look, but didn’t say a word. They’re eating the food with an air of refinement that’s almost too elegant.

While they were doing that, Busty-chan was having a conversation with the knight commander.

「What kind of dish do you like, knight commander?」

The knight commander stops his spoon and thinks for a moment.

「Hmm… a wild game meat meal while camping, I guess」

Busty-chan tilted her head in a cute way at the words she had never heard before.

The knight commander felt the need to explain and continued in a calm tone.

「It’s a kind of dish where you walk through the woods and mountains, pick up fresh wild food, and cook it on the spot. The best part is that you can enjoy the taste of the wild」

Busty-chan’s eyes sparkled as she asked him to explain more. 『I want to try it!』 she exclaimed in an excited tone.

Ponytail seemed to be uncomfortable with this kind of talk and kept on eating. The old man in front of her poked her foot with his toe.

(Stop her)

When she looked up, she saw the married man moving his mouth as if he was trying to say something in a desperate manner.

(What’s with you? If you want to appeal to him too, why don’t you just do the same)

The ponytail whispered back in a cold tone, and the old men’s expression twisted.

(I’m saying this for Busty-chan’s sake! I don’t know what happens later, alright?)

However, she cannot understand his true intentions. The whispered exchange continued from across the table.

While next to her, the conversation became even more lively.

「The wild ones are usually very peculiar. For you guys, I’d suggest starting with something battered and fried」

At those words, the old men’s expressions went paler.

(That’s bad! He’s trying to bring more people to his side)

The single old man nodded strongly to the married old man’s words.

(What’s “You guys”? Don’t just include us by yourself)

Fortunately for them, the lunch break was not long. Their time having lunch together soon came to an end.

They thanked him after he told them that he would pay their bill too so they should go back first, and the four of them walked down the street together.

「I asked him to bring me too next time, but he didn’t say yes」

Busty-chan said while shrugging her shoulders in disappointment. Seeing her, the old men thanked their boss for his consideration.

With this the meal would definitely be ordinary food. They looked at each other and breathed out a sigh of relief from deep within their lungs.

(What should we do? Should we tell them about the Gourmet of Gold?)

In response to the married old man’s gaze, the single old man gives a small shake of his head.

(Better not. They might find out eventually, but it doesn’t have to come from us)

They agreed to keep a lid on the stink. While lamenting the misfortune of being in the same room with the knight commander, they headed for the knight order headquarters where their work was waiting for us.