Chapter 40 - Vesteria Kingdom and Elite Guard [3] (2/2)

Then I followed Ria and arrived in front of a restaurant that is still very much fresh in my memory.

「T-This is…」

「Fufu, it’s amazing right? An authentic Ramzac shop!」

Ramzac is a traditional dish of Vesteria.

A bite-sized triangular puff pastry filled with beef stew with plenty of beef.

(Ramzac is certainly delicious. And because it has plenty of beef, it matches my request…)

However, the problem is the amount.

When I went to eat this with Ria and Rose previously, Rose and I had to raise the white flag in front of the excessive amount.

(W-What should I do… refuse?)

As I was thinking about that,

「The shop here is run by a family, and it’s really good! The pie crust is really crispy! Full of rich beef stew! And, And! The meat is so soft that it melts in your mouth!」

Excited in front of the authentic Ramzac, Ria expressed so passionately.

「I-I see… I’m looking forward to it…」

There is no way I can say「I’m sorry, but why don’t we go to another shop?」,when she sounds so happy.

With a slightly stiff smile, I nodded.

(…If push comes to shove, I can just have her finish my portion as well.)

It’s not good to overdo it – this is what I learned from my last Ramzac meal.

If it becomes too difficult, let’s give her the rest.

「Come, let’s enter.」

「Aa.」

And when we entered the store,

「Hello, welcome… Oh! If isn’t Ria-sama! So you finally returned!」

A short, old-aged employee ran up to Ria.

「It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, grandma Ram! I came back for a little while because of a few of circumstances.」

「Oh I see, I see! I’m just glad you’re doing good! By the way… you brought along a cool guy. Is he perhaps… your boyfriend?」

「E-Err… That is, umm…?」

Ria suddenly became evasive, and looked up at me.

Apparently, she doesn’t want to answer this kind of question voluntarily.

(Speaking of which, I think Paula-san taught me something…)

『Listen well, Allen. Girls are delicate creatures. So if a girl is in trouble, you, as a man, must take care of her and help her!』

Ria is a teenage girl.

And she is currently at a loss as to how to answer the question.

As a man, I should take care of and answer on her behalf.

「Ahaha. We are just friends.」

As I answered the question.

「…I see …so you’re still『friends』」

For some reason, Ria suddenly dropped her shoulders and heaved a large sigh.

「Fufu, I see I see! How bittersweet… I feel a little young too!」

On the other hand, Ram-san, who was feeling lively for some reason, laughed happily.

「Well, are you going to order the usual?」

「Ah yes, please give us two extra large portion Ramzac.」

「Sure, then, please take your favorite seat!」

After that, Ria and I ate the authentic Ramzac with relish.

■

After we ate Ramzac till our stomachs were full, we paid the bill and left the store.

「Nnー! It was so delicious, Allen!」

「Aa, the authentic was different after all. It was much better than the one in Orest.」

「But, you didn’t eat much… are you alright?」

「A-Aa…! I’ve been dieting recently!」

Yes. This time, I didn’t overdo it.

Right when I ate five – I felt content, so I gave the remaining fifteen to Ria.

(All things considered… Ria’s gluttonous manner is quite terrifying.)

The figure of Ria eating a sum of thirty-five ramzacs, was even kind of godly.

(Well… The real thing comes after this.)

Ramzac is, after all, an incidental prelude.

From now on, the『Main Battle』of talking to Ria’s father – King Vesteria begins.

「Ria, you remember, right? If you are asked『Did you become a slave?』, you must definitely answer『No』, okay?」

「It’s alright, I will answer properly this time!」

「Yoshi, can you lead the way?」

「Yeah, this way. Follow me.」

Then, following Ria’s lead – I arrived at a large castle which stood towering over its surroundings.

The five people who accompanied us on the plane were also there.

「-We’ve been waiting for you, Ria-sama, filthy…………… Allen-sama.」

She attempted to address me as filthy worm, and after a long, long gap, she called my name with a bitter expression.

「His Majesty the King is waiting for you. -Please come this way.」

Then we passed through the guards who glared at me sharply and entered the royal castle.

(…As expected, I’m nervous)

Meeting with the king of a country – no matter how you think about it, it’s too heavy for a student.

(Until just a few months ago, I was a dropout of the swordsmanship academy in the countryside…)

What, why, and how did things come to this point…

(I’m not good at talking, but I’ll try as much as I can….)

Then, I walked through the royal castle while heaving a sigh, which had become a habit as of late.