“‘Restore the virtue of your soul,’” Ariya read off the sign on the door. “This must be some super special place, right, Lusya? Like some kind of magic shop or secret wizard guild.”

“I believe that is just a slogan,” Lusya said. “This seems to be a dining establishment.”

“Right you are,” Azure said with a nod.

Ariya looked at Lusya, shocked. “How did you know?”

“The picture of of a steak on top of the slogan you just read was a clue,” Lusya said.

Ariya reexamined the door and blushed. “Oh.”

“It would also not be very secret as a building with prominent signage in the middle of town.”

A tiny village, granted, but the point stood.

Ariya’s blush brightened. “Right.”

“There is also the name,” Lusya said. “Though it is not surprising you would not be aware of its significance.”

“What’s the big deal with the name?” Ariya asked.

“There’s been a bit of a trend recently,” Azure said, “of establishments similar to taverns, but focused more on the food and the idea of being waited on.”

Lusya nodded. “There are several names for such businesses, but ‘restore point’ has emerged as one of the most common.”

Ariya pursed her lips and hummed. “I don’t like that.”

“It could use some more workshopping,” Azure added.

“Do not tell me as if it was my idea,” Lusya said. “In any case, that brings us back to both the name and slogan.”

Aside from the claim about restoring souls, the name, carved into the door right above the steak, was “Minred’s Restore Point.” It could not have been more obvious. The idea behind the name was that the food would restore one’s energy, physical and mental. Which was true enough, and the slogan was a reasonable take off of the idea. Still, she found the slogan a bit dramatic, and the overall term was a bit awkward and didn’t quite convey what the purpose was. Then again, tavern also didn’t betray its purpose, so perhaps it was simply a matter of acclimation.

“I guess that makes sense,” Ariya said.

“It is strange to see one here,” Lusya said. “There have been elements spreading elsewhere, but proper examples have mostly been confined to urban environments.”

The extensive menus they had encountered in certain inns were themselves an element of restore points. Traditional taverns and inns had more rudimentary menus if they had any at all.

“Yeah, not sure what the owner’s thinking here,” Azure said. “Not a lot of people even know about the place since it’s out in the middle of nowhere. I don’t think this village even has a triple-digit population.” She shrugged. “But it’s his call, I guess, and everyone who has eaten here says the food is to die for.”

“That’s an expression, right?” Ariya asked nervously.

“It is,” Lusya said. “I believe the implication is that the food is so good one would die fighting for it as they might a country or ideal.”

“More or less,” Azure said with a nod. “It’s meant to be hyperbolic, though.”

“Indeed. I felt that aspect was obvious.”

“Well then, shall we go inside?” Azure asked.

“Yeah!” Ariya said. “I’m up for delicious food.”

“Then let us go,” Lusya said.

With Azure leading, they entered the building to the subtle scent of bread, meat, and wine. Just enough to be appetizing, it was a stark contrast to the typical tavern or inn, where one could almost choke on the scent of cheap ale and whatever was cooking in the kitchen. That was intentional, at least in part. The kitchen was sectioned off with a heavier door than the likes of a tavern, reducing the flow of smells. As Azure had said, part of the point was to make the patron feel like they were being waited on, as if by servants. Keeping the kitchen separate and the chef hidden, rather than a gruff innkeeper front and center to speak with, was part of that.

That said, the fact that the place was almost empty likely played a part. Considering Lusya and the others had been able to have a conversation right in front of the door without holding anyone up, it was hardly a surprise to find the inside almost deserted. There was one table occupied by an old man loudly slurping spoonful after spoonful of some kind of soup.

He wasn’t the only other person there, however. A bored looking girl stood by the kitchen door, examining her nails. She didn’t seem to notice Lusya and others enter, nor the door closing behind them. While most servers in an inn or tavern simply wore ordinary clothes, this girl wore a black dress with an apron over it, giving her the appearance of a wealthy house’s servant, albeit a rather inattentive one.

Azure stopped before a wooden sign propped up near the door reading, “Please wait to be seated.” That seemed more inconvenient than simply sitting down to Lusya, which seemed to run counter to the goal. They stood there for a couple minutes before Ariya tugged on Lusya’s cloak for attention.

“What are we waiting for?” she whispered.

“That woman,” Lusya said. She turned to Azure. “I do not think she sees us.”

“Doesn’t seem like it, does it?” Azure said. “Excuse me!”

The girl squeaked looked toward Azure. The girl’s eyes widened and her face paled. She hoisted up her skirt to allow herself to run to the sign and clasped her hands, pleading.

“I’m so sorry, Lady Knight,” she said. “Please don’t tell Minred about this, he’ll kill me.”

Azure smiled. “No harm done. Our lips are sealed.”

The girl sighed in relief, then gestured toward a table. “Please, follow me this way.” She led the way to the table she had indicated, where every chair was pushed as far in as it would go. She pulled a chair out just enough for Azure to sit in, then repeated the process for Ariya and Lusya. That was probably why they had to wait. So she could pull out the chairs in an attempt to make them feel pampered. Lusya did not miss how she hurried to back away once Lusya was seated. “I’ll be right back with menus.”

The girl rushed to the kitchen, then returned shortly afterward with three sheets of stiff paper with writing on them. She handed them out to each of them. Once again, she took extra caution with Lusya, holding the paper out by the very tips of her fingers. If Lusya had done anything to earn that, she was not aware of it. It was likely her apparent status as a reltus, her natural demeanor, or some combination of the two.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Please, call me over when you know what you want,” the girl said. “In the meantime, I’ll bring some water out for you.”

She scurried back to the kitchen, while Lusya and the others looked over their options.

“This menu looks familiar,” Azure said after a moment.

“Indeed,” Lusya said.

Ariya frowned. “What do you mean? I’ve never seen it before.”

“The listed items are quite similar to that in the inn we first stopped at with Azure.”

“That guy had a brother, right?” Ariya said.

“The girl working there did say that,” Azure said.

The girl working here returned with three glasses and a carafe of water moments later. “Have you decided what you want?”

They all placed their orders, with Lusya deciding to go with a similar pasta to at the inn. It had been quite good there. Azure had been right. That was annoying, somehow.

“Does the owner of this establishment have a brother?” Lusya asked as the girl prepared to leave.

The girl flinched as Lusya spoke, then gave a hesitant nod. “Minred? Yes, he does. I understand they have something of a beef.”

“And what is the point of contention between them?”

“From what I can gather, they both trained as chefs. They promised to go into business together, but then Minred wanted to start one of these new-style places, and the brother wanted to bring better food to a traditional inn. They had an argument over it and haven’t spoken since.”

“That is remarkably petty,” Lusya said. It did also line up with what they had heard at the inn. It indeed seemed this was the brother’s business.

“It’s not my job to judge them, miss,” the girl said. “Um, do you need anything else?”

“How does he afford to keep this restore point in such shape?” Lusya asked. While there was nothing especially expensive on display in the building, what was there was pristine. Not a speck of dust or so much as a scratch on anything. Even the sign had looked like it might have been painted yesterday. The other brother’s inn had been much the same, and—while it had gotten more business—it had hardly been bustling either. “There is almost nobody here.”

The girl squirmed as if the mere act of conversing with Lusya was uncomfortable. “Well, as I understand it, their old man is loaded. He used to be some hotshot merchant, then up and became a recluse and moved to the valley. I guess he chips in, but I don’t really know all the details.”

“I see,” Lusya said. That explained it. It also explained how two random inhabitants of the valley had been able to travel the continent and afford culinary training for the both of them.

That was all she wanted to know, but the girl was still standing there, looking around as if for an escape route while she waited for Lusya to say something else.

“You may go now,” she said.

The girl nodded and hurried off.

“How did you know about this place, Azure?” Ariya asked. “How did you know about a lot of stuff here?”

“Your knowledge of the Elzen Valley’s attractions is quite extensive,” Lusya said.

Azure shrugged. “I told you I wanted to take the scenic route. And if I was going to do that, I was going to do it right. I did a lot of research trying to find the best places to visit.” She sighed. “It’s kind of a shame this place has such a reputation as a backwater. There’s some cool stuff here.”

“You also seem to view it that way,” Lusya said.

Azure chuckled. “You’re not wrong. It is hard to shake that impression completely. Maybe that’s for the best. This place would probably lose a lot of its charm if a lot people moved here and started building it up.”

No one else entered the restore point as they waited for their food. The man eating soup paid for his food and left, and no replacement arrived. With no bar or staircase to rooms, the place was a little larger than the typical tavern or inn dining room. The extra space only made it feel more empty.

It was about twenty minutes before the girl emerged again, carrying all the food on a single tray. She set the tray down on a nearby table and began transferring dishes over to Lusya’s. Azure’s saucy steak and Ariya’s pasta—she had opted to imitate Lusya’s order—were placed in front of them without incident along with their respective drinks.

When it came time for Lusya’s meal, the girl once again held the dish as little as possible, as if she was afraid of what might happen if she and Lusya made contact when Lusya took the plate. The girl, unfortunately, did not have sufficient grip strength in just the ends of her fingers to make this work. The dish clattered to the ground and shattered, splashing noodles and sauce all over the floor. The girl stared in stunned silence, then let out a high-pitched squeal.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ll go get something to clean that up and get you another one right away!”

Once again, she returned to the kitchen. Lusya watched her go, then turned away and cocked her head a bit.

“Uh-oh, Lusya’s mad,” Ariya said.

“I am more annoyed than angry,” Lusya said.

“At least she just seems nervous, more than anything,” Azure said. “I don’t think she means anything by it. That’s admirable, really. It’s the tiniest villages like this where people often have the most trouble with outsiders.”

“I know,” Lusya said. “Her nerves did not bother me until this happened. Now, I am…retroactively irritated at her prior behavior as well.”

Azure giggled. “Well, I’m glad you can express that so easily, at least.”

“Ooh, eye-widen!” Ariya called out, before taking a sip of her juice.

Apples were in season, so fresh-squeezed apple juice was on the menu. None grew around here, but they were close enough to be transported with a bit of ice to preserve them. Even over a short distance, though, that must have been expensive. It was not a common service. Another fruit of this Minred’s father’s fortune, it seemed. Most establishments would not be bale to afford something like that, especially on so little business.

“You do not need to point out my expression,” Lusya said.

“I want to, though.”

Lusya blinked. She supposed there was no harm in it. Azure could read her expressions anyway, so there was no risk of giving unwanted hints. “Do as you wish.”

Azure took a bite of her meal and hummed appreciatively. “This is really good. Better than the inn, I’d say. I think I’ll spread the word a bit. It’d be a shame if it shut down, and people will flock here if a Paladin endorses it.”

“Why?” Ariya asked. “You don’t know anything special about food.”

“The Paladin’s are widely known and respected,” Lusya said.

“Well, I know that.”

“That respect may bleed over into areas where her opinion ought to have no extra weight and lend it strength,” Lusya said. “Though I do not understand why either.”

Azure giggled. “You could stand to word that a bit more flatteringly, but that’s about the gist.”

"What do I always tell you?” a man’s voice shouted from the kitchen. He was muffled by the walls but still easy enough to hear.

The girl replied, but her voice was much quieter, and it was impossible to make out the words. She sounded plaintive but not frightened, so the man—Minred, presumably—exploding could not be an uncommon occurrence. The girl did not strike Lusya as having the fortitude to stand her ground if she had grown accustomed to it.

“That’s right. Human, tiransa, reltus, dog. Shadows, you’re no Sacred Knight, if a demon walks in here and orders my food, you serve them with a smile!”

Ariya giggled.

“Hush,” Azure said, though she was also grinning.

“And that’s another thing,” the man continued. “Serve! Half the point here is to make the customer feel like some rich asshole getting waited on hand and foot, so stop talking to them like some common tavern wench!”

Azure shrugged. “I could just go home if I wanted to feel like that.” She paused. “I think I won’t mention the staff in my review.”

“I don’t even know what they’re talking about,” Ariya said.

Lusya was ambivalent on the subject. The feeling of being served or groveled to held little appeal to her. She had had servants at Father’s castle and had rarely made use of them, preferring to get things done herself. While she was fine being waited on in a dining establishment where not doing so was not an option, the extra flourish and emphasis restore points put on it was meaningless to her, neither a boon nor a demerit.

The girl said something else to the man, sounding incredulous.

There was a brief pause. “Yes, actually! That’s a brilliant idea. Start doing it right now. Now, get out there and do your job!”

It was now much easier to understand how this man might have had a falling out with his brother over a minor difference in business strategy. The girl walked out holding a broom, a rag, and a dust pan, looking quite chastised. She swept what she could into the pan and wiped most of the sauce up with the rag.

She briefly placed both of them aside and, her face bright red, approached Lusya. The girl lowered into a clumsy curtsy, almost losing her balance in the process.

“I’m sorry about earlier, miss,” she said. “Your food will be out again in a minute.”

“Your apology is accepted,” Lusya said.

The girl smiled. “Thank you.”

She grabbed her cleaning implements and returned to the kitchen.

“That was mean,” Ariya said.

Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. “I do not know what you are referring to.”

Ariya crossed her arms and huffed. “Yes, you do.”

“I assure you, I do not.”

Azure chuckled. “Well, I guess we can’t expect you to figure everything out about yourself so quickly.”