Kays Translations

Chapter 21

“I see… it looks like we can order tea and pastries.”

After arriving at the salon, we first checked to see if food was available. At the entrance to a floor with scattered table seating, we discovered that you could indeed place orders.

From what I could tell, staff members would later deliver tea and pastries on carts directly to the seats of the people who ordered.
It looked just like a noble’s tea party. But then again, since this facility was in a district frequented by nobles, it wasn’t surprising that such a service existed.

“Pastries… like sweet ones?”

“Yes, probably. You haven’t had many sweets before, have you?”

“Sometimes, traveling merchants would give me some as a bonus when I was a kid.”

“I see… then let’s have some again, for the first time in a while?”

“…Yay.”

Melt, suppressing her voice, couldn’t hide her delight.

We promptly placed our order together.

“Oh, they have herb tea made from Quince leaves. I’ll have that.”

“Hmm… then I’ll have the same.”

Since I still didn’t know the names of plants in this world, I trusted Melt’s choice—after all, she had lived in the mountains for a long time.

On the other hand, the names of the sweets were familiar—though slightly different, they seemed close enough to those I knew.
No… considering that gemstones shared the same names, it might be that even if the names were different, my brain is interpreting them as their Earth equivalents.

Honestly, I still don’t fully understand how this works, but I’ll order them for the sake of testing.

“Two servings of financier and cassata, please.”

I ordered pastries from France and Italy.

If what I expect is correct, then items in this world are being interpreted as their closest Earth equivalents by name.

“Certainly. Please place this vase on your table.”

“What a beautiful flower.”

“This is a variant of the Fros Orchid.”

“Ohh… that’s rare. Even though this species is known for its tendency to mutate, you’re cultivating this particular variant as a stable strain, right? Are you growing a wide variety of strains somewhere to distinguish between customers?”

“My, you’re very knowledgeable, my lady. Yes, exactly. A professor from the academy in this district who teaches plant genetics is the one cultivating them.”

“Huh… so they even teach subjects like that here, huh…”

I see… in essence, this is a stylish and elegant alternative to a number tag.
A refined system, fitting for this place.

Still… Melt seems to possess some impressively advanced knowledge.

And the fact that genetics is already established in this world is quite something.

Well, considering that a scientist discovered inheritance mechanisms through pea plant experiments in the 1800s back on Earth, it’s not unnatural.

“Let’s wait at our seat then, Melt.”

“Yeah, let’s wait.”

I nearly burst out laughing as Melt tried to imitate my tone.

We sat at a table near the glass doors with a view of the courtyard.
Probably due to the cold weather, the doors weren’t open at the moment.

Still, judging by the stacked tables and the state of the grass, the area was likely used as a terrace when it was warmer.

“The autumn leaves are so pretty… I never paid attention to them in the mountains, but seeing red and yellow leaves gently piled in a manicured garden like this—it’s like a painting.”

“Yes, truly. It’s as if paint had been dripped onto a canvas. The fountain isn’t running right now, but the image of fallen leaves floating on the water would be beautiful as well.”

“The fountain… I wish I could have seen it.”

It really was a picture-perfect courtyard and garden.

If it were just a bit warmer, we could have had tea in that gazebo over there.

…Just now, I felt a flicker of Shizuma’s consciousness deep inside me trying to call the gazebo a kakapo.
Shizuma… why are you misremembering that? Kakapo is a bird.

The original animal for that weird character who makes strange remarks and turns its head while glowing rainbow colors.

“Thank you for waiting, ladies. Here are your orders.”

A male server approached with a cart, bringing a teapot and plates of pastries.

For a moment, I wondered whether I should tip him, but none of the other tables seemed to be doing so.

I decided to follow suit.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks.”

As I smiled and nodded, Melt mimicked me.

The male server blushed.

…Honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

Even I understood—through Shizuma’s impressions, my own memories, and past reactions—that my appearance was striking.

It was, without a doubt, a look that would attract attention—and possibly trouble.

“What cute pastries, huh?”

“Yes… Hmm, they’re just as I imagined.”

The financier was a rectangular baked pastry—similar to a small pound cake or cupcake.
Cassata, simply put, is a frozen dessert made with cream cheese, dried fruits soaked in liqueur, and crushed nuts.

Both were exactly as expected.

This meant that refrigeration and freezing technology—or at least magical equivalents—were well-established in upper-class facilities like this.

Well, considering I drank cold ale as Same, I’d assumed this world had advanced tech to some extent.

Science? It could also be magic-based tech.

“What kind of pastry is this?”

“It’s a cold dessert. It should go perfectly with warm tea.”

“It’s so pretty… nom…”

Watching Melt eat happily, I took a bite myself.

Yes, even though I had no memory of ever eating this before, I knew this taste.

Rich like cream cheese, gently sweet, with dried fruits soaked in liqueur and the crunchy texture of finely chopped nuts.

It was delicious—refined, elegant, and full of layered aromas in each bite.

“Phew… it’s really good. And I had no trouble reading the menu either. I suppose that means my role is complete.”

“Eh, already? But I want to stay with you longer.”

“Thank you. But it seems there are certain inconveniences. I think it’s time I take on the role of Silent and do some adventuring.”

Right now, Silent carries the most risk—after all, I basically picked a fight with the king of Golda.

That’s precisely why I need to become an adventurer, build a reputation, and gain some protection and influence.

…Though, I do have other motives as well.

“I see… So I guess this is goodbye… for now?”

“Fundamentally, we’re the same person. Don’t worry.”

But honestly, there’s quite a gap between me and Silent.

And I haven’t spent that much time as Silent yet. Who knows what kind of influence it’ll have on Shizuma.

Still, if I can gain the survival knowledge that Silent clearly possesses, it will definitely help in the future.

“It was a short time, but thank you for everything, Melt.”

“Likewise. You were close by, and I learned a lot too.”

We laughed together.

Gracefully, elegantly, a lovely moment passed.

But—

“Forgive the interruption, ladies. Might I join you in this pleasant moment?”

Suddenly, a man we didn’t know approached our table.

Well-dressed. His expression made it clear—he was confident and self-assured.

A noble… or at least someone of high status and influence.

“I’m very sorry, but I’d appreciate it if you could refrain this time. Right now, I’m saying goodbye to this lady. Surely you wouldn’t intrude on a heartfelt conversation between maidens?”

I replied with just a touch of theatrical flair—but my refusal was clear.

“I… Is that so? My apologies, then.”

“Yes, thank you for understanding.”

Melt didn’t interrupt this time.

She must have wanted to observe how I would handle this kind of situation.

I thought the man would give up and leave—but no. He sat at a nearby table, one with a clear view of my face.

…How obvious.

“This is delicious, She—”

Melt almost said my name, but stopped herself midway.

“Correct. Let’s keep our conversation to a minimum.”

“Okay. After we eat, should we go back to reading more books?”

“No, let’s head back.”

Change of plans. I’ll look for a used bookstore another day, buy the book, and test if I can read it as another character.

“By the way… these little orange bits? They’re delicious.”

“Ah, the pieces inside the dessert? That’s candied orange peel — orange rinds boiled in sugar, dried, soaked in alcohol, then chopped.”

“Wow! I didn’t know sweets could use alcohol too.”

“Yes, they can.”

We ignore the stares and chat casually while smiling.

“If you’re curious about other sweets… you can ask Silent. He should know about as much as I do.”

“Huh? That’s kind of surprising.”

“Haha, yes, I suppose it is. But I’m sure he won’t get dragged into any trouble, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right? Haha… it’s starting to feel not so lonely anymore.”

“I’m glad. Well then… though I’ve only just arrived, I’ll let the inn know. Constantly switching personas might come off as rude. Once I check out, the room is yours to use alone.”

“Oh… okay, got it.”

“Sharing a room with Silent would feel pretty awkward, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah… yeah, maybe a bit?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he stays at a nearby inn instead.”

There’s no way I could leave a delicate girl like her in the same room as that rough-looking giant of a man. That could easily turn into a problem — from the inn’s perspective too.

“Thank you for the meal. This tea made from Quince leaves… it tasted very much like one I know well. It was delicious.”

“Yeah, I love it too. Drinking it before bed helps you sleep better. And you can even make incense from it.”

“That’s lovely. Well… it’s hard to part, but shall we be off?”

Ignoring the man who kept grinning at me from afar like he was analyzing me, I stood up.

Without delay, we went to the office, completed the exit procedures, and left the library.

“…Melt, you noticed them too?”

“Three of them. Probably not amateurs.”

“They’re likely the men working for that guy from earlier. I imagine they’re planning to follow us back to our inn.”

“What a pain. Being pretty is hard, huh?”

“You’re pretty too, Melt. So be careful from now on, okay?”

“Really? You think I’m pretty?”

“Yes, without a doubt.”

Still, it seemed that I was the one who had caught that man’s eye.

“Melt, head straight back to the inn on your own. If you’re being followed, disappear over the rooftops immediately. After that…”

I handed Melt one of the few remaining teleportation bells.

“Once you’re back in your room, ring this bell.”

“Got it. What about you, Sheele?”

“I’ll lose the pursuers first, then teleport to you.”

“Oh, like the first time?”

“Exactly.”

And so, I parted ways with Melt on the road leading to the middle level.

As expected, all the pursuers followed me.

Well then… in that case, I’ll go all out in escaping.

My main job is Hunter—I’m especially skilled at moving to high places.

The moment I turned a corner, I leapt vertically and landed on a nearby rooftop.

The plan was for the pursuers to lose sight of me at the corner.

From there, I didn’t keep moving across the rooftops—that would stand out too much—so I dropped into another alley and hid myself.

…My detection ability, vision, and hearing are all highly developed.

Seems the Hunter job is quite excellent for scouting as well.

I strained my ears and eavesdropped on the pursuers’ conversation.

“We lost her… how?”

“Maybe she was a guest in one of the houses around here after all? If we had followed that beastkin girl, we might’ve been able to get some information out of her.”

“But we were told by Kiske-sama himself that we could ignore that girl…”

“That guy’s womanizing habits are such a nuisance… doesn’t he ever consider the risks if something goes wrong?”

“He probably thinks his father will clean up after him. And yet… that guy is supposed to be the next head of the Haverly family. Looks like dark clouds are looming over their future.”

“Well, at least the young lady escaped safely. With looks like that, she’s probably some high-ranking noble. No telling who might be backing her.”

“Yeah… there’s no way he could just ‘have his way with her and be done with it’ like usual.”

I see… as I suspected, a scumbag.

Kiske Haverly. I’ll remember that name.

If the opportunity arises… I wouldn’t mind doing a little work to bring some misfortune his way.

After hiding in the shadows for a while and letting enough time pass, I rang the teleportation bell and returned to the room where Melt was waiting.

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