The main streets that cross the city from side to side were paved with soft stones, while the others were not.
Children played here and there while merchants sold their wares on the side of the streets.
Some displayed their products on top of thick cloth blankets and were sitting on the floor, while others displayed their merchandise on top of wooden tables.
People were working hard ... but some stopped what they were doing and looked this way.
Sylphy said to avoid receiving as much attention as possible, but ...
Sigh. 'Two beautiful girls walking side by side on the street would obviously be eye-catching ... ' (Usagi)
I could feel the men looking at Ember and Sylphy with lust in their gazes, while the women were filled with jealousy.
Sylphy seemed accustomed to this, but Ember just ignored them and I did the same, not like I had many options.
But ... it is as I had thought. While demihumans were welcomed here, beastmen were not.
I couldn't see more than a few and those I saw were no taller than most humans.
Beastmen either evolved from beasts or monsters. Some were also born from the love between a beastman and a member of another race.
However, most of them had two characteristics in common. They were very tall and pretty scary, they even looked hideous at times.
The ones I see here have neither of those traits.
They were short of stature and could even be thought of as big cute-looking "animals" with humanoid form in a few cases.
Cat beastmen were a good example of this.
Still, they all had big smiles on their faces as if their life here was pleasant. It probably is. After all, the White family owns this town.
I wanted to lift my "chest" with pride but remembered that I don't have one ... and also that Mary's family is not my family ...
Family, huh? I wonder what my father and mother are doing ... Working as usual, probably.
If only my soul came here, that means that I really did die, didn't I?
... Did I have a proper funeral? Where my few friends and close family there?
Strong emotions of sadness and uncertainty filled my "head". Slowly but surely, I was falling into a depressive state.
'Master, are you okay? I can feel Master's sadness in my chest.' (Ember)
' ... I am fine. Don't worry.' (Usagi)
I suppressed my negative feelings and "looked" ahead. It wasn't long before Sylphy's clear voice woke me up.
"Wolf Girl, we are here. Let's go inside." (Sylphy)
'You too, Little Rabbit.' (Sylphy)
"Yes." (Ember)
'Yeah ... ' (Usagi)
My mood changed when I saw the inside of the restaurant. It wasn't too eye-catching from the outside, but the atmosphere here feels warm.
Wooden tables and chairs, potted flowers, and I could even vaguely smell the delicious scent of various kinds of food coming from the kitchen in the back.
Adventurers seem to eat frequently at this establishment, as half of the people here carried weapons such as swords and bows, while special field bags hung on the shoulders or backs of some of them.
The rest looked like merchants as they wore suits or tunics adorned with gems.
'Hey Sylphy, are you sure we can afford to eat here? I know that you are a friend of the royal family, but that won't make the food any cheaper, right?' (Usagi)
'You worry too much. I am acquainted with the boss of this place. Where do you think I spent all the money the king gave me?' (Sylphy)
' ... ' (Usagi)
She is correct. There is nowhere to spend money in the middle of a forest ...
However, how much food do you need to buy to receive discounts from the owner of a restaurant? ... I won't ask. I feel like I would regret it if I do.
"Sylphy! Long time no see! I missed you a lot!" (Cheerful Woman)
A woman suddenly came and hugged Sylphy tightly.
She had dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and was wearing a long, flowing white dress fastened with a tight leather belt.
"Hehehe, Fae, it hasn't been that long, you know?" (Sylphy)
Fae? Wait, her ears ... were long and pointy like elves', but she didn't look as much as a "fairy" like Sylphy.
Her skin wasn't as white or flawless and she had wrinkles on her face. She looked older too, in her early thirties.
Sylphy almost looked like her daughter when they were next to each other.
"Nonsense! You haven't visited me even once in the last two months!" (Fae)
Fae seemed to be furious and yelled out loud.
So Sylphy has been living a frugal life for that long ... it must have been rough.
"Actually ... I ran out of money and now only have some savings left ... hehe." (Sylphy)
Sylphy had a pitiful expression on her face ... her giggle at the end didn't make it any brighter.
Sigh. "Silly girl, you should have come here when that happened ... After all, we have been acquainted for a long time ... You see, I opened this restaurant so my friends wouldn't starve to death ... I thought you already knew that though ... " (Fae)
Sylphy started to twirl her hair anxiously and lowered her head.
"I am sorry ... I didn't want to trouble you, Fae." (Sylphy)
Ember was waiting calmly for their conversation to finish. You would normally think that a wolf would be rowdier, but she was quiet and obedient.
I, on the other hand, appraised Fae out of pure curiosity.
≪ Fae
Race: Fairy [Human]
Species: Half-Elf
Gender: Female
Age: 83
Level: 25 ≫
She was only one year older than Sylphy, but her level was much lower. I was intrigued by her race and species though ...
"Sylphy, you have brought some interesting 'friends' this time ... One of them is also pretty rude. Humph." (Fae)
Sylphy looked this way and had a scary expression on her face ...
Shiver! I could somehow sense that it wasn't aimed at Ember ...
'Hehehe, Little Rabbit ... you idiot! Didn't I say that fairies are especially sensitive?! Don't use appraisal on them!' (Sylphy)
' ... I am sorry. I won't do it again in the future ... ' (Usagi)
If I had a face, I would be making the most pitiful expression I could ...
Sigh. "I will let it pass this time. They are Sylphy's friends after all ... You also don't have to explain anything. One sees many odd people when working in a restaurant." (Fae)
'Little Rabbit ... next time you embarrass me in front of others, I will make you suffer! Did you know? We fairies are experts in spirit magic, hahaha!' (Sylphy)
Shiver, shiver, shiver! ' ... Yes.' (Usagi)
... Certainly, spirits are able to harm other spirits ...
"So what are you going to order? I can feel like we won't see each other for a while, so the food you order this time is my treat." (Fae)
"Thank you, Fae! You are the best!" (Sylphy)
Now, it was Sylphy the one who gave Fae a hug.
Women are scary ... They are quite sharp and change their attitude at the speed of light ...
'Did you say something, Master?' (Ember)
'No ... it was nothing ... Ember is a good girl ... ' (Usagi)
'Hehehe, thank you, Master!' (Ember)
She was very happy and her cheeks became a bit pink in color.
Sigh. Crisis avoided successfully ...
"I'll have my usual salad and fried eggs on the sunny side. As for this girl ... " (Sylphy)
"Big Sister, I want meat! Lots of meat!" (Ember)
"I see ... So, some steaks and salad for her." (Sylphy)
'You are no longer a wolf, so just eating meat is not good. Also, you are a girl, so if you eat too much, you could gain weight. Your Master doesn't like fat girls, you know?' (Sylphy)
'Yes ... ' (Ember)
Sylphy used her link with me to convey those words to Ember. They are both getting good at activating my abilities without my permission ...
Moreover, what Sylphy said about me is not wrong ...
Then, Ember's fluffy ears fell sadly and Sylphy told Fae to add more steaks with an expression that seemed to say "It can't be helped."
She really did seem like a gentle older sister ... Shiver! That same face can also make the scariest expressions ...
'As for you, Little Rabbit ... You've been naughty so there's no food for you, hehe.' (Sylphy)
She smiled mischievously but no longer looked angry.
I didn't need to eat anything, but her words still made me feel sad ... Such is the life of a bodiless soul ...
. . .
After they finished eating their meals, Sylphy also ordered some desserts from Fae.
One strawberry pudding for her and one chocolate parfait for Ember.
Then, Ember told me something.
'Master ... I don't know why you are sad today, but I will give my dessert to Master!' (Ember)
'You don't have to do that, haha. I am used to getting sad ... ' (Usagi)
'No ... I am sure that Master will be happier if he eats this!' (Ember)
Sigh. 'You don't have to do this, really.' (Ember?)
I tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't budge ...
"Do as she says. If she didn't give you at least a piece of her dessert, I would have given you a part of mine. After all, you have been a bit gloomy since we came here." (Sylphy)
" ... I understand ... I will enjoy it gladly then." (Ember?)
I grabbed a fork and a knife while activating my pitifully low-leveled Etiquette skill. Then, I cut a small piece of the parfait and brought it to "my" mouth.
" ... Delicious." (Ember?)
I couldn't clearly taste the meal the other "me" ate, so I didn't know how good this restaurant's food was.
The texture of the parfait was smooth and its flavor was creamy. It was still a bit hot so I had to slowly blow in some air to cool it down.
"Fuu ... Fuu." (Ember?)
I concentrated on eating and the worries I had of not having a body and not being able to see Mary disappeared into thin air ...
Ahh, I am such a simple "man".
Eventually, I finished eating my dessert and licked "my" soft lips to savor its flavor a little more before carefully wiping them with a napkin.
"Did you finish? You might not be aware of it, but you have a really cute smile in your face right now, hehe." (Sylphy)
Did I? My face flushed a bit at that thought.
"Come here, I left a portion of mine especially for you." (Sylphy)
'That's not fair, Big Sister!' (Ember)
'Don't you want him to become even happier? My pudding is quite delicious, you know? I even saved some for you, Wolf Girl.' (Sylphy)
Sylphy put a piece of her pudding in Ember's plate.
'Thank you, Sylphy. I want to taste your dessert.' (Usagi)
'Fufu, then come here already. We still have things to do after this.' (Sylphy)
I went inside Sylphy and activated Assimilation. She didn't resist even a bit and I quickly became one with her.
" ... It truly is delicious." (Sylphy?)
The strawberry pudding "I" ordered is very tasty.
Also, I didn't notice before, but the other "me" has a higher-leveled Etiquette skill.
The movements of "my" hands were very skillful and graceful when using the spoon.
'Master, come back to my side, please!' (Ember)
'Wait a few moments, "he" will return when I finish "my" pudding. You should do the same. After all, "I" gave you some, didn't I?' (Sylphy?)
' ... Okay, Master.' (Ember)
Ember complained to "me" for an unknown reason, but I responded as "I" usually would.
Obviously, I did that because I was too occupied eating the pudding in front of me.
"Hehehe, so tasty~" (Sylphy?)
I reflexively put one my hands on my cheeks while I licked the spoon for the last time.
Finally, I wiped my lips with great care and deactivated Assimilation.
'You looked very happy, hehe. Do you like desserts that much?' (Sylphy)
'Haha, it seems so. I usually didn't eat that many sweet things before.' (Usagi)
'Fufu, I see ... Well then, we should go. We still need to visit Wolf Girl's pack before going, remember?' (Sylphy)
She is right. We did promise Ember that we would let her say goodbye to her pack.
It was then that we overheard some people talking.
"Mr. Oswald, when are you going to part?" (Fae)
"Hoho, it'll be tomorrow morning, Ms. Fae. I managed to get an invitation thanks to Mr. White, so there is no way I can miss this business opportunity!" (Oswald)
Mr. White? Mary's father? I wonder what they are talking about.
"Have you already hired some bodyguards? If not, the adventurers here are pretty good choices." (Fae)
Fae pointed to some of them and told Oswald their specialties.
That some were good with swords, that others had very good aim with bows, but Oswald interrupted her with a hand sign before responding.
"Yes, I have already hired some and my assistant is still receiving applications in the town's plaza as we speak. If any of the gentlemen and ladies here are interested in being one of my temporary bodyguards or fancy a safe ride till the capital. Please head over there." (Oswald)
He bowed slightly towards the people here and proceeded to leave the restaurant after saying goodbye to Fae.