11-12. Date (1)
Satou's here. Talking about greeneries when I live in the city, I feel that I've only ever seen roadside trees and decorative plants there.
I do take walks in the park sometimes, but it's a shame that doing it at the dawn of the day after an all-nighter will likely get me questioned by the police.
◇
"Now, let's go!"
"Aye~"
"Roger! Nanodesu!!!"
Tama answered Lady Karina's yell in her usual carefree manner, but Pochi raised her voice louder than usual.
I wonder if the slight desperation I've heard is because of the stress from the meat absent.
From now on, let's make it only two days for the meatless punishment.
"I'll prepare full-course meat party tomorrow morning, so do your best okay."
"Guah! I'll do my best nodesu!"
Pochi who has regained brightness on her eyes grips both her hands and psyches herself.
"Full cour~se?"
"That's right. Starting with three kinds of roast beef as the hors d'oeuvre, then shabushabu, karaage, teriyaki chicken, beef stew, and last but not least, thi~ck steaks. Of course there are seven kinds of hamburg steaks including the orthodox Japanese style and Western style. For the entremet, there will be shrimp and crab dishes with sukiyaki."
Pochi's tail is swinging faster whenever I narrate each item.
"Aaa.... I'm looking forward too much, I don't know what to do nanodesu!"
"Wakuwaku~"
"It sounds very wonderful. In order to empty my stomach, I will also be participating in the labyrinth exploration today."
It's not only Tama and Pochi who can't express their joy, Liza seems to be excited with the meat festival, her tail is banging on the floor.
They like meat that much huh.
I see the energetic beastkin off, "Do your best."
I felt a slight pity toward Erina and the others who are being dragged by Lady Karina, but since they would also participate in the meat festival, I encouraged them to work hard also.
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"Satou-san, it's a good day today isn't it."
"Yes, the cloud unusually come out, it makes the sunlight feels nice."
I've come to the lodging estate where Zena-san's Selected Corps are staying, but Zena-san who's been waiting before the gate of the estate looks awfully tense.
Hmm?
What is she tense about after all this time?
I get off the carriage I've borrowed for the date today and escort Zena-san to it.
She might be embarrassed because Lilio and some others unfamiliar faces from the corps are peeking curiously from the other side of the gate.
The old coachman puts a stool on the ground to support Zena-san who's wearing skirt to get on the carriage.
He's someone dispatched by the cab carriage association, I often employs him when I use cab carriage since he drives the carriage carefully and is unexpectedly attentive despite his taciturn unsociable-like demeanor.
"Zena-san, have you eaten breakfast?"
"Y-yes."
Her reaction is slightly slow when I talk to her.
Maybe her condition isn't good after all?
"If you're still not feeling well, why don't we postpone the outing?"
"No, I'm fine."
She doesn't look that fine, so I'm going to refresh her at a place with good sceneries.
I instructed the old coachman to take us to the park near the Ivy Mansion.
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"I didn't know that there's a place with such rich greenery in this city."
"There's a facility made by someone called the Elf Sage nearby that enables water from a water-source to flow on the ground surface. The nature here is rich as the aftereffect."
I narrate back what Leriril has told me to Zena-san who's wide-eyed after seeing the trees and lawn of the park.
In fact, it's not just merely a water source, it also draws up [Mana] from the earth's vein.
Putting that said, since Zena-san's vigor has come back a bit, let's take walk here.
I tell the old coachman to stop the carriage on the grassland near the park entrance.
"Would you like to take a bit of stroll?"
"Yes, I'd be glad to."
"It feels really refreshing to walk around here, I'm sure you'll feel pleasant."
I tell the old coachman to wait here, take Zena-san's hand, and relaxedly walk on the lane under the tree shadows.
"Satou-san...."
"Yes."
I do not urge Zena-san who's faltering after saying my name, I'll just wait for her to collect her words.
It's very cool here, probably due to the vapor from the morning dews.
In addition, the sounds of birds chirping between the trees are really nice on the ears.
"Um, Satou-san, have you, umm, been a noble since you were in Seryuu city?"
"No, I was a normal commoner at that time."
It seems she wanted to hear that, Zena-san's shoulders lose her tense after hearing me saying so.
It's not that important of a thing right?
I briefly talked about how I saved some relatives of a noble from thieves, brought them to Baron Muno which ended up in Liza and the others repelling the monsters that attacked Muno city, as the result, I was granted chevalier title by the Baron.
"....Then, that beautiful person was?"
Someone whom Zena-san expressed with [Beautiful], meaning it's either Lady Karina or Nana?
It's probably Lady Karina since I've introduced her to Zena-san before.
I explain to her, guessing so.
"Is it about the woman with rolled blond hair?"
"Y-yes."
"That person is Karina-sama, she's the daughter of Baron Muno. She's always wanted to go to the labyrinth city since a long time ago, she's currently enjoying herself exploring the labyrinth, guided by Liza and the others."
Zena-san looks puzzled, I guess the daughter of a baron exploring a labyrinth is unexpected.
"She probably wants to become strong since she said she wanted to become the hero's attendant."
"I can understand that!"
You do huh....
Zena-san and Lady Karina might unexpectedly have similar taste.
◇
While taking half a hour stroll, I talked about the event when I met Mia and Nana.
Of course, I can't exactly tell her the thing about the [Maze of Trazayuya] and the [Undead King Zen], so I've revised the content here and there.
I heard a small sound from Zena-san's stomach during that time.
She probably hasn't eaten breakfast after all.
There should be Tama's napping space ahead of these trees.
Let's have a lunch there today.
We can't see it from the lane, but if you just follow the animal trail for a bit, you'll arrive at Tama's napping space.
Small butterflies are flying among the sunlight between the trees, small squirrel-like animals peek their face from the shadow of the branches.
It's a space that's quite pleasing for hearts.
I put a sheet on the meadow for us to sit down, and take out sandwiches and whale karage from the lunchbox I've made this morning.
I've prepared honeyed lemonade as the drink. Though I've said lemonade, I used some handball-sized fruits that tasted like lemon to make the fruit juice.
"Um, does Satou-san has [Item Box] skill?"
"Oh it's just that this bag is a magic item. Just like the [Item Box], it can hold a lot of item."
"Amazing. You're like the magician from picture books."
I pass the magic bag (Holding Bag) to Zena-san who was eagerly admiring it, letting her touch it as she wants.
I hid it in Seryuu city it, but there's no problem showing it now because I've been using it normally with everyone's fairy bag as the camouflage ever since we arrived at the Labyrinth City.
Surprisingly enough, there wasn't anyone who tried to steal this bag as it seemed the Red Iron Plate worked as repellents.
"Now then, why don't have a bite."
I pass Zena-san a handmade paper napkin and teach her the way to eat the sandwich.
We're going to eat the sandwich by wrapping it in paper napkins, but I've brought two forks for the karage.
"Is this a white bread? This is the first time I've seen a bread this thin and soft."
"It's a kind of white bread called loaf bread."
I made this loaf bread for Arisa who requested it strongly.
I got the bread's yeast in the Royal Capital, but it took me half a month before I could made good loaf bread.
Arisa bit the completed loaf bread in her mouth while running in the corridor, saying "I'm late, I'm late", which made her getting scolded by not only Liza and Lulu, but even Ms. Miteruna.
I understand the parody, but just what was she trying to do.
"You could eat this karage as is, but dipping it in this red sauce or this yellow sauce would make it taste even more delicious."
The red one is a slightly sweet tomato sauce, the yellow one is a slightly bitter mustard sauce.
There are two kinds of sandwiches; egg sandwiches, and cheese & ham sandwiches.
I had prepared tuna flakes too, but since that peculiar flake sensation was popular among the mansion maids who tasted it, I passed it off this time.
"Delicious"
Zena-san mutters a single word and becomes speechless after nibbling a light bite of the sandwich.
It's been awhile since I see such reaction.
"It's really delicious. I thought this red one was pepper, but it's sweet isn't it."
"Yes, that's a flavoring made from the royal capital's specialty fruit called tomato."
It seems the sandwich and the karage were to Zena-san's liking, they were gone into her stomach in a blink of an eye.
While Zena-san is having a late breakfast, I tell her about my workshop visits and Sir Tisrad's wedding in the duke castle at the duchy capital humorously.
When Zena-san hears about the fireworks that adorned the wedding at the end, she leaks a sigh like she's envious from the innermost depth of her heart, "It sounds wonderful", while looking entranced.
Since that behavior was so cute, I unconsciously promised Zena-san to show her fireworks next time.
I feel bad if I have to ask Arisa, so let's make some magic tools that can shoot fireworks once again.
With Zena-san who has fully recovered, we leave the park behind.