The Other World Dining Hall (WN) Chapter 80

Fruit Jelly

The breeze carrying mysterious smell and the large spring before the eyes.

[Fuwaa…]

Alice, an elf born from half-elf parents, could never imagine such a thing and exclaimed in surprise.

[It's been a long time since I saw the ocean, but it's still as large as ever.]

Even Faldania, Alice's mentor and guardian, also remembered the first time she saw the sea 50 years ago when she travelled with her family and smiled.

[Even so, at last, the ocean.]

It's been a year since Faldania left her village. She had went to several places like the Forest Capital where her father's friend lived, the days she spent to secretly spy on things, the half-elf village that sold elf bean stew, the forest where she picked up Alice, and the various human villages and towns.

She had fought demons and sometimes was almost cheated by bad people.

Temporarily interacting with adventurers and worked for employed jobs as an adventurer.

50 years ago when her mother was still alive, her family travelled to this town by the sea in a year, so Faldania thought of visiting that place again.

And an elven child she had picked up on the way, Alice.

Although she wore a robe for human magicians so that she was seen as an adventurer, her face of a 30 years old child from Faldania's point of view could be seen through the mantle (though some men misunderstood that she was Faldania's "older sister"), but she didn't seem able to endure long journey much.

Needless to say, as long as it was a purposeful journey for Faldania, she did not intend to travel slowly, but if her memory was correct, this port town was close to the battlefield where people used to fight with demons for a long time so it used to be deserted until recently, but it seemed to be a peaceful place now.

(Aa, that's why I bring someone with me.)

50 years later, she understood what her father and dead mother thought, and she smiled wryly.

This peacefulness was just right to make Alice who only knew her hometown learn about the world.

She guessed her parents probably thought of that and chose this town to bring 80 years old Faldania to.

[Sa, let's go.]

[Un!]

For such Faldania, Alice clearly answered and directed a bright smile she had recently showed to Faldania.

The "master" that was over 100 years older than Alice, who had helped Alice when she was abandoned after her parents died, brought her far away and quickly becoming Alice's "beloved onee-chan".

There was no mistake in what Faldania said.

She believed so and replied with a smile.

As the two entered the town… Faldania realized that her expectation was largely out of place.

The town that she thought was a calm port city was bustling with people.

[Come now and line up! It's the unusual Kaffa that's been brought from far beyond the ocean! This exclusive item is rumored to be His Majesty the emperor of Empire's favourite!]

[Is there any good quality white sugar? Recently a lot of orders came from the temple of light so I would like to purchase that.]

[What is this price!? No matter how good the liquor is, I can buy five umeshu of sea country with this amount!?]

[You don't know? This is a new dwarven alcohol. Rumours said that the eccentric Ein Gard have to hit something with a sword to get this you know?]

[Hee. Even though this is the Empire’s only port that used to be a battlefield, it's very crowded.]

[That's right. Recently trade s.h.i.+ps come not only from the Sea Country; there are those that came from Sand Country as well.]

[Oi! The onii-chan over there! It's your first time coming here? Then why don't you try this fresh fish skewer!]

[He-y! Try this croquette! The taste is good since I change the oil every 10 days!]

[How about squeezed Margo1 juice~? It's freshly squeezed~.]

It's full of people, people and people.

From peddlers to merchants to adventurers of suspicious backgrounds to cargo carriages to food stalls.

They promoted their business to the utmost and their voices mixed with the sound of sea waves and echoing sound of people.

[…Do human towns change so much in 50 years?]

Faldania unconsciously held her head due to the unexpected huge difference with the scene in her memory.

What she imagined was a calm and quiet port town.

She was intending to investigate the "sea gra.s.s that could be used as seasoning" which was used at the different world, but she also wanted to get out quickly due to the noise.

(I'm in trouble. This is too much for Alice, but there's no helping it.)

She glanced at Alice who was looking around the unfamiliar place and reconsidered.

Unlike when she's travelling alone, she was accompanied with a child now. She shouldn't overdo it.

[Jaa, let's go Alice… eh, Alice!?]

Alice was so impatient that her figure was no longer visible.

Apparently while Faldania was pondering over many things, Alice had left Faldania's side due to her childish curiosity.

[Aa, mou, this is why children is!]

While cursing, she rushed to find Alice.

50 years ago, she herself got lost, but she didn't remember her parents desperately searching for her.

Fortunately, she found Alice soon enough.

She was staring at one of the innumerable stalls.

[Fuwaa…]

Alice was looking at something transparent with fruits floating in it placed in red and s.h.i.+ny copper bowls.

It looked like water, but it was something that Alice did not know about as it jiggled when it was touched with a spoon.

[There you are! Alice, I told you before. You can wander around by yourself.]

After scolding Alice that was looking at something that was being sold at a stall, Faldania also looked at it.

[This, what is it? Is it food?]

A strange food that looked like a slime with fruits floating in it.

It was something that Faldania did not know.

[That's right.]

While smiling at the frank and unreserved elf, the seller told them.

[This is a sweet called fruit jelly. You can try it if you like. An elven onee-san said that it was delicious before.]

The witch of the cape said that it was a hard and incomplete subst.i.tute, but she said that it was delicious enough.

After the seller confidently recommended it, Alice and Faldania looked at each other.

[…I see. Then give me two portions please.]

[Thank you for your patronage.]

She thought for a moment and ordered for both of them.

(Hehe, they would be surprised.)

While the seller amiably gave them the fruit jelly, he laughed inwardly.

A special sweet made from magical powder that he and his father learned from an un-aging witch that lived at the cape.

It looked like a slime which was a lower monster, but it was tasty.

[Hee, it's quite delicious.]

[Un! This, delicious!]

Fortunately the two elves seemed to agree and smiled when they ate.

The fruit jelly was made from lightly boiling pieces of fruit in white sugar water and fruit juice mixed with magical powder.

The sweet and sour soup that mixed with the fruit juice would later melt in the mouth.

(Anyway, how did the witch know about this…)

While the two elves asked for another serving, the seller was in doubt.

A beautiful witch that had lived for a long time.

This fruit jelly was a whimsy prototype she made years ago and what she taught him to make.

It was not surprising that she knew how to make fruit jelly since n.o.body knew where she came from but he still doubted why she taught him.

(That person said "recently it increased little by little"… maa, I guess it's just a whim.)

After all, he wouldn't know even if he thought about it so he returned to his business.

Whoever that witch was, she was his benefactor.

Just that was enough.

A cape close to the sea, away from the port town.

It had been 60 years since Camilla settled there.

[Fuu.]

Cave built at the cape, connected to the bas.e.m.e.nt of a small house, a cave in which sea water flowed.

Camilla who went to the far bottom of the sea to find various medicine and food ingredients came back with her collected results.

[It's pretty diverse.]

She had taken seaweed and sh.e.l.lfish, and smiled when she checked her loots such as the fangs of sharks that attacked Camilla at the bottom of the sea.

For her who was a "mermaid" that lived alone far away from her brethren, such a little joy healed her loneliness.

[Blue G.o.ddess that ruled over the water, please give me a blessing. Please give me a pair of legs to stand on land.]

Camilla quickly prayed while holding on her loots.

Her prayer turned her mermaid tail to human legs.

Camilla's beautiful sea blue tail turned into white gentle human legs, not the dragon's legs which were also a strong weapon with nails and steel-like blue scales.

These legs were somewhat weak as a weapon, but it could also be used to pretend as a human at this continent.

Camilla was a member of the great empire built at the bottom of the blue sea and a great priestess who swore faith and unchanging loyalty to the Blue G.o.ddess and was specially awarded and protected by the Blue Empress.

Usually if one became a great priestess, it was their job to represent their tribe as the chief, but Camilla's circ.u.mstances were different.

70 years ago, she was the greatest priestess of the blue sea at that time, served as the king, a special life given from the Blue G.o.ddess and a.s.signed to the Northern Continent.

Yes, it was to survey the "Chaos of Myriad Colours" that the demons of that place tried to revive.

In the past tens of thousands of years ago, when the six pillars destroyed the Chaos of Myriad Colours and dominated the world, the six pillars signed 3 oaths.

One, the six pillars would not fight each other.

Two, they would not directly concern themselves with the conflict between their followers.

And last, if the chaos was born once again, they would cooperate with each other and destroy it again no matter the cost…

Even after tens of thousands of years, the six pillars had not forgotten.

Though they had rallied their forces, they only barely managed to destroy it.

That was why when the chaos appeared again 70 years ago, the Blue Empress gave Camilla, who was particularly powerful even among the great priests and priestess that served her, a drop of her blood as protection of eternal longevity, and ordered her a long surveillance duty to determine whether the Chaos would appear again or not.

For the Blue G.o.ddess who led ten thousands of believers, Camilla was demoted to surveillance duty.

Though her family grieved over that, Camilla herself thought that such life was not bad as she could see various things changing rapidly.

Camilla's work had already been mostly finished.

The Chaos that was resurrected by the demons was once again destroyed by the 4 heroes, including the brave one that received strong protection from the Black G.o.ddess.

As the Chaos was destroyed once again, the demons couldn't receive strong protection and had declined.

Now the Northern Continent had been dominated by the humans.

It was a human magician with their secret ritual that gave Camilla "human legs" that they had secretly developed, she then travelled and settled here under the guise of a human magician (as a human, it was not possible for her to proclaim herself as a follower of Blue G.o.ddess) for the last 10 years.

Then after she informed the Blue G.o.ddess, she was ordered again to watch whether the demons would resurrect the Chaos again, so she settled at the edge of the continent in a small town near the sea and decided to live as a witch living at a house connected to the sea that sold medicine made from sea ingredients to the people of the town that she visited occasionally.

Other than following the order of the Blue G.o.ddess, she was also tired of the calm, unchanging life at the bottom of the sea surrounded by the other followers.

The port town had changed considerably since the last 60 years when Camilla first settled.

As life had become more peaceful, trade s.h.i.+ps crossing between the two continents had started to be more popular, the town was now full of new things and human population started to become bigger and bigger.

At the same time, various people settle down there so the once quiet town had become very busy.

It seemed that the Empire, which was expanding rapidly, came and the lord of the town quickly obeyed the Empire and made this town as a territory of the Empire. As the Empire had no other port towns, much money was invested on this place and citizens were sent there to make the town grow bigger.

Camilla had lived while watching over the changes that were very different from those in underwater, not being involved.

It was only 5 years ago she could a little bit change the way she watch over the town.

[Well, it's time to leave.]

After rising from the water and changing her clothes, Camilla looked at the corner of the bas.e.m.e.nt.

A black door suddenly appeared at a corner of Camilla's bas.e.m.e.nt which was saturated with the power of water after she had lived there for many years.

She opened the door.

'Chirinchirin', the sound of bell echoed when the door was opened.

[Welcome.]

It was the female demon with golden hair.

[Ee, can you show me to a seat?]

After glancing at the Black G.o.ddess seating at a corner of the restaurant eating spicy soup (although it was never confirmed as n.o.body, not even the followers of the Black G.o.ddess, had ever seen her for the past tens of thousands of years), she then asked for a seat.

[Yes, this way please.]

The waitress was accustomed to it and quickly guided her to a vacant seat.

[Thank you. I wish to order chilled fruit jelly.]

While sitting, Camilla ordered the best dessert in this restaurant.

[Yes, please wait a moment.]

Camilla looked around the restaurant when the waitress went to the kitchen.

(…There are many priestesses.)

While Camilla looked like a human magician at first glance, but as a great blue priestess, she was able to combine her strong protection and experience to accurately distinguish G.o.ddesses' servants.

Like the great priestess of white and the lamia priestess of red that were comparable to her, the priest of gold that came from autumn to winter to order k.u.mara though he's not present now, a priestess of blue that departed from her hometown to the Western Continent, and a priestess of green that started to bring a man recently.

She felt nostalgia seeing those who were born and raised at the Southern Continent.

When she still lived at the country of Blue G.o.ddess, she rarely encountered pagans, but she remembered her hometown now whenever she saw their clothing.

(Maa, I won't go back though.)

They were unaware of Camilla's ident.i.ty as she was good at concealing her power after many years of experience, not to mention that she had human legs and wore clothes of Northern people.

Camilla slowly observed them and did not dislike the waiting time.

[Thank you for waiting. Here's your order of fruit jelly.]

Then the waitress brought her order.

[Ee, thank you.]

If this was home, the demons were enemies to be defeated, but this was the otherworld.

She received the fruit jelly without particular concern.

[Well then, please enjoy.]

She said that before she went away, Camilla then picked up her spoon.

In front of her was a jelly that looked like a slime filled with colourful squared fruits in a transparent gla.s.s cup.

The carefully cooked fruits floating in the thinly coloured jelly were cut into bite sizes.

(It's beautiful as usual.)

There were many sweets in this restaurant, all of them were delicious, but Camilla thought that this transparent jelly was the most beautiful.

Unlike other desserts, this jelly was transparent.

Camilla scooped the jelly with her spoon. The jelly with fruit inside quivered.

She carried it to her mouth.

It was soft like it was melting in her mouth and that slippery smoothness like polished stone slide over Camilla's tongue and down her throat.

What remained afterwards was a cold sweetness, different from ice cream, leaving a refres.h.i.+ng sour aftertaste.

It permeated into Camilla, who was a little annoyed by the summer heat of hot land.

(Un. I still can't make this softness yet.)

After enjoying the smooth sweetness of a single jelly, Camilla thought again.

This jelly was made by boiling fruits in sugar water to make them sweeter than normal fruits.

After eating it for the first time, Camilla figured out how to make it after years of experience.

She knew that it was possible to make something effective in hardening water after was.h.i.+ng and stewing seaweeds that were harvested from the sea.

Using it, Camilla created something similar.

It's worth some money at the other side… the replicated jelly was delicious and special enough to be taught to people so that they could make money, but it was still hard and far from the soft and smooth jelly of this restaurant.

How to get this smoothness and softness was still under study.

(The fruits of another world. It's another problem.)

Camilla then tasted the jelly covered fruits.

The orange coloured sweet Michele with low acidity, sweet ripe Margo, green sweet grape reminiscent of an emerald coloured jewel, sweet white peach, yellow fruit that was shaped in half a ring with high acidity, and a red crunchy fruit that was different from berries.

Some were raw and some were boiled in sugar water, a large amount of fruits.

Each fruits that inlaid in the vessel of jelly had different tastes, and they went through her mouth along with the jelly.

Camilla knew some that were similar or nearly the same.

However, all of that sweetness was unusual; they were sweeter and more delicious beyond the fruits that Camilla knew.

Not just because they were boiled in sugar water, the qualities of the fruits themselves were different.

(If these can be obtained over there, the jelly would be more delicious. But this is precious because it can only be eaten here.)

While thinking such, Camilla finished her jelly and gently put down her spoon.

[Fuu…]

She sighed with deep satisfaction.

For Camilla, fruit jelly once in 7 days was more pleasurable than anything.

[Well… excuse me, bill please.]

[Yes.]

She called the owner, paid the price and returned to the bas.e.m.e.nt.

[Well, after today…]

While thinking of her future plans, Camilla went up the stairs.

She did not know yet. After this, two people with long ears… the descendants of former invaders came to visit.

And that encounter brought Camilla to meet new tastes.