Chapter 15
Another few days went by, marking our one-week anniversary as residents of Goliath. We’ve killed more slimes than we could count, to the point I felt embarrassed walking up to the shop with pockets full of slime seeds. They added up, though, and before we knew it, we were walking back into the weapon and armor shops.
Our weapons and armor we ended up with were still shabby, but finally, we were fully geared up. Well, almost fully geared up, anyway. Hope decided to opt for using a dagger for now, since guns were so expensive, and she wanted to buy supplies for her gadgets instead.
I had a proper two-handed warrior’s sword, and John had a proper metal shield and a one-handed hammer that gave him extra healing power. The girls were particularly excited with our trip to the armor shop, and when they stepped out of the changing room, I felt I was being given a bonus award for all of my hard work.
Hope was now the living embodiment of the word tom-boy, moreso than I had realized in the peasants' clothes. She wore boots and a pair of brown leather overalls, as well as thick gloves. On her head, there were a pair of goggles strapped to her forehead. She seemed to embrace the fashion, though, taking a pose with her hand on her hip, jutting out her chest so the straps of the overalls defined her womanly curves. I didn’t know a girl with boots and gloves could be that cute. She had even tied her dark hair back in a ponytail to fit the tomboy image even better. “So, what do you think?” she asked, blowing a strand of hair away from her face.
John’s gentle atmosphere finally showed a crack as he coughed to hide himself catching his breath. “Yes, looks great. I mean,” he cleared his throat. “It’s a good set, I think.”
I couldn’t fault him, though, as once Leah came out from behind the curtain, I had to remind myself not to let my mouth hang open. That’s the last thing I needed―become the classic, bland harem anime protagonist who didn’t even know how to keep his eyes to himself.
Wait… harem anime? I wasn’t sure what that was exactly, but whatever it was, I knew that is not what I wanted to become.
In actuality, her clothing was rather modest. A green cloak was draped over her shoulders, fastened with a bronze clasp at her throat, and a hood resting below the nape of her neck. Underneath, a tunic of lighter greens hugged her slender frame. Her skirt, made of brown leather, was layered and flowed freely around her, prioritizing practicality for movement. A set of knee-high boots finished off the outfit, tied sturdily with cords along her shins and clasped with a matching brown buckle.
Just like her, it was beautifully unique. If my life was going to be spent adventuring with her every day, then I felt it would be no trouble taking Victoria’s advice and not worrying about my lost memories. Cute girls aside, this group were my friends, and though it had only been a week, I felt damn lucky to be in a party with them.
“So… um… will this work?” Leah asked, shyly. I hope I didn’t stare too hard.
“Yeah, of course,” I said. “How does it feel?”
I don’t know if it was on purpose or if she was just too innocent, but she did a pirouette, her cloak coming away and the skirt flattening out as it raised slightly, letting us see just a bit more of her legs. “Yup! It’s super comfy!” she said, clenching an excited fist as the motion came to an end. Damn, she was too cute. It was fortunate she would be positioned behind me during combat, or I would be way too distracted.
“So, how much cash we got left after paying for this stuff?” Hope asked.
“About 15 silver,” I answered.
“Alright! We’re eating good tonight!” Hope cheered. “I was thinking, the guild bar is fine and all, but why don’t we look for a nicer restaurant for a change? You know, to celebrate.”
“That sounds good to me,” I said, “Got anywhere in mind, though?”
“Not really, but if we walk around a bit, I bet we’ll find something!”
―
Walking along the shopping district, we mainly found bars or small places that did not seem like much of a step up from the guild bar. Then, Hope had the brilliant idea to go to the upper levels of the city, closer to the castle. Looking up at the castle towering far overhead, I thought it might be worth taking a break from adventuring one day and just exploring the city. There was so much here; it could easily take a few days just to see everything.
After finding a path to the upper level and climbing about a hundred stairs, we were greeted with quite different construction of the houses and buildings. Below in the lower levels of the city, everything was made of stone. Up here, it was all mostly made of wood, with everything painted with nice colors and architecture that prioritized design over efficiency.
“Wow, everything is so much nicer up here,” Hope said. “Dont know why, but I assumed the whole city was kind of like the area around the guild hall.”
“It does give a certain impression when everyone is walking around with weapons,” John agreed. As he said that, I realized just how much we stood out. Everybody wore much nicer clothing, and as far as weapons went, a few staffs were being lugged around, but nobody in full armor like us. Especially not cheap armor. I noticed we were getting some stares.
“Maybe we should have left our weapons behind in our room at the guild?” Leah asked.
“Well, we are already up here now,” I said. “Might as well go get some food.”
We walked around, spotting a few different restaurants but finally deciding on one that was at the corner of a street called Pearle Diner. A diner might not be the luxurious meal we were hoping for, but we were not exactly dressed for fine dining, so this would probably be better.
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We all stepped inside, and the initially warm greeting of the hostess quickly faded as she took us in. “Hi! Welcome to- um… oh...” She cleared her throat and looked away from us.
“Um… table for four?” I asked.
She cleared her throat once again, and said, “Yes… So, I’m afraid I will have to ask you all to leave your weapons up front if you are going to dine here.”
We looked at each other, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. “Ah, that will be fine,” John said, “where should we set them?”
She pointed to a closet door next to us. We opened it to find shelves that already had a few swords, bows, and shields on them. So, we were not the first to walk in here with weapons, but she was acting like we had just committed some kind of cardinal sin. I didn’t get it.
Oh well, as long as the food was good their attitudes didn’t matter to me. We dropped off our weapons and came back out to find the hostess holding a stack of menus.
She bowed her head as respectfully as possible, though I could tell she quite forced herself. “Please, right this way.”
As we were led back I saw another party of four at a table, except unlike us they were all dressed identically to eachother. It seemed to be a uniform with metal shoulders and breast plates, but blue cloth between the heavier metals and capes. I wondered if they were castle guards or something like that, and for some reason, they gave us the stink-eye as we passed. Either way, I assume those other weapons we saw in the closet were theirs.
Finally at the table, the hostess bowed and said, “Your waiter will be out to take your drink order momentarilly.”
Once she was gone, I was curious about those other guys, so tapped my crystal to check one of their stats.
Benjamin
Castle Gaurd - level 60
Hp: ????/????
For some reason his health was blocked, which was the first time that was the case with a wielder. Or was it? I thought back to the guys on the ship who were dressed in blue like him. No, I did check their stats and it was different. These guys were wielders, but their stats were not displayed the same as anyone else I’ve checked. Furthermore, was castle guard a class?
“Man, this all looks yummy,” Hope said, her eyes practically turning to stars as she looked over the menu.
“A little on the expensive side as well,” John said.
I took a look and realized he was right. At the guild, a meal for four tended to come out to just over 2 silvers, here it would be about 15 as long as we didn’t get the more expensive options. I wonder what the more luxiorious restaurants would be like around here.
“Guess we should have saved up a little more,” Hope said. “We’re going to spend the last of our treasure eating here.”
“Its kind of embarassing to walk out now...” Leah said.
Couldn’t deny that, espeacilly after the looks we got coming in, walking out now would be a walk of shame I did not feel like going through.
“Actually, it’s fine, look,” I said, finding a deal on the next page of the menu. “Most of these meals cost 3 to 4 silver, but there is a meal for 2 here that only costs 5. If we are to get this, we’ll only have to pay 10, plus a fair tip would be another 2 silver pieces, so it's no problem.”
“Considering how we were treated, I say stiff them on the tip,” Hope said.
I thought about this, then answered, “No, we can’t do that… it would make us look bad...”
They all looked at me. “I know what you mean Zelik,” John said. “But perhaps we can get away with a low tip? As Hope said, we haven't exactly gotten the best service.”
“I know, but that will just reinforce their stereotype of us...” I said. “As we are walking out they will say; of course they tipped so low, just as we expected, we’re glad we didn’t serve them properly...” My eyes came alive. “I want to prove them wrong! Show them that just because we can’t afford nice things, we still have the right to a decent meal from time to time! AND we’ll give them a fair tip!”
“So it’s pride, is it?” Hope said, folding her arms. “We need to prioritize survival. Would you chase the larger monster just because you would feel weak for running away?”
“This is different… this isn’t life or death of our bodies, it’s life or death of our souls. But no, it is not just pride… I...” I raised my head and clenched my fist passionately. “I want to eat good food!”
John sat back, a stoic expression in his eyes. “Leah, we haven't heard from you. What do you think?”
Leah was focused on the menu, but she suddenly looked up and turned it around. “I think we should do it. Look at this. The meal for two comes with two entrées AND two sides. Plus bread! If we split two of these, then that will be a total of nine different foods we can split four ways. We’ll get a golden chance to learn what the best foods are, that way one day when we come back we’ll be more prepared!”
“But what about the portion size?” Hope asked. The skepticism in her eyes showed she was still not convinced of our plan. “Would a single side being split four ways be worth it? Would we really get a taste for the dish with such a small sampling? The entrées may be fine but… the sides?”
“Hm...” I took a look at the menu, glancing over the options for sides and entrées. Something like a baked potato would be a poor choice if we were splitting it four ways. “We should go for it. The guild only has simple things like stew. Leah’s right, this is our chance to learn about the food in this world. Knowing what being able to afford good meals can get us will help with our resolve and improve our motivation while monster hunter.” I placed a fist on the table. “You’ve all felt it, haven’t you? The hours of grinding for meager rewards? So far we have been able to take it, but eventually, it will destroy our souls! Surviving this world under such conditions? We won’t be able to do it! No, we need this. We need to eat good food!”
John grinned. “I like the way you think. Well, alright, you’re the party leader, I’ll go with whatever you decide.”
“Me too!” said Leah. “I believe in you!”
A compromising smirk played on Hope’s lips. “Alright, fine. Just don’t go overboard, alright?”
The waiter returned to the table. I looked up, feeling the excitement of the moment washing over me.
I looked her in the eyes and pointed at the menu. “We’re ready to order!”