Lunch with Mystery Meat

Our tour ends at about midday, after we finished inspecting the west side of the Thresford, where most of the beastmen reside. Naoki suggests we stop by a restaurant on the west side, to have lunch together.

"This is my favorite restaurant in Thresford. You should try their roast meat!" he gushes enthusiastically.

At first, I wanted to refuse his invitation because I don't think the beastmen can cook good food for human consumption. However, since I can't think of a good reason to politely refuse him with an empty stomach, I decide to just go along the ride. We can't offend these people now, we need to bide our time. I also don't think anyone expects the diplomats sent by the crown to reject the hospitality of the locals.

And so we find ourselves seated at a small booth; Naoki, Lillias, and I, facing each other. Our guide suggests that we order the daily special, a plate of grilled beef steak, rice, and steamed vegetables, with a cup of warm tea to finish. He promises it is a dish that I'll love, and that it's the best choice from the menu. I entertain his suggestion but scoff inwardly; there is no way it will taste good, considering it is made by a beastman. Still, it would be rude of me to outright refuse without trying it first. So, I just nodded and smiled at him.

Shortly afterwards, our orders arrive and the three of us begin eating. I take my first bite, chewing on the soft, juicy meat, grilled to perfection. The seasoning is great, it gives out a smoky flavor mixed with the rich natural taste of the meat itself. This is so... good!!

"Hmm, not bad," I said, trying to act casual about it, not wanting to show how I genuinely enjoy the meal.

I sneak a glance at Lillias, curious to see her opinion of the food. She is also eating the steak happily, it seems the meat is really good. As she eats, she closes her eyes and lets out a soft groan of approval, causing me to blink twice. A moment later, she catches me looking at her and pauses for a moment, before flushing a little.

"I-I'm sorry Victor... It's delicious. It's quite rare for me to get to eat food like this, so I lost myself for a moment..." Lillias said, avoiding looking at me directly.

Naoki stops eating for a moment to butt in, "what? That can't be true. The two of you come from the capital city, so there must be a lot of delicious food there."

Well, you're right, but these kinds of food are usually reserved for the nobles and rich people. Even I, one of the most accomplished mages in the whole kingdom, cannot have them unless I spend some considerable amount of gold. My salary would never be enough for me to eat this kind of food everyday in the capital.

"Well yes, but they're quite expensive there," I finally explain, "the only thing that is affordable to common people is bread and other basic food. And even that is not the best quality"

"I see. I understand now, sir. Thresford is really far from the capital city, so there's a lot of differences in economy. We grow our own food and we have plenty of animals to hunt, so I guess the meat is cheaper here."

Naoki nods knowingly as he speaks. I can't argue with his explanation, as it makes sense. This boy is smarter than he looks.

"Speaking of meat," Lillias suddenly speaks up, "I was wondering, what kind of meat is this? I don't think I've ever tasted anything like it before."

She looks at me as she says that, silently asking me if I know what it is too. I shrug, my shoulders raised slightly upwards, silently telling her that I don't have the answer. Naoki smiles widely and gives her the answer.

"It's Orc meat, miss Lillias"

"...Orc meat?" I murmur, puzzled by Naoki's answer.

Naoki nods excitedly, "yes, sir! These orcs are very healthy and fat, and they yield lots of meat. It's really delicious~"

I narrow my eyes, trying to hide my shock at this beastman's statement. Orcs are humanoid monsters with pig-like faces and fat bodies. I can't believe these barbaric beastmen eat monsters that look similar to themselves. That's... kind of disgusting, really.

Lillias tries and fails to hide her surprise. I can see her going a little pale, I hope she doesn't feel sick enough to throw up on the table. That would be rude and destroy my appetite. Meanwhile, I take another bite from my plate, savoring the juicy flavor of the meat that I now know came from an orc. I'm not a beastmen, so it's okay for me to eat this. Yes, definitely okay.

"Miss Lillias? Are you okay?" Naoki seems to notice Lillias' condition as well.

"Sorry, but... it's our first time hearing such a thing, monsters being hunted and eaten, so..." Lillias said to our guide, voice weak.

After a few moments of silence, it is Naoki's turn to go pale, "...Oh! I'm very sorry! I didn't think it would be a problem!"

The bull boy apologizes profusely, bowing his head several times and making a small commotion. When the restaurant's owner hears about it, because Naoki is being very loud, he and the cook also apologize. The owner then offers to make our meal free, but I politely decline. It was surprising and somewhat unpleasant, but I don't think it's worth making a fuss about. After all, I have finished almost all of my food, because it tastes delicious. My pride won't allow me to eat this high grade food for free.

After the restaurant owner and Naoki have calmed down, I ask Lillias if she needs to go to the back. At the very least, if she's going to throw up, she shouldn't do it in front of other patrons.

"I'm fine, I was just caught off guard by it. But, I don't think I can finish the meat anymore, I'll just eat the rice and vegetables," Lillias says then, pushing her plate of meat away from her.

I nod at her explanation. Also, I don't like to be wasteful, so I grab her discarded plate and start eating it since mine is finished. Lillias looks at me with a grateful look, as if I had just done her a huge favor. It's not like I'm doing this for her sake, okay? I'm doing it because I don't want to see the food go to waste. And it tastes good anyway, so there's no problem with that.

Later, the topic of the conversation shifts to the condition of Thresford. Lillias seems to be mostly recovered already, and she's engaging in conversation with Naoki while I mostly think to myself, just listening to them as I eat.

"Thresford is really wonderful. The town is flourishing and everyone is friendly towards each other," Naoki beams happily.

Lillias nods in agreement and adds, "Well, I agree that the atmosphere here is pretty nice. It feels like the people are more open to talking with each other, as well. There doesn't seem to be any animosity between humans and the beastmen, either. Well... Except for the mayor, maybe."

Naoki nods in agreement but he is frowning, saying "It wasn't always like this, though. When the beastmen first came to Thresford, we were not welcomed by the humans.''

Lillias raises her eyebrows in interest, "Oh, can you tell me more about that?"

Naoki proceeds to tell Lillias about the things I already knew from reading Akemi's journal as well as what the ex-Mayor told us. I tune out his story and instead ponder about Thresford's current situation. I have to admit that Naoki is right, everyone is friendly towards each other. The town is also very peaceful, with the exception of the mayor who is suffering from depression. I expected that the beastmen would have done something like putting the humans in less than favorable conditions, or maybe forcing the people to labor for them. But from what I have seen today, there's none of that. And the most surprising part is that the beastmen are treating humans on equal terms, and vice versa.

The two races seem to be far more united than what I expected before. I wonder why that is. Could it be that Akemi's presence in Thresford plays a huge part in this? It seems plausible. She's a priestess, so I doubt her influence would be limited to beastmen. But how did she manage to unify the two races? And what's her sinister motive behind that?

"Sir? Mister Victor?" Naoki's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"...Y-yeah?" I turn my head to look at him.

"I, um, I was wondering if we can visit the shrine now?"

It seems I have been lost in my contemplation. Naoki's story has finished for a while now, and all of our food is gone.

"Oh, of course, that is the plan. Let's pay the bill and we will be on our way."

With that said, I stand up from my chair and head towards the counter. Lillias follows behind me closely. Naoki stands up too but does not follow us immediately. I pay for the meal using a coin pouch, and then we walk out of the restaurant with Naoki trailing behind.

Along the way, I let Naoki go in front to lead the way, feigning ignorance of the town's layout still. In truth, it is to allow me to converse with Lillias behind his back, quite literally. We whisper to each other so that he doesn't hear, and I am grateful our guide doesn't seem to be one of the long-eared, great-at-listening kinds of beastman.

"Akemi's still sleeping," I inform my assistant, "I haven't been controlling her since this morning to lessen the burden on my psyche. But once we arrive at the shrine, I'll wake her up and control her like before."

Lillias nods slightly in understanding, replying softly, "Will you be able to handle it, sir?"

"It'll be fine, Lillias. But if you see me faltering in my steps or whatnot, please assist me. My psyche might be on top form right now, but conversely, I haven't been practicing with controlling both bodies at once for long. If it comes down to it, I have to focus on controlling Akemi. I don't want to blow the cover on the first day."

"Understood, Victor."